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Sufsm and the Transcendent Unity o ReligionsSeyyed Hossein Nasr, Javad Nurbakhsh, Robert Frager, and abir

Helminski

1. Being itself the message of the essence in the form or of the Center at

the periphery, Susm can guide man from the phenomena to the

noumena, from the form (rah) to the meaning (man) to use the

Su technical terminology itself. This fact coupled with the universal

character of slam, as re!ected in the insistence of the "ur#an upon

man#s accepting the authenticity of previous religions, has made of the

Sus throughout history the great proponents of the $transcendent

unity of religions#, whose principles they have e%plicitly formulated.

Some li&e 'n $ra' and *awl+n+ al+l al-n /0m have even applied

this concept to specic teachings of non-slamic religions. Susm

provides the metaphysics necessary to carry out the study of

comparative religion in depth so that man can accept the validity of

every detail of the authentic religions of man&ind and at the same

time see 'eyond these details to the transcendent unity of these

religions. (Seyyed ossein 2asr, Living Sufsm 34ondon5 *andala

Boo&s, 6nwin 7aper'ac&s, 189:;, p. it includes the faithful of slam along with followers

of other religions, as is evidenced 'y the "ur#anic assertion, ?@erily,

those who have faith (in what is revealed to the 7rophet) and those

who are ews and Christians and Sa'aeans Awhoseover has fear in

od and the 4ast ay and does rightA surely their reward is with their

4ord, and no fear shall overcome them and neither shall they grieve

(

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paths ultimately lead to the same place5 the 'solute Truth, which is,

in fact, one and the same for everyone. (avad 2ur'a&hsh, ?4ove5 The

7ath of 6nity, Suf, ournal of Susm, ssue 18 3utumn 188H;, p. =).G. t is only through the 'inding force of love can humanity leave 'ehind

its diIerences, its condition of multiplicity, and 3can; arrive at a state

of Eneness. Enly through love can we come to see that all acts of

worship, when performed with sincerity of the heart, lead to the same

end, 3and; come from the same source. (2ur'a&hsh, ?4ove5 The 7ath of

6nity, p. =).D. Susm is no diIerent from the mysticism at the heart of all religions.

ust as a river passes through many countries and is claimed 'y each

of its own, there is only one river. ll mysticism has the same goal, the

direct e%perience of the divine. (3Shei&h; /o'ert 3/agi'; Jrager, Heart,

Sel, & Soul" The Suf 's%()olog% o *ro+th, alan(e, and Harmon%

.heaton, !llinois" /uest ooks, Theoso0hi(al 'u1lishing house, 2333;,p. i%

=. *ost Sus 'elieve that there is a fundamental truth in all religions and

that the great religions are the same in essence. The various prophets

and spiritual teachers are li&e light 'ul's that illuminate a room. The

'ul's are diIerent, 'ut the current comes from one source, which is

od. n a room with many light 'ul's, you cannot distinguish the light

of one 'ul' from the light of another. t is all the same light, and the

indovidual 'ul's all receive electricity from a single source, even if

some 'ul's provide more light than others. The Kuality of the light isthe same and so is the source. (Jrager, Heart, Sel, & Soul, pp. %-%).

L. Jrom a certain point of view one need not even 'ecome a *uslim, in

the sociological sense, to live in harmony with or value the "ur#an#s

guidance and message. Since, for instance, esus is viewed in slam as

a prophet of od, Must as *uhammad is, there can 'e no essential

con!ict 'etween the way of esus and the way of *uhammad. ny

Christian who sincerely follows the message of esus is in fact a

?*uslim from the point of view of the "urNan. (3Shei&h; Oa'ir

elmins&i, The 4no+ing Heart" 5 Suf 'ath o Transormation 3Boston P

4ondon5 Sham'ala, 1888;, p. 188).9. Those who have encountered and lived with the message of the

"ur#an must ac&nowledge that od#s Compassion, enerosity, and

*ercy operate through all religions, and in fact through all the

phenomena of e%istence. od#s Kualities rain down upon the faithful of

all faiths and even upon those who deny this reality. (elmins&i, The

4no+ing Heart,p. 188).

Notes

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Seyyed Hossein Nasris a noted ranian scholar and Su thin&er. e is

6niversity 7rofessor of slamic Studies at eorge Qashington 6niversity.

The author of ever thirty 'oo&s and three hundred articles, he is a former

president of ryahamehr 6niversity in ran, and the founder and the rst

president of the ranian cademy of 7hilosophy. is pu'lications include!deal and 6ealities o !slam, Living Sufsm, 4no+ledge and the Sa(red, and

The Heart o !slam7

Javad Nurbakhshis the present Shei&h of the 2i#matullah Erder, which

was founded in ran 'y Shei&h 2ur al-in *uhammad 2i$mat llah (d.

1GH1). Jor more than D: years, 2ur'a&hsh esta'lished more than one

hundred khani8ahsand numerous li'raries and museums throughout ran

and the greater world. is pu'lications include The 'ath" Suf 'ra(ti(es,

9is(ourses on the Suf 'ath, The 's%(holog% o Sufsm, and Suf

S%m1olism" The :ur1akhsh #n(%(lo0edia o Suf Terminolog%7

Sheikh Robert Ragib Frager is a Shei&h of the elveti-erahi Erder,

which was founded 'y Shei&h 2ur al-in *uhammad al-arrah of stan'ul

(d. 1L