Sufism & the Sufi Promise
“We carry inside us the wonders we seek outside us”
~Rumi
Sufism is a spiritual teaching that leads to Oneness or Unity with God’s Presence. The meaning of the word Sufism is “to purify one’s heart”
Sufism emanates from the Prophet Abraham (Ibrahim) of the bible and was kept alive for many centuries through a multitude of prophetic and enlightened teachers. A Sufi is one who has purified themselves and come closer to Oneness with the Divine because of this purification.
The goal of Sufism is to live closely with God and to live in the eternal experience of this Oneness. Those who have reached this state experience what is known as the Divine Ecstasy and the Revealing of Divine Knowledge (Gnosis). It is said that these people are those who have been brought near to God and have a special place in God’s heart. They have what Sufis’s call Ihsan; which is excellence in their lives both inner and outer.
One of the beautiful aspects of Sufism is that its teachings and purification can be applied to all paths. Many diverse spiritual and religious groups have studied with Dr. Jaffe, to learn these Sufism principles. All have found that the application of this knowledge of God, and the teachings of purification deepen their own paths and religions, regardless of previous spiritual or religious background.
Learn more about practices to get started with in the online version of our getting started booklet, created in partnership with Abdul Latif Howard, the Ma’rifa Foundation, and the University of Sufism.
A hard copy of the book is mailed to each person after they take the Sufi Bay’ah along with a beautiful set of prayer beads.
Taking the Sufi Promise
Taking the Sufi promise is a commitment between yourself and your Lord to walk the Sufi way, the way of Unity and Divine Love, Peace, Mercy, Justice, and Freedom. Many experience a feeling of being drawn to the Sufi path from a deep inner longing to connect with the Divine. In the bay’ah, you promise to follow what God asks of you, to Love deeply, to make no separation in the world, inside yourself, between religions, nor between the prophets. You’re asked to be a messenger of love, peace, mercy, justice, and freedom and do your best to live in this way.
To take the promise, you fill out the bay’ah form or contact promises@marifafoundation.org. You can take the promise with a Sufi teacher you know or we can help to set this up for you.
Next you make a sacrifice for the poor and needy. This is your way of giving gratitude to Allah for what He gives to you. It is said that whatever you give for the sake of God, God gives back to you even more. Those taking the bay’ah are traditionally asked to make a sacrifice of one sheep to feed the poorest of the poor, usually in the form of money ($500). In the Holy Land this is the cost of buying, transporting, sacrificing and preparing a sheep in the holy way. For those who can’t give the full amount, you give what you can at the time of your promise with a firm intention to pay the rest off over time. The remainder up to $500 is your debt to Allah. You may pay it in installments until the full amount is paid.
Next your teacher will help you to get a Sufi name, a name usually given in Arabic. This name, given by one of our tariqa’s Spiritual Leaders in the USA, our Murshids, is a name that speaks to the essence of what your heart carries and what will best help you in your walking.
Lastly, we will send you a promise packet to help you in your walking. We are also happy to connect you to other seekers who have been on the path for some time and who love to help those who are new.