The Teachings of Sufism: A Comparative Study of Ansari and Rumi

This essay delves into the core tenets of Sufism, an Islamic mystical tradition, by examining the teachings of Abdullah Ansari of Herat and Rumi. It explores five key teachings: love, chanting the Divine Name, entering into devotion and service, leveling in Rumi, and working with dreams. The essay analyzes the broader nature of Sufism, emphasizing its inclusive approach that transcends sects and promotes tolerance, love, and peace. It also addresses the question of whether Sufism is primarily mysticism, concluding that it is a broader worship style. The analysis highlights the importance of love and selfless service as the foundation of Sufi practices, emphasizing the pursuit of divine connection and the purification of the soul. The paper concludes by reaffirming the significance of the teachings of Ansari and Rumi in understanding Sufism's essence as a path towards spiritual enlightenment and a life of devotion. The essay utilizes scholarly sources to support its claims.

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Religion of Islam
Introduction
Sufism refers to an Islamic mystical belief as well as practice. Through Sufism, Muslims
aim at finding the truth in regard to divine love along with knowledge through direct and
personal experience with their God. Sufism comprises several mystical paths that are formulated
such that they ascertain the true nature of God and that of humanity along with facilitating a
global presence of wisdom and divine love. Despite that Islamic mysticism’s roots are
considered to have stemmed from several non-Islamic sources in ancient India and Europe, the
movement is a result of early Islamic asceticism resulting from an increased number of Muslim
communities globally. The paper addresses Sufism by discussing five main teachings by
Abdullah Ansari of Herat and Rumi. Besides, the paper will explain what the teachings tell
regarding Sufism’s nature broadly and whether Sufism is primarily mysticism.
Five Main Teachings
Among the main teachings by Abdullah Ansari of Herat and Rumi is love. According to
Sufis, people annihilate themselves in the Beloved by following the path of love. Based on these
teachings, human love is divided into three. The first type of love is friendship which is
dependent on social convections. In this type of love, two people love each other but they do not

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have expectations of each other and are regarded as love among ordinary people (Jones 363).
The other type of love is founded on more solid ground and is experienced among individuals
that live together. In this type of love, the individuals possess a mutual expectation and include
love among families and profound love ("Sufi Teachings to Light Your Way"). The last type of
love is founded on the principle that a person is there for another person despite of their
personality or character and they accept whatever the other person wants without expecting
anything in return.
The second teaching involves chanting the Divine Name which is common among
spiritual traditions. Chanting the divine name is a spiritual practice aimed at purifying the mind
as well as achieving divine qualities. When chanting the divine name, Sufis engages in ritual
dances and the chanting is more ecstatic compared to other traditional chanting (Aljunied 72).
This type of chanting is considered to transform an individual’s vibration, energizing their
chakras, and raises their body, mind, as well as spirit to a greater level of consciousness. The
Qur’an 13: 28 acknowledges that the Hearts become tranquil by remembering Allah.
Besides, entering into devotion and service is the other main teaching with regard to
Sufiism. The most crucial message among Sufis is remembering God and serving others. Sufism
considers service to be the true practice of devotion and acknowledges that for a person to serve
the beloved, they should first serve others. Similarly, loving others means that an individual who
follows these teachings is in a position to get rid of judgments, arrogance, as well as divisive
qualities (Vatchagaev 33). Sufism’s twin pillars comprise of love as well as selfless service. Only
a person that loves can serve. As a result, only a person that shows love can start serving other
people and in return expect nothing.

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The fourth teaching is to level in Rumi. Based on this teaching, a person’s obligation is
not seeking for love but rather seeking and finding all the hindrances within themselves, which
they have built against love. Jalaluddin Rumi was the most influential of the Sufi poets during
the 13th century. Rumi was of believe that the path to reach God involved using dance, music,
and poetry (Bilqies 63). Rumi’s belief was that the use of music assisted the devotees to
concentrate entirely on the divine, and this was to be done intensely to destroy and resurrect the
soul.
The last teaching was working with an individual’s dreams. As a way of seeking
guidance, wisdom, and clarity, ancient Sufis consulted their dreams. This was considered an
essential tool in helping them during their spiritual path. When a person sleeps, they return from
where they came from by resting on the arms of inspiration (Hill 402). Sufism teachings on
working with a person’s dreams are based on the concept that dreams an essential portal linking
a person to the divine as well as higher guidance.
The Broader Nature of Sufism
The above five main teachings explain a broader nature of Sufism. While Sufism may at
times be misunderstood as a sect linked to Islam, actually, it is a broader worship style that
surpasses sects, directing the attention of its followers inwards ("Who Are Sufi Muslims and
Why Do Some Extremists Hate Them?"). Practices associate with Sufism major on renunciation
of earthly things, purification o souls, as well as the mystical contemplation of the nature of God.
Sufism followers try as much as possible to get closer to their God by pursuing spiritual
learnings referred to as tariqa.

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Sufism and Mysticism
Based on this analysis, Sufism is not primarily mysticism but something broader. Sufi
Islam's view in modern times is that of tolerance, love, and peace. This style of worship is linked
to peace-loving Islam. In Egypt, for instance, the followers of these style of worship are
considered moderate and manageable individuals that are unlikely to get involved in political
activity since their priorities that are oriented inwardly (Ridgeon 13).
Conclusion
As discussed in this short paper, there are five main teachings by Abdullah Ansari of
Herat and Rumi. They comprise of love, chanting the Divine Name, entering into devotion and
service, level in Rumi, and working with an individual’s dreams. Dreams are viewed as special
portals that link a person to a divine and higher guidance. Through the teachings of Abdullah
Ansari of Herat and Rumi, it is evident that Sufism is a broader style of worship that surpasses
sects that are linked to Islam. As a result, Sufism is not primarily mysticism but a style of
worship that advocates for tolerance, love, and peace.

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Works Cited
"Sufi Teachings to Light Your Way". UPLIFT, 2020. Online. Internet. 3 Apr. 2020. . Available:
https://upliftconnect.com/sufi-teachings-light-your-way/.
"Who Are Sufi Muslims and Why Do Some Extremists Hate Them?". Nytimes.com, 2020.
Online. Internet. 3 Apr. 2020. . Available:
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Aljunied, Khairudin. "Reorienting Sufism: Hamka and Islamic Mysticism in the Malay
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Bilqies, Shahida. "Understanding the concept of Islamic Sufism." Journal of Education & Social
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Hill, Joseph. "A mystical cosmopolitanism: Sufi Hip Hop and the aesthetics of Islam in
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Jones, Linda G. "Mystical Encounters: Locating Sufis and Sufism in the Biographical Writings
of Ibn al-Khaṭīb." Medieval Encounters 20.4-5 (2014): 352-382.
Ridgeon, Lloyd. "Mysticism in Medieval Sufism." The Cambridge Companion to Sufism (2015):
125-49.
Vatchagaev, Mairbek. "The politicization of Sufism in Chechnya." Caucasus Survey 1.2 (2014):
25-35.