There have been many debates concerning the origin of Tasawwuf or Sufism and how this institution of inner knowledge was established. In seeking this spiritual ancestry of Sufism, some scholars have looked towards Greek philosophy in general and the ideas of Platonism especially, some to the Hermetic Christianity of the Gnostics, an others to Buddhism, Yogism and Vedantism. As a result the commentators of Sufism, especially in the West, have only half understood the true origin of Sufism. But really Sufism, as has been practiced since its birth, is quite a different school of belief, practice and goal than any of these preexisting ways of thinking.

It is a system born out of Islam and is the heir to the treasures of knowledge from the sacred heart of the Prophet Muhammed Sallahu alaihi wasallam (Peace and blessing be upon him and his family). The roots of Sufism are embedded in Islam itself. One needs look no further than the Quran and the Prophetic Traditions to find the foundations of Sufi teaching, practice and inspiration. The first Sufi, in all but name, is the Prophet himself (Peace and blessings be upon him and his family) and that Sufism is therefore as old as Islam. In fact far from being a later development, as some maintain, Sufism was never so generally widespread, in correlation to the total number of faithful, as it was during the life of the Prophet (Peace and blessings be upon him and his family). The actual birth of Sufism as a way of thought, practice and development is therefore subsequent to the advent of Islam. It is a purely Islamic discipline which builds the 'character' and 'inner dimension' of a Muslim within the matrix and prescriptions of Islam. The Islamic message and revelation presented itself as the message brought to humanity by the Prophets of all ages(Peace and blessings be upon them all). Tasawwuf or Sufism claim to universality is founded on the broad principal that there is only one 'God'- Allah the God of all peoples and religions. In the West today different groups exist under the name of Sufism. There are those who follow the practice and principles of Islam and on the other hand there are those who proclaim a brand of Sufism which ignore the roots of Islam and take their teaching from those who may or may not have contact with Islamic teachings. In my view, an appreciation and understanding of the Quran, Traditions of the Prophet (Peace and blessings be upon him and his family) and the history of Sufism is essential to the seeker on the Sufi path. Historically, Sufism was not considered as a separate entity from the essence of Islam. Its tutors all traced their teachings through a chain of transmission going back to the Prophet (Peace and blessings be upon him and his family).

The roots and origin of Sufism records that during the lifetime of the Prophet Muhammed (Peace and blessings be upon him and his family), fifteen Centuries ago, there was a group of his companions who, guided by the Law of Islam, sought for the direct experience of the Divine. They were a group practicing certain disciplines and meditations for the sake of the realization of Divine Love and the understanding of reality. They were the Lovers of Allah who sought to merge themselves in the Divine and to remain alive in that Reality. They strove to keep alive that essential experience of Divine Truth that perfumed and saturated their understanding of the realities of Being. These companions were called 'Ashaab-e-Suffa' or People of the Platform as they met on the platform or suffe of the mosque in Medina where Prophet Muhammed Sallallahu alaihi wasallam (Peace be upon him and his family) used to pray. They would meet there almost every day to discuss the ways to inner knowledge and the meanings of the verses of the Quran. They had dedicated their lives to prayer day and night and lived in an annexure to the Prophet's (Peace be upon him and his family) mosque in strict austerity. The well-known Hazrat Abu Hurraira (Allah be pleased with him) - who is an authority on the Prophetic Traditions was one of them. Hazrat Salman Farsi, and Hazrat Abdullah Masoud (Allah be pleased with them) were some of the other prominent companions amongst many others.

Thus the platform of that Mosque in Medina became the first gathering place of one of the most influential groups in the history of mankind's spiritual civilization. These companions cultivated the seed of a school of spiritual practice based on the knowledge of the self and knowledge of the inner heart. It could be safely acknowledged that these groups of companions of the Prophet (Peace be upon him and his family) were the ancestors of some of the leading Sufis of the world. It is from this group that all the Sufi schools owe their origin apart from the lineage of the Prophet (Peace be upon him and his family) and his four distinguished Caliphs. As such they have been the anchors of the Muslim community as a whole in troubled times.

After the passing away of the Prophet (Peace be upon him and his family), these companions of 'suffa' migrated to different lands instructing students eager to follow the 'inner path' of Islam. Through this process different schools of Sufism gradually emerged from the single original group of 'suffa'.

The word Sufi is derived from the word 'suf' meaning 'wool'. This assumption is based on the wearing of woolen garments by early Sufis. The sacred traditions of the Prophet (Peace be upon him and his family) dominated the lives of his followers. But as time passed on the body politic and social affairs of the Muslims began to suffer. Surrounded by luxury hitherto unknown to them the conquering Arabs began to indulge in luxury different to the ways of their desert lives. Many pious Muslims in the community feared that the message of Islam was in danger of being lost through the decadent examples of these Arab conquerors. Disgusted with these affairs. The more pious Muslims withdrew from society to seek peace of the soul and clothed themselves in rough wool as a symbol of protest against the licentiousness of their leaders. Their characteristics were symbolized by piety; trust, turning away from the temptations of luxury, renunciation of pleasure and power. Wearing wool thus became a part of the discipline connected to Sufism. Even though there are other explanations and meanings of the word Sufi, we will not engage ourselves in scholastic discussion over them, but the one we have just discussed is generally accepted by most Sufis and Sufi scholars. Though many efforts have been made to discover the origin of the word Sufi, no definition can give us a clear understanding of the word 'tasawwuf' or 'sufism'. This reflects the limitations and difficulty of traditional scholarly enquiry when it attempts to approach the Divine and illustrates the difficulty to explain a way of understanding that transcends the limits of human knowledge.

Shah Waliyullah (Allah be pleased with him) in his 'Hama-at' divided the history of Sufism into four periods. The first, he said, began at the time of the Prophet Sallallahu alaihi wasallam(Peace and blessings be upon him and his family) and his Companions and extended until the time of Junayd Baghdadi(Allah be pleased with him). At that time they were concerned with obeying the outer forms of the holy law- the Sharia'. Their 'Ihsan' was confined to performing salaat(prayer), dhikr, repetitions of the texts of the Quran and other acts of worship. The second period begins with Junayd of Baghdad (Allah be pleased with him). In that period the stress was laid on the acquisition of the attributes of 'Ta-alluq-billah' or attachment with Allah. The third period starts with Sheikh Abu Said al Khair(357/967 - 440/1049) and Sheikh Abul Hassen of Khirqan (d1034) when the Sufi system underwent a radical change in which the mystics crossing the bar of actions acquired the degree of 'Jadhb'(attraction). They became lost in Being and their individual selves were colored with His colour. The main aim of the Sufis was to lose their identities in Being and enjoy spiritual benefits of that exalted state. The last period is that of Sheikh al Akbar Muhiyal-Din ibn al-Arabi(638/1240). This generation of muslims began discussing the subtle differences of Sufi theories. They discovered stages of 'Tanzullat' or stages of descent from the 'Wajibul- Wujud' or Necessary Being. In the final analysis he is of the opinion that the customs of all four groups in the periods which followed in the history of Sufism were acceptable to Allah. As such the assessment of the sayings and actions of each group of Sufis should be made according to the prevailing convictions of the respective periods.