The Wisdom of the Sufis

Summary

In his introduction to the anthology The Wisdom of the Sufis, Kenneth Cragg offers the Western reader valuable insight into the religion and richly poetic literature of the Middle East, and the esoteric, deeply experiential inner tradition of Islam. Bishop Cragg’s selections of prayers and legends concern the task, search, and goal of the Sufi mystic—the dervish—and his introduction explains the unlikely growth of mysticism out of medieval orthodox Islam.

About the Author

The Rt. Rev. Kenneth Cragg is an eminent Anglican priest and scholar who has commented widely on religious topics for over fifty years, most notably Muslim-Christian relations. Born in 1913 and educated at Oxford, he served parishes in England and in Beirut, Lebanon, before becoming Assistant Bishop of Jerusalem in 1970. He has lectured in Muslim universities and taught in the US. Bishop Cragg is a careful translator, expositor, and analyst of the Qur’an (Koran) and modern Islam. A prolific author, he retired to Oxford in 1982.

He is the author of:

Muhammad and the Christian: A Question of Response

The Qu’ran and the West

Call of the Minaret