The Resurgence of Sufism
If recent years have seen a rise and intensification of militant Islam, has that been the only development within the global Islamic community? According to the BBC and The Washington Post another Islamic sect is on the rise: Sufism.
“Sufism, or Islamic mysticism, appeared in the eighth century in present-day Iraq. Iranian Sufis say Islamic mysticism has become more and more popular in the country in recent years. No official statistics are available, but Heshmatollah Riazi, a former professor of philosophy and theology in Iran, believes two to five million Iranians practice Sufism today – compared to only about 100,000 before Iran’s Islamic Revolution of 1979.” – Roxana Saberi, BBC News Tehran
“…a new atmosphere of increased religious tolerance has spurred a resurgence of Sufism and brought the once-underground Sufis and their rituals out in the open. Analysts and some Sufis partly credit reaction to the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks in the United States for the atmosphere that has made the changes possible. When it was discovered that 15 of the 19 hijackers were Saudi, the kingdom’s strict Wahhabi doctrine — which had banned all other sects and schools of thought — came under intense scrutiny from inside and outside the country.” – Faiza Saleh Ambah, The Washington Post
Sufism is a esoteric and mystical strain of Islamic religion, it transcends the Shi’a/Sunni split and draws inspiration from pre-Islamic and non-Islamic sources. Sufism has a strong emphasis on universal love, beauty, and the concept of Unity (the belief that all is a manifestation of God). So what does it mean that Sufism is growing in Iran and Saudi Arabia? Perhaps a quiet backlash to the theocratic elements of modern Islam?
“To be a Sufi is to clear your heart of everything but God. The Islam we were taught here is like a body without a soul. Sufism is the soul. It’s not an alternative religion — it can contain all Muslims.” – Muhammad Jastaniya
“Official religion has a series of limitations, and its limitations are much stricter than in Sufism,” – Ashkan
Despite being technically legal in these countries, Sufism is often randomly suppressed the government and harassed by more conservative Muslims. Yet despite this (or perhaps because of it), Sufism continues to grow. One has to wonder if this isn’t a burgeoning trend within the dominant monotheisms. The growth of Gnostic ideas and heretical groups within Christianity, the recent popularity of radical/mystical/pagan Judaism, and now the growth of Sufism in some of the least religiously tolerant areas of modern Islam. Is this a sign that the pendulum is swinging back from the rigid forms of these faiths? Is the madness we see everywhere the beginning of a new conservative trend in the dominant monotheisms or simply the last throes?
No responses yet
