苏菲主义(Sufism)

伊斯兰教内的一种神秘派别，主张经由各人对真主的亲身体验，来寻求神爱和神知的。包含很多神秘的方法来探知人和神的本质，并使世上存在的神爱和神智易於感受。苏菲主义是在穆罕默德去世後（632），以一种有组织的运动在一些不同的派别中崛起的，他们都认为正统伊斯兰教在精神上令人窒息。当时的苏菲派的修行规定没有一致性，但最重要的规定包括反覆念诵真主的美名或《可兰经》的某些词语，作为松懈自身卑微面的一切束缚，使灵魂能够体验更高的真理，此即是灵魂所自然向往的目标。虽然苏菲主义的修习者同伊斯兰教神学和教法的主流常起冲突，但其在伊斯兰教发展历史中举足轻重。苏菲文学，尤其是爱情诗，代表了阿拉伯、波斯、土耳其和乌尔都语的黄金时代。亦请参阅Ahmadiya、dervish、Malamatiya、tariqa。

English version：

Sufism

Mystical movement within Islam that seeks to find divine love and knowledge through direct personal experience of God. It consists of a variety of mystical paths that are designed to ascertain the nature of mankind and God and to facilitate the experience of divine love and wisdom in the world. Sufism arose as an organized movement after the death of Muhammad (AD 632) among different groups who found orthodox Islam to be spiritually stifling. The practices of contemporary Sufi orders and suborders vary, but most include the recitation of the name of God or of certain phrases from the Quran as a way to loosen the bonds of the lower self, enabling the soul to experience the higher reality toward which it naturally aspires. Though Sufi practitioners have often been at odds with the mainstream of Islamic theology and law, the importance of Sufism in the history of Islam is incalculable. Sufi literature, especially love poetry, represents a golden age in Arabic, Persian, Turkish, and Urdu languages. See also Ahmadiya, dervish, Malamatiya, tariqa.