Sufism Sufism ( ar, ''aṣ-ṣūfiyya''), also known as Tasawwuf ( ''at-taṣawwuf''), is a mystic body of religious practice, found mainly within Sunni Islam but also within Shia Islam, which is characterized by a focus on Islamic spirituality, r ...

, dhawq (tasting) is direct, first-hand experience. It refers, principally, to the

Gnosis Gnosis is the common Greek noun for knowledge ( γνῶσις, ''gnōsis'', f.). The term was used among various Hellenistic religions and philosophies in the Greco-Roman world. It is best known for its implication within Gnosticism, where it ...

of God which is achieved experientially, as a result of rigorous

empiric Empiric can refer to: * Asclepiades of Bithynia * A person who practices quackery * Empiric school of medicine in ancient Greece and Rome * Empiric therapy Empiric therapy or empirical therapy is medical treatment or therapy based on experience an ...

spiritual wayfaring.Ovidio Salazar, "Al-Ghazali: Alchemist of Happiness", Video Documentary. It plays an important role in the epistemology of

Al-Ghazzali Al-Ghazali ( – 19 December 1111; ), full name (), and known in Persian-speaking countries as Imam Muhammad-i Ghazali (Persian: امام محمد غزالی) or in Medieval Europe by the Latinized as Algazelus or Algazel, was a Persian polymat ...

, and is often expressed, to some extent, in teleological statements scattered throughout his works.

References

Sufism {{sufism-stub