ABSTRACT
Clothing has been a significant feature of Sufi thought and practice throughout history. For medieval Sufis, clothing acted as an important indicator of belonging, a visible marker of one’s inner spiritual state, and a symbol of the Sufi’s qualification to teach and transmit the tradition. This chapter focuses on classical to the post-classical period of Sufism, tracing a trajectory from some of the earliest Sufi training manuals, through its transition into orders (tariqa Sufism), as well as its adaptation to the socio-political changes that take place after the Mongol invasions. It attempts to account for the changing praxis regarding Sufi clothing up to the Timurid era. Investiture can be understood as a management of shared economic assets which strengthen bonds within the Sufi community. The chapter sheds new light on the interconnections and how they are developed and employed throughout Sufi history, both conceptually and practically.
