Almost a prerequisite for any serious study of Sufism in European languages: this was the verdict of Seyyed Hossein Nasr in his review of the first edition of the book. According to the Journal of Near Eastern Studies, it is one of the most thorough and intimately engaging books on Sufism to be produced by a Western scholar. Certainly there is nothing second-hand about it. The author lets Sufis speak for themselves and, in a series of unusual and absorbing texts mainly translated from Arabic, he gives a vivid picture of life in a North African Sufi order. Against this background stands the unforgettable figure of the Algerian Shaikh who was head of the order from 1909 until his death in 1934. The last few chapters are mainly devoted to his writings, which include some penetrating aphorisms, and which end with a small anthology of his remarkable mystic poems.
Almost a prerequisite for any serious study of Sufism in European languages: this was the verdict of Seyyed Hossein Nasr in his review of the first edition of the book. According to the Journal of Near Eastern Studies, it is one of the most thorough and intimately engaging books on Sufism to be produced by a Western scholar. Certainly there is nothing second-hand about it. The author lets Sufis speak for themselves and, in a series of unusual and absorbing texts mainly translated from Arabic, he gives a vivid picture of life in a North African Sufi order. Against this background stands the unforgettable figure of the Algerian Shaikh who was head of the order from 1909 until his death in 1934. The last few chapters are mainly devoted to his writings, which include some penetrating aphorisms, and which end with a small anthology of his remarkable mystic poems.
Preface to the Third Edition Part One: The Path and the Order I. Seen from Outside II. The Origins of Sufism III. Seen from Within IV. The Spiritual Master Part Two: The Doctrine V. Oneness of Being VI. The Three Worlds VII. The Symbolism of the Letters of the Alphabet VIII. The Great Peace IX. Gnosis X. The Ritual Purification XI. The Ritual Prayer Part Three: Further Dimensions XII. A Spiritual Affinity XIII. Selections from His Aphorisms XIV. Selections from His Poetry Appendix A. A List of His Writings Appendix B. The Spiritual Chain Index of Persons, etc. Index of Arabic Words
The late Dr Martin Lings, formerly Keeper of Oriental Manuscript at the British Museum and the British Library, is the author of the best-selling title Muhammad: His Life Based on the Earliest Sources, and of What is Sufism?, The Book of Certainty, Sufi Poems: A Mediaeval Anthology, and The Holy Qur'an: Translations of Selected Verses, all published by the Islamic Texts Society.
'One of the most thorough and intimately engaging books on Sufism
to be produced by a Western scholar.'
'A masterly study of a man whose sanctity recalled the golden age
of medieval mystics. In this well documented book Dr Lings draws on
many rare sources... and has made some important original
contributions.'
*A. J. Arberry*
'What Martin Lings adds by way of commentary is of the greatest
significance and may serve as a key to a deeper understanding of
Islam as a whole.'
*Titus Burckhardt*
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