The following article is part one of three articles about Sufism (,,taşawwuf"), also known as "Islamic Mysticism", and serves as an introduction in the teachings and beliefs of Sufism. it is essential to point out and illuminate the major elements of Sufism in order to gain a profound understanding of the nature of Sufism. For the purpose of the study of Sufism the following main features were pointed out: a) the "spiritual path" (tarıqat), which describes the process of perfection, b) "mystical knowledge" (ma'rifat), which represents an intuitive and non- rational capacity to obtain knowledge and which constitutes the heart of the epistemology of Sufism, c) the concept of "mystical love" (mal:abba' or 'eshq), the mystic's main driving force on the "spiritual path" and d) the experience of "annihilation" (fana), the Sufi's ultimate goal, the Sufi's "unio mystica" .

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