SUFISM

Philosophy in Education
Raneem Awad
31130734 EDUC 520 – A

Hanan Faour
Instructor: Dr. Lutfi Hamedeh
31630394
Fall 2019 - 2020
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“There was a time I would reject those

who were not of my faith.

But now, my heart has grown capable

of taking on all forms.

It is a pasture for gazelles,

An abbey for monks.

A table for the Torah,

A temple for the idols

Kaaba for the pilgrim.

My religion is love.

Whichever the route love’s caravan shall take,

That shall be the path of my faith”

Ibin Arabi

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ABSTRACT

This paper aims to showcase the assimilation of religions and/or doctrines in terms of spirituality

and mysticism across different cultures and societies through highlighting modern literary works that

revolve around these themes. The objective of this project is to develop the philosophy of Sufi education

from the work of Shams Bin Tabriz, a Persian Sufi, who was credited for transforming Mawlana Rumi’s

life after arriving in Konya in the 13th century. Based on Shams’ works, the final purpose of the Sufi

education is annihilation and survival by God. The paper also aims to show how a form of spirituality

can originate out of organized religion, yet pertain a unique identity through practices that transcend

doctrine teachings i.e. showcasing spiritual practices to be a product of internal and innate need. This

paper also aims to construct these notions from the point of view of the west by recommending that

future studies revolving around mental don’t shun the effects of spirituality on the subjects.

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“Rumi Phenomenon”

“Since 1994 the American literary market has been taken by storm by what may be called the

‘Rumi phenomenon’: the posthumous literary success of the thirteenth-century Sufi poet and mystic,

Muhammad Jalal ad-Din Balkhi, known to the Anglophone world as Rumi.” (Furlanetto, 2013). Rumi

was a hype for mystic infatuated audience and poetry amities. “Forty Rules of Love” By Shafak (2010)

contributed to the “Rumi phenomenon” and succumbed to simplify and decipher contextualization of the

works of Rumi in which merging post modernization with social and cultural conventions. The novel

talked about a spiritual journey of Rumi and his friendship with the dervish Shams Tabrizi who

transformed his perception on spirituality. Thus, “Understanding Shams and his message can become an

analytical conduit for understanding Rumi on a larger scale.” (Vaziri, 2015).  

The Encounter

In Konya, Shams Tabrizi met Jaluldine Muhammad Rumi, Tabrizi jumped over and asked Rumi

on who he found greater, Prophet Muhammad or the Sufi Bistami. Rumi was bewildered by his question

and absurdly criticized the point of comparison for Prophet Mohammad, may peace be upon him, was the

last line of the prophets and it would be paradox to compare him to an infamous Sufi. Tabrizi replied that

Prophet Mohammad said: “Forgive me, God, I couldn’t know Thee as I should have”. While Bistami

claimed that “Glory be to me, I carry God inside my cloak”. Then who will be greater? The man who saw

himself so small in his relation with God, or the one who claimed that he carry God inside of him? Rumi

was agonized by this intrigue, and finally concluded: 

                     “You see, God’s love is an endless ocean, and human beings strive to get as

much water as they can out of it. But at the end of the day, how much water we

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each get depends on the size of our cups. Some people have barrels, some buckets,

while some others have only got bowls. Bistami’s container was relatively small,

and his thirst was quenched after a mouthful. He was happy in the stage he was at.

It was wonderful he recognized the divine in himself, but even there still remains

the distinction between God and Self. Unity is not achieved. As for the Prophet, he

was the Elect of God and had a much bigger cup to fill. This is why God asked him

in the Qur’an, Have we not opened up your heart? His heart thus widened, his cup

immense, it was thirst upon thirst for him No wonder he said ‘We do not know You

as we should’, although he certainly knew Him as no other did.” (Shafak, 2010, p.

156 -157).

Sufism and Tasawwuf

The two interchangeable terms “Tasawwuf” and “Sufism” were a part of the Islamic notion of

Islamic teaching. Islamic religiosity and its moral and piety were the focus of Sufism. Tasawwuf, on the

other hand, accentuated the philosophical of Islam in terms of intellectuality and ethics. It was a merging

notion of sensual perception of the physical world with the intellectual thought through a transcendental

mind. The intellectual philosophy of Tasawuf was far beyond the practice of trivial practical relation to

God, it was the mental transcendent to interpret an unswerving relation with God, life, and nature

spiritually. It was a quest for finding the orientation of oneself in the universe. “A Tasawwuf-influenced

education (ʿIrfān-Education) invites wisdom, insight and piety into the acquisition of knowledge,

whereby such piety does not end at the border of a particular sort of confessional theology, but rather

stands for universality and inclusivity.” (Polat, 2017). When knowledge was attained and understood by

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the senses and depicted with the transcendental, a new dimension of thought was unveiled; Awareness in

the interconnected topics of knowledge (Al ‘Ilm) and information (Al Maaloumat) and perception (Al

i’rfan) along with profound comprension (al Hikma). This new dimension was a generic boundary

between information produced transcendentally (Ilham) and sensual or cognitive information. “The

Muslim Sufis perceive an indivisible connection between belief, knowledge and reason.” (Ibin Sina) as

quoted by Pulat (2007). All of which were of utmost importance in the prerequisites of determining one’s

capacity for faith. 

 In Forty Rules of Love, Shafak (2010) illustrated Tasawwuf as a universal spiritual path devoid of

constraints on religion and society. A Sufi by heart was he who owns a pure heart and yearned for God

and humanity through love (Anjum & Ramzan, 2014). In the novel, Desert Rose, the prostitute, and

Hassan, the beggar, even Francis, the Christian….all could be Sufis if they dispensed their ego and rather

existed in search for God. Females and males could be dervishes. “When a true lover of God goes into a

tavern, the tavern becomes his chamber of prayer, but when a wine bibber goes into the same chamber it

becomes his tavern; in everything we do, it is our heart that make the difference, not our outer

appearances.” (Shafak, 2010, p.141).  According to Lings (2005), ideologies of theocratic civilizations

differed from each other, in part they were all unique and particular yet intact with religious boundaries.

Mysticism was universal, and in a way, every religion had his own share and perspective of versions of

mysticisms, each were different yet all universal in the search for truth. The core of all mysticisms was

similar yet the cortex differed. Shams told Kera that Mother Mary signified piety and compassion and

love for her is by far divulged by Muslims just like Christians. “...All religions are only one religion,

because all praises are directed towards God light, these various forms and figures are borrowed from it.”

(Rumi & Nicholson, 2015). Rumi regarded himself as far from being belonging to any religion or cultural

system, that be Christianity, Buddhism, Sufism, Zenism, Islam, Judaism…He was not of the west nor the

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east…”My place is placeless, a trace of the traceless.” (Shafak, 2010, p. 183). Love was the ulterior

motive and the target. 

It was said that Moses encountered a shepherd on the way. This shepherd was praying to his God,

asking him what he could do to show his love to him, shall he comb his hair? Shall he wash his robe? Kill

his lice? Moses was startled by his prayer and uttered that it was sheer blasphemy. He then taught him the

correct way to pray before embarking on his journey. That same night, God appeared to Moses and asked

him for what he have done; that shepherd was so dear to God for his prayer was a prayer of love and

devotion. The next day Moses ran to that shepherd and saw him praying in the way he was taught, yet his

focus on his devotion and sincerity of the heart was now shifted to the act of prayer itself. Moses

approached the shepherd and asked for his forgiveness for his prayer was precious in the eyes of God.

Yet the shepherd didn’t want to pray the same way he used to, nor he was able to fully conduct the new

prayer he was preached. He found a new prayer that allowed him to communicate to God (Rumi,1973). 

Spirituality in the context of Sufism

Shams Tabrizi was trained by the greatest Sufi masters at that time and associated himself with

Sufis and theologians (Tasbihi, 2005). Tabrizi supported “Objective Knowledge” over dogma. He

believed that the context meaning of intellectuality and philosophical debates was what weakened their

search for the elixir of divine love (Tasbihi, 2005). Tabrizi was very keen to theology. His focus of

attention was on the anthropological approach in the importance of human creation and attaining

annihilation through truthfulness and love (Jadid & Mohabbati, 2018). Spiritual, philosophical and

religious commitment to the convention were of subordinate to training the mind and taming the ego.

Tabrizi was a dervish, constantly wandering in his passion of spiritual knowledge in the search for God.

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In “Forty Rules of Love”, after had been wandering for quite some time, Tabrizi entered a lodge where he

met a prestigious Judge. Shams introduced himself courteously and said he was travelling in the search of

god. The judge was infatuated and asked if his search was of any result. Tabrizi said contentedly that God

was with him all along. The judge sarcastically interjected that dervishes made life so complicated, why

would they bother to rummage all around and they knew that God was with them in the first place.

Tabrizi replied “Because although it is a fact that He cannot be found by seeking, only those who seek

can find him.” (Shafak, 2010, p.48 -49).

 Sufism is an inner journey of love and the quest of love lead to submission to the idea that when

one knew oneself, he knew his God. Tabrizi noted that “How we see God is a direct reflection of how we

see ourselves. If God brings to mind mostly fear and blame, it means there is too much fear and blame

welled inside us. If we see God as full of love and compassion, so are we.” (Shafak, 2010. p.30). Tabrizi

inspired, through his forty rules of love, relating God’s traits to oneself. He did not assertively preached

on those traits to be idolized, he only gave a glimpse of a foundation on change in order to broaden one’s

flow of ideas and let him attribute to his own development. Tasawwuf according to Tabrizi allowed

humans to be qualified by God’ attributes or as called “Sanctification”. By being aware and

understanding that the self was nothing but a reflection of God or Spirit, then human nature would be

realized (Helminski, 2017). As the self becomes detached from identification in social and materialistic

norm of programming and conditioning, the self will the capacity of loving unconditionally, and manifest

a conscious choice and fundamental creativity. The soul yet must be cleansed by love. On Tabrizi, “It is

easy to love a perfect god, unblemished and infallible that He is; what is far more difficult is to love

fellow human beings with all their imperfections and defects.” (Shafak, 2010, p.110). Love was not

limited to the submission to God, but in the love one withholds to God’s creations with all their

imperfections and flaws. Rather God wanted his creatures to be the same, he would have created them

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that way, yet he created unique and different souls for every heart beats to its own rhythm.  Pantheism

adhered to the presence of God in the whole world among all his creations, “All-is-one” (Anjum &

Ramzan, 2014). Monism, all-is-now, the past, present and the future were nothing but a mere illusion.” If

you want to experience eternal illumination, put the past and future out of your mind and remain within

the present moment” (Shafak, 2010, p.135). The aim of the journey was to change the seeker; when one

started looking for love, he is changing from without and within where each present moment creates life.

When a moment is filled with love, it ascends the seeker to heaven, yet when a moment is filled with

envy and hatred, it descends the seeker straight into hell. Shams regarded life as temporarily and

illustrates a simulation of reality. Children would be infatuated with a toy assuming that it is the real

thing and by far get disrespectful handling it by breaking and scorning it and eventually throw it away.

Extremities destroy inner balance. A Sufi is always moderate and mild. Yet when it came to love, an

intellect is always cautious on experiencing too much ecstasy and won't easily subside and break down.

Rather, a Sufi would relentlessly take the plunge when it comes to love. But the thing about love is that it

can effortlessly elude itself to rubble. According to Tabrizi “treasures are hidden among ruins and broken

heart hides treasure” (Shafak, 2010). Love cleanses the soul, just as hatred, pride, bigotry poisons the

soul. Sufism purges the filth dwelled inside the soul and shuns out the devil. Yet self-examination was

naively escaped through attributing human’s mischiefs to the devil ( Anjum & Ramzan, 2014).

  In Forty Rules of Love, Desert Rose, the harlot, was seen as pure and delicate in the eyes of a Sufi

as Tabrizi. Yet for Baybar, a relative of renowned religious zealot, Desert Rose’s body tormented him yet

he regarded his submission as a symbol of cowardice. To Baybar, enemies of Islam and infidels should

be treated with hatred for War is the core of existence and to that he renowned the name “Baybars the

Warrior”. Baybar represents people who regard the Sharia as the ultimate post for humanity in the

modern world. “They hate seeing women as prostitutes but make life of repentance hard for them as

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well.” (Anjum & Ramzan, 2014). People like Baybar searched the mosques for love and prayers for God.

Sufism perspective on God and God’s relationship with his lovers is rather deeper than conventional and

customs in which nothing should stand between a man and his God. Tabrizi’s thirty second rule of love

was:” Nothing should stand between yourself and God, Not imams, priests, rabbis, or any other

custodians of moral or religious leadership; No spiritual Masters, not even your faith.” (Shafak, 2010, p.

246).

Spirituality: An Innate and Universal Need.

To confine the notion of spirituality with the binding limits of one single religion or culture, is

doing the concept a disservice. Kneller (2019) defined spirituality from a philosophical standpoint stating

that it is the inherent and natural awareness and curiosity that humans experience regarding their

existence in the world on the greater scheme of things. Spirituality and seeking meaning in life is

considered to be a natural human reaction and it often emerged early on in the lives as young children as

they become more capable of understanding the abstract concept.

Miller (2015) stressed upon the importance of providing innate natural inclination to inquire on spiritual

matter with a positive and assuring atmosphere. She stated that in order for kids to explore this

spirituality, they should be surrounded with adequate support stating:

“Every child is born a spiritual child. We all are “hardwired”

with a natural spirituality. But this inborn capacity can be strengthened

into the greatest of all our human resources through parenting.”

(Miller, 2015).

She encouraged parents and guardians to be involved in their child’s spiritual journey by

providing three different methods to help navigate this new territory of knowledge successfully both

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parties. Throughout the 3 methods Miller (2015) proposes, there is a common theme to guide children in

their spiritual journey. This theme is Love. Love is the driving force which paved the path to spirituality

and the starting point of the journey as well as representing the child’s safety net and source of inner

peace. Love is the guiding force which enables children to feel a constant sense of security no matter

what life throws at them. Even without the presence of a parent/guardian, children living out their lives

out of love, will face life’s hardships with an open mind and a calm heart (Miller, 2015).

In terms of spirituality in the East and specifically in Sufism, the concept of Love transcended the

earthly definitions and focused on the unwavering deep affection and passion towards God. It is an

inward drive to find a greater sense of enlightenment free from worldly concerns and earthly possessions

(Specia, 2018). This movement was considered quite mainstream during the Golden Ages of the Arab

World circa the 12th century, however lately those who practiced Tasawwuf have been targeted in

numerous hate crimes due to many misconceptions involving the concept.

Moreover, while Sufism had emerged out of Islam, its’ teachings and practices weren’t so unlike

other spiritual movements. When it boiled down to the components of Sufism, it was essentially a

combination of the teachings of Islam as well as cultural elements that have been integrated into the

movement over the years of its expansion beyond the borders of the Arab World. An article released by

The New Times, aimed to inform readers on Sufism, states that the movement has adapted itself to suit

the culture of the community or society in which it was being practiced- be it in China, West Africa or

even in the US (Specia, 2017). Regarding the practicing sects of the Sufism movement , an interview

with Alexander D. Knysh, a professor of Islamic studies at the University of Michigan and expert in

modern Sufism, describes the movement as a “’Very wide, amorphous movement’ practiced within both

the Sunni and Shiite traditions.” (2017). We can infer that Sufism adheres to the general definition of

spiritual movements, where it is viewed as “Spiritual philosophy and secular religion meet in the middle;

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depending on how people approach the spiritual and the secular ,there is overlap.” (Kneller, 2019).

Therefore, a draw out of the similarities between all spiritual movements and Sufism in terms of this

constant search for a meaning in life and seeking a higher power and inner peace, highlights the idea that

the spiritual needs of humans are universal and collectively aimed at bettering one’s self, regardless of

religion, culture, geography, or language.

Which begs the question: what are the consequences when this spirituality is stifled or not pursued; be it

within Sufism or otherwise?

Spirituality for the Adult: “Eat Pray Love” and the Assimilation of Religions

Prior to the release of “Forty Rules of Love”, the world was infatuated with one woman’s journey

in “Eat Pray Love” to seek enlightenment in 3 distinct chapters that encompass her perception of what

life revolves around: Leisure, Spirituality and Love.  One an easily noticed a common theme between

both titles.

Gilbert (2006) brought about her story as a successful but mentally and emotionally depleted

journalist who’s been struggling with her failed marriage, money trouble and mental illness. She decided

to pull herself out of this sump by pitching to her publishers the idea of a memoir which will document

her travels and detail her experiences abroad.

Gilbert (2006) used her memoir to give a peep into the journey of a very privileged westerner

thrust into new cultures hoping to find herself, God and the Love within. Throughout the book, she

detailed her life back as a country girl raised on Christian ideals, as well as her life in the hustle and

bustle of New York City as a career woman trying to have it.  However, between her desires to acquire

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fame, fortune, and seeking out her desires she found that she has lost herself and comes to the realization

that this was not the life for her. Only after losing everything in terms of money, possessions and stability

did she finally took the plunge to pursue her spirituality.

While her methods were unorthodox, they provided a clear view of the modern perception of

seeking spiritual enlightenment beyond one’s culture and societal norms. The second part (Pray) and

third part (Love) of her journey will be our main focus as we draw the almost unified nuances of

spirituality and mysticism that spanning over various doctrines. 

Gilbert (2006) realized that after losing the shackles of the complex and materialist life, she was

able to start enjoying her new daily routine in the simple Buddhist retreat she chose to spend the second

portion of her trip. By participating in extremely disciplined meditation sessions, prayer circles or even

during her daily chores, was her mind and soul free to contemplate and reconnect with herself and the

universe beyond.

Such experiences weren’t limited to Buddhism, as they also made up for a huge portion of the

teachings of Sufism as well. Many scholars also suggested due to geographical proximity of the Arab

World and the South East, there was a good chance that both cultures experienced mutual influence from

each other (Berzin, 2007).

Further similarities were found within both movements, be it in terms of the practices, messages,

concepts and ideas that were expressed in their teachings. Perhaps the biggest similarity was in the

thinking process of both practices and the pursuit of the highest level of internal spiritual awareness

which in turn was the reason for the never ending journey to reach enlightenment. Beyond the beliefs,

some practices were also very similar such as meditation as a method to connect with God and

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understand one’s presence in the world and his destiny; In addition to the repetition of mantras, songs or

poems that often revolved around one’s undying Love for God.

While Buddhism and Sufism did have differences in terms of religious teachings, their

similarities, however, indicated that in the grand scheme of things, our pursuit of a spiritual life is

consistent over all cultures. They were an indication of the importance of one seeking the answers to their

spiritual questions.

Gilbert (2016) and Shafak (2010) were only two western writers; albeit two prominent ones, that

had taken on this literary path in relating spirituality to everyday modern life. Furthermore, it is important

to shed light on the average Westerners who have taken on the pursuit of a spiritually guided life. The

New York Times ran a story about a group of Sufis living in New York who had let go of their past

notions of religion and what they were taught as children in order to embrace a more holistic, love

centered concept in order to approach God and lead their lives from a spiritual point of view. The story

written by Suliman (2016) was a testimony on the ever spreading influence of spiritual teachings in the

west and maybe let us think whether these communities were lacking in this domain despite the need for

such teachings.

Conclusion:

In a nutshell, it is safe to say that the path to find spiritual closure began from one’s self and ended there

as well. Both women in “Eat, Pray, Love” and “Forty Rule of Love” have found resolution through going

on their spiritual journeys after living lives of hardship and resentment. On a scientific Level, some

studies have indicated that one’s spirituality, played a prominent role in the psychological and mental

wellbeing.

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“The Impact of Spirituality on Mental Health” explored the correlation between spirituality and

psychological wellbeing .The study suggested that the west’s inclination to separate science and

methodological research from spirituality lead to little findings in this domain until recent years (Cornah,

2006, p. 7). However, the study did point out to a number of limitations regarding the method of research

and the people conducting it as well as the subjects of the experiments/questionnaires. But, the study

indicated that morals associated with spirituality, such as empathy, had helped some patients dealing with

depression (Cornah, 2006, p.11).

Perhaps western based studies should start by taking Sufism as an example of a concept that is

derived from religion but is in another league of teaching and practices. This could prove to be beneficial

in bringing the conflicting east and west together. Future studies can make use of the semi-independent

concept of mysticism and its’ effect on people who have decided to uphold it as their path and the main

driving force to their lives.

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