What is Sufism? By Martin Lings

ISBN: 9780946621415

Description

About This Book:

Lings explores the Sufi movement's past, examining its beginnings and development within the larger Islamic tradition. He explores the ideas and methods of well-known Sufi masters throughout history, providing insights into the profoundly transformative journeys and spiritual experiences of Sufi practitioners. Martin Lings provides an excellent and authoritative introduction to the mystical movement of the Sufis based on his lifelong interest in Islamic culture. His explanation derives from a profound understanding of Sufism, and extends to many aspects which are usually neglected. His illuminating answer to 'What is Sufism?' gives a taste of the very subject matter itself. What do Sufis believe? What do they aim at? What do they do? Unlike other writers on the subject, Martin Lings treats all the three questions with equal justice. He is thus able to give a wealth of answers to the main question 'What is Sufism?', each answer being from a different angle but all going to the root of the matter. A reviewer wrote 'Should the book appear in paperback, I would use it for undergraduate and graduate courses on Islamic civilization', and in fact What is Sufism? has become a set book in colleges and universities on both sides of the Atlantic. It is now accepted as the authoritative statement on the subject of Sufism and it has been translated into French, German, Italian and Spanish. It has also been published in Sarajevo in Bosnian, and is available in Braille. Lings' writing is renowned for its profundity, lucidity, and respect for the subject. In order to provide people a thorough grasp of Sufism as a transformational spiritual path, he interweaves historical narratives, spiritual insights, and personal reflections

About The Author

:Martin Lings, a British novelist, academic, and translator who lived from 1909 to 2005, devoted his life to the investigation and advancement of traditional Islam. He is well known for his extensive knowledge and perceptive writings on a variety of facets of Islamic history, spirituality, and culture. Lings adopted the faith and rose to prominence within the Islamic community as a result of his intense interest in Islamic studies. He learned Arabic and Persian, which enabled him to interact with the original Islamic scriptures and perform precise translations.