The God of the three monotheistic religions in their early days can be seen as an anthropomorphic god. The religions view of God were very similar to those of humans. God was kind, cruel, loved and hated, made contracts, and was viewed as Man, that which God created in his own image. God was to be found in the cosmos he had created, and could be understood through speech and sight. Sacrifices were given to appease God, God was thought of as watching, judging, and when he wished, intervening.
Another aspect of religion took a different viewpoint of God and how to reach him. This was the teachings of the Mystics. The Mystics did not believe God was looking for us to join him, watching our deeds, and actions, like an overzealous guardian. For them God was something beyond human thought, beyond description of mere words, it was a presence, or essence, which could only be found by attending to symbols and meditation. The Mystic did not look towards heaven to find God, they silenced their minds, and searched inward for the presence of God, or the path to God, inside themselves. This was not an easy task for any human beings, and only those who were trained by the Mystic could find the inner path to God. This is what the early Greeks called musteion:
“There is a linguistic connection between the words, ‘myth’, ‘mysticism’, and ‘mystery’. All are derived from the Greek verb musteion: to close the eyes or the mouth. All three words are rooted in an experience of darkness, and silence” (A History of God, Armstrong k, (1993), p211)
The Sufi’s mysticism became the preferred way to perform the rites needed by man to find God inside themselves. They developed techniques and disciplines which became the primary model for all mystical religions. Fasting, not going to sleep, and chanting, were the methods used to stop thought, which allowed the person to experience the energy inside themselves, which came from God. (A History of God, Armstrong k, (1993), p226)
These methods were used to cause fana (annihilation), and baqua (revival). By stopping the thoughts of the mind, a person could achieve fana which is the absence of egotism. By doing this the Sufi could experience greater self-knowledge, realization and control. This experience was done because the Sufi’s believed by not describing to themselves what they were, they could come closer to the original sinless man before the conception of original sin changed him. Much like the Logos of Christians, the Sufi’s sought the essence of the perfect man, through their mystical methods and practices. (A History of God, Armstrong k, (1993), p227)
Thus we can see that the God of the three main monotheistic religions has transformed over time. Going from the father figure of Genesis, which existed in true empiric form, to a God who could only be found by following certain training and procedures, within themselves. No longer was god something that could be spoken to, or was speaking to us with words. He was something beyond the senses inside our own imagination and quiet minds. God was no longer something which needed gifts and total obedience to God, in contrast, the mystical God could only be found by dismissing the senses and man’s own desire to please and obey God; God could only be found by lying quietly, listening, and waiting, much like a hunter seeking his prey.