On Origin and Earliest Usage of Term Sufi

There have been many written on Sufism. And from its very nature, it is understandable to see this subject understood differently and, even, in contradictory manner. To write on this subject is, as Schimmel puts it, an almost impossible task. Therefore, this very short essay merely tries to search the origin of word sufism and to trace its earliest usage.
Of three words—tasawuf, Sufi, and Sufiyah—the seconds seem to exist earlier. This is, in my opinion, due to the fact that it is the most appropriate word from which we can derive the other. Scholars on Sufism have different opinions as to from what root this word originates. Some assert that it originates from الصفو which means purity, others that it originates from الصف which refers to their being's first rank before God, others says that this name comes from اهل الصفة which means the people of the bench referring to those pious poor living in Medina. Even some Western scholars strangely try to relate this word to the Greek sophos which, I argue, must not be known to the earliest Sufis. These so-called roots of tasawuf soon cannot be defended in morphological structure of Arabic. If we are to trace the origin of these opinions we can read, for example, al-Kalabadhi's al-Ta'arruf, one of the earliest sources on tasawuf, which mentions, in first chapter concerning Sufiyyah and why they are so named, some sayings of Sufis; each tries to convey Sufi according to their own preferences. And this does not necessarily mean that they were conveying the morphological root of Sufi.

There remains one word widely considered as morphological origin of Sufi which is, it is argued, the most appropriate words to be the root of word Sufi. This word is الصوف which means woolen garment worn originally by those living an ascetic life. Although the word الصوف only express the outward aspect of Sufi's life, but this very word originally relates strongly to those people of the bench who were:
“People who had left this world, departed from their homes, fled from their companions. They wandered about the land, mortifying the carnal desires, and making naked the body; they took of this world's good only so much as is indispensable for covering the nakedness and allaying hunger.”
The tendency to refer to men by their specific conventional garb rather than by specific attributes and traits is also evident in Holy Quran itself. After quoting from Holy Quran: “wa qal al-hawariyyun”, al-Sarraj says that Holy Quran emphasizes that the Companions of Jesus Christ were referred to by their white garb rather than their virtous traits.
So far as to when word Sufi dates back, there are many views. Considering the fact that the earliest sources of Sufism do not go beyond the fourth/tenth century, some scholars maintains that this word was only apparent after this century or, at best, second/eighth century. But, this word, though not as widely used as in the later centuries, was current in the pre-Islamic days. Abu Nasr al-Sarraj, quoting Ibn Ishaq's History of Mecca and others, insists that there was a period in the history of Mecca when everybody had gone away from Mecca so that nobody was left there to pay homage to the Ka'bah and to go round it. During these days a Sufi used to come from a distant place in order to go round the Ka'bah in the prescribed manner. If this story is true then it is evident that the word sufi was current in the pre-Islamic days, and was used for men of excellence and virtue.
In spite of these various opinions about its origin and earliest usage, Sufism, by spirit, was present at the time of revelation and then practiced by the Companions. Sufism is of spirit more than just a name or clothing a woolen garment.
References:
Ibn Taymiyah, Ahmad. Al-Sufiyyah wa al-Fuqara'. Jeddah: Dar al-Madani.
Kalabadhi, Abu Bakr Muhammad al-. Al-Ta'aruf li Madhhabi Ahl al-Tasawwuf. Beirut: Dar al-Kutub al- Ilmiyah. 1993.
Schimmel, Annemarie. Mystical Dimension of Islam. New Delhi: Yoda Press.
Sharif, M. M (ed). A History of Muslim Philosophy. Delhi: Adam Publishers. 2001.
Taftazani, Abu al-Wafa al-. Madkhal ila al-Tasawwuf al-Islami. Cairo: Dar al-Thaqafah. 1979.