remembering God, reciting the verses of the Qur’an and living in fear of
Him.
The most characteristic aspect of the life of the early Sufis was their
desire for non-involvement in the matters of the world. This was the point
of departure from the spirituality of the Companions of the Prophet, for
we find that the Prophet and his companions, as well as their companions,
performed all their worldly duties and, in doing so, they remembered God.
They believed that if they continued to remember God in the midst of
performing all the necessary mundane activities, their reward would be
doubled – they would receive one reward for discharging the obligatory
duties and another for remembering God at times other than those of formal
worship.
The early Sufis were known for their asceticism. Poverty was their ideal.
They thought that it was the world that distracted their attention from
God. So, if they desisted from accumulating worldly things, they would be
spared distraction, be able to achieve a high level of concentration and, as a
result, their prayers would attain an exceptional quality.
