Sufism, as the inner, mystical dimension of Islam, has shaped the cultural imagination of many Eastern lands by giving artistic form to themes of divine love, inner knowledge, and spiritual union. In literature, this is most visible in the great Persian tradition, where figures such as Rūmī, Ḥāfiẓ, Saʿdī, and ʿAṭṭār used symbolic language—love, wine, the garden, the journey—to speak of the soul’s path to God. Their works, including Rūmī’s *Masnavī-yi Maʿnavī* and ʿAṭṭār’s *Conference of the Birds*, became touchstones for mystical reflection and influenced storytelling and poetry far beyond Persia. This Sufi idiom then permeated Turkish, Urdu, and other regional literatures, where poets like Yūnus Emre, Bulleh Shah, and Shah ʿAbd al-Laṭīf Bhittai wove local folk traditions into a shared vocabulary of longing, surrender, and spiritual realization. Through such poetry and hagiographic tales of saints, subtle metaphysical ideas were carried into the hearts of ordinary people.

Architecturally, Sufism found expression in the creation of spaces designed for remembrance, hospitality, and contemplation. Khānqāhs, tekkes, and dargāhs developed as distinct institutions, often combining prayer halls, living quarters, and courtyards to support communal worship and retreat. Tomb-shrines of saints, such as those at Ajmer and Nizamuddin in India or the shrine of Rūmī in Konya, became focal points of devotion and pilgrimage, where architecture, calligraphy, and ornament converge to suggest paradise and spiritual ascent. Domes, minarets, gardens, and water features, along with intricate tilework and arabesques, evoke both the order and the beauty of the divine. The fusion of Islamic forms with local building traditions in regions like the Indian subcontinent and Central Asia illustrates how Sufi presence encouraged architectural syntheses that mirrored its inclusive spiritual ethos.

In the visual and performing arts, Sufism cultivated a disciplined yet ecstatic aesthetic. Miniature painting in Persian, Mughal, and Ottoman settings frequently illustrated Sufi narratives, allegories, and the lives of saints, using images of lovers, gardens, and journeys to hint at inner transformation. Calligraphy, often rendering Qur’anic verses and Sufi poetry, became a spiritual practice in itself, where the written word served as a visual dhikr, a remembrance of the divine. Musical and performative traditions such as qawwali in South Asia and the sema of the whirling dervishes in Anatolia developed as embodied forms of devotion, integrating local musical modes with Sufi teachings on remembrance and love. Through these arts, Sufism translated its inward path into sound, movement, and image, allowing seekers and laypeople alike to taste something of the mystical journey.