EARLY SUFIS: ABU HASHIM OF KUFAH (D. 160/776)

2. Abu Hashim of Kufah (d. 160/776)
Abu Hashim was from Kufah. Before Abu Hashim there were people who were famous for their asceticism (zuhd), piety (war), involvement in the science of practical religion, trust in God and love; but it was Abu Hashim who was first mentioned with the name Sufi. The first monastery where the Sufis began to gather for the exchange of ideas, and mutual discussion of their mystical experiences, was established by a rich Christian in Ramlah in Syria, where he had observed a number of Muslim saints in the open air doing mystical exercises.
According to Sufyan Thauri, Abu Hashim knew the subtlety of riya (showing off) more than anyone else. Abu Hashim once said it was much easier to pull a mountain down with the help of a needle than to remove vanity and arrogance from your heart. When he saw a judge come out of a minister's house, he noted: May God protect people from knowledge that does not lead to the benefit of the heart.
All of these incidents indicate that, according to Abu Hashim, inner transformation of the heart was the essence of Sufism.




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