The spiritual journey of the Sufi mystic is described in terms of practices, such as Koranic recitation, piety, virtue, and conceptual analysis.  The status of the wali is given to a holy person by the general public and is manifest in the relationship between a wali and his students. The tension between the "ulama", or Muslim jurist, and the "sheik", as Sufi mystic is also discussed. 

Aziz Sachedina