KNOWLEDGE, ATTITUDE AND PRACTICES TOWARDS SUFISM AS SOCIAL HARMONY, AN INTER-GENERATIONAL GAP

Abstract

Sufism; with its exquisite melodies, profound beliefs and ethereal practices, remains a source of intrigue across eras. The trends of Sufism have evolved ever since the Islamic traditions came into existence. In the contemporary world, which has become a global village, unity and social harmony still remain a challenge at both national and global levels. In the light of sociological perspective, the purpose of this research is to analyze the evolving trends of Sufism in different eras and to identify the inter-generational gap towards Sufism in order to explore its consequences for social harmony in a society. The study adopts a thematic design with qualitative approach, conducted in Faisalabad city where four universities are selected randomly. The target population includes the Faculty members (Gen X, Gen Y of age group 28-59) and students (Gen Z of age group 12-27) from the Faculty of Social Sciences, the Department of Humanities and Linguistics and the members of literary societies of selected universities. Eight focused group discussions, each comprising six participants, are conducted with faculty members and students to examine the knowledge, attitude and practices of two generations towards Sufism as means of fostering social harmony. Thematic analysis reveals that Gen X and Gen Y consider Sufi teachings as a means to maintain social cohesion and social justice while Gen Z largely perceives Sufism as a social phenomenon about which they possess limited knowledge and demonstrate minimal practice of its teachings. The study concludes that the weakening inter-generational transmission of Sufi values poses may pose challenge to sustaining social cohesion, highlighting the need to bridge the generational gap through educational initiatives.

Keywords: Sufism, Social Harmony, Knowledge, Attitude, Practices