---
title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: Without Sufism, Islam would not have…"
description: "\"Without Sufism, Islam would not have spread into two thirds of what we call the Islamic world.\" — Seyyed Hossein Nasr"
image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dc8/seyyed-hossein-nasr-6182_islam_without-sufism-islam-would-not-have-spre_417721.png"
---

#  Without Sufism, Islam would not have spread into two…

![“Without Sufism, Islam would not have spread into two thirds of what we call the Islamic world.” quote by Seyyed Hossein Nasr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dc8/seyyed-hossein-nasr-6182_islam_without-sufism-islam-would-not-have-spre_417721.png)   [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dc8/seyyed-hossein-nasr-6182_islam_without-sufism-islam-would-not-have-spre_417721.png) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dc8/seyyed-hossein-nasr-6182_islam_without-sufism-islam-would-not-have-spre_417721.png)

> “Without Sufism, Islam would not have spread into two thirds of what we call the Islamic world.”

[Seyyed Hossein Nasr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seyyed-hossein-nasr/)

## About This Quote

This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation.

Sufism was essential for Islam’s cultural and geographic expansion.

**In simple terms:** Sufism helped spread Islam widely.

Key Takeaway

Recognize mystic influence in history.

Themes

spirituality history culture

Mood

reflective academic

Type

philosophical historical

When to use this quote

- religious studies
- interfaith dialogue
- historical analysis
- educational curricula

Key Concepts

Sufism Islamic expansion

Questions to Reflect On

- How does mysticism shape religious identity?
- What other forces contributed to Islam’s growth?

A Different Perspective

Other political and trade factors also drove spread.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★   No ratings yet

[Islam](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/islam/) [Islamic](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/islamic/) [Israel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/israel/) [Sufism](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/sufism/) [World](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/world/)

## Related quotes

> [From it genesis twelve hundred years ago to today, Islamic philosophy (al-hikmah; al-falsafah) has been one of the major intellectual traditions within the Islamic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seyyed-hossein-nasr/from-it-genesis-twelve-hundred-years-ago-to-today-islamic-philosophy/)

[Seyyed Hossein Nasr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seyyed-hossein-nasr/)

> [“In the Islamic world itself also there is a great crisis in he modern established universities precisely because the systems from the West have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seyyed-hossein-nasr/in-the-islamic-world-itself-also-there-is-a-great-crisis-in-he-modern/)

[Seyyed Hossein Nasr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seyyed-hossein-nasr/)

> [The Islamic world doesn't stop in the Arab world or Persia. There is the whole Turkic world, the Central Asian world, South Asian world,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seyyed-hossein-nasr/the-islamic-world-doesn-t-stop-in-the-arab-world-or-persia-there-is/)

[Seyyed Hossein Nasr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seyyed-hossein-nasr/)

> [The Islamic world is suffering not only because of external oppression but also because of the loss of its own dignity, of its own…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seyyed-hossein-nasr/the-islamic-world-is-suffering-not-only-because-of-external/)

[Seyyed Hossein Nasr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seyyed-hossein-nasr/)

> [Al-Hallaj has a special destiny. He came at a time when worldliness, the luxury, were inundating the Islamic world. His function was to act…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seyyed-hossein-nasr/al-hallaj-has-a-special-destiny-he-came-at-a-time-when-worldliness/)

[Seyyed Hossein Nasr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seyyed-hossein-nasr/)

> [The entire Islamic world condemned Iran. Nowadays, because of the unwarranted invasion of Iraq by Bush and Blair, which was a completely unjust adventure…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/jimmy-carter/the-entire-islamic-world-condemned-iran-nowadays-because-of-the/)

[Jimmy Carter](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/jimmy-carter/)

> [Afghanistan was always a backwater in the Islamic world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-engel/afghanistan-was-always-a-backwater-in-the-islamic-world/)

[Richard Engel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-engel/)

> [The great powers have dominated the destiny of the Islamic countries for years and installed the Zionist cancerous tumor in the heart of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ali-khamenei/the-great-powers-have-dominated-the-destiny-of-the-islamic-countries/)

[Ali Khamenei](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ali-khamenei/)

> [We now have some years of very reliable polling by Western firms in the Islamic world, in multiple Islamic countries. And invariably, the question…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/michael-scheuer/we-now-have-some-years-of-very-reliable-polling-by-western-firms-in/)

[Michael Scheuer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/michael-scheuer/)

> [ \[Roots of terrorism\] come out of a long dialectic of U.S. involvement in the affairs of the Islamic world, the oil-producing world, the Arab… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-said/roots-of-terrorism-come-out-of-a-long-dialectic-of-u-s-involvement-in/)

[Edward Said](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-said/)

> [We reject President Donald Trump's view. It was a mistake to say that 'the Islamic world divided into "good" and "evil"', a major wrongdoing.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/khaled-mashal/we-reject-president-donald-trump-s-view-it-was-a-mistake-to-say-that/)

[Khaled Mashal](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/khaled-mashal/)

> [In America, we have so many movies and so much media about the Islamic world, the sub-continental world, but it's not a conversation, it's…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/mira-nair/in-america-we-have-so-many-movies-and-so-much-media-about-the-islamic/)

[Mira Nair](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/mira-nair/)

> [ If you look at the curricula of most universities and schools in this country \[USA\], considering our long encounter with the Islamic world, there… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-said/if-you-look-at-the-curricula-of-most-universities-and-schools-in-this/)

[Edward Said](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-said/)

> [I think for most Americans, knowledge of the Islamic world was pretty slight before 9/11, and then it was thrust upon us in one…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/thomas-p-campbell/i-think-for-most-americans-knowledge-of-the-islamic-world-was-pretty/)

[Thomas P. Campbell](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/thomas-p-campbell/)

> [Anyone who follows the Middle East and Islamic world in general can't deny it is often a very violent place, that a band of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/richard-engel/anyone-who-follows-the-middle-east-and-islamic-world-in-general-can-t/)

[Richard Engel](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/richard-engel/)

## More by Seyyed Hossein Nasr

> [There is an idea that you can take the spiritual teachings of a religion outside of a religion and practice them; these ideas are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seyyed-hossein-nasr/there-is-an-idea-that-you-can-take-the-spiritual-teachings-of-a/)

[Seyyed Hossein Nasr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seyyed-hossein-nasr/)

> [“In the Islamic world itself also there is a great crisis in he modern established universities precisely because the systems from the West have…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seyyed-hossein-nasr/in-the-islamic-world-itself-also-there-is-a-great-crisis-in-he-modern/)

[Seyyed Hossein Nasr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seyyed-hossein-nasr/)

> [Muhammad was the exemplar ruler, exemplar father, exemplar warrior, and once you have a family, you have contentions, you have problems, human problems, and…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seyyed-hossein-nasr/muhammad-was-the-exemplar-ruler-exemplar-father-exemplar-warrior-and/)

[Seyyed Hossein Nasr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seyyed-hossein-nasr/)

> [Only man can stop being fully man. He can ascend above all degres of universal existence and by the same token fall below the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seyyed-hossein-nasr/only-man-can-stop-being-fully-man-he-can-ascend-above-all-degres-of/)

[Seyyed Hossein Nasr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seyyed-hossein-nasr/)

> [Muhammad sets the model for being a good statesman. He also sets the model for being a good warrior, for chivalry, of nobility, of…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seyyed-hossein-nasr/muhammad-sets-the-model-for-being-a-good-statesman-he-also-sets-the/)

[Seyyed Hossein Nasr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seyyed-hossein-nasr/)

> [“For anyone who understood the essence of modernism based on and originating in the secularizing and humanistic tendencies of the European Renaissance, it was…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seyyed-hossein-nasr/for-anyone-who-understood-the-essence-of-modernism-based-on-and/)

[Seyyed Hossein Nasr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seyyed-hossein-nasr/)

> [In fact, the machine doesn't have the consciousness we have, the free will that we have, and to surrender one's free will, not in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seyyed-hossein-nasr/in-fact-the-machine-doesn-t-have-the-consciousness-we-have-the-free/)

[Seyyed Hossein Nasr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seyyed-hossein-nasr/)

> [In Islam, we believe that it is God himself who is the ultimate guide - Al Hadi - one of the names of God…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seyyed-hossein-nasr/in-islam-we-believe-that-it-is-god-himself-who-is-the-ultimate-guide/)

[Seyyed Hossein Nasr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seyyed-hossein-nasr/)

> [All Muslims stand before God and they are their own priests.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seyyed-hossein-nasr/all-muslims-stand-before-god-and-they-are-their-own-priests/)

[Seyyed Hossein Nasr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seyyed-hossein-nasr/)

> [“Without the withering criticism by nominalism, medieval Christian philosophy and theology would not have relinquished their claim to the role of knowledge in discovering…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seyyed-hossein-nasr/without-the-withering-criticism-by-nominalism-medieval-christian/)

[Seyyed Hossein Nasr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seyyed-hossein-nasr/)

> [The Islamic world is suffering not only because of external oppression but also because of the loss of its own dignity, of its own…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seyyed-hossein-nasr/the-islamic-world-is-suffering-not-only-because-of-external/)

[Seyyed Hossein Nasr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seyyed-hossein-nasr/)

> [The human soul, provided it is pure and strong enough, can contact the unseen in waking life as well as in dreams: all that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seyyed-hossein-nasr/the-human-soul-provided-it-is-pure-and-strong-enough-can-contact-the/)

[Seyyed Hossein Nasr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seyyed-hossein-nasr/)

> [There is no religion in the world where there is a possibility of spiritual development outside of the context of that religion. This is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seyyed-hossein-nasr/there-is-no-religion-in-the-world-where-there-is-a-possibility-of/)

[Seyyed Hossein Nasr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seyyed-hossein-nasr/)

> [Justice is inseparable from truth in human life.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seyyed-hossein-nasr/justice-is-inseparable-from-truth-in-human-life/)

[Seyyed Hossein Nasr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seyyed-hossein-nasr/)

> [Yearning is inseparable from love, and since once doesn't have the object of love immediately, one has not fallen in the embrace of the…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seyyed-hossein-nasr/yearning-is-inseparable-from-love-and-since-once-doesn-t-have-the/)

[Seyyed Hossein Nasr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seyyed-hossein-nasr/)

[Explore all 99 Seyyed Hossein Nasr quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seyyed-hossein-nasr/)

## More Islam quotes

> [ Ben Carson also denounced \[Donald\] Trump's ban all Muslims proposal saying we do not and would not advocate being selective on one's religion. ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/rachel-maddow/ben-carson-also-denounced-donald-trump-s-ban-all-muslims-proposal/)

[Rachel Maddow](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/rachel-maddow/)

> [ \[Islam\] Leaves no room of human legislation in an Islamic state, because herein all legislative functions vest in God and the only function left… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/abul-a-la-maududi/islam-leaves-no-room-of-human-legislation-in-an-islamic-state-because/)

[Abul A'la Maududi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/abul-a-la-maududi/)

> [Islam never differentiates between men and women as regards political rights and puts them on an equal footing. However, even if a woman is…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/yusuf-al-qaradawi/islam-never-differentiates-between-men-and-women-as-regards-political/)

[Yusuf al-Qaradawi](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/yusuf-al-qaradawi/)

> [Failure to find a way to incorporate political Islam in democracy, however uncomfortable its ideology is for secular liberals, will mean we have given…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/crispin-blunt/failure-to-find-a-way-to-incorporate-political-islam-in-democracy/)

[Crispin Blunt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/crispin-blunt/)

> [“God delights in beauty, Islam teaches at its core, and is beauty. Beauty is in creation, not destruction, and in balance. It is in…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/krista-tippett/god-delights-in-beauty-islam-teaches-at-its-core-and-is-beauty-beauty/)

[Krista Tippett](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/krista-tippett/)

> [Allah will never humiliate the one who takes his Lord as friend and patron.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ibn-qayyim-al-jawziyya/allah-will-never-humiliate-the-one-who-takes-his-lord-as-friend-and/)

[Ibn Qayyim Al-Jawziyya](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/ibn-qayyim-al-jawziyya/)

> [There ain't no such thing as black Muslims. That's how they tried to cut off all my brothers in the rest of the world…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/muhammad-ali/there-ain-t-no-such-thing-as-black-muslims-that-s-how-they-tried-to/)

[Muhammad Ali](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/muhammad-ali/)

> [When Allah puts barakah (His blessings) in something, it will come beyond your expectations- never underestimate the power of one good deed.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/nouman-ali-khan/when-allah-puts-barakah-his-blessings-in-something-it-will-come/)

[Nouman Ali Khan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/nouman-ali-khan/)

> [ “\[T\]he people who are close to Allah worry so much about wasting time that they call themselves to account for every breath they spend… ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/ethar-el-katatney/t-he-people-who-are-close-to-allah-worry-so-much-about-wasting-time/)

Ethar El- Katatney

> [My mom and my aunties are really devout Christians. My mom married a Muslim when I was 12, so I got teachings from both…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/tech-n9ne/my-mom-and-my-aunties-are-really-devout-christians-my-mom-married-a/)

[Tech N9ne](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/tech-n9ne/)

> [The plight of the Baha'i community in Iran has served as a backdrop to my life growing up in London, particularly since the Islamic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/omid-djalili/the-plight-of-the-baha-i-community-in-iran-has-served-as-a-backdrop/)

[Omid Djalili](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/omid-djalili/)

> [I am a woman, and as such, I experience the ever-increasing restrictions on our liberty in our country through the development of Islamic fundamentalism.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/marine-le-pen/i-am-a-woman-and-as-such-i-experience-the-ever-increasing/)

[Marine Le Pen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/marine-le-pen/)

> [I saw Islam as the correct way to live, and I chose to try to live that way.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kareem-abdul-jabbar/i-saw-islam-as-the-correct-way-to-live-and-i-chose-to-try-to-live/)

[Kareem Abdul-Jabbar](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kareem-abdul-jabbar/)

> [There is an idea that you can take the spiritual teachings of a religion outside of a religion and practice them; these ideas are…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seyyed-hossein-nasr/there-is-an-idea-that-you-can-take-the-spiritual-teachings-of-a/)

[Seyyed Hossein Nasr](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seyyed-hossein-nasr/)

> [“No Hate Speech Online is a social media netiquette rule. Return hate in kind (ness) for proper netiquette. Love Muslims alike.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/david-chiles/no-hate-speech-online-is-a-social-media-netiquette-rule-return-hate/)

[David Chiles](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/david-chiles/)

[Browse all 6,032 Islam quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/islam/)

```json
{
    "@context": "https://schema.org",
    "@graph": [
        {
            "@type": "Quotation",
            "text": "Without Sufism, Islam would not have spread into two thirds of what we call the Islamic world.",
            "creator": {
                "@type": "Person",
                "name": "Seyyed Hossein Nasr"
            },
            "isPartOf": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website"
            },
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seyyed-hossein-nasr/without-sufism-islam-would-not-have-spread-into-two-thirds-of-what-we/",
            "about": {
                "@type": "Thing",
                "name": "Islam"
            },
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seyyed-hossein-nasr/without-sufism-islam-would-not-have-spread-into-two-thirds-of-what-we/#quotation",
            "image": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dc8/seyyed-hossein-nasr-6182_islam_without-sufism-islam-would-not-have-spre_417721.png",
                "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dc8/seyyed-hossein-nasr-6182_islam_without-sufism-islam-would-not-have-spre_417721.png",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/dc8/seyyed-hossein-nasr-6182_islam_without-sufism-islam-would-not-have-spre_417721.png",
                "width": 1080,
                "height": 1080,
                "caption": "“Without Sufism, Islam would not have spread into two thirds of what we call the Islamic world.” — Seyyed Hossein Nasr",
                "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
                "creator": {
                    "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
                }
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "BreadcrumbList",
            "itemListElement": [
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 1,
                    "name": "Home",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 2,
                    "name": "Quotes",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 3,
                    "name": "Seyyed Hossein Nasr",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/seyyed-hossein-nasr/"
                },
                {
                    "@type": "ListItem",
                    "position": 4,
                    "name": "Without Sufism, Islam would not have...",
                    "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seyyed-hossein-nasr/without-sufism-islam-would-not-have-spread-into-two-thirds-of-what-we/"
                }
            ],
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/seyyed-hossein-nasr/without-sufism-islam-would-not-have-spread-into-two-thirds-of-what-we/#breadcrumb"
        },
        {
            "@type": "WebSite",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "publisher": {
                "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization"
            }
        },
        {
            "@type": "Organization",
            "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization",
            "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes",
            "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/",
            "logo": {
                "@type": "ImageObject",
                "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png",
                "width": 512,
                "height": 512
            }
        }
    ]
}
```
