adored the hosts of heaven (Tsaba), especially the seven planets, as representing Him.” [6]
Whatever the true origin of the word Sufi, it cannot easily be summed up in just a few words due to its mystical mix. For sure, this is an Islamic cult, much akin to the likes of the Albigensians or Cathars of the Christians, who were known as the pure ones. However, absolutely nobody is sure of the true origins of the movement and indeed it could and probably does even pre-date Islam in many respects and could even have influenced Muhammad himself.
Sufism then, is this mystical side of Islam continued, and this is why it is so important to the Sufi’s to keep this baraka, this continuance, so strong, because the base instincts of man will steal the truth and turn it to profit and gain. This is why the baraka seems so strange to those outside of the loop, because it is the mystical world that is unknowable. To be a true mystic, one must know oneself and ones own unconscious world. Not everybody has the will and the time to do this and others can do it as if by accident. The Sufi’s see themselves as moving through this world of ours as if they are part of it and all the time knowing there is so much more. They feel at all times the divine presence and yet look upon mankind with an eye of mercy. At least, that’s the story. To them each one of us has a spirit or Ruh, which originates from the Alam – a creation of the divine light itself. The food of the spirit is therefore more light and not that of the external sun, but the inner sun of Allah. To mirror and reflect this wisdom of the light is all that can be asked – to be like the moon, and we all know, the crescent moon is a symbol of Islam. The one who truly