A SUFI SAINT OF THE TWENTIETH CENTURY- Shaykh Ahmad al-‘Alawi: His Spiritual Heritage and Legacy His Spiritual Heritage and Legacy Martin Lings One of the most thorough and intimately engaging books on Sufism; this masterly study is arguably the finest biography of a Sufi in the English language and almost a prerequisite for any serious study of Sufism in European languages. It serves as a key to understanding the phenomenon of sanctity in Islam as well as a deeper understanding of Islam as a whole. Martin Lings lets above all the sources speak for -themselves. But what he adds by way of commentary is ,of the greatest significance and may serve as a key to a deeper understanding of Islam as a whole. The author lets the Sufis speak for themselves and, in a series of unusual and absorbing texts mainly translated from the Arabic, he gives a vivid picture of life in a North African Sufi order. Against this background stands the unforgettable figure of the Algerian Shaykh whose sanctity recalled the golden age of medieval mystics. The last few chapters are mainly devoted to his writings, which include some remarkable mystic poems. In this well documented book Dr. Lings draws on many rare sources and has made some important original contributions like a most lucid and convincing interpretation of Ibn `Arabi’s whadat
