Mysticism in Islam is seen practised in Sufism. Mysticism revolves around the path to ultimate unity with God. The mystics believe that the way to achieve this union is by shedding off all worldly burdens and becoming completely absorbed in the love for God. The love for God, which filled the mystic, led inevitably to the idea of union with Him, either by the indwelling of God in the man or by his ascent to God. Theologians used Tawhid (unification) to denote belief in one God as opposed to the unpardonable sin of worshipping more than one. The mystics put another meaning into the word. To them it meant unification with God, the sinking of the self and the renunciation of the individual will in the will of God. The true mystic was he who had cast off self and lost himself in God.
From another aspect, mysticism was the natural reaction of those repelled by the formalism of Muslim worship and by the law which judged external actions only. It therefore emphasized the springs of action. Hallaj, a renowned mystic who was executed for his beliefs, took over the idea of the union of the soul with God and made a theory to explain it. The essence of God`s essence is love; at first He loved Himself and through love revealed Himself to Himself. Then, desiring to see that love as an external object He created Adam, an image of Himself with all His attributes. But this human nature is different from the divine, though mystically united they are not identical. Personality survives even in union.
The end of the spiritual path of the mystic is Fana, meaning extinction. This Fana has three senses: a moral transformation of the soul through the extinction of all passions and desires; abstraction from all objects of perception, thoughts, actions, and feelings through concentration on the thought of God, i.e. contemplation of the divine attributes; and, the cessation of conscious thought. Upon this follows the Baqa, abiding in God. This also is in three stages- union with one of the activities symbolized by the names of God; union with one of the attributes of God; and Union with the divine essence. In addition to the stages or stations on the path of the spirit are states, but the division between the two is not sharp. Stages are more or less permanent, states are transitory; stages are in part the result of human endeavour, states are the gift of God. Each stage has its corresponding states and progress from one stage to another is marked by the increasing frequency of states which belong to the stage above. It is tempting to say that a stage is a state become permanent.
When the mystic has reached his goal, the veils of flesh and the will be torn and the truth will be clearly seen. Man becomes united with God at this stage. The wisest teachers admit that there is no place for words here and the knowledge that comes directly from God cannot be communicated.
Mystic Orders
The usual name for a mystic is Sufi. It is almost certainly derived from the name for `wool` and is due to the early ascetics wearing wool in imitation of the monks. The importance of the teacher is the utmost in Sufism. "It is better to go wrong with a teacher than to go right by yourself" is the widely held belief among the mystics. The mystics had no difficulty in following custom. Before 800 a teacher had gathered a band of disciples round him in Abbadan. In the next century houses belonging to religious communities existed.
The great orders of mystics, commonly called the dervishes, were not founded till centuries later, and the Qadiri order at about 1200. A religious genius gathered disciples and founded a monastery (Zawiya, Tekke), the founder was succeeded by a son or a favourite disciple, missionaries were sent out and daughter houses started. Lay brethren gathered round each house and their contributions were a regular income. The branch houses paid tribute to the original establishment. The founder gathered the odour of sanctity which was imparted in greater or less degree to his successors. The monastery might become a place of pilgrimage to receive the offerings of the faithful. Then it often happened that the branch houses lost touch and became independent orders or an enterprising brother broke away and founded an order of his own. Each order had its own dress and ritual. The general principles were the same in all.
The orders usually have something distinctive about their dress, the Mevlevis, for instance, wear a long hat of rough felt. The entrant has to pass through a novitiate before he becomes a full member and receives the cloak (Khirqa) which is the mark of the mystic. Each order had its own ritual (Dhikr). This generally consisted of a short phrase repeated interminably, and the repetition may be accompanied with certain breathing exercises. Whatever form the ritual takes, the object is the same- to produce a state of ecstasy in which communion with God is easier. The order has a spiritual genealogy, as a rule, going back to a Companion of the Prophet. This legitimates the claim to possess religious virtue above that of ordinary men. Such a genealogy has been known to go back to Adam.
Sufism is thus intricately connected to the concept of mysticism in Islam.
