Dr Martin Lings (1909-2005) formerly keeper of Oriental manuscripts at the British Library, is a world-renowned expert in Islamic manuscripts and author of the best-selling Muhammad: His Life Based on the Earliest Sources. In addition, his works on Islamic mysticism: Sufi Poems, What is Sufism?, A Sufi Saint of the Twentieth Century and The Book of Certainty, have made him one of the foremost authorities in the field. Other titles by Martin Lings include works on Shakespeare, on symbolism, and two collections of poetry.