Texts of Islam

Oriental Mysticism: Part V. The Study of Man: Chapter V. Conclusion

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This is a 19th-century scholarly summary (1867) by E.H. Palmer introducing Sufism — Islamic mystical philosophy — to a Western audience, drawn from the tradition's own theological framework. The central argument is that Sufi metaphysics rests on a single premise: the universe is a manifestation of God, and humanity's purpose is to come to know God through the divine Intelligence from which all creation proceeds. Palmer outlines the Sufi conception of human existence as a circle — a Descent from divine Intelligence into material form, and an Ascent back toward reunion with God — and maps out the eight progressive stages of this spiritual journey: Worship, Love, Seclusion, Knowledge, Ecstasy, Truth, Union, and finally Extinction (Faná), meaning total reabsorption into the Deity. A distinctive feature is Palmer's attention to Sufi allegorical poetry, explaining that mystic poets encode this theological journey as a love narrative — man as lover, God as beloved — and he promises an appended glossary to help readers decode writers like Hafiz. The work closes with a notably devotional turn, dropping scholarly distance to urge the reader toward the same humble submission to God that the system itself prescribes. It would suit anyone seeking a concise, sympathetic Victorian-era entry point into Sufi cosmology and its literary expression.

Oriental Mysticism: Part V. The Study of Man: Chapter V. Conclusion

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