As Through a Veil Mystical Poetry in Islam

This text presents the complicated story of how a poetic tradition evolved in number of different languages over a period of twelvehundred years. Itnvolves the history of Sufism, the tensions between mysticism and orthodoxyn Islamic thought and the problem of interpreting a poetic language which isoth sensual and sacred. The first three chapters consider initially theevelopment of mystical poetry in Arabic from the 9th century, including theork of Hallaj, and then move on to discuss Persian poetry in a similaranner, with particular focus on the work of Rumi. The diffusion of Arabicnd Persian literary influence in the many other languages spoken in the vastrea affected by Islam is the subject of the final two chapters, which coverirstly folk poetry and, subsequently, poetry in praise of the Prophet.

Annemarie Schimmel was Professor of Indo-Muslim studies at Harvard University for twenty-five years.