What Is The Term For Mysticism In Islam?

Mysticism in the Islamic context is traditionally linked to the concept of Ḥikmah, which is both wisdom and philosophy. The origin of mysticism and its elements in Islam can be traced back to the Qur’an and various schools of Islamic mystical philosophy and theology. Sufism, or Tasawwuf, is a significant branch of Islamic mysticism, known for its focus on Islamic purification, spirituality, ritualism, and the fusion of Qur’anic ascetic tendencies with Christian and other mystical traditions.

Sufism has several stages of growth, including the appearance of early asceticism and the development of Sufi doctrines. The account of Ibn al-ʿArabī’s teachings (12th-13th centuries) belongs to the history of Islamic mysticism. However, his doctrines are not properly included in the history of Islamic mysticism.

Sufi philosophy includes schools of thought unique to Sufism, the mystical tradition within Islam, also termed as Tasawwuf or Faqr according to its origins. Sufism is the esoteric aspect of Islam, aiming to gain direct knowledge of the eternal in this life, rather than the exoteric or exoteric aspects of Islam. It has become paradigmatic to postulate a transition from an early phase of asceticism (zuhd) to the full fledged mysticism of the Sufi way.

In summary, Sufism is a mystic body of religious practice found within Islam, characterized by a focus on Islamic purification, spirituality, ritualism, and the pursuit of nearness to Allah through belief and practice.


📹 “What is Islamic Mysticism?” a talk given by Professor Muqtedar Khan at the University of Delaware

“What is Islamic Mysticism?” a talk given by Professor Muqtedar Khan at the University of Delaware at the Socratic Club. Professor …


Which religion is mysticism?

Mysticism represents a belief system that is found in a number of Abrahamic religions, including Christianity, Islam, Judaism, Hinduism, and Buddhism. It is not tied to a single religion.

What do Sufis call God?

In Sufism, the personal name “Hu” or “Huwa” is used to avoid attribution of a gender to God (allah). In Arabic, “Hu” means “God, Just He” and in English, “God himself”. In a variant of the Islamic credo, “There is no God but He” is shortened to “There is no God but He”. Hu is grammatically gendered but does not necessarily refer to the sex or gender of its referent. Some scholars argue that there is no meaning or symbolism assigned to biological sex in the Quran. In Arabic, “Allah” means God, while “Hu” means “God, Just He”. Hu is also found in a variant of the first part of the Islamic credo.

Is Sufism and Islam same?

Sufism represents the esoteric aspect of Islam, with the objective of attaining direct comprehension of the eternal within the context of this life. This is in contrast to the traditionalist aspect of Islam, which is concerned with achieving blessedness after death through the performance of divinely prescribed actions.

What is esoteric Islam?
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What is esoteric Islam?

Esoteric interpretation of the Quran is the allegorical quest for its hidden, inner meanings. The Arabic word taʾwīl was initially synonymous with conventional interpretation but later became synonymous with discerning its most fundamental understandings. Esoteric interpretations do not usually contradict conventional interpretations but discuss the inner levels of meaning of the Quran. The terms taʾwīl and tafsīr both mean “explanation, elucidation, interpretation, and commentary”, but from the end of the 8th century CE, taʾwīl was commonly regarded as the esoteric or mystical interpretation of the Quran, while the conventional exegesis was referred to using the term tafsīr.

Esoteric interpretations are found in the Shīʿa, Sufi, and Sunnī branches of Islam and their respective interpretations of the Quran. A ḥadīth report that states the Quran has an inner meaning, concealing a deeper inner meaning, and so on has sometimes been used to support this view. Traditional scholars agree that some passages of the Quran leave certain ideas implied rather than stated, and that some verses are literal in meaning, while others, called “mutashabihat”, are metaphorical in meaning.

What is a calafate?
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What is a calafate?

Calafate, also known as Michay, is a shrub native to Patagonia, Chile. It produces a small round fruit that turns purple when ripe and has a sweet and sour pulp with tiny seeds. The fruit grows on a shrub called Berberis microphylla, which can reach a height of 2. 5 meters. The roots and bark are used for medicinal purposes, with the roots having abortive properties.

Calafate is common in southern Chile, where it is a collective family activity to pick the fruits, which are used to prepare sweets, juices, fermented beverages, and liquors. However, the habitat of the shrub is being reduced due to urban expansion and deforestation.

The origin of Calafate is explained in the Selk´nam mythology, which tells of a son who fell in love with a beautiful girl with piercing black eyes. The girl was the daughter of his father’s enemy, and they were separated by the shaman of the girl’s tribe. The shaman turned the girl into a plant, which conserved her beauty but had spines to prevent her lover from touching her. The strong love between the two led to the young man’s death by her side.

Is there any mysticism in Islam?

Sufism, a branch of the Islamic religion, places an emphasis on mysticism, which is a tendency observed in various world religions where practitioners seek spiritual proximity to the divine and temporarily transcend the everyday world.

What is the word for Islamic mystic?

The Muslim mystic crossword clue comprises the letters SUFI4 and FAKIR5. The latter is comprised of four letters, while the former is comprised of five.

What is Islamic mysticism called?

Sufism, a form of Islamic mysticism or asceticism, aims to help Muslims attain nearness to Allah through direct personal experience of God. The term Sufi is believed to originate from the Arabic word suf, which refers to the wool worn by mystics and ascetics. Sufi thought emphasizes the pursuit of a path leading to closeness with God, ultimately resulting in encountering the divine in the hereafter. Sufi orders and Sufi-inspired organizations are found worldwide, including Marrakech, Manila, London, and Lagos.

What is the mystical path of Islam called?

Sufism, also known as Islamic mysticism, is a religious practice within Islam that focuses on purification, spirituality, ritualism, and asceticism. The term Sufi has various meanings in Islamic literature, and its practice is characterized by both proponents and opponents. Sufism is a body of mystical practice that has been defined by Western authors and has been used in Islamic literature with a wide range of meanings.

What is another name for Sufism?

The following religious systems are among those that have been identified: Tasawwuf, Ismailism, Confucianism, Mahayana-Buddhism, Shi’ism, Sufi, Buddhism, Taoism, Sufism, al-Ghazali, Mysticism, Mahayana, and Fiqh.

What are the two types of mysticism?
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What are the two types of mysticism?

Walter Terence Stace, in his book Mysticism and Philosophy, differentiated between two types of mystical experiences: extrovertive and introvertive mysticism. Extrovertive mysticism is an experience of the unity of the external world, while introvertive mysticism is an experience of unity devoid of perceptual objects. In extrovertive mysticism, the unity is with the totality of objects of perception, while in introvertive mysticism, it is with a pure consciousness, where awareness of the world and multiplicity is completely obliterated.

Stace argued that doctrinal differences between religious traditions are inappropriate criteria for cross-cultural comparisons of mystical experiences. He argued that mysticism is part of the process of perception, not interpretation, and that the unity of mystical experiences is perceived and only interpreted according to the perceiver’s background.

Since the 19th century, “mystical experience” has evolved as a distinctive concept, focusing solely on the experiential aspect, whether spontaneous or induced by human behavior. Mysticism encompasses a broad range of practices aiming at a transformation of the person, not just inducing mystical experiences.


📹 What is Sufi Music? (The Sound of Islamic Mysticism)

In this episode, we finally dive into one of my favorite topics – Sufi Music. We discuss its history, practical uses as well as …


What Is The Term For Mysticism In Islam?
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Pramod Shastri

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  • Thank you Professor Khan for such an inspiring talk. This issue is quite timeley as the muslim faith is so mis understood by a majority of americans. We need more talks, discussions like this so people understand we are all human beings, who may worship differently but human beings of all faiths must learn to respect each other.

  • In particular I enjoyed the comments about trying to understand God through God’s words and/or works . . . what I consider to be the scientist as theologian really rings true with me. Just as there need not be a gap between Sufism and orthodox Islam, there also need not be a gap of understanding between scientists (as unorthodox theologians) and orthodox theologians. Hmm . . . al-Ghazzali. Hmm . . . Islamic Mysticism, an interesting concept that needn’t be so marginalized.

  • fun fact — سمع (sama’a) comes from the same root as שמע (shem’a), sīn mem ayin, both fundamentally meaning “hear” or “listen.” it’s wonderful to learn that this word سمع has such an important place in islam when שמע is one of the most important words in judaism, and listening to the shema is one of our holiest practices. the parallels between judaism and islam are so cool. love your work as usual!

  • When you quoted Ibn Arabi’s position regarding Sama’a and its potential for abuse by villainous types for their own financial and political gain, I was immediately reminded of my experience with the Christian music scene in my youth here in the US around the early 2000s. They could create some pretty interesting altered states for large crowds of kids, but the ultimate result in many cases seemed to be that they now had an army of kids who would do what they said as long as they referenced it back to those altered states. Whatever the nature of music’s power, I’m forced to concede that it can be used for evil in my experience.

  • I an an avid follower. This website is like none other and has earned a special place that cannot be measured by Views or Likes. It is becoming an ocean that has the rare quality of depth as much as the sparkly shallows. I’m patiently waiting for the the next level of discussion: What is the purpose of religion? Kudos

  • Sufi music is still very popular in my country Tunisia, its no longer a practice but an important part of our heritage, every Tunisian however how religious or pious or on the contrary even atheist, cant help but give UP and enter in that ecstatic mood listening to Tunisian sufi music. It even Plays a colossal part in mariage ceremonies, i really Want to introduce you all to Tunisian sufi music, blessings 🇹🇳

  • For six months post concussion, I could percieve the nature, quality, resonance, frequency, depth and tone of Everything I could see. All color took on sound, a kind of transparent life force resonance which I could both see and hear simultaneously. (*Synesthesia) Even now I can sometimes hear the landscape like a multitude of symphonies playing in perfect harmony at a million times our average musical speed. Notes upon notes layered three dimensionally into colorful songs and each song: a flower or person, a blade of grass or tree. And all serenading one another, influencing one another, being one HUGE symphony and becoming time itself. (*String Theory)

  • Excellent article!! I just wanted to add an example of modern day sufi music: the incredibly popular song about AbdulKader Al Jilani entitled “AbdulKader” by Cheb Khaled, Faudel, and Rachid Taha. A lot of people, mostly in non-maghribi countries, listen to it and sing along without knowing the Sufi nature of the lyrics.

  • The concepts explained in part 2, are not dissimilar from how great composers from very different traditions, from Bach to Coltrane, would visualise the role of music and musicians. As a musician who is also a Muslim, i am so appalled by the narrow minded and illogical, when not plainy stupid, arguments against music so prevalent in some Islamic quarters these days. Thanks for one more great article!

  • This is a wonderful subject, and very well articulated. I would listen to 20 more of these talks. Immense subject spanning into prehistory. Sufism is a good example of how to preserve culture and memory in the face of Fundamentalism. Here in the US we have Fundamentalism to thank for a wealth of knowledge on this subject. Ironic broadcast of wisdom.

  • Downright AMAZING! one of your best pieces to date. I almost thought you were going to discuss this entire thing and leave off Sub- Africa. Boy, did you do it justice when you started talking about the Kora and Baba Mal. The strongest traditional African music traditions dating back to 11th century come out of the sufi music tradition. Most people continue to divorce Islam and Africa which is akin to talking about Western classic music and leaving of Bach and Mozart.

  • I encountered a small group and have been practising a few Sama sessions in the South of France recently, and your article gives some deep and interesting information and context on this spiritual practice. The music played during these sessions of Sama is deep and incredible. Thank for providing us all this information. Your website is a pure gem.

  • I’m not a student of religion, but have found that music creates a feeling of connection and peace in myself. Have found music from that part of our world that has in its creation the intention of allowing me feel allowed and open to spiritual expression of love, thru language I don’t understand. This is real beauty, only possible thru music.

  • Hey brother, I think I posted this a little while ago but still would love to see a article on the Mouride Sufi order of Senegal (and in particular the subject known as the Baye Fall who are allowed to violate Islamic taboos on drinking and smoking) — I’ve seen your article on the Tijaniyyah, and that was wonderful but as someone who’s spent a little time in Senegal a couple years ago I think the world deserves to know more about this very fascinating Islamic sect and I feel you will undoubtedly do it justice. Just a thought, always love your articles!

  • I went to bed with dikhr being sang every night during ramadan and every Friday to this day. It’s a lulluby in my neighberhood in senegal. When I asked if I could join the Tidiane sufi order in senegal, they said I need to be given the Word and a prayer bead from another to join. I know people who would allow me to join but it seems formal but I just want to join because ecstatic, a selfish reason. Thanks for such an informative article!

  • I am halfway through the article and what a journey it has been! Thank you a thousand times over for all of your academic and media work. I cannot help but wonder if you have plans to make articles exploring the “fringe Sufi” mystical groups such as Alevi, Yazidi and Yarsani. All 3, in my belief, put a lot of emphasis on the practices such as samaa and musical performance.

  • Excellent article. Filip I have a few possible requests as they are fresh in my mind for topics to cover. Since the ongoing unrest in the world sadly, would it be possible to cover eschatology of non-Abrahamic religions? I am intrigued on their take of the end-times. Maybe Buddhism, Hinduism eschatology would be interesting. I just want to see if there is any correlation with the Abrahamic faiths. Also, maybe your music that you make could be inspired by Sufi Music? Artists such as Al Firdaus Ensemble. 🙂 Love your work, thanks!

  • Very interesting article I’m Mouhamed from Senegal’ I like the subject you talking about’ just adding a few thing that to listen music you have to reach such a high spritual level because the sound reminds you the حضرة الالهية songs for example as you know all planets had its songs I think nasa discovered that That’s why when the Sufi who reach on that level they even cry when they listen because it’s not giving them physically pleasure but spritual’ and basically tassafouf is علم الذوق knowledge of test That’s why we do suluk to get فتح meaning spritual opening ‘ I would like to get in touch with you if you don’t mind please thanks again for your work 🙏🏿

  • You hit what we Americans would call a “home run” with this article. As a western musician and mystic who has travelled in the east and experienced different forms of meditation, this article helps describe some of what that is all about. The Qushayri quote at 12:11 pretty much nails it. That quote brings together meditation, ecstasy, music and silence into a single experience.

  • When I was young, I didn’t understand music or dancing. I would sing along because that’s what people did, and I saw how people responded to singing. I didn’t understand dancing, I saw it as strange. It wasn’t until I studied music and dancing from the endless facets of it’s intrinsic nature that I not understood it but it helped me understand my own mind and existence itself. To know the power of music and how different melodies and lyrics affect us, and our own power over ourselves and the music around us, it to know the power of all things. To choose the death of music over understanding and harnessing it for good is to kill humanity and our connection to all things. Animals and Angels alike make and appreciate music, why are humans any different?

  • The read flute and other instruments mentioned by Rumi and other Masters does not refer to the outer, physical flute. it is referring to the inner heavenly sound. it is an ethereal, cosmic music that the physical ears cannot perceive . this subtle sound is perceived by the meditator when turning their concentration inward, to the inner real spiritual world with it’s various levels of consciousness and inner heavenly lights and sounds which are associated with various regions of the inner spiritual kingdom. Bu only the one who is initiated by a true living master can access this freely and reach complete absorption in it. it is heard by a specific method of meditation imparted by a true saint .

  • Neurologically beauty seems to be related with percieving something that activates and connects a particularly diverse set of brain areas. Someone told me that the pattern of activation has been likened to a crown going in an almost full circle around the head. If its connected to hearing it probably starts in the temporal lobe. I also thought about how I heard that cannabis have had various degrees of acceptance throughout history in for example Iran. Some of the descriptions of being suddenly transfixed by the meaningfulness and beauty of a sound does very well occur without any outside Influence especially in practicioners of spiritual traditions like meditation but its a common enough effect of a cannabis mental state.

  • Around 47:30, the article talks about Rumi’s vision of the beginning of universe as the dance of being to the divine musical utterance of God “am I not your lord” does anyone know from which poem this is? I find it very beautiful and looked everywhere, there are many poems that seem to carry similar meanings, but never express really the idea in this article. I’m so desparate even asked chat gdp… If anyone can point me in a direction I would be grateful!

  • While the episode is meant as an immanent introduction into Islamic civilization – avoiding non-Islamic references – it will be comparison that provides actual context for the phenomena of Sufi ‘aestheticism’ – a comparison, reaching back to the mystery cults and oracles of Hellenistic, Babylonian and Kemetic antiquity to preceding Hebrew and Christian practices of prophecy, ascetism and religious experience (unio mystica) which all influence Sufi tradition and which explains Sunni positivist suspicion of subversion after the Islamic conquest of non-Arab territories. In fact, It becomes hard to distinguish Islam from Christianity from a mystical perspective as dogma yields to experiences of immanence – which does explain the tolerant stance among mystics in contrast to a dogmatic positivist theology, concerned with jurisdiction and taxation. The question of the legitimacy of music in religious practice is – like all iconoclastic ‘Puritanism’ – a question between a mysticism of thought and ecstasy – the more ancient and primal form of communion, impossible to communicate and thereby hard to rationalize or to regulate. The Dance Manias of medieval Europe – especially Magna Graecia, but surprisingly also German princepalities – would be another example that is structurally homologue to the anecdotes that Sufi orders tradition. Dances like the Tarantella curiously relate to saints like Saint Paul. (Taranta Project by Ludovico Einaudi with historic recordings) youtu.be/jtswRJcVI1E (Pizzica Santu Paulu – which illustrates the offense that was taken from popular folk practices and why mere aristocratic iconoclasm can’t stand against a living God) youtu.

  • Fascinating… even more fascinating is my friends reaction to this article….. I watched this with two close friends both Muslim… the standard westernised Muslim…. So not strict but they hold Ramadan etc… the both called this idea as haram… I always assumed haram was like banned dietary and behavioural acts like eating pork… they both agreed and called these people non Muslims…!! That modern imams would call this heresy so to speak

  • I am a devotee of Sufi music. Let me share my take from these songs: – I feel like sufis ‘love’ the God, and the fundamentalists ‘fear’ the God. This is the basic difference of Sufi and nonsufi Muslims. – Sufis question different act of God in their songs, like- Hey God why am I suffering? Why you give pain to your creation? No offense, we ask people who are close to us such questions. To them God is someone close to their heart! So this relation validates such questioning! – Some sufi songs has agnostic tone, sounds like they are looking for answers to the gaps of the myths or scriptures. It’s sounds like they are not understanding some explanations! – Many of South East Asian Sama’s are intended towards the masters. Like Amir Khoosro wrote his Samah for Nijam Uddin Awlia, as if Nijam Uddin was his lover! Will edit this comment if something else come to my mind!

  • Is you want some Good Sufi Musics, Listen to Shahram Nazeri Musics which most of his songs made based on the poems of Rumi and he sing in the original language of the Masnavi, i.e. Persian. Specially Atash Dar Neyestan-A Fire in the Reed-Bed (آتشی در نیستان) which is based on a poem by Majzoob Tabrizi.

  • Hi, I am your fan and watch every article of yours, I came to know about sufism more from you than the maulana who use to teach me the quran, Thank you so much. I have a request or a article idea you can say, can you make a article on judgement day as in the difference in opinion of sufis and those of orthodox muslims. Sufis aim for union with God and many achieve it as well, and on judgement day we are told that God will judge us based on our deeds, now this is really confusing. How can someone who has achieved union with God be judged by him? I read Ibn al arabi and he has to say that separation from God is hell, if that is the case then what is judgement day? Because the heaven and hell Ibn arabi talked about can be achieved here only then what’s the use of judgement day. If for whatever reason you’ll be unable to make a article on this can you please suggest some books on the opinion of sufis on judgement day. Thank you so much!

  • Perfect spiritual Masters initiate the disciples into the mystery of listening to the INNER SOUND, also called celestial music. By listening to this music the disciple can elevate into higher spiritual realms. When the teaching of the Perfect Master is lost or misinterpreted then people turned to the outside world and searched for music from instruments, they would gather together, they would practice all sorts of outer rites and rituals. There is no musical instrument in this world that can be compared to the inner sound which comes directly from God. This is what the mystics practiced all over the world, this is the mystical science that one can only get from a Perfect Master. All other outer music is just entertainment for the senses. Please take a look at Kabir’s teaching and the Masters from his direct line. You will find a lot about this. You could make a article about Kabir. His teaching today is called San Mat. Thanks!

  • I always thought of the more dramatic sufis as the Pentecostals of the Muslim world. Lol. But instead of speaking tongues, it’s dancing and fainting. This analogy becomes crystal clear when it comes to the Sufi dervishes of Kurdistan, where their acts of zakaa’ are basically stabbing them selves in the face, electrocuting themselves, and eating glass, etc.

  • While I agree with the Sufis that support music, I find their argumentation counter productive. From an outside observation, one might find whirling, or ‘dancing’, or other ecstatic behavior, to be quite directly the seduction of some passions, giving in to the temptations of music. That the beauty is overcoming the listener. I can see why some muslims would find these Sufis to be heretical.

  • Putting aside the weight of a distant past and of religious devotion, can you imagine someone shouting and rolling on the ground in a supermarket because someone passed by with a bluetooth speaker playing some song? That sounds embarrasing and annoyingly attention-seeking, if not outright hysteric. So many religious anecdotes like these seem less grand and impressive to me when we transport them to the less romanticized present.

  • When you say that Prophet Mohammed only shared this secret with Ali r.a. it’s wrong on so many levels, it implies that the Prophet hid somethings from us, now you can interrupt it in 2 ways – Prophet didn’t share the truth with us, so he is not a true prophet or that this truth is actually harmful for the masses to share with. So we shouldn’t go deep into this in the first place and we should stay away from music.

  • Imam Abu Hamid al-Ghazali’s conditions for the permissibility of Sama’ (I.e It must be devoid of all things considered impermissible by the Islamic Shari’ah): To hear music from a woman whose look excites sexual passion is impermissible. Beardless boys may also be included in this category if sexual passion is aroused at their sight. This impermissibility is not for songs but for women and beardless boys. Musical instruments used by drunkards are impermissible as they remind of impermissible things and have the potential to incite the action of wine-drinking. Obscene talk in music is impermissible. If there is any obscene talk in poetry or accusations against God, The Prophet ﷺ and his companions, then it is impermissible. If there is a description of the beauty/gait of a particular woman and not just some passing reference to women in general, then it is impermissible. If any evil or immoral desire arises in the mind by hearing songs, it will be impermissible. Making a habit out of listening to music is impermissible. Excess of anything is bad. Just like the consumption of too much food is bad for health. Sama’ is not appropriate for the layman. The fig is not eaten by every bird. -Mawlana Jalal al-Din al-Rumi

  • Allah punished this guy severely when he died, his tongue was wrapped all around his body in his grave coz he liked to get drunk and sing both are haram so this isnt apoed to islam pls dont be ignorant music is haraam!! These ppl werent muslims. Er no i dont think so dhikr is chanting allah hoo it cleans your heart we dont chant anything else ur sounding ignorant

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