Sufism is a mystic tradition within Islam and encompasses a diverse range of beliefs and practices dedicated to divine love and the cultivation of the heart.
Sufism has been defined as a type of knowledge by the great Sufi masters. Shaykh Ahmad Zarruq, a 14th century Sufi who wrote "The Principles of Sufism" defined Sufism as, "a science whose objective is the reparation of the heart and turning it away from all else but God.” Ibn 'Ajiba, one of the best known Sufi masters defined Sufism as "a science through which one can know how to travel into the presence of the Divine, purify one’s inward from filth and beautify it with a variety of praiseworthy traits."
The Tariqas (Sufi orders) may be associated with Shi'a Islam, Sunni Islam, or other currents of Islam but it encompass other religions such as Christianity and Judaism. It has been suggested that Sufi thought emerged from the Middle East in the eighth century, but adherents are now found around the world..