Page 61 - New English Book L

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It now remains to say few words about the Muslim
Sufism and the Greek word Sophia (wisdom); and a
discussion of these two systems of high knowledge does
lie outside the scope of this article. Philosophy, in the
wider sense of the term, is the study or science of the
first principles of being; in other words, it transcends
the limits of physics to study the pure being, and leaves
behind the study of causes or laws of that which happens
or is seen in Nature. It takes the greatest pains to find the
truth. The Muslim Sufism is the contemplation on Allah
and self, and takes the greatest pains to achieve a union
between the two. The superiority of the Islamic Sophia to
the Greek philosophy is manifest from the object it views
at. It is decidedly superior to the Christian celibacy and
monasticism in its indifference towards the consciences and
the beliefs of other people. A Muslim Sophi (súfí) always
entertains respect for other religions, laughs at the idea
of “heresy” and abhors all persecutions and oppressions.
Most of the Christian Saints were either persecutors of or
the persecuted by heretics and their celebrity consists in
their excess of intolerance. This is, alas, only very true.

As a secondary remark, I should like to add that the
Muslim authors have always written the Greek word
“philosophy” in the form of Phelsepha with sin instead
of sadi or tzadi, which is one of the constituent letters in
the Hebrew and Arabic words Sapha and Sophi. I think
this form was introduced into the Arabic literature by
the Assyrian translators who formerly belonged to the
Nestorian sect. the Turks write the name St. Sophia of
Constantinople with sadi, but philosophy with sin, like
the samekh of the Hebrews. I believe that the Greek
Sophia is to be identified etymologically with the Hebrew
word; and the idea that the Muslim word Sophia (Sofiya)
is derived from the soph, which means “wool,” ought to
be abandoned.