Revelation, Rationality, Knowledge & Truth — Page 26
ISLAMIC SCHOOLS OF THOUGHT discussed in the section on Hinduism. Sometimes new ways and modes of remembrance were innovated by different. Sufi saints, which, finally, got almost entirely divorced from the well-established Sunnah of the Holy Founders of. Islam. Yet the followers of such Sufi sects adhered to them more passionately and vehemently than to the Quranic teaching itself. Thus, new schools of Sufism cropped up at different times and in different countries of the Muslim world. or. The purpose of this exercise is not to go into a detailed account of the development of Sufi thought the schisms which appeared among the Sufis later on — but one thing which most clearly distinguishes Sufism in Islam from all other similar practices is the unshakeable belief of the Sufis in the continuity of revelation or their communion with God. In fact, all the eminent Sufis in Islam have claimed to be in constant communication with God and many a revelation bestowed upon them has been recorded in authentic books. Yet there are some among the Sufis who have broken all ties with the fundamentals of Islam. . To them the purpose of religion is only to lead man to God and the forms of worship have become redundant for those who have already achieved this purpose. They introduced certain mental and spiritual exercises with the claim that they were sufficient to establish a sort of communication between man and God which is sometimes described as an awareness of oneness with Him. It did not take long for music and drug addiction to find their way into this school of Sufism, to break them loose from reality to drift aimlessly into a world of delusion. However, all Sufi movements did not start their journey with innovations, though, very often they were led to them during their decadence later on. 26