- History of Sufism
Sufism is generally believed to have originated among Muslims near Basra in modern Iraq, though there is a history of Sufism in Transoxania dating from shortly after the time of Muhammad. Some scholars believe that early
Sufism was essentially the evolution ofIslam in a mystic direction, although some of these beliefs lack historic evidence.Annemarie Schimmel proposes that Sufism in its early stages of development meant nothing but the interiorization of Islam.Louis Massignon states: "It is from the Qur’an, constantly recited, meditated, and experienced, that Sufism proceeded, in its origin and its development."One theory is that Sufism started as pre-Islamic mystical traditions adapted to the new religion. This suggests that in its early days Sufism wasn't a single united sect of Islam but a blanket term to describe many varied systems.
The following sections discuss the history of Sufism with respect to geography:
ufism in Arabian peninsula
ufism in Egypt
ufism in Persia
ufism in Turkey
Sufism was brought to
Anatolia during theSeljuk dynasty , when Turkic tribes would make raids against theByzantine Empire . Before long, the Byzantines had been pushed almost entirely out of Anatolia, and various Turkic tribal leaders and warlords held ground all through Anatolia. Before the formation of theOttoman Empire a few centuries into the future, Sufidervishes would go from village to village, teaching peasants to read and write through conversion toIslam .ufism in Central Asia
Sufism is know in
Transoxania and Khorasan since its very beginnings. Some of the greatest and most renowned Sufis were from this region, includingal-Farabi (9th century CE),al-Ghazali (12th century CE), Jalāl-ad-Dīn Rūmī (13th century CE), and Nūr ud-Dīn Jāmī (15th century CE).Rūmī's two major works, Dīwān-e Šams and Maṭnawīye Ma'nawī, are considered by some to be the greatest works of Sufi mysticism and literature.
ufism in South Asia
Muslims of South Asia prominently follow the
Chishti yya,Naqshbandiyyah ,Qadiriyyah andSuhrawardiyyah orders. Of them the Chishti order is the most visible. KhwajaMoinuddin Chishti , a disciple of KhwajaAbu Abdal Chishti , the propounder of this order, introduced it in India. He came to India fromAfghanistan with the army of Shihab-ud-Din Ghuri in1192 AD and started living permanently inAjmer from1195 . Centuries later, with the support of Mughal rulers, his shrine became a place of pilgrimage.Akbar used to visit the shrine every year. TheQadiriyyah order founded byAbdul Qadir Gilani whose tomb is at Baghdad. It is popular among the Muslims ofSouth India .Baha-ud-Din Naqshband (
1318 -1389 ) ofTurkestan foundedNaqshbandi order of Sufism.Khwaja Mohhammad Baqi Billah Berang whose tomb is in Delhi (E.I.Rose ) introduced Naqshbandi order in India. The essence of this order was insistence on rigid adherence to Shariat and nurturing love for prophet. It was patronized by the Mughal rulers, as its founder was their ancestral 'Pir' (Spiritual guide). "The conquest of India byBabur in1526 gave considerable impetus to the Naqshbandiyya order" ref|Rizvi. Its disciples remained loyal to the throne because of the common Turkic origin. With the royal patronage of most of the Mughal rulers, the Naqshbandi order caused the revival of Islam in its pure form.ufism in North Africa
The following Sufi orders were prevalent in Africa- Qadriyyah, Sanusiyyah, Tijaniyyah ete
ufism in West Africa
ufism in Muslim Spain
ufism in East Asia
ufism in the west
ufism in 21st century
Notes
# Titus, Murray T., "Indian Islam", 1979, Page 117.
# Markovitz, Claude (ed), "A History of Modern India", Anthen Press, 2002, Page 30.
# "Contemporary Relevance of Sufism", 1993, published by Indian Council for Cultural Relations.
# Rizvi, Saiyied Athar Abbas, "History of Sufism in India", Volume 2, 1992, Page 180
Wikimedia Foundation. 2010.