In Search of the Lost Heart: Explorations in Islamic Thought

Renowned scholar William C. Chittick explores the worldview of Islam in a series of essays written over thirty-six years. In Search of the Lost Heart brings together twenty-six essays by William C. Chittick, renowned scholar of Sufism and Islamic philosophy. Written between 1975 and 2010, most of these essays are not readily available in Chittick's own books and two are new. Although this is a collection, its editors have crafted it to be a book "sufficient unto itself, which, when taken as a whole, can be said to explore the underlying worldview of Islam." Chittick draws upon the writings of towering figures such as Ibn al-'Arabi, Rumi, and Mulla Sadra, as well as important, but lesser-known thinkers, as he engages with a wide variety of topics, such as the nature of being and knowledge, the relationship between love and scriptural hermeneutics, the practical and theoretical dimensions of Islamic mysticism, and the phenomenon of religious diversity. A final section on contemporary issues presents a lesser-known aspect of Chittick's writings, dealing with such concerns as the ecological crisis and the search for global peace.