Bab’Aziz:The Prince Who Contemplated His Soul

I have just added this DVD to the bookstore. It is a beautiful film in the tradition of Sufi storytelling. With its haunting music and atmospheric cinematography it opens the heart as you walk the path with a young girl and her grandfather to a gathering of dervishes.

Just click here or on the image to find out more and begin the journey

Alone with the Alone by Henry corbin

“Ibn ‘Arabi (1165-1240) was one of the great mystics of all time. Through the richness of his personal experience and the constructive power of his intellect, he made a unique contribution to Shi’ite Sufism. In this book, which features a powerful new preface by Harold Bloom, Henry Corbin brings us to the very core of this movement with a penetrating analysis of Ibn ‘Arabi’s life and doctrines.

Corbin begins with a kind of spiritual topography of the twelfth century, emphasizing the differences between exoteric and esoteric forms of Islam. He also relates Islamic mysticism to mystical thought in the West. The remainder of the book is devoted to two complementary essays: on “Sympathy and Theosophy” and “Creative Imagination and Creative Prayer.” A section of notes and appendices includes original translations of numerous Su fi treatises.

Harold Bloom’s preface links Sufi mysticism with Shakespeare’s visionary dramas and high tragedies, such as The Tempest and Hamlet. These works, he writes, intermix the empirical world with a transcendent element. Bloom shows us that this Shakespearean cosmos is analogous to Corbin’s “Imaginal Realm” of the Sufis, the place of soul or souls.”

Love

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Love is the journey, love is the destination, and love is the fuel for the journey. The Sufi is a natural traveller.

Teachings of Sufism

Whether you are just becoming interested in the Sufi path or you are already on the way this book by Carl W. Ernst offers a treasure of Sufi writings from the past 10 centuries.

“The prose and verse readings in this book were chosen to interest the many people who have become attracted to Sufi teachings through their exposure to popular Sufi poetry, music, and dance. The selections—mostly from the Middle East and India, ranging from the tenth to the twentieth century—provide a sampling of Sufi thought on some of the basic aspects of this spiritual path. Most of the readings are published here in English for the first time. Brief introductory remarks place each selection into its historical and religious context, and an index of Qur’anic passages helps the reader to trace the extensive allusions to the Islamic holy scriptures. The topics covered include: The nature of mystical love Meditation Listening to music as a spiritual practice Ethical teachings of Sufism Pitfalls on the spiritual path Spiritual companionship and the master-disciple relationship The importance of the Qur’an and the Prophet Muhammad Biographical accounts of great mystics, including the poet Rumi as well as several female saints”

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The Sovereign Soul

Author and Sufi teacher, Phillip Gowins, writes here of the important role that Sufi master Pir Vilayat Inayat Khan played in bringing the Sufi path to the West. He also describes his own progress and adventures along this path.

“The aim of the 1,500-year-old spiritual tradition of Sufism, it has been said, is “the elimination of all veils between man and God.” In June 2004, Sufi Master Pir Vilayat Inayat Khan died peacefully at his home in Paris, France. As leader of the Sufi Order International which first brought Sufism to the West in 1910, Pir Vilayat had spent more than 40 years teaching this and other truths of Sufism to audiences in Europe, the United States and Asia. For 25 years, Sufi teacher Phillip Gowins was able to take advantage of the many visits of Pir Vilayat to the New York region. Thus The Sovereign Soul: Sufism: A Path for Today is a homage to the Master, providing as it does an introduction to the ancient stream of wisdom embodied by Sufism, but present in other religions and humanistic philosophies as well, that Pir Vilayat was able to impart to students around the world. The Sovereign Soul is also a description, always concrete, often humorous, of the mystical path that Phillip Gowins himself has pursued over the years. With many examples and exercises, he shows us how we can practice the spiritual life ourselves. The path he lays out is strewn with pitfalls and pleasures alike. He tells us how we can avoid the one and enjoy the other, and attain to love and self-mastery in the increasingly complex 21st century.”

Ibn ‘Abbad of Ronda: Letters on the Sufi Path

“Writing from the small Moroccan town of Sale to friends in the capital city of fez, Ibn Abbad composed numerous letters of spiritual direction that spoke to the concrete problems of his devotees. A selection of these letters, written between 1365-1375, is included here.”

Jews of Spain: A History of the Sephardic Experience

You might ask why I am including a book on Sephardic Jews in a bookstore that focuses on Sufi literature. While this book covers the complete history of Sephardic Jews on the Iberian Peninsula continuing on after their expulsion by the Catholic Monarchs and persecution by the inquisition, up to the present day, I am specifically interested in the time of Muslim rule when Al-Andalus was a multi-faith society and intellectual and spiritual exchange between Judaism, Islam, and Christianity was vibrant and highly productive. One expression of this was the work of the philosopher-mystics of Judaism and Islam who drew on Sufi ideas and methods in their writing and spiritual practice and who were highly influential in their respective faiths down to the present day. There are several books devoted to this period and its literature which I will show here in future posts or which you can find by going here to browse. Jews of Spain: A History of the Sephardic Experience provides an excellent overall history in which this period is set.

“The history of the Jews of Spain is a remarkable story that begins in the remote past and continues today.  For more than a thousand years, Sepharad (the Hebrew word for Spain) was home to a large Jewish community noted for its richness and virtuosity. Summarily expelled in 1492 and forced into exile, their tragedy of expulsion marked the end of one critical phase of their history and the beginning of another. Indeed, in defiance of all logic and expectation, the expulsion of the Jews from Spain became an occasion for renewed creativity. Nor have five hundred years of wandering extinguished the identity of the Sephardic Jews, or diminished the proud memory of the dazzling civilization which they created on Spanish soil.This book is intended to serve as an introduction and scholarly guide to that history.”

The Art of the Islamic Garden

If you have ever been in an Islamic garden such as the beautiful ones at the Alhambra, Granada and throughout the Middle East and North Africa then you will have been struck by the harmony and balance of the layout, by the play of light and shade, and by the water, still and reflective in pools and bubbling and refreshing as it runs through channels throughout the garden. Behind the delight and pleasure enjoyed in these gardens is a world of symbols on which the designer bases its creation. This book takes the reader through that world and enriches the experience of the garden in Islamic cultures. Click here or on the image for further information.

“The Islamic garden is regarded as one of the highest forms of visual art in the civilization of Islam. The principal elements are water and shade; they are also characterized by the chahar–bagh: a four–fold pattern, constructed around a central pool or fountain, with four streams flowing toward the four corners of the earth. Aesthetically, this design provides a striking feature in itself; however, a true appreciation of an Islamic garden is only ever complete with an understanding of the spiritual symbolism manifested in its design and planting. This lavish book provides both an intellectual guide to the symbolism of the Islamic garden and a practical guide to its component parts, with recommendations for suitable trees, shrubs, and flowers and advice on creating an Islamic garden in cooler climates. Garden designer Emma Clark teaches Visual Islamic and Traditional Arts at The Prince’s Foundation, London.”

A peek at a 15th century scroll of the Koran

A peek at a 15th century scroll of the Koran

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Sufism: Love and Wisdom

A collection of essays on the Sufi tradition by some of the best known contemporary writers on the subject.

“For hundreds of years, the inner spiritual core of Islam has been the focus of Sufi practitioners and thinkers. Those initiated into its mysteries have sometimes expressed them in ecstatic poetry, in a symbolic language of love, or in reasoned prose. These essays by such contemporary writers on Sufism as Seyyed Hossein Nasr, William Chittick, Titus Burckhardt, Martin Lings, René Guénon, and Frithjof Schuon, allow the reader to understand the language, the wisdom, and the beautiful history of classical Sufism. Covering a wide range of topics related to the mystical aspect of Islam, Sufism, this book includes essays on spiritual thought and knowledge, many of which have been translated into English for the first time. Several of the contributions are from a new generation of interpreters and wisdom seekers of Sufism.”

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