Sufism: A Short Introduction

Books on the subject of Sufism are innumerable, as it seems to be one of the most studied topics within the Islamic disciplines by scholars of religion. Consequently, "another book on Sufism" may hardly draw the attention of researchers, except that in this case, the author is none other than the renowned Professor William C. Chittick. This being the case, I was pleased to review a work by such a famous figure in the field of Islamic Mysticism, especially as the author attempts to find a middle way between academic obscurity and enthusiastic advocacy. This, nevertheless, is no mean task, bearing in mind the vast diversity of the Sufi tradition, where many of the academic works are far too specialized and technical to be useful for beginners. Few could deny, however, that there are several unifying themes within Sufism, and Chittick attempts to provide a fair survey of the tradition by translating from its primary texts to let it speak for itself.