History
of Sufism
Origin:
Sufism is generally believed to have originated among Muslims near Basra in
modern Iraq, though there is a history of Sufism in Transoxania dating from
shortly after the time of Muhammad.[6] From the traditional Sufi point of view,
the esoteric teachings of Sufism were transmitted from the Prophet Muhammad, who
was taught by God, to those who had the capacity to contain the direct
experiential gnosis of God, which was passed on from teacher to student through
the centuries. Almost all traditional Sufi schools (or "orders") trace their
"chains of transmission" back to Prophet Muhammad via his cousin and son-in-law
Ali ibn Abi Talib. The Naqshbandi order is a notable exception to this rule, as
it traces its origin to the first Islamic Caliph Abdullah (Abu Bakr).
Some orientalist scholars believe that Sufism was essentially the result of
Islam evolving in a more mystic direction. For example, Annemarie Schimmel
proposes that Sufism in its early stages of development meant nothing but the
interiorization of Islam. According to Louis Massignon: "It is from the Qur’an,
constantly recited, meditated, and experienced, that Sufism proceeded, in its
origin and its development