A readable survey of this celebrated 9th century Arab poet.

Surveys the life and lyrics of the 14th century Persian-speaking Indian poet.

An account of the great Shi'ite scholar-theologian.

Covers the 10th-century founder of the great Cordova Caliphate.

Fazlallah Astarabadi was a 14th-century Islamic religious leader who believed that the world was about to come to an end. This book is the first comprehensive study of Astarabadi's life and thought and also offer a history of his movement. It emphasizes the diversity of medieval Islam by describing an apocalyptic movement founded on the idea that the cosmos contains embedded secrets that become manifest through extraordinary human beings.

Captures the achievements of this Sufi thinker and founder of gnostic hurufism.

An exploration of the legacy of El-Hajj Beshir, Chief Eunuch of the Ottoman Imperial Harem in the early 18th century, and a highly influential proponent of the Hanafi legal rite.

In this accessible study, Stephen Humphreys introduces the most elusive of the early caliphs, Mu'awiya ibn abi Sufyan (602-680). Throughout history, some have accused him of being the first caliph to diverge from Muhammed's model of ideal Muslim leadership whilst others credit him with uniting an empire in disarray and transforming the Caliphate into a practicable form of government. In light of this, Humphreys critically analyses his sources, and seeks to get as close as possible to a historical account of the great man.

A fascinating portrait of Usama ibn Munquidh, the famed 12th century warrior-poet and chronicler of everyday Muslim in the era of the first Crusade.

An illuminating study of the mysterious Brethren of Purity', the 10th century letter writers whose epistles, although often deemed heretical, exerted a profound influence on the development of Shi'i Islam.