Sufism in the Secret History of Persia

Milad Milani is Lecturer at the University of Sydney and the University of Western Sydney, Australia. He is Adjunct Fellow with the Religion and Society Research Centre, University of Western Sydney.

• Abbreviations Acknowledgements Preface List of Illustrations Introduction: Iranian or Persian? The Religious Landscape of Iranian Identity 1. The Macrohistorical Pursuit of Secret Persia and the Sufi Myth-History 2. From Mithra to Zarathushtra 3. The Gathas and Mithra 4. Mithraism and the Parallels of Sufism 5. The Resurgence of 'Persianate' Identity in the Transmission and Fusion of Ancient Iranian Ideals within Islam 6. From Late Antiquity to Neo-Mazdakism 7. Later Antiquity: Mazdak and the Sasanian Crisis 8. Between Late Antiquity and Islam: The Case of Salman the Persian and Waraqa (The Christian Scribe) 9. The End of the Journey: Persian Sufism Conclusion Select Bibliography Index

This book shows the vital importance of Iran in the formation of Islamic culture. It was Central Asian Iranians who changed Islam from an Arab religion into a world universal faith. And it was Iran which introduced Sufism into Islam, shaping the gnostic character of the religion. Sufism in the Secret History of Persia [in italics] illuminates Iranian Islamic civilisation and reveals the influence of Zoroastrianism and Mithraism on Sufi beliefs.Richard N. Frye, Harvard University, USAOverall, this book makes an important contribution to the academic literature on the aspect of Sufism in Persian history. It provides much food for thought, offers new thinking on old issues in research, sometimes philosophical in nature, and challenges previous academic views. Sufism in the Secret History of Persia is indispensable for anyone who takes an interest in this field and immensely useful for anyone who wishes better to understand the mysticism of Persia. Haggai Mazuz, Annemarie Schimmel Kolleg, Bonn