title: The Polished Mirror: Storytelling and the Pursuit of Virtue in Islamic Philosophy and Sufism
author:  Cyrus Ali Zargar 
description: This fine study, supported by careful analysis of primary texts, illustrates the congruence of Islamic philosophy and Sufism on the issue of achieving self-perfection, to which human beings are called both by prophetic wisdom and by rational acumen. (<i><b>William C. Chittick, Distinguished Professor of Islamic Studies, Stony Brook University</b></i>)<br /><br />The Polished Mirror is the perfect title for Zargars erudite and eloquent book, for it reflects with superb analytical clarity the views of a wide range of thinkers on the subject of ethics. Justifiably going beyond writings that explicitly deal with the topic, he draws together various strands of Islamic tradition, clarifying both the links and similarities that join them and the distinctions that separate them. A major contribution to Islamic studies, from which both established scholars and those new to the field stand to gain significantly. (<i><b>Hamid Algar, Professor Emeritus of Persian and Islamic Studies, University of California, Berkeley</b></i>)<br /><br />"<i>The Polished Mirror</i> is an incredible, even paradigm-shifting work in Islamic Studies." (<i>Mohammed Rustom, associate professor of Islamic studies, Carleton University, and author of <i>Inrushes of the Spirit: The Mystical Theology of Ayn al-Qut</i></i>)<br /><br />Students of Islamic ethics have long felt the need for a more sustained and unified insight into the rich history of reflection on the virtues in the Islamic world. Ambitious in scope yet accessible throughout, this book explores the distinctive contributions of a number of key figures working across both sides of the permeable boundary between philosophy and Sufism. Anyone with an interest in how thinkers in the medieval Islamic world engaged with the science of the states of the heart  in its many permutations  will find a valuable companion in Cyrus Ali Zargars book. (<i><b>Sophia Vasalou, Fellow in Philosophical Theology, University of Birmingham</b></i>)<br /><br />Comprehensive in its scope, and drawing on intellectual luminaries ranging from Musib to Avicenna, Zargars erudite study offers the first major analysis of virtue ethics in classical Islam. It will set the stage for future research in the field. (<i><b>Atif Khalil, Associate Professor, Dept. of Religious Studies, University of Lethbridge, and author of <i>Repentance and the Return to God:</i> Tawba <i>in Early Sufism</i></b></i>)<br /><br />Far too much of previous scholarship on Muslim ethics has obsessed over the question of its indebtedness to Greek (and Persian) antecedents. Cyrus Zargars The Polished Mirror is a brilliant way of reframing the conversation about ethics in the spiritual and intellectual cosmos of Islamic thought. Zargar masterfully navigates the worlds of ethics, philosophy, mysticism, narrative, and poetry to offer us a rich tapestry. The result is far more than merely a groundbreaking way of rethinking ethics in Islam. It is a groundbreaking study of the interconnectedness of Islamic spiritual, ethical, and intellectual universe through studying Ibn Sina, Rumi, Brethren of Purity, Ghazali, Suhrawardi, and others. Enthusiastically recommended for all students of Islamic studies, ethics, and mysticism. (<i><b>Omid Safi, Director, Duke Islamic Studies Center</b></i>)
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  MORE PRAISE FOR THE POLISHED MIRROR
  
  
  “The Polished Mirror is the perfect title for Zargar’s erudite and eloquent
  book, for it reflects with superb analytical clarity the views of a wide range
  of thinkers on the subject of ethics. Justifiably going beyond writings that
  explicitly deal with the topic, he draws together various strands of Islamic
  tradition, clarifying both the links and similarities that join them and the
  distinctions that separate them. A major contribution to Islamic studies, from
  which both established scholars and those new to the field stand to gain
  significantly.”
  
  
  Hamid Algar, Professor Emeritus of Persian and Islamic Studies,
  
  
  University of California, Berkeley
  
  
  “Students of Islamic ethics have long felt the need for a more sustained and
  unified insight into the rich history of reflection on the virtues in the
  Islamic world. Ambitious in scope yet accessible throughout, this book
  explores the distinctive contributions of a numb