Sufism Essay

The juncture of Islamic and American cultural movements has found a home in the various Sufi traditions that prevalent in the Western world. These subsequent artistic cultural traditions and rituals make Sufism the most culturally dominant and pervasive form of Islam in modern day Western culture – beating out the two largest internationally prevailing sects of orthodox Islam (Sunnism) and Shia’ism. In the following paper, I will assert that there are two primary spheres of Sufi tradition that transcend American society. The first being the sphere of culture, which includes but is not limited to, dance, music, poetry, arts, education, psychology and philosophical paradigms. The second sphere encompasses the influence of religious sites: mosques and tomb shrines.

The principal vehicle for the spread of Sufism around the world, and more relevantly its emergence in America, is the religion’s artistic traditions – the sphere of culture. Early Sufi scholars and teachers situated their respective teachings and outlooks of Sufism in poetry, musical traditions and dance. Additionally, different orders of Sufism have outlined that these artistic traditions find their roots in dhikr, the “remembrance of God ” and any mindful deviation from these niyahs (religious intentions) is in fact detrimental to the cause of attaining spirituality. With the following traditionalistic intentions in mind, one can further delve into three specific practices: (1) Sufi poets like Rumi, (2) Qawaali music, and (3) the dance culture of the Whirling Dervishes.

Vernacular poetry plays an interesting role in Sufism primarily because the mystic religion, which aims to reaching salvation with the divine creator, is inherently poetic. The Sufi world view, which ...

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In conclusion, Sufism has had an influential role in America primarily because there are very American characteristics to the core traditions of Sufism – the keenness for dancing, public performance and utilization of television, film and media. American culture in many ways has turned a shoulder to highly polarizing views of orthodox Islam, citing the large hegemonic and ethical disparities between the two religious cultures of Islam and modern Judeo-Christian philosophies. Another reason for why Sufism has hybridized so well in America is because of the constant participation and assimilation of Sufi commoners into the Western culture. Sufism can be considered to have played a “positive force” into American society by acclimatizing to the local communities and providing an alternative to orthodoxy Islam – which rejects the core precepts of American culture.