Basil of the Hearts Abu Sulayman al-Darani | |
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Born | 140 AH = 757 AD Wasit or Darayya |
Hometown | Wasit |
Residence | Damascus |
Died | 205 AH = 820 AD 215 AH = 830 AD Buried in Darayya |
Venerated in | Sunni Islam |
Influences | Sufyan al-Thawri, 'Abd al-Wahid ibn Zaid[1] |
Influenced | Al-Junayd |
Part of a series on Islam Sufism |
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Abū Sulaymān al-Dārānī (Arabic: أبو سليمان الداراني) was an ascetic sage of the 2nd–3rd/8th–9th century and one of the earliest theoreticians of formal mysticism in Islam.[2]
He was held in honour by the Sufis and was called the "Sweet Basil of Hearts" (Rayhān al-Qulūb). He is distinguished by his austerities and acts of self-mortification. He spoke in subtle terms concerning the practice of devotion. He developed the doctrine of gnosis (ma'rifa),[3] and he was also the first to preach the science of 'time' (waqt) as essential for preserving one's state (hal) and allow hope to predominate over fear.[4]