Routledge/UNISA Press Series

<p>A prominent mystic and renowned anti-colonial warrior from Indonesia, Shaykh Yusuf of Macassar (1626–1699), was exiled to South Africa where he played a pioneering role in laying the foundations of Islam. Offering a rich translation of Shaykh Yusuf’s Arabic writings, <i>Spiritual Path, Spiritual Reality</i> fills an important gap on the works devoted to the spiritual dimension in the Muslim intellectual archive. </p><p>The introduction gives insight into his life and an understanding of how his mysticism was connected to his political engagement. Focusing on Islamic mysticism – known as Ṣūfīsm – the volume covers areas of spiritual discipline of the self, metaphysics and gnostic knowledge. The style is pedagogical with an instructive tone in keeping with the Ṣūfī path.</p>