al-Harith al-Muhasibi and Spiritual Purification between Asceticism and Mysticism

This chapter sheds light on the contribution that al-Harith b. Asad al-Muhasibi may have played at the critical historical juncture for the development of Sufism by situating him in this critical milieu. It is noteworthy that the conceptualisations of “ascetics” and mystics” do not fit very comfortably with several figures of early Sufism. Moreover, one can assert quite confidently, that they certainly do not fit in reference to al-Muhasibi, as he was focused on “the world of the self” in his discourses on spiritual purification and equally, acted as “an active vehicle of God’s influence”, in his writings on the theological controversies of the day. Indeed, the transition from asceticism to mysticism remains somewhat of a moot point, given that mere texts are the informant and that the personalities of that time tended towards caution while expressing their experiences during that era.