Download or read book Hafiz and the Religion of Love in Classical Persian Poetry written by Leonard Lewisohn and published by Bloomsbury Publishing. This book was released on 2010-06-02 with total page 546 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The romantic lyricism of the great Persian poet Hafiz (1315-1390) continues to be admired around the world. Recent exploration of that lyricism by Iranian scholars has revealed that, in addition to his masterful use of poetic devices, Hafiz's verse is deeply steeped in the philosophy and symbolism of Persian love mysticism. This innovative volume discusses the aesthetic theories and mystical philosophy of the classical Persian love-lyric (ghazal) as particularly exemplified by Hafiz (who, along with Rumi and Sa'di, is Persia's most celebrated poet). For the first time in western literature, Hafiz's rhetoric of romance is situated within the broader context of what scholars refer to as 'Love Theory' in Arabic and Persian poetry in particular and Islamic literature more generally. Contributors from both the West and Iran conduct a major investigation of the love lyrics of Hafiz and of what they signified to that high culture and civilization which was devoted to the School of Love in medieval Persia. The volume will have strong appeal to scholars of the Middle East, medieval Islamic literature, and the history and culture of Iran.

Download or read book Sufi Thought and Action written by Idries Shah and published by Octagon Press Ltd. This book was released on 1990 with total page 282 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: This book is an anthology of the extraordinary diversity of Sufi ideas and activities in many countries and cultures today. Nothing approaching this kind of survey has ever been assembled. In addition to first-hand accounts of Sufi learning methods, subjects covered include the Sufi meeting place, avoiding imitators, Sufi work enterprises, the idea of organic enterprises, entry into a Sufi group, the Sufi Adept and the projection of mind, extra-sensory perception, what the Sufis do not want us to know, and more.

Download or read book The Elephant in the Dark written by Idries Shah and published by Octagon Press Ltd. This book was released on 1974 with total page 82 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: As our world continues to shrink, we are being brought headlong into often explosive contact with other cultures and religions. Islam continues to be for many a mysterious and misunderstood force, alien to our own cultural values. Yet, in more ways than expected, Christianity and Islam share common ground. For centuries, Sufi thinkers have been linked to both religions in certain important ideas. But, like the elephant in the dark in Jalaludin Rumi's classic fable, these ideas are not grasped in full by seizing parts of the whole and arguing for or against their supposed Christian or Islamic derivation. From a series of lectures given by Idries Shah at Geneva University, The Elephant in the Dark shifts focus to more fruitful ground, tracing documented episodes of cooperation and understanding between Christians and Moslems over the past 1,400 years.

Download or read book Tales of Mystic Meaning written by Jalal al-Din Rumi and published by ONEWorld Publications. This book was released on 1995 with total page 212 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Often described as the bible of the Sufis, the Mathnawi is a 13th-century mystical poem by Jalalu'l-Din Rumi, the Persian poet and mystic. Professor Nicholson presents translations of the most important stories from this work, which explore the deep questions of life's meaning and purpose.

Download or read book The Walled Garden of Truth written by Abū al-Majd Majdūd ibn Ādam Sanāʼī al-Ghaznavī and published by Octagon Press, Limited. This book was released on 1974 with total page 88 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt:

Download or read book Four Sufi Classics written by Jāmī and published by Octagon Press, Limited. This book was released on 1980 with total page 248 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: Ghazali, Sanai, and Jami, authors of the four Sufi classics presented here, are among the very greatest names in the Sufi tradition. These four classical expositions of Sufi thought and experience give a cross-section of traditional instruction materials studied in dervish schools-but which are also a part of the literature of the Middle East. The dates of these translations range from the famous Salaman, published in 1856, to Pendlebury's rendering from The Way of the Seeker, com-pleted in 1979. The introduction to this volume provides informative background as to the intent of the various works and observations on the translations, from a Sufi point of view.

Download or read book The Mishkat Al Anwar written by Al-Ghazzali and published by Cosimo, Inc.. This book was released on 2010-01-01 with total page 110 pages. Available in PDF, EPUB and Kindle. Book excerpt: The Mishkat Al-Anwar, literally translated "The Niche for Lights," is a theological and philosophical sufi text by the well-known Muhammad Al-Ghazzali. Though the exact date of its writing is unknown, it was authored after his opus Ihya' ulum al-din, or Revival of Religious Sciences. The work focuses on expanding upon the meaning behind a verse in the Qu'ran--the Light Verse (S. 24, 35)--and upon the Veils Tradition in Islam. The book is divided into three sections; in the first Al-Ghazzali deconstructs the word "light" and all its meanings, in the second he discusses the symbolic language in the Qu'ran and Muslim traditions, and in the third he applies his findings to the verse and tradition itself. ABU HAMED MUHAMMAD IBN MUHAMMAD AL-GHAZZALI (1058-1111)was a Persian Islamic philosopher, theologian, psychologist, and mystic, known today as one of the most famous Sunni scholars in history, sometimes cited as next-in-importance only to Muhammad. Born in Tus, Al-Ghazzali was a pioneer of methodic doubt; his work The Incoherence of Philosophers shifted early Islamic philosophy from metaphysics to the theory of occasionalism, an Islamic doctrine that states cause-and-effect is controlled by God. He also succeeded in bringing orthodox Islam in contact with Sufism. The author of more than 70 books on various subjects, his influence continues to stretch far and wide even today.