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In the early days, Sufism was not recognised as the inner dimensions of Islam, as it is now, but was identified with Islam as such. In the beginning of Islamic history all the silsilahs that go back to either Abu Bakr Siddeeq (rali) or 'Ali ibnu Abi Talib (rali) are actually intertwined; many of the early Sufis (not yet, of course, so named) made pacts with several of the original Companions, including Anas ibn Malik (rali), Salman al-Farisi (rali) and others. In the 2nd century of the Hijrah these chains diverged outwards with the geographic expansion of Islam, and later, the names that succeeded one another, such as Ibn Mashish (rali) in Morocco and Imam as-Shadhili (rali) in Egypt, reflect journeys undertaken across the earth in search of masters whose reputation bespoke their spiritual realisation. 'Ali (rali) is the great early link in theses chains; he is held by Sufis every where to be the fountainhead of esoteric knowledge. Another is Hasan of Basra (rali) who, lacking the philosophical tools available to later generations, left no corpus of written teaching, although he was widely quoted by others; the universal respect he was accorded and the wide circle of his disciples testify to his having possessed wisdom of a very profound order. Certain Sufis of the later period such as al-Junayd (rali) (d.297/910), 'Muhyiddin Abd al-Qadir al-Jilani (rali) (d.561/1166), Abu Madyan (rali) (d.594/1198), and Imam ash-Shadhili (rali) (d.656/1258) were all famed throughout the Islamic world during their lifetimes. Imam Shadhili (rali) is noted for an approach to Sufism which is especially intellectual. Some of these Sufis left writings as well as oral teachings, and Sufi doctrines have been described in great depth and detail in the works of Ibn 'Arabi (rali), Jalal ad-Din ar-Rumi (rali), al-Jili (rali), Imam al-Ghazali (rali), Ibn 'Ata' Allah (rali) and many others. A number of sufis likewise wrote allegories, of which an outstanding example is the Language of the Birds (Mantiq at-Tair) by Farid ad-Din 'Attar (rali), in which the birds (souls) set out on a journey to find their King (God). Above all, it has been characteristic of Sufis to express their spiritual insight in great poetry; Ibn al-Farid's (rali) "Ode to Wine", which likens the imbibing of Divine knowledge to drunken ecstasy, is one example of this.
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