Studies in Islamic Mysticism (Forgotten Books)

Sufism is the inner or mystical dimension of Islam.A practitioner of this tradition is generally known as a Sufi though some senior members of the tradition reserve this term for those practitioners who have attained the goals of the Sufi tradition. Another common related denomination is dervish.

Classical scholars have defined it as "a science whose objective is the reparation of the heart and turning it away from all else but God.": , or "a science through which one can know how to travel into the presence of the Divine, purify one's inner self from filth, and beautify it with a variety of praiseworthy traits." :

Islamic mysticism is one of the most extensive traditions of spirituality in the history of religions. From its origins in the Prophet Muhammad and the Qur'anic revelation, the mystical trend among Muslims has played an extraordinary role in the public and private development of the Islamic faith. This variegated movement has spanned several continents over a millennium, at first expressed through Arabic, then through Persian, Turkish, and a dozen other languages. (Quote from wikipedia.org)

About the Author

Reynold Alleyne Nicholson (1868 - 1945)
Reynold Alleyne Nicholson (or R.A. Nicholson; born in Keighley, Yorkshire, England in 1868; died in Chester, Cheshire, England in 1945) was an eminent orientalist widely regarded as the greatest Rumi scholar in the English language.

Nicholson was a lecturer in Persian language and Sir Thomas Adams's Professor of Arabic at Cambridge University and a leading scholar in Islamic literature and Islamic mysticism who exercised a lasting influence on Islamic studies. He was able to study and translate major Sufi texts in Arabic, Persian, and Ottoman Turkish to English. (Quo