Outline of Sufism: The Essentials of Islamic Spirituality

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