1.
Bektashism and folk religion
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Famous archaeologist Arthur Evans, after studying ancient religions of Europe, noted that there were cults centered around the use of trees and pillars, often acting like idols. While in Macedonia he entered a temple/shrine that was maintained by Dervishes in the town of Tekekioii and he was permitted to take part in a ritual at the shrine, the focus of which was a large upright rectangular stone, possibly a local Kaaba. The stone was said to have fallen from heaven, and it was venerated or at least respected by Muslims and it was stained black by years of being anointed with holy oils. The stone was around 6.5 feet tall, with a smaller stone placed on top of it. A sick man was circumambulating the pillar, kissing and hugging it at each pass. In a ritual connected to it, a person prays before the stone, hugs it, draws water from a nearby spring, growing over the grave is a thorn tree, which has rags and fabric hanging from it placed there by the sick seeking divine cures. The water is poured into a hole in the center of the grave, mixed with grave-dirt, then a circumambulation around the grave is started, with three passes, each time kissing and touching with the forehead the stone at the head and foot of it. Afterwards, grave dust was given to Evans, to be made up into a triangular amulet. The Dervish then cast some pebbles, read them as falling good, finally, Evans was instructed to give something to attach to the pillar overnight, and he himself resides with the stone and his guide, lighting candles after sunset and eating the sacrificial ram. In addition to schools of Islamic thought, the Bektashis in Turkey, for instance, upon visiting the village of Haidar-es-Sultan and Hassan-dede in the summer of 1900, enthographer J. W. Crowfoot witnessed survivals of the ancient Hero Cult and the pythian oracle. This well was also associated with a tomb, which stood out from other local graves in the town because it wasnt neglected. At Hassan-dede there was also a tomb, maintained by a family that stated that they were direct descendants of the occupant of the tomb. These are elements that are associated with the older pagan Hero Cults of that area. For example, Mycenaean royalty were buried in tombs and worshipped for centuries later, the Balkans and Anatolia also shared this common pattern of saint veneration, as shrines in Macedonia were used in both Muslim and Christian traditions. Furthermore, some pre-Islamic accounts note that the people in these Bekthashi regions of Turkey are not native and their piety is handed down from father to son and they have unusual institutions. These pre-Islamic peoples considered fire to be divine, and they mark as the founder of their nation a man named Zarnuas and they were also said to be prey to the devil, which is what followers of pagan religions were usually condescendingly referred to as. The Bektashi of this region are noted to, in modern times, such a trait is also exhibited by the Yazidis of northern Iraq, and is thought to also be a survival of pre-Islamic times, when the special cups used for drinking wines contained two large handles. Unusually, the ancient inhabitants of the region also were noted for having extreme ear piercings, nevertheless, such beliefs and practices are not particular to Bektashism and they form, rather, part of a larger Balkan and Turkish pre-Islamic and pre-Christian tradition
2.
Tirana
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Tirana /tᵻˈrɑːnə/ is the capital and largest city of Albania and as well the heart of Albanias cultural, economic and governmental activity. It is located on the center of the country surrounded by hills with the Dajti Mountain on the east. The city is located some 700 kilometres north of Athens,290 km west of Skopje,250 km south-east of Pristina and 160 km south of Podgorica. Tirana is a city with a history dating from the Paleolithic times back 10,000 to 30,000 years ago to the present day. The oldest settlement located in the area of the city was the Cave of Pellumbas, as argued by various archaeologists, Tirana and its suburbs are filled with ancient Illyrian toponyms as its precincts are some of the earliest regions in Albania to be inhabited. One of the ancient monuments, the Tirana Mosaic is believed to have part of a 3rd century ancient Roman house. Later, in the 5th and 6th centuries, a Paleo-Christian Basilica was built around this site, Tirana was founded as a city in 1614 although the area has been continuously inhabited since antiquity. An almost unimportant centre until the beginning of the 20th century, the Congress of Lushnjë proclaimed Tirana as the capital of Albania, Tirana is one of largest cities in the Balkan Peninsula ranking 7th with a population of 800,000 and the largest Albanian-speaking city in the world. The municipality, has a population of 800,986. It is also the biggest Metropolitan area in Albania and the one with a population of over 800.000. Being Albanias primate city, Tirana is the political, social and cultural center of Albania. Almost all of the largest companies, media and scientific institutions have their headquarters in the city, the city is ranked in the Top 10 of the sunniest cities in Europe with a total of 2,544 hours of sun. As argued by various archaeologists, Tirana and its suburbs are filled with Illyrian toponyms, as its precincts are some of the earliest inhabited regions in Albania. A castle possibly called Tirkan or Theranda, whose remnants are found along Murat Toptani Street, was built by Emperor Justinian in 520 A. D. the area had no special importance in Illyrian and classical times. Records from the first land registrations under the Ottomans in 1431–32 show that Tirana consisted of 60 inhabited areas, Tirana is mentioned since 1572 as Borgo di Tirana. In 1614, Sulejman Bargjini, a ruler, built the Old mosque, a small commercial centre. During this period, the Ethem Bey Mosque, built by Molla Bey of Petrela, was constructed and it employed the best artisans in the country and was completed in 1821 by Mollas son Etëhem, who was also Sulejman Bargjinis grandnephew. In 1800, the first newcomers arrived in the settlement, the so-called ortodoksit and they were Vlachs from villages near Korçë and Pogradec, who settled around modern day Park on the Artificial Lake
3.
Haji Bektash Veli
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Haji Bektash Veli or Ḥājī Baktāsh Walī was an Alevi Muslim mystic, saint, Sayyid, humanist and philosopher, who lived from 1209 to 1271. He lived and taught from approximately 1209 to 1271 in Anatolia and he is revered among Alevis for an Islamic understanding that is esoteric, rational, progressive and humanistic. Alevi and Bektashi Muslims believe the path of Haji Bektash is the path of ʿAli ibn Abu Talib, since Ali was the source of Bektashs teachings. His original name was Sayyid Muhammad ibn Sayyid Ibrāhim Ātā, was one of the figures who flourished in the Sultanate of Rum and had an important influence on the Turkish nomads of Asia Minor. He is also referred to as the Sultan of Hearts and the Derwish of the Derwishes, Haji Bektash Veli was a descendant of the 7th Shia Imam Musa Kazim. Not much is known about him, his origins are shrouded in mystery and it is assumed that he was of Turkish or Persian descent, and belonged to a group of Iranian migrants in Anatolia who had left their homeland during the Mongol conquests. On the other hand, the reference book of Bāktāsh’īyyah tariqat, Valāyat-Nāma-i Hādjī Baktāsh-ī Wālī. The name attributed to him by his followers can be translated as The Pilgrim Saint Bektash, the Hajji title implies that he had made the pilgrimage to Mecca and Medina to perform Hajj. He is the eponym of the Bektashi Sufi order and is considered as one of the teachers of Alevism. Despite his Shia belief and his teachings, he is considered a renowned figure in the history. On the other hand, Ibn Khallikan reports that Shīite tendencies belonged not to him but rather to his murids, Haji Bektash was born in Nishapur. The original Bektashi teachings in many ways resemble the teachings of the Khorasanian Qalandar’īyyah, Hajji Baktāsh Wālī was the murid of Lokhmānn Bābā who was one of the four most famous murids of Bābā Rāsūl, as well. Lokhmānn Bābā, on the hand, was also a murid of the renowned Qalandariyah Sufi Qutb ad-Dīn Haydar who was the murid of Khwaja Ahmad Yasavī. When they saw a spring flowing from the middle of the mekteb, they said, lokman Perende replied, This is by the blessings of Hunkar Haji Bektash. The erenler asked, Who is this Hunkar Haji Bektash, lokman Perende said, Haji Bektash Hunkar is this beloved one, and he then pointed to the young Bektash. The erenler said, That one is still a child, how on earth could he become a haji. When we completed our prayer, he would vanished, the erenler said, Where could this boy have found this extraordinary capability. My origin and family line is from him and these many miracles are my inheritance which is granted by Allah
4.
Fazlallah Astarabadi (Naimi)
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Fażlu l-Lāh Astar-Ābādī, also known as Fażlullāh Tabrīzī Astarābādī by a pseudonym al-Ḥurūfī and a pen name Nāimī, was an Iranian mystic who founded the Ḥurūfī movement. The basic belief of the Ḥurūfiyyah was that the God was incarnated in the body of Fażlullāh and his followers first came from the village of Toqchi near Isfahan and from there, the fame of his small community spread throughout Khorasan, ʿErāq, Azerbaijan and Shirvan. The center of Fażlullāh Nāimīs influence was Baku and most of his followers came from Shirvan, among his followers was the famous Ḥurūfī poet Seyyed Imadaddin Nasimi, one of the greatest Turkic mystical poets of the late 14th and early 15th centuries. Fażlullāh was born in Astarābād, Iran, circa 1339/1340, to a family of judges, according to the traditional Ḥurūfī biography, Fażlullāh Astarābādī was born in a household that traced its descent to the seventh Shī‘ah Imam, Musa al-Kazim. Fażlullāhs predecessor, in eighth or ninth generation, was Muhammad al-Yamanī, from the family originated in Yemen. Fażlullāhs family was from the Shāfi‘ī school of Sunni Islam — however, how can the grave contain you when you have the light of God. As he left Astarābād, he exchanged his clothes for the clothing of a shepherd he met. From then on he always wore this shirt as a symbol of having abandoned worldly connections, Fażlullāh composed his works in Standard Persian as well as the Persian dialect of Astarābād. His most significant work which establishes the foundation of Ḥurūfism is titled Javidan-namah Eternal Book, two recensions were made of the Javidan-namah. The one which is designated as Kabīr Great is in the Astarābādī Persian dialect, another book in the Astarābādī Persian dialect is the Nawm-namah, giving an account of the dreams of Fażlullāh at various times in his life. A prose work, entitled Mahabbat-namah in the Astarābād Persian dialect was imitated by Turkish Ḥurūfīs and he also composed a book of poetry in standard Persian and gave it the title Arsh-namah. In addition to book, he also composed another small collection of poetry in standard Persian using the pen name Nāimī. From his poetic works, it is evident that he knew Arabic, Persian and his native language and he was well-versed in Persian literature, and that he was capable of composing poetry in the classical style. According to Encyclopedia of Islam, one of the key tenets of Ḥurūfism is that Allah reveals himself in the Word, the total number of letters is the total of all emanating and creating possibilities of God and is God himself made manifest. Fażlullāh made his way to Isfahan in central Iran, unused to walking, he suffered a leg injury by the time he arrived. Here he found a variety of religious seekers many of whom shunned contacts with wider society, however, Fażlullāh never joined any of these groups. He began to experience a series of dreams which he came to regard as prophetic and he then made Hajj to Mecca before moving to Kunya Urgench, the capital of Khwarazm. He decided to make another Hajj, but only got as far as Luristan when he had a dream in which a man told him to go to Mashhad
5.
Imadaddin Nasimi
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‘Alī ‘Imādu d-Dīn Nasīmī, often known as Nesimi, was a 14th-century Azerbaijani or Turkmen Ḥurūfī poet. Known mostly by his pen name of Nesîmî, he composed one divan in Azerbaijani, one in Persian, and a number of poems in Arabic. He is considered one of the greatest Turkic mystical poets of the late 14th and early 15th centuries, very little is known for certain about Nesîmîs life, including his real name. Most sources indicate that his name was İmâdüddîn, but it is claimed that his name may have been Alî or Ömer. It is also possible that he was descended from Muhammad, since he has sometimes been accorded the title of sayyid that is reserved for people claimed to be in Muhammads line of descent. There are also claims that he was born in Shamakhi-which is mostly likely because his brother is buried in Shamakhi, according to the Encyclopædia of Islam, an early Ottoman poet and mystic, believed to have come from Nesīm near Baghdād, whence his name. As a place of this no longer exists, it is not certain whether the laqab should not be derived simply from nasīm zephyr. That Nesīmī was of Turkoman origin seems to be fairly certain, Turkic was as familiar to him as Persian, for he wrote in both languages. Arabic poems are ascribed to him. The center of Fażlullāhs influence was Baku and most of his followers came from Shirvan, Nesîmî become one of the most influential advocates of the Ḥurūfī doctrine and the movements ideas were spread to a large extent through his poetry. While Fażlullāh believed that he himself was the manifestation of God, for Nesîmî, at the center of Creation there was God, through sacrifice and self perfection, man can become one with God. Around 1417, as a result of his beliefs — which were considered blasphemous by contemporary religious authorities — Nesîmî was seized and, according to most accounts. Nesîmîs tomb in Aleppo remains an important place of pilgrimage to this day, Nesîmîs collected poems, or dîvân, number about 300, and include ghazals, qasidas, and rubâîs in Azerbaijani Turkic, Persian, and Arabic. His Turkic Divan is considered his most important work, contains 250–300 ghazals, a large body of Bektashi and Alevi poetry is also attributed to Nesîmî, largely as a result of Hurûfî ideas influence upon those two groups. The Turkic Dīwān consists of 250-300 ghazels and about 150 quatrains, No scholarly edition has so far been undertaken, but a study of his vocabulary is given by Jahangir Gahramanov, Nasimi divanynyn leksikasy, Baku 1970. The Persian Dīwān has been edited by Muhammad Rizā Marashī, Khurshid-i Darband, dīwān-i Imād Dīn Nasīmī, Tehran 1370 Sh. /1991. There is a contrast made between the physical and the worlds, which are seen to be ultimately united in the human being. As such, the human being is seen to partake of the spiritual essence as God
6.
Islam
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Islam is an Abrahamic monotheistic religion which professes that there is only one and incomparable God and that Muhammad is the last messenger of God. It is the worlds second-largest religion and the major religion in the world, with over 1.7 billion followers or 23% of the global population. Islam teaches that God is merciful, all-powerful, and unique, and He has guided mankind through revealed scriptures, natural signs, and a line of prophets sealed by Muhammad. The primary scriptures of Islam are the Quran, viewed by Muslims as the word of God. Muslims believe that Islam is the original, complete and universal version of a faith that was revealed many times before through prophets including Adam, Noah, Abraham, Moses. As for the Quran, Muslims consider it to be the unaltered, certain religious rites and customs are observed by the Muslims in their family and social life, while social responsibilities to parents, relatives, and neighbors have also been defined. Besides, the Quran and the sunnah of Muhammad prescribe a comprehensive body of moral guidelines for Muslims to be followed in their personal, social, political, Islam began in the early 7th century. Originating in Mecca, it spread in the Arabian Peninsula. The expansion of the Muslim world involved various caliphates and empires, traders, most Muslims are of one of two denominations, Sunni or Shia. Islam is the dominant religion in the Middle East, North Africa, sizable Muslim communities are also found in Horn of Africa, Europe, China, Russia, Mainland Southeast Asia, Philippines, Northern Borneo, Caucasus and the Americas. Converts and immigrant communities are found in almost every part of the world, Islam is a verbal noun originating from the triliteral root s-l-m which forms a large class of words mostly relating to concepts of wholeness, submission, safeness and peace. In a religious context it means voluntary submission to God, Islām is the verbal noun of Form IV of the root, and means submission or surrender. Muslim, the word for an adherent of Islam, is the active participle of the verb form. The word sometimes has connotations in its various occurrences in the Quran. In some verses, there is stress on the quality of Islam as a state, Whomsoever God desires to guide. Other verses connect Islām and dīn, Today, I have perfected your religion for you, I have completed My blessing upon you, still others describe Islam as an action of returning to God—more than just a verbal affirmation of faith. In the Hadith of Gabriel, islām is presented as one part of a triad that also includes imān, Islam was historically called Muhammadanism in Anglophone societies. This term has fallen out of use and is said to be offensive because it suggests that a human being rather than God is central to Muslims religion
7.
Abdal
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Abdal is a rank of forty saints, but more often the larger group of 356 saints in Sufi theosophy. In this theology it is said that they are known to and appointed by Allah. The term over time has come to include a hierarchy of saints, all of different rank. Abdal is the plural of Badal or rather Badeel, and means those who get replaced, the Abdals are the group of true, pure believers in God. They serve God during their lifetime, when they die, they are replaced by another selected by God from a larger group said to be the 500 Akhyar. The Abdals are headed by their leader, Al-Ghawth, who is said to reside in Mecca and this leader is often referred to as the Qutb, which means Pole in Arabic. This leader though unknown to the public is usually sought out by all of the lower ranking members of the abdal, at various times in history, shaykhs have been known to publicly claim to be the Qutb, despite the tradition of remaining outside of the public eye. The missions of the Abdals are to be Gods merciful subjects everywhere they reside and it is said that a Badal exists in each continent. Although the majority live in Al-Sham. some live in Iraq, some in Lebanon, some in Egypt, some in Antioch, some in al-Massisa and they have divine powers and super-natural abilities. A person does not recognize that he is one of the Abdal until he becomes aware of his status suddenly though a revelation and it is said that a Badal can be identified through his continuous good deeds and forgiving nature. He may be rich or poor, married or bachelor, child or adult, such concepts are established in the Sunni branch of Islam, and in particular in the latter’s original Sufi schools of spiritual disciplines. The abdal function as the keepers of equilibrium in the world, varying in classification and denomination, the identity of the abdal are entirely unknown to the public and even to themselves. With the ability to transmit blessings and perform miracles the abdal as a whole are able to fill the role of prophet. Similarly, it is believed that when judgement day comes, they act as intermediaries between God and the human race. As far as the number of the abdal is concerned, there are 300 friends of Allah in the creation whose hearts are like that of Adam, there are 40 whose hearts are similar to the heart of Musa and 7 whose hearts are similar to the heart of Ibrahim. There are 5 whose hearts are like that of Jibra’il and 3 whose hearts are like that of Mika’il, when he dies, then one of the three whose heart is like Mika’il replaces him and one of the five replaces him. One of the seven replaces one of the five, one of the forty replaces one of the seven and one of the three-hundred replaces one of the forty and a normal Muslim replaces one of the three-hundred. It is due to these 356 awliya that creation are given life and killed, due to rain falls, vegetation grows
8.
Dervish
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A dervish or darvesh is someone guiding a Sufi Muslim ascetic down a path or Tariqah, known for their extreme poverty and austerity. Their focus is on the values of love and service. In most Sufi orders, a dervish is known to practice dhikr through physical exertions or religious practices to attain the ecstatic trance to reach God and their most common practice is Sama which is associated with Rumi. Dervish is a Turkish word from the 1580s that is derived from the Persian word darvīsh and it has been used in the same manner as the Arabic word Faqir to refer to Muslim holy men who have given up worldly pleasures for an austere and religious life. Many dervishes are mendicant ascetics who have taken a vow of poverty, the main reason they beg is to learn humility, but Dervishes are prohibited to beg for their own good. They have to give the money to other poor people. Others work in professions, Egyptian Qadiriyya – known in Turkey as Kadiri – are fishermen. Some classical writers indicate that the poverty of the dervish is not merely economic and it is, however, also practiced by other orders. The Sama is only one of the many Sufi ceremonies performed to try to reach religious ecstasy, the name Mevlevi comes from the Persian poet Rumi, who was a dervish himself. This practice, though not intended as entertainment, has become a tourist attraction in Turkey, there are various orders of Dervishes, almost all of which trace their origins from various Muslim saints and teachers, especially Imam Ali. Various orders and suborders have appeared and disappeared over the centuries, Dervishes spread into North Africa, Turkey, the Balkans, the Caucasus, Iran, Pakistan, India, Afghanistan, and Tajikistan. Other groups include the Bektashis, who are connected to the janissaries, and the Senussi, other fraternities and subgroups chant verses of the Quran, play drums or whirl in groups, all according to their specific traditions. They practice meditation, as is the case with most of the Sufi orders in South Asia, many of whom owe allegiance to, or were influenced by, each fraternity uses its own garb and methods of acceptance and initiation, some of which may be rather severe. This Dervish army enabled Hassan to carve out a state through conquest of lands claimed by the Somali Sultans, the Ethiopians. The Dervish State acquired renown in the Islamic and Western worlds due to its resistance against Britain, the Dervish State successfully repulsed British-led Somali and Ethiopian forces four times and forced them to retreat to the coastal region. The polity also maintained relations with authorities, receiving support from the Ottoman and German empires. The Turks also named Hassan Emir of the Somali nation, the Dervish State was finally defeated by the British in 1920. Various western historical writers have used the term dervish rather loosely, linking it to, among other things
9.
Fakir
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A fakir, or faqir, derived from faqr is a person who is self-sufficient and only possesses the spiritual need for God. Faqirs are Muslim ascetics and Sufis who have taken vows of poverty and worship, faqirs are characterized by their attachment to dhikr, and asceticism. Sufism gained adherents among a number of Muslims as a reaction against the worldliness of the early Umayyad Caliphate, the term may refer to a Muslim Sufi ascetic in the Middle East and South Asia. The term has also been used to refer to Hindu. These usages developed primarily in the Mughal era in the Indian subcontinent, there is also a distinct clan of faqirs found in North India, descended from communities of faqirs who took up residence at Sufi shrines. During the 17th century, another noble and spirited Muslim scholar and saint, Sultan Bahoo, revolutionized Sufism and reinstated the definition of faqr, historically, the terms tasawwuf, faqr, and faqer were first used by Husayn ibn Ali, who was the grandson of Muhammad. He wrote a book, Mirat ul Arfeen, on this topic, however, under Ummayad rule, neither could this book be published nor was it allowed to discuss tasawwuf, Sufism or faqr openly. For a long time, after Husayn ibn Ali, the information and teachings of faqr, tasawwuf and Sufism kept on transferring from heart to heart. In the 10th century, highly reputed Muslim Abdul-Qadir Gilani, who is the founder of Qadri silsila, in the 13th century, Ibn Arabi was the first vibrant Muslim scholar who not only started this discussion publicly but also wrote hundreds of books about Sufism, tasawwuf and faqr. In English, faqir or fakir originally meant a mendicant dervish, in mystical usage, the word fakir refers to mans spiritual need for God, who alone is self-sufficient. Although of Muslim origin, the term has come to be applied in India to Hindus as well, largely replacing gosvamin, sadhu, bhikku, fakirs are generally regarded as holy men who are possessed of miraculous powers. Among Muslims, the leading Sufi orders of fakirs are the Chishtiyah, Qadiriyah, Naqshbandiyah, the Cambridge English Dictionary defines faqir as a member of an Islamic religious group, or a holy man. Winston Churchill is known to have referred to the peaceful resistance promoting independence leader of India, Mahatma Gandhi, the attributes of a fakir have been defined by many Muslim saints and scholars, however, some significant definitions from distinguished personalities of Islam are quoted here. One of the most respected and beloved early Muslim saints, Abdul-Qadir Gilani, also elaborated Sufism, tasawwuf, explaining the attributes of a fakir, he says, faqir is not who can not do anything and is nothing in his self-being. But faqir has all the powers and his orders can not be revoked. Then, Ibn Arabi explained Sufism, including faqr, in more details and he wrote more than 500 books on topics relating to Sufism, tasawwuf and faqr. He was the first Muslim scholar who introduced the idea of Wahdat al-wujud, another dignified Muslim saint, Sultan Bahoo, describes a fakir as one who has been entrusted with full authority from Allah. In the same book, Sultan Bahoo says, Faqir attains eternity by dissolving himself in oneness of Allah and he, when, eliminates his-self from other than Allah, his soul reaches to divinity
10.
Fana (Sufism)
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Fanaa is the Sufi term for passing away or annihilation. Fana means to die before one dies and it represents a breaking down of the individual ego
11.
Haal
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Haal or ḥāl is a special-purpose, temporary state of consciousness, generally understood to be the product of a Sufis spiritual practices while on his way toward God. A ḥāl is by nature transient and one should not attempt to prolong it and it results from psychological or spiritual influences which affect the man during his progress towards God. Related concepts are ecstasy, annihilation, happiness, despondency, awakening, intoxication and they arise like flashes on the horizon, blinding flashes of lightning which disappear immediately. However, these stages are necessary for the experience of Man, thanks to them he may distinguish the contingent from the consciousness anything. According to Ibn Arabi, Fanaa is the apex of the aḥwāl, since aḥwāl are considered in Sufism to be gifts from God, there is nothing on the part of human beings that can be done to ensure that they are granted, for man is merely the receiver. Yet, unlike material gifts exchanged among men, man cannot do anything to avoid experiencing these special states, no prerequisites have been determined for man to receive any particular ḥāl since it has been noted that even the unreligious occasionally experience states that have been granted by God. The explanation given for this follows from the idea that there is an overabundance of divine grace and, thus. Likewise, those that are in the stages of their spirituality may experience aḥwāl just as much as the more advanced Sufis. When enduring a particular ḥāl, such as that of ecstasy, as well, for the one experiencing a state of ecstasy to be understood, only those that are in a similar state will understand what is being said. This also applies to work, since someone who is viewing a piece of art or reading a particular passage must be in the same ḥāl as the creator was at the time of work’s creation. Failing to do this will result in a lack of understanding between the creator and his audience. For him, once a state has been granted by God, man maintains that state, or condition and his reason for making this claim, however, comes from a hadith given by Muhammad, as well as an explanation of that hadith from Abu Ali ad-Daqqaq. The passage is written as follows, My heart becomes shrouded, in regard to this hadith, I hears Abu Ali ad-Daqqaq, Gods mercy upon him, say, “The prophet was continually rising in his states. When he rose from one condition to a one, he might glance at the condition he has risen beyond. His states were continually being intensified, given this passage from Muhammad, it would appear that Qushayrī is correct in making his claim, but many Sufis still consider each state to come and go like a flash of lightning. Still others would claim that while most aḥwāl are short-lived, the more advanced aḥwāl can remain with man for a period of time. This ḥāl is one in which its receiver can experience a feeling of joy or of fear depending on aspect of God has been revealed to him. There attention towards the salik or student causes the state of estacsy but if someone gets control its more better, a state that is described by its opposites, as the one experiencing it can feel either fear or love, sorrow or joy, or contentment or restlessness
12.
Haqiqa
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Haqiqa is one of the four stages in Sufism, shari’a, tariqa, haqiqa and marifa. Shari’a is Islamic law or Islamic jurisprudence as revealed in the Quran, the first step in Sufism is following every aspect of the law perfectly. The purpose of this is to prove their love for God, by rigorous self-discipline, when the Sufi fully lives his or her life according to the Shari’a he or she is ready to progress to the second stage. This conformity to rules is important because it recognizes that the spirit of a man or woman is affected by the actions of the body. In this way, bringing the body under the will of God also purifies the spirit, in Universal Sufism as practiced in current times, some orders propose an evolution of this concept. Rather than an adherence to Islamic law, the would-be Sufi is enjoined to live a morally sound life based on the universal laws found in the scripture of nature. The central authority is not the Koran per se, but the evident operations of the cosmos, tariqa in Arabic means path and it denotes a Sufi brotherhood or chain or order. The orders are governed by shaykhs, spiritual leaders that mentor Sufis, shaykhs are identified by the signs of Gods grace that are evident, such as the ability to perform miracles. They take on people, usually male, that are committed to the Sufi lifestyle and it is common for the shaykh to test a new disciple by ignoring them, assigning humiliating tasks or being rude to them. When the disciple has passed these tests, he is introduced to the awrad and these prayers must be studied before they are recited, because mistakes made in the prayer are sins. When the disciple has studied and recited the awrad for an amount of time, he is expected to experience visions. Sufis believe that at point the disciple is able to see spiritual things that are veiled from most people. In Universal Sufism, tariqat is the phase during which a seeker becomes increasingly aware of and her spiritual path through life begins to appear more clearly as a palimpsest of views and behavioral options which become available as her consciousness expands. This phase generally ensues after initiation in a Sufi order has been taken, haqiqa is a difficult concept to translate. Haqiqa may be best defined as the knowledge that comes from communion with God, for instance, a shaykh that has advanced through tariqa has haqiqa and can see into the lives of his disciples in a spiritual sense. He has knowledge of pregnancies and sicknesses before his disciples tell him and he can see beyond the physical world because of his proximity to God and possession of haqiqa. Haqiqa is less a stage in itself and more the marker of a level of consciousness. In Universal Sufism, Haqiqat is the phase in which the central ongoing question/concern of the seeker is subsistent reality, the life of the seeker becomes a fathoming device in which what is timeless, formless, weightless etc, is recognized and valued above all
13.
Ihsan
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Ihsan, also spelled ehsan, is an Arabic term meaning perfection or excellence. It is a matter of taking ones inner faith and showing it in both deed and action, a sense of social responsibility borne from religious convictions. That definition comes from the Hadith of Gabriel in which Muhammad states, to worship God as though you see Him, Ihsan, meaning to do beautiful things, is one of the three dimensions of the Islamic religion, islam, iman and ihsan. In contrast to the emphases of islam and iman, the concept of ihsan is primarily associated with intention, one who does what is beautiful is called a muhsin. It is generally held that a person can only achieve true ihsan with the help and guidance of God, while traditionally Islamic jurists have concentrated on Islam and theologians on Iman, the Sufis have focused their attention on Ihsan. Ihsan constitutes the highest form of worship and it is excellence in work and in social interactions. For example, ihsan includes sincerity during Muslim prayers and being grateful to parents, family, the Mysteries of Ihsan, Natural Contemplation and the Spiritual Virtues in the Quran by James W. Morris Hadith of Angel Gabriel Hadith #2 from An-Nawawis Forty Hadiths
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Keramat
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In Islamic mysticism, karamat is the ability to perform supernatural wonders by Muslim saints. It is a thaumaturgic gift akin to miracles. e, muslims who have reached a high rank of piety through proper knowledge of and practice of Islam, and, most important, through the constant zikr, that is, remembrance of Allah. Allah creates karamaat to support the waliyy and it is also believed that attribute of karamat is not only for muslim saints and is not parameter of sainthood. Holy personalities in all religions can perform karamat with some differences, reynold A. Nicholson, Chapter 5 Saints and Miracles of The Mystics of Islam. ISBN 0-941532-48-8 p. 88-104 Trimingham, J. Spencer, ISBN 0-19-501662-9 p. 26-28 Tay al-Ard, the keramat of teleportation. Datuk Keramat, local religion in Malaysia and Singapore
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Kashf
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Kashf unveiling is a Sufi concept rooted in Gnostic ideals dealing with knowledge of the heart rather than of the intellect. Kashf describes the state of experiencing a divine revelation after ascending through spiritual struggles. Kashf is etymologically related to mukashafa “disclosure”/ “divine irradiation of the essence”, in Sufism, an even further revelatory capacity exists by which the Divine mysteries become readily apparent to the seeker through the light of knowledge of God. This is called tajalli manifestation. ’ The Imminent is imminent, the verb “kashafa, ” but never the noun “kashf” occurs in the Quran a variety of times in the sense of either “to uncover” or “to take away”. The nearest of creatures to God are Gabriel, Michael, and Raphael, and between them and Him are four veils, a veil of fire, a veil of darkness, a veil of cloud, and a veil of water. Al-Kushayri expands on al-Kalabadhi’s proposal that tajalli of “the essence” of the Divine is called mukashafa and he then illustrates three stages in progression towards understanding the Real, Muhadara—getting oneself into position vis-à-vis the objective sought. The objective remains veiled at this stage and this stage presupposes the presence of the heart, but relies on transmission of proof through the intellect. Here reasoning gives way to evident proof, one directly encounters the Attributes of God. Yet, this stage is considered an intermediary stage. This stage indicates an encounter with The Real, without the intellect OR the intuition acting as an intermediary. This is direct experience of the Divine Essence, al-Ghazali—This Sufi scholar discusses the concept of kashf, not purely in its mystical sense, but also with respect to theology in general. In conjunction with Al-Kushayri, Al-Ghazali links kashf with intuition, for Al-Ghazali, mukashafa has a dual sense, It indicates an inner state of purification, which is subjective and brought about by “unveiling” or kashf. It describes the objective truths that are revealed through the “unveiling”/kashf, since, for Al-Ghazali, kashf is linked to intuition, he describes mukashafa as the certain knowledge of the unseen discovered by the “science of the saints”. Ibn Arabi—This Sufi mystic indicates the necessity for “divine unveiling” as the means by which to understand the universality of the reality of realities, in fana, the individual ego passes away and divine self-manifestation occurs. This self-manifestation is eternal, but it must be continually reenacted by the human in time, therefore, the human becomes a pure receptor required for pure consciousness to be realized. The human is a sort of barzakh or intermediary between divinity and elementality, between spirit and matter, and open to the experience of kashf, in his text, Hujwiri describes the “veils which should be lifted” in order to purify ones heart and really pursue Sufism. Hujwiri argues for the importance of “morals” over “formal practice” in Sufism and he was the first to directly address the problematic diversity in Muslim belief during his time. In Kashf ul Mahjoob, he describes various Sufi approaches to theoretical ideas, in Shi’ism, the spiritual experience of kashf is treated as a theological rather than purely mystical dimension. ”The Ismalis define “cycles of metahistory” which alternate between phases of “unveiling” and “occultation”
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Lataif-e-sitta
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These six subtleties are thought to be parts of the self in a similar manner to the way glands and organs are part of the body. Drawing from the Quran, many Sufis distinguish Nafs, Qalb, Sirr, Ruh, Khafi, among Sufis spiritual development involves awakening centers of perception that lie dormant in every person. The help of a guide is considered necessary to activate them in a certain order. Each center is associated with a color, a general area of the body. Activation of all these centers is part of the methodology of the Sufi way or Work. According to some, this latifa is located slightly below the navel, the word nafs is usually translated as self or psyche. Its etymology is rooted in breath and is common to virtually all archaic psychologies where the act of breathing was connected with life, ego may be assumed as an equivalent for Nafs in modern psychology. The central aim of the Sufi path is transformation of Nafs from its state of ego-centredness through various psycho-spiritual stages to the purity. In essence, this is almost identical to Christian paradigm of vita purgativa, according to some, this latifa is located in the left of Chest and is yellow, for others it is red. In it man witnesses his deeds, by awakening it man also gets the knowledge of the realm of Jins. The word Qalb, stands for heart, in Sufi terminology, this spiritual heart is again variously described. For some, it is the seat of beatific vision, others consider it the gate of Ishq or Divine love. Yet, for the majority, it is the battleground of two warring armies, those of Nafs and Ruh or spirit, in short, cleansing of the Qalb or heart is a necessary spiritual discipline for travellers on the Sufi path. The term for this process is Tazkiah-I-Qalb and the aim is the erasure of everything that stands in the way of purifying Gods love or Ishq, often people take their hearts word as truthful. If the hearts were indeed truthful, then why are not all the people of the heart united, Qalb of the common folk is in a sleeping or unconscious state, and does not possess any awareness or correct understanding. This heart can err in judgement due to the dominance of the Self and Khannas, placing trust in a sleeping heart is foolish. When the Name Allah does vibrate in the heart, an awareness of Right and Wrong and it is then called Qalb-e Salim. Then the prominence of the meditation by Qalb changes its direction towards God and this heart can prevent a person from mischief, but it can not make a right judgement
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Manzil
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For the convenience of people who wish to read the Quran in a week the text may be divided into 7 portions, each portion is known as Manzil. The following division to 7 equal portions is by Hamza Al-Zayyat, al-Maida through At-Tawba consisting of 5 surahs. Yunus through An-Nahl consisting of 7 surahs, al Isra through Al-Furqan consisting of 9 surahs. Ash-Shuara through Ya-Seen consisting of 11 surahs, as-Saaffat through Al-Hujarat consisting of 13 surahs. Qaf through An-Nass consisting of 65 surahs
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Marifa
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In Sufism, marifa describes the mystical intuitive knowledge of spiritual truth reached through ecstatic experiences, rather than revealed or rationally acquired. Marifat is one of the Four Doors of Sufism, Sharia, marifa, mystical knowledge & awareness, mysticism. A metaphor to explain the meaning of marifa involves pearl gathering, Sharia is the boat, tariqa is represented by the pearl gatherers rowing, haqiqa is the pearl, and marifa is the ability to tell the difference between true and false pearls
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Nafs
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Nafs is an Arabic word occurring in the Quran and means self, psyche ego or soul. Much of the literature on nafs, however, is focused on the Sufi conceptions of the term. According to the Sufi philosophies, the nafs in its state is the ego. Nafs is an important concept in the Islamic tradition, especially within Sufism, the Quran affords much importance to the nafs of an individual, highlighting the agency of free will and intelligence, without which neither responsibility nor accountability can exist. Iqbal stated, It is probable that Nietzsche borrowed it from the literature of Islam or of the East and degraded it by his materialism. There are three stages of nafs in Sufi philosophy, just as there are three types of soul in Platos tripartite theory of soul from which the Sufis borrowed the basic concept. The Sufis call them stages in the process of development, refinement, in its primitive stage the nafs incites us to commit evil, this is the nafs as the lower self, the base instincts. In the eponymous Sura of the Quran, Yusuf says Yet I claim not that my nafs was innocent, Islam emphasizes the importance of fighting the inciting nafs in Quran as well as in hadith. One tradition holds that Muhammad said after returning from a war and his companions asked, O prophet of God, what is the big struggle. He replied, The struggle against nafs and this stage is generally divided into the levels al nafs al-hayawaniyya und al nafs al-iblissiyya. Al nafs al-hayawaniyya describes the self, which runs after material possessesion, sensual desires, al nafs al-iblissiyya is even lower than the animal state, because the self seeks to replace God in the love for itselves. The Quran enjoins the faithful to hinder the nafs from lust, rumi warns of the nafs in its guise of religious hypocrisy, saying the nafs has a rosary and a Koran in its right hand, and a scimitar and dagger in the sleeve. Animal imagery is used to describe the nafs. A popular image is a donkey or unruly horse that must be trained, rumi compares the nafs to a camel that the hero Majnun, representing the intellect, strains to turn in the direction of the dwelling-place of his beloved. In Sura al-Qiyama the Quran mentions the self-accusing nafs and this is the stage where the conscience is awakened and the self accuses one for listening to one’s ego. One repents and asks for forgiveness, here the nafs is inspired by your heart, sees the results of your actions, agrees with your brain, sees your weaknesses, and aspires to perfection. In Sura al-Fajr the Quran mentions the nafs at peace and this is the ideal stage of ego for Muslims. On this level one is firm in faith and leaves bad manners behind
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Qalandar
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Qalandars, are wandering ascetic Sufi dervishes who may or may not be connected to a specific tariqat. They were mostly in Central Asia, India and Pakistan, in the latter qalandar is also used as a title, some famous qalandars include Lal Shahbaz Qalandar, Bu Ali Shah Qalandar and Shams Ali Qalandar. A qalandar is a person who has excelled in seeing things and he witnesses part in the whole and sees the whole in the part and, then, after detaching himself from all this, plunges into a state of ecstasy. The status of a qalandar is even higher than the loved ones because duality remains there even in state, i. e. one is the loved one. In qalanderiyat there is no duality, Qalandar is a title given to a saint who is at a very high level of spirituality. They are different from other saints and have strong feelings of love for Gods creation. Qalandars, among the saints, are persons who may enjoy freedom from the ties and bounds of time. It is claimed that all living things are given in their charge and command, every part of the universe may be at their disposal but these people are far above temptation. When people request them they feel duty-bound to listen and rectify the cause of miseries of people because they have been appointed by God for this very purpose. Qalandars have always spread the message of love and humanity, they are always in the state of ecstasy, songs honoring famous qalandars are called qalandri dhamaal in Pakistan and India. Dhamaal are a popular South Asian musical subgenre about Sufi saints such as Lal Shahbaz Qalandar and these songs typically incorporate qawwali styles as well as different local folk styles, such as bhangra and intense naqareh or dhol drumming. The Qalandariyya were an unorthodox tariqa of roaming Sufi dervishes that originated in medieval al-Andalus as an answer to the fundamentalist onslaught of the Almohad Caliphate, from there they quickly spread into North Africa, the Mashriq, Greater Iran, Central Asia, Pakistan and India. Dervish Fakir Qalandar Qalandariyah Lal Shahbaz Qalander Mast Qalandar Rabia Basri Tando Jahania Sadhu Ewing, arguing Sainthood, Modernity, Psychoanalysis, and Islam. Durham, North Carolina, Duke University Press
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Qutb
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Qutb, Qutub, Kutb, Kutub, or Kotb, means axis, pivot or pole. Qutb can refer to movements and used as an astronomical term or a spiritual symbol. In Sufism, a Qutb is the human being, al-insān al-kāmil. The Qutb is the Sufi spiritual leader that has a connection with God and passes knowledge on which makes him central to, or the axis of, Sufism. There are five Qutbs per era and they are infallible and trusted spiritual leaders and they are only revealed to a select group of mystics because there is a human need for direct knowledge of God. In the teachings of Al-Hakim al-Tirmidhi, there is evidence to suggest that the Qutb is the head of the saintly hierarchy which provides evidence to support the belief in the qutb. The hadīth attributed to Ibn Mas‘ūd has been used as proof that a qutb exists and this hadīth was called into question for its reliability of the sanad and was discarded by MuhammadRashīd Ridā. There are two different conceptions of the Qutb in Sufism, temporal Qutb and cosmic Qutb, the temporal and cosmic qutb are connected which guarantees that God is present in the world at all times. The temporal qutb is known as the helper or al-ghawth and is located in a person on Earth, the cosmic qutb is manifested in the temporal qutb as a virtue which can be traced back to al-Hallādj. The temporal qutb is the leader for the earth-bound saints. It is said that all beings - secret, animate, the only beings exempt from this are al-afrād, which belong to the angels, the djinn, who are under the jurisdiction of Khadir, and those who belong to the tenth stratum of ridjālal-ghayb. Due to the nature of the Qutb, the location where he resides and it is thought by most that the Qutb is corporeally or spiritually present in Mecca at the Kaba, which is referred to as his maqām. The cosmic Qutb is the Axis of the Universe in a dimension from which originates the power of the temporal Qutb. The cosmic hierarchy is the way that the power is ensured to exist through the cosmos. Two descriptions of the come from notable Sufis. The first is Ali Hujwiris divine court, there are three hundred akhyār, forty abdāl, seven abrār, four awtād three nuqabā and one qutb. The second version is Ibn Arabī’s which has a different, more exclusive structure, there are eight nujabā, twelve nuqabā, seven abdāl, four awtād, two a’immah, and the qutb. For those named Qutb ad-Din, with many variant transliterations, see Qutb ad-Din
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Silsila
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Silsila is an Arabic word meaning chain, link, connection often used in various senses of lineage. In particular, it may be translated as order or spiritual genealogy where one Sufi Master transfers his khilfat to his spiritual descendant, silsilas originated with the initiation of Sufi orders which dates back to the Islamic prophet Mohammad. Most silsilas trace their lineage back to his cousin and son-in-law Ali bin Abi Talib such as the Qadiriyyah, the Chishtiyya, however, other silsilas owe their ancestry to other caliphs such as the Naqshbandiyyah order of South Asia is through the Caliph Abu Bakr. Centuries ago, Arabia did not have schools for formal education, students went to masters who taught them. Upon completion of their study, they received ijazah which acted as the certification of their education, a graduate then acted as a master having his own students or disciples. This chain of masters was known as Silsila or lineage, the shaikh gives his disciples permission to practice the tariqa, he may also authorise one or more of them to teach it to others, i. e. appoint them as his khalîfa. In this way a hierarchically ordered network of teachers may emerge, each shaikh can show a chain of authorities for the tarekat he teaches, his silsila or spiritual genealogy. Usually the silsila reaches back from ones own teacher up to the Prophet, a Sufis silsila is his badge of identity and source of legitimation, it provides him with a list of illustrious predecessors and shows how he is related to other Sufis. Silsila can be of a partial knowledge or a book as well, all Hafiz, Muhaddiths, Qaries are given a chain of credible narrators linking to the Islamic prophet Mohammad. For Muslims, the Chain of Authenticity is an important way to ascertain the validity of a saying of Mohammad, the Chain of Authenticity relates the chain of people who have heard and repeated the saying of Mohammad through the generations, until that particular Hadith was written down. A similar idea appears in Sufism in regards to the lineage and teachings of Sufi masters and this string of master to student is called a silsila, literally meaning “chain”. The focus of the silsila like the Chain of Authenticity is to trace the lineage of a Sufi order to Mohammad through his Companions, Ali bin Abi Talib, Abu Bakr, and Umar. When a Sufi order can be traced back to Mohammad through one of the three aforementioned Companions the lineage is called the Silsilat al-Dhahab or the “Chain of Gold”. In early Islamic history, gold was a desired prize and was used for currency, to show wealth and power. Thus, gold was the most desired commodity in the material world and this often included removing oneself from society and other people in general. As Sufism became a movement in Islam, individual Sufis began to group together. These groups were based on a common master and this common master then began spiritual lineage, which is a connection between a Sufi order in which there is a common spiritual heritage based on the master’s teachings called tariq or tariqah. As the number of Sufi orders grew, there arose a need for legitimacy of the orders to each order was following the teachings of Mohammad directly
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Sufi cosmology
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Sufi cosmology is a general term for cosmological doctrines associated with Sufism. It is a Sufi approach which discusses the creation of man and the universe and these stages are also termed as “Tanzalat-e-Satta. Many saints have explained these Tanzalat-e-Satta in their books, abu Saeed Mubarak Makhzoomi has discussed them in his Arabic book called Tohfa Mursala. They are also discussed in the exegesis of Fusoos-ul-Hikam, a book by Ibn Arabi, alam-i-HaHoot, The level of HaHoot refers to HaHooiyat. It is an Arabic term which pertains to the Divines Essence prior to manifestation, the spiritual stage related to it is called Ahdiyat. This is the Realm of pre-existence and a level of non creation, according to sufis, this state of Ahdiyat is incapable of being conceived, incapable of interpretation and is beyond all logical bounds. At this stage Allah is all alone and hidden in his own veil, nothing exists here, neither the universe nor the creation. Here the Zaat and neither His attributes are revealed or manifested, alam-i-Yahoot, The spiritual stage pertaining to YaHoot is referred to as Wahdat. YaHoot is the first level of manifestation of Hoo, when the Divine Essence desired to manifest, He manifested Himself in the form of Noor-e-Mohammad. Since YaHoot is a world of Oneness, so it clarifies that Noor of Mohammad is a manifestation of God’s Essence and is not a separate entity and this is the first step towards Divine descent. The creation has not started yet, here Hoo is called Allah which in Arabic means the worshippable one, because there is a being in the form of Noor of Mohammad who worships Allah. And the level is called yaHoot because there is an entity who would address Hoo as YaHoo, alam-i-LaHoot, The world of LaHoot is related to the level of Wahdiyat. Here the soul of Mohammad is manifested from the Noor of Mohammad, since this is a world of Unity so at this level Noor of Allah and Noor of Mohammad are in the same form. Therefore, the soul of Mohammad is in fact the soul of Allah called Rooh-e-Qudsi, at this level the whole universe and its creation is hidden in Noor-e-Mohammad and is anxious to manifest itself. The above three levels are the levels of Unity and non-creation, the presence of Hoo in HaHoot, YaHoot and LaHoot indicates Absolute Unity. The creation takes place in the levels of Jabrut, Malakut and Nasut. Alam-i-Jabrut, Jabrut is an Arabic term which means bridge or anything that connects two things and it is called Jabrut because it connects the above three levels of non-creation and the coming levels of creation. The level of Jabrut is related to the level of creation of souls of human beings, here Allah created the souls of human beings from Rooh-e-Qudsi
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Sufi metaphysics
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Major ideas in Sufi metaphysics have surrounded the concept of waḥdah meaning unity, or in Arabic توحيد tawhid. Two main Sufi philosophies prevail on this topic, Waḥdat al-wujūd literally means the Unity of Existence or Unity of Being. On the other hand, waḥdat ash-shuhūd, meaning Apparentism or Unity of Witness, holds that God, after that, the mystical thinker and theologian Abu Saeed Mubarak Makhzoomi discussed this concept in his book called Tohfa Mursala. An Andalusian Sufi saint Ibn Sabin is also known to employ this term in his writings, but the Sufi saint who is most characterized in discussing the ideology of Sufi metaphysics in deepest details is Ibn Arabi. He employs the term wujud to refer to God as the Necessary Being and he also attributes the term to everything other than God, but he insists that wujud does not belong to the things found in the cosmos in any real sense. Rather, the things borrow wujud from God, much as the earth borrow light from the sun, the issue is how wujūd can rightfully be attributed to the things, also called entities. From the perspective of tanzih, Ibn Arabi declares that wujūd belongs to God alone, and, in his famous phrase, from the point of view of tasbih, he affirms that all things are wujūd’s self-disclosure or self-manifestation. In sum, all things are He/not He, which is to say that they are both God and other than God, both wujud and other than wujud, in his book Fasus –al-Hikam, Ibn-e-Arabi states that wujūd is the unknowable and inaccessible ground of everything that exists. God alone is true wujūd, while all things dwell in nonexistence, so also wujūd alone is nondelimited, while everything else is constrained, confined, wujūd is the absolute, infinite, nondelimited reality of God, while all others remain relative, finite, and delimited. Ibn Arabi’s doctrine of wahdat ul wujud focuses on the reality of creatures instead of exoteric dimension of reality. Therefore he interprets that wujud is one and unique reality from which all reality derives, the external world of sensible objects is but a fleeting shadow of the Real, God. God alone is the all embracing and eternal reality, whatever exists is the shadow of the Real and is not independent of God. This is summed up in Ibn Arabi’s own words, glory to Him who created all things, being Himself their very essence To call wujud or Real Being one is to speak of the unity of the Essence. In other terms, it is to say that Being—Light in itself—is nondelimited, in contrast, everything other than Being—every existent thing —is distinct, defined, and limited. The Real is incomparable and transcendent, but it itself in all things, so it is also similar. It possesses such utter nondelimitation that it is not delimited by nondelimitation, God possesses Nondelimited Being, but no delimitation prevents Him from delimitation. In this sense, wujūd designates the Essence of God or of the Real, on lower levels, wujūd is the underlying substance of everything other than God —which is how Ibn Arabi and others define the cosmos or universe. Hence, in a meaning, the term wujūd is used as shorthand to refer to the whole cosmos
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Sufi philosophy
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Sufi philosophy includes the schools of thought unique to Sufism, a mystical branch within Islam, also termed as Tasawwuf or Faqr according to its adherents. Sufism and its philosophical traditions may be associated with both Sunni Islam and Shia Islam and it has been suggested that Sufi thought emerged from the Middle East in the eighth century, but adherents are now found around the world. According to Sufism, it is a part of the Islamic teaching that deals with the purification of inner self and is the way which removes all the veils between divine and man. It was around 1000 CE that early Sufi literature, in the form of manuals, treatises, discourses and poetry, became the source of Sufi thinking and meditations. Sufi philosophy, like all other major traditions, has several sub-branches including metaphysics. Between the tenth and twelfth centuries, Sufism became a widely spread discipline, one influential early writer on Sufi philosophy was Al-Ghazali. He discussed the concept of the self and the causes of its misery, an important mark made in the history of Sufi philosophy has been made by Abdul Qadir Jilani with his jurisprudence and philosophy of Sufism that made him define the Sufi orders. Jilanis adopted order was Qadiriyya and the offshoot he started later became known as Sarwari Qadiri, several other orders were also founded in this era. Sufis were influential in spreading Islam particularly to the furthest outposts of the Muslim world in Africa, India, major ideas in Sufi metaphysics have surrounded the concept of Wahdat or Unity with God. Two main Sufi philosophies prevail on this controversial topic, wahdat-ul-Wujood essentially states that the only truth within the universe is God, and that all things exist within God only. Wahdat-ul-Shuhud, on the hand, holds that any experience of unity between God and the created world is only in the mind of the believer and that God. It is the state there is no difference between God and human being who is trying to achieve a particular state i. e. In this metaphor, al-Arabi compares an object being reflected in countless mirrors to the relationship between God and his creatures, god’s essence is seen in the existent human being, as God is the object and humans being the mirrors. Meaning two things, that humans are mere reflections of God there can be no distinction or separation between the two and without God the creatures would be non- existent. When an individual understands that there is no separation between human and God they begin on the path of ultimate oneness and this metaphysics of Sufi philosophy is also narrated in the hadith, Whoever recognized his self, undoubtedly recognized his Rab. Sufi cosmology is a term for cosmological doctrines associated with the mysticism or Sufism. The Neoplatonic views cherished by Islamic philosophers like Ibn Sina / Avicenna and Ibn Arabi or, the cosmological plan, explains creation by successive emanation of worlds, as taught by Plotinus In Islamic Sufi terminology, these are also known as Tanzalat-e-Satta. After Husayn ibn Ali, Abu Saeed Mubarak Makhzoomi was the one who discussed these levels in his Arabic book called Tohfa Mursala, drawing from Quranic verses, virtually all Sufis distinguish Lataif-as-Sitta as, Nafs, Qalb, Sirr, Ruh, Khafi, and Akhfa
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Sufi poetry
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Sufi poetry has been written in many languages, both for private devotional reading and as lyrics for music played during worship, or dhikr. In Punjab, Sindh and other provinces of India Sufi poetry played a role in maintaining communal harmony in turbulent times. Sufi poetry in most of the languages and vernaculars of India, by the nobility of its pious feelings. Sufi poetry has bestowed a remarkable legacy of communal harmony for posterity, SUFISM by R. M. Chopra,2016, Anuradha Prakashan, New Delhi
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Sufi psychology
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There are three central ideas in Sufi Islamic psychology, which are the Nafs, the Qalb and the Ruh. The origin and basis of terms is Quranic and they have been expounded upon by centuries of Sufic commentaries. Nafs is considered to be the lowest principle of man, higher than the nafs is the Qalb, and the Ruh. This tripartition forms the foundation of later, more complicated systems, bayezid Bistami, Hakīm at-Tirmidhī, and Junayd have followed this tripartition. Kharrāz, however, inserts between nafs and qalb the element tab, nature, the functions of man. The spiritual body was created in adult form of the living body, the Sufis often add the element of sirr, the innermost part of the heart in which the divine revelation is experienced. Then he imprisoned the conscience in the spirit and the spirit in the heart, then He tested them and sent prophets, and then each began to seek its own station. The body occupied itself with prayer, the heart attained to love, the arrived at proximity to its Lord. Nafs is the aspect of the psyche that can be viewed along a continuum, the self at its lowest level refers to our negative traits and tendencies, controlled by emotions, desires and its gratification. Sufic psychology identifies seven levels of the nafs, which have identified in the Quran. The process of growth depends on working through these levels and these are, tyrannical self, regretful self, inspired self, serene self, pleased self, pleasing self and the pure self. In Sufi psychology the heart refers to the heart or qalb. It is this spiritual heart that contains the deeper intelligence and wisdom and it holds the Divine spark or spirit and is the place of gnosis and deep spiritual knowledge. Just as the physical heart supplies blood to the body, the spiritual heart nourishes the soul with wisdom and spiritual light, according to Sufic psychology emotions are from the self or nafs, not from the heart. The qalb mediates between the Nafs and spirit and its task is control the nafs and direct the man toward the spirit. The spirit ruh is in connection with the Divine, even if one is unconscious of that connection. The spirit has seven levels or facets of the complete spirit and these levels are, mineral, vegetable, animal, personal, human, secret and secret of secret souls. Each level represents the stages of evolution, and the process that it goes through in its growth, the spirit is holistic, and extends to all aspects of the person, i. e. the body, the mind and the soul
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Tazkiah
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Tazkiah is an Arabic-Islamic term alluding to tazkiyah al-nafs meaning purification of the self. This refers to the process of transforming the nafs from its state of ego-centrality through various spiritual stages towards the level of purity. Tazkiah originally meant pruning the plant – to remove what is harmful for its growth, when the term is applied to the human personality, it means to beautify it and to remove from it all evil traces and spiritual diseases that are obstacles in experiencing Allah. In Islam, the objective of religion and shariah and the real purpose of raising prophets from among mankind was performing and teaching tazkiah. Literally the term encompasses two meanings, one is to cleanse and purify from adulterants, while the other is to improve and develop towards the height of perfection. Technically it conveys the sense of checking oneself from erroneous tendencies and beliefs and turning them to the path of virtue and piety, the word zakat comes from the same Arabic verbal root, since zakat purifies an individuals wealth by recognition of Allahs right over a portion of it. It finds its origin in the Quranic command to, Take sadaqah from their property in order to purify and sanctify them, the soul is created devoid of traits. As one progresses through life he develops malakat related to his lifestyle, the soul becomes accustomed to repeated behavior, which then determines actions. Noble faculties manifest moral and wise behavior, while evil faculties manifest immorality and these faculties determine the fate in the akhira. Moral virtues bring eternal happiness and well-bring, while moral corruption leads to everlasting wretchedness, man must purge blameworthy traits before he can integrate ethical and moral virtues. According to the ulema, obtainment of falaḥ in this life, similarly, Allah says in sura as-shuara, On that Day, neither wealth nor children will be of any benefit, only he who comes before Allah with a sound heart free of evil. Thus, the people who will be saved from punishment on the Day of Judgment are those possessing qulub salīma. The phrase salīm is related to the word aslama because Islam is moving towards that state of soundness, attempts to obey Gods commands are successful only when one is purified, then the soul can receive Gods unlimited grace. The hadith of the Prophet Muhammad, does not refer to outward cleanliness alone and they said, And what is the greater jihad. He replied, The striving of Allahs servants against their idle desires, when some Sufi masters were asked about the meaning of Islam, they answered, slaughtering the soul by the swords of opposition. The famous Sufi master Mawlana Jalal al-Din al-Rumi has argued that the constant struggle against nafs is jihad al-akbar, to attain perfection, it is necessary to struggle against lusts and immoral tendencies, and prepare the soul to receive Gods grace. If man travels the path of purification, God will aid, the level of human perfection is determined by discipline and effort. Man stands between two extremes, the lowest is below beasts and the highest surpasses the angels, movement between these extremes is discussed by ilm al-akhlaq or the science of ethics
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Wali
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Walī is an Arabic word of which the literal meanings include custodian, protector, helper, and friend. In the vernacular, it is most commonly used by Muslims to indicate an Islamic saint, in the traditional Islamic understanding of saints, the saint is portrayed as someone marked by divine favor. Holiness, and who is chosen by God and endowed with exceptional gifts. From the twelfth to the century, the general veneration of saints. In general Islamic piety of the period, the saint was understood to be a contemplative state of spiritual perfection. Permanent expression in the teaching bequeathed to his disciples, in short, it is believed that every prophet is a saint, but not every saint is a prophet. Although there are similarities between the traditional Islamic and apostolic Christian conception of saints, there are also important differences. For example, Islam has no process of canonization, with saints being declared by popular acclaim and their presence and veneration as unacceptable deviations. For - like Religion, Believer, prayer, etc, in Persian, which became the second most influential and widely-spoken language in the Islamic world after Arabic, the general title for a saint or a spiritual master became pīr. Although the ramifications of this include the connotations of a general saint. Amongst Indian Muslims, the title peer baba is commonly used in Hindi to refer to Sufi masters or similarly honored saints, in Islamic mysticism, a pīrs role is to guide and instruct his disciples on the mystical path. Additionally, other Arabic and Persian words that often have the same connotations as pīr. Their tombs, meanwhile, are denoted by terms of Arabic or Persian origin alluding to the idea of pilgrimage, but such tombs are also denoted by terms usually used for dervish convents, or a particular part of it, or by a quality of the saint. As has been noted by modern scholars, the Quran does not explicitly outline a doctrine or theory of saints. In the Quran, the adjective walī is applied to God, however, particular Quranic verses were interpreted by early Islamic scholars to refer to a special, exalted group of holy people. These included 10,62, Surely Gods friends, no fear shall be on them, neither shall they sorrow, and 5,54, the best of company are they, to carry a reference to holy people who were not prophets and were ranked below the latter. In general Islamic piety of the period, the saint was understood to be a contemplative state of spiritual perfection. Permanent expression in the teaching bequeathed to his disciples and it was by virtue of his spiritual wisdom that the saint was accorded veneration in medieval Islam, and it is this which
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Yaqeen
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Yaqeen is generally translated as certainty, and is considered the summit of the many stations by which the path of walaya is fully completed. This is the repository of liberating experience in Islam and it is, in fact, ihsân which gives the external religion its true meaning and the domain of faith its real values. It occurs in the Quran about certainty, And worship your Lord until there comes to you the certainty, the first degree is referred to by the name ‘ilm-ul-yaqeen, which means that certainty is the result of knowledge. At this degree the object of certainty is knowledge just as the aim of knowledge is certainty, both together are in the soul uniquely, such that certainty is the first degree of spiritual life and the last of speculative experience. This particular degree of yaqeen is the result of divine theophanies in act at the level of existence. The second degree of yaqeen is what one calls in Sufi terms ayn-ul-yaqeen, at this level, the object of certainty is present in front of the gnostic and is not only a speculative concept. Here knowledge becomes what one calls ilm-e-huzuri’’, and that is the aspect of Certainty in the spiritual way. By this kind of knowledge, the man of the Way is distinguished from philosophers, finally, the last degree of yaqeen is called haqq-ul-yaqeen, that is, certainty as supreme truth. At this stage, in fact, knowledge is not limited to the intellect and this is the final phase of yaqeen, the apotheosis of the spiritual and intellectual journey. Theophanies and Lights in the Thought of Ibn Arabi
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Nasheed
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A nasheed is a work of vocal music that is either sung a cappella or accompanied by percussion instruments such as the daf. This is because many Muslim scholars state that Islam prohibits the use of musical instruments except for some basic percussion, anasheed are popular throughout the Islamic world. The material and lyrics of a nasheed usually make reference to Islamic beliefs, history, some Ulama argue that the use of musical instruments is implicitly prohibited in the Ahadith. The founders of all four of the major madhabs – schools of thought in Islam – as well as other prominent scholars, have debated the legitimacy. Another Islamic scholar, Ibn Taymiyyah, once said that music is like alcohol to the soul, a majority of Muslim scholars traditionally have held that at least some music with some of its instruments are Haraam, sinful by the hadith, as well as by tradition. There are, of course, those who reject such claims, citing revealed scriptures, earlier prophets, and the example of Mohammed in the appreciation of the musical arts. Allah will destroy them during the night and will let the mountain fall on them, however, the isnad of this hadith includes Hisham ibn Ammar, who is not considered trustworthy. A new generation of nasheed artists use a variety of musical instruments in their art. Many new nasheed artists are non-Arabs and sing in different languages, some nasheed bands are Native Deen, Outlandish and Raihan. Arabic nasheed artists – or Munshids – include Abu Mazen, Abu Rateb, Abu Al joud, thibon, Jean-Jacques, Inshad, in Muhammad in History, Thought, and Culture, An Encyclopedia of the Prophet of God, Edited by C. Fitzpatrick and A. Walker, Santa Barbara, ABC-CLIO,2014, Vol. I, pp. 294–298
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Dhikr
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For the Quranic software, see Zekr. Dhikr (also Zikr, Zekr, and variants, is the name of devotional acts in Islam in which short phrases or prayers are repeatedly recited silently within the mind or aloud. Rarely, it is counted on a string of beads or a set of prayer beads, a person who recites the Dhikr is called a ḏākir. Tasbih is a form of dhikr that involves the repetitive utterances of short sentences glorifying God, the content of the prayers includes the names of God, or a duʿāʾ taken from the hadith or the Quran. There are several verses in the Quran that emphasize the importance of remembering the will of God by saying such as God willing, God knows best. This is the basis for dhikr, Sura 18, ayah 24 states a person who forgets to say, God Willing, should immediately remember God by saying, May my Lord guide me to do better next time. Other verses include sura 33, ayah 41, O ye who believe, celebrate the praises of Allah, and do this often, and sura 13, ayah 28, They are the ones whose hearts rejoice in remembering God. Absolutely, by remembering God, the hearts rejoice, Muhammad said, The best is La ilaha illa’llah, and the best supplicatory prayer is Al-hamdu li’llah. Muslims believe dhikr is one of the best ways to enter in the level of Heaven. To Sufis, dhikr is seen as a way to spiritual enlightenment. All Muslim sects endorse individual rosaries as a method of meditation, the goal of which is to obtain a feeling of peace, separation from worldly values, there are several phrases that are usually read when remembering Allah. Here are a few, Allah- الله is the name of God in Arabic, a similar version is Laa hawla wa laa quwwata illaa billaahil aleeul atheem. Laa ilaaha illal laahu wahdahoo laa sharikalahoo lahul mulku wa lahul hamdu wa huwa alaa kulli shaiin qadeer, SubhanAllahi wa biHamdihi, Subhan-Allahi l-adheem Some of these can be said together. e. g- SubhanAllahi wal hamdulillaahi wa laa ilaaha ilallaahu wAllahu Akbar. SubhanAllahi wal hamdulillaahi wa laa ilaaha ilallaahu wAllahu Akbar wa laa hawla wa laa quwwata illaa billaahil aleeul azeem, Laa ilaaha illal laahu wahdahoo laa sharikalahoo lahul mulku wa lahul hamdu wa huwa alaa kulli shaiin qadeer. SubhanAllahi wal hamdulillaahi wa laa ilaaha ilallaahu wAllahu Akbar wa laa hawla wa laa quwwata illaa billaahil aleeul azeem, Laa ilaaha illa Anta, subhaanaka inni kuntu min al-zaalimeen. Reciting the Quran sincerely is also considered a kind of Dhikr, E. g. - Reciting Sura Ikhlas / Tawheed is equal to one-third of the Quran. Reciting Sura Ikhlas 10 times gives a palace in Heaven, Reciting Sura Kaafiroon is equal to one-fourth of the Quran. Reciting Sura Nasr is equal to one-fourth of the Quran, Reciting Sura Zilzalah is equal to half of the Quran
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Sama (Sufism)
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Sama is a Sufi ceremony performed as dhikr. Sama means listening, while dhikr means remembrance and these rituals often includes singing, playing instruments, dancing, recitation of poetry and prayers, wearing symbolic attire, and other rituals. It is a popular form of worship in the Chishti order of the Indian subcontinent. In 2008, UNESCO confirmed the The Mevlevi Sama Ceremony of Turkey as one of the Masterpieces of the Oral and this term stems from the root-verb meaning acceptance by tradition, from which derives the words سَمْع and اِسْتِمَاع, often paired with نَقْل and تَقْلِيد. It may have been in use since the 10th century to refer to a type of dhikr, a spiritual concert and it often involves prayer, song and dance. The origination of Sama is credited to Rumi, Sufi master, the story of the creation of this unique form of dhikr is that Rumi was walking through the town marketplace one day when he heard the rhythmic hammering of the goldbeaters. With that the practice of Sama and the dervishes of the Mevlevi order were born, the sama has roots in Persian pre-Islamic culture, specially in middle Dassanid era. and is associated with Indian traditions. Abu Said, was born in Mayhana, a town near Sarakhs and he is noted for establishing a rule for conduct in the khanqah and also for the introduction of music, poetry and dance, as part of the Sufi collective devotional ritual of dhikr. The Whirling Dervishes of the Mevlevi order are probably the best-known practitioners of Sama, Mevlevi practitioners of sema are adult initiates into the order, which historically only meant men. Participants move as a group in a circle while turning each individually. Sema is prominent in the ceremonies of the Alevi community of Turkey, the most common forms of Alevi sema include kirklar semahı and turnalar semahı. They are performed by male and female teenagers, often in mixed groups, and participants turn facing each other in pairs or small groups. Many cemeviler have organized groups that perform at events such as the annual Hacı Bektaş Veli Festival. In Egypt, the Mevlevi form of Sama is known as tannoura and has been adopted by other Sufi orders as well and it is also performed as a folk and concert dance. The Sama represents a journey of mans spiritual ascent through mind. Turning towards the truth, the follower grows through love, deserts his ego, finds the truth and arrives at perfection. He then returns from this journey as a man who has reached maturity. Rumi has said in reference to Sama, For them it is the Sama of this world, even more for the circle of dancers within the Sama who turn and have in their midst, their own Kaaba
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Sufi whirling
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It is a customary meditation practice performed within the Sema, or worship ceremony, through which dervishes aim to reach the source of all perfection, or kemal. The Mevlevi practice gave rise to an Egyptian form, tanoura and this has also developed into a performance dance by non-Sufis, including dancers outside the Islamic world. A member of such a fraternity is referred to as a Persian darwish and these turuk were responsible for organizing an Islamic expression of religious life, often founded by independent saints or resulted from the division of existing orders. Each Sufi tariqa stems from a unique silsila, or chain of order in which a member must learn, ones silsila extends through the members individual teacher, to their teacher and so on, through time until one is connected to the Prophet and thus Allah. The Prophet himself is revered as the originator of Sufism, which has in turn been traced down through a series of saints, a dervish practices multiple rituals, the primary of which is the dhikr, a remembering of Allah. The dhikr involves recitation of devotional Islamic prayer and this dhikr is coupled with physical exertions of movement, specifically dancing and whirling, in order to reach a state assumed by outsiders to be one of ecstatic trances. As explained by Sufis, In the symbolism of the Sema ritual, by removing his black cloak, he is spiritually reborn to the truth. At the beginning of the Sema, by holding his arms crosswise, the semazen appears to represent the number one, thus testifying to Gods unity. While whirling, his arms are open, his arm is directed to the sky, ready to receive Gods beneficence, his left hand. The semazen conveys Gods spiritual gift to those who are witnessing the Sema, revolving from right to left around the heart, the semazen embraces all humanity with love. The human being has been created with love in order to love, mevlâna Jalâluddîn Rumi says, All loves are a bridge to Divine love. Yet, those who have not had a taste of it do not know, as the ritual dance begins, the dervish dons a felt cap, a sikke, in addition to a turban wrapped around the head, a trademark of the Mevlevi order. The sheikh leads the ritual with strict regulations, to begin, The sheikh stands in the most honored corner of the dancing place, and the dervishes pass by him three times, each time exchanging greetings, until the circling movement starts. The rotation itself is on the foot, the center of the rotation being the ball of the left foot. The impetus for the rotation is provided by the right foot, the Western world, having witnessed Sufi whirling through tourism, have described the various forms of dhikr as barking, howling, dancing, etc. The practice of each tariqa is unique to its order, specific traditions. The same tariqa in one country will not mirror that of country as each orders ritual stresses emotional religious life in various forms. The Mevleviyah order, like others, practice the dhikr by performing a whirling meditation
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Ziyarat
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Sites of pilgrimage include mosques, graves, battlefields, mountains, and caves. Ziyārat can also refer to a form of supplication made by the Shia, in which they send salutations and greetings to Muhammad, different Muslim-majority countries, speaking many different languages, use different words for these sites where ziyarat is performed. Sufi places of worship and retreat may be built near the graves of famous Sufi Saints, Ziyarat comes from Arabic, زور to visit. Iranian and south-Asian Muslims use the word ziyarat for both the Hajj pilgrimage to Mecca as well as for pilgrimages to other such as visiting a holy place. In Indonesia the term is ziarah for visiting holy places or graves, some Sunni scholars such as Ibn Taymiyyah, have also rejected the notion that such things are innovations. It is popular Shii belief that to be buried near the place of the Imams is beneficial. In Shii sacred texts it is stated that the time between death and resurrection should be spent near the Imams, Hajj Imamzadeh List of ziyarat locations Tablet of Visitation Jamiah kabirah Ziyarat Privratsky, Bruce G. Muslim Turkistan, Kazak Religion and Collective Memory. The cult of holy places, religious practices among Soviet Muslims
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Tariqa
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A tariqa is a school or order of Sufism, or especially for the mystical teaching and spiritual practices of such an order with the aim of seeking Haqiqa, which translates as ultimate truth. A tariqa has a murshid who plays the role of leader or spiritual director, the members or followers of a tariqa are known as muridin, meaning desirous, viz. The path metaphor of tariqa is that of a path, taken by the mystic. A fourth station following the succession of shariah, tariqa and haqiqa is called marifa and this is the unseen center of haqiqa, and the ultimate aim of the mystic, corresponding to the unio mystica in Western mysticism. Tasawwuf, Arabic word that refers to mysticism and Islamic esotericism, is known in the West as Sufism, the most popular tariqa in the West is the Mevlevi Order, named after Jalal ad-Din Muhammad Rumi. In the same time the Bektashi Order was also founded, named after the Alevi Muslim saint Haji Bektash Veli, others can be offshoots of a tariqa. For example, the Qalandariyya has roots in Malamatiyya and Wafai of orders are offshoots of the Suhrawardi order, membership of a particular Sufi order is not exclusive and cannot be likened to the ideological commitment to a political party. Unlike the Christian monastic orders which are demarcated by firm lines of authority and sacrament, the non-exclusiveness of Sufi orders has consequences for the social extension of Sufism. They cannot be regarded as indulging in a zero sum competition which a political analysis might have suggested. Rather their joint effect is to impart to Sufism a cumulant body of tradition, rather than individual, in most cases the sheikh nominates his khalifa or successor during his lifetime, who will take over the order. In rare cases, if the sheikh dies without naming a khalifa, in some orders it is recommended to take a Khalif from the same order as the murshid. In some groups it is customary for the khalifa to be the son of the sheikh, although in other groups the khalīfa, in yet other orders a successor may be identified through the spiritual dreams of its members. Tariqas have silsilas chain, lineage of sheikhs, almost all orders except the Naqshbandi order claim a silsila that leads back to Muhammad through Ali. Many other silsilas contain the names of Shia Imams, every Murid, on entering the tariqa, gets his awrad, or daily recitations, authorized by his murshid. Usually these recitations are extensive and time-consuming, one must also be in a state of ritual purity. The recitations change as a student moves from a mere initiate to other Sufi degrees, the Initiation ceremony is routine and consists of reading chapter 1 of the Quran followed by a single phrase prayer. Criteria have to be met to be promoted in rank, the way is to repeat a single phrase prayer 82,000 times or more as in the case of Burhaniyya. Murids who experience unusual interaction during meditation, hear voices like would you like to see a prophet and this Murid is promoted faster than others
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Akbariyya
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A branch of Sufi metaphysics based on Andalusian Sufi gnostic and philosopher Ibn Arabis teaching. Al Akbariyya is a derived from nickname of Ibn Arabi who was known as Shaykh al-Akbar which meaning is the greatest Shaykh. In this regard it is different from Al Akbariyya, a secret Sufi society founded by a Swedish Sufi Abdu l-Hadi Aguéli, wahdat al-Wajud the Unity of Being is a Sufi philosophy emphasizing that there is no true existence except the Ultimate Truth. Or in other phrasing that the truth within the universe is God. Actually Ibn Arabis disciple and step son Sadr al-Din al-Qunawi was clearly expressed that term in his works, see Sufi metaphysics In the 20th century there has been focused on Akbariyya School in academic circles and universities. Viewed in a context, increased government support for the study of the Muslim world. Many of the students attracted to Islam and religious studies during the 1970s in U. S, the greatest growth in American scholarship on Sufism, then, has arisen from the work done by scholars trained during the 1970s. Alexander Knysh notes that “in the decades after World War Two the majority of Western experts in Sufism were no longer based in Europe, another important names were Miguel Asin Palacios, Louis Massignon made contributions to Ibn Arabi studies. While Palacios discovered some Akbarian elements in Dantes famous work Divine Comedy Louis Massignon studied on famous Sufi Al-Hallaj saying Anal Hak, Seyyed Hossein Nasr and his students and academic disciples, has come to play an important role in certain subfields of Sufi studies. These names are both mostly practitioners of Sufism and scholars studying Sufism, historically viewed Turkey is a country where Ibn Arabis most prominent disciple, successor and stepson Sadr al-Din al-Qunawi and other important commentators of Arabis works lived on. This means that the teaching itself was set in motion by a great master of the Akbarian school. Not only Sufis but Ottoman sultans, politicians and intellectuals had been impressed by Ibn Arabi and his disciples. The last important and famous Sufi impressed by Ibn Arabis doctrine was Seyyed Muhammad Nur al-Arabi, in the 20th century the last important commentator of Fusûs was Ahmed Avni Konuk. He was a mawlawî and composer of Turkish music, Mahmud Erol Kılıc in Marmara University in 1995. Fortunately academic studies on Akbarian metaphysic and philosophy began to rise after the studies of Akbarian Turkish scholars like Ph. D, mustafa Tahralı and Mahmud Erol Kılıc. In terms of Akbarian studies the most import phase is to translation of Ibn Arabis Futuhat-ı Makkiyya to Turkish, ekrem Demirli started to translate it in 2006 and finished in 2012. Another important aspect of this translation is that work is the first complete translation to another language of Arabic book, Demirli had previously translated Sadr al-Din al-Qunawis corpus to Turkish and wrote a PhD Thesis on him in 2004. He also wrote a commentary on Fusus al-Hikam, demirlis another important work is İslam Metafiziğinde Tanrı ve İnsan
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Alians
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The Alians in Turkish Alyanlar, are a Shia order, similar to the Sufi Mevlevi, who live in several regions of Bulgaria. Alians revere Ali ibn Abi Talib, son-in-law and first cousin of the Islamic prophet Muhammad and they follow the mystical rituals of the wandering dervishes. The Alians are similar but not the same as Alevi, because the Alians believed to be descendants of Imam Alis son Abbas ibn Ali and Umm ul-Banin. Other Muslims view Alians as ghulat, because of their views about imam Ali and they are an extremely closed society and zealously hide their rituals. Circumcision is done when the Boy is one old, and with 13 years he got the first time shaved his Pubic Hair in a special ceremony. They married closed in the Tribe and in a young age and it is known that Alians are mysticists and believe in personal communication with God through a near-trance state. They do not use the traditional Islamic rituals, but use candles, Demir Baba teke is a sacred place to Alians and other Islamic sects because Demir Baba, a famous dervish who lived during the 16th century, is buried there in the lands of northeastern Bulgaria. The tekke of Otman Baba, located in the Haskovo-region village of Teketo, is another Alian holy site, Alians refused to visit madrassahs in the Ottoman Empire, because orthodox Sunni Islam was taught there. As a consequence, they educated their children only within the bounds of their society, the latter, along with the reticence of their esoteric culture, and the urbanization, doomed them to gradual assimilation. By the Second World War and the communism in Bulgaria many Alians fled in the European part of Turkey
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