A. R. Rahman

My mother's belief in spiritual healers grew stronger after our family went through a rough patch following my father's death. Sufi saint Karimullah Shah Kadri changed our lives, and all of us converted to Sufism. But it wasn't an instantaneous decision - it took us 10 years to convert. The change in religion was like washing away the past.

Indian Musician

Javed Ali

Some of my fans tell me that my voice is more suited for romantic numbers, some others say I do Sufi songs better. But that just goes to say that people are more aware of the different genres now. More people are getting exposed to sufi music because of Bollywood, which is good.

Feisal Abdul Rauf

Sufis teach that we first must battle and destroy the evil within ourselves by shining upon it the good within, and then we learn to battle the evil in others by helping their higher selves gain control of their lower selves.

Egyptian Theologian

Adnan Sami

Sufis were always spreading love with their music, and if some kind of extremism is a threat to it, it is a threat to all humanity.

Pakistani Musician

Neha Kakkar

If you call yourself a singer, then you must have the ability to sing anything, whether it's pop, classical, rock, sufi, or folk.

Mohsin Hamid

Sufi poetry is, in a sense, self-help poetry about how to live a decent life, how to deal with your mortality.

Pakistani Writer

Rupi Kaur

Before I begin to write, I listen to music that inspires me. I listen to folk Punjabi music, sufi music.

Canadian Poet

Sonu Kakkar

I love sufi music and that's the reason why I'm such a big fan of Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan.

Amruta Khanvilkar

The Marathi film 'Natrang' has amazing songs. I also like and have sufi and folk music.

Indian Actress

Used in contexts discussing a deep spiritual journey within Islam.

Spiritual Path

Highlights the mystical and inner dimension of Sufism, beyond rituals.

Mystical Aspect

Emphasizes Sufism as a personal rather than institutional religious search.

Personal Search

Sufism is seen as a non-dogmatic, more open approach to understanding Islam.

Non-dogmatic

Reflects that Sufi practices vary widely across different cultures.

Diverse Expression

Love is central to Sufism and its teachings often focus on love for God.

Emphasizes Love

Sufi themes have a profound influence on Muslim art and literature.

Artistic Influence

Sufi can describe music and poetry that evoke the spirit of Sufism.

Music and Poetry

Sufi-related artforms can showcase a blend of local and Islamic influences.

Cross-Cultural Exchanges

 and some of them are curious they asked me what I'm doing and I explained it to them and you see the wheels turning in their head and they start to smile and they nod their head and then they said good for you I work on the head at ala Sufi