Esoteric Traditions in Islamic Thought

A rich anthology of works on knowledge in Islam – illuminated by insightful commentary from a leading scholar in the field

The notion of esoteric knowledge is one of the pillars of Islamic intellectual tradition. Though most visible in Sufism, it also dominated the first three and a half centuries of Shi‘ite thought.

In this rich anthology, Leonard Lewisohn explores Islamic esotericism through the works of eleven authors who flourished in Persia, Central Asia and Asia Minor from the eleventh to the nineteenth centuries. He presents excerpts from each text in translation, accompanying these with introductions to the author’s life, works and thought. In the course of his erudite and enlightening commentary, he explores the common ground of esoteric thought and terminology, revealing a unity of perspective among Muslim thinkers.

Leonard Lewisohn was a specialist in Persian language and Sufi literature. He was the Iran Heritage Foundation Fellow and Senior Lecturer in Persian and Sufi Literature at the Institute of Arab and Islamic Studies, University of Exeter; a Research Associate in Esoteric Traditions in Islam in the Department of Academic Research at the Institute of Ismaili Studies, London; Fellow of the Temenos Academy; and Editor of Mawlana Rumi Review. He authored and translated over twelve volumes in the field of Sufi literature, including on Muhammad Shirin Maghrabi, Mahmud Shabistari, Attar, Hafiz and Rumi, as well as editing several volumes of collected essays on Sufism.