"al-Harith al-Muhasibi and Spiritual Purification Between Asceticism and Mysticism."

From the perspective of Sufi Studies, Baghdad in the eighth to ninth centuries has remained a period of considerable research interest in recent years. Authors continue to consider the transition from asceticism to mysticism during the period, the numerous mystical and spiritual figures who lived in Baghdad, and the prospective “schools” which they may have founded or been a part of. Therefore, this chapter attempts to shed light on the contribution that al-Ḥārith b. Asad al-Muḥāsibī (d. 857) may have played at this critical historical juncture for the development of Sufism by situating him in this critical milieu.