SPOTLIGHT
SPOTLIGHT
WHAT IS SUFISM?
A common misconception in the Western world is that Sufism
is an unorthodox branch of Islam - meaning it is not generally
accepted by the mainstream practitioners of the religion.
S
ome sects of Islam, such as Wahhabism,
declare the Sufis to be heretics or
allege that Sufis have made drastic,
unauthorised innovations (bidd’ah) in the
religion. However, this notion couldn’t be
further from the truth.
Sufism has existed since
the inception of Islam. In
fact, it is very much a crucial
part of the religion, without
which a Muslim could not
fully adopt the teachings
of Prop het Mohammad
(the Prophet of Islam).
His Divine Eminence Gohar Shahi reveals
that every Grand Messenger was granted two
types of knowledge. One type of knowledge,
the exoteric knowledge, was for the common
public; the second type, esoteric knowledge,
was confined to the elite of the religion.
Those who only adopted exoteric knowledge
were prone to losing their faith easily. Those
who were recipients of Prophet Mohammad’s
esoteric knowledge were marked in history
as great saints of God.
Abdul Qadir Jilani, Nizamuddin Auliya,
Mevlana Rumi, Shams Tabrez, Mujaddid
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THE TRUE MEHDI • ISSUE 03 •
MAR 2017
Alif Thani, Lal Shahbaz Qalandar, Bayazid
Bastami, Rabia Basri, Baba Farid, Bulleh
Shah, Data Ali Hajweri and Khwaja
Moinuddin Chisti are all examples of people
who learnt the esoteric knowledge.
The exoteric knowledge of Islam deals
with societal conduct, your rights and
responsibilities to others and the rituals of
the religion. It is to do with the cleanliness
of the exterior. This outer aspect of Islam
is known as Sharia (the religious law).
Sufism, the inner knowledge, has to do
with connecting man with God through the
enlightenment of the souls within you.
In the Koran (the holiest scripture in
Islam), there is a great deal of emphasis
placed on the revival and enlightenment
of the heart in order to become a true
believer (Momin). It asserts that should God
guide anyone, he guides them through the
Spiritual Heart. [KORAN 18:14] Muslims also
believe that the Koran was revealed unto
the heart of Prophet Mohammad. [KORAN
2:197] Furthermore, numerous traditions
of Prophet Mohammad mention the
importance of the Spiritual Heart for seekers
of God. 1
Read what Islam has to say about the Spiritual Heart in
‘Sufism: The Knowledge of the Heart’ on page 15.
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