Origins of Tasawwuf

All the outward and spiritual perfections have been attained through Muhammad Rasulullah sall-Allahu ta'ala 'alaihi wa sallam. The orders and prohibitions, which are outward, have been transmitted to us through the books written by our 'aimmat al-madhhahib'. And the
hidden knowledge pertaining to the heart and soul have been conducted
through the great men of tasawwuf. It is written in the Sahih of al-Bukhari that Abu Huraira radi-Allahu ta'ala 'anh said, 'I filled two cups from Rasulullah sall-Allahu ta'ala 'alaihi wa sallam. I have explained the contents of one of them. You would kill me if I disclosed the other.'

It is also written in the Sahih of al-Bukhari that when Hadrat 'Umar radi-Allahu ta'ala 'anh died, his son 'Abdullah radi-Allahu ta'ala 'anh said that nine-tenths of knowledge had died and, seeing that the listeners were confused, added that he meant not the knowledge of fiqh but the knowledge of knowing Allahu ta'ala. All the paths of tasawwuf come from Rasulullah sall-Allahu ta'ala 'alaihi wa sallam. The superiors of tasawwuf have attained the ma'arif emanating from the blessed heart of Rasulullah sall-Allahu ta'ala 'alaihi wa sallam through their rehbers in every century.

Tasawwuf was not made up by Jews or mutasawwifs. Indeed the terms fana', baqa', jadhba, suluk and sair-i ila'llah, which were used for attainments on the way of tasawwuf, were first used by the great leaders of tasawwuf. It is written in Nafakhat that Abu Said al-Harraz radi-Allahu ta'ala 'anh was the first one who used the terms fana' and baqa'. Then ma'arif of tasawwuf came from Rasulullah sall-Allahu ta'ala 'alaihi wa sallam. The names for these ma'arif were given later. It is written in many books that, before he was notified of his Prophethood, he had performed dhikr by heart. Tawajjuh (thinking deeply) towards Allahu ta'ala, the dhikrs of nafi (negation) and ithbat (affirmation) and muraqaba (mediation) existed during the time of Rasulullah sall-Allahu ta'ala 'alaihi wa sallam and the as-Sahabat al-kiram radi-Allahu ta'ala 'anhum ajmain, too.