Sources

Mystical Dimensions of Islam

Citation Formats

General Reference

Divinity Atlas. "Mystical Dimensions of Islam." Accessed August 30, 2026. https://dev-divinity.interactiveatlas.org/sources/mystical-dimensions-of-islam.

APA Style

Divinity Atlas. (n.d.). Mystical Dimensions of Islam. Retrieved August 30, 2026, from https://dev-divinity.interactiveatlas.org/sources/mystical-dimensions-of-islam

BibTeX

@misc{divinityatlas-mystical-dimensions-of-islam,
  author = {Divinity Atlas},
  title = {Mystical Dimensions of Islam},
  year = {2026},
  url = {https://dev-divinity.interactiveatlas.org/sources/mystical-dimensions-of-islam},
  note = {Accessed August 30, 2026}
}

Annemarie Schimmel's survey works through the documented historical debate within Islamic scholarship itself over whether music and movement, as in the Mevlevi turning ceremony, are permissible in worship, presenting that live internal disagreement rather than settling it from outside. That she reports a real, long running argument inside the tradition, rather than a single external verdict on Sufi practice, is the book's real evidentiary basis. First published in 1975, this record has not independently traced which of her specific readings later specialists have revised across the intervening decades. It is a strong source for the history and theological debate around Sufi devotional practice. A claim resting on the most recent scholarship of a specific Sufi order may need a more current study alongside it.

Facts

Assessment

Reliability Tier

A standard scholarly survey of Sufism from a university press presenting the long running internal Islamic scholarly debate over whether music and movement are permissible in worship rather than settling it from outside.

Notes

A standard survey of Sufism, including the place of sama and of the Mevlevi turning ceremony within it and the long scholarly argument over whether music and movement are permissible in worship.

Citation

Author

Annemarie Schimmel

Publisher

University of North Carolina Press

Publication Year

1975

URL

https://archive.org/details/mysticaldimensio00schi

Source Type

academic monograph

Claims Backed By This Source (318 claims)

This source backs 318 claims across the atlas. As facts: 104 well-attested, 2 scholarly debate. As cited relationships: 151 holds, 10 connected, 9 held Differently. Plus 42 entities citing it as a general reference with no single fact or relationship attached.

Disposition By Topic

Religious Orders, 142 claims: 1 well-attested, 124 holds, 9 held Differently, 8 general references.
Articles, 66 claims: 43 well-attested, 10 connected, 13 general references.
Beliefs & Restrictions, 26 claims: 16 well-attested, 2 scholarly debate, 8 general references.
Historical Figures, 24 claims: 16 well-attested, 4 holds, 4 general references.
Doctrines, 16 claims: 4 well-attested, 8 holds, 4 general references.
Denominations, 11 claims: 10 holds, 1 general references.
Religious Roles & Titles, 9 claims: 6 well-attested, 1 holds, 2 general references.
Sacred Dances, 8 claims: 4 well-attested, 3 holds, 1 general references.
Scriptures & Texts, 8 claims: 6 well-attested, 1 holds, 1 general references.
Sources, 8 claims: 8 well-attested.