SUFISM IN TODAY’S WORLD
Sufism is one of the most misunderstood dimensions of Islam—by Muslims and non-Muslims alike. Read carefully the assigned reading by the early Sufi master Abdullah Ansari of Herat (on D2L), then watch the lecture by contemporary American Muslim scholar Zaid Shakir in which he discusses a portion of al-Ghazali’s teachings on disciplining the soul (available on D2L and at https://youtu.be/V9epTdTmAvo).

After reading the text and watching the video, write a 4-5-page paper in which you briefly describe five teachings of Sufism and explain how they can be applied in today’s world. Be sure to support each of the five teachings with a direct quote from the readings and/or video. Examples for how they can be applied to today’s world can come from either the video of from your own ideas.

A hard copy of your paper is due in your discussion section on April 5th or 7th. Be sure to upload your paper to the Dropbox before coming to your section.

Hints for Success:
1. Read the text and watch the video multiple times prior to writing the paper.
2. Write an outline of your paper for yourself prior to writing the complete paper.
3. While you may discuss the topic with your friends, you must write your own paper. No two papers should look as though they were written by the same person.
4. If you find writing papers challenging, make an appointment with your TA ahead of the due date to show them a draft.
5. Avoid common mistakes: it’s = it is; its = possessive. An effect (noun); to affect (verb).
6. Avoid slang and excessive use of semicolons and contractions.

Citations:
Citations should be in correct MLA format, and your paper should have a Works Cited page.
See https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/08/ for more information on citation guidelines.

Grading Scale:
All papers will be evaluated for content, organization, style, grammar, and punctuation. The grading rubric for the papers is on the next page.