format_quote Originally Posted by
Peterwf
I understand that Sufism is/was a mystical arm of Islam.
A way of drawing closer to God.
Is it considered to be part of "mainstream" Islam and therefore worthy of inclusion in my journey or is it regarded as an errant sect to be avoided?
depends...
tassuwuf is in and of itself part of islam, but a lot of its practioners are shall we say a little on the weird side and sometimes not part of islam because of their extreme beliefs and practices.
it is better to try to understand mainstream islam first, then go into the branches otherwise you can get a little lost along the way and to be honest some of the sufis around today put people off islam or dont understand it themselves so call to something other than islam.