Sufism

This is a new and seminal history of Islamic mysticism dealing with both the ascetic and mystical elements related to practice and teachings - also from the point of view of both insiders and outsiders and covering the community aspect, institutions and leaders. It provides an accessible and authoritative account of Sufism stemming partly from the author's work on a major encyclopaedia. He takes a holistic approach in refusing to separate ascetic and mystical elements that necessarily go hand in hand, and presents his analysis historically and impartially. Individual chapters cover the history, definitions, discourses, practices and recent developments. At the end of his chapter on definitions, he neatly summarises the constants of Sufism, with an emphasis on its transformative potential and spiritual lineage. The chapter drawing on common elements in Hellenism is of special interest, emphasising the important role of Plotinus. The interplay between internal and external perspectives proves important, and in his conclusion the author quotes Patricia Crone, who remarked that people see things from their own perspective and believe their own propaganda because they cannot see it for what it is: "the bias is invisible because the angle which produces it is felt as normal." He also notes Al Ghazali, who argued that the rational investigation of the world rarely if ever brings happiness and tranquillity to the investigator, whereas the knowledge and insight offered by ascetic-mystical convictions and practices do. The only significant omission for me from this fine work was Hazrat Inayat Khan, whose work and school also continues today.