"The stories in this book are drawn from the dozens that Douglas-Klotz has enjoyed telling in his seminars over the past 20 years. Most of them appear in works of the classical Sufis, such as Rumi, Attar, or S'adi. To preserve some of the in-person feeling and bring the language up to date, he has given them his own improvised turns."--Amazon.com.

The Way of the Sufi presents an unparalleled cross-section of material from Sufi schools, teachings and classical writings, as a basic course of Sufi study. The author begins with the outward aspects of the teaching most likely to puzzle the student coming fresh to the subject. He considers various attitudes to Sufi ideas, and evidence of their absorption into medieval Christianity, Hinduism, Jewish mysticism and modern philosophical teachings. The...

A serious, yet entertaining, look at the impediments in current thought which prevent certain forms of understanding between people. The title story was made into an award-winning film with script by Idries Shah, and chosen as an Outstanding Film of the Year. The Dermis Probe comprises a collection of extracts from the written and oral tradition of Eastern thinkers. In his preface, Shah notes, 'In this book you can find illustrated some of the peculiarities...

Ajmer, an ancient city, stands on the highest plateau of the Aravalli range. Famous as the capital of the Chauhan empire, it became the center of the world for thousands of people who found solace at the shrine of Sufi saint Hazrat Khwaja Moinuddin Chisti. Born in Sajistan, he became the follower of Chistiya sect and found a place among the chosen five Khwajas, known well in the world.He laid the foundations of the Chishtiya order in Ajmer, which...

This is a definitive book on the Sufi "way of blame" that addresses the cultural life of Sufism in its entirety. Originating in ninth-century Persia, the "way of blame" (Arab. malamatiyya) is a little-known tradition within larger Sufism that focused on the psychology of egoism and engaged in self-critique. Later, the term referred to those Sufis who shunned Islamic literalism and formalism, thus being worthy of "blame." Yannis Toussulis may be the...

Muhammad Raheem Bawa Muhaiyaddeen (Ral.) always said his own history was not important, and that only God's history is of value. However, he did on several occasions speak about his personal history and life experiences. They reveal his search for God and a dedication to serving all lives. In this collection of experiences, and teachings, we read countless examples of the duties he performed for those he met; rescuing them from danger, healing their...

This short book features many of Gulen's ideas that have guided this extraordinary venture since its inception. They have inspired millions of ordinary people to do what they normally might never consider doing: helping people they don't know for the sole prpose of earning the pleasure of God by helping a fellow human being.

Titus Burckhardt's masterpiece, An Introduction to Sufi Doctrine, is a distillation of the essence of Islamic mysticism, or Sufism, presenting its central doctrines and methods to a western audience in a highly intelligible form. It was Burckhardt's first-hand knowledge of Sufism that qualified him to undertake pioneering and authoritative translations of Sufi classics by renowned authors such as Ibn al-Arabi, Abd al-Karim al-Jili, and Mulay al-Arabi...