A Sheikh or shaykh (Arabic: شيخ shaykh; pl. شيوخ shuyūkh), of Sufism is a Sufi who is authorized to teach, initiate and guide aspiring dervishes in the Islamic faith. He has laid all his worldly desires to rest thru the one intense desire for knowing the love of God his beloved. The sheik is vital to the path of the novice Sufi, for the sheik has himself travelled the path of mysticism. Viewed as the spiritual master, the sheik forms a formal allegiance (bay'a) to the disciple of Sufism and authorizes the disciple's travels and helps the disciple along the mystical path.[1] Islamic tradition focuses on the importance of chains and legitimization. In Sufism, sheiks are connected by a continuous spiritual chain (isnad, sanad, silsila). This chain links every previous Sufi sheik, and eventually can be traced back to the Successors, and in later times to the Prophet himself. As Sufism grew, influential shayks began to acquire spiritual centers and waypoints known as khanqah, ribat, and zaouia.[2] Sheikhs duplicate the Prophetic realities, and are also expected to perform and act as an intermediary between the Creator and the created, since the sheikh has arrived close to God through his meditations and spiritual travels. There are several types of such sheikh.
The legitimacy of the sheik is based on the unbroken chain of authors or other sheiks. The shorter the chain the more authoritative the person becomes.[3] Teaching-sheiks provided their disciples with religious instruction as well as theology. During this time student travelled and interacted with different teacher-sheiks. Sufi sheiks flourished throughout the Islamic world more than any other type of personal authority because their mediatory skills were required for the smooth functioning of an agrarian-nomadic economy with a decentralized form of government.[4]
With the advent of institutionalized Sufism in the ninth century came the changed relationship between disciple and sheik. This came at a time in the Islamic world when other institutions were spreading to an ever far-reaching Islamic world, and were facing a collapsing caliphal empire. The sheik became a more authoritative figure, and become synonymous with prophetic traits as well as a totally functional leader. The sheik took on a new role as a permanent and known teacher, not a teaching-guide to a group of disciples. The sheik had permanent residence in a lodge and surrounded himself with his students. The disciples would live with the sheik and would follow the sheiks rules and prescribed behaviors. The lodge became an integral part of the Muslim community, as it maintained land holdings and also supported economic activities in cities. The directing-sheik became an authority for those seeking training and a strengthening of their moral and intellectual character. The shift from teaching-sheik to directing-sheik brought about an unprecedented focus on decorum (adab). Directing-sheiks core characteristic was set within the Sufi context of training others to approach God more closely and intimately.[5] Overall the experience of learning the mystical path of Sufism underneath the guise of the directing-sheik was much more intense than that of the teacher-sheik.
Khirkaedit
The importance of lineage in Sufism is exhibited by one such example as the Khirka. Khirka literally meaning, "Rough cloak, scapular, coarse gown". The cloak acts as an initiation process in Sufism in which the sheik puts his khirka on the disciple, or known as "Investiture with the Cloak".[6] This acts as the manifestation of blessings being transmitted from sheik to disciple. The act is reminiscent of when the Muhammad placed a cloak over Ali. This process solidifies the sheik-disciple relationship and creates an allegiance. After this process the disciple is able to join the Sufi order and continue studying underneath the sheik.[7]
Silsilaedit
Silsila is used in Sufism to describe the continuous spiritual chain that links Sufi orders and sheiks in a lineage relating back to the Prophet Muhammad and his Companions.[8]
Necessary qualifications of a sheikedit
The basic requirements for a person to be a Sufi sheik are as follows.[9]
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A Sheikh or shaykh Arabic شيخ shaykh pl شيوخ shuyukh of Sufism is a Sufi who is authorized to teach initiate and guide aspiring dervishes in the Islamic faith He has laid all his worldly desires to rest thru the one intense desire for knowing the love of God his beloved The sheik is vital to the path of the novice Sufi for the sheik has himself travelled the path of mysticism Viewed as the spiritual master the sheik forms a formal allegiance bay a to the disciple of Sufism and authorizes the disciple s travels and helps the disciple along the mystical path 1 Islamic tradition focuses on the importance of chains and legitimization In Sufism sheiks are connected by a continuous spiritual chain isnad sanad silsila This chain links every previous Sufi sheik and eventually can be traced back to the Successors and in later times to the Prophet himself As Sufism grew influential shayks began to acquire spiritual centers and waypoints known as khanqah ribat and zaouia 2 Sheikhs duplicate the Prophetic realities and are also expected to perform and act as an intermediary between the Creator and the created since the sheikh has arrived close to God through his meditations and spiritual travels There are several types of such sheikh The legitimacy of the sheik is based on the unbroken chain of authors or other sheiks The shorter the chain the more authoritative the person becomes 3 Teaching sheiks provided their disciples with religious instruction as well as theology During this time student travelled and interacted with different teacher sheiks Sufi sheiks flourished throughout the Islamic world more than any other type of personal authority because their mediatory skills were required for the smooth functioning of an agrarian nomadic economy with a decentralized form of government 4 Contents 1 The Directing sheik 2 Khirka 3 Silsila 4 Necessary qualifications of a sheik 5 See also 6 References 7 Footnotes 8 External linksThe Directing sheik editWith the advent of institutionalized Sufism in the ninth century came the changed relationship between disciple and sheik This came at a time in the Islamic world when other institutions were spreading to an ever far reaching Islamic world and were facing a collapsing caliphal empire The sheik became a more authoritative figure and become synonymous with prophetic traits as well as a totally functional leader The sheik took on a new role as a permanent and known teacher not a teaching guide to a group of disciples The sheik had permanent residence in a lodge and surrounded himself with his students The disciples would live with the sheik and would follow the sheiks rules and prescribed behaviors The lodge became an integral part of the Muslim community as it maintained land holdings and also supported economic activities in cities The directing sheik became an authority for those seeking training and a strengthening of their moral and intellectual character The shift from teaching sheik to directing sheik brought about an unprecedented focus on decorum adab Directing sheiks core characteristic was set within the Sufi context of training others to approach God more closely and intimately 5 Overall the experience of learning the mystical path of Sufism underneath the guise of the directing sheik was much more intense than that of the teacher sheik Khirka editThe importance of lineage in Sufism is exhibited by one such example as the Khirka Khirka literally meaning Rough cloak scapular coarse gown The cloak acts as an initiation process in Sufism in which the sheik puts his khirka on the disciple or known as Investiture with the Cloak 6 This acts as the manifestation of blessings being transmitted from sheik to disciple The act is reminiscent of when the Muhammad placed a cloak over Ali This process solidifies the sheik disciple relationship and creates an allegiance After this process the disciple is able to join the Sufi order and continue studying underneath the sheik 7 Silsila editSilsila is used in Sufism to describe the continuous spiritual chain that links Sufi orders and sheiks in a lineage relating back to the Prophet Muhammad and his Companions 8 Necessary qualifications of a sheik editThe basic requirements for a person to be a Sufi sheik are as follows 9 See also editPir Sufism Sheikh disambiguation References editShah Idries 1974 The Way Of The Sufi England Penguin Group Nasr Seyyed 2007 The Garden of Truth new York HarperCollins Publishers Footnotes edit Buehler Arthur 1998 Sufi Heirs of the Prophet Columbia S C University of South Carolina Press pp 1 2 Buehler Arthur 1998 Sufi Heirs of the Prophet Columbia S C University of South Carolina Press pp 3 4 Buehler Arthur 1998 Sufi Heirs of the Prophet Columbia S C University of South Carolina Press Knysh Alexander Irfan revisited Khomeini and the Legacy of Islamic Mystical Philosophy Middle East Journal Buehler Arthur 1998 Sufi Heirs of the Prophet Columbia S C University of South Carolina Press Brown Jonathan Hadith Muhammad s Legacy in the Medieval and Modern World Oxford p 188 Michon gt Ḵh irḳa Brill Retrieved April 1 2011 Trimingham J L Silsila Brill Online Retrieved April 2 2011 Tariqa Notes sheik Nuh Ha Mim Keller Masud co uk Retrieved May 28 2007 External links editPortals nbsp Religion nbsp Islam nbsp Education nbsp Psychology Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title Sheikh Sufism amp oldid 1204901553, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,
