The Mystiques of Sufism

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If you ask his name, like Bayazid, he answers, "I lost him years ago. The more I seek him, the less I find."

If you ask of his religion, like Rumi, he answers

'The way of a lover is not among the religions.
The church and state of lovers is God.'

If you ask who he is, like Bayazid, he answers, "There is nothing under my cloak but God."

If he speaks, like Hallaj, you may hear him sing, "I am the Truth."

Sufism- the belief in which the believer looses the 'self' and seeks the 'divine'. The practice of Sufism is the 'Tariqat' which means to go towards Truth by means of love and devotion.

The musical and ecstatic aspect of Sufism is called 'sama'. The practice involves engaging oneself through special rhythmic music and to achieve a state where the Sufi is a drunk lover, unaware of everything else but God. The 'sama' is practiced only when a teacher or a spiritual guide is convinced that it is appropriate for their students or not, as it is like a medicine;sometimes prohibited and sometimes prescribed.

Unlike the common misunderstanding, to attain sainthood in the sufi belief, one need not undergo seclusion. A true believer, a sufi, must live in, serve and guide society, and be a vehicle by which society receives 'Grace. It is for this reason that conforming to and being in harmony with society, being at peace with all, is a quality of a perfected being.

'I thought of You so often
that I completely became You.
Little by little You drew near,
and slowly but slowly I passed away.'

According to Sufism, there are four stages of purification required to acquire the course of the 'selfless' remembrance of the divine.

1. Self becoming emptied
2. Self becoming illuminated
3. Self becoming adorned
4. Self having passed away (fana)

The first stage, becoming 'emptied', which refers to letting go of negativity from within and the desires which originate from the self. The second stage of becoming 'illuminated' that involves polishing the heart and soul. In the third stage, one's inner being is finaly 'adorned' by Divine Attributes. Ultimately, the being of the disciple becomes completely filled by the Attributes of the Truth, to the extent that there is no sign of his own limited existence. This fourth stage is the most crucial that is attaining the state of 'self-having passed-away' (fanaa).

In common with all of the authentic Sufi orders, the Nimatullahi Order stems from an initiatic chain, going back to the beginning of Islam, with the Prophet (P.B.U.H) being considered the first Sufi master. The word Nimatullahi is derived from the name of Shah Nimatullah Wali, who founded the order at the end of the 14th century A.D and was one of the greatest Sufi masters of Iran.

Sufis believe in the adherence to the Sharia (Islamic law) manifests in the limbs and Dhikr (remembrance of God ) in the heart with the result that the outward is sober, the inner is drunk on divine love. Thus making a Sufi a regular worshiper, only a lot more observant.