Knowledge before Action

"Distinguished by its meticulous attention to primary sources, the book is among the most comprehensive, insightful, and thoroughly original resources on pre-modern Sufism in South Asia."—

"This is an excellent work, representing the first critical evaluation of a major figure in Islamic intellectual history in South Asia. Amina Steinfels brings to light a highly valuable cache of source material that has received scant academic attention to date. Knowledge before Action is an authoritative contribution to the study of Islam and should become a staple of reading lists on Sufism and the study of religion in South Asia."—Shahzad Bashir, Lysbeth Warren Anderson Professor in Islamic Studies, Stanford University and author of Messianic Hopes and Mystical Visions: The Nurbakhshiya Between Medieval and Modern Islam

"Knowledge before Action provides a detailed and richly textured portrait of a major Sufi figure of South Asia and offers readers the most focused and comprehensive glimpse into the daily lives of institutionalized Sufis of the medieval period. Amina Steinfels's thoroughly original work is solid and reliable and easily one of the major 'go-to' books for anyone interested in social, economic, political and especially ritual aspects of Sufism."—Ahmet Karamustafa, Professor of History and Religious Studies, Washington University in St. Louis and author of Sufism: The Formative Period