Initiation in Ṣūfism - Encyclopaedia of Islam, THREE
[Article]
Papas, Alexandre
Leiden
Brill
(1,999 words)
Initiation in Ṣūfism (Islamic mysticism) is a physical and symbolic ritual by which a candidate for the spiritual path (ṭarīqa) becomes the disciple of a master. Comprising several key elements, which Islamic scriptural sources are called upon to support, initiation marks, synchronically, the beginning of a new life and, diachronically, the introduction of the novice into the long Ṣūfī tradition of initiatory teachings (silsila) . Whereas a complete uniformity has never been achieved, Ṣūfīs in the eastern areas of the Muslim world have been remarkably creative in terms of ritual objects,