2
The Early Development
The Early Sufis
To begin with, Renunciation of the world and an intense fear of God —
the main features of the religious credo and practice of early Sufism—
made its adherents stand out in society at large. But it was only much later
that this form of Sufism acquired a full-fledged philosophical doctrine, with
its characteristic ‘un-Islamic’ elements, such as the concept of pantheism
and the Unity of Being (
wahdat al wujud
).
The early Sufis were ascetics in the true sense of the word and poverty
was their ideal.They believed that worldly possessions and worldly concerns
distracted one from a dedicated religious life. They were convinced that
the desired concentration was possible only when one was not weighed
down by material belongings. Some carried this a step further, advocating
the renunciation not only of worldly desires, but of desire itself. Only then
could one truly devote oneself to earning divine pleasure. They reasoned
that when complete dedication and devotion were required to achieve
worldly success in this life on earth, then success in the next, eternal life,
without similar or even greater devotion and dedication, was impossible.
Ibn Khaldun has aptly summed up the way of life of the early Sufis: ‘The
way of the Sufis was regarded by the early Muslims as the way of Truth and
salvation. They zealously guarded piety, gave up all objects of worldly
attraction for God’s sake, renounced pleasure, wealth and power, abandoned
society and led a secluded life devoted to the service of God. These were
