#Sufism - Its Birth And Development - Islam Peace Of Heart

 Sufism-Its Birth and Development

The Islamic mysticism, known as Tasawwuf or Sufism, was as old as Islam itself, it was no doubt born in the bosom ef Islam and had no creed or dogma other than that of lslam.

It is said that during the very life-time of Mohammed PBUH there were some men of virtue and of retiring nature who embraced Islam with pleasure and made efforts to seek personal communion with God through self-surrender, meditation and total dedication to the service of mankind. Such liberal minded men of God drew their inspiration from the Quran and the life of the ProphetPBUH but instead of parading about their religious orthodoxy, they laid greater stress on the purifination of one's inner-self in order to attain lasting spiritual bliss. These Companions (Sahaba) of Prophet (pbuh) were commonly called Ashab al Suff-or People of the Bench.

Various attempts have been made to define the term sufi which came to be employed sometime in the ninth century for those of the men of piety and mystics among the Muslims who, unmindful of the formalism and social restrictions of the materialistic world 'adored God above all thíngs' and who were 'so much absorbed in their meditation to God that even 'a moment's diversion from the thought of the Absolute was unbearable to them'. According to some, the term sufi was derived from safa (pure) because of the purity of Their hearts, purity of their thoughts and the nobility of their actions. Others derive the term from saff (line, queue) and hold that the sufis were so called because they were in the forefront of the line or queue before God through the elevation of their desires towards Him and the turning of their hearts unto Him'. According to a third definition, the term sufi has been derived from the word suffa (a bench) as the honourable character and qualities of these saints were similar to those of Ashab al Suff who were attached to the Prophet and lived 'strictly puritan lives'. The term sufi also bears resemblance with the word suf or coarse wool, suggesting thereby that the sufis might have been so called because of their habit of wearing a woollen blanket or a loose all-purpose sheet of cloth.