Sufism: a guide to essential reference resources

Abstract

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to give a starting point to non‐specialists to understand Sufism by introducing the essential works about this broad subject.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper identifies and lists bibliographies, indexes, encyclopedias, dictionaries, and handbooks about Sufism.

Findings

Interest in Sufism is growing, and references to books, articles, essays, and even theses and dissertations under the subject headings Sufism and Sufis are now considerable. Resources are scattered, posing challenges to students and scholars, as well as librarians. Additionally, there is a deficiency of specialized databases, bibliographies, and indexes related to Sufism.

Originality/value

To date, this is the only guide of this kind.

Citation

Francesconi, D. (2009), "Sufism: a guide to essential reference resources", Reference Services Review, Vol. 37 No. 1, pp. 112-124. https://doi.org/10.1108/00907320910935039