Martin Lings provides an excellent and authoritative introduction to the
mystical movement of the Sufis based on his lifelong interest in Islamic
culture. His explanation derives from a profound understanding of
Sufism, and extends to many aspects which are usually neglected. His
illuminating answer to 'What is Sufism?' gives a taste of the very
subject matter itself. What do Sufis believe? What do they aim at? What
do they do? Unlike other writers on the subject, Martin Lings treats all
the three questions with equal justice. He is thus able to give a wealth
of answers to the main question 'What is Sufism?', each answer being
from a different angle but all going to the root of the matter.
A reviewer wrote 'Should the book appear in paperback, I would use it
for undergraduate and graduate courses on Islamic civilization', and in
fact What is Sufism? has become a set book in colleges and
universities on both sides of the Atlantic. It is now accepted as the
authoritative statement on the subject of Sufism and it has been
translated into French, German, Italian and Spanish. It has also been
published in Sarajevo in Bosnian, and is available in Braille.