Salient features of Sufism

Sufis were a group of religious-minded people who turned to asceticism and mysticism in protest against the growing materialism of the Caliphate as a religious and political institution.
Sufism derives is inspiration from Islam.
These Sufis had a deep study of vedantic philosophy and had come in contact with great sages and seers of India.
Sufism emphasized upon leading a simple life. Sufi saints preached in Arabic, Persian and Urdu etc.
The Sufis were divided into 12 orders each under a mystic Sufi saint like Khwaja Moinuddin Chisthi, Fariuddin Ganj-i-Shakar, Nizam-ud-din Auliya etc.
While the orthodox Muslims depend upon external conduct and blind observance of religious rituals, the Sufi saints seek inner purity.
They were critical of the dogmatic definitions and scholastic methods of interpreting the Qur’an and Sunna (traditions of the Prophet) adopted by theologians.
Instead, they laid emphasis on seeking salvation through intense devotion and love for God by following His commands, and by following the example of the Prophet Muhammad whom they regarded as a perfect human being.
The Sufis thus sought an interpretation of the Qur’an on the basis of their personal experience
Devotion is more important than fast (Roza) or prayer (Namaz).
Sufis bridged the communal divide as is evidenced by the reverence the Subcontinent’s non-Muslim population exhibited for Sufi saints. Sufism around the world and in the Subcontinent had the depth to connect beyond caste, creed and gender