Mystical Islam: An Introduction to Sufism

by Julian Baldick

Sufism is Islamâ s main mystical tradition. There are Sufi orders in almost all Muslim countries around the world, but not all Sufis accept the same beliefs and practices.



Mystical Islam offers an introduction that encompasses the full history and richness of the Sufi spiritual tradition over fourteen centuries of Islam. This accessible work covers the origins of Sufism and early influences, particularly from Christianity; the rise of the great Sufi organizations; the thought of Sufismâ s main theorist and systemizer, Ibn Arabi; Rumi and the Whirling Dervishes; relations with Shiâ ism in Iran; Sufism in the heyday of the great empires in Iran, India, and Turkey; and relations with Turkey and Egypt during the nineteenth century as well as Sufi practices in the twentieth century.



In a new afterword, the author reflects on recent scholarship and offers fresh perspectives on this fascinating tradition of belief and devotion.

Genres: Religion, Nonfiction, Islam

208 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1989

Reviews

[Amber · Rating 1 out of 5]

It's amazing how an author can say he's going to explain something and then dance around it so completely that the answer is never clear.

[Laura]

Very confusing

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kate's world is tossed upsidedown after the death of her mother. Overhearing her brother's nefarious plot for her future, she takes matters into her own hands and goes into hiding. Having grown up in poverty and never having met her disowned aunt Franny, Kate has no idea what to expect when she arrives at the large Sussex home of her mother's estranged sister. She suddenly finds herself in a world quite different from her own - yet that is the least of her worries.

With the vile Farnsworth on her trail, Kate must decide just who to trust and how much of her truth to tell. Yet she soon learns that half-truths can be just as dangerous as secrets.

I really liked that the secondary characters, including Alice and Stephen, had their own strong storyline, rather than just existing as supporting characters that occasionally appear on the sidelines. The deeper interactions of so many characters helped make the story more well-rounded. They even call each other out for their faults, often echoing the reader's own opinions.

Kate is fiercely independent, which I love to see in these novels. She is tired of people having a say in her future and wants to control her own life. Even when danger strikes, she resists playing the damsel in destress, preferring to fight her own battles.

I did find that Ashleigh's initial protectiveness towards Kate didn't quite fit. He asserts himself into her life and future plans early on and feels that he has the right - responsibility, even - to protect Kate, when he really has no claim on her whatsoever. They're pretty much strangers at this point and for all he knows she's living safely and comfortably under her aunt's roof.

That criticism aside, I enjoyed the novel and the relationships and interactions between all of the different characters. I also appreciated the evidence of the author's research and historical knowledge, as well as her very detailed descriptions of buildings and decor. It really makes you feel as though you've been transported through time into the room along with the characters.

[Vicky · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kate Russel is a proud young lady and her mother taught her proper manners. However, she never had a proper debutante come-out or been to fancy balls, but her father left her mother and her in dire straits. Kate was astounded when her brother asked her to come to London to live with him. For once she felt as though she was going to be seen and maybe go to a dinner party or a ball. That is not what her brother was bringing her to London to do at all. He was going to sell her to the worst man. She was being sold like a horse at an auction. Let the highest bidder be the winner except there was only one bidder and diseased old man.

Kate snuck away to her mothers sister and here she met the man of her dreams. The Duke of Ashleigh was a dreamboat! There was one problem he was looking for a wife with a better pedigree. Poor Kate was asked to be his mistress and she came undone.

This is a lighthearted read that the author depicts in a wonderfully humorous storyline. There are a couple areas that could be more cohesive, however overall I would still recommend this book.

I received a free advanced copy from NetGalley and these are my willingly given thoughts and opinions.

[Thomas B · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book is not for beginners. It relies on a thorough understanding of a lot of philosophical and religious ‘-isms’ that frankly makes it a tough read. Calling it ‘An introduction’ is misleading and probably attracting the wrong audience.

I approached it enthusiastically, and although it is a good, dense, well rounded academic work, it’s is very dry and not very accessible.

[Mindy McAdams · Rating 4 out of 5]

I just reread my underlining and notes in this excellent, but somewhat dry, scholarly book. I first read it before going to live in Indonesia. It was not very helpful in the context of Indonesia, but I found much of it to be fascinating.

It covers the entire history of Sufism, from its mysterious origins up to the present, and it does so mostly through short descriptions of the beliefs and contributions of individuals, in chronological order. This meant I did not get a very tidy and coherent understanding of Sufism, but that's all right. I did get a broad and vague sense of many aspects of Sufism, including beliefs and practices (which are not uniform across time and location). Repeatedly I was reminded of elements of Buddhism, which might seem odd.

I'll explain just briefly by saying I've read a fair number of scholarly works about Buddhism, including accounts of how certain schools or "sects" (not really the right word) came to be, as well as political influences of particular branches in China and Japan. I'm very familiar with advanced beliefs and practices, historical controversies, etc. So while I was reading Baldick's book about Sufism, I could not help but make comparisons. (Much of my understanding of religion, in general, comes from my study of Buddhism.) This does not mean Sufism is actually similar to Buddhism -- except in the respect that all religions are similar.

Baldick does mention Buddhism several times, but mostly he carefully differentiates Sufi practices (particularly the role of lodges) from early Christian practices (such as monastic communities). He also takes care to note when a particular Sufi scholar or master was at odds with, or aligned with, either Shi'a or Sunni beliefs. Overall I found this text very satisfying, and I felt a great deal of admiration for Baldick's depth of knowledge and careful research.

I certainly had much more appreciation of the emotions expressed in Rumi's verse after I had finished this book.

(The edition I read is paperback, published in 1989 by New York University Press, 208 pages. On the copyright page, it says: "Manufactured in Great Britain.")

[Laila · Rating 1 out of 5]

I read this book to get an introduction to Sufism - what Sufism is, what Sufis believe in, how they practice their religion, etc. However, the title of the book was misleading. It probably should have been called the History of Sufism as it provides a historical account of the development and evolution of Sufism through the biographies of different thinkers and different states that influenced Sufism. Even when the author talks about certain Sufi concepts, he does not explain what these concepts mean and seems to assume that the author is already aware - another reason why I think the book is mistitled. The author does not present original research, and the book is basically a large literature review - a very critical and condescending review at that. Overall, the book was a disappointment; I didn't enjoy reading the book nor do I have any memorable takeaways from the book.