Meeting the ever increasing interest in Islam and Sufism, this book is the first comprehensive study of Sufi Qur'anic commentaries and includes translations of many writings previously unavailable in English. It examines the shared hermeneutical assumptions of Sufi writers and the diversity in style of Sufi commentaries. Some of the assumptions analyzed are:

* the Qur'an is a multi-layered and ambiguous text open to endless interpretation

* the knowledge of deeper meanings of the Qur'an is attainable by means other than transmitted interpretations and...