CATEGORY

"Mystical Dimensions of Islam, from its first appearance in 1975, has become the standard English-language handbook on the subject of Sufi sm. No scholar in the last half of the twentieth century had a greater impact on the study of Islamic mysticism than Annemarie Schimmel."

- Carl W. Ernst, from the foreword

 

"A truly beautiful book. . . . Radiates an elegance of style. . . . Replete not only with the poetic insight of the author but with her unquestioned scholarly mastery over materials from the vast culture-sphere of Islam."

- International Journal for Philosophy of Religion

 

"Comprehensive, detailed, and combines sophistication in religious studies with high-level competence in the original sources. Provides far more detail, depth of analysis, breadth of geographical coverage, and sustained clear explication and interpretation of individual topics than can be found in any other survey [of Sufi sm] in English."

- Journal of Near Eastern Studies

 

Thirty-five years after its original publication, Mystical Dimensions of Islam still stands as the most valuable introduction to Sufism, the main form of Islamic mysticism. This edition brings to a new generation of readers Annemarie Schimmel’s historical treatment of the transnational phenomenon of Sufism, from its beginnings through the nineteenth century.

 

Schimmel’s sensitivity and deep understanding of Sufism its origins, development, and historical context as well as her erudite examination of Sufism as reflected in Islamic poetry, draw readers into the mood, the vision, and the way of the Sufi . In the foreword, distinguished Islam scholar Carl W. Ernst comments on the continuing vitality of Schimmel’s book and the advances in the study of Sufism that have occurred since the work first appeared.

 

Annemarie Schimmel (1922–2003) was a renowned German scholar of Islam and author of eighty books, including And Muhammad Is His Messenger: The Veneration of the Prophet in Islamic Piety and A Two-Colored Brocade: The Imagery of Persian Poetry.