Editing Sufism (section)

==Prominent Sufis==
{{See also|List of Sufi saints|List of Sufis}}

===Rabi'a Al-'Adawiyya===
[[File:Rabia al-Adawiyya.jpg|thumb|right|Depiction of Rabi'a [[Mill (grinding)|grinding grain]] from a Persian dictionary]]

[[Rabia Basri|Rābi{{hamza}}a al-{{hamza}}Adawiyya]] or Rabia Basri was a [[Saints in Islam|Sufi saint]], one of the earliest [[Sufi mystic]]s and an influential religious figure from Iraq.<ref name="Rabi'a The Mystic and Her Fellow-Saints in Islam">{{cite book |last=Smith |first=Margaret |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=gqYDbBFAcB0C&q=rabia+the+mystic |title=''Rabi'a The Mystic and Her Fellow-Saints in Islam'' |publisher=[[Cambridge University Press]] |year=2010 |isbn=9781108015912 |page=252}}</ref> Rabi'a was born of very poor origin, but was captured by bandits at a later age and sold into slavery. She was, however, released by her master when he awoke one night to see the light of sanctity shining above her head.<ref>Smith, Margaret. ''Rabi'a The Mystic''. Cambridge University Press, 1928.</ref> Prominent Sufi leader [[Hasan of Basra]] is said "I passed one whole night and day with Rabi'a&nbsp;... it never passed through my mind that I was a man nor did it occur to her that she was a woman... when I saw her I saw myself as bankrupt and Rabi'a as truly sincere."<ref>{{Cite book |last=Ahmed |first=Leila |title=Women and Gender in Islam |publisher=Yale University |year=1992 |page=96}}</ref> Rabi'a al-Adawiyya is known for her teachings and emphasis on the centrality of the love of God to a holy life.<ref>Ahmed, Leila. ''Women and Gender in Islam''. Yale University Press, 1992, p. 87.</ref> She is said to have proclaimed, running down the streets of [[Basra]], Iraq:

{{blockquote | text = O God! If I worship You for fear of Hell, burn me in Hell, and if I worship You in hope of Paradise, exclude me from Paradise. But if I worship You for Your Own sake, grudge me not Your everlasting Beauty. | source = Rabi'a al-Adawiyya}}

There are different opinions about the death and resting place of Rabia Basri. Some believe her resting place to be [[Jerusalem]] whereas others believe it to be Basra.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Qalandaria: Brief History of Hazrat Rabia al Basri R . A |url=http://qalandaria.blogspot.com/2010/10/brief-history-of-hazrat-rabia-al-basri.html |access-date=15 July 2022 |website=Qalandaria}}</ref><ref>Meeting of [http://shattariyah.blogspot.com/p/rabia-basri.html Rabia Basri] with [[Hasan Basri]] By [http://shattariyah.blogspot.com/p/sayyed-aminul-qadri.html Sayyed Aminul Qadri] Retrieved 25 July 2022.</ref>

===Junayd of Baghdad===
[[Junayd of Baghdad|Junayd al-Baghdadi]] (830–910) was one of the earlier Sufis. He was a [[Persian people|Persian]] Sufi and one of the most famous of the early [[Wali|Islamic saints]] and is a central figure in the spiritual lineages of many [[Tariqa|Sufi orders]].<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Silvers |first=Laury |date=2013-09-01 |title=al-Fatḥ al-Mawṣilī |url=https://referenceworks.brillonline.com/entries/encyclopaedia-of-islam-3/al-fath-al-mawsili-COM_27033?s.num=76&s.rows=100 |journal=Encyclopaedia of Islam, THREE |language=en |quote=(...) uncle of the famous early Persian Ṣūfī Junayd al-Baghdādī (d. 298/911).}}</ref><ref>{{cite book |last=Browne |first=Edward Granville |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=baJfjwEACAAJ |title=A Literary History of Persia |publisher=BiblioBazaar |year=2015 |isbn=978-1-345-72256-7 |authorlink=Edward Granville Browne}}, page 428: "It is noteworthy that both [[Bayazid Bastami|Bayazid]] and Junayd were Persians, and may very likely have imported to sufism."</ref> Junayd al-Baghdadi taught in [[Baghdad]] throughout his lifetime and was an important figure in the development of Sufi beliefs. Like [[Hasan of Basra]] before him, was widely revered by his students and disciples as well as quoted by other mystics. Because of his importance among Sufis, Junayd was often referred to as the "[[Sultan]]".<ref>''Concise Encyclopedia of Islam'', C. Glasse, ''al-Junayd'' (p. 211), Suhail Academy co.</ref>

===Bayazid Bastami===
[[Bayazid Bastami]] was a recognized and influential Sufi personality from the Tayfuriyya order.<ref>{{Cite web |title=A History of Sufism for Western Readers - The Fountain Magazine |url=https://fountainmagazine.com/all-issues/2015/issue-107-september-october-2015/a-history-of-sufism-for-western-readers-september-octomber-2015 |access-date=2025-01-16 |website=fountainmagazine.com}}</ref> Bastami was born in 804 in [[Bastam]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Ahmad |first=Khwaja Jamil |title=Hundred great Muslims [by] Jamil Ahmad. |date=1971 |publisher=Ferozsons |oclc=977150850}}</ref> Bayazid is regarded for his devout commitment to the [[Sunnah]] and his dedication to fundamental Islamic principals and practices.

===Shaykh Abdul Qadir Gilani===
[[File:Roof hafez tomb.jpg|thumb|right|[[Islamic geometric patterns|Geometric tiling]] on the underside of the dome of Hafiz Shirazi's tomb in [[Shiraz]]]]

Shaykh [[Abdul Qadir Gilani]] (1077–1166) was a Mesopotamian-born [[Hanbali]] jurist and prominent Sufi scholar based in Baghdad, with Persian roots. Gilani spent his early life in Na'if, a town just East of Baghdad, also the town of his birth. There, he pursued the study of [[Hanbali]] law. [[Abu Saeed Mubarak Makhzoomi]] gave Gilani lessons in [[fiqh]]. He was given lessons about [[hadith]] by Abu Bakr ibn Muzaffar. He was given lessons about Tafsir by Abu Muhammad Ja'far, a commentator. His Sufi spiritual instructor was Abu'l-Khair Hammad ibn Muslim al-Dabbas. After completing his education, Gilani left Baghdad. He spent twenty-five years as a reclusive wanderer in the desert regions of Iraq. In 1127, Gilani returned to Baghdad and began to preach to the public. He joined the teaching staff of the school belonging to his own teacher, [[Abu Saeed Mubarak Makhzoomi]], and was popular with students. In the morning he taught hadith and ''[[tafsir]]'', and in the afternoon held discourse on the science of the heart and the virtues of the Quran. He is the founder of the [[Qadiriyya]] order, of which its eponym is his patronym.<ref>{{Cite encyclopedia|title=Sufism – Sufi orders|url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/Sufism|access-date=2021-04-18|website=Encyclopedia Britannica}}</ref>

===Abul Hasan ash-Shadhili===
[[Abul Hasan ash-Shadhili]] (died 1258) was the founder of the [[Shadhiliyya]] order, and introduced ''dhikr jahri'' (the remembrance of God out loud, as opposed to the silent ''dhikr''). He taught that his followers need not abstain from what Islam has not forbidden, but to be grateful for what God has bestowed upon them,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.shazuli.com/thareeqush-shukr.html|title=Thareeqush Shukr|publisher=Shazuli.com|access-date=13 August 2012}}</ref> in contrast to the majority of Sufis, who preach to deny oneself and to destroy the ego-self (''[[nafs]]''). The "Order of Patience" (Tariqus-Sabr), Shadhiliyya is formulated to be "Order of Gratitude" (Tariqush-Shukr). [[Shadhili|Imam Shadhili]] also gave eighteen valuable ''[[Manzil|hizbs]]'' (litanies) to his followers, out of which the notable ''Hizb al-Bahr''<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.deenislam.co.uk/mix/Hizb_ul_Bahr.htm|title=Hizb ul Bahr – Litany of the Sea|website= Deenislam.co.uk|access-date=27 September 2014}}</ref> is recited worldwide even today.

===Moinuddin Chishti===
[[File:Sufi Prayer Book LACMA M.87.21.jpg|thumb|A Mughal-era Sufi prayer book from the [[Chishti Order|Chishti order]]]]

[[Moinuddin Chishti]] (1141–1236), known as ''Gharīb Nawāz'' ("Benefactor of the Poor"), was the most famous Sufi saint of the Chishti Order. Moinuddin Chishti introduced and established the order in the Indian subcontinent. The initial spiritual chain or silsila of the Chishti order in India, comprising Moinuddin Chishti, [[Qutbuddin Bakhtiar Kaki|Bakhtiyar Kaki]], [[Fariduddin Ganjshakar|Baba Farid]], [[Nizamuddin Auliya]] (each successive person being the disciple of the previous one), constitutes the great Sufi saints of Indian history. Moinuddin Chishtī turned towards India, reputedly after a dream in which Muhammad blessed him to do so. After a brief stay at Lahore, he reached [[Ajmer]] along with Sultan [[Muhammad of Ghor|Shahāb-ud-Din Muhammad Ghori]], and settled down there. In Ajmer, he attracted a substantial following, acquiring a great deal of respect amongst the residents of the city. Moinuddin Chishtī practiced the Sufi ''Sulh-e-Kul'' (peace to all) concept to promote understanding between Muslims and non-Muslims.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2011-12-19 |title=Sultan-e-Hind: Mysticism takes centre stage |url=http://tribune.com.pk/story/308807/sultan-e-hind-mysticism-takes-centre-stage |access-date=2021-04-18 |website=The Express Tribune}}</ref>

=== Bahauddin Naqshband ===
[[Baha' al-Din Naqshband|Bahauddin Naqshband]] (1318–1389) was a prominent Sufi master of the 14th century who founded the [[Naqshbandi]] Sufi order. Born in the village of Qasr-i Hinduvan near Bukhara, Uzbekistan, he was a descendant of the Prophet Muhammad. His early life was marked by a deep spiritual inclination. He sought out the guidance of renowned Sufi teachers and quickly demonstrated exceptional talent and understanding. His primary teacher was [[Mohammad Baba As-Samasi]], who initiated him into the spiritual path. His approach to Sufism emphasized inner contemplation, discipline, and a focus on the unseen. He advocated for a balanced lifestyle, combining spiritual practices with worldly responsibilities. His teachings were rooted in the Quran and the Sunnah, and he emphasized the importance of following the example of the Prophet Muhammad.

The Naqshbandi order became one of the most influential Sufi orders in Islamic history. It spread throughout Central Asia, the Middle East, and eventually to South Asia and the West. The order's emphasis on spiritual discipline, inner work, and social engagement resonated with many seekers.

===Ahmad Al-Tijani===
[[File:Shams al-Ma'arif.jpg|thumb|right|upright=0.8|A manuscript of Sufi [[Islamic theology]], ''[[Shams al-Ma'arif]]'' (The Book of the Sun of Gnosis) was written by the [[Algeria]]n Sufi master [[Ahmad al-Buni]] during the 12th century.]]

[[Ahmed Tijani]] (1737–1815), in Arabic سيدي أحمد التجاني (''Sidi Ahmed Tijani''), was the founder of the [[Tijaniyya]] Sufi order. He was born in a Berber family,<ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=1rdZAAAAYAAJ|title=Holy people of the world: a cross-cultural encyclopedia|last=Jestice|first=Phyllis G.|date=2004-12-15|publisher=ABC-CLIO|isbn=9781576073551|pages=858}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=rD0sBgAAQBAJ|title=Studies in West African Islamic History: Volume 1: The Cultivators of Islam, Volume 2: The Evolution of Islamic Institutions & Volume 3: The Growth of Arabic Literature|last=Willis|first=John Ralph|date=2012-10-12|publisher=Routledge |isbn=9781136251603|pages=234}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=w4iWqgTzvp8C |title=Mohammedanism|last=Gibb|first=H. A. R.|date=1970|publisher=OUP USA|isbn=9780195002454 |pages=116}}</ref> in [[Aïn Madhi]], present-day Algeria, and died at the age of 78 in Fez.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Bangstad|first=Sindre|title=Global Flows, Local Appropriations: Facets of Secularisation and Re-Islamization Among Contemporary Cape Muslims|date=2007|publisher=Amsterdam University Press|isbn=978-90-5356-015-0}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|last1=Akyeampong|first1=Emmanuel Kwaku|url=|title=Dictionary of African Biography|author2=Henry Louis Gates Jr. |date=2012-02-02|publisher=OUP USA|isbn=978-0-19-538207-5}}</ref>

===Al-Ghazālī===
[[al-Ghazali]] (c. 1058 – 1111) was a Sunni Muslim polymath.<ref>Böwering, Gerhard. "ḠAZĀLĪ". Encyclopædia Iranica. Retrieved 17 December 2012.</ref> He was a prominent Sufi, jurisconsult, legal theoretician, mufti, philosopher, theologian, logician and mystic.<ref>"Ghazali, al-". The Columbia Encyclopedia. Retrieved 17 December 2012.</ref>  He is considered to be the 11th century's ''[[mujaddid]]'', a renewer of the faith, who appears once every 100 years.<ref>William Montgomery Watt, Al-Ghazali: The Muslim Intellectual, p. 180. Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, 1963.</ref> Al-Ghazali's works were so highly acclaimed by his contemporaries that he was awarded the honorific title "Proof of Islam".<ref>Janin, Hunt (2005). The Pursuit of Learning in the Islamic World. McFarland. p. 83. ISBN 0786419547.</ref> He was a prominent [[mujtahid]] in the [[Shafi'i school|Shafi'i]] school of law.<ref>Al Beirawi, Abu Ismael (12 April 2016). Essays on Ijtihad in the 21st Century. CreateSpace. p. 35. ISBN 9781539995036.</ref>  His magnum opus was Iḥyā’ ‘ulūm ad-dīn ("The Revival of the Religious Sciences").<ref>Sonn, Tamara (1996-10-10). Interpreting Islam: Bandali Jawzi's Islamic Intellectual History. Oxford University Press. pp. 30</ref> His works include Tahāfut al-Falāsifa ("Incoherence of the Philosophers"), a landmark in the history of philosophy.<ref>Griffel, Frank (2016). "Al-Ghazali". In Zalta, Edward N. (ed.). The Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy (Winter 2016 ed.)</ref>

===Sayyed Badiuddin===
[[Sayyid Badiuddin]]<ref name="Wise2016">{{cite book|author=James Wise|title=Notes on the Races, Castes and Trades of Eastern Bengal|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=mzUlDwAAQBAJ&pg=PA78|date=10 November 2016|publisher=Taylor & Francis|isbn=978-1-351-99740-9|page=78}}</ref> was a Sufi saint who founded the [[Madariyya]] Silsila and order.<ref>{{cite book|title=Annals of the Bhandarkar Oriental Research Institute|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=hkYLAQAAMAAJ|year=2006|publisher=The Institute|page=241}}</ref> He was also known by the title Qutb-ul-Madar.<ref name="bhatt">{{cite journal |last1=Bhattacharya |first1=Ananda |title=Madariya Sufi Silsila Their Distinctive Characteristics and Relations with the Indian Powers |journal=Proceedings of the Indian History Congress |date=2008 |volume=69 |pages=384–402 |jstor=44147203 }}</ref>

He hailed originally from Syria, and was born in [[Aleppo]]<ref name="Wise2016" /> to a [[Sayyid|Syed]] Hussaini family.<ref>{{Cite book|last=Suvorova|first=A. A.|url=https://www.worldcat.org/oclc/57176198|title=Muslim saints of South Asia : the eleventh to fifteenth centuries|date=2004|publisher=RoutledgeCurzon|isbn=0-203-59271-9|location=London|pages=171|oclc=57176198}}</ref> His teacher was [[Bayazid Bastami|Bayazid Tayfur al-Bistami]].<ref>{{cite book|author=Murray Thurston Titus|title=Indian Islam: a religious history of Islam in India|url=https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.280326|year=1930|publisher=H. Milford, Oxford university press|page=[https://archive.org/details/in.ernet.dli.2015.280326/page/n145 128]}}</ref> After making a [[Hajj|pilgrimage]] to [[Medina]], he journeyed to India to spread the Islamic faith, where he founded the Madariyya order.<ref name=bhatt/> His tomb is at [[Makanpur]].<ref>[https://shattariyah.blogspot.com/p/zinda-shah-madar.html Zinda Shah Madar] Retrieved 17 July 2022</ref>

===Ibn Arabi===
[[Ibn Arabi|Ibn 'Arabi]] (or Ibn al-'Arabi) (AH 561 – AH 638; 1165–1240) was one of the most influential Sufis, revered for his profound spiritual insight, refined taste, and deep knowledge of God. Over the centuries, he has been honored with the title "The Grand Master" (Arabic: الشيخ الأكبر). Ibn Arabi founded the Sufi order known as "[[Akbarism|Al Akbariyya]]" (Arabic: الأكبرية), which remains active to this day. The order, based in Cairo, continues to spread his teachings and principles through its own sheikh. Ibn Arabi's writings, especially [[al-Futuhat al-Makkiyya]] and Fusus al-Hikam, have been studied within all Sufi orders as the clearest expression of ''[[tawhid]]'' (Divine Unity), though because of their recondite nature they were often only given to initiates. His teachings later became known as the school of ''[[wahdat al-wujud]]'' (the Oneness of Being). He himself considered his writings to have been divinely inspired. As he expressed the way to one of his close disciples, his legacy is that "you should never ever abandon your servant-hood (''ubudiyya''), and that there may never be in your soul a longing for any existing thing".<ref>K. al-Wasa'il, quoted in ''The Unlimited Mercifier'', Stephen Hirtenstein, p. 246</ref>

===Mansur Al-Hallaj===
[[Mansur Al-Hallaj]] (died 922) is renowned for his claim, ''Ana-l-Haqq'' ("I am the Truth"), his ecstatic Sufism and state-trial. His refusal to recant this utterance, which was regarded as [[apostasy]], led to a long trial. He was imprisoned for 11 years in a Baghdad prison, before being tortured and publicly beheaded on March 26, 922. He is still revered by Sufis for his willingness to embrace torture and death rather than recant. It is said that during his prayers, he would say "O Lord! You are the guide of those who are passing through the Valley of Bewilderment. If I am a heretic, enlarge my heresy".<ref>Memoirs of the Saints, p.108.{{full citation needed|date=February 2020}}</ref>

===Yusuf Abu al-Haggag===
[[Yusuf Abu al-Haggag]] (c. 1150 – c. 1245) was a Sufi scholar and sheikh preaching principally in [[Luxor]], Egypt.<ref>{{cite news |title=تعرف على تاريخ ومولد ودورة الإمام أبو الحجاج الأقصرى السنوية × 15 معلومة |url=https://www.youm7.com/story/2018/4/30/%D8%AA%D8%B9%D8%B1%D9%81-%D8%B9%D9%84%D9%89-%D8%AA%D8%A7%D8%B1%D9%8A%D8%AE-%D9%88%D9%85%D9%88%D9%84%D8%AF-%D9%88%D8%AF%D9%88%D8%B1%D8%A9-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A5%D9%85%D8%A7%D9%85-%D8%A3%D8%A8%D9%88-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%AD%D8%AC%D8%A7%D8%AC-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%A3%D9%82%D8%B5%D8%B1%D9%89-%D8%A7%D9%84%D8%B3%D9%86%D9%88%D9%8A%D8%A9/3771991 |work=اليوم السابع |language=Arabic}}</ref> He devoted himself to knowledge, [[asceticism]] and worship.<ref>{{Cite web |date=11 March 2023 |title=Sufis celebrate birthday of Sheikh Abu El-Haggag at Luxor mosque |url=https://www.arabnews.com/node/2266696/middle-east |website=Arab News |language=en}}</ref> In his pursuits, he earned the nickname "Father of the Pilgrim". His birthday is celebrated today annually in Luxor, with people convening at the [[Abu Haggag Mosque]].