The Place of Alterity in Islamic Sufism: From the Narrowness of the Self to the Broadness of the Other (Jalaluddin Rumi as an Example)
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.63356/sin.2026.001Keywords:
sufism, humans, others, gnosis, alterityAbstract
Sufism is considered a universal human experience. Although practices and goals may differ, it remains a gnostic behavioral approach that connects the human self to God in a vertical path. However, humans do not live in isolation from others, but rather live with them in a horizontal relationship, as if humans draw a triangle through their relationships with God and others, with humans as its right angle. Humans, who bear the honor of having been created by God, must be worthy of this honor by elevating themselves to become complete human beings and using others as a means to achieve this perfection.
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