The Concise Oxford Dictionary of World Religions (957 page)

 
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(642–728 (AH 21–110)).
One of the earliest and most influential of the
S
f
s
. He was a freed slave, who was born in
Mad
na
but settled in Basra in 658, where he attracted many students. Most of the S
f
lineages (
silsilah
,
tar
qa
) claim to pass through
asan, and he appears also as a link in many
isn
ds
of
ad
th
. His sayings are frequently quoted, making clear that he regarded the world as an arena in which we are tested in our devotion to God. S
f
s consider him the third master after
Mu
ammad
and ‘Al