Sufis (arab. “mystics”):
• Take their name from their robes made from wool (Arab “suf”).
• Were also known as the “poor ones” (Arab. “faqir”, Persian “darwesh”, from which the English words “fakir” and “dervish” are derived).
• Became, in the 10th–14th Centuries,
a mass movement with its own theology, religious practices and institutions.
• Were organized into religious orders, being distinguished by their respective founders, their costumes and their rules of living.
• Were renown for their charitable and missionary engagement.
