Some of the earliest, most rare, formative, and concise examples of Sufi methodology to appear in translation, these works examine the inherently defective nature of the soul, the roles it must assume, the path it must travel towards purification, and how to best manage that itinerary while avoiding the pitfalls and obstacles of the journey.

This volume makes available and accessible the writings of the crucial early period of Islamic mysticism during which Sufism developed as one of the world's major mystical traditions. The texts are accompanied by commentary on their historical, literary and philosophical context.

Translations and analyses of three Persian Sufi texts, offering a perspective on Islam that is rarely met in modern works.

Analyzing the concept of ḥikmah in early Islamic texts, this book brings earliest scholarly materials to the service of modern readers and thus offers a comprehensive contextualization of this subtle and elusive notion in the collective usage of early Muslim authors, especially in the works of lexicographers, exegetes, philosophers, and Sufis.

This book traces the evolution of Sufism from the formative period to the present.