This is the best book I have read on Sufism. Rozehnal is to be applauded for wading into controversial and dangerous waters and producing a first-rate study that should serve as a model for scholars in a variety of fields. According to the biographical information given, he teaches in a Department of Religious Studies, but he is clearly just as fluent in politics, anthropology, and history. This is an absolute "must read" for anyone interested in this region.

Rozehnal's book is a compelling account of a 20th century Sufi order. He takes the reader behind the scenes, showing how personalities, histories, and politics interweave with rituals and belief structures that have been passed down from master to disciple for many generations. This is an essential read for anyone interested in Sufi practice or the role of Sufism in Pakistani politics. The book also provides in depth profiles of three modern Sufi masters in the Chishti Sabiri order, each with a different emphasis in his teachings and philosophy and very different personalities - including one British man who converted to Islam and rose through the spiritual ranks to the level of a teaching shaikh. Rozehnal deepens the book with rich ethnographic detail from many interviews with current disciples, bringing to life the experience of being a Sufi in modern Pakistan.