Doctrine of the Sufis

This 1935 English translation of a classic Arabic text in Sûfîsm, the mystical aspect of Islam, by A. J. Arberry preserves the beauty and simplicity of the original without departing from a literal translation. Little is known of the author of this treatise Abû Bakr al-Kalâbâdhî, except that he was a lawyer and died in Bukhârâ in about AD 990. This book is important because it is the earliest extant text to reconcile the position of Sûfîsm and orthodox Islam. The book consists of five parts: a general introduction to the term Sûfî and an enumeration of the names of the great Sûfîs; a statements of the tenets of Islam, as accepted by the Sûfîs; a discussion of the various ‘stations’ of the Sûfîs; and a discussion of the various phenomena of Sûfîsm. This is a superb English introduction to Sûfîsm.
“This is a traditional Sufi (Sunni) work written by the Sufi master Abu Bakr Al-Kalabadhi, known and respected by the Sufis for 1000 years. This work mentions the disagreements in doctrine within the different Sufi Tariqahs. In general the trans-lation is spot on, non-literal – as it cannot be when dealing with the esoteric, and in my opinion Arberry does it justice. — By A. S. Abdulbari