Sufism

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original Sufis, though they seem far from the orthodox views, maintained a very close tie with original Islamic doctrine. Their differences were considerable, but the link with orthodoxy was “guaranteed by their acceptance of the law and ritual practices of Islam.”
The Sufis believe that a person’s soul abides with God before it ever inhabits the body of man. This connection is the reason for all Sufi practice. Their rituals and ceremonies are an attempt to reconnect their soul with God, its original keeper. This pursuit of God also leads Sufis to believe in a pursuit of ecstasy, which can be reached through repeated convocations, breathing exercises, and chants, all of which are accompanied by vocal and/or instrumental music. This ecstasy requires freedom from conscious thought, which Sufis believe can be attained through music.
Although was a response to communal worship, they have developed a form of communal worship to help each other ...

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strive solely for the right to be one with the Beloved. The end of the Path come when the mystic soul is “rapt up into union with the Divine and the soul becomes one with God” in much the same manner as “the drop subsists when it is merged in the ocean…for the part has returned to become one with the Whole.”
The Sufis have one particular story, which shows this deep infatuation with the Beloved. The story speaks of a man who is asked where he is going, where he comes from, what he desires, etc. His replies always contain the word Beloved (i.e. “From the Beloved” and “Near to the Beloved”). This shows the extreme desire for this ...

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