Seyyed Hossein Nasr is University Professor of Islamic Studies at George Washington University. He believes that "Sufism possesses the intellectual power and the spiritual presence necessary to confront the errors of the modern world and to provide a spiritual path, leading to the Divine Proximity and in fact to the embrace of the Beloved, amidst the chaos and confusion that characterize the world in which we live."
In this collection of scholarly essays Nasr examines the relevance of this esoteric branch of Islam to ecology, the mystical quest, the study of comparative religions, and the modern-day search for meaning. Some of the most interesting facets of Sufism explored here include the journey of the soul to God and the relationship between the disciple and the Sufi master.