As I was saying, Ol’ Idries seemed to have a lot to say about who wasn’t a real Sufi, and who was. When he was really got catty, he’d publish stuff as though he was other people. Either way, the man can write.
A lot of what he seems to be against is people putting on airs. In The Commanding Self, Shah writes about the Sufi Orders:
"The deluded ‘Sufis’, down the centuries, are those who have taken temporary teaching situations, parables and the like and stretched them to apply as perennial ‘truths’, ‘exercises’ and the like." "Among the Sufis, the development of ‘Orders’ (turuq) gives us a conspicuous example of the process which I have been describing. Of all the major ‘Paths’ among the supposed Sufis of today, not a single one is traceable in its foundation to the man who is named as its founder. Each came into being only after his death, formulated from some of his specific teachings employed for local purposes, and soon turned into a cult." "Follow them and you will produce, perhaps, an excellent replica of a thirteenth-century man, and that is all."
And in Sufi Thought and Action:
"As a general rule, the less the spiritual content, the greater the appurtenances. Tall hats, robes, and music; secretiveness and high-flown titles are very common. Whole orders are sustained on these nutrients." "Several groups make much of their Islamic connections, and their Western followers delight in adopting Eastern names and even titles. Among these the favorites are Sheikh, Pir, Qutub……"
"Transvestism, dressing up in clothes not of the period or of the country where the individual lives or operates, is regarded as a further example of the declining or impaired tradition." "…outlandish garb is imitative of the past--- something which truly representative Sufis warn is an indication of inner spiritual bankruptcy."
"A large number of ‘orders’ make much play of their ‘spiritual pedigree.’ Since the late Middle Ages, these silsilahs…have become a part of the mythology of virtually all the orders." "History shows that this innovation in Sufism came about in imitation of the scholastic habit of invoking higher authority in a succession of transmitters, for the hadith…."
"Real Sufi ‘missionaries’ always speak the language of the country in which they are working perfectly. The accented tones of the adventurers generally give them away."
And the last one, from Special Illumination: "It is not even too much to say that the distinction between the deteriorated 'Sufi' cults and the real message is found in the answer to whether the supposed mystic has a sense of humor and works with humor."
The complete works of Idries Shah may be obtained via The Octagon Press.