The Mystics of Islam

The Mystics of Islam is a classic work of scholarship by Reynold A. Nicholson, one of the most eminent orientalists and translators of Islamic literature and mysticism in the English language. The book introduces the history, doctrines, and practices of Sufism, the religious philosophy of Islam that aims at the apprehension of divine realities.Nicholson draws on a wide range of sources, from the Qur'an and Hadith to the poetry and prose of famous Sufi masters such as Rumi, Ibn Arabi, Hujviri, and others. He also explores the various branches and orders of Sufism and their influence on Islamic civilization. The Mystics of Islam is a valuable resource for anyone interested in learning about the spiritual dimension of Islam and its impact on art, culture, and society.Reynold A. Nicholson (1868-1945) was a renowned British orientalist and scholar of Islamic literature and mysticism. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest translators and interpreters of Rumi, the 13th-century Persian poet and Sufi master, in the English language.Nicholson taught Persian and Arabic at the University of Cambridge for more than three decades and produced many influential works, such as Literary History of the Arabs (1907) and The Mystics of Islam (1914).He also edited and translated major Sufi texts from Arabic, Persian, Turkish, Sindhi and Punjabi, including Rumi's Masnavi, Hujviri's Kashf ul Mahjoob, Ibn Arabi's Tarjuman al-Aswaq, and Shah Abdul Latif Bhittai's poetry. Nicholson was a meticulous scholar and a gifted poet who had a profound understanding of Islam and its mystical traditions. He never traveled outside Europe, but he left a lasting legacy in the field of Islamic studies.