Sufism, which appeared shortly after the death of the Prophet Muhammad, is based on two essential ideas: the conviction that the Quran has a hidden meaning which complements its apparent message, and the need to make an internal reading of it to promote the spiritual elevation of the people. Muslims. A mystical way of Islam, Sufism encourages the emergence of new forms of devotion: meditations, retreats, invocations, ecstatic songs and dances. From the thirteenth century, the Sufi communities were structured into large brotherhoods whose influence was exerted on religious life but also political, social and cultural. Historian, specialist in Sufism, Thierry Zarcone traces the progress of this esoteric current present throughout the Muslim world, from Africa to India, from Central Asia to China and Indonesia. A journey through time and space to discover doctrines, rites and mystical practices, the diversity of which proves the capacity for dialogue and exchanges with other religious traditions, and highlights the universal dimension of Sufism.
 Authors biography
 Director of research at the CNRS, Thierry Zarcone taught, from 1997 to 2007, the history and anthropology of Sufism and the Sufi brotherhoods at the Ecole des Hautes Etudes en Sciences Sociales.  --This text refers to the edition  Hardcover.