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37-547: The Murīdūn ("disciples") were a Sufi order in al-Andalus that rebelled against the authority of the Almoravid dynasty in 1141 and ruled a taifa based on Mértola in the al-Gharb from 1144 until 1151. The founder and leader of the Murīdūn was Abūʾl-Qāsim Aḥmad ibn al-Ḥusayn ibn Qasī , a convert from Christianity from the city of Silves in the far west of al-Andalus. Among his followers were Muḥammad ibn ʿUmar ibn al-Mundhir,

74-519: A silsila that leads back to Muhammad through Ali , except the Naqshbandi silsila, which traces its roots to Abu Bakr , the first Caliph of Sunni Islam . Every Murid , on entering the tariqa, gets his awrad , or daily recitations, authorized by his murshid (usually to be recited before or after the pre-dawn prayer, after the afternoon prayer and after the evening prayer). Usually these recitations are extensive and time-consuming (for example

111-572: A bestowed gift from God, etching itself upon the seeker's heart. Ma'rifa signifies a transformative and intimate understanding of the Divine reality that surpasses mere intellectual comprehension. Ovamir Anjum , however, disputes the commonly held distinction between ma'rifa and 'ilm as depicted in Sufi writings. He argues that ma'rifa was originally synonymous with 'ilm, representing the process of acquiring knowledge, without specific reference to God's knowledge in

148-609: A certain level with action, Sufism is at the highest level a path of knowledge (ma'rifah in Arabic and (irfan in Persian), a knowledge that is illuminative and unitive, a knowledge whose highest object is the Truth as such, that is, God, and subsequently the knowledge of things in relation to God. There is such a thing as the Truth, and it can be known. This is the first of all certitudes, from which flow all other certitudes of human life. The knowledge of

185-505: A correspondent of the esteemed Sufi teacher Ibn al-ʿArīf from Almería on the eastern coast of al-Andalus. In 1141, threatened by the rise of Sufi teaching in Almería, the Almoravid authorities arrested Ibn al-ʿArīf and his colleague Ibn Barrajān , after which the latter was imprisoned and the former set free. Ibn Barrajān, however, soon died in prison and Ibn al-ʿArīf died suddenly, poisoned it

222-459: A mystic attains the state of ma‘rifa when the inner temptations of his soul subside, and his heart is no longer drawn towards thoughts that deviate from God. In this state, the mystic is certain of his return to God with every glance of Him, and he is blessed with insights into the hidden aspects of his own destiny, inspired by God Himself. In this state, the Sufi is completely absorbed in God and experiences

259-446: A purely political analysis might have suggested. Rather, their joint effect is to impart to Sufism a cumulant body of tradition, rather than individual and isolated experiences. In most cases the sheikh nominates his khalifa or "successor" during his lifetime, who will take over the order. In rare cases, if the sheikh dies without naming a khalifa , the students of the tariqa elect another spiritual leader by vote. In some orders it

296-415: A sense of alienation from his own self. In Sufi construction, ma‘rifa surpasses "ordinary knowledge" (' ilm ) as it encompasses a comprehensive grasp of reality. A Sufi proverb illustrates that ma‘rifa is like a mirror through which the gnostic sees his Master. According to Reza Shah-Kazemi , ma'rifa represents the highest level of knowledge accessible to an individual. However, its very essence transcends

333-466: A state of "unknowing" but also demands the complete obliteration of the individual's sense of self . The ultimate degree of ma'rifa is defined by the inseparable combination of perfect knowledge and pure being . According to Junayd Baghdadi , marifa or gnosis "is the hovering of the heart between declaring God too great to be comprehended , and declaring Him too mighty to be perceived. It consists in knowing that, whatever may be imagined in thy heart God

370-423: Is a religious order of Sufism , or specifically a concept for the mystical teaching and spiritual practices of such an order with the aim of seeking haqiqa , which translates as "ultimate truth". A tariqa has a murshid (guide) who plays the role of leader or spiritual director. The members or followers of a tariqa are known as muridin (singular murid ), meaning "desirous", viz. "desiring

407-451: Is called Al Qudra Mizaan [(United States)]. The Sanusi order was also highly involved in missionary work in Africa during the 19th century, spreading both Islam and a high level of literacy into Africa as far south as Lake Chad and beyond by setting up a network of zawiyas where Islam was taught. Much of Central Asia and southern Russia was won over to Islam through the missionary work of

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444-1082: Is known in the West as Sufism. The most popular tariqa in the West is the Mevlevi Order , named after Jalal ad-Din Muhammad Rumi . In the same time the Bektashi Order was also founded, named after the Haji Bektash Veli . Five large tariqas in South Asia are: the Naqshbandi Order, named after Baha-ud-Din Naqshband Bukhari ; the Qadiri Order, named after Abdul Qadir Jilani ; the Chishti Order, named after Khawaja Mawdood Chisti while Khawaja Moinuddin Chishti

481-421: Is recommended to take a Khalif from the same order as the murshid . In some groups it is customary for the khalifa to be the son of the sheikh, although in other groups the khalīfa and the sheikh are not normally relatives. In yet other orders a successor may be identified through the spiritual dreams of its members. Tariqas have silsilas ( Arabic : سلسلة ; "chain, lineage of sheikhs"). All orders claim

518-715: Is the most famous sheikh; the Suhrawardi Order, named after Shahab al-Din Suhrawardi  ; the Burhaniyya becoming popular within the people of Pakistan & India. Large tariqats in Africa include Muridiyya , Burhaniyya and Tijaniyya . Others can be offshoots of a tariqa. For example, the Qalandariyya has roots in Malamatiyya and Wafa'i (a combination of Yasawiyya - Sunni and Batiniyya - Shia ) of orders are offshoots of

555-472: Is the opposite of it". In Sufi teachings, ma'rifa is frequently contrasted with ilm , which signifies knowledge gained through learning, and " 'aql ," which represents rational intellect. While 'ilm and ma'rifa might be considered synonymous by traditional theologians, Sufis place ma'rifa on a transcendent level. Sufi writers elucidate ma'rifa as a profound experiential understanding of the Divine, not something attainable solely through human efforts, but rather

592-597: The Ulma or officially mandated scholars, and often acted as informal missionaries of Islam. They provided accepted avenues for emotional expressions of faith, and the Tariqas spread to all corners of the Muslim world, and often exercised a degree of political influence inordinate to their size (take for example the influence that the sheikhs of the Safavid had over the armies of Tamerlane , or

629-572: The Qur'an . According to Anjum, the distinction between 'ilm as exoteric knowledge and ma'rifa as esoteric knowledge or gnosis lacks a solid etymological basis in earlier usage. He emphasizes that the Qur'an does not endorse this differentiation, as it considers the profound knowledge of God that inspires reverence to be encompassed within 'ilm alone. For example, a verse states, "Truly, only the possessors of 'ilm fear God" (Q. 35:28). According to Annemarie Schimmel ,

666-451: The Quran followed by a single phrase prayer. Criteria have to be met to be promoted in rank: the common way is to repeat a single phrase prayer 82,000 times or more as in the case of Burhaniyya , a number that grows with each achieved rank. Murids who experience unusual interaction during meditation: hear voices like "would you like to see a prophet?" or see visions who might even communicate with

703-679: The Suhrawardi order. The Ashrafia after the 13th century illustrious Sufi saint Ashraf Jahangir Semnani is the sub branch of Chishti spiritual lineage. The Maizbhandari Tariqa or Maizbhandari Sufi order is a liberated Sufism order established in the Bangladesh in the 19th century by the Gausul Azam Shah Sufi Syed Ahmadullah Maizbhandari (1826 AD − 1906 AD), 27th descendant of the Islamic prophet, Muhammad. Warsi Tariqa

740-413: The awrad may consist of reciting a certain formula 99, 500 or even 1000 times). One must also be in a state of ritual purity (as one is for the obligatory prayers to perform them while facing Mecca ). The recitations change as a student (murid) moves from a mere initiate to other Sufi degrees (usually requiring additional initiations). The Initiation ceremony is routine and consists of reading chapter 1 of

777-604: The 17th century by Ma Laichi and other Chinese Sufis who had studied in Mecca and Yemen , and had also been influenced by spiritual descendants of the Kashgarian Sufi master Afaq Khoja . On the Chinese soil the institutions became known as menhuan , and are typically headquartered near the tombs ( gongbei ) of their founders. Marifa The term ' arif , "gnostic" has been used to designate advanced mystics who have attained

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814-622: The Algarve in the summer of 1146 with Almohad support but refused to submit the Murīdūn to Almohad control. In order to escape his overbearing allies, he negotiated the handover of Silves to the Christians. This provoked the inhabitants of Silves, who assassinated him in his palace in August or September 1151. Ibn al-Mundhir relented and placed the city under Almohad control. Sufi order A tariqa ( Arabic : طريقة , romanized :  ṭarīqa )

851-576: The Almoravid general Yaḥyā ibn ʿAlī ibn Ghānīya. The Almoravid counter-attack was cut short by the rebellion of Ibn Ḥamdīn in Córdoba , but not before it has caused a split in the Murīdūn movement. On one side were Ibn Qasī and Ibn al-Mundhir and on the other Ibn Wazīr. In September 1145, Ibn Qasī went to Marrakesh to request support from the Almohad Caliph , a staunch enemy of the Almoravids. He returned to

888-508: The Murid are held dear in the " Haḍra ", the weekly group-chanting of prayers in attempt of reaching spirits as they are likely to experience something unusual and pass it on. This Murid is promoted faster than others. The least common way is to cause a miracle to happen with criteria similar to that of Catholic Sainthood. Being mostly followers of the spiritual traditions of Islam loosely referred to as Sufism, these groups were sometimes distinct from

925-519: The Tarīqahs, and the majority of Indonesia 's population, where a Muslim army never set foot, was converted to Islam by the perseverance of both Muslim traders and Sufi missionaries. Sufism in India played a similarly crucial role in the diffusion of Islam at the élite and popular levels; its music , art , and poetry flourished in a highly sophisticated Persianate society . Tariqas were brought to China in

962-412: The Truth is like the light of the sun while love is like the heat that always accompanies that light. In Sufi teachings, ma'rifa "is an apprehension of the divine unity in such a way that awareness of self is lost in awareness of God". The term 'arif, meaning "gnostic," has been employed to describe accomplished mystics who have reached the elevated spiritual stage of maʿrifa. According to al-Qushayri ,

999-449: The earliest accounts of the maqāmāt al-arba'īn ("forty stations") in Sufism, Sufi master Abu Said ibn Abi'l-Khayr lists ma'rifa as the 25th station: "'The twenty-fifth station is gnosis (ma'rifat). Through all the creatures of the two worlds, and through all the people, they perceive Allah, and there is no accusation to be made of their perception." Marifa is often considered one of

1036-430: The entanglements of ignorance. R. W. J. Austin describes ma‘rifa as "an immediate recognition and grasp not of something new or strange but rather of the state and status of things as they really are, have always been, and eternally will be." In essence, ma‘rifa involves recognizing that one's self is intricately connected to and an essential aspect of the divine Reality. Although deeply involved with love and also on

1073-462: The final stages of the mystical path are represented by love (mahabba) and gnosis (maʿrifa). There have been different perspectives on the relationship between these two concepts. Sometimes they were seen as mutually reinforcing, while in other instances, love was considered superior, and at times, gnosis was regarded as higher. Ghazali expresses the view that love without gnosis is unattainable since one can only love what one truly knows. In one of

1110-415: The fort of Monchique and slaughtered the Almoravid garrison. The high point of the rebellion occurred on 12 August 1144, when a force of seventy Murīdūn captured the town of Mértola , which Ibn Qasī made the capital. Yūsuf ibn Aḥmad al-Biṭrūjī, the governor of Niebla , then joined the rebels. Now controlling Silves, Mértola, Beja and Niebla, the confident Murīdūn marched on Seville , but were defeated by

1147-419: The knowledge of God and loving God" (also called a faqir ). Tariqa is also believed to be the same as Tzadik of Judaism meaning the "rightly guided one". The metaphor of "way, path" is to be understood in connection of the term sharia which also has the meaning of "path" , more specifically "well-trodden path; path to the waterhole". The "path" metaphor of tariqa is that of a further path, taken by

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1184-416: The limits of individual comprehension, leading to its characterization as "ignorance." On one hand, ma'rifa is said to be a source of enlightenment and clarity, shedding light on profound truths. However, on the other hand, its brilliance can be overwhelming, blinding, and ultimately extinguishing to the one who claims to possess this knowledge, known as the "knower" or al-a¯rif. This knowledge not only requires

1221-762: The missionary work of Ali-Shir Nava'i in Turkistan among the Mongol and Tatar people). The tariqas were particularly influential in the spread of Islam in the sub-Sahara during the 9th to 14th centuries, where they spread south along trade routes between North Africa and the sub-Saharan kingdoms of Ghana and Mali . On the West African coast they set up Zawiyas on the shores of the river Niger and even established independent kingdoms such as al-Murabitun or Almoravids . The Al Hakika Mizaan Mizaani Sufi order deals with heavy internalization and meditations, their spiritual practice

1258-501: The mystic, which continues from the "well-trodden path" or exoteric of sharia towards the esoteric haqiqa . A fourth "station" following the succession of shariah , tariqa and haqiqa is called marifa . This is the "unseen center" of haqiqa , and the ultimate aim of the mystic, corresponding to the unio mystica in Western mysticism. Tasawwuf , an Arabic word that refers to mysticism and Islamic esotericism,

1295-432: The spiritual station of ma'rifa . Ma'rifa is a central tenet of Sufism that embodies the notions of "gnosis" or "experiential knowledge." It is considered the ultimate pinnacle of the spiritual path. In Sufism, the supreme aspiration of human existence is the realization of Truth, which is synonymous with Reality and represents the origin of all existence. By attaining this Truth, individuals are set free, emancipated from

1332-452: Was founded by Waris Ali Shah . Membership in a particular Sufi order is not exclusive, unlike the Christian monastic orders which are demarcated by firm lines of authority and sacrament. Sufis often are members of various Sufi orders. The non-exclusiveness of Sufi orders has consequences for the social extension of Sufism. They cannot be regarded as indulging in a zero sum competition which

1369-443: Was said, in Almería. The sudden loss of the leaders of the Sufi movement in Almería, presumably at the hands of the authorities, convinced Ibn Qasī to act. He proclaimed himself imam and led his followers, the Murīdūn, into open revolt. In the early days of the rebellion, Ibn al-Mundhir seized the city of Silves and Sīdray ibn Wazīr, the governor of Beja , went over to the rebels. Joining forces, Ibn al-Mundhir and Ibn Wazīr captured

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