This reference volume reconstructs a lexicon of classical Sufi terminology to provide readers with a unique survey of the way in which Sufis expressed their discipline in its early codification. Each entry is listed alphabetically according to the Arabic transliteration of the word (with a suitable English equivalent provided, carefully cross-referenced in the index). Each entry begins with an explanation of the linguistic origins of the word and then moves to an explanation of the term in the context of the Qur'an and hadith. There then follows a discussion of the specific implications of each phrase in a Sufi context. Sufism plays an immensely important role in Islamic History, Culture and Civilisations. It has developed over many centuries into a sophisticated, codified and mystical way of approaching the phenomenal world. A pivotal era in this genesis is what is known as the 'Period of Consolidation' - two centuries (c.350-550/ 950-1150) in which Sufism developed a number of literary genres to elucidate its beliefs, theory and praxis.

Sufi authors composed biographical reference works, short treatises and elaborate manuals and these works became the foundation upon which subsequent generations of Sufis would build their various theoretical and practical discourses. With the evolution of this facet of religious learning a whole new vocabulary developed as Sufism produced its own unique vernacular, essentially grounded in the Arabic language and specifically in the Qur'an.