FREE ESSAY ON A SUFI'S CONNECTION TO THE WORLD

A SUFI'S CONNECTION TO THE WORLD

A Sufi's Connection to the World
11/18/99
The attributes of the followers of the Sufi tradition are attributes that serve to loosen
their connection to the world while bringing them closer to God. The attributes they have
distinguish them from ordinary people. According to Teachings of the Sufis, by Carl
Ernst, they are strict followers of a master, strive to be humble, and try to live
without worldly possessions and desires.
At the core of the practice of Sufism is reliance on the truth of God. It is very
important that this reliance is maintained, otherwise the follower will become distracted
by worldly things and ideas. The Sufi master Abu 'Ali al-Daqqaq said, "The tree that
grows by itself without a gardener puts forth leaves, but it does not bear fruit. Similar
is the disciple who has no master from whom he can learn his path, one breath at a time.
He remains a worshipper of his own desire and does not attain success."
It can be understood by al-Daqqaq's words that having a master is an integral part of a
Sufi's path. Without one a Sufi will go astray and lose sight of God and not succeed. Abu
Yazid said, "One who has no master has Satan for a leader."
Those who fail to be humble are those who are concerned with their own desires. Sufis
must forsake their desires. Desires lead to sins and sins separate people from God. The
Sufi must be able to give up all sins no matter what the size. Because sins hide in
things of worldly origin, such attachments must be given up. This is why wealth must be
given up. Wealth provides worldly attachments. Worldly attachments lead people away from
God. Power must be given up as well since it too creates attachments and ideas that will
lead people away from God. A good example of what power creates is arrogance, a sin that
has been warned against for thousands of years. Giving up these things consequently will
lead someone to be humble.
Another reason why Sufis must remain humble is that they must always be able to resist
any opposition they might feel towards the master. He must never show any disagreement
even if he knows that he is right and the master is wrong. If he is in the company of
faqirs he must never oppose others. The only person he should oppose is himself. He
should understand that none of the faqirs have an obligation to him, but that they do
have an obligatory right over him. The Sufi must take care to never openly contradict the
faqirs as well as the master. However, he may contradict them in his heart and his
conscience.
To be able to maintain that kind of silence and to live under that kind of subordination
would take a great deal of humility. A proud person could never deal with that type of
rank among a group of people.
One of the hardest things a Sufi must be able to do is to deny the body its human
cravings. This is because the master of any Sufi could order that Sufi to sleep only when
necessary and to eat only very little until that Sufi could withstand even eating. A good
Sufi must never satisfy the body more than is necessary. Sufis must also give up
association with common, worldly people. According to the Qur'an, 18:28, God said, Do not
obey those whose hearts we have made heedless of our remembrance. Such an association is
considered a dangerous poison.
These attributes that a good Sufi must have indicate that followers of Sufism lead a
challenging life. Anyone who wants to come closer to God following the path of Sufism has
to really stay focused. It obviously requires attributes that the majority of people do
not possess.