Mystical Dimensions of Islam

FOREWORD
To writ e about Sufism , o r Islami c mysticism, is an almost
impossible task . At the firs t step , a wide mountain rang e ap -
pears before the eye—and the longer the seeker pursues the path, the
more difficult i t seems to reach any goal at all. He may dwell in th e
rose gardens of Persian mystical poetry or try to reach the icy peaks
of theosophi c speculations; he may dwell in th e lowland s of popular
sain t worshi p o r driv e hi s came l throug h th e endles s desert s
of theoretica l discourse s about th e natur e o f Sufism , o f God , an d
of th e world; o r he may be content t o have an all-around glimps e
of th e landscape , enjoying the beaut y o f some of the highes t peaks
bathed i n th e sunligh t o f early morning, o r colore d b y th e violet
haze o f a cool evening . I n an y case , only th e elec t fe w will reac h
the farthes t mountain o n which the mythical bird, Simurgh , live s
—to understand tha t the y have reached onl y what wa s already i n
themselves.
Thus, t o se t ou t an d delineat e som e mai n feature s of Sufism ,
both historicall y an d phenomenologically , wil l yiel d n o resul t
that satisfie s everybody : i t i s easy t o overloo k certai n aspect s an d
give too much weight to others. Th e amoun t o f oriental and occidental
literatur e existen t i n prin t an d i n manuscrip t i s beyon d
counting, s o that eve n fro m thi s viewpoin t a ful l accoun t i s no t
to be achieved .
xvii