Sufis and Shari?a: The Forgotten School of Mercy

This book is not about Sufism. It is about the nature of the Sharī'a. In the first three centuries of Islam, many scholars believed that juristic differences were rooted in the Sharī'a's inherent flexibility. As this pluralistic attitude began to disappear, a number of Sufis defended and developed this idea through the centuries. They aimed to preserve the leniency and simplicity of the Sharī'a against the complications and restrictions created by many jurists.This book focuses on four majo...