The Mystics Of Islam
Reynold Alleyne Nicholsonthe adventures and labours of individual seekers or groups of seekers in quest of reality.'
Sufism, the religious philosophy of Islam, is described in the oldest extant definition as
'the apprehension of divine realities,' and Mohammedan mystics are fond of calling
themselves Ahl al-Haqq, 'the followers of the Real.' {Al-Haqq is the term generally used by Sufis
when they refer to God.} In attempting to set forth their central doctrines from this point of
view, I shall draw to some extent on materials which I have collected during the last
twenty years for a general history of Islamic mysticism--a subject so vast and many-sided
that several large volumes would be required to do it anything like justice. Here I can
only sketch in broad outline certain principles, methods, and characteristic features of the
inner life as it has been lived by Moslems of every class and condition from the eighth
century of our era to the present day. Difficult are the paths which they threaded, dark
and bewildering the pathless heights beyond; but even if we may not hope to accompany
the travelers to their journey's end, any information that we have gathered concerning
their religious environment and spiritual history will help us to understand the strange
experiences of which they write