Dervishes spinning near Rumi's tomb, Turkey
So long as we do not die to ourselves,
and so long as we identify with someone or something,
we shall never be free.
The spiritual way is not for those wrapped up in exterior life.
- Farid ud Din Attar
It is an interesting paradox that perhaps the most exoteric and legalistic religion on Earth (and the religion with the fewest redeeming features in my opinion), also has some of the most vibrant and widespread esoteric traditions of any religion. I am speaking here of the Sufis. Just about the only places on Earth where you will actually see Muslims and Hindus worshiping God together in the same place, are the tombs of the Sufi saints and poets. It may be to their credit that the Sufis are currently persecuted in many countries in the Muslim world, including even in Turkey where Sufism is still technically illegal, and in Iran where there is a massive government campaign against the Sufis, including the imprisonment or execution of their members and the destruction of their tombs, places of worship and so on.
If you remember the history of Islamic expansion though, it is perhaps not so remarkable that the Sufis arose in Islam. When the Muslims conquered Persia in 651 AD, they invaded an area that was the homeland of Zoroastrianism and of the Manicheans, who were non-Christian gnostics. Much of the previous religious practice of the inhabitants most likely went under cover, adopting an externally Islamic guise. When the Ottomans conquered the Byzantine empire, they conquered an area that was home both to Christian gnostics and mystics and also to Manicheans.
Manichean priests writing at their desks. Note similarity between the caps of the
dervishes in the picture at top with the headgear of these Manichean priests.
Probably coincidental but interesting nonetheless.
and so long as we identify with someone or something,
we shall never be free.
The spiritual way is not for those wrapped up in exterior life.
- Farid ud Din Attar
It is an interesting paradox that perhaps the most exoteric and legalistic religion on Earth (and the religion with the fewest redeeming features in my opinion), also has some of the most vibrant and widespread esoteric traditions of any religion. I am speaking here of the Sufis. Just about the only places on Earth where you will actually see Muslims and Hindus worshiping God together in the same place, are the tombs of the Sufi saints and poets. It may be to their credit that the Sufis are currently persecuted in many countries in the Muslim world, including even in Turkey where Sufism is still technically illegal, and in Iran where there is a massive government campaign against the Sufis, including the imprisonment or execution of their members and the destruction of their tombs, places of worship and so on.
If you remember the history of Islamic expansion though, it is perhaps not so remarkable that the Sufis arose in Islam. When the Muslims conquered Persia in 651 AD, they invaded an area that was the homeland of Zoroastrianism and of the Manicheans, who were non-Christian gnostics. Much of the previous religious practice of the inhabitants most likely went under cover, adopting an externally Islamic guise. When the Ottomans conquered the Byzantine empire, they conquered an area that was home both to Christian gnostics and mystics and also to Manicheans.
Manichean priests writing at their desks. Note similarity between the caps of the
dervishes in the picture at top with the headgear of these Manichean priests.
Probably coincidental but interesting nonetheless.
The status of Sufism both within and without Islam is subject to debate, with some Muslims saying that the Sufis are not Muslim, and some Westerners saying that they are part of a mystical strain that predates Islam. Most Sufis though place themselves firmly within the Islamic tradition, though in contrast to mainline Islam they are noted for their humanity and tolerance.
The most visible aspect of Sufism, and the aspect that most Sufis would probably say is the least important, is their tendency to spin. ;) This practice derives from the tale that Rumi, the great Sufi poet, started spinning spontaneously upon achieving enlightenment.
Sufis like all mystics properly understood, are non-literal. Which is to say, that they believe that what they have to teach is not susceptible to direct literal exposition, unlike, say, car mechanics or computer repair which in order to exist at all, must be explicable in language. Every mystical tradition has a different way of dealing with this. For example in the case of the Buddhist scripture The Diamond Sutra, the Buddha will go ahead and say something intended to be taken semi-literally, or "taken seriously", but preface it with an exposition of how unreal it is to say that words refer to real things. ;) Others use language while emphasizing that the language is not where "it is at." The 2500+ year old Daodejing (Tao Te Ching) uses a sort of prose poetry. For the Sufis, poetry is their main medium of expression. The most revered places of Sufi worship are the tombs of their poets.
Now that I have gotten the introduction out of the way, next up is the actual Sufi poetry itself.
The most visible aspect of Sufism, and the aspect that most Sufis would probably say is the least important, is their tendency to spin. ;) This practice derives from the tale that Rumi, the great Sufi poet, started spinning spontaneously upon achieving enlightenment.
Sufis like all mystics properly understood, are non-literal. Which is to say, that they believe that what they have to teach is not susceptible to direct literal exposition, unlike, say, car mechanics or computer repair which in order to exist at all, must be explicable in language. Every mystical tradition has a different way of dealing with this. For example in the case of the Buddhist scripture The Diamond Sutra, the Buddha will go ahead and say something intended to be taken semi-literally, or "taken seriously", but preface it with an exposition of how unreal it is to say that words refer to real things. ;) Others use language while emphasizing that the language is not where "it is at." The 2500+ year old Daodejing (Tao Te Ching) uses a sort of prose poetry. For the Sufis, poetry is their main medium of expression. The most revered places of Sufi worship are the tombs of their poets.
Now that I have gotten the introduction out of the way, next up is the actual Sufi poetry itself.
