Sufism Meets Existentialism

Rehman Anwer

The author of The Fundamentals of Sufism (Broken Leg Publications, 2022) connects some unexpected links between Sufism and Existentialism.

I often get asked the question: why was my first book (The Fundamentals of Sufism) about Sufism and the second (Breaking Silences), primarily existential fiction? Is there a possible connection between the two philosophies? The answer is not straightforward. Although the two approaches are distinct in so many ways, there are indeed several striking similarities.

Sufism is essentially rooted in Islam and represents the philosophical expression of Islam. Besides all the indigenous and contemporary hostilities against Sufism and concerted efforts by various actors including certain Islamic theologians and European Orientalists to portray it as a faith of free-thinking libertarians with no connection to traditional Islam, Sufism has not only survived its rich inclusive traditions but also its strong connection with Islam.

Existentialism, on the other hand, is a Western philosophy that emerged in response to the crisis of modernity in eighteenth and nineteenth century Europe. As Rollo May laments, it is “immersed in and arises directly out of Western man’s anxiety, estrangement and conflict…”[1]. Existentialism is multifaceted and encapsulates vast dimensions of emotional and spiritual aspects manifested in psychology, philosophy, art and literature.

The first and foremost similarity between Sufism and Existentialism is their quest to seek reality. Both approaches are concerned with ontology, the science of being. Both place a greater emphasis on the philosophy of existence to search for the meaning of life or to rationalise our existence.

One of the core Sufi ideas is ‘being in the moment’ and the person who is capable of being fully present in the moment is referred as ‘Sāhib al-waqt’ or ‘Sāhib-i hāl’, implying that a spiritual seeker must live entirely in the present, immersed completely in the moment. The practice is to get absorbed in the divine presence, to liberate oneself from worldly fears and anxieties.

Cover art by Rahim Baloch

Similarly, Martin Heidegger, a 20^th-century German existentialist, emphasised on ‘mindfulness’, a shift away from the urge of frantic control of the world toward a receptive, unitive awareness of existence. The discourse on being and living in the present moment emerge as a dominant intersection between both the philosophies.

Jean-Paul Sartre, a French philosopher, novelist, playwright and a key figure of existentialism in the

20^th century, promoted the idea of ‘existence before essence’. He contends that humans are born first without a predefined purpose or fixed human nature, and must define their own meaning, identity, and values through their choices and actions. According to him, human beings do not have a fixed identity. They are a work in progress. This concept is not unfamiliar in the Sufi discourses around identity and an escape from the socially constructed identities leading to confrontation and conflict. This concept is well explained by an 18^th-century Sufi poet, Baba Bulleh Shah in his poem ‘Bullah Ki Jaana Main Kaun’ (Bullah, I know not who I am), in which he systematically rejects every category society uses to define a person. To reject the superficial divisions that divide human beings, the poet engages in self-negation, revealing his existential states where he rejects association with temporary worldly identities.

The convergence between Sarte’s ideas of existentialism and Baba Bulleh Shah’s conception of Sufism lies in their stance against socially constructed rigid labels. Human identity, to them, is a continuous process and can never be fixed.

Another important intersection of existentialism and Sufism is found in the seminal work of Egyptian philosopher Abdur Rahman Badawi (d. 2002) entitled Humanism and Existentialism in Arabic Thought, in which Badawi makes a comparative study of Sufism and European existentialism, with a focus on Søren Kierkegaard’s (d. 1855) existential ideas. Badawi contends that much like Kierkegaard, Sufis use myths and religious stories to offer existential illustrations while comparing Kierkegaard with 9th-century Sufi saint Mansur al-Hallāj (d. 922), both of whom lived out their philosophies and were criticised for that.

Cover Art by Umar Riaz

Similarly, Muhammad Iqbal (d. 1938) found elements of great convergence between the personalities of al-Hallāj and German Philosopher Nietzsche (d.1900). In his famous work entitled Jāvid-nāma, Iqbal presents a comparison between the two, calling them visionary but remained grossly misunderstood by the society.

Referring again to Nietzsche in in Jāvid-nāma , Iqbal writes:

This Hallāj without gallows and rope

Has spoken anew those ancient words;

his words are fearless, his thoughts sublime,

the Westerners are struck asunder by the sword of his speech. [2]

He further continues that comparison as:

He was a Hallāj who was stranger in his own city;

He saved his life from mullahs, and the physicians slew him. [3]

For Iqbal, Nietzsche’s Übermensch and Hallāj’s claim of Anā al-Haqq (I am the Truth) reflect profound personality traits of men asserting their egos. It can be argued that Iqbal’s concept of al insān al kāmil or ‘perfect man’ was inspired from strong personalities like al-Hallāj and Nietzsche who went against the whole society but never hesitated in expressing their feelings. Iqbal seemed to be fascinated by the idea of exploring commonalities between the supermen of Nietzsche and al-Hallāj, based on their strong assertion of Khūdī (Selfhood).

Unlike European existentialism that primarily operates with a secular framework, Sufism has its religious and spiritual boundaries. However, their commonalities lie in their quest for exploring the true meaning of human existence, suffering, alienation, anxiety, freedom and rejection of external dogmas.

Notes:

[1] Rollo May, The Discovery of Being: Writings in Existential Psychology (New York: W. W. Norton & Company, 1983), 59.

[2] Muhammad Iqbal, Javid Nama, trans. by A. J. Arberry (London: George Allen & Unwin, 1966), lines 2707–2710.

[3] Muhammad Iqbal, Javid Nama, trans. by A. J. Arberry (London: George Allen & Unwin, 1966), lines 2719–2720.

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Rehman Anwer is a British Pakistani writer, activist and a PhD scholar. He is the writer of The Fundamentals of Sufism and Breaking Silences.