Article

Sufism (Stanford Encyclopedia of Philosophy)

Stanford Encyclopedia entry on the mystical tradition of Islam, covering key concepts, history, and philosophical dimensions.

You might also explore

Book

The Essential Rumi

Coleman Barks

Popular English translations of the 13th-century Sufi mystic Rumi's poetry, exploring divine love, longing, and spiritual transformation.

Book

Fusus al-Hikam (The Bezels of Wisdom)

Ibn al-Arabi

Ibn Arabi's most concentrated metaphysical work, presenting mystical wisdom through the lens of 27 prophets.

Book

Divan-I Hafiz

Hafiz

What is the secret of happiness? What is the nature of love? What makes us good hosts or good guests? What traits should we seek out in friends and seek to embody as friends ourselves? How should we approach the sensual beauties of this world- when do they induce us to error and when are they signs of God? The poets and bards of many traditions have long sought answers to such questions, but perhaps no culture has taken up this challenge with more passionate urgency than that of Persia, from the ninth century AD to modern-day Iran. These eleven centuries of poetic tradition include poets who have become well-known in the West, such as 'Umar Khayyam, Rumi, and Hafiz, as well as many others whom Westerners have yet to discover. In Iran these poems remain part of everyday popular culture, with people of all classes and levels of education able to recite them from memory, even if they may not always be sure who the poets were, where they came from, or what precisely was the spiritual intent behind the verse. In Persian Words of Wisdom, the US-based Iranian scholar Bahman Solati has compiled hundreds of examples reflecting his country's religious and spiritual traditions, especially the Shia branch of Islam and Islamic Sufism, but also the Zoroastrian faith. This bilingual edition with his own English translations further illuminates the sometimes enigmatic poems with parallel Western proverbs, as well as comparison quotations from Christian, Jewish, and Buddhist scripture and secular sources ranging from Mark Twain to Dale Carnegie. One of Solati's goals in this anthology is to build a cultural bridge through poetry between the West and Iran, making these treasures of Persian culture more available both to Westerners generally and, most specifically, to young people of Iranian descent who have grown up in the English-speaking world, perhaps without fully understanding the wealth of their heritage. For them and all readers, this will be a book of discovery.

Book

Divan of Hafiz of Shiraz

Hafiz

DIVAN OF HAFIZ OF SHIRAZ Revised Translation & Introduction Paul Smith This is a completely revised one volume edition of the only modern, poetic version of Hafiz's masterpiece of 791 ghazals, masnavis, ruba'is and other poems/songs. The spiritual and historical and human content is here in understa

Book

Hafiz's Little Book of Life

Hafiz

Silver Winner, Focused Topic-Translation, Nautilus Book Awards "Delicate and tough, a crafted danger, full of wit as well as abandon, Hafiz's lyric is one of the rare mysteries of world literature." —Coleman Barks, author and translator of The Essential Rumi I have this gem and it's looking for a beholder Hafiz of Shiraz (also known as Hafez) remains the most beloved name in all of Persian literature. Indeed, his mystic, lyric poetry is cherished as one of the great achievements of world literature, on a par with Dante, Goethe, and Shakespeare. Hafiz's Little Book of Life is a lush collection of more than 250 selections from his lifework. Also included is a vivid portrait of his life and times, translators' notes, an extensive glossary, a bibliography, and an appendix on Hafiz as an oracle. Here are classic soaring flights of fancy and solid life lessons—made new by two award-winning translators. This is the perfect introduction to Hafiz for all lovers of poetry and seekers of love, spirituality, and wisdom. Let the unforgettable words of Hafiz shine through you with their love, profundity, wit, and celebration of life. "This is translation as a real 'carrying-across,' as art, not artifact . . . this one drops the reader/listener directly into their own soul-struggle. Immerse yourself and be transformed!" —Neil Douglas-Klotz, author of The Sufi Book of Life and A Little Book of Sufi Stories "From the first page, you are invited to settle into a sublime sanctuary and partake in enchantment until you feel the Beloved inside your beating heart and running through your veins." —Ari Honarvar, author of A Girl Called Rumi

Practitioner Recommendations

0 recommendations