Sufism Sufism ( or ) is a mysticism, mystic body of religious practice found within Islam which is characterized by a focus on Islamic Tazkiyah, purification, spirituality, ritualism, and Asceticism#Islam, asceticism. Practitioners of Sufism are r ...

, a (Arabic ) is a

novice A novice is a person who has entered a religious order and is under probation, before taking vows. A ''novice'' can also refer to a person (or animal e.g. racehorse) who is entering a profession with no prior experience. Religion Buddhism ...

committed to spiritual enlightenment by (traversing a path) under a spiritual guide, who may take the title , or . A or Sufi follower only becomes a when he makes a pledge () to a . The equivalent Persian term is . The

initiation Initiation is a rite of passage marking entrance or acceptance into a group or society. It could also be a formal admission to adulthood in a community or one of its formal components. In an extended sense, it can also signify a transformatio ...

process of a is known as () or . Before initiation, a is instructed by his guide, who must first accept the initiate as his disciple. Throughout the instruction period, the typically experiences waridates like visions and dreams during personal spiritual awrads and exercises. These visions are interpreted by the . A common practice among the early Sufi orders was to grant a or a robe to the upon the initiation or after he had progressed through a series of increasingly difficult and significant tasks on the path of mystical development until attaining stage. This practice is not very common now. Murīds often receive books of instruction from and often accompany itinerant on their wanderings. A fundamental practice involves teaching the mûrîd (Arabic: موريد "the disciple") an array of seven "names". #The first one consists in repeating lâ ilâha ilal 'llâhu (Arabic: لا إله إلا الله "there is no god except God") between 12,000 and 70,000 times in a day and night. If the mûršîd (Arabic: مُرشِد "the spiritual guide") is satisfied with the mûrîd's progress, then the mûrîd is allowed to continue with the six remaining names: # Allâh (Arabic: الله "God") three times; # huwa (Arabic: هو "He is"), # ḥaqq (Arabic: الحق "The Absolute Truth") three times; # ḥayy (Arabic: الحى "The Ever- Living) three times; # qayyûm (Arabic: القيوم "The Sustainer, The Self Subsisting") three times; # qahhâr (Arabic: القهار "The Ever-Dominating").

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Sufi Live

World Sufi Media
Arabic words and phrases Sufism {{Sufism-stub

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