Sufism

Sufism, an umbrella term for the ascetic and mystical movements within Islam. While sufism is said to have incorporated elements of Christian monasticism, gnosticism, and Indian mysticism, its origins are traced to forms of devotion and groups of penitents (zuhhad) in the formative period of Islam. Two central sufi concepts are tawakkul, the total reliance on God, and dhikr, the perpetual remembrance of God. The introduction of gnostic elements (marifa) into sufism is often attributed to Dhu-n-Nun al-Misri. Sufism nonetheless faced growing opposition from orthodox clerics. Islamic orthodoxy and sufism were not irreconcilable, as attested by the attempt by al-Ghazali to infuse conformist moslem religious life with mysticism.
The evolution of sufism in the post-Ghazali period was influenced by Ibn al-Arabi and Ibn al-Farid. Important sufi figures elsewhere in the Islamic world include Muin ad-Din Chishti in India and Baha ad-Din Naqshband in central Asia.
Sufi orders, which assimilated aspects of native religious traditions more readily than more dogmatic versions of Islam, played a major role in the expansion of Islam into sub-Saharan Africa and central, S, and SE Asia. Other important orders include the Ahmadiyya (notably in Egypt), Naqshbandiyya (Central Asia), Nimatullahiyya (Iran), Rifaiyya (Egypt, SW Asia), Shadhiliyya (N Africa, Arabia), Suhrawardiyya and Chishtiyya (S and central Asia), and Tijaniyya (N and W Africa).