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/246

 God. In the same province under Al Mansur, the second Abbasside Caliph, a religious leader named Ostasys professed to be an emanation of the God head. He collected thousands of followers, and the movement was not suppressed without much fighting. Under the Caliph Mahdi a self-styled Avatar named Ata arose, who on account of a golden mask which he continually wore was called Mokanna, or " the veiled prophet. * He also had a numerous following, and held the Caliph’s armies in check for several years, till in A. D. 7T9, being closely invested in his castle, he, with his whole harem and servants, put an end to themselves.

What Al-Ghazali himself thought of these specu lations of the Sufis and the danger of this kind of mysticism we learn from his book: " The specula tions of the Sufis may be divided into two classes: to the first category belong all the phases about love to God and union with Him, which according to them compensate for all outward works. Many of them allege that they have attained to com plete oneness with God; that for them the veil has been lifted; that they have not only seen the Most High with their eyes, but have spoken with Him, and so far as to say The Most High spoke thus and thus. They wish to imitate Hallaj, who was crucified for using such expressions, and justify themselves by quoting his saying, I am the Truth/ They also refer to Abu Yazid Bistami, who is re ported to have exclaimed, * Praise be to me! in