Sufis viewpoint on Monasticism and the Marriage of the Muslim Mystics

Since Islam has a special emphasis on marriage, so different opinions of the Sufi scholars is worthy to be studied. The Muslim scholars has studied the bachelorhood or monasticism and marriage from different aspects. There is an extensive discussion on the impression of the monastic life of Christians on Sufism. In this article, we have tried to study this impression briefly and on the other hand, review in detail the works by such great Sufi scholars as Hojviri, Mohammad Ghazali, Sohrevardi, Molavi and Molla Mohsen Feiz Kashani, in order to review their views on the influence of marriage on the mystics and their progress in their mystical ways. Some of these Sufis have preferred to live a bachelor’s life since they considered marriage as an obstacle to access to intimacy of the God. On the opposite, another group of married Sufi scholars say marriage is not an obstacle to attaining highest levels of theosophical ranks. These views can be classified as the advantages and disadvantages of marriage, advantages of bachelorhood, and recommendations on living a bachelor’s life. It should be noted that Sufi scholars have provided traditions attributed to the Prophet (PBUH) on each viewpoint they have maintained in order to show the unity of Sharia law and Sufi traditions.