The One-minutes Sufi-II.pmd - Jaico Publishing House

I N T R O D U C T I O NThe Historical and TraditionalConnections of SufismTHE WORD SUFI IS DERIVED FROM THE ARABICword soof, which literally means wool, referring tothe material from which the simple robes of the earlyMuslim mystics were made.Sufism refers to the mystical traditions of Islam. Itis the living spirit of the Islamic tradition. Sufism isbuilt on islam (submission) and iman (faith). A Sufiis one who sets himself or herself on the path of selfpurificationleading to enlightenment and unionwith God. He is a seeker in search of his trueidentity. 1A Sufi lives in the moment and adapts to thechanging world around him without compromisingthe essence of his beliefs. He is a child of themoment. There are different forms of expressions inSufism, but the essence remains intact. The engagingverses of Sufi giants Ibn Arabi and Rumi, the love1 To facilitate ease of reading, I have used the pronoun he to includeboth genders.