"Abu. al-Qāsim al-Qushayrī (b. 376), the author of al-Risāilah (Epistle to the Sufis), one of the earliest manuals of the science of taṣawwuf, was also a mufassir who wrote a complete commentary of the Qurʼan. His work is regarded as the first original mystical commentary written by a man who was both a theologian and a sufi. It is also considered a fusion of both the Sharīʻah and Ṭarīqah, bridging the gap between the ʻulamāʼ and the sufis, during a time when the friction between sufis and traditional ʻulamāʼ was at its peak with both sides accusing each other of deviating from Islam. In studying this historic tafsīr, the author first discusses the science of Qurʼanic exegesis and its development from the earliest days. He discusses briefly the history of early tafsīr works, the various kinds of tafsīrs and their historical and political backgrounds. He also aims to show how sufi scholars have given a new life to the interpretation of the Qur'an."--