The Beginnings of Sufism
The Sufis trace the origin of Sufism or
tasawwuf
to the Prophet of Islam.
They believe that there were two dimensions to the revelations received
by the Prophet: one took the form of the words of the Qu’ran, the other
that of the divine inspiration within his heart. The former was meant for
all, while the latter was to be imparted to the chosen few and conveyed
directly ‘from heart to heart’. ‘Book knowledge’ or the knowledge of the
words of the Qur’an and
hadith
was known as
ilm-e-safina,
while ‘the
knowledge of the heart’ was known as
ilm-e-sina
. The religious scholars or
ulama
(sing.
alim
) were experts in the knowledge of the Qur’an and
hadith
,
but it was claimed that ‘the knowledge of the heart’ remained with those
called the Sufis.
The claim of the Sufis that
tasawwuf
had its source in the life of the
Prophet and his companions is based on certain facts. The Prophet led an
extremely simple life. He avoided all luxuries. Any valuable presents
received by him were immediately disposed of in charity. His personal
possessions, even at the time when the whole of Arabia acknowledged his
supremacy, comprised of no more than an ordinary mattress to sleep on
and a pitcher to keep water in. He fasted for months on end and slept little
preferring to spend the major portion of the night in prayers (73:20). His
very life was the proof and the example of his knowledge and commitment
to both the theoretical concepts of Islam as well as its everyday practice.
The faith and practice of Islam is made up of three elements, which
together form the basis of Islamic religion.These are:
iman,
or belief in the
revealed word of God;
itaah,
or compliance with the
shahaadah
(Islamic
creed); and
ihsan,
or the practice of virtue and sincerity. Umar, a companion
of the Prophet and the second Caliph, narrates a tradition, which elucidates
Th e Or i g i n a n d E v o l u t i on o f Su f i s m 10
