Complex sentence: The development of these systems, considered a "divine science" by adherents, may have been influenced by the teachings of Sufism; like some schools of Sufism, they found esoteric meanings in the alphabet.
Split into simpler sentences: The development of these systems, thought to be a "divine science" by adherents, may have been influenced by the teachings of Sufism. Like some schools of Sufism, they found esoteric meanings in the alphabet.