BRILL MEDIEVAL ENCOUNTERS 20 (2014) 352-382 Medieval Omuian mJMuJm C«ln »r Encounters b rill.c o m /m e Mystical Encounters: Locating Sufis and Sufism in the Biographical Writings of Ibn al-Khatlb Linda G. Jones F aculty o f H um anities, U niversitat Pom peu Fabra, Barcelona, Spain Linda.jones@upf.edu Abstract Ibn al-Khatlb’s engagement with Sufism has received less attention among scholars than other aspects of his political and literary career. The existing research has focused primarily on the debate concerning the sincerity of his commitment to Sufism. This article proposes to locate Ibn al-Khatlb’s attitude toward Sufism and the Sufis of four teenth-century Nasrid G ranada by analyzing som e of the notices he dedicated to Sufis in his biographical dictionary, al-Ihataftakhbar Gharnata. By studying a broad range of biographies, this article hopes to shed light on Ibn al-Khatlb’s views regarding the compatibility of Sufism with public service and to increase our knowledge about the activities of the Sufis of Nasrid G ranada by illustrating the various roles they played in Nasrid society. Keywords Ibn al-K hatlb - Sufism - N asrid G ranada - Islam ic biography Introduction The place of Sufism in the life, thought, praxis, and works of Lisan al-DIn Ibn al-Khatlb (d. 776/1375) constitutes a facet of the famous fourteenth-century Nasrid minister and polyglot that has received less attention than other more spectacular aspects of his public life, such as his involvement in Nasrid and Marinid politics, his diplomatic enterprises, his incomparable contributions to Nasrid historiography and belles-lettres, and the tumultuous circumstances © KONINKLIJKE BRILL NV, LEIDEN, 2014 | DOI 10.1163/15700674-12342179