Sufism Teachings and Tenets

I shall now try to outline briefly some of the principal teachings and tenets of Sufism. The Sufi firmly believes that each individual spirit desires union with the Universal Spirit, namely God, after death. Furthermore, he believes that it is possible to "experience" God in this life! This kind of experience is described by Sufis as supra-sensory, ultra-mystical, and even "visionary," It must be emphasized here that this kind of "experience" has been achieved by only the elite! Nevertheless, this is the goal of every Sufi.

Sufism teaches that the Sufi who seeks God, must advance by slow "stages" along the Path. The "stages" relate to repentance, followed by abstinence, renunciation, 'poverty', patience and trust in God. These stages constitutes the ethical and ascetic disciplines of Sufism. Total commitment at each stage is vital towards the spiritual progress of the Sufi.

The individual soul is called "nafs" in Arabic. Sufism teaches that the soul initially is a "demanding soul," which can be and should be disciplined into a "contented soul," and subsequently into a "soul at peace." These characteristics of the soul are described at length in the Qur'an and commented upon by Sufi teachers and scholars.

Sufism's primary teaching is based on the Unity of God called "tawheed" in Arabic. Its emphasis is on the "Oneness" and "Uniqueness" of God. This concept of Unity leads to the realization of Unity which embraces multiplicity in the Universe. This may sound paradoxical, but Sufi writers and theologians (both classical and modern) have written volumes on this subject, with particular emphasis on explaining various aspects, or grades of manifestation, in terms of immanence and transcendence.

Sufis believe that God's earliest creation was the human "intellect." Giving humans the knowledge to discern, and to choose between right and wrong, good and evil. This knowledge in Sufism is raised to a higher level, which arises from the "heart" rather than the "mind." It is this intuitive knowledge that distinguishes a mystic from a philosopher. It is through the practice of intuitive knowledge that a Sufi experiences mystical phenomena and visions.

The central doctrine of Sufism, however is love, divine love. The Qur'an teaches that "God's mercy is greater than His wrath" and that "God's love is His supreme attribute." The Sufi does NOT reject, but instead believes in the doctrine and the concepts of the 'Fear of God' and 'God's wrath of the Day of Judgement." The Sufi maintains that obedience to God's commands should ensue NOT out of the fear of punishment of Hellfire or for the desire of the pleasures and bounties of Paradise as a reward, but rather with the sincere motive and intention of attaining proximity to God - purely for the sake of, and solely for the pleasure of God. To the Sufi, Paradise (as a reward) and Hell (as a punishment) are but graphic terms to make us understand a state of things which is beyond all our notions of life in this world. The Sufi longs for what is beyond Paradise, the vision of God Himself - the ultimate reward after entering Paradise. And nothing would be lovelier than gazing upon the Lord when He removes his 'veil' (His 'garb of grandeur'). The Sufi attests that God has created man with a mind, free-will, and love. Therefore the mainspring of Sufism is love. Based on this, the Sufi path becomes a 'Path of Love,' where the Sufi becomes the 'lover' and God the 'beloved.' This love affair ends only with the ultimate union with the Beloved. This love relationship is depicted in most volumes of Sufi literature and poetry.