Is Sufi Islam a branch of Sunni Islam?

Sufism is best explained to people unfamiliar with Islam or Sufism as mystical Islam. The whirling dervish of turkey is an offshoot/example of Sufism. Mysticism is usually defined as acquiring, or aspiring for, direct intuition from God. read more

Its not mainly a branch of Sunni Islam but all sects of Islam accept and follow the teachings of Sufis and Saints of earlier ages. But, it is mostly reflected in Sunni sect, and teachings of Sunni scholars are greatly influenced by the ideas and work of Sufis. read more

The difference between Sunni and Sufi is that Sunni is a descendant of the conventional version of Islam whereas Sufi is an offshoot of the mystical branch of Islam. Sufi can be both Sunni and Shia. Sunnis focus on the teachings and Sunah of the holy Prophet whereas Sufi follows the basic as well as the spiritual practices. read more

Since the first Muslim hagiographies were written during the period when Sufism began its rapid expansion, many of the figures who later came to be regarded as the major saints in Sunni Islam were the early Sufi mystics, like Hasan of Basra (d. 728), Farqad Sabakhi (d. 729), Dawud Tai (d. 777-81) Rabi'a al-'Adawiyya (d. 801), Maruf Karkhi (d. 815), and Junayd of Baghdad (d. 910). read more