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“Sufi” and “Sufism” are terms adopted from Arabic. The word ṣūfī, most probably from Arab. ṣūf, “wool,” originally designated those who wore woolen garments—specifically, ascetics who wore ¶ wool as a sign of their renunciation of this world. From the middle of the ninth century, however, ṣūfī came to be used increasingly as a technical term to designate a group of people who belonged to a clearly identifiable social movement in lower Iraq, especially Baghdad, based on a distinct type of mystical piety. The most prominent members of this movement were Abū Saʿīd al-Kharrāz (d. 899 or a…

1. Basis and the Various Approaches to Theology and Law The Koran is the basis for the development of Islam, providing obligatory guidelines for its expression. In contrast, the tradition of the Prophet Muḥammad (ca. 570–632), with his sayings and deeds, gives Islam its practical side. The relation between the Koran and the tradition (sunnah) is like that between an architect’s master plan and the detailed instructions of the builder. When Islam spread outside Arabia, social and political issues arose that were not covered by the religious statute…

1. Term The terms “Sunnism” and “Sunni” are anglicizations of Arab. ahl al-sunnah (the people of the Sunna [lit. “custom, way”]) or ahl al-sunnah wa-l-jamāʿa (the people of the Sunna and community). In most of the Islamic world, “Sunni” has been synonymous with “Muslim.” The vast majority of Muslims have always been Sunnis, and nearly all sectarian groups, with the exception of the main body of Shiites, dwindled to small numbers or became extinct. Compound expressions that contain the word “Sunna” appear with some frequency in the ninth century c.e., primarily in the writings of sch…