Principles of Sufism

"Islamic mysticism," "the mystical affirmation of Islamic faith," "the inward multiversity of Islam," "the circumstance of mysticism within Islam," "the primary manifestation and the most crucial and central crystallization" of mystical practice in Islam, and "the interiorization and intensification of Islamic belief and practice", are some of the terms used to describe the meaning of Sufiism.

Sufis are known as the practitioners of "Sufism" and traditionally belonged to "orders" known as tariqa — assemblages established around a grandmaster wali who would be the last in a line of consecutive teachers tracing back to Muhammad.