 However, contemporary mainstream Islam has not had a tradition of asceticism, but its Sufi groups  – have cherished an ascetic tradition for many centuries.Monasticism is forbidden in Islam.Scholars in the field of Sufi studies have argued that asceticism ("zuhd") served as a precursor to the later doctrinal formations of Sufis that began to emerge in the 10th century through the works of individuals such as al-Junayd, al-Qushayrī, al-Sarrāj, al-Hujwīrī, and others.