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Yunus Chasma came to Edge Hill University to talk to Year 3 students about Sufism as both a journey and a destination.  He said that Sufism is ‘independent of any other religion’ and is a way of living and being. Students were introduced to the idea of Allah as the Beloved, and learnt about a lot of different Sufi Masters. We discussed ‘Who am I’ and what defines us and how we feel about Love (different kinds of love and the feelings associated with Love), we also discussed Love and the self. Sufism surpasses the laws of Shariat (the law) and instead goes through to Tariqat (the path), Haqiqat (the journey) and Marifat (the destination).

Students thought it was really insightful and awakening; Yunus made comparisons with Christianity (Jesus) which made difficult concepts more relatable and understandable, it provided a good perspective of a Sufi’s relationship with Allah. It was good to hear first hand what Makkah was like as an experience, Yunus was very open and honest. We really enjoyed the different analogies used (even if non religious) to help us understand, for example the Elephant story. We found that the visit was in the right place and was pitched really well.

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