Editing Sufism (section)

==Definitions==
The Arabic word {{Transliteration|ar|tasawwuf}} ({{lit.|'Sufism'}}), generally translated as Sufism, is commonly defined by Western authors as Islamic mysticism.<ref name=chittick-OEIW>{{cite encyclopedia|first=William C. |last=Chittick |title=Sufism. ṢūfĪ Thought and Practice|encyclopedia=The Oxford Encyclopedia of the Islamic World|editor-first=John L.|editor-last=Esposito|publisher=Oxford University Press|location=Oxford |year=2009 |url=http://www.oxfordislamicstudies.com/article/opr/t236/e0759|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100603195417/http://www.oxfordislamicstudies.com/article/opr/t236/e0759|url-status=dead|archive-date=June 3, 2010}}</ref><ref name="Ernst-2004">{{cite encyclopedia|first=Carl W.|last=Ernst|title=Tasawwuf|editor-first=Richard C.|editor-last=Martin |encyclopedia=Encyclopedia of Islam and the Muslim World|publisher=MacMillan Reference USA|year=2004}}</ref><ref>{{citation |author=Qamar-ul Huda |title=Striving for Divine Union: Spiritual Exercises for Suhraward Sufis |pages=1–4 |year=2003 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=t1ORAgAAQBAJ |publisher=RoutledgeCurzon |isbn=9781135788438}}</ref> The Arabic term {{Transliteration|ar|Sufi}} has been used in Islamic literature with a wide range of meanings, by both proponents and opponents of Sufism.<ref name=chittick-OEIW/> Classical Sufi texts, which stressed certain teachings and practices of the [[Quran]] and the [[sunnah]] (exemplary teachings and practices of the Islamic prophet [[Muhammad]]), gave definitions of ''tasawwuf'' that described ethical and spiritual goals{{refn|group=note|The following are among definitions of Sufism quoted in an early Sufi treatise by [[Abu Nasr as-Sarraj]]:
<br />{{•}} "Sufism is that you should be with God—without any attachment." ([[Junayd of Baghdad]])
<br />{{•}} "Sufism consists of abandoning oneself to God in accordance with what God wills." ([[Ruwaym ibn Ahmad]])
<br />{{•}} "Sufism is that you should not possess anything nor should anything possess you." (Samnun)
<br />{{•}} "Sufism consists of entering every exalted quality (khulq) and leaving behind every despicable quality." (Abu Muhammad al-Jariri)
<br />{{•}} "Sufism is that at each moment the servant should be in accord with what is most appropriate (awla) at that moment." ('Amr ibn 'Uthman al-Makki)
}} and functioned as teaching tools for their attainment. Many other terms that described particular spiritual qualities and roles were used instead in more practical contexts.<ref name=chittick-OEIW/><ref name="Ernst-2004"/>

Some modern scholars have used other definitions of Sufism such as the "intensification of Islamic faith and practice"<ref name=chittick-OEIW/> and the "process of realizing ethical and spiritual ideals".<ref name="Ernst-2004"/>

The term Sufism was originally introduced into European languages in the 18th century by Orientalist scholars, who viewed it mainly as an intellectual doctrine and literary tradition at variance with what they saw as sterile [[monotheism]] of Islam. It was often mistaken as a universal mysticism in contrast to legalistic orthodox Islam.<ref>Huss, Boaz. "“A Remarkable Resemblance:” Comparative Mysticism and the Study of Sufism and Kabbalah." Esoteric Transfers and Constructions: Judaism, Christianity, and Islam (2021): 249–272.</ref> In recent times, historian [[Nile Green]] has argued against such distinctions, stating, in the Medieval period Sufism and Islam were more or less the same.<ref>{{cite book
  |title=Islam, Literature and Society in Mongol Anatolia
  |author=Andrew A.C.S. Peacock
  |year=2019
  |doi=10.1017/9781108582124
 |isbn=978-1-108-58212-4
 |s2cid=211657444
 }}</ref> In modern scholarly usage, the term serves to describe a wide range of social, cultural, political and religious phenomena associated with Sufis.<ref name="Ernst-2004"/>

Sufism has been variously defined as "Islamic [[mysticism]]",<ref>{{cite encyclopedia |year=2006 |title=Ṣūfism and the Qurʾān |encyclopedia=[[Encyclopaedia of the Qurʾān]] |publisher=[[Brill Publishers]] |location=[[Leiden]] |editor-last=McAuliffe |editor-first=Jane Dammen |editor-link=Jane Dammen McAuliffe |volume=V |doi=10.1163/1875-3922_q3_EQCOM_00196 |isbn=90-04-14743-8 |author-last=Knysh |author-first=Alexander D.}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |author-last=Milani |author-first=Milad |title=Handbook of New Religions and Cultural Production |publisher=[[Brill Publishers]] |year=2012 |isbn=978-90-04-22187-1 |editor1-last=Cusack |editor1-first=Carol |series=Brill Handbooks on Contemporary Religion |volume=4 |location=[[Leiden]] |pages=659–680 |chapter=The Cultural Products of Global Sufism |doi=10.1163/9789004226487_027 |issn=1874-6691 |editor2-last=Norman |editor2-first=Alex}}</ref><ref name="Martin Lings 1983, p.15">Martin Lings, ''What is Sufism?'' (Lahore: Suhail Academy, 2005; first imp. 1983, second imp. 1999), p.15</ref> "the mystical expression of Islamic faith",<ref>{{cite encyclopedia |year=2014 |title=Sufis and Sufism |encyclopedia=Encyclopedia of Psychology and Religion |publisher=[[Springer Science+Business Media|Springer Verlag]] |location=[[Boston]] |last=Halligan |first=Fredrica R. |editor-last=Leeming |editor-first=David A. |editor-link=David Adams Leeming |edition=2nd |pages=1750–1751 |doi=10.1007/978-1-4614-6086-2_666 |isbn=978-1-4614-6087-9}}</ref> "the inward dimension of Islam",<ref>Titus Burckhardt, ''Art of Islam: Language and Meaning'' (Bloomington: World Wisdom, 2009), p. 223</ref><ref>Seyyed Hossein Nasr, ''The Essential Seyyed Hossein Nasr'', ed. William C. Chittick (Bloomington: World Wisdom, 2007), p. 74</ref> "the phenomenon of mysticism within Islam",<ref name="EI2" /><ref>Martin Lings, ''What is Sufism?'' (Lahore: Suhail Academy, 2005; first imp. 1983, second imp. 1999), p.12: "Mystics on the other hand-and Sufism is a kind of mysticism-are by definition concerned above all with 'the mysteries of the Kingdom of Heaven'".</ref> the "main manifestation and the most important and central crystallization" of mystical practice in Islam,<ref>Compare: {{cite book |last1=Nasr |first1=Seyyed Hossein |author-link1=Seyyed Hossein Nasr |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0YQhoPEih04C |title=The Essential Seyyed Hossein Nasr |date=2007 |publisher=World Wisdom, Inc |isbn=9781933316383 |editor1-last=Chittick |editor1-first=William C. |editor1-link=William Chittick |series=The perennial philosophy series |location=Bloomington, Indiana |page=74 |quote=Sufism is the esoteric or inward dimension of Islam [...] Islamic esoterism is, however [...] not exhausted by Sufism [...] but the main manifestation and the most important and central crystallization of Islamic esotericism is to be found in Sufism. |access-date=2017-06-24}}</ref><ref>{{harvnb|Shah|1964–2014|p=30}}. "According to Idries Shah, Sufism is as old as Adam and is the essence of all religions, monotheistic or not." See [[Perennial philosophy]]</ref> and "the interiorization and intensification of Islamic faith and practice".{{sfn|Chittick|2007|p= 22}}