In this unique look at a key figure in the 'Islamic enlightenment', Samer Akkach examines the life and works of 'Abd al-Ghani al-Nabulusi (1641-1731). Often characterized solely as a Sufi saint, his thought and teachings were of a much wider remit, and symptomatic of a growing rationalism among Islamic scholars during his lifetime. Through a fresh reading of his large body of mostly unpublished works, Akkach argues that 'Abd al-Ghani helped to herald the beginning of modernity in the Arab world.