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Indian Ethnicity and Religious Heritage
In 985 A.D. another group of Islamic thinkers known as "Ikhwan-al Safa came into prominance They believed that there is an all pervading universal Soul and this manifested world is nothing but the expression of that Universal Soul. According to them religion is a part of the Universal Truth and Rality, and hence every indiviudal is entitled to choose his own path of religion. They were strongly opposed to forced preoselytization, though they believed that Islam offers the best religion. These thinkers were known as "Banatia" and the traditionalists treated them as "Kufra" (non believers.)
These trends of independent thinking supplied a good backdrop for the development of Sufism in Islam
Sufi Doctrines
Sufis were so called as in their simple life style, they used to put on a gown of coarse wool. To put it simply, Sufism means undiluted love and devotion to God. Such love and devotion, according to Sufis, does not spring from the promises of
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