The Attributes of the Followers of the Sufi Tradition
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.
The importance of servant leadership should not be underestimated and it can be simplified and embodied in one timeless phrase: Do unto others as you would have them do unto you. When applied to leadership the result can be phenomenal. Those who wish to serve do so with their hearts, it is not forced nor is it with resentment. The servant leader serves out of acceptance and ownership of their ability and duty.
Paul has given an extraordinary of example of humbleness to those who preach and teach the Gospel. Although, the Apostle Paul was well known prepared on any theological subject, he went to Jerusalem to meet with other apostles to verify that his message was alienated with the Gospel. Therefore, pastors and church leaders should look intentionally for spiritual mentors that help them to grow in their knowledge of the Gospel. (121, Habermas)
is a unique way of life with rich cultural and spiritual roots. The word Santeria is a syncretistic
Primary service is the key. Many view this as a contradiction because the leader is leading and serving. How can a person do both? Good servant leaders are good listeners. The communication between the leader and the follower being served allows the leader to listen to the follower first, in order to understand what the other person has to say and to understand their needs. These leaders practice empathy as well. Understanding what the follower is facing or feeling is comforting to the follower because it validates their importance to another person. The ability to heal a person through care and the concern for a person’s well being is another quality of a servant leader. These are only a few of the characteristics that generate a strong servant leader. Mother Teresa said, “The miracle is not that we do this work, but that we are happy to do it.” Her words describe exactly what servant leaders do. Servant leaders serve others willingly because they find joy and pleasure in doing so. The outcome of serving others in this manner is growth and social impacts for a greater good. When there is an improvement in self-actualization, followers improve in their goal reaching or task completion by understanding their full potential to do
Though plenty of Muslim scholars have spoken out in favor of Sufism, the prevailing opinion among both Islamic legal scholars and Muslims as that Sufism is bid’ah, (an inauthentic innovation) that is not wholly Islamic, and therefore rejected as an acceptable way to practice Islam. Sufism has always been an ‘alternative’ discourse in the Islamic world “existing in tension with stricter, legalistic elements in the tradition, and there continue to be voices in Islam that would deny the legitimacy and the pervasiveness of Sufism in Islamic culture” (Miller 1995). In fact a fatwa (an Islamic legal opinion) was delivered by Shaykh 'Abd al-Halim Mahmud, a former Shaykh al-Azhar, the chief religious authority in Egypt against Sufism in the 1970s. His main objection to Sufism was the attempt of practitioners to take on the qualities of God, which was to compete with God instead of surrendering to him and serving him. Despite some disagreement as to the authenticity of Sufism, it continues to grow and thrive. Especially in the West (the home of many esoteric Organizations like the Free Masons, the Knights Templar and Order of the Golden Dawn) Sufism is growing in popularity alongside other mystical traditions like Kabbalah (the Jewish mystical tradition). Sufis have been “major transmitters of Islam far beyond the religion’s ‘Middle Eastern’ origin, especially in Africa, the Indian sub-continent, and the Maylay-Indonesian world” (Miller 1995).
The fourteenth lesson of the humility code was extremely challenging for me. Brooks stresses leaders to “lead along the grain of human nature” and to be a “steward for his organization (that) tries to pass it along in slightly better condition than he found it,” (Brooks 266-67). The most aggravating aspect of this belief is essentially what he illustrated throughout the book. To believe that, individually, you could drastically change the world is the opposite of humility. Inadvertently, Brooks is further emphasizing the need to have reasonable expectations for yourself, while still aiming to do good. However, the idea that leaders should resist going against the grain directly contradicts many beliefs that I have held to be self-evident. Perhaps extreme, Martin Luther King Jr. is widely regarded as a hero, but his
...nd dedication required by the adherent. These requirements include putting aside one’s selfishness in order to submit to Allah’s will. The more the adherent submits to Allah the more intense the sense of inner peace will be.
The second commandment is to always be humble. This is an admirable quality that not many people possess; many people try to be humble but are truly not on the inside. Some people of high status like celebrities try to act humble on camera to obtain a ...
By educating the masses and deepening the spiritual concerns of the Muslims, Sufism has played a critical part in the arrangement of the Muslim society. The Sufi movement consists of rituals and practices include writing and reciting poetry and hymns. For example, Sufis participate in an assortment of custom practices planned to offer them some assistance with realizing union with God, for example, particular types of custom supplication to God include the recitation of God 's names, and substantial ceremonies, for example, "Whirling Dervishes," a Turkish Sufi arrange that practices reflection and thought of God through turning. (Religion and Ethics
Ideologies creates a sense of community, purpose and order. Similarly, I find that my religion provides me with the conceptual frameworks in which to ground my life. My life revolves around my Islamic commitments, even school and work is set around my Islamic timetable. So to me, Islam is not just about praying, fasting and so on. Yet, it’s also about my moral conduct, the education that I seek and my worldly actions. Growing up in a community that practices an Islamic lifestyle and culture has convinced me that Islam is one of the exceptional religions which stress the development of the positive moral and ethical. I was taught to live peacefully, help each other and also tolerate with other religions. Not only that, Islam also governs all facets of my life such as moral, spiritual, physical, intellectual, social and economic via the Quran and the Hadith. I also learnt the true values of my faith which is Islam is not only for the Muslim world, it is to be practiced wherever I am.
When you become a Muslim,you believe salvation is dependent on man, not God. There are five pillars of Islam, these five pillars are the Muslims acts of worship to Allah. Allah means God. The five pillars of Islam are
which he who has them revealed to him will discover the sweetness of faith: that he cherishes God and His messenger {the Prophet Muhammad} over everything other than them” (Gordon 140). These principles creates a central governance system for the Islamic community as members were able to have a set guideline for living. It also provided Muslims with how to deal with different situations and all aspects that they encounter with in life. “I will also heal the blind and the leper, and bring to life the dead… I will inform you too of what things you eat, and what you...
Bedouin- nomadic tribes originally from northern Arabia, who became major traders between the Persian Gulf and the Mediterranean Sea after the domestication of the camel during the first millennium B.C.E. Early converts to Islam, their values and practices deeply affected Muhammed.