Source Text

The mysticism of the Muslim Sufis is based on submission[2] to the will of the all-powerful and compassionate God.[3] According to Sufi teachings, love and a passionate longing to see and know and unite with God is the force—above all else—that propels a soul to spiritual glory. “The Sufi, like the Yogi, is turned inward in the quest for a superior Reality which manifests in the most profound depths of his soul (Vaudeville, 195).

In the Sufi view, the unity of God means that God is Only: There is none but God.[6] This radically non-dualist understanding of the only-ness or irreducible wholeness of God is considered blasphemous by orthodox Muslims.

In a related definition, Ruh, the human soul, is regarded by most Sufi schools as akin to Allah (as a ray from the sun, or a wave upon the sea), and the perfected soul can actually merge into perfect unity with Allah (cf. “Atman is Brahman”).

The so-called Baghdad School (of Sufism), begun by Ma’ruf Karhki (d. 815 ce), contributed heavily in establishing divine love as the principle vehicle on the path of God realization. Abul Husayn an-Nuri (d. 907 ce) of the Baghdad School, in his book Stations of the Heart, was the first Sufi to use the Arabic term ishq (“intense longing” or “love-desire”) to describe his relationship to Allah (Faqir, 32).

Everyone speaks of going there, But I do not know where that Paradise is! They do not understand the mystery of their own self Yet they give a description of Paradise! Even though many of Kabir’s poems are devoted to his beloved Ram, the frequent allusions to the self-annihilating absorption in the Divine show that Kabir could also be considered a nirguni[15]—a devotee of the formless Absolute.

AI Summary

Smiling in the Same Language by Adyashakti presents key insights from the Advaita Vedanta tradition. The 5 passages above capture the essential teachings.

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