Abu al-Hasan al-Shushtari: Songs of Love and Devotion

Mystic and poet Abu al-Hasan al-Shushtari (1212-1269) remains a towering figure in North African Sufism. His verses are still well loved and often recited, and his songs are arguably the most vibrant element of Islamic Spain’s cultural legacy. He is crucial to an understanding of the history of mysticism in Islamic Spain and North Africa. Yet, he is overlooked by Western scholars and few of his poems have been translated. This book seeks to correct this deficit by (1) setting Shushtari and his work in the political and intellectual contexts of his time; (2) introducing his thought to an English-speaking audience through a presentation of his poetry. Each of the chapters that presents the poetry starts with a thematic introduction that explores the symbolic, poetic, and doctrinal import of the material that follows.

Sensuous and spiritual, erotic and ethereal, this selection of works will delight everyone, whether or not they are devotees of Islamic literature.