Sufism - An Introduction to Mystical Islam
Sufism in an umbrella term for a variety of philosophical, social, and literary phenomena occurring within the Islamic world. In its narrowest sense, the term refers to a number of schools of Islamic mystical philosophy and theology, to religious orders and guilds that have greatly influenced the development of Islamic politics and society, and to the varied expressions of popular piety found throughout the Islamic world. In a wider sense, Sufism is often seen as the spiritual muse behind much of pre-modern verse in the Islamic world, the idiom of much of popular Islamic piety, the primary social arena open to women's religious participation, and a major force in the conversion of people to Islam in Africa and Asia. Sufism has been referred to as Tazkiya Nafs (purity of soul) in the Quran. Islamic scholars and those who have learned Quran with translation know the connotation of this verse. "The Day when neither wealth nor sons will avail, But only he (will prosper) that c