伊斯蘭教內的一種神祕派別，主張經由各人對真主的親身體驗，來尋求神愛和神知的。包含很多神祕的方法來探知人和神的本質，並使世上存在的神愛和神智易於感受。蘇菲主義是在穆罕默德去世後（632），以一種有組織的運動在一些不同的派別中崛起的，他們都認為正統伊斯蘭教在精神上令人窒息。當時的蘇菲派的修行規定沒有一致性，但最重要的規定包括反覆唸誦真主的美名或《可蘭經》的某些詞語，作為鬆懈自身卑微面的一切束縛，使靈魂能夠體驗更高的真理，此即是靈魂所自然嚮往的目標。雖然蘇菲主義的修習者同伊斯蘭教神學和教法的主流常起衝突，但其在伊斯蘭教發展歷史中舉足輕重。蘇菲文學，尤其是愛情詩，代表了阿拉伯、波斯、土耳其和烏爾都語的黃金時代。亦請參閲Ahmadiya、dervish、Malamatiya、tariqa。
Sufism
Mystical movement within Islam that seeks to find divine love and knowledge through direct personal experience of God. It consists of a variety of mystical paths that are designed to ascertain the nature of mankind and God and to facilitate the experience of divine love and wisdom in the world. Sufism arose as an organized movement after the death of Muhammad (AD 632) among different groups who found orthodox Islam to be spiritually stifling. The practices of contemporary Sufi orders and suborders vary, but most include the recitation of the name of God or of certain phrases from the Quran as a way to loosen the bonds of the lower self, enabling the soul to experience the higher reality toward which it naturally aspires. Though Sufi practitioners have often been at odds with the mainstream of Islamic theology and law, the importance of Sufism in the history of Islam is incalculable. Sufi literature, especially love poetry, represents a golden age in Arabic, Persian, Turkish, and Urdu languages. See also Ahmadiya, dervish, Malamatiya, tariqa.
