Rizqan Kareem - Most Excellent Sustenance
  • Home
  • Islamic Creed Matters
    • Imaan (Faith) & Islam (Self-Submission)
    • Allah ﷻ - Understanding His Existence, Divine Names & Actions
    • Malaikah (Angels) & Jinns (Invisible Beings)
    • Belief in Prophets & Messengers
    • Humankind - Purpose & Creation
    • Belief in Divine Will & Predestination (Qada wa Qadr)
    • Islamic Eschatology – Day of Judgment, Paradise & Hell Fire
    • Ibaadah - Worship & Obedience of Allah
  • Life of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ
    • Prophets Creation And Spiritual Status
    • ​Wahi – Divine Inspirations and Revelations
    • Prophets Life and Mission as a Messenger
    • Miracles of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ
    • ​Isra Wa’al Mir’aj – Prophet’s Night Journey & Ascension
    • Prophet's Tribe, Ahlal Bayt (Family) & Righteous Successors
  • Al Quran – The Final Testament For Humanity
    • Introduction to the Quran – Revelation, Compilation, Memorization & Preservation
    • Message of the Quran
    • Commentaries - Selected Surahs & Ayaats
    • Miscellaneous Rules & Regulations in the Quran
  • Hadith/Sunnah Studies
    • Introduction to Hadith Literature
    • The Importance of Hadith/Sunnah
    • Hadith Lectures
  • Islamic History & Contemporary Topics
    • Development of Literary Tradition in Early Islam
    • Political History of Islam
    • Muslims Heritage
    • Contemporary Muslim Matters
    • Discussing Signs of The Hour
  • Tasawwuf - Islamic Spirituality
    • Understanding Tasawwuf
    • Practicing Tasawwuf
    • Sufi Saints & Mystics
  • Home
  • Islamic Creed Matters
    • Imaan (Faith) & Islam (Self-Submission)
    • Allah ﷻ - Understanding His Existence, Divine Names & Actions
    • Malaikah (Angels) & Jinns (Invisible Beings)
    • Belief in Prophets & Messengers
    • Humankind - Purpose & Creation
    • Belief in Divine Will & Predestination (Qada wa Qadr)
    • Islamic Eschatology – Day of Judgment, Paradise & Hell Fire
    • Ibaadah - Worship & Obedience of Allah
  • Life of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ
    • Prophets Creation And Spiritual Status
    • ​Wahi – Divine Inspirations and Revelations
    • Prophets Life and Mission as a Messenger
    • Miracles of Prophet Muhammad ﷺ
    • ​Isra Wa’al Mir’aj – Prophet’s Night Journey & Ascension
    • Prophet's Tribe, Ahlal Bayt (Family) & Righteous Successors
  • Al Quran – The Final Testament For Humanity
    • Introduction to the Quran – Revelation, Compilation, Memorization & Preservation
    • Message of the Quran
    • Commentaries - Selected Surahs & Ayaats
    • Miscellaneous Rules & Regulations in the Quran
  • Hadith/Sunnah Studies
    • Introduction to Hadith Literature
    • The Importance of Hadith/Sunnah
    • Hadith Lectures
  • Islamic History & Contemporary Topics
    • Development of Literary Tradition in Early Islam
    • Political History of Islam
    • Muslims Heritage
    • Contemporary Muslim Matters
    • Discussing Signs of The Hour
  • Tasawwuf - Islamic Spirituality
    • Understanding Tasawwuf
    • Practicing Tasawwuf
    • Sufi Saints & Mystics
Introduction to Tasawwuf 

Defining "Sufi - صوفي"

6/24/2020

0 Comments

 
Picture





​








​There has been a wide range of discussion in Islamic history about the background and the derivation of this term and I would like to mention a few as told by Imam Abul Qasim Qushayri (r.a) in his renown Sufi work called Al Risala Al Qushayriyya Fi ilm al Tasawwuf (Al Qushayris Epistle to Sufism). The Arabic term safa  or صفاء means "purity" and "a man of purity" is referred to as rajul sufi -  رجل  صوفي  with the word sufiyya - الصوفية being the plural. The plural sufiyya in Arabic came to be known as Sufis (& sufism) in English. It is also claimed that it may have derived from the word suf -  صوف which means "wool"; therefore, the verb tasawwuf  - التصوف​ would mean “to wear wool” because the people of this path were famous for wearing it. Then there is a claim that sufi  - صوفي  is derived from the word “row” (saff) - صف, meaning that they (sufis) are in the front row in all jamaats (prayer congregations) with their hearts and before Allah ﷻ. There are also those who argue that the sufis derive their name from the "covered room" (suffa) - صوفا, the room adjacent to the Prophet Muhammad's masjid in early Islam which sheltered the most poorest of his companions, and were fed and taken care by him and his family. Despite that many of these terms have been considered as origins of sufi yet they are challenged by others on linguistic and etymological grounds. I believe that a comprehensive definition of the term sufi and sufism is given by Abu Muhammad Al Jurayri (r.a), the disciple and successor of Junayd Al Baghdadi, the famous sufi of Baghdad, who said "It means assuming every sublime moral character trait and giving up every lowly one."[1] This definition sums up for us the primary purpose of why Allah ﷻ created humans, as per Quran and a sufi is someone who struggles to fulfill that purpose to the best of their ability. 

References:
[1] Al-Qushayri’s Epistle on Sufism, Al-Risala al-qushayriyya fi ilm al-tasawwuf
Abul-Qasim al-Qushayri, Translated by Professor Alexander D. Knysh, Reviewed by Dr Muhammad Eissa

0 Comments



Leave a Reply.

    Author

    Zaid Shah 

    Archives

    June 2020

    Categories

    All

    RSS Feed

Proudly powered by Weebly