Sufism : Tasawwuf, the inner mystical dimension of Islam, emerged among the Shi’ites as a reaction against the worldliness of the early Umayyad Caliphate that was set up in 668. Though Prophet Muhammad is the Al-Insān al-Kāmil, the primary perfect man who exemplifies the morality of God, hence the prime spiritual guide for all Sufis, they often belong to different Turuqs (orders or congregations) formed around a grand master referred to as a Mawla who maintains a direct chain of teachers back to the Prophet. All orders trace many of their original precepts from the Prophet through Ali ibn Abi Tālib, except the Naqshbandi order who trace their origins through Abu Bakr. Sufism includes the greatest of the Persian poets – Abu Said ibn Abi-l-Khair, Ferid ed-Din Attar, Hafiz, Omar Khayyam, & Jalal ed-Din Rumi. The highly developed symbolism of the soul’s union with God is expressed in exquisite lyric style. Some Sufis consider Sufism universal, its roots predating the rise of Islam & Christianity; traditional Sufis, such as Bastami, Rumi, Veli, Baghdadi, & Al-Ghazali, define it as purely based upon the teachings of the Prophet & the tenets of Islam; while orthodox Muslims deem it outside Islam. Some scholars see in it the influence of Christianity & Neo-Platonism & some others see it as an Aryan reaction against Semite cultural influence. Sufis have spanned several continents & cultures over a millennium, originally expressing their beliefs in Arabic, before spreading into Persian, Turkish, & Urdu among dozens of other languages.
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