Sufism and connecting with Allah
Lesson details
Learning outcome
I can explain how Sufis connect with Allah and why some Muslims would say knowledge cannot be gained through Sufi mysticism.
Key learning points
- Sufism may be described as Islamic mysticism
- Sufis exist within Sunni and Shi'a Islam, rather than being a distinct religious group.
- Sufi Muslims try to achieve direct personal experience of Allah.
- Other Muslims may disagree with the idea of trying to get personal experience of God.
Keywords
Allah - Arabic word for God (literally means 'the God')
Ma'rifah - used by Sufis to describe deep, personal knowledge of Allah that comes from spiritual experiences
Mysticism - a way of experiencing and connecting with Allah through personal, inner experiences
Sufism - a mystical approach in Islam that focuses on achieving ma’rifah (true knowledge of Allah) through a deep, personal connection with him
Common misconception
Sufism is a branch of Islam, like Sunni and Shi'ism.
Sufis can be either Sunni or Shi'a, athough the majority are Sunni.
Teacher tip
You might like to show a video of whirling. Task B2 could become an oracy task or cloze task (providing the answer with key gaps to fill).
Licence
Lesson video
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Prior knowledge starter quiz
6 Questions
Q1.According to William James, what is the most important feature of religious experiences?
Q2.Persinger's God helmet experiment suggests that experiences can be caused by stimulating the temporal lobe.
Q3.According to Richard Swinburne’s principles, which of the following supports the claim that we should trust our experiences unless there is an alternative explanation?
Q4.What type of event did Ian McCormack experience that changed his perspective on God’s existence?
Q5.According to Plato's definition of knowledge as a justified true belief, which of the following is an example of knowledge?
Q6.What event was most significant in Bernadette's journey towards a deeper knowledge of God?
Assessment exit quiz
6 Questions
Q1.Sufism is ...
Q2.Match each keyword to the correct definition.
Arabic word for God (literally means 'the God')
gaining deep, personal knowledge of Allah from spiritual experiences
experiencing and connecting with Allah through personal experiences
an approach in Islam that focuses on a personal connection with God
Q3.Why do Sufi’s practice rhythmic chanting, breath control and sometimes movement?
Q4.Why do dancers spin with the right hand pointing to Allah and the left to the earth?
Q5.The Sufi view on where true knowledge of Allah comes from is that it comes from ...
Q6.What common word, used by Sufi poets Rabia and Rumi, is where knowledge of Allah comes from?
To help you plan your 8 religious education lesson on: Sufism and connecting with Allah, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs...
To help you plan your 8 religious education lesson on: Sufism and connecting with Allah, download all teaching resources for free and adapt to suit your pupils' needs.
The starter quiz will activate and check your pupils' prior knowledge, with versions available both with and without answers in PDF format.
We use learning cycles to break down learning into key concepts or ideas linked to the learning outcome. Each learning cycle features explanations with checks for understanding and practice tasks with feedback. All of this is found in our slide decks, ready for you to download and edit. The practice tasks are also available as printable worksheets and some lessons have additional materials with extra material you might need for teaching the lesson.
The assessment exit quiz will test your pupils' understanding of the key learning points.
Our video is a tool for planning, showing how other teachers might teach the lesson, offering helpful tips, modelled explanations and inspiration for your own delivery in the classroom. Plus, you can set it as homework or revision for pupils and keep their learning on track by sharing an online pupil version of this lesson.
Explore more key stage 3 religious education lessons from the Knowing God: does religious experience prove God exists? unit, dive into the full secondary religious education curriculum, or learn more about lesson planning.