Sufism Terms

Sufism

Mystical movement that seeks to find divine love and knowledge through direct personal experience of God

Tariqa

The Sufi doctrine or path of spiritual learning

Zikr/Dhikr

“Remembrance,” act of reciting prayers or phrases to remember God

Fana

“Annihilation,” complete denial of self and the realization of God

Baqa

A state of being in which a person transcends their individuality and experiences a profound union with god, “permanence”

Rumi

Great Sufi mystic and poet in the Persian language, famous for his lyrics and for his didactic epic “Spiritual Couplets” which widely influenced mystical thought and literature throughout the Muslim world

Al-Hallaj

Persian mystic, poet, and teacher of Sufism. Best known for saying “I am the Truth” which people saw as a claim to divinity, while others saw it as an instance of annihilation of the ego, allowing God to speak through him

Rabia al-Adawiyya

Transformed Sufism into a form of ecstatic love mysticism and had a major spiritual influence in the classical Islamic world

Sama

Sufi ceremony that involved listening to music, chanting, signing, dancing, and reciting prayer and poetry. The word sama means “listening".” Popular form of worship in Sufism

Whirling

Symbolizes stages on the path to accessing God and contains religious elements and themes with detailed rules and characteristics

Meditation and Contemplation

Being conscious of the Divine at all times until there is no longer a sense of separation between ____, God, and daily life.

The underlying state and the marrow of all the practices, because with it, they are empty

Murshid/Sheikh

“Guide” or “teacher”

Refers to a spiritual guide

Murid

A novice committed to spiritual enlightenment under a spiritual guide

Wali

A Muslim saint or mystic who is considered a “friend of God’

Qalb

The spiritual hear, which is the center of the human personality and the source of wisdom, intelligence, and the Divine spark

Sirr

Something untouchable/could not be grasped or felt by the mind of desire

2 challenges Sufi does against Orthodoxy

1. Placing a greater emphasis on the mystical and personal experience of God through practices like meditation and spiritual purification

2. Goes beyond the strict adherence to outward religious rituals and legal interpretations that are central to orthodox Islamic practice (Sharia law)