Drawing on first-hand sources which had been inaccessible to Western readers at the time this book was originally published in 1961, this book gives a vivid picture of life in an order of Muslim mystics or Sufis. Against this background stands the unforgettable figure of the Algerian Shaikh who was head of the order from the death of his Master in 1909 until his own demise in 1934. The last chapters are devoted to his writings, which include some remarkable mystic poems.