Aspects of this topic are discussed in the following places at Britannica.
...experience. A variation of the Buddha legend has been transferred onto the person of the first Ṣūfī (mystic) who practiced absolute poverty and trust in God, the Central Asian Ibrāhīm ibn Adham (died c. 780). The founders of mystical orders were credited by their followers with a variety of miracles, such as riding on lions, healing the sick, walking on...
...ascetics. But it was not until after his death that zuhd became a significant and forceful movement in the religious and political life of the Muslim community. Many scholars have referred to Ibrāhīm ibn Adham and to his student and disciple Shaqīq al-Balkhī (d. 810) as the real founders of zuhd, as it became known in later periods. Ibn Adham stressed...
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