Sufism and Peace

Question:

Assalamou 3aleikom
My name is Shady, i’m 35, i’m muslim from Aleppo, Syria, french literature and history teacher in college in Geneva, Switzerland and also intercultural and interreligion mediator (wasseet) and youth coach.
I began a few monthes ago making researches for a PHD about soufism as peace builder, maker and holder. This guided me to naqshbandiya wal hamdoulelah. What is the idea of peace in soufism? What are the technics that soufisme had to guide hukkams and people to keep peace with other countries and also in the same countries (social, work, family, interreligious mediations)
Do you think this is a good subject or do you see there is one better i should follow?

Answer:

wa `alaykum salam

Just as Tariqah – the way of Sufism – is reached through the gateway of the Shari`ah of Islam, so is peace only reached by “submission” – the literal meaning of islam – to the will of Allah Almighty. The Sufi is really the one who has realized peace in his or her self; this realization is no doubt to be identified with the descent of the sakinah in the heart of the believer mentioned in the Holy Qur’an. As-Salam is a Divine Name, a name of the Essence, and is therefore to be realized beyond oppositions, at the center of things. The way of peace is the middle way.

Examples may be found in the history of every land of the many ways in which Sufi people have manifested this Divine Name, beginning with the example of the Holy Prophet, peace be upon him. More recently, the servants of peace have been the best guides for rulers, since it is the duty of a ruler to defend society against its enemies. The servants of peace know who have always been and who remain the real enemies of humanity, and show people how to live in harmony. Make no mistake of associating this peace of the Sufi with some sort of lassitude; history also relates the readiness of the followers of Sufism to stand against tyranny.

Is there a better subject to study in history than how the presence of such people has brought the light of justice to this world? Secular scholarship, of course, is ill-equipped to understand the source of this light; nevertheless the importance of Sufism may be brought to others’ attention, especially since you have such a valuable position in your community. The middle way is needed now, in order to be free of extremism.

Within the history of modern Europe, the study of Sufism must not overlook the legacy of `Abd al-Hadi Aqhili and, above all, the role of Shaykh Nazim al-Haqqani.

Mahmoud Shelton

About Ustadh Mahmoud Shelton

Mahmoud Shelton studied at the University of Edinburgh before taking a degree in Medieval Studies at Stanford University. Shelton is the author of Alchemy in Middle Earth: The Significance of J.R.R. Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings, The Balance of George Lucas' Star Wars, and numerous articles. He is also a contributor to The Royal Book of Spiritual Chivalry and The Sufi Science of Self-Realization. Contributions by Mahmoud Shelton * Chivalry of the Night and Day * Alchemy in Middle Earth * contributor, The Royal Book of Spiritual Chivalry
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