The word suf is generally said to have been used for the frst timein the 2nd/8th century by Abu Hashim al-Suf while according to theKitdb al-lumcf of Abu !asr al-Sarra"# Hasan al-$asri who died in##%/&28 had already used it in the famous sentence "I saw a Sufcircumambulating ' ' ' (rcfaitu sufyjan f-tawdf(' ' ' ) * ' The s+iritualelite in the earlier generations were called sahdbl, then ahl a/-sufa, thentdbi'I, then 'dbid, %dhid, ndsz, etc' ,nly in the second -slamic centurydid the term suf, whose origin has been discussed e.tensively in bothtraditional and modern sources come to re+lace all these a++ellationsand to denote in itself the class of men who devoted themselves fullyto the s+iritual life in -slam and after receiving initiation trod thes+iritual +ath (tari!d"# Among the class of the earliest s+iritual fguresand ascetics ($uhhdd" most were of course Arabs but there were alsosome /ersians who in fact increased in number as the centre of Sufsm becameestablished in $asra and later $aghdad and 0hurasan' 1hile0hurasan is integrally /ersian all the activity that was carried out in$asra and $aghdad must also be included in any com+rehensive studyof Sufsm in the /ersian world because Arabic and /ersian elementsin these two centres were so mi.ed that it is im+ossible to se+aratethem in any meaningful way' /df'234-23&' $+'225-222'