ABSTRACT
Mysticism in Islam emerged earlier than customarily acknowledged, long before Islamic mysticism became known as Sufism. The presence and teachings of early Muslim mystics are attested in original literary works from as early as the later part of the second/eighth century. Ever since, Islamic mysticism has been alive and active in literature and among practicing individuals, centers, and brotherhoods. Sufi Brotherhoods emerged during the sixth/twelfth century and went on propagating and diversifying. This historical point marks the transformation of Sufism from a rather local phenomenon into a global, organized, and established movement. This process, largely, was facilitated by the Sufi compilatory and hagiographical literature that had accumulated since the later part of the fourth/tenth century. This chapter traces the main contours of the formative period of Islamic mysticism through the works and teachings of a number of early authors: Shaqiq al-Balkhi, al-Muhasibi, al-Hakim al-Tirmidhi, and Abu Said al-Kharraz.
