Spiritual Tradition

Sufi

Divine intoxication and annihilation of the small self in Love

History

The mystical heart of Islam, crystallizing in the 8th–12th centuries through figures like Rabia of Basra, al-Ghazali, Ibn Arabi, and Rumi. Sufism teaches the path of fana (annihilation of ego in the Divine) through dhikr (remembrance), sama (sacred listening), and sohbet (spiritual conversation).

Fana (ego-death)

Hayrat (sacred bewilderment)

Talab (yearning)

Sama (sacred dance)

Dhikr (remembrance)

Sages & Mystics of this Tradition

Rumi

1207 — 1273

Jalal al-Din Muhammad Rumi was a 13th-century Persian poet, Islamic scholar, theologian, and Sufi mystic. He was born in Balkh (present-day Afghanistan) and later settled in Konya (present-day Turkey)

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Voices from this Tradition

Grief can be the garden of compassion. If you let loneliness enter your garden, another flower will bloom.

— Rumi

Yesterday I was clever, so I wanted to change the world. Today I am wise, so I am changing myself.

— Rumi

Let yourself be drawn by the stronger pull of that which you truly love.

— Rumi

The only lasting beauty is the beauty of the heart.

— Rumi

What you seek is seeking you.

— Rumi

When you put your hand in a flowing stream, you touch the last of what has passed and the first of what is to come.

— Rumi