Download The Sufis AP World History WIKI Project By Efaine Chang, Spring

THE SUFIS
AP World History WIKI Project
By Efaine Chang, Spring Lucky-Dania, and Gabrielle Williams
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The Sufis were the Islamic Empire’s most influential missionaries due to their quest to
“nurture theirs and others' spiritual dimension”. Their tendency to migrate among other ethnic
groups allowed them to easily unify the diverse communities in both neighboring and distant
lands. They created close alliances of culture, rather than politics, between the Muslim people
and the people of surrounding regions such as Southeast Asia, Africa, and especially India. The
Sufis were unique from the more military-driven Islamic forces by their central idea of universal
love, leading them toward a more peaceful and friendly approach to conversion. The Sufis’
willingness to bend and flex their beliefs to meet the potential Islamic converts’ traditions and
rituals allowed them to make a difference socially, economically, politically, and most of all,
spiritually. Their significance was great, their impact was lasting, and their movement continues
to this very day.
Sufism started as a mystical reaction against the legalistic orientation of orthodox Islam.
They believed that their government should promote greater free thinking and equality for
everyone, as opposed to the traditional Islamic legalist government; this led to the split from the
majority of Islam’s followers. Sufism, as the new movement was called, allowed for a less
restrictive form of Islam. The Sufis rooted their practice and theology in basic, mainstream
Islamic principles and went on to encourage a special relationship with God through special
spiritual disciplines. The Sufis believed that their purpose in life was stated in the verse Quran
51:56, which says, “I [Allah] created the Jinns and humankind only that they may worship me.”
Throughout all of history, Sufis were believed to have understood that they were destined to be
people of religious learning who aspired to be close to Allah. Some Sufist meditative exercises
intended to bring one closer to Allah include dhikr, which is reciting prayers and passages from
the Quran and repeating the names of attributes of God while performing physical movements,
and Sufi whirling, where the dervishes (Sufi dancers), spin around in circles until they reach the
point of “wild, unrestrained ecstasy”. Sufism played an important part in the formation of
Muslim societies within other cultures and regions as it provided the masses of converts and
unbelievers alike with an education and provisions to meet their needs, as well as introducing the
people’s lives to a higher level of spirituality. Above all, the Sufis were influential missionaries
who converted several regions to Islam in a peaceful manner. Part of this was due to the fact that
the beliefs of Sufism were flexible enough to coexist with those of the foreign animist, Hindu,
and Buddhist ideologies and traditions; consequentially, many converts, such as those of the
Delhi Sultanate in India, kept Hindu practices and the caste system. The Sufi movement led to
the spread of Islam primarily from India to Southeast Asia, as well as many other regions.
The impact of Sufism is significant in many aspects beyond religion. The Sufis’
absorption into foreign regions and cultures produced great works of art, particularly poetry and
hymns, in numerous languages and dialects. As a result, they were some of the most important
contributors to Islamic literature, and their works are poured over and examined by numerous
readers in the West today. While the Sufis were primarily a belief movement that ran on
“feeling” rather than “forcing”, their influence did introduce some traditional Islamic attributes
regarding politics and military. They opened mosques and educational facilities as well as
encouraged the development and defense of civilizations. The Sufis had a positive effect on the
status of women, as well as an even stronger emphasis on the equality of believers, which had a
great social appeal to many of the converts. The Sufis introduced somewhat isolated regions to
the magnificent trade opportunities of the Islamic Empire, which helped struggling economies
regain their footing. All in all, the Sufis’ work and the consequential success in the regions they
touched helped the lives of many grow spiritually and in peacefulness.
“The man who is kind and who practices
righteousness, who remains passive amidst the
affairs of the world, who considers all
creatures on earth as his own self, He attains
Immortal Being, the true God is ever with
him… He attains the true Name whose words
are pure, and who is free from pride and
conceit.”
-- Kabir, Prominent Indian Sufi Poet
BIBLIOGRAPHY
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Armstrong, Karen. "The Esoteric Movements." Islam: A Short History. New York: Modern
Library, 2000. 74-76. Print.Great information on the impact of the Sufi movement on the
Islamic empire.
Armstrong, Monty. "The Abbasid Dynasty: Another Golden Age to Remember." Cracking the
AP World History Exam. New York: Random House, 2011. 136. Print.Last paragraph
contains a basic statement on the Sufis and their impact on the spread of Islam.
"BBC - Religions - Islam: Sufism." BBC.co.uk. The BBC, 8 Sept. 2009. Web. 12 Jan. 2012.
<http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/islam/subdivisions/sufism_1.shtml#h2>.History
and theology of Sufism.
Cegan |, Pat. "Whirling-dervish | Source of Inspiration." Source of Inspiration | All Is One, Cocreating with the Creator. 28 Dec. 2010. Web. 18 Jan. 2012.
<http://patcegan.wordpress.com/2010/12/28/spin/whirling-dervish/>.Whirling Dervish
image.
Ferguson, James. "ISLAMIC CULTURE AND THE POLITICS OF SUFISM." The
International Relations and International Cultures Portal. Bond University, 2007. Web.
16 Jan. 2012. <http://www.international-relations.com/>.
Gunes, Mavi. "Poems of Kabir." Http://goto.bilkent.edu.tr/gunes/default.htm. Web. 12 Jan. 2012.
<http://goto.bilkent.edu.tr/gunes/SAGES/KabirPoems.htm>.Poems and Quotes of Kabir,
a well-known Muslim Sufi poet.
Khalek, Nancy, Kathleen A. Mulhern, and Jacob N. Kinnard. "Sufi Origins, Sufi History, Sufi
Beliefs." Pantheos.com. Pantheos, Inc. Web. 12 Jan. 2012.
<http://www.patheos.com/Library/Sufism>.In-depth collection of information on Sufi
origins, history, beliefs, ritual, worship, devotion, symbolism, ethics, morality, and
community.
Krishan, Rajender. "Kabir: The Mystic Poet." Boloji.com - A Study in Diversity. Boloji Media,
Inc., Sept. 1999. Web. 12 Jan. 2012.
<http://www.boloji.com/index.cfm?md=Content>.Background history on Kabir, a
prominent Muslim Sufi poet.
Pareles, Jon. "NY Times Advertisement." The New York Times - Breaking News, World News &
Multimedia. New York Times, 21 July 2010. Web. 18 Jan. 2012.
<http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/22/arts/music/22sufi.html>.
Pike, John. "Sufi Islam." GlobalSecurity.org. GlobalSecurity.org, 7 May 2011. Web. 16 Jan.
2012. <http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/intro/islam-sufi.htm>.
Schimmel, Annemarie. "Sufism (Islam) -- Britannica Online Encyclopedia." Britannica.com.
Encyclopedia Britannica Online, 2012. Web. 12 Jan. 2012.
<http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/571823/Sufism>.Credible source with tons
of information, including a specified section entitled "Significance".
Stearns, Peter N. "Abbasid Decline and the Spread of Islamic Civilization to South and Southeast
Asia." World Civilizations: The Global Experience. 3rd, AP ed. New York: Pearson
Longman, 2003. 162+. Print.Details on the Sufi impact on the spread of Islam to South
and Southeast Asia.
"Sufi Mysticism (Overview)." World History: Ancient and Medieval Eras. ABC-CLIO, 2012.
Web. 12 Jan. 2012. <http://http://ancienthistory.abcclio.com/Topics/Display/1185330?cid=41&terms=sufism>.Discusses the impact of the
Sufi movement in the spread of Islam.
"Sufism." Rim.org. Reformed Internet Ministries. Web. 12 Jan. 2012.
<http://www.rim.org/muslim/sufism.htm>.Cited quotations from various sources,
analyzes Sufism from several points of view.
Thadani, Shishir. "South Asian History." South Asian History. 30 May 2009. Web. 16 Jan. 2012.
<http://india_resource.tripod.com/sahistory.html>.
Tickr. "Google Images." Google. Dipity, 25 Apr. 2009. Web. 18 Jan. 2012.
<http://www.dipity.com/tickr/Flickr-sufi-sufism/>.
Upadhyay, R. "SUFISM IN INDIA: Its Origin, History and Politics." SouthAsiaAnalysis.org.
South Asia Analysis Group, 16 Feb. 2004. Web. 12 Jan. 2012.
<http://www.southasiaanalysis.org/%5Cpapers10%5Cpaper924.html>.Detailed analysis
of Sufism.