Kitab Al-ta'arruf Li-madhahab Ahl Al-tasawwuf (The Doctrine of the Sufis)

A reissue of the English translation of a classic Arabic text in the history of Sufism the Mystical aspect of Islam. Professor Arberry's translation, first published in 1935, has long been unobtainable, and it is hoped that this new printing will be of value not only to scholars but also to general readers interested in mysticism and, comparatives religion. Little is known of the author of this treatise, Abu Bakr al-Kalabadhi, except that he was a lawyer and died in Bukhara in about A.D. 990 (A.H. 380). His book, Kitab al-Ta `arruf li-madhhab ahi al- Tasawwuf, ` The Doctrine of the Stifls', is the work on which his fame rests. It is important because it is the earliest extant text to reconcile the position of Sufism and orthodox Islam. It was immediately accepted as authoritative and has been esteemed by the Arabs, especially by the Sufis, as perhaps the most valuable compendium of Sufism in print.