Shows Nasafi and his legacy in a new light. Nasafi's works are of particular interest because they contain valuable descriptions of the different Islamic world views of the age. Includes substantial extracts to help illuminate this perceptive study of a neglected figure in the pantheon of Sufi thinkers.
Introduction -- 1 Life, Times and Works of 'Aziz Nasafi -- I. The Life and Times of 'Aziz Nasafi -- II. Nasafi's Works -- I. 'Aziz Nasafi's Six Ontological Faces -- 2 Ontology -- II. Nasafi and Imagination -- III. Nasafi and Neoplatonic Ontology -- I. Attaining Knowledge -- 3 Epistemology -- Epistemological Thought -- III. Mystical Knowledge -- II. The Sufi Path -- II. The Superiority of Friendship Over Prophecy -- I. The Spiritual Ascent -- IV. The Friends as Heirs of the Prophets -- 5 Visionary Experience and Unity with God -- IL The Vision of God -- III. The Superiority of Prophecy Over Friendship -- III. Spiritual Perfection and Creation -- I. Felicity, the Goal of Sufism -- 6 The Perfection of Man -- IL The Convergence of Hellenistic and Islamic -- I. Types of Vision and Mystical Experience -- V. Perfection and its Political Significance -- 4 The Sufi Journey -- Conclusion -- Appendix -- Bibliography -- Koranic and Hadith Index -- Subject Index.
