In his introduction, Asín observes that while Christian Spain later became deeply influenced by Muslim mysticism, previously the oriental Church had equally influenced early Islam. Islam then arrived in the far west, the Maghreb al-Aksa and Andalusia, where Ibn 'Arabi would be born. From the perspective of religious studies, it might be said that Asín Palacios here presents us with a multidimensional, polyphonic text for comparative religion. In his other works on Sufi practice, Asín mentions precursors of Ibn 'Arabi in al-Andalus (i.e., the school of "Ibn Masarra"), as well as those who drew on his teachings afterwards (for example, the tariqah of the "Sadilies" "xadilíes"). Asín refers to the many parallels between al-Ghazali and Ibn 'Arabi, both well-known and still studied teachers.