Table of Contents

1. Introduction 2. Sama` in Early Sufi Literature: An Overview 3. The Language of Sama` and Other Key Concepts 4. The Psychology of Sama` Part 1 5. The Psychology of Sama` Part 2 6. The Psychology of Sama` According to the Sufi Writers 7. The Sufis' Explanations of their Altered State Experiences 8. The Ritual Behaviour and Etiquette of Sama` 9. The Paradigmatic Experience of Two 'Ecstatics', Nuri and Shibli 10. Conclusions

About the Author

Kenneth S. Avery is a specialist in Sufi studies and Persian literature. He is a musician and a recent Ph.D. graduate in Islamic Studies from the University of Melbourne, Australia