Christian scholars often say that Sufi theories are close to those of Christianity. Many Moslems maintain that they are essentially derived from Islam. The resemblance of many Sufi ideas to those of several religious and esoteric systems are sometimes taken as evidence of derivation. The Islamic interpretation is that religion is of one origin, differences being due to local or historical causes.

His early writings centred on magic and witchcraft. He used to say that the great collections of stories from the East were like encyclopedias storehouses of wisdom and knowledge ready to be studied to be appreciated and cheriIdries Shahd. For the time being we can only hope that some good will come and meanwhile continue our own work.

Shah came to be recognised as a spokesman for Sufism in the West and lectured as a visiting professor at a number of Western universities. Born in India the descendant of a family of Afghan nobles Shah grew up mainly in England. In 1965 Shah founded the Institute for Cultural Research a London-based educational charity devoted to the study of human behaviour and culture.