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Showing posts with label Sufism Intro. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Sufism Intro. Show all posts
2022/05/08
2022/05/04
** Sufism The Essentials Mark J. Sedgwick 2003, 104 pages full
https://www.scribd.com/read/382876759/Sufism-The-Essentials
Sufism The Essentials
Sufism The Essentials
Mark J. Sedgwick
The American University in Cairo Press Cairo • New York
Copyright © 2000, 2003
Copyright © 2000, 2003
104 pages
===
Introduction
1 What is Sufism and where does it come from?
2 How to be a Sufi
3 The orders The archetypal Friend of God
4 Friends, warriors, and merchants
5 Whose orthodoxy?
Translation of the Hikam of Ibn ‘Ata Allah are based on those of Victor Danner in The Book of Wisdom, by kind permission of the Paulist Press. Originals © Paulist Press, 1988.
===
For more than a millennium, Sufism has been the core of the spiritual experience of countless Muslims. As the chief mystical tradition of Islam, it has helped to shape the history of Islamic societies.
Although it is the Sufi face of Islam that has often appealed to Westerners, Sufis and Sufism remain mysterious to many in the West, and are still widely misunderstood. In this new, redesigned paperback edition of this bestselling book, a scholar with long experience of Sufism in the Middle East, Southeast Asia, and Europe succinctly presents the essentials of Sufism and shows how Sufis live and worship, and why.
As well as what Sufism is and where it comes from, the book discusses Sufi orders not only in the Islamic world but also in the West. The political, social, and economic significance of Sufism is outlined, and the question of how and why Sufism has become one of the more controversial aspects of contemporary Islamic religious life is addressed.
----
This book assumes no prior knowledge of the subject. It is a penetrating and concise introduction for everyone interested in Islam and Islamic societies.
===
Mark J. Sedgwick
Mark Sedgwick was born in London, and grew up in England, Spain, and France. His interest in history and the world beyond the West was first awakened by his grandfather, who celebrated his 21st birthday in Egypt during the 1919 Revolution, saw some of the Turkish War of Independence, and then moved on to Imperial India.
Mark studied history at Oxford University, did a PhD on Sufism at the University of Bergen in Norway, and taught for 20 years at the American University in Cairo. He now teaches at Aarhus University in Denmark, where he is professor of Arab and Islamic Studies.
===
ContentsIntroduction
1 What is Sufism and where does it come from?
The origins of Sufism
Sufism as a practical program
Orthodoxy, exotericism, and esotericism
The first shaykh Two great Sufi theorists
2 How to be a Sufi
Sufism and social class
Sufism and gender
The shaykh as exemplar Range of participation
Essential practices
The majdhub
3 The orders The archetypal Friend of God
The role of Sufism in the spread of Islam
The organization of an order
Some of the great orders and their shaykhs
Sufism in the West today
4 Friends, warriors, and merchants
Sufism and jihad
Sufism and commerce
Sufism and sociability
5 Whose orthodoxy?
From Ibn Taymiya to the Wahhabis
Sufi ‘renewers’ of Islam
The impact of modernity
Sufism in partial eclipse
Some of the Hikam of Ibn ‘Ata Allah
Glossary
Bibliography
====
Some of the Hikam of Ibn ‘Ata Allah
Glossary
Bibliography
===
Goodreads
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Stian
86 reviews · 128 followers
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March 19, 2016
"People praise you for what they suppose is in you,
but you must blame your soul for what you know is in it."
Sufism is the esoteric, inner, and mystical dimension of Islam. Based on "special devotion," devout Sufis will characterize themselves as "travellers on the path back to the maker." Many Sufis maintain that all the companions of the Prophet were Sufis, and that the first Sufi of all was Muhammad himself.
So, what's it all about? Muslims in general are supposed to follow the example of the Prophet, and Sufis are no exception. To do this, they must overcome their inner ego, their lower self, called the nafs. This is the "greater Jihad." The nafs is like a powerful and wild horse that must be controlled in order to truly find the path to God.
In order to control the nafs, Sufis follow a Shaykh, a teacher and spiritual guide for the Sufi. The Sufi loves his (or her, as anyone can be a Sufi) Shaykh, because he embodies the example of the Prophet. Indeed, many Sufi orders (and there are many of them across the globe) have been criticized for their devotion to the Shaykh. Some orders have even pronounced their Shaykh as Muhammad reborn -- although these claims have usually just been met with hostility.
Some prominent Sufis have also espused ideas similar to pantheism, and sometimes even polytheism (a grave sin in Islam). Some have talked about the Unity of Being -- Wahdat al-Wujud. You'd think Sufis who came out with these ideas would be attacked and downplayed, but contrary to today's Western perceptions, Islam has historically been a rather (relatively) inclusive and tolerant religion. Two prominent and very respected Sufis, surely known to Western ears also, is al-Ghazali and, most prominently, Rumi, who was not only a great poet, but also a great Shaykh.
Although Sufism has played a vital role in the spread of Islam and in defining and answering many problems pertaining to philosophy and theology in the course of history, it plays a lesser role today -- many Sufis are Sufis out of habit, having 'inherited' the belief. In many parts of the world today, Sufism is largely a social and communal thing, with varying religious importance ranging from the not-so-pious to the extremely pious. Sedgwick gives one example fo the communal and social aspect of Sufism:
"In the Sudan, for example, where land is plentiful if poor, it has been common for many centuries for a shaykh to establish on virgin land a khalwa (as the Sudanese call it) consisting of a few houses and a mosque. The Shaykh's followers then work the surrounding land, keeping some of the produce themselves and using some to support the community, which often comes to include children from the locality, sent to attend school at the khalwa."
Such 'communities' are not rare. In Senegal, the Mouride order has a city of its own, called Touba. There are many agricultural settlements in Somalia, and also orders across the Sahara. In some places, however, this is totally unkown, as in Egypt and Syria.
The modern state of Sufism is interesting, as Sedgwick writes
"In Egypt, then, the educated urban elites usually know almost nothing of Sufism, but have a very clear view of what it is: dirty, primitive, irrational, and nothing to do with Islam. In other countries, the picture is somewhat different. In contemporary Malaysia, for example, 'Sufism' is commonly taught in schools and universities, but it has been redefined as something which would best be translated into European languages as "ethics." Only in a very few countries such as the Sudan does Sufism retain its original prestige."
Regardless, Sufism is still around, and though Sufis are numerically significantly fewer now than before (mainly due to its clash with modernity), the indiviual who chooses to follow Sufism will find the same spiritual and esoteric dimension as those in the past before him.
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Niels Baars
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April 19, 2023
Solid introduction to the topic of Sufism.
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Rasha
38 reviews · 1 follower
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May 17, 2019
A good read for those who know little about Sufism and it’s relation to Islam .
If you know enough this would be back to basics/refresher kind of book .
It gives a good and probably quite accurate description and insight to Sufi life.
====
salma
37 reviews · 2 followers
July 14, 2021
A white motherfucker who thinks he knows something about Eastern cultures, Islam, and Sufism and accordingly thinks he’s entitled to write a book about it
====
0] Introduction
In the West, there is a real and growing interest in Sufism, one of the world’s most widespread and important religious paths. The
beauty of the poetry of Jalal al-Din Rumi, the most popular Sufi author in translation, is clear to all, but the real nature of Sufism is not
well known. Many of the best-selling Western texts on Sufism present a version of Sufism which is very different from that found in the
Muslim world for at least the last millennium. These works often portray Sufism as something separate from Islam, which is simply not
the case. While this author is not qualified to judge the spiritual worth of such “alternative” versions of Sufism, it is clear to anyone who
knows Sufism from the Islamic world that they are a particular offshoot of Sufism, not Sufism itself.
Even without this problem, those who read Rumi so enthusiastically are not well positioned to reach an understanding of what Su-
fism is, though Rumi may guide them to understandings a Sufi would endorse. Rumi was not just a poet: he was a great shaykh, one of
the dozen or so best-known Sufi masters whose names were perpetuated in the Sufi orders to which they gave rise, orders that still
exist today. Rumi’s prime objective, like that of any Sufi shaykh, was the spiritual development of his own followers: their education in
the outward, exoteric practice of Islam, but particularly their training in its inner, esoteric practices. Rumi’s poems were ancillary to his
main task: personally guiding people on the path which leads, in this world, to the One God before whom Sufis, Muslims, and many
others believe they will stand on the Day of Judgment. His poems were originally addressed to an audience very different from a con-
temporary Western one: not only were Rumi’s followers steeped in the teachings of Islam, exoteric and esoteric, but they were also em-
barked on a spiritual journey made possible by practices such as prayer and fasting, Rumi’s guidance, and, for a Sufi most importantly
of all, God himself.
This book cannot hope to put its readers into exactly the same position as that of Rumi’s intended audience. More than words
would be required for that. It aims, however, to give a basic understanding of the nature and history of Sufism, as it first appeared in the
Islamic world and as it is today in the Islamic world and in many other countries, including Western ones. It concentrates on the earlier
stages of the Sufi path, partly because these are the stages which the majority of Sufis who have ever lived have traveled. The higher
reaches of the path have been trodden by relatively few. Some of those who have reached these higher levels have attempted to convey
their experiences, sometimes in poetry and sometimes in symbolic or metaphysical abstraction, but such higher spiritual experiences
are barely comprehensible to those who have not themselves approached them. This author does not consider himself qualified to
write on them, and expects that most of his readers will be in the same position.
For most of Islamic history Sufism was of the greatest importance in the religious and social lives of most Muslims, and in eco-
nomics and politics as well. Although it is today in partial eclipse in the Islamic world, it is still very much alive, and of small but grow-
ing importance in the West. It remains important today not only for many Muslims, but also for those non-Muslims who wish to under-
stand Islam or Islamic societies. The face of Islam and of Muslims that is most familiar to Westerners today is not one that can easily
be sympathized with. Strife, violence, and intolerance are what come first to the minds of many in response to the word ‘Islam.’ Those
representatives of Islam whose activities result in the attentions of the world media are indeed often publicly committed to the use of
violence to achieve their aims and are rarely noted for their tolerance. While seeing the West as their enemy, they complain of being
treated as an enemy by the West—not a combination likely to win them much sympathy or support there. Fundamentalism, activist
Islam, protestant Islam—whatever one wishes to call it—has roots in the traumatic experience of colonialism and the economic suffer-
ings of many Muslim peoples, and in the collision between modernity and tradition. It also has important roots in the religion of Islam,
but it does not represent that religion. Statistically, vastly more Muslims have been Sufis than Fundamentalists, and Sufism is (in the
view of many, including the author) far more representative of Islam than is Fundamentalism. An understanding of Sufism is one of the
best available routes into an understanding of Islam itself: not of the political ramifications of Islam, but of Islam as a lived religion—of
the reality which lies at the heart of Islamic societies past and present, and so even (though arguably in dangerously distorted form) of
the images of Islam so well known from our television screens.
2022/05/01
The Essence of Sufism by John Baldock - Ebook | Scribd
The Essence of Sufism by John Baldock - Ebook | Scribd
The Essence of Sufism
By John Baldock
3.5/5 (5 ratings)
279 pages
10 hours
Included in your membership!
at no additional cost
Insight into Life is the real religion, which alone can help man to understand Life.' Hazrat Inayat Khan
The Sufis have been using carefully constructed stories for teaching purposes for thousands of years. Though on the surface these often appear to be little more than fairy or folk tales, the Sufis hold that they enshrine - in their characters, plots and imagery - patterns and relationships that nurture a part of the mind not reachable in more conventional ways, thus increasing our understanding, flexibility and breadth of vision. Familiarization with this body of material can eventually provide answers to questions about our origins and our destiny.
In this book John Baldock explores the rich body of literature the Sufis have produced to guide spiritual travellers. While explaining the significant teachings and emphasizing their significance for us, he sheds a timely light on the Sufis' fascinating perception of life, revealing it to be a process of the heart and not of the head, and offers intriguing pathways to further study and reflection.
Religion & Spirituality
Islam
New Age & Spirituality
Customer reviews
4.4 out of 5 stars
4.4 out of 5
26 global ratings
Top review from the United States
Mary Brand
3.0 out of 5 stars InformativeReviewed in the United States on July 4, 2013
Verified Purchase
This gives you insight into what Sufism is and its relationship to another religion.
Shows cultural differences in thinking about spiritual ways.
Top reviews from other countries
Misspuddleduck
5.0 out of 5 stars GoodReviewed in the United Kingdom on December 13, 2018
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Nice easy read
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RESTORATER
4.0 out of 5 stars Essence of SufismReviewed in the United Kingdom on January 22, 2013
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Written clearly and truthfully.
I feel a lot more informed about Sufism now.
Living in Egypt and reading this book has helped me to understand a lot of things.
A pity this book is not offered to be read in schools across the globe.
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Angela Castro (fassenfelt)
5.0 out of 5 stars Five StarsReviewed in the United Kingdom on September 5, 2017
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Brilliant book! Very informative.
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Christal Williams
5.0 out of 5 stars Would defo recommend it as a starting pointReviewed in the United Kingdom on February 24, 2015
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Really good comprehensive look at early Sufism through an unbiased form.
Great bibliography at the end for further reading as well.
One person found this helpfulReport abuse
MrTellyBelly
5.0 out of 5 stars Five StarsReviewed in the United Kingdom on December 25, 2015
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A good book for anyone interested in this subject.
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==
Sufism has become synonymous with Rumi in recent years but this book sets the record straight. John Baldock takes the reader on a journey tracing the roots of Sufism from the companions of Prophet Muhammad to the current day.
Sufis believe in streamlining esoteric and exoteric knowledge to free themselves from duality and to merge with the beloved in a state of higher consciousnesses.
A lay man may pay a heavy price for this knowledge because he may not understand the mysticism behind the teachings.
This book provides a great reference point for further study. Baldock clearly has a deep understanding of the path the dervish traverses. Symbolism and stories play a very important role in Sufi teachings and Baldock has taken great care to simplify the mysticism. Just when the reader starts to feel a little lost, the book dives into the lives of the saints, starting with book Hasan Al Basri's in the seventh century, touching upon the lesser known Sufi men and women who were loved, revered and sometimes despised during their lifetime, and ends with Shabistari in the fourteenth century. Anecdotes from their lives make for the best part of the book. The reverence of the pupil for his master, and their love of asceticism is fascinating. A great collection of excerpts from their most famous works are included.
For a slim volume, Baldock has packed a punch. Though it may make for slightly heavy reading for some, especially those unfamiliar with the teachings of Islam, it is highly recommended as a initiation into the world of Sufi mysticism.
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Sufis believe in streamlining esoteric and exoteric knowledge to free themselves from duality and to merge with the beloved in a state of higher consciousnesses.
A lay man may pay a heavy price for this knowledge because he may not understand the mysticism behind the teachings.
This book provides a great reference point for further study. Baldock clearly has a deep understanding of the path the dervish traverses. Symbolism and stories play a very important role in Sufi teachings and Baldock has taken great care to simplify the mysticism. Just when the reader starts to feel a little lost, the book dives into the lives of the saints, starting with book Hasan Al Basri's in the seventh century, touching upon the lesser known Sufi men and women who were loved, revered and sometimes despised during their lifetime, and ends with Shabistari in the fourteenth century. Anecdotes from their lives make for the best part of the book. The reverence of the pupil for his master, and their love of asceticism is fascinating. A great collection of excerpts from their most famous works are included.
For a slim volume, Baldock has packed a punch. Though it may make for slightly heavy reading for some, especially those unfamiliar with the teachings of Islam, it is highly recommended as a initiation into the world of Sufi mysticism.
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May 12, 2018Altaf Hussain rated it really liked it · review of another edition
This was my first thorough read on Sufism and I found this best short one to have insights of Sufism and Sufis. This book is full of references for further information.
As I believe that a question answered leads to another question, so my quest of answers regarding Sufism has led me to millions of other questions. To, only understand Sufism is a big deal; to become one must be work of maestro.
Hence Quest to understand Sufism continues with more thirst.
Between its really a good read for beginners on the subject of Sufism. (less)
As I believe that a question answered leads to another question, so my quest of answers regarding Sufism has led me to millions of other questions. To, only understand Sufism is a big deal; to become one must be work of maestro.
Hence Quest to understand Sufism continues with more thirst.
Between its really a good read for beginners on the subject of Sufism. (less)
Jun 18, 2017Nazmi Yaakub rated it liked it · review of another edition
Shelves: 2017, agama, britain-united-kingdom, islam, tasawuf-sufisme
Buku kedua Baldock yang saya baca selepas The Essence of Rumi. Berbeza dengan buku yang menyorot sisi penting Maulana Rumi, buku mengenai sufi yang relatifnya lebih tipis berbanding buku-buku lain yang membicarakan sufisme atau dalam istilah yang lebih tepat adalah tasawuf.
Buku ini lebih kepada pendedahan awal kepada masyarakat Barat yang semakin akrab dengan konsep sufi tetapi memiliki definisi dan pemahaman yang berbeza sehingga mencetuskan persoalan 'apakah mungkin sufi tanpa agama' atau spiritual dunia timur yang diibaratkan sebagai 'pasar raya besar yang produk jualannya tersedia untuk dikutip dan dipilih'.
Bagaimanapun penekanan yang diberikan dalam buku ini seperti kedudukan Nabi Muhammad SAW yang sentiasa berada pada kedudukan sentral dan dianggap nakhoda dalam kafilah dan asas-asas kepada Islam sama ada prinsip mahupun rukunnya, menunjukkan pandangan pengarang bahawa sufi dan Islam tidak dapat dipisahkan.
Bahagian kedua buku ini menumpukan empat tokoh penting, iaitu Sheikh Farid ud-Din Attar, Imam Akbar Ibn Arabi, Maulana Jalaluddin Rumi dan Shabistari serta sedikit ulasan dan terjemahan bahagian daripada magnum opus masing-masing. (less)
Buku ini lebih kepada pendedahan awal kepada masyarakat Barat yang semakin akrab dengan konsep sufi tetapi memiliki definisi dan pemahaman yang berbeza sehingga mencetuskan persoalan 'apakah mungkin sufi tanpa agama' atau spiritual dunia timur yang diibaratkan sebagai 'pasar raya besar yang produk jualannya tersedia untuk dikutip dan dipilih'.
Bagaimanapun penekanan yang diberikan dalam buku ini seperti kedudukan Nabi Muhammad SAW yang sentiasa berada pada kedudukan sentral dan dianggap nakhoda dalam kafilah dan asas-asas kepada Islam sama ada prinsip mahupun rukunnya, menunjukkan pandangan pengarang bahawa sufi dan Islam tidak dapat dipisahkan.
Bahagian kedua buku ini menumpukan empat tokoh penting, iaitu Sheikh Farid ud-Din Attar, Imam Akbar Ibn Arabi, Maulana Jalaluddin Rumi dan Shabistari serta sedikit ulasan dan terjemahan bahagian daripada magnum opus masing-masing. (less)
Well I have a slightly poorer opinion of Sufism after reading that. Lots of emphasis on anti-rationality, selflessness, and anti-egoism. I know there are Sufis who are lax on one or more of these points, but not enough attention was payed to them. I guess that makes sense. Sufism is already heterodox, focusing on the heteroxodies of a heterodox movement would be a bit crazy.
A wide ranging and informative summary of Sufism and Sufi literature. However it disappointingly shied away from pursuing the difficult questions about the relationship of Sufism to Islam.
The first half of the book is a helpful overview of Sufism (and Islam) and the second half summarises important Sufi texts. It included the well known male writers like Al Ghazali and Rumi, and it also included female Sufis like the eighth century Rabah Al Adawiyyah of Basra.
Sufism is a complex set of overlapping perspectives within Islam, rather than a specific set of doctrines. This makes it difficult to describe, apart from identifying common themes.
A key theme is ‘enlightenment’ and ‘secret knowledge.’ Sufis have a direct relationship with God which gives them direct information (or experience). This leads to allegorising and spiritual interpretations of Scriptures, which expresses a ‘higher’ or ‘purer’ doctrine than the merely literalistic teachings which others follow.
An oft recurring idea is the concept of ‘fana,’ which is an absorption of the individual into God. More usually found in Asian faiths like Buddhism, this is a vision of the self as merging into God, like a drop of water merges into the ocean. Expressed in this way it can sound pantheistic. Or worse, it can sound like a claim that a person is turning into God. Interpreted in this later sense, Sufis like Al Hallaj were executed for blasphemy.
One of the questions raised by Sufism is its relationship to Islam. Public religions like Islam exist as bodies of prescribed actions and beliefs. But Sufism is an interior spiritual transformation of the individual. For example, the Sufi Junayd of Baghdad said that those doing hajj (pilgrimage) may physically do the prescribed actions of the hajj, but it doesn’t ‘count’ if they do not also spiritually divest themselves of their desires for sin (22%).
If the inner spiritual attitude ‘overrides’ the significance of the outer actions, then the question must arise whether there is any point doing the outer actions of organised religion at all. Why go to the mosque, or do the Salah prayers, when a Sufi can have a direct spiritual relationship with God in their hearts?
The author recognises that this is a key question raised by Sufism. He asks: ‘is it possible to be a Sufi without Islam?' But the book then completely avoids the issue by simply answering: ‘Allah knows best’ (Kindle 30%).
This is an inadequate answer. If Sufism is right, then it is hard to escape the conclusion that organised religions (like Islam) are ultimately unnecessary. But Muslims are committed to the fact that Islam is necessary, so this seems to imply that Sufism (or aspects of Sufism) are incorrect, or at least incompatible with Islam.
This issue of the compatibility of Sufism and Islam is a central problem of Sufism. It needs properly exploring and resolving. But this book seems to avoid that issue. This means that ultimately the book is a helpful summary of aspects of Sufism, but it is crucially incomplete in clarifying the implications of the Sufism which it describes.
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The first half of the book is a helpful overview of Sufism (and Islam) and the second half summarises important Sufi texts. It included the well known male writers like Al Ghazali and Rumi, and it also included female Sufis like the eighth century Rabah Al Adawiyyah of Basra.
Sufism is a complex set of overlapping perspectives within Islam, rather than a specific set of doctrines. This makes it difficult to describe, apart from identifying common themes.
A key theme is ‘enlightenment’ and ‘secret knowledge.’ Sufis have a direct relationship with God which gives them direct information (or experience). This leads to allegorising and spiritual interpretations of Scriptures, which expresses a ‘higher’ or ‘purer’ doctrine than the merely literalistic teachings which others follow.
An oft recurring idea is the concept of ‘fana,’ which is an absorption of the individual into God. More usually found in Asian faiths like Buddhism, this is a vision of the self as merging into God, like a drop of water merges into the ocean. Expressed in this way it can sound pantheistic. Or worse, it can sound like a claim that a person is turning into God. Interpreted in this later sense, Sufis like Al Hallaj were executed for blasphemy.
One of the questions raised by Sufism is its relationship to Islam. Public religions like Islam exist as bodies of prescribed actions and beliefs. But Sufism is an interior spiritual transformation of the individual. For example, the Sufi Junayd of Baghdad said that those doing hajj (pilgrimage) may physically do the prescribed actions of the hajj, but it doesn’t ‘count’ if they do not also spiritually divest themselves of their desires for sin (22%).
If the inner spiritual attitude ‘overrides’ the significance of the outer actions, then the question must arise whether there is any point doing the outer actions of organised religion at all. Why go to the mosque, or do the Salah prayers, when a Sufi can have a direct spiritual relationship with God in their hearts?
The author recognises that this is a key question raised by Sufism. He asks: ‘is it possible to be a Sufi without Islam?' But the book then completely avoids the issue by simply answering: ‘Allah knows best’ (Kindle 30%).
This is an inadequate answer. If Sufism is right, then it is hard to escape the conclusion that organised religions (like Islam) are ultimately unnecessary. But Muslims are committed to the fact that Islam is necessary, so this seems to imply that Sufism (or aspects of Sufism) are incorrect, or at least incompatible with Islam.
This issue of the compatibility of Sufism and Islam is a central problem of Sufism. It needs properly exploring and resolving. But this book seems to avoid that issue. This means that ultimately the book is a helpful summary of aspects of Sufism, but it is crucially incomplete in clarifying the implications of the Sufism which it describes.
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Aug 24, 2020Mavra Rafi rated it really liked it · review of another edition
Another book that took me so long to read even though it's not that long. I just didn't want it to end. I just didn't want to part ways. Books on Sufism are journeys that have to be experienced. And if you let them, you come out on the other end a different person, a better person in my opinion. (less)
Mar 31, 2022Adam rated it really liked it · review of another edition
Absolutely enthralling. A profound primer that encourages deep thought, resonant reflection, and extended study.
Aug 02, 2020Zain Moosa rated it did not like it
.......
Jan 11, 2022TrumanCoyote rated it liked it
Baldock tends to be rather repetitious (and frequently belabors the point).
Aug 28, 2016Habeeba Sadaf rated it really liked it
"Sufism is the mystical dimension of Islam.
Mysticism makes its appearance as an inward dimension in every religion, and to attempt to separate the mystical element from the religion which is its outward support is an arbitrary act of violence which cannot but be fatal to the mysticism, or spiritual path, concerned." pg: 10 (introduction).
John has tried all possible ways to provide information, as much as possible, through his book.
Introduction, Qura'n, Prophet Muhammad (pbuh), definition and meaning of Sufism, stories of the saints and their teachings, all these are briefly absorbed in the book by the writer.
Quite informative and helpful for the curious readers in a simple language. (less)
Mysticism makes its appearance as an inward dimension in every religion, and to attempt to separate the mystical element from the religion which is its outward support is an arbitrary act of violence which cannot but be fatal to the mysticism, or spiritual path, concerned." pg: 10 (introduction).
John has tried all possible ways to provide information, as much as possible, through his book.
Introduction, Qura'n, Prophet Muhammad (pbuh), definition and meaning of Sufism, stories of the saints and their teachings, all these are briefly absorbed in the book by the writer.
Quite informative and helpful for the curious readers in a simple language. (less)
The author does not give any citation or reference for the historical background in the case of Caliph Usman (RA). Most likely he has used Shiite resources without mentioning any specifically. Hence, the scholarship of this book is very weak.
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