According to another opinion Sufies used to wear clothes of wool or “soof” which became a symbolic Sufi cloth. Tasawwuf was a term created from “soof”.  However the first opinion that Tasawwuf is, in fact from the root word “safa” or purity has more weight.

In Islam, Tasawwuf is referred as an action or a process which leads to purity of spiritual heart and soul as well as such actions which purify souls of other people. 

Some people are allergic to the term ‘Tasawwuf’. The reason is that Sufis treat their spiritual master, the shaikh, with a lot of devotion and respect. Some imposters try to take advantage of this devotion to gain personal ends and have created many UnIslamic traditions in the name of Tasawwuf. Another problem is the succession issue. Recently in many cases when a sufi Saikh left the world, his spiritual duties passed on to his son regardless whether he was capable of spiritually guiding people or not. As a result, such so called Sufi Shaikhs, diverted people’s attention from real tasawwuf i.e spiritual purification to superficial and cosmetic rituals. In the end they played with people’s devotions and spoiled their fundamental beliefs.

 But an institution cannot be demonized only because it has been corrupted by some people. The fact is that life flows like water. It cannot be stopped with unnatural barriers. People will continue to turn to this institution for spiritual guidance. So in case this institution has been corrupted by some then the need to present its true face is all the more great.

Pretending to be a Wali Allah or saint appears to be minor crime when one learns that some people even tried to fake themselves as Prophets and some even as God. So this does not mean that institution of Prophethood should not be trusted anymore. A better and more reasonable course of action is to enforce the truth when lies are being spread.

Holy Prophet P.B.U.H has already guided us on the issue. He P.B.U.H told his companions that a person who reminds you of Allah, when you meet him, is indeed a Wali of Allah. So a true Sufi can be recognized by his disciples. If his company brings a positive change in the lives of people then indeed he is a true Shaikh.

At the same time we must accept that people have to be judged with relevance to the times they live in. A person today cannot suddenly have the strength of Character that Hadhrat Abu Bakar (R.A) had by living in the company of Holy Prophet P.B.U.H. He has to be compared with his character before seeking spiritual guidance and we can find out the change that has taken place.