' Persian Mysticism '...

From the early days of Islam, ascetic Muslims would practice fasting, praying, and meditation in seclusion. They became known as ‘Sufis’ due to being clothed in simple coarse garments made of wool (Suf in Arabic) and their purity of heart (safa in Arabic). These Muslims, Companions of the Prophet, were individuals of principle engaging in certain disciplines and meditations for inner purification, the realization of divine love, and understanding one’s own essence and reality. ............................................................................. Persian Mysticism within Islam is a spiritual journey in which people seek the reality and truth of divine love through a direct personal experience of God. The Prophet’s spiritual ascension, the Mi’raj, in which a celestial steed carried him to Jerusalem, from where he ascended to the highest heaven and attained the closest proximity to God, the Qaba Qawsayn (two bows length), became an archetype of the spiritual journey. Sufism started as an imitation of the Prophet’s (PBUH) simplicity and spiritual life in a time where the Umayyad caliphs lived lavishly.