Sufism, an Islamic mysticism, is a way of life in which a deeper identity is discovered and lived. It is less a doctrine or a belief system than an experience and way of life. Those who follow the Sufi path strive to follow both the inner and the outer aspects of Islam with ever-increasing sincerity.
Sufism, the spiritual aspect of Islam, recognizes the unity of being, that we are not separate from the Divine. We are One: one people, one ecology, one universe, one being. If there is a single truth, it is the truth that we are all part of the Truth, not separate. In the Western world today, the believers of Sufism, even though they are not Muslim, follow the teaching of the Sufism. Non-Muslims often mistake Sufism as a sect of Islam. Sufism is more accurately described as an aspect or dimension of Islam. Sufi orders (Tariqas) can be found in Sunni, Shia and other Islamic groups. Although Sufis are relatively few in number, they have shaped Islamic world thought and history.
Through the centuries, Sufis contributed hugely to Islamic literature, for example, Rumi, Omar Khayyam and Al-Ghazali's influence extended beyond Muslim lands to be quoted by Western philosophers, writers and theologians. Also called "Tasavvuf (or Tasawwuf)" in the Muslim world, another name of Sufism is simply Ihsan, or “faith, sincerity”.
