A FUSION OF WESTERN AND EASTERN IDEOLOGIES — ONE THAT TRANSCENDS: SUFISM
“I want to pour water into Hell and set fire to Paradise so that these two veils disappear, and nobody worships God out of fear of Hell or hope for Paradise, but only for the sake of His Eternal Beauty”.
Rabi’a al-Adawwiya is the woman who said this during the initial spread of Islam, and it was her mystic viewpoint that changed how people could understand and worship God. In a world where only Christianity and Judaism were the main monotheistic religions, both of which lacked a societally prominent mystic presence, Islam’s mystic believers enticed people into seeking a higher understanding of existence.
When looking at Western ideologies (Christianity, Judaism, and Islam) in contrast to Eastern practices (Buddhism, Hinduism, Taoism, etc.), there seems to be a stark difference in methodologies, as Western thought is rather fundamentalist, and Eastern spirituality focuses on self-awakening and actualization. Islam’s mystical method of worship, Sufism, uses the self-awakening process similar to Eastern ideology in conjunction with the core “Western” teachings of the Qu’ran to encourage people to fully and completely understand their faith in Allah.
Sufism is otherwise known as “Islamic mysticism” in English and is known as tasawwuf in Arabic, meaning “divine wisdom”. Sufism is not a sect of Islam, but rather a spiritual practice that focuses on the inner concentration of love, which is used to accurately reflect the person’s acquired knowledge of Allah. There is a hadith that Sufism owes its inspiration to, which is where Allah says, “I was a hidden treasure and I loved that I be known, so I created the creation in order to be known.” In this hadith, Allah explains His purpose of our existence — to understand him.
Sufism’s primary focus is on spreading love through faith in Allah, which in return induces religious tolerance and pluralism towards all. Sufism is amorphous considering that there is no exact format of worship. Sufis try to emulate the spiritual journey that Prophet Muhammad (Peace Be Upon Him) went through on Lailat-ul-Mi’raj, which is the night when God had a face-to-face conversation with the Prophet PBUH, as Allah ascended the Prophet PBUH to the highest heavens after the Prophet PBUH reached Jerusalem. However, a person becomes a Sufi through a series of stages where his/her adherence and spirituality grows, and worldly desires increasingly diminish at each stage. The Sufi experience is different per person so the number of spiritual stages it takes a person to reach the World of Allah varies, but the end goal is the same — enlightenment. That being said, the ideal spiritual transition is one that takes a person from the World of the Kingdom to the World of Dominion to the World of Omnipotence, and finally to the World of Allah.
It is difficult to trace the story or societal scene that led to the birth of Sufism because Sufism is complex in nature, and has been around for so long that it is hard to find exact documentation that explains the initial reason, but it is evident that around the world in the eighth and ninth centuries, C.E Islam spread vastly. Sufis say that their path’s history traces back to the Prophet PBUH and the Qu’ran, although research has noted similarities and influences in Sufism from Greek mythology and Buddhism. Early Muslim philosophy with strictly Greek influences is known as falsafa, came from Neoplatonism, Aristotelian, and Peripatetic doctrines.
Neoplatonism is notable in the reoccurring references of Aristotle in early Muslim philosophy as Aristotle was the one who spread Greek mythology into the Middle East.
Arabic translation of Greek philosophy and thought flourished under the reign of Al-Ma’mun (r. 813–833), who was the seventh caliph of the Abbasid Dynasty (750–1258 A.D.), which is the dynasty associated with the Golden Ages of the Middle East. This increased exposure to Greek philosophy in the Middle East came at impeccable timing due to the rise of Islam. Since Islam and Greek philosophy flourished at the same time in the Middle East, it was natural for the scholars of the region to incorporate the two to further society’s understanding of the world, which was then known as Islamic philosophy. At this point in history, Sufis were some of the leading philosophers who helped coin the essence of Islamic philosophy. These people heard stories of how the Prophet’s PBUH spiritual awakening and quintessential character positively affected his life amongst influencing thousands of others, which is what initially drew people to Islam. Then philosophers of the Golden Ages remembered what initially drew people to Islam and made sure to cherish that ethos by formulating their transcendental philosophy where they combined Islamic virtues with pragmatic reasoning.
However, Greek influences cannot account for the entire spiritual influence on Sufism because Sufism has been impacted by Buddhist teachings as well. In fact, it was more of these Buddhist teachings where Sufis truly seek enlightenment and self-actualization. Buddhism’s influence is prominent in Sufi methods of worship like meditation, intellectual abstractness, focus on the inner-self, and the primary focus on love. It is unclear whether there are direct Buddhist influences on Sufism, but Hinduism has played a slight influence on the cultural side of Sufism, and Hinduism does share self-actual similarities with Buddhism. That being said, Buddhism was founded thousands of years ago far before Islam or Hinduism making it one of the first popular religions in history, which means that its teachings have been ingrained in the majority of religions today. As Islam and Sufism spread across the world after the 12th century, different cultures infused their local practices into their Sufi method of worship. As expected, Sufism exists all around the globe today, including both majority-Muslim and non-Muslim countries.
The most key component of Sufism throughout all time, regardless of the country, has been poetry, which is an integral component of the Golden Ages of the Middle East, with the most prominent poet being Jalal al-Din Muhammad Rumi — one of the most celebrated writers of all time. Sufi poetry has been written in Arabic, Persian, and Urdu amongst several other languages. It is unparalleled to other poetry as Sufi poetry comprises intricate philosophical thought, rich culture, and forgotten traditions. The West did and does not care for this unprecedented literature stemming from Persia, which is deplorable as this strategic ignorance stripped Muslims and non-Muslims alike from another world of thought whose teachings act as a testament for all of humanity.
Rumi’s influence was his teacher, Shams of Tabriz, who helped him become closer to Allah in spirituality. Rumi met Shams 1244 where his life as a Muslim scholar and preacher changed forever. Shams and Rumi had a spiritual connection that made them inseparable to the point where Rumi’s students became jealous since Rumi stopped spending time with anyone besides Shams. It is believed that Rumi’s son, Allaedin, was the one who murdered Shams on the night of December 5th, 1248; Rumi and Shams were having their everlasting conversation but paused because someone called Shams to come outside through the back door of the house. Shams never returned. Rumi traveled to Damascus from Konya, Turkey to find Shams only to realize that he did not need to seek Shams because Shams was a part of him — a part of his conscience. This is when their friendship became eternal, and Rumi began to really focus on writing poetry. Rumi even dedicated a massive collection of his quatrains and odes to Shams, as he titled the work The Works of Shams of Tabriz. His mystic side formed the most during his conversations with Shams, and the Sufi aspect of his being is notable in his poetry.
Rumi’s collection of poetry is expansive, but there are some poems that relate directly to the notion of Good and Evil, a prominent topic in the comparison of Western and Eastern ideologies. It is important to note that Rumi did not title any of his poems, but translators and curators today have added titles to his works for ease of organization and recognition. One poem that speaks on this topic is titled “The Relativity of Evil”. Below is an excerpt from the poem:
“There is no absolute evil in the world: evil is relative. Recognize this fact.
In the realm of Time, there is nothing that is not a foot to one and a fetter to another.
Snake-venom is life to the snake, but death to man;
The sea is a garden to sea-creatures, but to the creatures of earth a mortal wound”.
In this poem, Rumi brings up the essence of evil and the difficulty behind labeling one idea as good or evil because oftentimes looking at an idea from a different perspective can show the opposite relation. The snake-venom metaphor is brilliant not only because of its direct comparison to the good versus evil debate, but it also sheds light on the importance humans tend to give to themselves. Yes, it is quite arguable that humans are the chosen species as humans are the ones who can directly worship Allah and follow his disciples, but oftentimes humans forget that other lifeforms matter as well. In this poem, Rumi brings up how good and evil are defined based on what is beneficial for humans. The danger behind quickly defining complex matters as good or evil is the fact that it is done by humans, and the human interpretation of the vast majority of issues is wrong. People look towards God’s words for help in defining issues as good or evil, but more often than not humans let the power get to their head and begin to dictate what is right or wrong without earning such power. This argument is not rooted in absolutism, which makes Sufism’s influential power more prevalent. In a work like this, the Eastern mindset is prominent, which helps defy Sufism against regular Western theologies.
With Rumi’s poetry, he helped make love the foundation of Sufism; he wrote about loving everything, especially people and Allah. Through fostering a prominent notion of love, Rumi shifted created a more structured central dogma for Sufis. In one of his shorter poems, quatrains, Rumi writes:
“No better love than love with no object,
No more satisfying work than work with no purpose.
If you could give up tricks and cleverness,
That would be the cleverest trick!”.
This simple four-lined poem is the embodiment of the true meaning of life, in the eyes of Rumi and Sufism for centuries to come. His direct attention towards spreading and feeling love with nonmaterial notions is the core of Sufism, and it is what separates mysticism from fundamentalist and empty thoughts. This love that he preaches of is universal, but perhaps not the most pragmatic in this avaricious society. The second line of this poem would shake today’s society to its core, as working without a purpose is seen as a waste of time and energy. People today are told that whoever achieves the most in their life is the one who lives life to the fullest. On top of that, it is nearly impossible to get to the top of this workaholic society without cleverness or tricks.
So, what is it that Rumi encourages? What is the most satisfying work? It seems like he is encouraging work that should be done without expecting a positive or negative outcome. After analyzing this poem and taking Rumi’s Sufi background into consideration, it seems like the work Rumi suggests of doing is trying to learn the teachings and essence of Allah. It does seem like there is a purpose to doing that, though — someone should entirely understand Allah and his message so he/she can spread Allah’s word and live life in the best manner according to Allah so that Allah can be happy with that person and unite with them in Heaven one day. But perhaps, Rumi’s message is to just live. His message might be to just listen to the soul and mind without bringing worldly desires into it. The “most satisfying work” may just be the kind of work that has no societal benefit to the person performing the work, but perhaps that work feels necessary or natural in the soul. This poem is moving due to its abstract and esoteric message, and it gets a person thinking about why the world’s entropy increases mainly based on tricks, cleverness, and efforts for societal gain? Perhaps this lies within the definition of entropy — a world whose inhabitants’ main philosophy of life is driven by money, objects, and cleverness is bound to only gain disorder. There is a lot this modern society could learn from Rumi’s poems, but for many people reading his poems may have no purpose, which is against this century’s lifestyle.
However, there still are people who are drawn to Sufi thought as an integral of Sufi culture is music, which is today known as a genre called Qawwali. Qawwali is a type of spiritual Sufi music that originates from the Indo-Pak region and remains a popular genre in the subcontinent today amongst Muslims and non-Muslims. Qawwalis also focus on themes of love, devotion, and the beauty of Allah. Some of the most famous singers of the subcontinent were qawwali singers; some widely recognized names include Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, Rahat Fateh Ali Khan, Abida Parveen, and the Sabri Brothers, although it is important to note that qawwalis have been around for over 700 years so qawwali artists throughout history are countless. Qawwali performances are different from modern popular culture shows as the stage is set up with all the performers sitting. The main lead singer is in the middle front with all of the background singers pitching in and when appropriate, clapping, or playing an instrument when their role requires them to.
There are different categories within the overall qawwali genre. The first of which is a haamd, which is a song sung praising Allah, and this is used at the beginning of most qawwalis. Then sometimes, followed by a haamd is a naat, which is a song sung about Prophet Muhammad PBUH. The other type of qawwali is a manqabat, which is a song that praises either a saint or Imam Ali, who was the son-in-law of Prophet Muhammad PBUH. Imam Ali is quite important in Islam, as one of the two main sects of Islam (the Shiites/Shia) chose him as their leader upon the death of the Prophet PBUH. Qawwalis are seldom controversial as people keenly and spiritually sing along to the cosmopolitan and transcendental lyrics.
An even more traditional cultural practice of Sufism is in a dance done by dervishes. Rumi once said, “There are many roads which lead to God. I have chosen the one of dance and music”. This quote influenced people instantly as they formed a classic Sufi meditation dance called the sema, which is performed by dervishes. “Dervish” is a title given to any Sufi who chooses to “whirl” in the sema ritual as a way of worshipping Allah. From Istanbul to Lahore, Sufis will perform the sema in groups, and in some instances, people can pay to watch the “whirling Dervishes” perform in a theatre. Essentially, sema is a dance where the dervish spreads their arms wideout and spins in circles for hours on end. A rhythmic, classic Middle Eastern beat is playing in the background of the sema dance as the dancers soon fall into a meditational state where their connection with Allah is visible and contagious. Rumi once wrote:
“Dance, when you’re broken open.
Dance, if you’ve torn the bandage off.
Dance in the middle of the fighting.
Dance in your blood.
Dance, when you’re perfectly free”.
Sufism is rather esoteric, as this spiritual transcendence takes pure devotion, clarity, and immense faith in a Supreme being, which is rare to find. Sufi shrines and gatherings are seen as a threat to right-wing Muslim extremists, as the extremists do like when other Muslims view Islam in a different light than them. Sufis gather at shrines to pray, and they value their Sufi saints, which is wrong and against Islam in the eyes of the Sunni conservative extremists, making Sufis a target. Since the Sufis denounce politics by focusing on the inward and are against fighting, as it goes against Islam’s core value of love, groups like the Taliban see them as an easy target to attack. In 2011 the Taliban took responsibility for several attacks at Sufi shrines in Lahore and Karachi — the two most populous cities in Pakistan — leaving dozens dead. In 2012, a branch of Al-Qaeda destroyed Sufi monuments in Timbuktu, in northern Mali.
The core of the Islamic world is deeply ingrained in absolutism and conservatism, and it is the margins of these societies that allow extremist voices to be heard, but faithful and determined believers like Sufis are not intimidated by these threats. If anything, the Sufis see this as a fight to further showcase their complete trust and obedience to Allah, acting as role models for other believers from a weaker sense of spirituality. It is important to note that extremist groups use peaceful minorities like the Sufis, as a way to remind the government of their irrationality and power, which serves their purpose of appearing as a threat to the rest of the population.
Despite hard-liners, Sufism is growing today for different reasons. One reason is that in today’s society with an increased interest in atheism and agnosticism in the West, people are seeking a spiritual connection with their faith. With modern technology and overwhelming amounts of information along with the general trend of anti-fundamentalism, people who choose to believe in a faith or religion want to genuinely understand why they follow that religion.
Furthermore, many people are seeking spirituality rather than a religion to follow, and the beauty of Sufism is how spirituality and religion are intertwined. Sufism combines Sha’ria with an admirable devotion to the Supreme. When Sufis enter the state of Dhikr (a form of meditation that involves repeating the names of Allah), they like to use a metaphor of love. Sufis say that compliance to Sha’ria “manifests in the limbs and Dhikr manifests in the heart with the result that the outward is sober, the inner is drunk on divine love,”. Such an ideology is so enticing — it offers a sense of purpose that is hard to find in such a neoliberal society. By gaining exposure to a practice like Sufism, it encourages a deep, full understanding of not only a Higher power but of one’s self. Sufis are considered the heart of Islam, as they understand the esoteric aspects as well as Sha’ria. Islam is the fastest-growing religion internationally, which means the beauty of Sufism is only going to spread as well.
