Within the Sufi tradition, certain early figures are remembered as foundational beacons who shaped the inner path. Hasan al-Basri is often cited as an early ascetic who emphasized fear of God and inner sincerity, while Rābiʿa al-ʿAdawiyya (also known as Rabia al-Basri) is revered for pioneering the doctrine of pure, disinterested love of God, devotion based on love rather than fear or hope of reward. Junayd of Baghdad systematized a “sober” form of Sufism, insisting that mystical experience remain rooted in the sacred law, and al-Ḥallāj, famous for the ecstatic utterance “Ana al-Ḥaqq” (“I am the Truth”), became a symbol of mystical annihilation in the Divine. Al-Ghazālī later integrated Sufism with mainstream theology and law, especially through works such as *Iḥyā’ ʿUlūm al-Dīn*, helping to secure a place for mysticism at the heart of Islamic thought.

Over time, Sufism found powerful expression in Persian and Central Asian lands through both contemplative teachers and poet-mystics. Abū Saʿīd ibn Abī’l-Khayr stands among the earliest Persian mystical poets, associated with joy and surrender, while Farīd al-Dīn ʿAṭṭār, author of *Conference of the Birds*, offered a classic allegory of the Sufi journey. Jalāl al-Dīn Rūmī, perhaps the most widely read Sufi poet, became a founding figure for the Mevlevi order, whose whirling ritual embodies his vision of love and remembrance, and his *Mathnawī* is regarded as one of the most influential mystical works in Islam and the wider East. Ibn ʿArabī, drawing on a vast range of spiritual insight, articulated a sophisticated metaphysical vision often summarized as the “oneness of Being,” which deeply influenced later Sufi thought. Figures such as ʿAbd al-Qādir al-Jīlānī, founder of the Qādiriyya, and Najm al-Dīn Kubrā, founder of the Kubrawiyya, further shaped the institutional and visionary dimensions of Sufism across these regions.

As Sufism moved eastward, it adapted creatively to the cultures of the Indian subcontinent and beyond, while preserving its core concern with love, remembrance, and service. Muʿīn al-Dīn Chishtī, who brought the Chishtiyya to India, became renowned for stressing love, service, and openness to people of different communities, and is venerated as the patron saint of Ajmer. His successors, including Qutb al-Dīn Bakhtiyār Kākī, Farīd al-Dīn Ganj-i Shakar (Baba Farid), and Niẓām al-Dīn Awliyāʾ, emphasized compassion, feeding the poor, and a spirituality that resonated deeply with local cultures. Later thinkers such as Aḥmad Sirhindī and Shāh Walīullāh of Delhi sought to renew and reform Sufi practice and doctrine, articulating subtle distinctions in mystical experience while remaining grounded in the inherited path. In this way, saints and mystics across regions—whether in Baghdad, Konya, or Delhi—collectively shaped a living tradition in which inner transformation, divine love, and service to humanity are inseparable.