Aspects of Sufism

Some websites for History 3805, fall 2013:

Sufi poetry by Rumi.

Sufi music and dance at the Smithsonian Institution. Go to 12:00.

Qadiriyya dhikr.

Dhikr and dancing in Chechnya.

A video explaining a Sufi view of religion. 2:30-6:00.

Is Sufism part of Islam? A critical view.

A famous Bollywood musical routine that seems to me to be Sufi influenced. Note the lyrics.

Links I used for today's lecture in HIST 3805, "Scholars and Sufis"

Some of the recent material I used.  In the case of YouTube pages, the comments are often very instructive.


Scholars and legalism

The Order for Hijab in the Holy Qur'an  -- a modern guide.

Road to Hijab themuslimwoman.com urges readers to love hijab.

Blog entry on wearing hijab in Cairo, 2008 -- a visitor observes recent practices and attitudes in Egypt's capital.

Sufis and mysticism

Healing Power of Sufi Meditation -- Chanting that evokes the Prophet.

Sufi Dancing in Istanbul

Sufi Whirling – OSHO in India -- sufi practice borrowed by non-Muslims.

Sufi Trance Project – Infinity-- a modern face?

Sufi Dancing in Saskatoon  -- it cuts across many boundaries.

A Sufi poetry collection -- love poems to God?

A sample of sufi poetry -- for students in HIST 3805

For non-Muslims in countries that are historically non-Muslim, understanding the sufi tradition in Islam is perhaps difficult.  It's mystical -- concerned with direct contact with God -- rather than legalistic.


Perhaps the best way to get the flavor is to read sufi poetry, which might be described as "love poetry to God." Wahiduddin's Web, an English-language site devoted to the sufi tradition, has a collection of translated poetry from some famous mystics.

Historians: write like this

I guess it would be boring if everyone wrote alike; but the world could certainly use more scholars like Patricia Crone, author of God's Rule, and many other works on Islamic history. The clarity and grace with which she explains complicated phenomena are a joy to see. for instance, this passage from page 340 of God's Rule:

To a greater or lesser degree, all Sufis stepped out of the social rules for a realm of freedom, permanently, temporarily, or just momentarily, to escape the endless demands of family and friends and the rigid rules of social etiquette, seeking to find a deeper meaning to life. Originally, they did not form a hierarchy themselves. But all places of escape fill up as news of their attractions spreads, and all develop organization in the process. By the end of our period, the Sufis were no longer back-packing tourists in an untouched and exotic world. The great Sufi orders were under formation and there were now Sufi hierarchies in this world reflecting angelic hierarchies in the next. The leaders of such hierarchies, though wealthy and influential, still did not have actual political or military power, but that too was to come, especially in tribal areas, if only after our period.

Iraq, early summer 2007

Those of you interested in the history of Sufism and its connection with current events may want to look at this background blog post on Sufism in connection with the bombing of a Sufi shrine in Iraq. This is exactly what Cole is expert in, so it's worth a look.

Meanwhile over at The Vanity Press, Chester Scoville has this right-on-the-button critique of the American delusions that lead to bad foreign policy winning popular support. I won't excerpt -- I'm hoping people will read what Scoville has to say.