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There are many books in English that present Sufi doctrine, but few that can be used as practical travel guides along the Path. Originally written in classical Arabic, this volume is in widespread use among Sufi teachers in Arabia, Indonesia, and East Africa; its devotions, prayers, and practical ethics are invaluable as a guide along the Sufi Way.

A dramatic exposition of the classical Muslim division of human life into five stages: before conception, life in the world, life in the grave, the resurrection, and heaven or hell. Extensive Qur'anic and Hadith references explain the condition of the soul at each stage.

'Almost a prerequisite for any serious study of Sufism in European languages': this was the verdict of Seyyed Hossein Nasr in his review of the first edition of the book. According to the Journal of Near Eastern Studies, it is 'one of the most thorough and intimately engaging books on Sufism to be produced by a Western scholar'. Certainly there is nothing second-hand about it. The author lets Sufis speak for themselves and, in a series of unusual and absorbing texts mainly translated from Arabic, he gives a vivid picture of life in a North African Sufi order. Against this background stands the unforgettable figure of the Algerian Shaikh who was head of the order from 1909 until his death in 1934. The last few chapters are mainly devoted to his writings, which include some penetrating aphorisms, and which end with a small anthology of his remarkable mystic poems.

This volume answers many of the questions often asked by seekers of inward illumination It also includes the author's commentary on a poem concerning inner wayfaring which speaks of the most exalted stations of the path and goes on to explain a number of paradoxes of the Way. These points are illustrated with references to the famous mystical poems of Ibn al-Farid and Abu Madyan.

Rare glimpses of two 20th-century Sufi saints are offered in this work: the eminent Shaykh al-Alawi and the lesser-known woman saint Fatima al-Yashrutiyya, both of whom continued on the Sufi path even as they watched their world crumble. Shaykh al-Alawi's influence was pivotal to the spiritual development of Thomas Merton, who looked to al-Alawi's writings and teachings in his own practice. Fatima al-Yashrutiyya is a rare example of a literate Muslim woman living a public spiritual life. Readers will see a new side of the Sufi Path from her uncompromising viewpoint, and can catch an uncommon glimpse of life in the early 20th century for a spiritual seeker, writer, and self-educated woman in the Muslim world. These essays represent Islam in its esoteric dimension and raise issues of regional unrest and colonial intervention that are still relevant. Through the words of these two saints the world of the Sufi brotherhood is opened, revealing an underlying theme of the oneness of Allah.

This biography of the saint and Iman Abdallah al-Haddad takes readers into the fascinating world and spiritual life of 17th- and early 18th-century Yemen. The life of this renown spiritual master—whose teachings and personal example continue to influence lives around the world—is examined, from his early attraction to Sufi poetry and visit to the tomb of the prophet Hud to his rise as a Sufi master, his Hajj journey to Mecca, and his death. The biographical facts of al-Haddad's life are interspersed with 35 black and white photographs and ruminations on his spiritual teachings, including his take on the "nine stages of certainty," the five investitures of taqwa, the stages of gnosis, and karamat and super natural events. Sufi practitioners, historians, and anthropologists will come to a deeper understanding of this timeless and enduring tradition with this fascinating record of a seminal Sufi master.