What is Sufism? (Islamic Texts Society)

Rating:
Summary: Do Not be Fooled!
Review: The first problem with this book is the cover. It depict the two names of God and the prophet intertwined together, like two equal entities, creating a sense of unity. This design tells a lot about Sufi thought, which elaborates on man's journey towards his Creator until he reaches the final state of unity, at which point he becomes at the highest state of being. And thus he is looked up to by others in 'subordinate' stages as a person through which God communicates with them. To any devout Muslim, this is pure heresy. One of the main objectives of Islam was to purify faith from the 'other' in man's relationship with his Creator. The second problem with this book is its preset assumption that Sufism is an Islamic concept. For anyone familiar with the everyday life of the prophet and his companions, it is clear that they had no time to sit and meditate over which 'station' of knowledge or literal advancement towards God they were at (in fact, they never viewed themselves as being the best or the most knowledgeable, knowing that whoever thought of himself as such had probably claimed authority over matters known only to God). There were more important things set down from God for them and subsequently, for all muslims. Those were clearly set out and, to find out about them, all you have to do is just read the Quran. The prophet had a mission to humanity and his companions followed in his footsteps. They were to accomplish it exactly as God had ordered them, there was neither the desire, nor the room, to come up with man made ideologies and to distract themselves from God's clearly defined commands. Those people were NOT saints, for Islam does not acknowledge sainthood. If they were all a group of mystics, their minds would have been too clouded with problems of knowledge and existence that no civilization would have been built in the first place. As the case is with most Sufi readings, reference is hardly to the companions of the prophet or to names like Ibn Qayyim, Ibn Taymiya, Malek, Abu Hanifa, or Shafei. It is in the writings of those that a reader will find the fulfilling spiritual aspect of Islam. All that readers find, however, is 'saints,' or mystic scholars whose writings, as known to all Muslim scholars, sharply deviate from the teachings of Orthodox Islam found in the Quran and in the sayings of the prophet (pbuh). Finally, it is important to note that the often praised Sheikh Ghazali, considered by Sufis as the founder of Sufism and, to whom reference is indeed abundant in many Sufi texts, had himself changed much of his ideas near the end of his life and had in fact complied more closely to the teachings of Orthodox Islam.

Rating:
Summary: Excellent introduction to the inner aspects of Islam
Review: This is a very well researched and written introduction to the Islamic science of tassawuf--which is the Arabic word usualy translated as sufism.

As Dr. Lings shows--and he later converted to Islam as Dr. Abu Bakr Siraj ud Deen--Sufism is an integral part of Islam; a part which has always been accepted as the heart of Islam. As a famous Sufi [Islamic saint who has reached the highest spiritual station] once said, "Shariat is the body and tariqat [another name for Sufism] is the soul".

This book looks at the origins of Sufism, its historical development, its branching into various brotherhoods, its importance in Islamic history as well as the various aspects of sufi methodology and worship. Most importantly, this book puts Sufism where it belongs: at the heart of Islam and it shows that Sufism is not, as some have argued, extraneous to the Islamic belief. In other words, though it has some similarities with other mystical aspects of other religions, it is totally a product of Islam and it's orthodox teachings. There is no such thing as a non-Muslim Sufi.

This book is thus a superb introduction to the inner-mystical--aspects of Islamic worship and the best one i've seen so far in English for the beginner. Highly recommended.