Abu Hamid al-Ghazali (d. 505/1111), theologian, logician, jurist and mystic, was born and died in Tus in Central Asia, but spent much of his life lecturing at Baghdad or leading the life of a wandering dervish. His most celebrated work, Revival of the Religious Sciences, has exercised a profound influence on Muslim intellectual history.

Anthony H. Johns, Emeritus Professor at the Australian National University in Canberra, is a specialist in Sufism in the Malay world, Islamic history and institutions, and Quranic exegesis.