"SUFI, (The Persian form of the plural being Sufiyan). A man of the people called Sufiyah who profess the mystic principle of Tasawwuf. There is considerable discussion as to the origin of this word. It is said to be derived (1) from the Arabic Suf , "wool," on account of the woollen dress worn by Eastern ascetics; (2) or from the Arabic Safu, "purity," with reference to the effort to attain the metaphysical purity (which is scarcely probable); (3) or from the Greek, meaning "wisdom"; (4) or, according to the Ghiyasu'l-Lughat, it is derived from the Su fah, the name of the tribe of Arabs who in the "time of ignorance," separated themselves from the world, and engaged themselves exclusively in the service of the Makkah Temple.

It might at first sight appear almost an impossibility for mysticism to engraft itself upon the legal system of the Qur'an, and the Ahadis, with the detailed ritual and cold formality which are so strikingly exemplified in Islam; but it would appear that from the very days of Muhammad, there have been always those who, whilst they called themselves Muslims, set aside the literal meaning of the words of Muhammad for a supposed mystic or spiritual interpretation, and it is generally admitted by Sufis that one of the great founders of their system, as found in Islam, was the adopted son (sic) and son-in-law of the Prophet, 'Ali ibn Abi Talib. The Sufis themselves admit that their religious system has always existed in the world, prior to the mission of Muhammad, and the unprejudiced student of their system will observe that Tasawwuf, or Sufism, is but a Muslim adaptation of the Vedanta school of Hindu philosophers (sic), and which also we find in the writings of old academics of Greece, and Sir William Jones thought Plato learned from the sages of the East.

The Sufis are divided into innumerable sects, which find expression in the numerous religious orders of Darweshes or Faqirs; but although they differ in name and in some of their customs, as dress, meditations and recitations, they are all agreed in their principal tenets, particularly those which inculcate the absolute necessity of blind submission to a murshid, or inspired guide. It is generally admitted that, quite irrespective of minor sects, the Sufis are divided into those who claim to be only the Ilhamiyah, or inspired of God, and those who assert that they are Ittihadiyah, or unionist with God (sic).
 

The following is a succinct account of the doctrines of the Sufis: -

1. God only exists. He in all things, and all things in Him.

2. All visible and invisible beings are an emanation from Him, and are not really distinct from Him.

3. Religions are matters of indifference: (sic) they however serve as leading to realities. Some for this purpose are more advantageous than others, among which is al-Islam, of which Sufism is the true philosophy.

4. There does not really exist any difference between good and evil (sic), for all is reduced to Unity, and God is the real Author of the acts of mankind.

5. It is God who fixes the will of man: man therefore is not free [has limited freedom] in his actions.

6. The soul existed before the body, and is confined within the latter as in a cage. Death, therefore, should be the object of the wishes of the Sufi, for it is then that he returns to the bosom of Divinity.

7. It is by this metempsychosis [an instance of transmigration of souls] that souls which have not fulfilled their destination here below are purified and become worthy of reunion with God.

8. Without the grace of God, which the Sufis call Fayazanu 'llah, or Fazlu 'llah, no one can attain to this spiritual union, but this, they assert, can be obtained by fervently asking for it.

9. The principal occupation of the Sufi, whilst in the body, is meditation on the wahdaniyah, or Unity of God. The remembrance of God's names (zikr), and the progressive advancement in the Tariqah, or journey of life, so as to attain unification with God."