Sufism

by Arthur J. Arberry

Published December 1950
In this short account of Sufism, the name given to the mysticism of Islam, the author shows how mysticism developed out of a single creed and ritual and the influence it exerts on the life, art and literature of the Muslim people. The Sufi is bound to study the life of the Mohammed, to comprehend his code of conduct and be intimate with the Traditions, handed down from generation to generation which are the source of his enlightenment. The Muslim mystic may hope, even in his own life, to win a glimpse of immortality.