This chapter compares two figures, the Hanbali Sufi Abdullah Ansari of Herat (1006–1088) and the French Dominican friar Serge de Beaurecueil (1917–2005), using the Sufi distinction between "drunk" and "sober" mysticism. Both men embodied a disruptive yet authentic sanctity fully transparent to the divine presence. Al-Ansari rejected speculative theology and emulated Muhammad, suffering from theological opponents and political changes. De Beaurecueil studied Islam and, after a mystical experience at al-Ansari's tomb in Herat, worked with street children in Afghanistan's capital.
A review of two books examines Protestant theologies of monastic life and cross-cultural mysticism. Greg Peters argues that sixteenth-century Reformers like Luther, Calvin, and Zwingli criticized medieval monasticism but did not seek its total abolition; many Protestant theologians from the sixteenth to twentieth centuries advocated a reformed monastic life congruent with the gospel. Phyllis Zagano's anthology introduces mystical traditions of Hinduism, Chinese religions, Buddhism, Judaism, Christianity, and Islam, offering primary texts for comparative reading. The review notes Peters's book overlooks the connection between monasticism and mysticism, while Zagano's volume lacks depth and omits early Eastern Christian mystics. Both books, despite shortcomings, serve readers interested in Protestant monasticism or world mystical traditions.