Martin Lings provides an excellent & authoritative introduction to the mystical movement of the Sufis based on his lifelong interest in Islamic culture His explanation derives from a profound understanding of Sufism & extends to many aspects which are usually neglected His illuminating answer to ' What is Sufism?' gives a taste of the very subject matter itself What do Sufis believe? What do they aim at? What do they do? Unlike other writers on the subject Martin Lings treats all the three questions with equal justice He is thus able to give a wealth of answers to the main question ' What is Sufism?' each answer being from a different angle but all going to the root of the matter A reviewer wrote ' Should the book appear in paperback I would use it for undergraduate & graduate courses on Islamic civilization' & in fact ' What is Sufism?' has become a set book in colleges & universities on both sides of the Atlantic It is now accepted as the authoritative statement on the subject of Sufism & it has been translated into French German Italian & Spanish It has also been published in Sarajevo in Bosnian & is available in Braille