This definitive study of an important Sufi work by the "Greatest Shayk" of Islamic mysticism presents a provocative new perspective on the fundamental question of the nature and authority of individual sainthood in organized, prophetic religion.

This volume presents the seminal treatise of the important Spanish Muslim mystic, Ibn al-‘Arabī, on Islamic sainthood The Book of the Fabulous Gryphon. In highly allusive, symbolic language, the Shaykh al-Akbar reveals his manifesto of the revolutionary significance of sainthood in the person of its timely epitome, the Seal of the saints. The first part of the book consists of a critical introduction dealing with the biographical, historical and bibliographical background to the Fabulous Gryphon, along with a thorough examination of its concepts, themes and structure. The complete, annotated translation of the Gryphon is followed by further original translations of related texts by Ibn al-‘Arabī. Apart from the Fusūs al-ḥikam, no comparable treatise by this leading figure of Islamic spirituality has ever been presented in its entirety in any western language.

The tradition of scriptural commentary is largely unknown to those outside of Qur'anic studies, yet constitutes one of the earliest and most significant traditions of Islam. This work examines early and contemporary commentaries, covering a wide spectrumof theological and hermeneutic approaches.

Both traditions recognize and draw theological and historical lessons from some of the same narrative sources, but this is the first comparative resource to provide interdisciplinary coverage of the history and textual sources associated with prophets and prophecy. This thorough treatment of a difficult and increasingly controversial subject area will encourage and cultivate knowledge and understanding.

The contributions in this volume offer the first comprehensive effort to describe and analyse the collection, classification, presentation and methodology of information in the knowledge society of mediæval Islam in the disciplines of religious and legal learning, as well as the rational sciences of Hellenistic origin philosophy, mathematical and medical sciences. The volume begins with a general discussion of the concept of encyclopædia. Successive chapters explore the bases of authority in the institutions of religion and law; biographical literature and handbooks of law; compendia of scientific and philosophical learning based on Iranian and Greek sources; and the more specialised expositions of mathematics and philosophy. The special character of Muslim institutions, their teaching traditions and syllabi is also put into perspective.This is a reference work for the principal genres of enyclopædic outlines and manuals biography, legal handbooks, historiography of knowledge transmission, cosmography, and the philosophical sciences and a major contribution to the literary and intellectual history of scholarly writing in the pre-modern Islamic world.

Preface; Hinduism: The Vedas; The Upanishads; The Bhagavad; Buddhism: The Pali Cannon; Confucianism: Lun-yu (The Analects); Taoism: Tao te Ching; Judaism: The Torah, Nev'im, Ketuvim, Talmud; Christianity: The New Testament (Gospels, Acts of the Apostles and the Epistles); Islam: Qur'an, Hadith; Zoroastrianism: Gathas, Yashts, Vendidad; Jainism: Tattvartha Sutra (Moksha Sutra); Sikhism: Guru Granth Sahib (Adi Granth); Shinto: Kojiki, Rokkokushi, Shoku Nikhaigi, Jinno Shotoki; Latter Day Saints: The Book of Mormon; Index.