Islamic mysticism was contested from the formative period of Islam till the present. Criticism of and opposition to mystical conceptions of Islam and their adherents constitute an integral part of an ongoing debate inside the Islamic tradition. Controversies and polemics concerning Islamic mysticism often shaped and coincided with socio-political configurations.
This volume results from a collective effort by a group of Islamicists and area specialists with a variety of disciplinary orientations to arrive at a comprehensive view of these controversies and polemics wherever and whenever found.
The thirty-five contributions and the introduction are united in their historicising approach, while taking into account the wider socio-political context. Detailed indexes facilitate consultation of the work and give it an added value as work of reference and research tool.