The Karrāmīyya sect was prevalent in the vast land of eastern Islamic world, espe- cially Khurāsān, during the third to sixth centuries AH. The asceticism and piety of the Karrāmites and their ease in converting people to Islam were conducive to con- verting people there to Islam in the eastern regions of the Islamic world. However, some of their creeds, such as the incarnation (Tajsīm) of God and perhaps their conficts with other sects, led many Al-Milal wa al-Nihal sources to adopt a hostile attitude towards them and to call them heretics. Their description of Karrāmīyya is such that the nature of this sect and its relationship with other sects of Islam were obscured. The connections and distinctions of Karrāmīyya with the theological schools and Sunnī jurisprudence are not completely clear. In addition, some scholars have linked this sect to Sufism (Taṣawwuf) due to its ascetic tendencies. This study tries to show the relations of this sect with other sects and religions, especially with Sufism, by examin- ing various sources. The results indicate that although some Karrāmites abided by the Ḥanafī jurisprudence, the sect itself can be considered as an independent sect in terms of theology and jurisprudence. Not only did the Karrāmīyya and Karrāmites have no connection with Sufism and Sufis, but also there were many differences and some- times conflicts between them. In addition to the main focus of this study, by exploring the characteristics of the Karrāmīyya, the authors find out many similarities between them and the Ţālibān, one of the contemporary political-religious movements.

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