Sufism (also known as Tassawuf) is a term for a set of practices, beliefs, and identities within Islam.
Sufism focuses on personal knowledge of God. The practice of Sufism seeks to experience the presence of divine love and wisdom in the world. A person who practices Sufism is called a Sufi.
Though Sufis are a small group, they have been influential in Islamic literature, thought, and history. They believe that Islam must be learned through teachers, not only from books.
There are many different orders (tarikas) practicing Sufism. Many orders were founded in the 12th and 13th centuries and are still around today.
Text adapted from Simple English Wikipedia, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License 4.0.
Friday afternoon Dervishes by David Stanley via Wikimedia Commons, CC-BY 2.0.
