The essays in Conversion, Sufism, Revival and Reform in Islam examine the spread of Islam in Asia and Africa, Islamic mysticism as a cultural expression and social framework, and the modes in which contemporary Israel reacts to the challenges posed by the West. The volume is dedicated to the memory of Prof. Nehemia Levtzion (1935–2003), who was a mainstay of Near East, Islamic, and African studies. In his extensive multidisciplinary work, Prof. Levtzion employed diverse research methods with particularist, universal, and comparative perspectives. This research and methodological gamut is reflected in the present volume, which is based on lectures delivered at the annual conference of the Israel Oriental Society, held at the Van Leer Jerusalem Institute.

The volume is divided into four sections: Conversion to Islam; Sufism and Sufi Fraternities; Reform and Revival Movements in Islam; and West Africa—Islam and Pre-Colonial History. The authors, Professor Levtzion’s colleagues and students, all carry on his research legacy, in one way or another, while developing it in accordance with their own scholarly interests.