Note 16 — Ibn Tufail

The Doctrine of the Suphians—The Suphians are an Enthusiastick Sect amongst the Mahometans, something like Quietists and Quakers; these set up a stricter sort of Discipline, and pretended to great abstinence and Contempt of the World, and also to a greater Familiarity and stricter Union with God than other Sects; they used a great many strange and extravagant actions and utter Blasphemous Expressions. Al Hosain Al Hallâgi was eminent amongst them about the Year of the Hegira 300. 'Twas he that wrote in one of his Epistles, Blessed is he that possesses the shining light, &c. and pretended that God dwelt in him. The Learned among the Arabians are not agreed, about the derivation of the Word, Sufi, Suphian. It seems not to be known among them till about the 200 Year of the Hegira. The most probable Interpretation of it is from the Arabick word Sûph, which signifies Wool, because those that followed this Sect refused to wear Silk, and Cloathed themselves only with Wool. Dr. Pocock and Golius follow this Interpretation; tho' the latter in his Lexicon seems to doubt whether it is deriv'd from the Greek σωφός or from the Arabick Sûph. The Sultan of Persia is often call'd the Sophy, because Ismaël the first Sultan of that Family now in Persia who began to Reign in the 605 Year of the Hegira, that is of our Lord the 1554/5 was of this Sect. viz, Sufi, a Suphian.