According to some authors, Sufi is traceable to the Arabic word, pronounced ‘soof’,which literally means, ‘wool’ referring to the material from which the simple rooes of the early Muslim mystics were made.
Mysticism in the Islamic context has traditionally been intertwined with the notion of Ḥikmah, which is at once both wisdom and philosophy (Nasr 1996). The source of mysticism and the mystical elements in Islam are to be traced to the Qur’an and the Islamic doctrine itself. Some of the Qur’anic verses have been viewed by the mystics and philosopher-mystics of Islam as allegorical and esoteric hints for those who can see them. “God is the Outward and the Inward” (Qu’ran 57:3), “he for whom wisdom is given, he truly has received abundant good” (Qu’ran 2:269),
Once upon a moonlit night, a congregation of moths gathered, their hearts aflame with desire—to be united with the candle. Their whispered deliberations echoed through the darkness: “We must send an emissary to unravel the secrets of our amorous longing.” And so, one moth embarked on a mission. He ventured to a distant castle, where […]
‘Saadi Sherazi’ has a tale about a man, whose head was full of imagined knowledge and arrogance as a result, who went to visit ‘Koshyar‘, from a great distance. ‘Koshyar’ taught him nothing, saying: ‘You may think yourself wise, but nothing can be put into a full pot.’If you are full of pretense, ‘Saadi‘ continues,
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‘Mulla Nasrudin Effendi, was asked by his neighbor, ‘which is more intelligent, a camel or a man?’‘A camel,’ replied the Mulla, ‘because it carries heavy loads without complaint, but never asks for an additional load. Man, on the other hand, burdened by responsibility, is always choosing to add to his loads.’
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Once, a shipwrecked man found himself washed ashore on an unfamiliar coast. Exhausted from battling the tempestuous sea, he lay down to rest. As he awoke, his gaze fell upon the vast expanse of water that had both saved and threatened him. In that moment, he couldn’t help but reproach the sea. Its serene surface
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I will instruct you in metaphysics,’ said ‘Mulla Nasrudin’ to a neighbour in whom he saw a spark of understanding, albeit a small one. ‘I should be delighted,’ said the man; ‘come to my house any time and talk to me.’ ‘Nasrudin realised that the man was thinking that mystical knowledge could be transmitted entirely
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Muslim Wisdom According to some authors, Sufi is traceable to the Arabic word, pronounced ‘soof’,which literally means, ‘wool’ referring to the material from which the simple rooes of the early Muslim mystics were made. Mysticism in the Islamic context has traditionally been intertwined with the notion of Ḥikmah, which is at once both wisdom and philosophy (Nasr 1996).
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