Sufism

Sufism “Sufism, is the notion of possessing nothing and being possessed by nothing,” (Waines, p.138), is the basis of Farid Ud-Din Attar’s The Conference of the Birds. Just as a Sufi is in search of God, the birds are on a Path to find the Simorgh. In order to reach the Simorgh they must complete the seven valleys, which is a metaphor to the steps on the Way (Tariqa) of Sufism. The Path begins with repentance, which requires one to give up one’s will and take on the will of God. One must also reject traditional dualism, which is the idea that God is not just light or not just good and understand that God is everything. Next, one needs to destroy the Self and understand Unity. “Through this step one reaches a state of where all temptations are overcome, then you are free to perform the next step, Love,” (Waines, p.137). Love in this sense is a vision of God, a “painful, humiliating love” as mentioned by professor Aslan. A love never returned because one will surrender their love to the beloved. Finally, one reaches Fana, which is a state of sufism, sufi, one, god, love, davis, birds, self, hoopoe, way, bird, simorgh, one’s, soul, reach, must, unity, through, path, state, rumi, nothing, trust, story, possessions, notion, knows, further, devil, anything, waines, pride, never, know, just, idea