1st Edition

Sufism An Account of the Mystics of Islam

By A.J. Arberry Copyright 1950

    Originally published in 1950.

    Thinkers such as Ghazali and Ibn `Arabi, poets such as Ibn al-Farid, Rumi, Hafiz and Jami were greatly inspired by the lives and sayings of the early Sufis. This book was the first short history of Sufism to be published in any language, illustrating the development of its doctrines with numerous quotations from literature.

     

    1. Introduction  2. The Word of God  3. The Life of the Prophet  4. The Ascetics  5. The Mystics  6. The Theorists of Sufism  7. The Structure of Sufi Theory & Practice  8. The Sufi Orders  9. The Theosophy of Islamic Mysticism  10. The Persian Poets  11. The Decay of Sufism  12. Epilogue

    Biography

    A. J. Arberry

    "…provides a ready introduction to the history and literature of Sufism…" Tablet

    "…a concise but authentic account of various sayings and teachings of Muslim Sufis…" Islamic Review