Origin of Sufism (Contd...)

The first of the theosophical speculations based on mystical insights about the nature of man and the essence of the Prophet were produced by such Sufis as Sahl at-Tustari (died c. 896). Some Hellenistic ideas were later adopted by al-Hakim at-Tirmidhi (died 898). Sahl was the master of al-Husayn ibn Mansur al-Hallaj, who has become famous for his phrase 'Ana al-haqq', "I am the Creative Truth" (often rendered "I am God"), which was later interpreted in a pantheistic sense but is, in fact, only a condensation of his theory of 'huwa huwa' ("He he"): God loved himself in his essence, and created Adam "in his image." Hallaj was executed in 922 in Baghdad as a result of his teachings; he is, for later mystics and poets, the "martyr of Love" par excellence, the enthusiast killed by the theologians. His few poems are of exquisite beauty; his prose, which contains an outspoken Muhammad-mysticism--i.e., mysticism centered on the prophet Muhammad--is as beautiful as it is difficult.

Sufi mystical leaders or guides of such circles, were also artisans. In the 10th century, it was deemed necessary to write handbooks about the tenets of Sufism in order to soothe the growing suspicions of the orthodox; the compendiums composed in Arabic by Abu Talib Makki, Sarraj, and Kalabadhi in the late 10th century, and by Qushayri and, in Persian, by Hujviri in the 11th century reveal how these authors tried to defend Sufism and to prove its orthodox character. It should be noted that the mystics belonged to all schools of Islamic law and theology of the times.

The last great figure in the line of classical Sufism is Abu Hamid Al-Ghazali (died 1111), who wrote, among numerous other works, the Ihya' 'ulum al-Din ("The Revival of the Religious Sciences"), a comprehensive work that established moderate mysticism against the growing theosophical trends--which tended to equate God and the world--and thus shaped the thought of millions of Muslims. His younger brother, Ahmad al-Ghazali, wrote one of the subtlest treatises (Sawanih; "Occurrences" [i.e., stray thoughts]) on mystical love, a subject that then became the main subject of Persian poetry.

By educating the masses and deepening the spiritual concerns of the Muslims, Sufism has played an important role in the formation of Muslim society. Opposed to the dry casuistry of the lawyer-divines, the mystics nevertheless scrupulously observed the commands of the divine law. The Sufis have been further responsible for a large-scale missionary activity all over the world, which still continues. Sufis have elaborated the image of the prophet Muhammad--the founder of Islam--and have thus largely influenced Muslim piety by their Muhammad-mysticism. Without the Sufi vocabulary, Persian and other literatures related to it, such as Turkish, Urdu, Sindhi, Pashto, and Punjabi, would lack their special charms. Through the poetry of these literatures mystical ideas spread widely among the Muslims. In some countries Sufi leaders were also active politically. Since the followers had a complete belief and trust in the teachings of their respective silsilahs many of the political leaders used to promote the particular silsilah as an instrument to propagate their political activities and objectives.

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