Ma'ruf ibn Firuz al-Karkhi () was a
Sufi
Sufism ( or ) is a mysticism, mystic body of religious practice found within Islam which is characterized by a focus on Islamic Tazkiyah, purification, spirituality, ritualism, and Asceticism#Islam, asceticism.
Practitioners of Sufism are r ...
Muslim
Muslims () are people who adhere to Islam, a Monotheism, monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God ...
saint.
Biography
Maruf was born in the district of Wasit or
Karkh in
Baghdad
Baghdad ( or ; , ) is the capital and List of largest cities of Iraq, largest city of Iraq, located along the Tigris in the central part of the country. With a population exceeding 7 million, it ranks among the List of largest cities in the A ...
. According to some sources, he is of
Mandaean origin.
His father's name was Firuz, which suggests that he was of
Persian origin.
Attar
Attar, also known as ittar, is an essential oil derived from botanical or other natural sources. Most commonly these oils are extracted via hydrodistillation or steam distillation. Attar can also be expressed by chemical means but generally n ...
narrates in his
''Memorial of the Saints'' that Maruf converted to
Islam
Islam is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the Quran, and the teachings of Muhammad. Adherents of Islam are called Muslims, who are estimated to number Islam by country, 2 billion worldwide and are the world ...
at a young age at the hands of
Ali al-Ridha after rejecting all forms of
polytheism
Polytheism is the belief in or worship of more than one god. According to Oxford Reference, it is not easy to count gods, and so not always obvious whether an apparently polytheistic religion, such as Chinese folk religions, is really so, or whet ...
. Tradition recounts that he immediately went and told his father and mother, who rejoiced at his decision and became Muslims themselves. After accepting Islam, Maruf became a student of
Dawud al-Ta'i
Abu Sulaiman Dawud ibn Nusair al-Tā'ī, () usually referred to as Dawud Tā'ī, (died between 776 and 783 CE) was an Islamic scholar and Sufi mystic. He resided in Kufa and was a prominent student of Abu Hanifa. His disciples included many inf ...
, and underwent a severe trial of his discipleship. Maruf, however, remained steadfast and proved himself so devout that his righteousness became locally famous.
Maruf is also known to have a close relationship with
Ahmad ibn Hanbal
Ahmad ibn Hanbal (; (164-241 AH; 780 – 855 CE) was an Arab Muslim scholar, jurist, theologian, traditionist, ascetic and eponym of the Hanbali school of Islamic jurisprudence—one of the four major orthodox legal schools of Sunni Islam.
T ...
, in which ibn Hanbal is reported to have said "True knowledge is only that which Ma‘ruf has achieved.”
Sufi tradition
In
Sufism
Sufism ( or ) is a mysticism, mystic body of religious practice found within Islam which is characterized by a focus on Islamic Tazkiyah, purification, spirituality, ritualism, and Asceticism#Islam, asceticism.
Practitioners of Sufism are r ...
, those of the order of ''Marufi'' are those connected to Maruf Karkhi. Maruf thus forms a penultimate link in what is known as the
Golden Chain, the initiation line which forms an unbroken chain to
Muhammad
Muhammad (8 June 632 CE) was an Arab religious and political leader and the founder of Islam. Muhammad in Islam, According to Islam, he was a prophet who was divinely inspired to preach and confirm the tawhid, monotheistic teachings of A ...
. Maruf, being the disciple of Ali al-Ridha, formed part of that lineage, while at the same time maintaining the teachings of his master Dawud Ta'i and thus being his successor as well. Sufis venerate Maruf highly for the multiple spiritual chains which interlock in his teachings.
[''What is Sufism?'', M. Lings, p. 120, Suhail Academy.]
See also
*
List of Sufis
This list article contains names of notable people commonly considered as Sufis or otherwise associated with Sufism.
List of notable Sufis
A
* Abadir Umar ar-Rida
* Abd al-Rauf al-Sinkili
* Abu Bakr al-Kalabadhi
* Abu Nu'aym al-Isfahani
* Al ...
*
Seyyed Qutb al-Din Mohammad Neyrizi
Seyyed Qutb al-Din Mohammad Neyrizi (born 1689 in Neyriz – died 1760 in Najaf) was a prominent Iranian mystic of the Safavid period (1501 to 1736). He was 32nd Qutb of Zahabiya genealogy (Shiite Sufi sect). All historians have written his nam ...
Notes
Converts to Islam
People from Baghdad
Sunni Sufis
Sufi mystics
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