Wikipedia's first sentence called it “important sufi of persian and a discple of junayd baghdadi”. Today it says “important sufi of persian descent”. The one-line description Wikipedia serves to search engines and AI systems read “10th-century Persian Sufi scholar Shaykh”. It now reads “Persian Sufi scholar (861–946)”.
Measured, not asserted. Every count, date and revision on this page was taken from Wikipedia's own history and checked against the live article. The words quoted are theirs.
Machine-checked against the full current article on 2026-08-03.
We saved snapshots of this article over twenty years; you are reading the 2010 one. Red dashes: removed from Wikipedia since.Pale dots: rewritten; the numbered note shows what it says now.Red text: written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot.1 tap a number or a side note to jump between them
The opening as it read in 2010
Abu Bakr Shibli (861 - 946) was an important Sufi of Persian and a discple of Junayd Baghdadi .1He was born in Baghdad or Samarra from a family of Persian origin in Khorasan. He was a high official of Baghdad before he entered the spiritual path and became a disciple of Junayd Baghdadi . His name is seen in many works including that of the Persian poets Attar , Rumi , Sanai and others. He was also associated with Hallaj . According to one source, he was in a constant state of (Jadhb) and was finally committed to an asylum , however others assert that he feigned madness. Attributed to him is the saying: "O people! I go to place beyond which these is no beyond. I go to the south and the north, to a place beyond which is there is no beyond. Everything that I saw after that I could see in one hair of my little finger".2 Leonard Lewisohn, "The Heritage of Sufism: Classical Persian Sufism from its origins to Rumi", the University of Michigan, 1999. pg 53: "Two Persian Sufis - Mansur Hallaj and Abu Bakr Shibli(d. 945), the latter from Samarqand by origin but born origin in Baghdad S.H. The Cambridge History of Iran (Vol 4.), Cambridge University Press, 1975. pp 455 Leonard Lewisohn, The Heritage of Sufism: Classical Persian Sufism from its origins to Rumi , University of Michigan, 19993
This is Wikipedia's own text, saved in our repository. Their copy of it is revision 357443467.
The opening as it stood in 2015 9 passages from the previous snapshot no longer appear
Shaykh Abu Bakr Shibli (861 - 946) was an important Sufi of Persian descent, and a disciple of Junayd Baghdadi . Leonard Lewisohn, "The Heritage of Sufism: Classical Persian Sufism from its origins to Rumi", the University of Michigan, 1999. pg 53: "Two Persian Sufis - Mansur Hallaj and Abu Bakr Shibli (d. 945), the latter from Samarqand by origin but born origin in Baghdad" Naveed, Sheikh.
Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 669378196.
The opening as it stood in 2020
10th-century Persian Sufi scholar Shaykh Abu Bakr Shibli (861–946) was an important Sufi of Persian descent, and a disciple of Junayd Baghdadi . He followed the Maliki school of law. Leonard Lewisohn, "The Heritage of Sufism: Classical Persian Sufism from its origins to Rumi", the University of Michigan, 1999. pg 53: "Two Persian Sufis – Mansur Hallaj and Abu Bakr Shibli (d. 945), the latter from Samarqand by origin but born origin in Baghdad" Naveed, Sheikh.
Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 963353936.
The opening as it stood on October 6, 2023 1 passage from the previous snapshot no longer appear
Persian Sufi scholar (861–946) Shaykh Abu Bakr Shibli ( ; 861–946) was an important Sufi of Persian descent, and a disciple of Junayd Baghdadi . He followed the Maliki school of jurisprudence ( fiqh ).
Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 1163964629.
The opening as it stood in 2025
Persian Sufi scholar (861–946) Abu Bakr al-Shibli ( Arabic : أبو بكر الشبلي , romanized : ʾAbū Bakr al-Shiblī ; 861–946) was an important Sufi of Persian descent, and a disciple of Junayd al-Baghdadi . He followed the Maliki school of jurisprudence ( fiqh ). Leonard Lewisohn, "The Heritage of Sufism: Classical Persian Sufism from its origins to Rumi", the University of Michigan, 1999. pg 53: "Two Persian Sufis – Mansur Hallaj and Abu Bakr Shibli (d. 945), the latter from Samarqand by origin but born origin in Baghdad"
Red text was written in or rewritten since the previous snapshot. Their copy is revision 1280711402. This is our newest snapshot; the live article may have moved again since.
Today
Wikipedia's first sentence called it “important sufi of persian and a discple of junayd baghdadi”. Today it says “important sufi of persian descent”. The one-line description Wikipedia serves to search engines and AI systems read “10th-century Persian Sufi scholar Shaykh”. It now reads “Persian Sufi scholar (861–946)”. Read the current article and compare.
2010
2015
2020
Oct '23
2025
Counts in the opening at each snapshot. Green: the word gained ground. Red: it was cut. Grey: no change.
What Wikipedia says this is
Every article opens by defining its subject. This one was redefined since 2010, and today's defining sentence is their current revision.
Then
important sufi of persian and a discple of junayd baghdadi
Now
important sufi of persian descent
Struck red text is no longer in the article; dotted amber text was rewritten. Every revision id links to Wikipedia's copy; the text shown is our own saved copy. Data: /data. Wikipedia text is CC BY-SA; quoted for the record; not affiliated with Wikipedia.
