ABSTRACT
By the end of the early middle period (1000–1250) of Islamic history, the popularity of Sufism in the region that encompasses Anatolia, Iran, Central Asia, the Levant and Egypt was sufficiently strong that modern observers have spoken of "institutionalised mass religion". Despite the common features amongst the various groups and individuals who were termed "Sufi", the early middle period witnessed both great popularity and diversity, which served in a symbiotic fashion to promote these spiritual movements further. The chapter aims to set the scene and explores the kinds of Sufism that existed during this period, and thereby provides a context for Awhad al-Din Kirmani's form of Sufism, to see whether it was atypical or an acceptable form of the tradition. It examines the leading thirteenth-century Sufis to assess the extent to which it is possible to speak of a coherent and unified movement, to weigh the popularity of the tradition and to appreciate the context in which Kirmani emerged.
