Surrender and the Mystical Path: A Conversation on Submission in Islam and Sufism

This interview examines the concept of surrender as it is understood within the Islamic and Sufi traditions, framed around the theological observation that the word Islam itself denotes submission to God. Iqbal Akhtar distinguishes two complementary orientations within the tradition: a legal-observant path centered on fidelity to divine law—prayer, fasting, and ritual practice—and a mystical (Sufi) path oriented toward the experiential dissolution of the ego into God. He traces the early emergence of Sufism among the saints of Iraq and situates it within the post-prophetic routinization of charisma and the foundational Sunni–Shia question of authority, arguing that Sufism is best understood as an orientation that cuts across sectarian lines rather than a separate sect. Surrender, on this account, is realized less through ascetic self-denial than through the disciplined remembrance of God (dhikr), the melodic recitation of the Qur’an, gratitude, and service to others, culminating in fleeting states of ecstatic union and, ultimately, in self-annihilation (fanāʾ). Akhtar contrasts the Islamic affirmation of attachment to family and community as a ground of spiritual realization with the renunciatory logics of Hindu and Buddhist asceticism, reframes suffering as a divine test that deepens devotion rather than an end in itself, and affirms a robust place for divine grace and prophetic intercession alongside human works. He closes by addressing distorted Western perceptions of Islam, commending the call to prayer and Qur’anic recitation as accessible openings onto the tradition’s contemplative depth.