Sufism, tasawwuf, is a way of life.
Through this way of life, a deeper identity is discovered and comes into being. This deeper identity, beyond the already known personality, is in harmony with everything that exists in the universe. This deeper identity, or the essential self, has abilities of awareness, action, creativity and love that are far beyond the abilities of the superficial personality.
Sufism is a living teaching. Its source is Allah, but the vehicle through which it is transmitted is human, and this transmission has been the work of many dedicated and enlightened teachers throughout history. It is important to remember that as a living teaching, Sufism can be internalised only through experience, and through spiritual work in our daily lives.
Sufism is a tradition of enlightenment that carries the essential truth (haqiqah) forward through time. Tradition, however, has to be conceived in a vital, dynamic sense. Its expression is not limited to the religious and cultural forms of the past. The truth of Sufism requires fresh expression in every age.
In all its new expressions, Sufism will not compromise its challenge to an overly materialistic society. It is and will remain a critic of “worldliness”, of everything that causes us to ignore and to forget the Divine reality. Sufism is, and will remain, a way out of the labyrinth of a secularist, commercial culture. Most importantly, Sufism is an invitation to meaningfulness and well-being.
Sufism, as we know it, developed within the cultural matrix of Islam. The Islamic revelation presented itself as the expression of the essential message brought to humanity by the prophets of all ages. The Qur’an confirmed the validity of past revelations, while asserting that the original message was often distorted over the course of time.
The true teachers of Sufism have all traced their enlightenment through a chain of transmission going back to Hz. Muhammad (sa). While they may have disagreed with certain interpretations of Islam, they never questioned the essential validity of the Qur’anic revelation; nor were they fundamentalists in the sense of rigidly interpreting that revelation or discrediting other faiths. Most often they represented the highest achievements within Islamic culture and were a force of tolerance and moderation.
