A sālik is a follower of
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 ...
, from the verb ''salaka'' which means to travel or follow, related to ''sulūk'' "pathway". ''Sulūk'' here specifically refers to a spiritual path, i.e. the combination of the two "paths" that can be followed in religion, the exoteric path or
shariah
Sharia, Sharī'ah, Shari'a, or Shariah () is a body of religious law that forms a part of the Islamic tradition based on scriptures of Islam, particularly the Qur'an and hadith. In Islamic terminology ''sharīʿah'' refers to immutable, intan ...
, and the esoteric path or
haqiqa
Haqiqa (Arabic "truth") is one of "the four stages" in Sufism, (exoteric path), (esoteric path), (mystical truth) and (final mystical knowledge, ''unio mystica'').
The four stages
Shariat
is Islamic law or Islamic jurisprudence as revea ...
.
The "path" metaphor is derived from the Qur'an: see
sura 16, (An-Nahl, The Bees), ayat 69:
:''faslukī subula rabbiki dhululan'' "and follow the ways of your Lord made easy
or you, which uses the imperative of the verb ''salaka'' which means to follow or to travel.
A ''sālik'' is also called
murid
In Sufism, a (Arabic ) is a novice 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 Pers ...
when one becomes a disciple to one particular spiritual teacher (
murshid
''Murshid'' () is Arabic for "guide" or "teacher", derived from the root ''r-sh-d'', with the basic meaning of having integrity, being sensible, mature. Particularly in Sufism it refers to a Spiritual director, spiritual guide. The term is freque ...
) or a Sufi master.
See also
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Tariqa
A ''tariqa'' () is a religious order of Sufism, or specifically a concept for the mystical teaching and spiritual practices of such an order with the aim of seeking , which translates as "ultimate truth".
A tariqa has a (guide) who plays the ...
*
Talibe
A talibé (also spelled ''talibe'', plural ''talibés''; , 'student'; pl. ) is a boy, usually from Senegal, the Gambia, Guinea, Guinea-Bissau, Chad, Mali or Mauritania, who studies the Quran at a daara (West African equivalent of madrasa). This ...
*
Murid
In Sufism, a (Arabic ) is a novice 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 Pers ...
*
Wasil
*
Majzoob
*
Muqarrab
*
References
*L. Levisohn, 'The Spiritual Journey in Kubrawi Sufism' in: Lawson (ed.), ''Reason and Inspiration in Islam: Theology, Philosophy and Mysticism in Muslim Thought, 2006, ,
ooks.google.ch/books?id=Bq9zSbNr8gIC&pg=PA364 364-379''
Sufi philosophy
Islamic terminology
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