Essential Sufism

If you are wondering just what is sufism can best be described as or are looking for inspiration I would recommend this book. A large part of the book covers God, satan, virtues,humor, prayer, charity, teacher and student relationships, etc. by offering sayings, stories, lectures, and fables. Many of them were written by well known sufi saints like Rumi, Rabia, etc. and Muslim figures throughout history. There's even a section that contains hadith, the traditions of prophet Muhammad.

The Sufi practitioner is a mystic. Sufi practices are the mystical practices of Islam. Many of those whom Islam heralds as saints and sages were Sufi masters. For nearly 1500 years, Sufi practices have co-existed with a diversity of other practices and cultures in which Islam has survived and thrived. 'According to many Sufis, the essential truths of Sufism exist in all religions. The foundation for all mysticism includes the outer forms of religious practice, plus a life based on moral and ethical principles. The roots of the tree of religion are founded in religious law.... The branches of the tree are mysticism.... The fruit of the tree is the Truth, or God.'Edited by James Fadiman and Robert Frager, this book reaches from the very beginnings of Sufi practice to the present, and pulls together materials that are luminous and spirit-provoking, from prayers that have survived a millennium to contemporary poetry. Writers such as Ibn al-Arabi, Ahmad al-Ghazzali, Hafiz, Rumi and Attar fill this book with an enchanting sense of a divine presence in the curiously distant yet all-to-present reality.Many of the teachings of Sufi are very basic and practical, much moreso than one would think a mystical framework would be. And yet, God is practical in many ways. God particularly expects those with wisdom to impart the wisdom, and this is best done practically for many hearers. Action is the final essential component of wisdom.The task of the Sufi is to recognise the Truth, to learn and remember it, and secondly, to help others to the Truth as well. As the task evolves, it becomes one process, which infiltrates daily life, worship, and all of existence. Nothing is apart from God. The Sufi strives to recognise this wholeness. 'Oh heart, sit with someonewho knows the heart;God under the treewhich has fresh blossoms.' - RumiFor many of the Sufi, the path to Truth is the path of Love. 'Whatever we wish to know well, we must love.' Yet, there is resistance and fear in this love. Love can transform us, make us unrecognisable even to ourselves, and this is worrisome. Yet God will always know who we are. Sufi literature also has a humourous aspect to it; the Hodja stories of Turkish collections is illustrated here. These are interesting, because they always illumine more upon closer examination.'I can see in the dark,' boasted Hodja one day while sitting in a tea shop.`If that's true,' said his friends, `why do we sometimes see you carrying a light at night?'`Well,' he replied, `I only use that lamp to prevent other people from bumping into me.'Ultimately the goal of all mystical practice, and perhaps most especially the Sufi, is the experience of knowing God. The paths to God are as numerous as the seekers, the Sufi believe, which is why the path through other religious faith is not discounted. Through prayer, remembrance and service, the Sufi comes to know God, and join with God. One day a man asked a sheikh how to reach God. `The ways to God,' the sheikh repli

.....to Islamic Mysticism. I first became interested in Sufism when a friend told me she had been following the Sufi path for many years. She is a person who has faced very serious challenges in her life (which I greatly admire) and I wanted to know how she had done so with such poise and equanimity. The answer for her was Sufism. This book does an excellent job of explaining the Sufi path. Prior to reading this book I knew literally nothing about the subject. Now I understand Sufism to be a deeply personal path and one that is based on love of God, a dedication to service, a search for spiritual knowledge, and uncovering one's pure self. The wisdom of Sufism is learned through art, prayer, poetry, stories, readings and rituals, all of which is guided by a Sufi teacher. The history of Sufism is traced in this book and the beliefs and path of the faith are thoroughly explained. Discussed are: Sufism's four great books (Jesus' Gospels, the Quran, Moses' Torah and David's Psalms), the Five Pillars of Islam, the four stages of Sufi practice, transforming the self, the importance of a Sufi teacher and much more. After reading this book I feel I have a sound knowledge of the basics of this faith and an understanding of why my friend has found such peace in following it. I highly recommend this book to anyone wishing to learn about Sufism or who is on a spiritual path that is open to new discoveries.

Now that I have an actual identity here I am simply reiterating my former review. This book takes qoutations from many different sufi "dervishes", some are ancient and some contemporary. Nonetheless the wisdom in this book is largely timeless. From Sheik Muzaffer and Rumi and as far back as Muhammad himself. this book does not limit its spiritual wisdoms to only muslims (I am not really a muslim) but to any person who seeks the spiritual side of themselves. These wisdoms are arranged in short quotes and small fable-like stories making it extremely easy to read. In short, it is a very interesting and enlightening book. The broad spectrum of material in this book ranges from such lofty concepts as spiritual experience, contemplation and knowledge, love, God and Satan yet also has such worldly concerns as Sufi humour. Even the sections not directly concerned with humour show that the Sufis have always been masters of irony and mirth. The one thing I think impressed me the most about this book was the incredibly intricate and beautiful calligraphy. The readability of this book is excellent. All these "Essential..." books are great, read them.

For non-Muslims, this book is essential to understanding a very important aspect of Islam that people don't see, either due to ignorance or because of bias. It deals with universal morals, ideals and ethics (ranging from love of humanity, to patience, to gratitude) that are central to tassawwuf (what is known in the west as Sufism). Sufism/tassawuf is actually considered (traditionally) to be an Islamic science dealing with the purity of an individuals heart in relating with God and creation. To those who thought Islam is some sort of evil, alien force, this book will prove how ignorant they are. Specifically, I'm recommending this book for Muslims, as it holds a wealth of knowledge going back to the words of the Prophet (PBUH), to modern scholars. The words of all the women and men in this book are PRICELESS, and should be read as they are beautiful expressions of of our pan-Islamic heritage. Yet for anyone in seeking to own an open heart, this is the book for you.