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Endeavoring to summarize Sufism in his introductory work on the subject, AJ. Arberry describes the phenomenon as "the mystical movement of an uncompromising mysticism."1 At their most distinctive, Sufis have considered even religious institutions subordinate to the mystical pursuit of God. Prayer (salat), ritual washing (wudu), and indeed all of Islamic law (shari'a) become instruments. They exist to hasten one's ascent to the divine vision; they are not the goals of religious life.2 Thus, I. Goldziher said, "To the Sufi, the law is propaedeutic: a point of departure for the way." The wudu', rather than a laborious regulation, becomes a powerful symbol of the soul's purification. The entire shari'a, rather than a set of positivist injunctions, becomes the directing principle leading one to the ultimate goal. Even eating might serve as such an instrument.
Islamic law pays great attention to food, detailing what is lawful (halal) and not lawful (haram). According to mainstream legal reasoning, pork is haram because it has been so declared by God; it is intrinsically wrong.3 "Its rules are valid by virtue of their mere existence and not because of their rationality." In contrast, many Sufis see food and the meal not only in legal categories, but also integrated into the whole of the mystic's daily life, which must be a nourishing routine of spiritual training. Every daily activity, be it eating or working or sleeping cannot be separated from the others. They are only valuable when they come together to form a holy and right life. Thus, in the language of Massignon, duties (fara'id) give way to the mystical path (tariqa).
Sufism, of course, is a many splendored thing and so it is dangerous to make such generalizations. There is no one Sufi system, but rather various "Sufisms" that differ from each other over space and time. Yet, it is important not to overemphasize the differences between them, as there are no distinct lines to draw between "early" and "middle" Sufism or "eastern" and "western" Sufism. I will attempt to take a middle course in this paper by looking at a relatively broad group; that is, moderate Sufis,4 who lived in the Islamic heartland (from Egypt to Iran) during the medieval period (late third AH/ninth AD to early seventh/late twelfth...