Sufi Martyrs of Love: The Chishti Order in South Asia and Beyond

Rating:
Summary: Lots of information
Review: Sufi Martyrs of Love by Carl Ernst and Bruce Lawrence is a travel through the history and practices of the Chishti order of Sufism from its beginnings to the present. The book did a good job explaining how Sufis of the Chishti order have reconciled being Muslim and a Sufi. The book also discussed how many Muslims particularly Whahbbis do not see Sufism as part of Islam. The book touched upon many interesting concepts such as these and it was obviously well researched. However, if you are looking for a basic introduction into Sufisim this is not it. It was a very slow read and at times very dry. There were many times when I found myself skipping entire paragraphs that seemed to just be filled with the names of Sufi masters. There were far too many names to keep track of and their significance within Chishti order. If you have a good foundation of knowledge of Sufism and want to learn about the Chishti order then this is the book for you. If not, then try your luck elsewhere.

Rating:
Summary: Lots of information
Review: Sufi Martyrs of Love by Carl Ernst and Bruce Lawrence is a travel through the history and practices of the Chishti order of Sufism from its beginnings to the present. The book did a good job explaining how Sufis of the Chishti order have reconciled being Muslim and a Sufi. The book also discussed how many Muslims particularly Whahbbis do not see Sufism as part of Islam. The book touched upon many interesting concepts such as these and it was obviously well researched. However, if you are looking for a basic introduction into Sufisim this is not it. It was a very slow read and at times very dry. There were many times when I found myself skipping entire paragraphs that seemed to just be filled with the names of Sufi masters. There were far too many names to keep track of and their significance within Chishti order. If you have a good foundation of knowledge of Sufism and want to learn about the Chishti order then this is the book for you. If not, then try your luck elsewhere.