An Introduction to Sufism (New York University Studies in Near Eastern Civilization, No 13)

Sufism isIslam’s main mystical tradition. There are Sufi orders in almost all Muslimcountries around the world, but not all Sufis accept the same beliefs andpractices.

 Mystical Islam offers an introduction thatencompasses the full history and richness of the Sufi spiritual tradition overfourteen centuries of Islam. Thisaccessible work covers the origins of Sufism and early influences, particularlyfrom Christianity; the rise of the great Sufi organizations; the thought of Sufism’smain theorist and systemizer, Ibn Arabi; Rumi and the Whirling Dervishes;relations with Shi’ism in Iran; Sufism in the heyday of the great empires inIran, India, and Turkey; and relations with Turkey and Egypt during thenineteenth century as well as Sufi practices in the twentieth century.

 In a new afterword, the author reflects onrecent scholarship and offers fresh perspectives on this fascinating traditionof belief and devotion.