Your piece is really about how spirituality has been turned into something people can buy, and how that’s made it lose its deeper meaning.
You explain how today’s “spiritual marketing” uses religious words and symbols but takes them out of the traditions and communities they came from.
What’s left is a kind of empty spirituality—made for personal use and self-expression, but missing the strong connections that used to link people across generations.
From a Sufi point of view, real tradition isn’t something you can sell. It’s something you receive, care for, and pass on through love, service, and dedication.
In Sufi thinking, community isn’t just a group of people who think alike.
It’s more like a big family, where everyone—young or old, wise or learning, strong or struggling—has a place.
Problems start when spiritual teachers act like they own the truth, cutting off the chain of learning and turning sacred wisdom into something they can sell.
The quote from Ibn ‘Arabi warns about this: leaders who seem kind but quietly destroy the traditions they’re supposed to protect.
Following the Sufi path isn’t about chasing new trends or collecting spiritual experiences.
It’s about treating faith like a garden—something that needs care, patience, and respect.
Without that care, communities dry up, and nothing meaningful can grow.
Thank you for this articulate and thoughtful piece. The marketplace is indeed filled with charlatans. I'd like to offer the following question for further reflection: what factors might make a person more or less susceptible to 'buying into' pseudo-spirituality?
In terms of factors that might make a person more or less susceptible to pseudo-spirtuality, it would be a basic understanding of the individual obligations (fard al-'ayn). Unfortunately, many people will lack even basic discernment to make a judgment on whether someone ought to be followed or not. We must leave anyone who considers themselves a teacher when they overstep the limits of the shari'a. The beauty of Islam is that there is a spiritual framework and a law that gives in the ability to be people of discernment. Without that, then a person's sincerity (ikhlas) might be weaponized against them. The shari'a is a protection, alhamduliLlah.
Stephan,
Your piece is really about how spirituality has been turned into something people can buy, and how that’s made it lose its deeper meaning.
You explain how today’s “spiritual marketing” uses religious words and symbols but takes them out of the traditions and communities they came from.
What’s left is a kind of empty spirituality—made for personal use and self-expression, but missing the strong connections that used to link people across generations.
From a Sufi point of view, real tradition isn’t something you can sell. It’s something you receive, care for, and pass on through love, service, and dedication.
In Sufi thinking, community isn’t just a group of people who think alike.
It’s more like a big family, where everyone—young or old, wise or learning, strong or struggling—has a place.
Problems start when spiritual teachers act like they own the truth, cutting off the chain of learning and turning sacred wisdom into something they can sell.
The quote from Ibn ‘Arabi warns about this: leaders who seem kind but quietly destroy the traditions they’re supposed to protect.
Following the Sufi path isn’t about chasing new trends or collecting spiritual experiences.
It’s about treating faith like a garden—something that needs care, patience, and respect.
Without that care, communities dry up, and nothing meaningful can grow.
Thank you for this articulate and thoughtful piece. The marketplace is indeed filled with charlatans. I'd like to offer the following question for further reflection: what factors might make a person more or less susceptible to 'buying into' pseudo-spirituality?
In terms of factors that might make a person more or less susceptible to pseudo-spirtuality, it would be a basic understanding of the individual obligations (fard al-'ayn). Unfortunately, many people will lack even basic discernment to make a judgment on whether someone ought to be followed or not. We must leave anyone who considers themselves a teacher when they overstep the limits of the shari'a. The beauty of Islam is that there is a spiritual framework and a law that gives in the ability to be people of discernment. Without that, then a person's sincerity (ikhlas) might be weaponized against them. The shari'a is a protection, alhamduliLlah.
This is a beneficial read on the subject: https://static1.squarespace.com/static/5835313c6a4963bb18246ee9/t/613665a728aa1f5dc6b277db/1630954944816/Imam+al-Dardir+on+the+Qualities+of+True+Shaykhs.pdf
And Allah and His Messenger ﷺ know best.