The Sufi mystical heart of Islam is one of the few antidotes to fundamentalism in the muslim world, and here Nasr looks at the human spiritual quest for the paradisaical divine garden from a Sufi perspective.

A timely expression of the core spiritual and social values of Islam showing their complementarity to Jewish and Christian values as well as their positive contribution to a peaceful and humane global future.

The author establishes art as an aid and support to the spiritual life, then traces the creative act to its ultimate source making crystalization of inner realities in form and space and time possible.  An especially closer look is given to the Sufi tradition within Islam.

Essays on the various facets of the Islamic tradition, including law and society, typology, intellectual life, science, and philosophy.  A solid basis for understanding current events in the middle east.