Those saints who advocated the life of purity and renunciation were called sufis.Sufism sprang from the doctrine of Wahadut ul Wajud or unity of being.This doctrine was propounded by Shaikh Muhi-ud din Abdul Arabi.The sufis were organized in 12 order or silsilahs.These silsilahs were led by prominent mystics who lived in the Khanqah along with his disciples.The link between the teacher or pir and his disciple or murid was a vital part of sufi system.An important contribution to the development of Sufism was made by Mansur Al Hallaj in 10th century AD.He conceived the relation of God with man as infusion of divine into human soil.He provided the basis for development of the doctrine of Insan –i-Kamil.Jalaluddin Rumi left a vast store of spiritual knowledge in his Masnavi.The Sufi orders are widely divided into two groups : Ba Sahara that is those who followed the Islamic law and Be Sahara that is those who were not bound by it. Two silasilahs who gained significant influence were Chisti and Suharwardi.
