Sufism

Sufism (Arabic: ٱلصُّوفِيَّة ṣ-ṣūfiyyati), also known as Tasawwuf (ٱلتَّصَوُّف), is a mystic body of religious practice within Islam characterized by a focus on Islamic spirituality, ritualism, asceticism and esotericism.

It has been variously defined as "Islamic mysticism","the mystical expression of Islamic faith", "the inward dimension of Islam", "the phenomenon of mysticism within Islam",the "main manifestation and the most important and central crystallization" of mystical practice in Islam, and "the interiorization and intensification of Islamic faith and practice".

Practitioners of Sufism are referred to as "Sufis" (from صُوفِيّ, ṣūfīy), and historically typically belonged to "orders" known as tariqa (pl. ṭuruq) – congregations formed around a grand wali who would be the last in a chain of successive teachers linking back to Muhammad.