Sufism: what is it and what are the key teachings?

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A man was chased off a cliff by a tiger. He fell, and just managed to hold onto a branch. Six feet above him stood the tiger, snarling. A hundred feet below, a violent sea lashed fierce-looking rocks. To his horror, he noticed that the branch he was clutching was being gnawed at its roots by two rats. Seeing he was doomed, he cried out, "O Lord, save me!"
He heard a Voice reply, "Of course, I will save you. But first, let go of the branch!"

[mehdi soldier]

you'll get everything you need to know about sufism from al-islam.org.here is the link to a search for "sufism":

http://al-islam.org/search.php?selec...&sid=686561212

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Originally Posted by mehdi soldier

you'll get everything you need to know about sufism from al-islam.org.here is the link to a search for "sufism":

http://al-islam.org/search.php?selec...&sid=686561212

Thanks Mehdi.

Here's another story:

A man being followed by a hungry tiger, turned in desperation to face it, and cried: "Why don't you leave me alone?"
The tiger answered: "Why don't you stop being so appetizing?"

[Bullet Magnet]

<dl><dd>Nasrudin sat on a river bank when someone shouted to him from the opposite side:</dd><dd>- "Hey! how do I get across?"</dd><dd>- "You are across!" Nasrudin shouted back.</dd></dl>

[coralie]

Sufism is a school for the actualization of divine ethics. It involves an enlightened inner being, not intellectual proof; revelation and witnessing, not logic. By divine ethics, we are referring to ethics which transcend mere social convention; a way of being which is the actualization of the attributes of God.

To explain the Truth is indeed a difficult task. Words, being limited, can never really express the Perfection of the Absolute, the Unbound. Thus, for those who are imperfect, words create doubt and misunderstanding. Yet:

If one cannot drink up the entire ocean,
one can drink to one's limit.

Philosophers have written volumes and spoken endlessly of the Truth, but somehow their efforts have always fallen short. For the sufi, philosophers are those who view the Perfection of the Absolute from a limited perspective; so all they see is part of the Absolute, not the Infinite in its entirety. It is indeed true that what philosophers see is correct; nevertheless, it is only a part of the whole.

One is reminded of Rumi's well-known story of a group of men in India who had never seen an elephant. One day they came to a place where an elephant was. In complete darkness they approached the animal, each man feeling it. Afterwards, they described what they thought they had perceived. Of course their descriptions were different. He who had felt a leg, imagined the elephant to be a pillar. The man who felt the animal's ear, described the elephant as a fan, and so on. Each one of their descriptions with respect to the various parts they had experienced was true. However, as far as accurately describing the whole, their conceptions had all fallen short. If they had had a candle, the difference of opinions would not have come about. The candle's light would have revealed the elephant as a whole.

Only by the light of the Spiritual Path and the mystic way can the Truth really be actualized. In order for one to truly witness the Perfection of the Absolute, one must see with one's inner being, which perceives the whole of Reality. This witnessing happens when one becomes perfect, losing one's (partial) existence in the Whole.

If the Whole is likened to the Ocean, and the part to a drop, the sufi says that witnessing the Ocean with the eye of a drop is impossible. However, when the drop becomes one with the Ocean, it sees the Ocean with the eye of the Ocean.

[mehdi soldier]

there is a tradition of IRFAN (sufism) in shia islam.but yet shias dont use the practices to identify themselves as 'sufis' since its part of islam and what we do.however there sunnis (if not all,correct me if am wrong ,but especially wahhabis) who reject sufism in its totality as 'bidah' or 'innovation',that is something haram.

as regarding those identifying themselves as 'sufis',these are not what am refering to.these people have positives which i have in shia islam and admire,but also have extreme practices which we (shia) dont practice.however there are sufi orders(people describin themsleves as sufis) in both shia and sunni islam.if you read the link i provided you'll know more about the different perspectives on sufism.

the sufi orders,see imam ali as their leader and "founding father" after the rasul (sa).

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<dl><dd>While on a trip to another village, Nasrudin lost his favorite copy of the Qur'an.</dd></dl> <dl><dd>Several weeks later, a goat walked up to Nasrudin, carrying the Qur'an in its mouth.</dd></dl> <dl><dd>Nasrudin couldn't believe his eyes. He took the precious book out of the goat's mouth, raised his eyes heavenward and exclaimed, "It's a miracle!"</dd></dl> <dl><dd>"Not really," said the goat. "Your name is written inside the cover."</dd></dl>

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There was a terrible drought. After a long deliberation, the villagers decided to approach Nasrudin, who was known to work miracles on occasion, and ask for his intervention in bringing the rain. The whole community went over to Nasrudin's hut and the elders stated their request.
"Sorry," said Nasrudin, "There will be no miracle - you have no faith."
"But Nasrudin, how can you say that?" said the villagers, "After all, is it not our faith that brought us to your door, begging for help?"
"If you really had faith," said Nasrudin, "You would have come with umbrellas."

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Nasrudin was sitting among the branches of a tree, sniffing the blossoms and sunning himself.


A traveller asked him what he was doing there.
"Climbing the Great Pyramid."
"You' re nowhere near a pyramid. And there are four ways up a pyramid: one by each face. That is a tree!"
"Yes!" said the Mulla. "But it's much more fun like this, don't you think? Birds, blossoms, zephyrs, sunshine. I can hardly think I could have done better."

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The Sultan was told by his teacher that lying was a great crime and should be banned. So the Sultan ordered his executioner to the city gate and told him to ask each person entering the city why he was visiting and execute any who lied. Next morning the Mullah stood in line to go to the market in the city. The executioner asked him on the penalty of death, "Why are you entering the city?" The Mullah replied, "I am going to be executed!"