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...
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 Sufi Whirling? Sufi whirling (or Sufi turning) (Semazen) is a form of physically active meditation which originated among Sufis, and which is still practiced by the Sufi Dervishes of the Mevlevi order and other orders such as the Rifa’i-Marufi. It is a customary meditation practice performed within the Sema, or worship ceremony, through which dervishes (also called semazens,...
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...
What Is Tariqa? A tariqa (tariqah; طريقة ṭarīqah) is a school or order of Sufism, or specifically a concept for the mystical teaching and spiritual practices of such an order with the aim of seeking Haqiqa, which translates as “ultimate truth“. A tariqa has a murshid (guide) who plays the role of leader or spiritual director....
History Of Sufism This article covers the history of Sufism. Sufism is the mystical branch of Islam. A Sufi is a Muslim who seeks annihilation of the ego in God. Early history The exact origin of Sufism is disputed. Some sources state that Sufism is the inner dimensions of the teachings of Muhammad whereas others say that...
What Is Sufism? Sufism, mystical Islamic belief and practice in which Muslims seek to find the truth of divine love and knowledge through direct personal experience of God. It consists of a variety of mystical paths that are designed to ascertain the nature of humanity and of God and to...
Mawlavi Order The discipline of Mawlavi Order (Mevlevi Order) was established by Mevlevi’s son Sultan Veled, his disciple Chalabi Husameddin, and his grandson Ulu Arif Chalabi in order to pass on his teachings to future generations. Ever since then, the “order” has been presided over by a Makam Chalabi (Chief...
The Sufis And The Spirit This article is all about The Sufis And The Spirit. The Sufis have defined the spirit as a manifestation or shadow of Divine life, and an immaterial substance; God Almighty has not enabled anybody to have perfect knowledge about its exact identity. While philosophers tend...