An excellent exposition of Sufism if you are already well-versed in philosophy in general. It explains both the core tenets and the historical development of Sufism in a concise yet well-developed manner.
Sufism is a religion of Knowledge and Love. In this, it is like every other spiritual cult (cult, because only a handful is following them) comes with organised religion. It focuses on self-searching instead of social demonstration and the execution of faith. Like every such cult, not only has Sufism been marginalised for the last few centuries, but it has also been persecuted heavily.
The only problem with this book is that the author starts from an axiom (there is a God) that has been out of fashion for around four thousand years. No one invokes absolute belief in God as a starting point for any serious philosophical discussion. One can argue that this is a book of Religion, not philosophy. However, it is a very philosophy-ridden book. It is natural to expect it to maintain certain standards. Many of the attacks on science and other modern philosophies made in this book are uninformed and misleading.
An excellent exposition of Sufism if you are already well-versed in philosophy in general. It explains both the core tenets and the historical development of Sufism in a concise yet well-developed manner.
Sufism is a religion of Knowledge and Love. In this, it is like every other spiritual cult (cult, because only a handful is following them) comes with organised religion. It focuses on self-searching instead of social demonstration and the execution of faith. Like every such cult, not only has Sufism been marginalised for the last few centuries, but it has also been persecuted heavily.
The only problem with this book is that the author starts from an axiom (there is a God) that has been out of fashion for around four thousand years. No one invokes absolute belief in God as a starting point for any serious philosophical discussion. One can argue that this is a book of Religion, not philosophy. However, it is a very philosophy-ridden book. It is natural to expect it to maintain certain standards. Many of the attacks on science and other modern philosophies made in this book are uninformed and misleading.