The Sufi commentator Qushayri gives a beautiful description of the Sufi ideal:Sufism is entry into exemplary behavior and departure from unworthy behavior.Sufism means that God makes you die to yourself and makes you live in him.The Sufi is single in essence; nothing changes him, nor does he change anything.The sign of the sincere Sufi is that he feels poor when he has wealth, is humble when he has power, and is hidden when he has fame.Sufism means that you own nothing and are owned by nothing.Sufism means entrusting the soul to God most high for whatever he wishes.Sufism means seizing spiritual realities and giving up on what creatures possess.Sufism means kneeling at the door of the Beloved, even if he turns you away.Sufism is a state in which the conditions of humanity disappear.Sufism is a blazing lightning bolt.(quoted in Sufism: An essential introduction to the philosophy and practice of the mystical tradition of Islam, by Carl W. Ernst, PhD)