Mustafa Kara on the history and concepts of Sufism and the Sufi orders.

• Introduction
  Just as the human being possesses intellectual and physical capacities, so too does he possess qalb (the heart
• The Emergence of Sufism
  According to classical classifications, one of the Islamic sciences is Sufism (taṣawwuf). Although its origins
• Who is a Sufi?
  Junayd: The Sufi is like the earth. Everything bad is thrown upon him, yet nothing emerges from him except wha
• What is Sufism?
  Nasrabazi: To adhere to the Qur'an and hadith, not to follow one's caprice and desires, to show respect to sha
• Zuhd and Riyāḍa
  In the early period of Islam, the term zuhd (asceticism) was used instead of the word Sufism (taṣawwuf). In it
• Irfan
  The aspect of Sufism (taṣawwuf) examined under the headings of asceticism (zuhd) and spiritual discipline (riy
• Sultans of the Heart
  It is not difficult to estimate that there have been thousands of Sufis who contributed to the transmission of
• Rabia
  The greatest female figure in the history of Sufism (taṣawwuf) is Rābiʿa al-ʿAdawiyya. Hailing from Basra, Rab
• Junayd
  Junayd al-Baghdadi, the leader of the Baghdad School, as indicated by his epithet "Ṭāwūs al-ʿulamāʾ" (the peac
• Hamdun Kassar
  Hamdun Kassar is the greatest representative of the Malāmatiyya school, which emerged in Khurasan in the 9th c
• Bistami
  One of the most charismatic and controversial Sufis of the 9th century is Tayfur, son of Isa, known as Bayazid
• Hallaj
  When the history of Sufism (taṣawwuf) is mentioned, one of the first names that comes to mind is Ḥusayn, son o
• Ibn Hafif
  ʿAbd Allāh b. Ḥafīf, one of the most renowned Sufis (mutasawwif) raised in Shiraz, was a Sufi who, on the one
• Historical Trajectory
  In order to better comprehend Sufi (taṣawwuf) thought, it will be beneficial to touch upon its historical traj
• Reaction
  In addition to this "internal criticism," there is also—so to speak—external criticism, that is, the criticism
• Let Us Go, O Heart, to the Friend
  It is a well-known fact that every branch of knowledge and every system has its own distinctive terminology, a
• Murīd–Murshid
  It has previously been indicated that the Sufi path is a discipline of the nafs (the lower self). In this disc
• Ināba–Tawba
  According to the Sufis, a person's entry into the Sufi life is a kind of "second birth." With this birth, two
• Khalwa–Retreat
  A person who, through physical purification cleanses their body and through spiritual purification elevates th
• Tawakkul–Contentment
  It has been indicated that the essence of asceticism (zuhd) is indifference to the world, to its wealth, fame,
• Dhikr-Deveran
  It would not be an exaggeration to say that Sufi life is an activity centered on dhikr (remembrance of God). I
• Wajd–Istiğrāq
  Wajd (ecstasy) means the state in which the dervish loses himself due to some cause. This "some cause" may be
• Inspiration – Maʿrifa
  The activity of seeking an answer to the question known in the West as epistemology—"from what source do peopl
• Sharia–Tariqa
  Just as the Sufi life has been the subject of volumes of books, it has also been expressed in very brief sente
• Love–Union (Aşk–Vuslat)
  Love–Union (Aşk–Vuslat) Among the most frequently used and explored words and sentiments in Sufism (taṣawwuf)
• Fanāʾ-Baqāʾ
  According to one classification, fanāʾ (annihilation in God) and its opposite, baqāʾ (subsistence in God), rep
• Tawhid–Unity
  It is well known that Islam is the religion of tawhid–unity (to unify, to believe in the oneness of Allah). Th
• Wahdat al-Wujūd
  Wahdat al-wujūd (the unity of being), one of the most frequently evoked and hotly debated terms when Sufism (t
• Contemplation–Critique
  The philosophy of Sufism, or the terminology of Sufi thought, points to the relationship of this life with con
• The Path from Heart to Heart
  It was previously indicated that the tariqas (tariqa, a Sufi path/order) known and recognized today were estab
• How Many Tariqas Are There?
  Here, the following question may be asked: Why did tariqas (Sufi orders) not form in association with the grea
• Common Elements
  When describing the aim of Sufic life, it has been stated that its goal is to cultivate the “perfect human” (i
• Are Sufi Orders Closed Societies?
  Changing one's madhhab (school of law) or adhering to more than one madhhab is generally not well regarded. In
• The Geography of Tariqas and Major Tariqas
  Rather than introducing all the tariqas (tariqa, a Sufi path/order) here, it is better to introduce a few that
• Bektashi Order
  Hacı Bektaş Veli (d. Hacıbektaş, 669/1271) The Bektashi Order is a tariqa (Sufi path/order) established in Ana
• Mevleviye
  Mevleviye (founded in Konya, 672/1273) The second major tariqa (Sufi path/order) established in Anatolia is th
• Bayramiye
  Hacı Bayram Veli (d. Ankara, d. 833/1430) The third tariqa (Sufi path/order) established in Anatolia is the Ba
• Rifaiyya
  Ahmad al-Rifāʿī (d. Wāsiṭ, 578/1183) Ahmad al-Rifāʿī, who was raised under the tutelage of his uncle Manṣūr Be
• Qadiriyya
  ʿAbd al-Qādir al-Jīlānī (d. Baghdad, 562/1160) The founder and spiritual master (pīr) of the Qadiriyya, one of
• Halvetiye
  Ömer Halvetī (d. Herat, 800/1398) Among the Sufi orders (tariqa) widespread in the Turkish world, the Halvetiy
• Cerrahiye
  Nureddin Cerrahi (d. Istanbul 1721) The Sufi poet Nureddin Cerrahi was born in 1678 in Cerrahpaşa, Istanbul. H
• Naqshbandiyya
  Malāuddin Naqshband (d. Bukhara 791/1389) This tariqa (Sufi path/order) attributed to Muhammad Bahāʾuddin, who
• Melamatiyya
  The 9th century is an important period in the formation of Sufi (taṣawwuf) life and thought. During these year
• From Lines to Hearts
  One of the expressions common in Sufi (taṣawwuf) circles is this: "Sufism is not a science of words, but a sci
• Arabic Works
  er-Riāya Ḥāris al-Muḥāsibī (d. Baghdad, 243/857) One of the oldest extant works that conveys to us the formati
• Persian Works
  Kashf al-Maḥjūb ʿAlī Hujwīrī (d. Lahore, 465/1072) This work by Hujwīrī, a contemporary of Qushayrī, is one of
• Turkish Works
  Many Turkish works related to Islamic sciences, especially those written during the Ottoman centuries, still r
• Menakibnamas
  In addition to these, there are also works from the Ottoman period that recount the lives of Sufis (mutasawwif
• Divans
  Divans have also played an important role in the understanding and transmission of Sufi (taṣawwuf) sensibility
• Other Sufi Authors
  It would not be an exaggeration to say that hundreds of works in Ottoman Turkish concerning Sufism (taṣawwuf)