Practical Sufism

Practical Sufism PDF Author: Phillip Gowins
Publisher: Quest Books
ISBN: 0835630102
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 241

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Book Description
This wise, funny, and compassionate book follows Gowins apprenticeship with Pir Vilayat Inayat Khan, spiritual leader of the Sufi Order International. Until now, Pir Vilayat’s order has not had a strong, accessible introduction. This book not only provides that service but is more down-to-earth than most books on Sufism. It also has the advantage of being universalistic. “The Sufi Way is not a religion or a component of a religion but the heart of all religions and spiritualities,” Gowins says. Because it is non-dogmatic and offers no catechisms or creeds, its teachers are essential. Gowins emerges as a superb teacher, offering a user-friendly guide to the Sufi Way that is at once valuable to any seeker entering any spiritual path. Gowins is quick to emphasize that Sufism is not the only path or even the right path for everyone. His approach is full of engaging stories and specific practices that could be helpful in many circumstances. Readers will benefit from his gentle Sufi teachings of love, tolerance, unity, and consciousness, no matter what their chosen path.

Practical Sufism

Practical Sufism PDF Author: Phillip Gowins
Publisher: Quest Books
ISBN: 0835630102
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 241

Get Book Here

Book Description
This wise, funny, and compassionate book follows Gowins apprenticeship with Pir Vilayat Inayat Khan, spiritual leader of the Sufi Order International. Until now, Pir Vilayat’s order has not had a strong, accessible introduction. This book not only provides that service but is more down-to-earth than most books on Sufism. It also has the advantage of being universalistic. “The Sufi Way is not a religion or a component of a religion but the heart of all religions and spiritualities,” Gowins says. Because it is non-dogmatic and offers no catechisms or creeds, its teachers are essential. Gowins emerges as a superb teacher, offering a user-friendly guide to the Sufi Way that is at once valuable to any seeker entering any spiritual path. Gowins is quick to emphasize that Sufism is not the only path or even the right path for everyone. His approach is full of engaging stories and specific practices that could be helpful in many circumstances. Readers will benefit from his gentle Sufi teachings of love, tolerance, unity, and consciousness, no matter what their chosen path.

Practical Mysticism in Islam and Christianity

Practical Mysticism in Islam and Christianity PDF Author: Saeed Zarrabi-Zadeh
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1317329112
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 364

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Book Description
Practical Mysticism in Islam and Christianity offers a comparative study of the works of the Sufi-poet Jalal al-Din Rumi (1207-1273) and the practical teachings of the German Dominican, Meister Eckhart (c1260-1327/8). Rumi has remained an influential figure in Islamic mystical discourse since the thirteenth century, while also extending his impact to the Western spiritual arena. However, his ideas have frequently been interpreted within the framework of other mystical, philosophical, or religious systems. Through its novel approach, this book aims to reformulate Rumi’s practical mysticism by employing four methodological principles: a) mysticism is a coherent structure with mutual interconnection between its parts; b) the imposition of alien structures to interpret any particular mysticism damages its inward coherency; c) practical mysticism consists of two main parts, namely practices and stages; and d) the proper use of comparative methodology enables a deeper understanding of each juxtaposed system. Eckhart’s speculative mysticism, which differs from and enjoys similarities with the love-based mysticism of Rumi, provides a "mirror" that highlights the special features of Rumi’s practical mysticism. Such comparison also allows a deeper comprehension of Eckhart’s practical thought. Offering a critical examination of practical mysticism, this book is a valuable resource for students and scholars of Islamic studies, comparative mysticism, and the intellectual history of Islam.

The Sufi Orders in Islam

The Sufi Orders in Islam PDF Author: J. Spencer Trimingham
Publisher: Oxford University Press
ISBN: 0198028237
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 370

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Book Description
Sufism, the name given to Islamic mysticism, has been the subject of many studies, but the orders through which the organizational aspect of the Sufi spirit was expressed has been neglected. The Sufi Orders in Islam is one of the earliest modern examinations of the historical development of Sufism and is considered a classic work in numerous sources of Islamic studies today. Here, author J. Spencer Trimingham offers a clear and detailed account of the formation and development of the Sufi schools and orders (tariqahs) from the second century of Islam until modern times. Trimingham focuses on the practical disciplines behind the mystical aspects of Sufism which initially attracted a Western audience. He shows how Sufism developed and changed, traces its relationship to the unfolding and spread of mystical ideas, and describes in sharp detail its rituals and ceremonial practices. Finally, he assesses the influence of these Sufi orders upon Islamic society in general. John O. Voll has added a new introduction to this classic text and provides readers with an updated list of further reading. The Sufi Orders in Islam will appeal not only to those already familiar with Triminghams groundbreaking research, but also to the growing reading public of Islamic studies and mysticism.

The Heritage of Sufism

The Heritage of Sufism PDF Author: Leonard Lewisohn
Publisher: Simon and Schuster
ISBN: 1786075261
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 495

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Book Description
The first volume in a three-volume set, this is a study of the rise of Persian Sufi spirituality and literature in Islam during the first six Muslim centuries. This collection of 24 essays covers the key achievements of the Muslim intellectual and cultural tradition in history, mysticism, philosophy and poetry. It demonstrates the positive role played by Sufi thinkers during this period. The subjects covered include: Sufi masters and schools; literature and poetry; spiritual chivalry; divine love; Persian Sufi literature - Rumi and 'Attar.

What is Sufism?

What is Sufism? PDF Author: Martin Lings
Publisher: Univ of California Press
ISBN: 9780520027947
Category : Sufism
Languages : en
Pages : 144

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Book Description


Thinking Like the Universe

Thinking Like the Universe PDF Author: Pir Vilayat Inayat Khan
Publisher:
ISBN: 9780722539620
Category : Sufi meditations
Languages : en
Pages : 221

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Book Description
Pir Vilayat is the head of one of the mystical movements in the West: the Sufi Order International. Sufism began as the mystical wing of Islam (similar to the role of Kabbalah in Judaism). This work is not just for Sufis, however, it is for anyone seeking to deepen their spirituality. In it, readers will learn the key to transformation - moving beyond their own personal point of view to something larger. The author calls this shift Thinking Like the Universe.

Sufism

Sufism PDF Author: Carl W. Ernst
Publisher: Shambhala Publications
ISBN: 0834822970
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 530

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Book Description
The classic introduction to the philosophies, practices, and history of Sufism, the mystical tradition of Islam The Sufis are as diverse as the countries in which they've flourished—from Morocco to India to China—and as varied as their distinctive forms of art, music, poetry, and dance. They are said to represent the mystical heart of Islam, yet the term Sufism is notoriously difficult to define, as it means different things to different people both within and outside the tradition. With that fact in mind, Carl Ernst explores the broadest range of Sufi philosophies and practices to provide one of the most complete and comprehensive introductions to Sufism available in English. He traces the history of the movement from the earliest days of Islam to the present day, along the way examining its relationship to the larger world of Islam and its encounters with both fundamentalism and secularism in the modern world.

Philosophical Sufism

Philosophical Sufism PDF Author: Mukhtar H. Ali
Publisher: Routledge
ISBN: 1000418294
Category : Philosophy
Languages : en
Pages : 248

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Book Description
Analyzing the intersection between Sufism and philosophy, this volume is a sweeping examination of the mystical philosophy of Muḥyī-l-Dīn Ibn al-ʿArabī (d. 637/1240), one of the most influential and original thinkers of the Islamic world. This book systematically covers Ibn al-ʿArabī’s ontology, theology, epistemology, teleology, spiritual anthropology and eschatology. While philosophy uses deductive reasoning to discover the fundamental nature of existence and Sufism relies on spiritual experience, it was not until the school of Ibn al-ʿArabī that philosophy and Sufism converged into a single framework by elaborating spiritual doctrines in precise philosophical language. Contextualizing the historical development of Ibn al-ʿArabī’s school, the work draws from the earliest commentators of Ibn al-ʿArabī’s oeuvre, Ṣadr al-Dīn al-Qūnawī (d. 673/1274), ʿAbd al-Razzāq al-Kāshānī (d. ca. 730/1330) and Dawūd al-Qayṣarī (d. 751/1350), but also draws from the medieval heirs of his doctrines Sayyid Ḥaydar Āmulī (d. 787/1385), the pivotal intellectual and mystical figure of Persia who recast philosophical Sufism within the framework of Twelver Shīʿism and ʿAbd al-Raḥmān Jāmī (d. 898/1492), the key figure in the dissemination of Ibn al-ʿArabī’s ideas in the Persianate world as well as the Ottoman Empire, India, China and East Asia via Central Asia. Lucidly written and comprehensive in scope, with careful treatments of the key authors, Philosophical Sufism is a highly accessible introductory text for students and researchers interested in Islam, philosophy, religion and the Middle East.

The Book of Ascension to the Essential Truths of Sufism

The Book of Ascension to the Essential Truths of Sufism PDF Author: Aḥmad ibn Muḥammad Ibn ʻAjībah
Publisher:
ISBN: 9781891785849
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 0

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Book Description
Written by 18th-century Moroccan scholar and mystic Ahmad ibn 'Ajiba, this book defines Sufic terminology. Based on four published Arabic editions of the Mi'raj and two manuscript versions, this translation is supplemented by excerpts from some of Ibn 'Ajiba's other works, which offer insights about the essential notions of Sufism: repentance, integrity, love, patience, gratitude, and the Eternal Wine. A comprehensive compilation, this bilingual edition--Arabic and English--celebrates Ahmad ibn 'Ajiba's belief that coming to know and reflect upon these notions could be, in itself, a sort of ascending meditative journey.

SUFISM FOR NON-SUFIS?

SUFISM FOR NON-SUFIS? PDF Author: Aḥmad ibn Muḥammad Ibn ʻAṭāʼ Allāh
Publisher: OUP USA
ISBN: 0199873674
Category : Religion
Languages : en
Pages : 166

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Book Description
First English translation of an important and popular work by an exceedingly influential pre-modern figure Demonstrates that the spiritual state of those who employ a religious text is as important as the text itself in determining the social role of the text.