Wearers of Wool [Suf Pushan]
In Persian the literal meaning of the word sufi would be translated as “suf push“(wearer of wool). Hence the phrase in the poem “wearer of wool” is synonymous with Sufi’s. It is generally agreed that the first Sufis were pious, ascetic Muslims who were called Sufis because they wore clothes of coarse wool (suf) rather than more refined garments.
These early Sufi ascetics were following the example of the Beloved Prophet Salla Allahu ta’ala ‘alayhi wa Sallam, who (as reported by Ibn Sa’d [d. 230/845] through reliable transmitters) was known to wear woollen garments. Moreover, the great hadith scholar Bayhaqi (d. 458/1066), in his Shu’ab al-iman, includes numerous reports about the virtues of wearing suf. In one report the Most Beloved Prophet of Allah Salla Allahu ta’ala ‘alayhi wa Sallam states;
In spite of the criticism leveled against this and other reports that the Beloved Prophet Salla Allahu ta’ala ‘alayhi wa Sallam wore wool, the isnad of Ibn Sa’d's report mentioned above was not criticised and appears to be flawless. Hence in wearing wool the Sufis were not departing from the record of the sunnah of the Beloved of Allah Salla Allahu ta’ala ‘alayhi wa Sallam.
