ABSTRACT
The rise of Awhad al-Din Kirmani was very quickly tempered by stinging indictments from his fellow Sufis, and this criticism came to be understood as a condemnation of the practice of shahid-bazi. This chapter investigates the controversy surrounding Kirmani and shahid-bazi, and the reasons why there was a general distaste for him amongst many Sufis. Some of who would have preferred him side-lined, marginalised, or just added as a footnote in the history of Sufism, even though he had once occupied the highest "official" Sufi ranks, the Shaykh al-shukyuk. The chapter examines the ritualised practice of shahid-bazi by analysing the discussion of one of its coherent and systematic advocates, namely, Ayn al-Qudat Hamadani’. It also examines Ayn al-Qudat's explanation of shahid-bazi than focusing upon the fears expressed by some Persian Sufis of the dangers pertaining to the sama, when there was an opportunity for Sufis to engage in shahid-bazi.
