Page:A Moslem seeker after God - showing Islam at its best in the life and teaching of al-Ghazali, mystic and theologian of the eleventh century (IA moslemseekeraft00zwem).pdf/240

 word suf, which means wool, they obtained their nainc. .In the next century, al-Junaid (\. 11. ~U7), one of Al-Ohazali’s favourite authorities, was the great leader of the movement, which spread throughout Islam. It was a reaction from the barren monotheism and the rigid ritualism of Islam. This kind ot orthodoxy did not meet the needs of the more imaginative mind ot the Kastern races who accepted Islam. The preachers of the new doctrine travelled everywhere and mixed with men of all conditions. In this way they adopted ideas from many sources, although always pro fessing to base their teaching on the Koran and Tradition.

According to Nicholson, the Mystics of Islam bor rowed not only from Christianity and Neoplato nism, but from (Gnosticism and Buddhism. Many Gospel texts and sayings of Jesus, most of them apocrvphal, are cited in the oldest Suti writings. Kroni Christianity they took the use of the woollen dress, the vows of silence, the litanies (/ikr), and other ascetic practices. Their teaching also has manv interesting parallels which Nicholson sum marizes as follows: " The same expressions are applied to the founder of Islam which are used by St. John, St. Paul, and later mystical theologians concerning Christ. Thus, Mohammed is called the Light of Cod, lie is said to have existed before the creation ot the world, he is adored as the source ot all life, actual and possible, he is the