Sufism

Outline of Sufism: The Essentials of Islamic Spirituality

William Stoddart
R.W.J. Austin

$17.95

In stock (can be backordered)

This concise book seeks to make available to the public what may be called “the other side of Islam”: not the violent aspect appearing in the nightly news headlines which focus on radical terrorists, but the long and rich tradition at the heart of Islamic spirituality known as Sufism. With great lucidity and clarity, Stoddart offers a succinct, yet comprehensive overview of Sufism’s fundamental doctrines and spiritual practices, which are followed by many millions of Muslims throughout the world.

Known for his capacity to give clear explanations of unfamiliar and complex material, Stoddart emphasizes the importance of the role of art and beauty, highlights its intricate symbolism, and explains the central role of the invocation of the Name of God in Sufi spiritual practice; an appendix includes central Koranic, Prophetic, and traditional Sufi sayings.

This new edition is based upon an earlier and much shorter book Stoddart wrote 35 years ago, which was highly acclaimed by leading experts in the field of Islamic Studies. Harvard professor Annemarie Schimmel remarked that it was “Useful…adorned with many good illustrations…(and) contains many important points clearly expressed.”

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  • Paperback
  • 978-1-936597-02-4
  • 108

Product Description

William Smith Stoddart was born in Carstairs, Scotland and graduated in medicine from Glasgow University. Stoddart has been called a “master of synthesis” and was one of the important Perennialist writers. For many years he was assistant editor of the British journal ‘Studies in Comparative Religion’. He has translated into English, from the original French or German, several books of the perennialists Frithjof Schuon and Titus Burckhardt, and written and edited many other books, including: Invincible Wisdom (Sophia Perennis, 2007),  What Does Islam Mean in Today’s World? (World Wisdom, 2012), Remembering in a World of Forgetting (World Wisdom, 2008) and The Essential Titus Burckhardt: Reflections on Sacred Art, Faiths, and Civilizations (World Wisdom, 2003).

Reviews

The author of this book is deeply concerned with the crisis of modern man, and his book is no mere academic study but a presentation of Sufism as one possible way of salvation. The book may be commended as presenting Sufism in a form in which it is a possible option for people in Western societies.
Montgomery Watt, University of Edinburgh, author of The Majesty That Was Islam
Dr. Stoddart provides a straightforward introduction to subjects of great depth and complexity. One outcome of such a book... should be that Christians are encouraged to look for allies among their Muslim friends and fellow citizens, in the fight to strengthen the good and combat the evil in our society.
The Islamic Quarterly
Useful... [and] adorned with many good illustrations.... [It] contains many important points clearly expressed.
Annemarie Schimmel, Harvard University, author of Mystical Dimensions of Islam
Dr. Stoddart's concise but comprehensive work is a clear and authoritative guide to the spirituality of Islam, and will assuredly have a role to play for many categories of readers.
Gai Eaton, author of Islam and the Destiny of Man
This book is an introduction to the faith of Islam, and the place occupied by mysticism in it, which goes a long way towards explaining what is often to Western eyes a harsh and enigmatic religion.
The Catholic Herald

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