Is it common among Sufis to not feel obligated to pray, drink wine, etc.?

From *On the Boundaries of Theological Tolerance in Islam* (Faysal Al-Tafriqa Bayn Al-Islam wal Zandaqa) by Al-Ghazali (translation: pdf ) writes: > Included among such matters would be the claims of some **who style themselves Sufis to the effect that they have reached a state between themselves and God wherein they are no longer obligated to pray, and that drinking wine, devouring state funds, and other forms of disobedience are rendered licit to them**. Such people, without doubt, must be executed... This passage took me quite by surprise. The text is nearly 1000 years old and might be obsolete. Moreover, even back then, it might only be referring to a very small proportion of the Sufi population. Hence my question: **Question**: Is it common among Sufis to not feel obligated to pray, drink wine, etc.? I'm guessing it's not common, but I don't have anything to back up that guess. And there's plenty of Muslims around who don't pray, drink wine, and so on.