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Essay / The Islamic Faith Sufism - 1337
Islam, as a religion, is divided into two different sects, Sunni and Shia. These divisions have their own distinct values and rituals that create an invincible schism between them. The gap, however, is somewhat bridged by a variation of the Islamic faith known as Sufism. The mystical ways of Sufi society make it very attractive to both Sunnis and Shiites, not to mention newcomers to the Islamic faith. Sufism uses the quality of unification and the quality of appeal to make it one of the strongest aspects of Islam. Sufism was founded on the belief that Muslims could achieve "one-on-one"; relationship with God through mystical practices. Mysticism is defined as “a particular method of approaching reality appealing to intuitive and emotional spiritual faculties which are generally dormant and latent unless brought into play through guided training”; Since mysticism is also linked to many other religions, Sufis had to be extremely careful to be "under guidance"; at any time. They prefer the word guidance to the word teaching because they believe that the desired relationship with God can only be achieved through personal experience. The original Sufis, although seemingly distant from orthodox views, maintained a very close connection to the original Islamic doctrine. . Their differences were considerable, but the connection with orthodoxy was "guaranteed by their acceptance of the law and ritual practices of Islam." Sufis believe that a person's soul abides with God before inhabiting the human body. This connection is the reason for all Sufi practice. Their rituals and ceremonies are an attempt to reconnect their soul with God, its original guardian. This quest for God also leads Sufis to believe in a quest for ecstasy, which can be achieved through repeated summons, breathing exercises and chanting, all accompanied by vocal and/or instrumental music. This ecstasy requires conscious freedom of thought, which Sufis believe can be achieved through music. Although Sufism is a response to communal worship, they developed a form of communal worship to help each other discover God. The Sufis sit in a circle around the choir, which is also in a circle around the Master. They start singing slowly and softly with very little movement. Then the Master encourages them to take the next step with a sort of ejaculation, middle of paper...... like traditional Islam, opens its doors to women as active participants in activities religious. Women are permitted to play roles in the choirs of religious ceremonies as well as to participate directly as devotees of the faith. Until then, Sunni and Shia women were allowed to play very little, if any, role in society as a whole. Sufis, on the other hand, were more than happy to allow women to carry out the most important duties of the faith, which had previously been entrusted only to men. The Sufi religion is one among many. It obviously moves away from the roots of orthodox Islam, but at the same time it has very close ties to the original plans laid out by the Prophet Muhammad. Its appeal lies in the fact that it is somewhat universal in its mysticism, but it is very strict on the rules of Islam. This opens the doors to Sunnis, Shiites and foreigners. It allows quasi-equality for Islamic women and gives all humans access to a pious relationship with God. The almost global links that Sufism creates allow it to rely on the most..