Key Concepts in the Practice of Sufism [Paperback]

M. Fethullah Gulen (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 1, 1999

• The origin of Sufism
• Self criticism
• Reflection
• Privacy and seclusion
• Heart
• Hope or expectation
• Asceticism

People follow the Sufi path when they sense that Islam has a deeper dimension. The resulting self-purification leads to this inner dimension of Islamic rituals, a deeper understanding of the Divine acts, and a greater knowledge and love of Him. After this, God draws the novice to Himself. With the help of a spiritual guide, the novice begins the life-long journey back to God.

This continual process of spiritual development along a path of the innate human poverty, helplessness, and powerlessness before God is undertaken in the knowledge that everything comes from God. Each novice does what is necessary to grow spiritually, and God bestows the appropriate blessings and stations.

"The highest aim of creation and its most sublime result is belief in God. The most exalted rank of humanity is knowledge of God. The most radiant happiness and sweetest bounty for jinn and humanity is love of God contained within the knowledge of God; the purest joy for the human spirit and the purest delight for the human heart is spiritual ecstasy contained within the love of God. Indeed, all true happiness, pure joy, sweet bounties, and unclouded pleasure are contained within the knowledge and love of God." And Sufism is the school where people can realize the highest aim of creation.

Editorial Reviews

Language Notes

Text: English (translation)
Original Language: Turkish

About the Author

Known by his simple and austere lifestyle, Fethullah Gülen, affectionately called Hodjaefendi, is a scholar of extraordinary proportions. This man for all seasons was born in Erzurum, eastern Turkey, in 1941. Upon graduation from a private divinity school in Erzurum, he obtained his license and began to preach and teach about the importance of understanding and tolerance. His social reform efforts have made him one of Turkey's most well-known and respected public figures during the 1960s.

Though simple in outward appearance, he is original in thought and action. He embraces all humanity, and is deeply averse to unbelief, injustice, and deviation. His belief and feelings are profound, and his ideas and approach to problems are both wise and rational. A living model of love, ardor, and feeling, he is extraordinarily balanced in his thoughts, acts, and treatment of matters.

Turkish intellectuals and scholars acknowledge, either tacitly or explicitly, that he is one of the most serious and important thinkers and writers, and among the wisest activists of twentieth-century Turkey or even of the Muslim world. But such accolades of his leadership of a new Islamic intellectual, social, and spiritual revival—a revival with the potential to embrace great areas of the world—do not deter him from striving to be no more than a humble servant of God and a friend to all. Desire for fame is the same as show and ostentation, a "poisonous honey" that extinguishes the heart's spiritual liveliness, is one of the golden rules he follows.

Gülen has spent his adult life voicing the cries and laments, as well as the beliefs and aspirations, of Muslims in particular and of humanity in general. He bears his own sorrows, but those of others crush him. He feels each blow delivered at humanity to be delivered first at his own heart. He feels himself so deeply and inwardly connected to creation that once he said: "Whenever I see a leaf fall from its branch in autumn, I feel as much pain as if my arm had been amputated."

Product Details

• Paperback: 203 pages
• Publisher: Fountain Pub (November 1, 1999)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 9757388572
• ISBN-13: 978-9757388579
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.9 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #3,604,605 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent book about Sufism, the way of reaching the God., January 9, 2001

By A Customer

This review is from: Key Concepts in the Practice of Sufism (Paperback)

Regardless of the word, Sufism, the properties of the believer metioned in the book are propeties of the perfect faith. We sometimes call sofists as 'dervish'. In fact, regardless of their religion, we see such people whose nature is very similar to a dervish. If they meet the God, Allah, and his last Prophet, peace be upon him, they will see what they are looking for. Everybody who looks for the sweet belief of God must read this book.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Best presantation of Sufism I have ever seen, September 27, 2000

By 

Peter McCallum (Sunnyvale, CA United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Key Concepts in the Practice of Sufism (Paperback)

Sufism is the answer for the questions 21st century people have in their heads. It is the cure for our deep wounds in in our souls. It is for the balance with the contemporary materialistic world. I found especially this book very helpful very convincing with all explanations of sufism. I did not just understand but also felt it. I strongly advice for everybody who is looking for the pure truth.

9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars keyword is God, not the sufism, October 4, 2000

By A Customer

This review is from: Key Concepts in the Practice of Sufism (Paperback)

The book not only gives a detailed view of sufism (one of the many ways to reach the true belief) but also becomes a guide to the ones who seeks for some answers.