Within both the Sunni and Shi'a sects there is a division between mystics (Sufis) and non-mystics. In the 8th century, the Umayyad dynasty became associated with moral laxness and corruption. Some believers reacted to this decline in standards by adopting an austere lifestyle. The name 'Sufi' is derived from the Arabic word suf (wool). The early Sufis were said to wear cloaks made from wool, similar to the ones worn by Christian monks and ascetics of that time. The cloaks symbolized the disregard for material possessions. Sufism emerged from the meeting of Islam and Christianity and other mystic traditions of the lands conquered by the Muslims. This mystical movement had a profound impact on the development and spread of Islamic Civilization. Sufi orders assimilated various aspects of native religious traditions more readily than the more dogmatic versions of Islam.

Sufism represented a move away from the legalistic approach in Islam to a more personal relationship with God. "By the third Islamic century, they had begun to develop the doctrine of the "inner way" or the spiritual journey towards God. There were different stages of the way corresponding to different levels of sufi experience. The mystic was first a seeker, then a traveller, and then an initiate. He progressed along the way through processes of self-abnegation and enhanced awareness of God. The nearer he came to God, the more God spoke with his lips, controlled his limbs and moved the desires of his heart, until he reached the final stage when self was annihilated and totally absorbed in God." [1] The Persian Sufi saint Hujwiri described the Sufi as "he that is dead to the self and living by the Truth: he has escaped from the grip of human faculties and has really attained (to God)." [2]

The Sufi goal of union with God was regarded as heresy by many outside of Sufism, and was seen as a threat to Islam. Islamic scholars believed that knowledge of God was obtained from the study of the Qur'an, not through personal experience. In 922 A.D. a Sufi mystic al-Hallaj, was crucified for blasphemy for his ecstatic declaration of unity with God, "I am the Truth". Despite these attempts to suppress Sufism, it continued to spread its influence. Eventually Sufism became tolerated owing in large part to the writings of the great Islamic scholar, al-Ghazzali who was able to combine religious orthodoxy and mystical thought. In his autobiography, "The Rescuer from Error" he describes the intellectual and spiritual journey that led him to Sufism. 

Sufis eventually organized into orders or brotherhoods each with its own method of meditative practice. Sufis generally participate in collective rituals to unite with God, seeking ecstatic religious experience by means of rhythmic chanting, dancing and listening to music.

By far the most significant contribution to Sufi thought, came from the Persian poet and religious philosopher Jalal al-Din Rumi. His poetic works have influenced Muslims and Christians alike. Rumi believed in all paths to God and has inspired many poets in the East and the West, both ancient and contemporary.
 

The Sufi Method of Devotion involved the loss of the self in order to come close to God. Some Sufis welcomed death as the ultimate loss of self. Death is not the end of life, but another step in the transformation to the Divine. "...the idea of suffering and dying for the sake of transformation permeates all of Rumi's work, and he expresses it in ever new images, i.e. the moth that thrusts itself into the candle, or the snow that melts when the sun shines upon it, or even the chickpeas that are boiled in order to be eaten, thus reaching a higher level of existence by becoming part of the human body, speak of this mystery of transformation. So does the image of the treasure that can only be found in ruins; for the heart must be broken in order to find in itself the "hidden treasure," which is God. [4] The earthly world is irrelevant, and as stated in the Qur'an, death is the first stage of the journey into Eternity.

1. Atlas of the Islamic World Since 1500, Robinson, Francis. Oxford.          Equinox. 1982. p.31

2. Kashf Al-Mahjub by Hujwiri, tr. R.A. Nicholson. London. Luzak, 1939. p.35

3.    Rumi, Fountain of Fire: A Celebration of Life and Love, tr. Nader Khalili, Los Angeles. Burning Gate Press. 1995.

4. The Encyclopedia of Religion Eliade, Mircea ed. New York. Macmillan. 1987. vol 12, p. 484