Sufis are very inclusive and open-minded. They believe that God is everywhere. They quote Qur’anic passages like, ‘Wherever you turn, there is the face of God’ (2: 115). If God is everywhere, then God can be seen in all religions too. A Sufi would not only be comfortable praying at a church or synagogue or Hindu temple even but would also be comfortable ministering to a non-Muslim. Furthermore, because God can manifest in different ways according to the Qur’an, Sufis are particularly open to new experiences or feelings: ‘Every day He manifests Himself in yet another wondrous way’ (55: 29). Everyday, God is different, and the Sufi is on a constant quest to find him. Sufis love everyone and everything, regardless of who or what they are. Religion, wealth, color, nothing matters. Sufis feel that Muhammad lived without any prejudice and was able to achieve religious enlightenment because he was so open. So they themselves want to be open too. A Sufi feels that if he gives love, then he will be able to accept easily the love that exists created by God. Everyone can be redeemed because good/God exists in everything. God is bigger than any one religion, and although Sufis feel that Islam gives them the proper framework to access God, a different framework may work for someone else. As Hafiz writes:
I
Have
Learned
So much from God
That I can no longer
Call
Myself
*
A Christian, a Hindu, A Muslim,
A Buddhist, A Jew.
Source: Why I Am a Muslim: An American Odyssey by Asma Gull Hassan (pgs. 42-43)
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