Is Mysticism the Answer?

[feelgud]

Man’s unique quality is his intellect or his mind. The search for truth, by its very nature, should, therefore, be entirely an intellectual exercise. Its findings too should be intellectual in nature. The search will be successful when the seeker finds rational answers to the questions he poses about the universe and his own existence. The search for truth is not, therefore, a vague matter. It begins from the conscious mind and also culminates there.

The case of mysticism is quite different. Mysticism, essentially based on intuition, is not really a conscious intellectual process. As such, the mystical experience is more an act of spiritual intoxication than an effort to apprehend the truth in intellectual terms. A drug user undergoes an experience of inner pleasure which is too vaguely and unconsciously felt to be explained in comprehensible language. Similarly, what a mystic experiences is a type of unconscious ecstasy, which does not amount to a consciously sought after or properly assessable discovery. On the contrary, the search for truth is an intellectual exercise from beginning to end...

http://cpsglobal.org/content/mysticism-answer

[salim]

Mystics believe that around 1500 years ago, a mystic master was born, with his mystical powers he use to talk to angel Gabriel and also sometimes he use to directly talk to God. He use to go to a cave to do zikr, where he first had his mystical experience which can not be intellectually proven. He went to this cave and he heard a voice of angel Gabriel asking him to read. This sufi master then started getting mystical experience on continued basis for next 23 year. The result of his mystical experience is today know as Quran. The name of this Sufi master is Muhammad. All Muslims regardless of them being mystics or not believe the mystical power of the Sufi master Muhammad.

Mysticism means having consciousness of God (ultimate reality) and try to search for God. In Islam mystics use zikr(repeating any or some of the 99 names of Allah) in an effort to communicate with God.

Usually mystics gets up early in the morning before sun rise and try to remember Allah in their prayers with an intention to have an two way communication with Allah. In Islam, mystics also believe that Good deeds are very important along with zikr to understand Allah.

Also some times mystics go away from the world to a cave or in a forest where they try to understand Allah and try to seek his blessing and try to communicate with him. They usually go to cave or forest for few hrs, unlike in Hinduism where mystics leave their society for years.

The goal of a mystic is to progress beyond mere intellectual knowledge to a mystical (existential) experience that submerged limited man in the infinity of God.

The first step of mystic is to understand the God with intellect, but Mystics believe that at one stage in their effort to find truth, they go beyond intellectual level. They have an experience of something that can not be expresses in the words. You can only understand it when you experience it.

I personally believe that to leave the worldly responsibility and dedicate one self to mystical search is not the right way to go (at least for me).

I strongly believe that on this forum most of the people are Mystics including Muslim First. My definition of Mystic is one who makes an effort to understand the truth, even though he/she needs to go beyond his intellectual limits.

[Muslim First]

Br. Salim

AS & JAK

Very well said.

I personally believe that to leave the worldly responsibility and dedicate one self to mystical search is not the right way to go (at least for me).

Me too

Wasalaam

[feelgud]

, where he first had his mystical experience which can not be intellectually proven. He went to this cave and he heard a voice of angel Gabriel asking him to read. This sufi master then started getting mystical experience on continued basis for next 23 year. The result of his mystical experience is today know as Quran

.
do you believe that something can be intellectually proved?Or it is just our faith ,we deny one thing and accept others?

The goal of a mystic is to progress beyond mere intellectual knowledge to a mystical (existential) experience that submerged limited man in the infinity of God.

It is undualistic faith (Advait Vad),taken from Hinduism by some of the so called mystics.It is a part of someone's faith if he believe so.As per master of the mystics Man and God are two different entities.

The first step of mystic is to understand the God with intellect, but Mystics believe that at one stage in their effort to find truth, they go beyond intellectual level. They have an experience of something that can not be expresses in the words. You can only understand it when you experience it.

the master of all mystics as you mentioned in the beginning has already detailed about the relation between man and God.Those who follow him and Quran has a clear cut guideline to experience it.

I personally believe that to leave the worldly responsibility and dedicate one self to mystical search is not the right way to go (at least for me).

it is for all in general .The master of all mystics have said the same long back.

My definition of Mystic is one who makes an effort to understand the truth, even though he/she needs to go beyond his intellectual limits.

Can you brief this''beyond intellectual limits'' repeated twice in your post.

[feelgud]

I think,a mystic is one who do 'zahd' (in order to be pious)for himself and unconditional love for others(humanity) as advised by the master of all mystics(Muhammad).

[jawanmardan]

I'm personally inclined toward believing that Sufism, or the progressive Muslim movement has the answer.

The extreme Islamists are passionate advocates of Islam but ultimately are shallow, their religiosity is outwardly apparent but lacks any sense of spirituality. Wahabbism and other forms of Islamism is a reaction to the west, not ideologies genuinely rooted in islam, cloaked in western ideals of modernity. Both secular and "Islamic regimes" like the Taliban offer no genuine human rights, or freedom of expression, thought, or material prosperity.

[Muslim First]

JM

What is your defination of Wahabism?

What is wrong with Islam. All it requres for you tp pray Salat, Fast in Ramadan and pay your Zakat and perform Hujj if you can afford it.

Where in Qura'n or Sunnah sufism is addressed by name?

progressive Muslim movement has the answer

Can I be called Progressive If adherae to core Islamic principals?

[jawanmardan]

JM

What is your defination of Wahabism?

I would define Wahabism as the 18th century movement that dominates the gulf states. It's origins lie in the crisis of western Imperialism and expansion in the region during a tumultuous period in history. Fundamentally it is a reaction against (west, Sufis, women), rather than a positive move toward a goal. In this realization, we find it's failure to address fundamental issues.

What is wrong with Islam. All it requres for you tp pray Salat, Fast in Ramadan and pay your Zakat and perform Hujj if you can afford it.

Theres nothing wrong with the rituals, but the lack of spiritual discovery, the intolerance, the restrictions that the ideology of the far right enforces on it's people whether in oil rich Saudi, or Sudan have failed to deliver for their people, either in terms of freedom, peace, prosperity.

Where in Qura'n or Sunnah sufism is addressed by name?

The Qu'ran doesn't address any ideology by name, yet we are all faced with aligning ourselves with an ideology be it political, economical, religious.

Can I be called Progressive If adherae to core Islamic principals?

I believe being progressive is about addressing these fundamental questions on their own terms, rather than reacting against the west, womens rights, economic liberalization, democracy. Anyone can be progressive if their willing to take that proactive intellectual leap.

[Muslim First]

JM

their religiosity is outwardly apparent but lacks any sense of spirituality

How do you know? Have you looked into their heart?

Do you remember a Hadith of prophet when he scolded a Sahaba for cutting throat of a enemy en\ven when he declared Shahada just before being slashed.

When Sahaba said that person accepted Islam just to spare his life. Prophets response was have you looked into his heart?

[jawanmardan]

JM

their religiosity is outwardly apparent but lacks any sense of spirituality

How do you know? Have you looked into their heart?

Do you remember a Hadith of prophet when he scolded a Sahaba for cutting throat of a enemy en\ven when he declared Shahada just before being slashed.

When Sahaba said that person accepted Islam just to spare his life. Prophets response was have you looked into his heart?

It's not a question of looking into peoples hearts. It's a foundation of the ideology that it is focused on rituals with an absolute hatred of spiritual expressions prevalent in mysticism, it has produced no unique architecture, literature, poetry, music, philosophy.

Where are the cultural expressions of spirituality? All I see is rage, condemnation, and ritualization.

[Muslim First]

It's a foundation of the ideology that it is focused on rituals

Focus on rituals!

That is what Allah SWT asked Prophet to teach us. Show me where there is focus on Mystism mumbo jumbo in Qur’an and Sunnah.

Show me a single instant when Prophet twirled like Dervish? I am sick and tired of Billion mainstream Muslims including Mainstream Shias marginalized and Phu Phupud by the Deviants.

And this Sufis and Fatemis were so superior then why they are not in Majority?

[Muslim First]

progressive Muslim movement

What is that and what makes you think it does not exist in Mainstream Islam?

Can you be a true believing Muslim without rituals of Salat, Sawm and Hujj?

[jawanmardan]

It's a foundation of the ideology that it is focused on rituals

Focus on rituals!

That is what Allah SWT asked Prophet to teach us. Show me where there is focus on Mystism mumbo jumbo in Qur’an and Sunnah.

Show me a single instant when Prophet twirled like Dervish? I am sick and tired of Billion mainstream Muslims including Mainstream Shias marginalized and Phu Phupud by the Deviants.

And this Sufis and Fatemis were so superior then why they are not in Majority?

I did not advocate an Islamic world without rituals, but one in which rituals formed part of a holistic solution to problems faced by Muslim peoples. The Ottomans were very tolerant of Sufism, but not so of fanaticism found in Salafism. As I understand they were the last great Islamic Khalifate, which rather makes your majority argument hollow.

Forget about Fatimids and Sufi for a moment, and ask yourself how 3 million Abbasids were able to produce more original thought than one billion Muslims living today. Clearly what we have now is not working, Saudi and the Taliban as prime examples have failed miserably.

What is that and what makes you think it does not exist in Mainstream Islam?

The lack of freedom in the Islamic world. A younger more educated group of Muslims will seek to readdress that imbalance.