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Shiavault - a Vault of Shia Islamic Books A History of Muslim Philosophy Volume 1, Book 3 Chapter 17: Early Sufis (Continued) Although space does not allow us to go into the detailed study of the lives of the early Sufis we may yet give a brief biographical account of some of them who made a definite contribution towards the general doctrine which we have described in the preceding chapter. Sufis Before Al Hallaj By B.A. Dar 1.
Hasan of Basrah (21/642-110/728) Hasan of Basrah belonged to the class of those who did not see the Prophet but his ( Sahabah ) and the of his ( Tabi`in ). Although he took no active part in politics, yet in his fight against the Umayyads, he was sympathetic towards Imam Husain. Hasan represented a tendency towards otherworldliness, piety, and asceticism in which the element of fear of God predominated. In a letter to 'Umar b.
'Abd al-'Aziz, the Umayyad Caliph, he said, “Beware of this world, for it is like a snake, smooth to the touch, but its venom is deadly .... Beware of this world, for its hopes are lies, its expectations false.” Later on, in the same letter, he praised hunger and poverty as symbols of the righteous and looked upon wealth as an evil which distracts people from their rightful goal. [^1] He regarded piety as the quintessence of true religion.[^2] According to him, it has three grades.
The first is that a man should speak the truth even though he is excited through anger. The second grade of piety demands that he should control his bodily organs and refrain from things which God has forbidden. The third and last stage of piety is that he should desire only those things which lead to God's pleasure ( rida' ).
A little of piety is better than prayer and fasting of a thousand years.[^3] It is the lust for this world and avarice that destroy piety.[^4] Hasan was so much overpowered by fear and was seldom seen laughing that when he sat he appeared as if he were sitting before an executioner.[^5] He was ever conscious of his sins and the fear of hell. He thought he would consider himself fortunate if he would be delivered from hell after tribulations of a thousand years.
^6 Somebody asked him how he felt himself in this world. He replied: Imagine a people in a boat which has capsized and everybody is trying save himself by clinging to broken pieces of wood. Such is the real position of man in this world.[^7] 2. Abu Hashim of Kufah (d. 160/776) Abu Hashim belonged to Kufah.