Sufism discussion

Salam Everybody,

Just wanted to start a topic on your best read about Sufism. I have read many books and there are couple of books on Sufism which are really good and my favorite.

Let's all share our favorite read....

I will start first....

first two are very good introduction to Sufism for any newcomer to Sufism.



1. When you hear hoof beats think of Zebra
2. Love is wine
3. Mystical Dimensions of Islam By Annemarie Schimmel is good historical account of Sufism and probably the best on this subject.

Hands down, Attar's The Conference of the Birds is the best I read on Sufism. It gets right into the perspective of Sufis without overloading with doctrine. But it's still down to Earth, accessible and readable.

The Persian poetry of 12/13th century is the best to come from east for a long time and it is still unmatched until today.

Rumi, Hafiz, Sanai, Attar, Jami are all the best of all time in Sufi poetry and wisdom. The conference of the Birds is indeed one of the best on this subject.

Muslim Saints and Mystics: Episodes from the Tadhkirat al-Auliya' by Attar is a very good book on the Sufi masters of the past. Its gives us an insight into the lives, their sayings and works.

Salam,

What nudged me even more onto my journey, and is one of my favourites
The Alchemist
Even though it's not really a book on sufism, it still clearly has Sufi elements and I can sense a little bit of Rumi in there too ;oD

The "beginner" book, which i preferred from the others which I read, was Essential Sufism It gives a good overview of the Sufis such as Rumi, Hafez, Attar etc. It's a good 'appetizer'

Another I liked is Love Is a Fire: The Sufi's Mystical Journey Home

And finally, After always reading snippets and quotes by Rumi..A single quote can make me start pondering and getting lost, Rumi has this way of slowing down my reading :o)... But I finally decided to brave it out and read the Mathnawi itself.
I'm currently reading Jawid Mojaddedi's translation of the Mathnawi and enjoying it very much! :o)

The Masnavi: Book One

I'm still yet to read The conference of the birds by Attar.

If there are any others that I read, which leave an impression, i'll be sure to share :o)

The Alchemist is indeed a very good read, its gives you a Sufi flavor.

To know Rumi you have to know Shams of Tabriz. Me and Rumi is highly recommended. I also recently read novel The Forty Rules of Love based on the live of Shams and Rumi. Its a good start if you want to study more into life of this great poet and his companion.

The Secret of Secrets


I like this book because the Sykh explains different stages of life very beautifully and explains these in very easy way. Sometime it gets bit difficult to comprehend what is Shykh trying to say but most of wisdom shows through.....

Indeed i know of shams-e-tabriz...Thanks for the recommendations! I've had 'the secret of secrets', on my shelf at home, untouched for over a year! The same happened with 'love is a fire' ...That's the thing with Sufi books, it's not possible (at least for me) to read them like normal books.

Jumuah Mobareka

Salam
i suggest 3 books by Reshad feild,triology you can say.

1.The last barrier
2.The invisible way:to know we are loved
3.Going home :The journey of a travelling man
And besides these another book Steps to freedom 'i strongly recommend it...
don't expect Rumi.jami.Ibn Arabi..but yes you can feel how a person feels when he takes his first steps into the terra incognita..
and how much desperately today's materilaistic man needs a spiritual upliftment.
Thanks

Salam Everybody, You are right Madeeha. Its very difficult to read any Sufi book like normal book. you have to concentrate a lot more. The Sufi books speaks from a different language and to the different mind. Hence its very exciting and difficult at the same time.

I have recently read Master of The Jinn: A Sufi Novel. Its a Sufi fictional novel. Its about a man who takes this mystical journey with the help his master. The insights are incredible and inconceivable. It may be difficult to comprehend for some especially for some who are new to this path.

The ultimate message is about love and submitting oneself to God.Some elements are obviously fictional, but if you are looking at this book from a religious point of view, its safe to consider it as only as an interesting fantasy novel and any information you get out of it; fact check and take with a pinch of salt.

And thanks Baber for sharing your favorite reads. I will try to read Steps to Freedom. Is it this one Steps To Freedom

Salam,

Yes, from the title "Master of The Jinn" I figured to take it with a pinch of salt, now this really is getting into the realms of playing with fire, literally ;oD

With regards to the difficulty in reading sufi books, indeed especially if the Sufi literature is poetry, i find myself reading and then pondering. Which is a sign of a good book/piece in my opinion, it has the ability to take you away.

Salam,

I recently read another book The Healing Power of Sufi Meditation which is based on the teaching of Naqshbandi order. It mainly deals with Muraqaba ( Meditation ) in general and than goes on to explain this practice in Naqshbadni order. Very good book especially for the people who follow this order. It gives you detail understanding of what Annihilation means and how Naqsbadni Sufi teach this practice.

Bismillah,

The real book for any real seeker is a realised Spiritual Master - the knower of Allah the realised sage; they exist in every age.

Apart from that everything else is like a comic book - it's pretty to look at and admire, but devoid of any real substance or value.

In light of the above ... books (that is exceptional books) are like maps, without a guide they are very much limited in there utility.

Wayfarer wrote: "Bismillah,

The real book for any real seeker is a realised Spiritual Master - the knower of Allah the realised sage; they exist in every age.

Apart from that everything else is like a comic boo..."

Salam,

Great Insight Wayfarer,You are right! A spiritual master on this path is the key to know the reality of the truth.

The books can not explain the love, they are only the guide to the real guide. Its the process from which everybody has to go through. To know the reality they have to study themselves first and without a spiritual master this journey can become too long and impossible.

As Rumi says,

"Whoever travels without a guide needs two hundred years for a two-days journey” - Rumi

The journey can only start once you realise there is a journey you need to take.....

Salam, Indeed no book is a substitute for a spiritual guide, by no means! But saying "devoid" is a little harsh :o)

Whether we have access to a spiritual guide or not,
the beloved Himself will make us aware in whatever form He chooses, whether it's through a single word in a pile of books, through a smile or even the movement of an insect...The seeds of awareness aren't found in the same place or form for each soul...it's He who chooses after all :o)

...And that wasn't supposed to rhyme ;o))

All praise and thanks be to Allah. A point was made and further clarified and completed by your good selves, so now this 'discussion thread' is more complete with its disclaimer of warning.

and we hope this increases its benefit and perfection,

Allah knows best.

Thanks for sharing your favorites and they are really good books. I have the translation of Imam Rabbani ra Maktobaat but haven't read yet.

Salam All - Haven't heard from a lot of you. What's your favorite read or share anything spirtual?

My all time favourite is 'The Last Barrier' by Reshad Field.

Just recently finished reading 'Chasing Rumi'. It reminded me of another one of my favourite reads 'The Alchemist' by Paulo Coelho.

Salam,
Yes indeed you will notice notes of Rumi in 'The Alchemist'.. I found the more I read the works of Rumi, the more I realised that Coelho has 'borrowed' a lot from him (and others), I noticed this across some of Coelho's other novels too.
Nontheless 'The Alchemist' is still a good novel and a little taster to Sufism.

Thanks for sharing 'The Last Barrier' It's one for my list.

For Rumi I would recommend 'The Essential Rumi'
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/8...
It's a lovely compilation of his poetry.

Salaam Alaikum to all, any of the writings by William Chittick (I've read his on Rumi and Ibn Al-Arabi) are excellent. I'd also recommend Martin Lings "What is Sufism?". Other indispensable authors include Frithjof Schuon, Seyyed Hossein Nasr, and Charles Le Gai Eaton whose book "Islam and the Destiny of Man" is not strictly Sufi, but provides an excellent overall view of Islam that incorporates a well-stated esoteric component.

I have been wanting to read about Jalal ad-Din Muhammad Rumi, but I am so confused about which book to start off with first. My father is one of Rumi's fans, and can quote many poems by heart, I would also like to do the same, any ideas about where to start?

Assalam Aleykum all.

Madina, the one I personally started off with was this sweet little book of bitesized quotes
Rumi - A spiritual Treasury:

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/2...

For me it was the appetizer which made me want more :o)

Tim, thanks for the recommendations, i'm intrigued by "Islam and the Destiny of Man" after reading it's description.

as-salaam alaykum

Among contemporary expositions of Sufism intended for a western audience, I consider Seyyed Hossein Nasr's The Garden of Truth to be one of the best. In it he strays from the realm of academic scholarship to provide a more personal testimony based upon his over fifty years of the practice of Sufism.

Among classic works, The Darqawi Way translated by Aisha Bewley, which contains the collected letters of the Shadhili Shaykh Mawlay al-Arabi ad-Darqawi, is a continual source of inspiration and wisdom for me.

Charles Le Gai Eaton's Islam and Destiny of Man is an excellent book especially for a western. It has introduction to Islam, Quran, Prophet peace be upon him, Four Caliphs and brief history on later islamic empires. I really enjoyed reading and his way of bringing west closer to Islam is really interesting. He talks about Christian God and Muslim God in detail , trying to bring Christians into Islamic way of thinking.

The Forty Rules of love, is a good one about Rumi & Shams Tabriz

The Forty Rules of love, is a good one about Rumi & Shams Tabriz

Salam all,

Recently there have been several fiction on Sufism such as Master of the Jinn by Irving karchmar and Muriel maufroy's Rumi's daughter. Also apart from alamgeer's suggestion shafak's latest novel is also related to Sufism. Yet, these novels provide a very brlef info related to Sufism.