Salaams and Hi,
I seem to have been a bit unclear (not an unknown occurrence)
When I was speaking about the point you were having trouble with, I was referring only to the transmission of Sufism, not all the various different transmissions such as the Taoist and the like.
I hope that this helps with your understanding of what I was trying to say.
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Posted by Mushtaq Ali on 08/01 at 01:40 AM
Hi Mushtaq
thanks, yeah - I always need a little help with my understanding! :D
Very interesting blog you have btw - keep up the good work!
Posted by on 08/01 at 08:23 AM
The Hidden Conversation
There is a fascinating post on Mary Magdalene and the ‘Is Sufism Islamic’ debate (July 22nd) on Mushtaq Ali’s blog Traceless Warrior.
The Mary Magdalene aspect is fascinating but I will focus on the wider debate because I have a great interest in this question as I am working on topics which impinge on this area with my dissertation which is concerned with the antecedents of the Sufi Malamati tradition and its possible evolution from Syriac Christianity as well as earlier parallels in the Greek school of the Cynics. Clearly, in an academic sense, it is beyond doubt (as Ali concedes) that these parallels exist and that something very similar to Sufism existed before Islam - albeit not recognized by that name. Indeed, Classical Sufi Masters are frequently on record as stating as much.