Sufism & Its Effects On Islamic Culture Essay Example for Free

Sufism Its Effects On Islamic Culture Essay â€Å"Sufism is the journey and the realization of truth, and a Sufi, is the seeker of truthâ€Å" (Janghda, 144). Therefore, in order to understand the lives of Sufis and their contribution to Islam, one must first comprehend the meaning of Sufism. â€Å"Sufism is the spiritual practice by which one can achieve ultimate spiritual gratification. The term ‘Sufism’ has been derived from various words, such as ‘Safa’ which means ‘pure’ and ‘Saff’ which means high in rank† (All About Religion). All these meanings have one thing in common which is also apparent by the looks of a Sufi, uniqueness. That Sufis do not fit the general perception of a man or woman, they were people who gave up the world’s material belongings and it’s luxuries to explore the inner self. â€Å"One must live in the world, not be of the world†, Jamal ad-Din al-Rumi. Love is the basis of Sufism, like most of the religions of this world and the core objective of Sufism is to find the oneness. A Sufi must realize that God exists everywhere, as the creator and the creation. Tasawwuf is a practice in Sufism in which one purifies oneself by the remembrance and obedience of God. It is the complete detachment from the worldly issues and devoting your mind, body and soul to God. This practice is similar to conventional Islamic practices such as zikr and prayer. Thus to achieve a status of a Sufi, one must go through many levels, such as killing your ego, breaking away from the material wants and loving everything, as all is created by God. Sufism has no boundaries as it a spiritual religion; it seeks truth through divinity and not sections. Instead of mentors or preachers who have learned about religion through people, a Sufi seeks his own answers. There are no value of favoritism and preference, all creations are equal. Sufism is not just a religion, it is a way of thinking and a lifestyle, and thus one must be open-minded, tolerant and humble to start the journey. Without these traits one cannot achieve spiritual enlightenment. â€Å"Therefore, most of the well known Sufis that have passed have known to not conform to the society they reside in, providing knowledge about Islamic mysticism to their people through poems, stories and various texts which are still enchanting and informing people till this day† (Arbery, 15). Farid ud-Din Attar was a similar mystic, born in the city of Nishapur in Iran and also buried in a tomb in Nishapur (The Free Dictionary). Although he lived over centuries ago but some of Attar’s works are still read and appreciated even now. His name Attar, meant herbalist who was also his profession, as he was a well-known medic. He would see hundreds of patients daily, prescribing herbal medicines that he himself prepared to his patients. In his days of youth, he travelled comprehensively through Egypt, Damascus and even performed pilgrimage at Mecca in search for wisdom. After a long journey, Attar came back to his hometown and embarked on his Sufi journey. During this time, Attar wrote tremendous texts but his most well known is Maqamat-e Toyur (The Conference of the Birds). Attar’s ability to look beyond the texts and find a deeper meaning in not just readings but in every daily doings made him a better author and poet, his teachings and poems still are relevant for that alone reason. Attar passed away in old age, even though the details of his death are weary but a traditional tale does narrate the demise of Attar. In this folk tale, Attar had been made a prisoner by the Mongol when they invaded Nishapur. During that time, an unknown person came to the Mongol king and offered a thousand pieces of silver in turn of Attar’s freedom. When Attar heard this, he recommended the king to not take such a ransom, and the king did just that in greed. Later, another man came to the emperor and offered him a bundle of straws in exchange of Attar’s freedom, to which Attar advised the king to take the offer, as that is what he was worth. When the Mongol king heard this, he decapitated Attar in anger (Arbery, 74). The authenticity of this tale is not important but the message it has is very valuable. It shows that a man of such knowledge of religion, mysticism and medicine, thought of himself as only worthy of a bundle of straws rather than thousand pieces of silver. Therefore, a Sufi must be self-less to attain the truth. The truth is that the body of a person is just a shell, in which the soul resides, a soul that mirrors God. Even if you kill the body, which is of no value, the soul will live on forever.