“Sufism considers itself to be the very essence of Islam, its spiritual heart, and not something extraneous to that tradition.
The term “Sufi” and its cognates were, of course, of later origin than the Quranic Revelation, but this does not mean that the Path itself is of later invention. From the Sufi point of view, the Path, like the Law, begins with Muhammad and is of revealed origins. It is only subsequently, when need for clarification and codification took place, that the word “Sufi” comes into being, precisely when the other, more exoteric aspects of Islam come into being with their own epithets (such as Hanbali, Maliki, and the like). Sufi esoterism, hence, arises at the moment that the legalistic exoterism of Islam begins to crystallize. The reality of the Path, however, was always there. It is only when the terms Sufi and the like enter the scene that we can say that the Path or tariqa and Sufism are synonymous.”
Kitab al Hikam
This is an aspect i have discussed in great detail in my book
In Search of the Divine: Living Histories of Sufism in India
https://bit.ly/3Lzjxnl
