Sufi solutions to world problems

Anand Krishna ,  Jakarta   |  Mon, 08/25/2008 11:16 AM  |  Opinion

This was the title of my paper prepared for the Conference on Sufi Movements in Contemporary Islam, held in Singapore on Aug. 14 and 15, 2008, under the auspices of the National University of Singapore and the independent Institute of Southeast Asian Studies.

Along with the writer, Indonesia was represented by Prof. Azyumardi Azra, one of our prominent scholars. The organizers clearly took great pains to ensure that all the five continents were represented by scholars, professors and renowned thinkers of world.

Unfortunately, however, a good majority of them interpreted Sufi thought as Sufi-"ism", thus putting it on par with the other isms.

Sufi is not an ism. It is a way of life. Arab historian Al Beruni (973-1048 AD) wrote in his magnum opus on India that the word Sufi is derived from pailasopa, Greek for "love of wisdom". It has nothing to do with suf -- Arabic for wool -- or the woolen garment worn by the followers of the Sufi path. He further quotes Abu-alfath Albusti, who connects Sufis with safi or purity; thus a Sufi is one who lives purely, in the purity of simplicity.

A Sufi is not a renegade; he/she does not run away from society. He/she is not a recluse. Some Sufis may choose to live as hermits, but that is their choice. That is neither a requirement nor a condition to be a Sufi.

A Sufi today must remain in society and work for its betterment. I firmly believe that it is the Sufi thought that can save the globe. Hisham of the University of Warwick, UK, spoke on "Sufism and the War on Terror". He elaborated on how marketable Sufism is in the West today. It is being seen as an antidote to terrorism and violence in the name of Islam. But he also agreed that most of the Westerners funding so-called Sufi institutions were actually groping in the dark, not knowing which other way to go.

No, both Sufism and the institutionalization of Sufis cannot be a solution to the world's problems. Indeed, they will create more problems. In our own country, we have such examples aplenty. The moment the Sufi way of life is institutionalized and becomes an ism, it is seen as a threat by all other established institutions, especially the religio-political institutions. Such institutions, as shown by history, have always been hostile, for they cannot do what the Sufis can. They cannot hold their parties together with the power of love, as Sufis do. They are fear-based societies, whereas the Sufis are love-based.

Sufi thought or way of life, without its institutionalization, is the solution to the world's problems today. Sufi thought must permeate our thoughts and penetrate through the thick and rigid blocks of our minds. The Sufi way of life must change our entire outlook toward life, and then we will have an entirely new society. We will have an enlightened society.

"My heart has opened up in every form: It is a pasture for gazelles, a cloister for Christian monks, a temple for idols, the Kaaba of the pilgrim, the tables of the Torah and the book of the Koran. I practice the religion of love: In whatsoever directions its caravan advance, the religion of love shall be my religion and my faith," wrote Ibn Arabi (1165-1240).

A society which is based on mutual understanding and appreciation and not merely tolerance is the need of the hour. The Singaporean minister for the environment and in charge of Muslim affairs, Yaacob Ibrahim, quoted the scholar Ibn Khaldum who described a Sufi as one who retires from other things and turns to God.

Good explanation, but the retirement required of a Sufi today is that of the heart. A Sufi's heart must not be attached to worldly things. His/her mind must be freed of all temptations. With a free heart and mind, a Sufi must remain in society.

We need Sufi economists and Sufi politicians who are not greedy and power hungry -- who are in the society to serve it. We need Sufi religious ministers who do not promise heaven hereafter but strive to create a heaven on earth. We need Sufi educationists to teach us how to unite in love and not divide in hatred.

Prof. Bruce Lawrence from Duke University in the United States quoted a very famous tradition wherein the Prophet's companion Hazrat Abu Bakr made an announcement that the Prophet was dead, but Islam lived on. For the Sufis, pointed out Bruce, both the Prophet and his teachings, his way of submission to the Lord's will are very much alive.

It is not enough that we study his life; we have to live the way shown by him. For, as pointed out in the Holy Koran, at the end of the day it is our behavior which matters: "On the day when their tongues, their hands, and their feet will bear witness against them as to their actions." -- 24:24

The writer is spiritual activist (www.anandkrishna.org, www.californiabali.org, www.aumkar.org).