This book is an in-depth, comparative study of two of the most popular and influential intellectual and spiritual traditions of West Africa: Tijani Sufism and Ifa. Employing a unique methodological approach that thinks with and from-rather than merely about-these traditions, Oludamini Ogunnaike argues that they contain sophisticated epistemologies that provide practitioners with a comprehensive worldview and a way of crafting a meaningful life. Using theories belonging to the traditions themselves as well as contemporary oral and textual sources, Ogunnaike examines how both Sufism and Ifa answer the questions of what knowledge is, how it is acquired, and how it is verified. Or, more simply: What do you know? How did you come to know it? How do you know that you know? After analyzing Ifa and Sufism separately and on their own terms, the book compares them to each other and to certain features of academic theories of knowledge. By analyzing Sufism from the perspective of Ifa, Ifa from the perspective of Sufism, and the contemporary academy from the perspective of both, this book invites scholars to inhabit these seemingly "foreign" intellectual traditions as valid and viable perspectives on knowledge, metaphysics, psychology, and ritual practice. Unprecedented and innovative, Deep Knowledge makes a significant contribution to cross-cultural philosophy, African philosophy, religious studies, and Islamic studies. Its singular approach advances our understanding of the philosophical bases underlying these two African traditions and lays the groundwork for future study.

Abu Hafs 'Umar al-Suhrawardi (1145-1234) is the author of a classic work of Muslim piety, a key figure in the rise of institutional Sufism in the form of "orders" called "tariqas," and the influential eponym of one of these famous orders. This book presents studies, editions, and English translations of his shorter treatises that were originally penned in Arabic and Persian. Relying on global archival research, the book discovers materials that shed new light on his teachings and networks, as it traces the context, sources, and reception of his works. Carefully identifying the authentic works of 'Umar al-Suhrawardi, the book presents significant new information on a key moment in the history of Muslim piety and mysticism.