Iranian Sufism and the Recovery of National Identity

Iranian Sufism and the Recovery of National Identity

The identity of any land is derived from the thoughts and intellectual foundations of various groups that shape the society of that land. In fact, what makes a culture a civilization with a distinct and independent identity are the various intellectual aspects of that civilization across different domains. Undoubtedly, one of the most important of these aspects in Iranian-Islamic civilization is the issue of Sufism, which has almost always been present in our society in various forms and with many ups and downs. 

In reality, a series of specific teachings supported this active and continuous presence; in other words, what transformed the Sufis into a very powerful social class in our society, especially before the 10th century AH, were these teachings. Alongside the teachings of other social institutions, these teachings led to the revival of an independent identity known as Iranian identity, which had faded over several centuries, in the 7th and 8th centuries. 

On the other hand, the Sufis themselves, apart from their teachings, had a direct civilizational function, which included the authorship of numerous books and the transmission of their principles beyond the geographical borders of Iran to China and Europe. 

This article, by separating the issue, focuses on the teachings of the Sufis and the legacy of Sufism in an effort to understand their impact on Iranian identity. 

Shideh / M. Sadeghani, N. Azimi