Research Guides: RELG 108: Vocabularies of Islam (HC): Sufism

Overviews - Entries from Encyclopedias

Encyclopedia of Religion
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Besides having a good survey article on Sufism, it also has articles on major sufi figures and aspects of Sufism. Note that some of the articles and their bibliographies have not been updated from the 1987 first edition of this work.
Oxford Islamic Studies Online
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Has articles from a number of different reference works. Some of the entries are long and have good bibliographies. Has article on Sufism and well as individual sufis.
Encyclopedia of Islam
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Note that you will have to type in the word 'Tasawwuf' to find the article on Sufism. Has specialized articles on a number of figures and topics related to Sufism. The bibliographies tend to have a number of citations to materials which are not in English..

Surveys / Histories - Books

The Shambhala guide to sufism
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Standard introduction. While basic it covers many aspects of Sufism. The bibliography though getting dated is still useful as a brief guide to leading resources.
Sufism: a global history
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A recent historical survey.
Mystical dimensions of Islam
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An older more detailed survey than the above listed resource.

Ibn al-Arabi, Rumi, Al-Ghazali

These are three of the best known Sufis. Several of their writings are listed below. To find English language translations of other Sufi writers (and annotations of the books mentioned below) check chapter eight of Paula Skreslet's book "The Literature of Islam'.

The bezels of wisdom
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Ibn al-Arabi's best know work.
The Tarjumán al-ashwáq: a collection of mystical odes
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Collection of passionate poems by Ibn al-Arabi.
Mystical poems of Rumi
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Presents 400 of Rumi's poems
The Masnavi. Book one
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Major work by Rumi. Available in print and online versions. Book Two is also available in print and online versions.
The soul of Rumi: a new collection of ecstatic poems
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A more poetical translation by a contemporary poet.
Alchemy of Happiness
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This book by Al-Ghazali is interesting in that it includes his own introduction to his work.