Ascetic Politics and the Politics of Asceticism

In the Sufi perspective, asceticism (or zuhud in Islam) is commonly defined as turning away one’s soul from all worldly matters in order to focus on matters and interests of the afterlife (the akhirah). Worldly matters are carried out merely in order to maintain an adequate standard of living for oneself and one’s family.

Asceticism is also commonly defined as emptying one’s mind and soul of love for the world and all worldly beauties in order to seek true wisdom (makrifat) and achieve spiritual awareness. Asceticism, in its truest sense, means freeing oneself from all desires of popularity and political ambitions. People like this will earn the love of not only mankind but also the macrocosm.

However, there are people who adheres to an ascetic lifestyle only as a strategy to gain public sympathy. They camouflaged themselves in appearances as if they are completely separate from all worldly desires but their souls remain truly filled with burgeoning desires of popularity and political ambitions. They present themselves as completely disinterested in politics and behave like an ascetic person (called zahid in Islam). People would then shower them with sympathy.