What Is Simple Living? Simple living encompasses a number of different voluntary practices to simplify one’s lifestyle. These may include, for example, reducing one’s possessions, generally referred to as minimalism, or increasing self-sufficiency. Simple living may be characterized by individuals being satisfied with what they have rather than want. Although asceticism generally promotes living simply and refraining...
What Is Nafs? Nafs (نَفْس) is an Arabic word occurring in the Quran, literally meaning “self“, and has been translated as “psyche”, “ego” or “soul“. In the Quran, the word is used in both the individualistic (verse 2:48) and collective sense (verse 4:1), indicating that although humanity is united in possessing the positive qualities of...
Spirituality Spirituality may refer to an ultimate or an alleged immaterial reality, an inner path enabling a person to discover the essence of his/her being, or the “deepest values and meanings by which people live.” Spiritual practices, including yoga, fasting, meditation, prayer and contemplation, are intended to develop an individual’s inner life; spiritual...
Ziyarat In Islam, ziyara(h) (زيارة, ziyārah, “visit”) or ziyarat (زیارت, ziyārat, “pilgrimage”) is a form of pilgrimage to sites associated with Muhammad, his family members and descendants (including the Shī‘ī Imāms), his companions and other venerated figures in Islam such as the prophets, Sufi auliya, and Islamic scholars. Sites of pilgrimage...
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...
What Is Sikhism? Sikhism or Sikhi, from Sikh, meaning a “disciple”, “seeker,” or “learner”) is an Indian religion that originated in the Punjab region in the northern part of the Indian subcontinent around the end of the 15th century, and has variously been defined as monotheistic, monistic, and panentheistic. It is one...
Mevlânâ Celâleddin Mehmed Rumi Mevlânâ Celâleddin Mehmed Rumi was born in Afghanistan (which was the Persian city of Balkh) in 1207. Loosely translated, Jalal means “majesty”, Din means “religion”, and Rumi means “the Roman”, which means “Majesty of Religion”. The Anatolian region in Turkey that Rumi died in was then...
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...
Jalaladdin al – Rumi Rumi was born in the city of Balkh in 1207, at a time when all of Asia was suffering from social, political, and military problems. His father, Muhammad Bahauddin al-Siddiqi, was part of the tenth generation of the descendants of Abu Bakr al-Siddiq, the first caliph...
The Hidden Spirituality Of Men The Hidden Spirituality Of Men is a book written by Matthew Fox to explore The spiritual lives of men. Man’s Hidden Inner Light The spiritual lives of men are, for many, concealed, repressed or forgotten. In an exclusive extract from his new book, Matthew Fox...
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...
The Scholars Of Sufism About The Spirit This article covers the considerations of the scholars of Sufism about the Spirit. The scholars of Sufism regard the considerations of philosophers and some theologians about the spirit to be a futile exercise. However, we see the traces of the doctrine of the...