Abū 'Uṯmān al-Ḥīrī was one of the major spiritual masters of Nīšābūr, and of Ḫurāsān in general during the 3th/9th century due to the deep transformation he brought about to the spirituality of this region. In fact, in the early works of the period he appears as the representative of several movements: more particularly the malāma, the futuwwa and the zuhd which he was able to synthesize into a recognizable modes of spirituality by directing his disciples to collective forms of spirituality. Moreover, he brought about a rapproachment with the Sufis of Bagdad, without any self-interest, due to the many exchanges he initiated which led to a mutual penetration of several movements and to a doctrinal synthesis of the Baghdadī and Ḫurāsānī traditions. Hence, the Sufism of Bagdad appears in Nīšābūr. Thus, even though the Ṭabaqāt al-ṣūfiyya of Sulamī puts Ǧunayd in a central position within the history of Sufism, it actually presents al-Ḥīrī as his alter ego, although in a less conspicuous manner since he is the representative of a mode of sainthood less obvious than Ğunayd's.
