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This concise book seeks to make available to the public what may be called “the other side of Islam” — not the violent aspect appearing in the nightly news headlines which focus on radical terrorists, but the long and rich tradition at the heart of Islamic spirituality known as Sufism. With great lucidity and clarity, Stoddart offers a succinct, yet comprehensive overview of Sufism’s fundamental doctrines and spiritual practices, which are followed by many millions of Muslims throughout the world. Known for his capacity to give clear explanations of unfamiliar and complex material, Stoddart emphasizes the importance of the role of art and beauty, highlights its intricate symbolism, and explains the central role of the invocation of the Name of God in Sufi spiritual practice.
Stoddart’s book includes an appendix of central Koranic, Prophetic, and traditional Sufi sayings. This new edition is based upon an earlier and much shorter book Stoddart wrote 35 years ago, which was highly acclaimed by leading experts in the field of Islamic Studies. Harvard professor Annemarie Schimmel remarked that it was “Useful…adorned with many good illustrations…(and) contains many important points clearly expressed.”
Awards
- Book of the Year Award Finalist for “Religion”
About the Author(s)
William Stoddart
William Stoddart (June 25, 1925 – November 9, 2023) was a Perennialist author, editor, and translator who was active in advancing the understanding of the writings of Frithjof Schuon, Titus Burckhardt, and others, for over 50 years. Dr. Stoddart's most recent publications with World Wisdom are An Illustrated Outline of Buddhism: The Essentials of Buddhist Spirituality, What Does Islam Mean in Today’s World?, and Outline of Sufism: The Essentials of Islamic Spirituality. A compilation of his writings, Remembering in a World of Forgetting, was edited by M. Soares de Azevedo and A. Vasconcellos Queiroz. Stoddart also edited The Essential Titus Burckhardt, and was perhaps the greatest authority on the work of this great Swiss traditionalist. Dr. Stoddart's other contributions in World Wisdom books include:
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R.W.J. Austin
Ralph (R.W.J.) Austin was born in 1938 in Willerby, Humberside, England. He received an Honors degree in Classical Arabic and a Ph.D. in Islamic Mysticism, both from the University of London. From 1963-1988 he taught Arabic and Islamic Studies in the School of Oriental Studies at the University of Durham. During this period he conducted research in Islamic mysticism in general and in the work of the renowned Sufi Muhyi ’d-Dīn Ibn ‘Arabī (1165-1240) in particular. His works include a translation of Ibn Arabī’s Rūh al-Quds (“The Spirit of Holiness”) and extracts from Ad-Durrat al-Fākhira (“The Precious Jewel”) under the title of Sufis of Andalusia, two treatises in which Ibn ‘Arabī describes his meetings with the numerous Sufi masters whom he knew in his youth. Austin also translated im-portant extracts from Ibn ‘Arabī’s Fusūs al-Hikam (“The Bezels of Wisdom”) for the Classics of Western Spirituality series.
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Reviews
- This slender book comprising less than a hundred pages brings to light the essentials of traditional Islam and its inner dimension, Sufism, in a remarkable way.… Sincere seekers, in whatever phase of the journey they may be, will find that this book will always have something to teach them. True expressions of religion (the outer dimension) and its corresponding spirituality (the inner dimension) are rare in this topsy-turvy era. However, sincere and dedicated seekers will always, or until the end of time, be guided in finding authentic paths that embody the One Truth hidden within all the forms. Stoddart’s Outline of Sufism is a crystallization of this message.
Samuel Bendeck Sotillos, from a review in Sacred Web
