Qadiriyya Order The Qadiriyya (القادريه, قادریه, also transliterated Qadri, Qadriya, Kadri, Elkadri, Elkadry, Aladray, Alkadrie, Adray, Kadray, Qadiri, “Quadri” or Qadri) are members of the Qadiri tariqa (Sufi order). The tariqa got its name from Abdul Qadir Gilani (1077–1166, Jilani), who was from Gilan. The order relies strongly upon adherence to the fundamentals of Islam. The order, with its many...
Senussi Order The Senussi order (Senussi, Senusiyya, Sanussi, السنوسية), are a Muslim political-religious tariqa (Sufi order) and clan in colonial Libya and the Sudan region founded in Mecca in 1837 by the Grand Senussi (السنوسي الكبير), the Algerian Muhammad ibn Ali as-Senussi. Senussi was concerned with what it saw as both the decline of Islamic thought and spirituality...
Tijaniyyah Order The Tijaniyyah (الطريقة التجانية, Al-Ṭarīqah al-Tijāniyyah, ‘The Tijānī Path’) is a sufi tariqa (order, path) within Sunni Islam, originating in North Africa but now more widespread in West Africa, particularly in Senegal, The Gambia, Mauritania, Mali, Guinea, Niger, Chad, Ghana, Northern and South-western Nigeria and some part of Sudan....
Shadhili Order The Shadhili Tariqa (الطريقة الشاذلية) is a Sufi order of Sunni Islam founded by Abul Hasan Ali ash-Shadhili of Morocco. Followers (murids, “seekers”) of the Shadhiliya are known as Shadhilis. It has historically been of importance and influence in North Africa and Egypt with many contributions to Islamic literature. Among the figures most known for their literary and...
Suhrawardiyya Order The Suhrawardiyya (سهروردية) is a Sufi order founded by the Sufi Diya al-din Abu ‘n-Najib as-Suhrawardi (1097 – 1168 CE). It is a strictly Sunni order, guided by the Shafi`i school of Islamic law (madhhab), and, like many such orders, traces its spiritual genealogy (silsila) to Ali ibn Abi Talib through Junayd...
Kubrawiya The Kubrawiya order (سلسلة کبرویة) or Kubrawi order, also known as Firdausia Silsila, is a Sufi order that traces its spiritual lineage (Silsilah) to prophet Muhammad through Ali, Muhammad’s cousin, son-in-law and the First Imam. This is in contrast to most other Sufi orders that trace their lineage to Ali. The Kubrawiya order is named after...
Bektashi Order Bektashi Order or Shī‘ah Imāmī Alevī-Bektāshī Ṭarīqah (Tarikati Bektashi; Bektaşi Tarîkatı) is a Sufi dervish order (tariqat) named after the 13th century Alevi Wali (saint) Haji Bektash Veli from Khorasan, but founded by Balım Sultan. The order, whose headquarters is in Tirana, Albania, is mainly found throughout Anatolia and the Balkans, and was...
Chishti Order The Chishtī Order (چشتی chishtī) is a Sunni Sufi order within the mystic Sufi tradition of Islam. It began in Chisht, a small town near Herat, Afghanistan about 930 CE. The Chishti Order is known for its emphasis on love, tolerance, and openness. The Chishti Order is primarily followed...
What Is Sufi Philosophy? Sufi philosophy includes the schools of thought unique to Sufism, a mystical branch within Islam, also termed as Tasawwuf or Faqr according to its adherents. Sufism and its philosophical traditions may be associated with both Sunni Islam and Shia Islam. It has been suggested that Sufi thought...
Sufi Cosmology Sufi cosmology (الكوزمولوجية الصوفية) is a Sufi approach to cosmology which discusses the creation of man and the universe, which according to mystics are the fundamental grounds upon which Islamic religious universe is based. According to Sufi cosmology, God’s reason for the creation of this cosmos and humankind...
Sufi Metaphysics Major ideas in Sufi metaphysics have surrounded the concept of weḥdah (وحدة) meaning “unity”, or in Arabic توحيد Tawhid (Unity). Two main Sufi philosophies prevail on this topic. waḥdat al-wujūd literally means the “Unity of Existence” or “Unity of Being.” The phrase has been translated “pantheism.” Wujud (i.e. existence or...
The Alchemy of Happiness by Mohammad Al Ghazzali This book is the translated version of Kimiya-yi Sa’ādat (کیمیای سعادت, The Alchemy of Happiness), written by Mohammed Al Ghazzali INTRODUCTION The remarkable treatise, which I introduce to your notice, is a translation from one of the numerous works of the Arabian Philosopher, Abou Hamid...
The Alchemy Of Happiness Kimiya-yi Sa’ādat (کیمیای سعادت, The Alchemy of Happiness) was a book written by Abū Ḥāmid Muḥammad ibn Muḥammad al-Ghazālī, a Persian theologian, philosopher, and prolific Sunni Muslim author regarded as one of the greatest systematic thinkers of Islam. The Kimiya-yi Sa’ādat was written towards the end of his...
Sama In Sufism Sama in Sufism is a ceremony performed as dhikr. Sama means “listening”, while dhikr means “remembrance”. These rituals often include singing, playing instruments, dancing, recitation of poetry and prayers, wearing symbolic attire, and other rituals. It is a particularly popular form of worship in Sufism. In 2008, UNESCO confirmed...
What Is Taqwa? Taqwa is an Islamic term for being conscious and cognizant of God, of truth, of the rational reality, “piety, fear of God”. It is often found in the Quran. Al-Muttaqin refers to those who practice taqwa, or in the words of Ibn Abbas — “believers who avoid Shirk with Allah and...
What Is Karamat? In Sunni Islam, karamat (کرامات karāmāt, pl. of کرامة karāmah, lit. generosity, high-mindedness) refers to supernatural wonders performed by Muslim saints. In the technical vocabulary of Islamic religious sciences, the singular form karama has a sense similar to charism, a favor or spiritual gift freely bestowed by God. The marvels ascribed to Muslim saints have included supernatural...
Persecution Of Sufis Persecution of Sufis and Sufism has included destruction of Sufi shrines and mosques, suppression of orders, murder, and discrimination against adherents in a number of Muslim-majority countries. The Turkish Republican state banned all Sufi orders and abolished their institutions in 1925 after Sufis opposed the new secular order. The Iranian...
List Of Sufi Orders The following is a list of Sufi orders or schools (ṭarīqah). A attariya Razaviya Alevi Aamiria Aâbid Abbasiyya Abululai (also Abululaiya) Adhamiyya Adrawiyya Agamiyya Ahmadiya (Imamut-Tarikat Sheikh Borhanuddin Uyesi) Ahmadiyya-Idrissiyya Aissawa (also Aïssâwa, Issawiyya, Issâwa, Aïssaoua, Issaoua) Akbariyya Akmaliyya (Haqmaliyya) Alamiyya Al Hakika Mizaan Mizaani Sufi Order (Sallahudin Amaan...
Who Is Wali? Wali (ولي, plural ʾawliyāʾ أولياء) is an Arabic word whose literal meanings include “custodian”, “protector”, “helper”, and “friend”. In the vernacular, it is most commonly used by Muslims to indicate an Islamic saint, otherwise referred to by the more literal “friend of God”. In the traditional Islamic understanding of saints, the...
What Is Muraqabah? Muraqabah (to observe) refers to meditation in Sufi terminology. Through murāqbah a person watches over their (spiritual) heart and gains insight into the heart’s relation with its creator and its own surroundings. Muraqābah is a core concept in commonly found ṭarīqas (ar. sufi orders). The objective of murāqbah...