Sufism as a gnostic doctrine in islam

Abstract

Sufism as a type of mystithism in the framework of Islamic creationism and outwardly admitted its doctrines to the different opposite to Islam tradition of manifestationism. Interpreting the sacred Muslim texts and dogmats with the position of emanationism, Sufism comes out of the bounds of Islam and maintain an unorthodox way of the cognition of God. This way can be treated as the specific ascent to the steps of the spiritual perfection and finding the highest knowledge-gnosis. Recognition of gnosis as a highest stage of the cognition of God gives the basis for comparative analysis between the main concepts of Sufi’s doctrine and ideas of gnostics about world, man, God and the ways of His cognition. As the result of the analysis the identity of these doctrines is found and that allows come to conclusion about the gnostic character of gnostisism.