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Sufism in Egypt: the Shrine Culture of Cairo Sophia Kim, MA1

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Sufism in Egypt: the Shrine Culture of Cairo Sophia Kim, MA1 St Francis Magazine Nr. 2 Vol. III (September 2007) Sufism in Egypt: The Shrine Culture of Cairo Sophia Kim, MA1 1 INTRODUCTION broke his fast by eating a date. And there are Islam is said to be the religion of the Law. many other customs which are believed to have The only things remaining after the death of originated with the Prophet. the Prophet are the holy book Quran and the Not only customs but also some building Hadith, the written text of the Prophet’s acts designs patterns on mosques are said to have and words. There can be no more prophets in originated from the Prophet’s words. For Islam as the Prophet Muhammad is considered example, the Prophet recommended two merciful acts: to give water to the thirsty and to teach religion to the ignorant. For this reason, -(public drinking fountains ,ﺳﺒﻴﻞ)many sabil Quranic school) are found as ,ﻛﺘﺎﺏ)kuttab monuments in Egypt. Although Muslims can imitate the Prophet’s acts and follow his sayings, all they are is letters and words. They do not have a spiritual channel with God. Muslims believe that the Creator is so completely different from His creatures on the door of a mosque ﺩﻋﺎﺀ that human beings cannot the final prophet. Muslims model their lives have a personal on him, following his example.St If theyFrancis board Magazinerelationship a train, for example, they recite the prayer for with God. It is as set out in the unimaginable for (ﺍﻟﺮﻛﻮﺏ ﺩﻋﺎﺀ) taking transport Hadith, just as the Prophet did whenever he them to call God travelled. Petitions for going in and coming “Father”. Even though they do ﺩﻋﺎﺀ ﺩﺟﻮﻝ ﺍﳌﺴﺠﺪ & ﺩﻋﺎﺀ ﺍﳉﺮﻭﺝ) out of the mosque ,are inscribed on the door of some Sabil-kuttab of Khusraw Pasha not realize it (ﻣﻦ ﺍﳌﺴﺠﺪ mosques. During Ramadan, people give dates they have a void in their religious life because to one another, when they break their fast in they do not have a spiritual relationship with the evening because it is said that the Prophet St Francis Magazine is published by Interserve and Arab Vision www.stfrancismagazine.info - www.interserve.org - www.arabvision.org 1 St Francis Magazine Nr. 2 Vol. III (September 2007) God; they only have letters, words and the law. There is also an opinion that Islamic spirituality They desperately need something to fill this existed from the time of the Prophet void. Muhammad and continued after his death, Those religions which cannot fill this spiritual re-appearing with the name ‘Sufism’ later. void cannot last long because this is mankind’s Fazlur Rahman insists that the Prophet had natural desire. One of the main reasons felt the presence of God in a close relationship Muslims follow Islam is in order to go to with Him. His spirituality has been revealed in history through the founding a powerful paradise when they die. Many believe that 2 all Muslims go to paradise. They believe that religious and ethical society. Lings suggests that even bad Muslims go to paradise after being Sufism is Islam itself and is the true spirituality punished in hell, for a while. This is why it is so of Islam which has continued by chosen Sufis. hard for them to leave Islam. However, how do According to Lings, the Prophet Muhammad and (ﺷﻴﺦ ,they solve their spiritual hunger? was the first Sufi master (shaykh possessed great spirituality. Because of this he Sufism provides the answer to this question for can be considered the chief spiritual master and some. Sufism, or Islamic mysticism, addresses the first of all Sufis. the spiritual side of Islam. Sufism is known as the “spirit of Islam”. I begin by examining the Even though there is this insistence that the concept of Sufism and then that of the saint. origin of Sufism can be traced back to the I also consider the shrines, the places where Prophet Muhammad, the orthodoxy of Sufism Sufism is most visibly practiced: asking what has been always controversial. One of the main is their role and who visits them. Sufism is reasons for this is because the goal of Sufism widespread in the Islamic world with Egypt does not fit with orthodox Islam. The goal of and ﻓﻨﺎﺀ being one of the countries that has been greatly Sufism is explained in terms of fana here fana means ‘passing away of :ﺑﻘﺎﺀ influenced by Sufism. The focus of this study is baqa Cairo, where I examine the places and people of the conventional self ’ or ‘overcoming one’s Sufism ego’; and baqa means ‘realizing the real ‘I’, or God in oneself and remaining in Him’. This state of baqa is based on the Sufis’ fundamental 2 WHAT IS SUFISM (TASAWWUF, teaching that the reality of the world is God. In other words, the world is nothing but God’s ?(ﺍﻟﺘﺼﻮﻑ There are many views concerningSt theFrancis origin of self-manifestation. Magazine Therefore, in the state of Sufism. Some consider that it began at the time baqa God is present in the individual and is of the conquest of Umayyad by pious believers revealed in and through him. In other words, who were worried about the secularization he sees, hears, and speaks, what God sees, hears, of the Islamic world and were warning of the and speaks; and acts as God’s trusted agent. This horrors of hell. Many believe the name ‘Sufi’ state of fana and baqa is absolutely different from the concept of incarnation (hulul ) in ﺣﻠﻮﻝ ﺻﻮﻑ ’ originated, from the word ‘suf ﺻﻮﻓﻰ meaning ‘wool’, because the rough garments Christianity. The state of fana is the annihilation they wore were made of wool. of the individual’s being in the presence of God and not incarnation. Orthodox Islam, which St Francis Magazine is published by Interserve and Arab Vision www.stfrancismagazine.info - www.interserve.org - www.arabvision.org 2 St Francis Magazine Nr. 2 Vol. III (September 2007) stresses the transcendent God, could not accept 2. WHO ARE THE SAINTS (AWLIYA, ?(ﺍﻭﻟﻴﺎﺀ this concept of Sufism and strongly condemns it. They argue that it is not based on the Quran The saints are those who reach the highest level and Hadith, but has been born out of the the state of fana ,(ﻃﺮﻳﻘﺔ ,on the Sufi path (Tariqa influence of heresy. and baqa. Those who reach this stage receive .(ﻣﻌﺮﻓﺔ ,The concept of sainthood brings even sharper the knowledge of the Divine (marifa conflicts between Islamic jurisprudents (ulama, This knowledge, it is claimed, is distinct from and the Sufis. This concept became the that which is acquired through study. All Sufis (ﻋﻠﻤﺎﺀ focus of dispute in the late 9th Century, after follow this Sufi path but only a few of them are the era of the prophets had finished. It centred believed to have reached the level of sainthood. around the idea of saints as a special class. This The goal of Sufis is to reach this level and was a very sensitive issue because Islam does become the recipients of divine knowledge. not recognize or accept the possibility of an Divine knowledge is one of the most intercessor between God and human beings. distinctive characteristics of the saints as the Sufism suggests that saints have inspiration ones who inherit the spiritual genealogy of from God in succession to the prophets. Islam the prophets. Just as the prophets were given says the Prophet Muhammad was the final their revelation from God, so the saints also prophet, there can be no more prophets. In receive the knowledge of the Divine, as they Sufism the Prophet is not only the model for are those who are closest to God. The spiritual all Sufis who want to get close to God but also genealogy which traces itself back to the the perfect man who manifests God’s epiphany Prophet Muhammad is another characteristic best. of the saints. This genealogy is the family line as distinct from (ﺍﺳﻨﺎﺩ ,It is debated as to whether Sufism has origins through the spirit (isnad in the Quran and existed in Islam from the the family blood line. It becomes proof that the from (ﺑﺮﻛﺔ ,first, or whether it appeared later. What is clear saint has inherited a blessing (baraka is that Sufism has existed in Islam throughout the Prophet and is accepted as the channel of the whole of its history. In the 9th century spiritual power. its influence spread and it became popular The saints are believed to have a special among Muslims, finally reaching the peak of its mission in this world following the death of the popularity by the 15th and 16th Centuries. Prophet, as leaders of the Islamic community As his successors they are the .(ﺃﻣﺔ ,One of the reason for this is to be found in the (umma work of Ghazali(d. 1111), aSt famous Francis jurisprudent real power,Magazine leading the community with the who also became a Sufi. He challenged the knowledge from God. Sufism was the answer jurisprudents to reconsider Sufism, and was to the question “who will lead the community able to reconcile Sufism with orthodoxy. He did after the death of the Prophet?” this by highlighting what Sufism could offer Islam, articulating the role of Sufism in Islam. 4 THE SAINTS IN ISLAMIC SOCIETY: According to him Sufism fills the void that SUFI SHRINE CULTURE results from the limitations of knowledge or jurisprudence. He believed that Sufism could It is the Sufi shrines that best show the fill the spiritual void for followers of Islam. influence of Sufism and reveal the concept of St Francis Magazine is published by Interserve and Arab Vision www.stfrancismagazine.info - www.interserve.org - www.arabvision.org 3 St Francis Magazine Nr.
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