Definitions
On a certain Newsgroup recently someone asked if I could stipulate the difference between Sufism and Islam - if there is one - and if I could explain what Sufism is.
I always decline these sort of questions because a) I usually don’t know much more than the asker and b) I’m not a Sufi and need to keep in mind that I don’t know what I’m talking about. There is always the possibility that someone will take my witterings seriously and that’s not the sort of thing I need going into the book of Judgement which is already pretty full. I’m always pretty careful to create a bad impression but still....you never know....these are strange times.
Anyway, I digress. I was contemplating this for my own satisfaction for a while and accordingly trawled through some Sufi Classics on the matter. I think my favourite comes from Idries Shah’s small pamphlet Observations
I shall share it here as it seems pretty much spot-on:
Religion is often confused with religiosity, just as it is confused with emotionality and obsession. Spirituality is the essence of religion: and there is, again, an essence of spirituality. Sufism is the essence of essences.
There is much food for thought in this short description. Anyone have any other definitions? Agree/disagree?
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