Some years ago, Sophia Kim wrote a couple of helpful articles about Women, Sufism and the Gospel. Her expereince, was I think in Egypt, but she seems to be exploring Sufism from the beginning. This one explores the question of the place of women in Sufism. Then this one explores the implications for mission to […]
What makes a people long for deliverer? This is the question posed by Glaser and Kay at the opening of chapter 5 of their excellent book Thinking Biblically about Islam. They were looking at the state of mind among Jewish people at the time of the coming of Christ before turning to similarities with the
The Other Islam ought to have a chapter entitled “Jesus in Sufism,” but it hasn’t. I actually own a book called “Jesus in the Eyes of Sufis” by Dr Javad Nurbaksh, a Shi’ite Sufi.I also have a copy of Tarif Khalidi’s “The Muslim Jesus” which quuotes many sayings and anecdotes used in Sufi literature. Jesus
These are those guys… “We have found the Messiah.” “We have found the one Moses wrote about.” The excitement of Andrew and Philip in John 1:44-45 was palpable. They had found what they had been hoping for and they wanted to tell others. As I think about the young Sufi Muslims I have met here
These are those guys… Read More »
Larry Vanderaa worked in Mali. The Islam he found there did not match what he had been taught to expect. He let the local teacher teach him. To see what he learned, see his Kingdom Communities paper. At the popular level, ordinary people seek out Sufi masters to obtain baraka, blessing. Alan Howell reflects on
There is not much to put in this section yet that I am aware of. That is one reason for writing the book! Much of what has been written about Sufism in the West (by academics) is about Westerners adapting Sufism and usually de-islamising it. Richard Cook’s paper about Mirpuri Sufism is significant because so
Lilias Trotter’s booklet “The Sevenfold Secret” written towards the end of her life as a message to the Sufis she met in the Algerian Sahara is available in English from via this link. Mazhar Mallouhi produced a Sufi commentary on the Gospel of John. At present, it is only available in Arabic. For more information,
In his article “From Prophethood to the Gospel: Talking to Folk Muslims about Jesus,” Perry Pennington thinks deeply about the challenges of sharing the gospel with Muslims steeped in a Sufi-mindset in Pakistan. He recognises that many of the bridges and illustrations Chrsitians use don’t actually address the things that ordinary Muslims are concerned about.
The image on the cover of the book is based on a theme closely associated with the Sufism. It might look to us like a bishop’s mitre, but what it is a Sufi symbol representing is the footprint of Muhammad. You can find examples by searching for “al-na’alayn al-sharif” or “the prophets’s sandal.” Exotic muli-coloured