Islamic Studies Essay

What is a Sufi and what do they contribute to our serviceman today? How do they affect people especiall(a)y the Islamic shapes? What contributions did they suck in to the tenet nearly beau ideal? How argon they different or how ar they the comparable? Citing 2 of the major Sufi figures, we would be able to learn what how their t for each oneings atomic number 18 the like and how they be different from whizz an new(prenominal). We would samely find out how these dickens imparted their knowledge on the people and how they contributed to the invigoration of the Islamic mootrs.Sufi is derived from an Arabic formulate suf which sum wool. This was used to call the Muslim ascetics and mystics because the Sufis dress is make out of this material. Sufis ar actually benignant beings who go for transcendent devotions to matinee idol or to Allah that they forget their very own selves because of the musical theme that their soul is absorbed into divinity. They engage themselves in devotional practices that raise them higher until they reached the top that they believe that they ar unrivaled with matinee idol.Their tactual sensation and accomplishs are usually subjects of suspicion by Muslim theologians and lawyers because their actions are near down in the mouth but the Sufis inclination is to teach happiness and that we should separate ourselves from the blase things and discover immortal in our hearts. They strain illumination and they what they affect is harmony. A Sufis sentiment is that in that respect is more than to purport than reasonable experiencing the physical things. They also consider having a much great mission why we are viable and that they also believe that virtuosos own self is not a barrier to the illusions that they were able to see (Khan).Examining the life and teachings of devil Major Sufi Figures, we go off see how they differ in their teachings and how similar their hidden pronouncements are. Abu H amid al Ghazali was oneness of the exceptional scholars and Sufi in Islam. His life and his whole kit and caboodle are still studied by theologians, of jurisprudence and philosophy and mystic school of thought. Al Ghazali started study when his father left(p) him and his br opposite below the care of a Sufi admirer before he died. His father left them money with a request that the Sufi must see to it that they entrust be taught how to read and write.When the funds ran out they were move to school where Ghazali excelled in Islam studies, he became a teacher but with his decision, he stop teaching because of a Sufi belief that his motivation for teaching is not for Allah. As he was interest a Sufi path which has prerequisites that you should give up everything and out of work yourself and do everything for the sake of Allah (Cole). Ghazali spent the repose of his digests going on a religious journey for 11 historic period and went spine to Tus, he taught for awhile and whence he stayed for another 9 years until his end. What were Al Ghazalis thoughts that influenced the Muslims?Al Ghazalis techniques were adopt from the Aristotelian logic and the Neoplatonic procedures. Al Ghazali wants to hear divinitys existence from the foot to Asharite proof. Ghazali believes that divinitys attributes are something different from, yet added to, Gods essence. That he believes that God has attributes wish charitable beings that is knowledgeable, has life and his own volition, keister see, piece of tail hear and can talk He also believed that whatever happened from design until now, with the changes that are happening in this world is near a result of Gods knowledge, His own will and his force (Nakamura).Al Ghazali as well believes that there are cardinal powers affecting benignant acts, that is of God and the pityings power in him. This belief of Al Ghazali implicates that human action is both Gods will and that it is at the same time acquired by that human from God and this is what Al Ghazali wants to harmonize, Gods Omnipotence and the souls tariff for his elect action (Nakamura). Al Ghazali believes that God can place any obligations that he wishes upon humans, that He gives rewards and punishments according to the persons faithfulness to God and that Gods acts are beyond humans judgment.The thought that God created all creatures he cannot be un notwithstanding (Nakamura). Ghazali, as one of the greatest theologians really go a deep and lasting influence. His teachings spread to Europe, influenced the Judaic and the Christian Scholasticism crimson choose by St. Thomas Aquinas. With his strong tilt in favor of religion, he was criminate of damaging the cause of philosophy (Averros). another(prenominal) Sufi figure is Shayk Ahmad al-Ansai who is a native of Eastern Arabia. He is under the protection of the princes of Qajar who were trusty for the restoration of Shiism as the state religion of Iran. piffling is known about Shayk Ahmad but his usance of the symbolic language and the controversial mystical Shayki crop that was established after his chassis was known only after his death (Cole). What are the teachings and the influences of Shayk AnsaI to the Muslims and the belief about God? Shayk Ahmad put studied this look from a prophet God wrote a Text (kitabah) two railyard years before He created the universe, on a myrtle leaf that He caused to grow. He placed it upon the Throne, then called out O community of Muhammadpeace be upon him and his mobMy grace transcends My wrath.I ingest prone to you before you even asked, and for attached over you before you sought-after(a) forgiveness. Whoso among you bears witness that there is no God but Me, and that Muhammad is My servant and messenger, I shall pathfinder him into paradise by reason of my compassion (Cole). Shayk AnsaI believes that the text, took form of a undulate which are made up of lines which then God shaped the wo rld (Cole). He believes that God as the Universal ground and as the Universal soul. He explains that God called the Muslims before he even created the world. That Muslims even before asking whitethorn have the gift that they would ask for.Thus these Muslims would bet on their devotion to God. Shayk AnsaI compared the human existence to a leaf that like the lines in a leaf, human beings are the embodiments of that pre existing text on earth. Shayk Ahmad quotes, in his mystical and his theological anthology, from one of the in condition(p) about how the Tree of Certainty was created by God. The passage says that there is a pinnacle of Muhammad in a shape of a peacock, which would eulogy God for seventy thousand years. That this peacock bowed to God fin times thus where the 5 casual of Islam originated.From the light from Muhammad, the spirits of the believers were created they then became the Muslims. These two beliefs and teachings from two major Sufi figures vaunt a differen ce in their teachings. star difference that they have is that the belief of the creation of the world. In the belief of Al Ghazali, that human were created as a result of Gods knowledge, His own will and his power. This implicates that this was the quality of God to create human beings and other creatures. That it is Gods will that human beings be made and not barely an accidental circumstance.Unlike the belief of Shayk Ahmad that Muslims were chosen even before the creation of the world and that they are the chosen ones. The belief that through the light of Muhammad the souls of the followers were made is a different belief to what Al Ghazali stated. another(prenominal) difference that has been cited is that, Al Ghazali believes that a person is responsible for his own action. The reward and punishment given by God counts on the persons obedience and disobedience. This means that there would be a just distribution of the graces and punishments depending on how one exserts his life.This may mean that a person is responsible for his own life. Unlike the belief of Shayk Ahmad, that since Muslims were chosen by God before the creation, they were given the graces before they ask of it. They just depend on their devotional practices in order to praise God and receive the graces that they are longing for. Another difference that these two Sufi figures have is the belief of Al Ghazali that human beings have their own muster out will and that they are the ones responsible for dungeon their own lives. What would happen to them would be unnatural by Gods power and the consequence of their own action.Shayk Ahmads belief on this one is that Muslims, the chosen ones will be blessed. No takings how they live their lives they will be given the graces they seek. They just have to practice their daily devotions for them to have their graces even before they ask of it. thus far they are not at all different. They also have the same attributes. unity same belief both of these Sufi figures have is that human beings were created by one irresponsible Being. They are created by God, stock-still different they may be in presenting how creatures came to life, but they are still from one God.Another is that, they both believe that there is one Supreme Being that they pick out to look up to and give praise for what we have in this world. They both believe that there is a God that we have to thank for our very own lives and for our public existence. Another thing that they are the same is that they both believe God gives us graces. How different their beliefs is on how they are given by God, they are in an pledge that God gives human beings blessings that they need. We can see as we have compared the two major Sufi figures, we were able to see how the same and how different their teachings can be.The teachings that they imparted on the Muslims touch their beliefs and divided them into different sects. It is the persons choice now of whom to believe in order to live their life following what that Supreme Being expects of His creations. As we can see, no matter whom we follow, no matter what belief we have, the guidance of that one Supreme Being is very important to each one of us. There is neither little religion nor sect which would say that this is the even up one for us, but what is important that we have our own beliefs.We have our own rights to practice what we believe in order for us to have that life that God valued us to have. All we have to keep in mind now is how to live a life that may be harmonious with others, that we would be decreasing conflicts with other believers. One practice that one may do, help Christians to be good Christians or help Muslims to be good Muslims, no matter what religion you are, you are a creation of God.Works Cited Cole, Juan R. I. Individualism and the religious Path in Shaykh Ahmad al-Ahsai.Occasional Papers in Shaykhi, Babi and Bahai Studies No. 4 (September, 1997). http//www. h-ne t. org/Bahai/bhpapers/ahsaind. htm Cole, Juan R. I. Cosmologies of Shaykh Ahmad al-Ahsai. The World as Text Cosmologies of Shaykh Ahmad al-Ahsai. (1994) http//www-personal. umich.edu/jrcole/ahsai2. htm Khan, Hidayat Inayat. What is a Sufi?The International Sufi Movement. (June 2005) http//www. sufimovement. org/whatsufiis. htm http//www. ghazali. org/articles/gz1. htm http//www. h-net. org/Bahai/areprint/ahsai/ahsai. htm.