The Sufi Orders of the 10th-11th centuries were not always supported by the political power. Sufism was not yet finally accepted as an integral of Islam.
Abu Sa'id Abi'l-Khayr (967-1048) the prominent Sufi mystic of the School of Khurasan often turned tables on those who criticized him. Thanks to his keen sense of human hearts his stern critics finally were moved to praise him.
In this period the respect which Seljuk warlords showed towards the Sufis was possibly caused by the fear of their enormous power and influence. The great vizier Nizam Al-mulk was the friend and the disciple of Abu Sa'id and often took care of his Khanaqah. But the danger for the great Sheikh still existed.
Before turning to Abu Sa'id himself, the distinguished figure of the first Sufi martyr Husayn Mansur Hallaj (d. 922 ) deserves to pay attention.
Reexamining the period and the place when and where Hallaj's tragedy took place, one would find the reasons which pushed the mystics to the tragic end.