Sufism and why the West favors it more over other branches of Islam
If you wish to read a better alternative answer that is more historically accurate and precise, I recommend reading Dimitris Almyrantis’ answer to the same question. However, if this one helps, then so be it. Islam as you may know is seen as a radical religion by many, downright brutal, misogynist, and unsurprisingly forceful. Though as do most things, the more negative the populace views a thing, the more people learn to look at the good side of that very thing. Sufism paints a rather different picture. In my opinion, it’s a representation of the vibrant colors of Islam.
If you were to somehow come across me a year ago, you’d find me to be a far different man than I am now. I was estranged from Islam, hardly acting as the Molvis around me would expect. Then I changed, and the cause of that change was simple. I found God, in the same manner as Hazrat Ali (K.A) said that he (K.A) did. Across multiple quotations, it’s either “I recognized the glory of God upon the failure of my own planning” or “I recognized God through revoking the determinations and breaking the intentions. When I determined and I was prevented from achieving my determination, and when I intended and fate contradicted my intention, I realized that the Administrator was other than me.”
I failed hopelessly at what I wanted to do and blamed it on myself. I won’t explain the what or the how, just know this; I let everyone down. Myself, my siblings, friends, teachers, relatives. All of them. The first thought that struck me back then was just how bad of a man I was. Sure, I haven’t killed people, nor have I committed rape or arson. But as St. Gemma Galgani says: “Think of all the sins that the greatest sinners have committed, I have committed as many.”
I’ve changed for the better as I like to think. During that process I wanted to know more about Islam, I asked the Imam of the Masjid/Mosque that I go to yet I never found what I sought. Do you want to know why? He and every other person that I know, save for like one, paint Allah (S.W.T} in a mechanical and stoic light. They end up doing that. The answer is always something along the lines of “you should pray” or “you should repent”, even though had I wanted to pray I wouldn’t have been in that mess!
They robbed Islam of its color, of its expression, and of its soul. Islam was according to their indirect insinuation, a cage with no fun. Then I read the Qur’an and Hadith on my own accord and found what it lacked. It lacked interpretation, it was bereft of connection. I was surprised to learn that I could connect to Allah Ta’ala, I could voice what I felt. There was so much to do and so much to be.
For instance, it was the start of the week when I went to ask the Imam about repenting. His response was rather expected. You have to be clear about it, save yourself from making the same mistake, and you need to be sincere otherwise it won’t be valid. Sure at the surface level, it’s common and adequate. But if you look deep enough, you’ll find that mechanical view thrown in the midst again. I turned to hadith and saw that you could be forgiven — you only needed to be firm in your belief that the God you pray to is far more Merciful than He is Wrathful.
Sufism is essentially the same thing. It’s intense as are all forms of mysticism. It lets you indulge yourself in those colors and lets you immerse your being in freedom. Everything around you isn’t devoid of emotion, none of it is. It tears away that barrier. The more you practice, the more fun you have. You learn and at times come across things that fumble you but are still pleasing to learn. It’s the very force behind the current popularity Nasheeds and Islamic poetry are receiving.
They bring joy and conform to your worldview. That’s the best part. You can feel the tingling sensation, you can get closer to the Divine. Some have great dreams, others enjoy spiraling visions, and some reach the Truth. You get a goal in addition to the preexisting goal. And as for the West? I have written about its reception in the West but that was in comparison to another religion.
The basic idea that I’ve built up is the attraction of freedom Sufism represents. Mevlevis and their whirling dervishes, Rumi and his love poetry, and Ibn ‘Arabi and his overly complicated language, all of them add to the allure of the mystic aspect of Islam. Islam you see has a rich lore, and impressive spiritual parts — mostly hidden underneath the radicalized image that most are exposed to. It was this elusive and exotic thing people wanted to learn more about.
Other branches all had something to do with machine-like rigid instructions. Sunnis were the leading Muslims of the world and bore the burden of the majority of the harem and Hur allegations. Shiites have always been regarded in a bad light, some view them as extremists, while in recent times the major Shia powers haven’t been… greatly intriguing… to say the least.
Apart from being manly, Sufis were free of that, just seeing a person whirl around or live an ascetic life, inspires people. They seem to be at peace. Others saw the rich lore they carried, and as they bore the least of the negative connotations people grew to respect them. Sufism was the all-new fad precisely for its portrayal of the mystic aspects of Islamic traditions. You got to see angels, Prophets (AS), and Allah (SWT) in a way you don’t see in other branches of Islam. And hidden within all of that, was its intrinsic act of not depicting everything as a mechanical construct — not showing God as DC Comics puts it; a being with no free will… a machine. Unfortunately, others are still bound to that interpretation. Regardless of that, I hope this helped. Have a nice day!
