Abū ‘Abd Allāh Hārith b. Asad al-Muhāsibī (d. 243/857) is one of the great ancient mystics. In this article, the writer views him as the father of practical mysticism, believing that a survey of his books and his simultaneity with the purified Imams (A.S.) brings to light the evident relationship between the traditionists and the Shī‘a Imams and certifies the conjectures concerning the relation between the history of mysticism and Shī‘ism.
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