Islamic groups: Sufis Books

Book Synopsis Rowdy, ecstatic, and sometimes stern, these teaching stories and fables reveal new and very human properties in Rumi''s vision. Included here are the notorious "Latin parts" that Reynold Nicholson felt were too unseemly to appear in English in his 1920s translation. For Rumi, anything that human beings do--however compulsive--affords a glimpse into the inner life. Here are more than 40 fables or teaching stories that deal with love, laughter, death, betrayal, and the soul. The stories are exuberant, earthy, and bursting with vitality--much like a painting by Hieronymus Bosch or Chaucer''s Canterbury Tales. The characters are guilty, lecherous, tricky, ribald, and finally possessors of opened souls. Barks writes: "These teaching stories are a kind of scrimshaw--intricately carved, busy figures, confused and threatening, and weirdly funny. This is an entertaining collection from one of the greatest spiritual poets of all time, rendered by his most popular translator. "The minute I heard my first love story, I started looking for you, not knowing how blind that was. Lovers don''t finally meet somewhere. They''re in each other all along."--Rumi

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Book SynopsisForeword by Maryam MafiThe 60-short tales in THE LITTLE BOOK OF SUFI STORIES reflect a variety of principles, values and ideas that are held by the Sufi mystical tradition. Like a Zen koan, a Sufi story allows wisdom to arise from within.The stories in this book are drawn from the dozens that the author has enjoyed telling in his seminars over the past 20 years. Most of them appear in works of the classical Sufis, like Rumi, Attar or S''adi. To preserve some of the personal feeling and bring the language up to date, he has given them his own improvised turns. In doing so, the author achieves an energy that awakens a spark in the soul.Included in this collection are stories about Jesus, Satan, Jonah and Mullah Nasredden.

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Book SynopsisA book about contemporary urban design, a metaphysical worldview and a cultural process that transcends the pre-colonial/colonial/post-colonial divides. Sufi City: Urban Design and Archetypes in Touba is a geographical study of the modern Muslim holy city of Touba in Senegal, capital of the Mouride Sufi order. Touba was founded in 1887 by a Sufi shaykh in a moment of mysticillumination. Since the death of the founder in 1927, the Mouride order has designed and built the entire city. Touba is named for Tûbâ, the "Tree of Paradise" of Islamic tradition. This archetypal tree articulates Islamic conceptions of righteous life on earth, divine judgment, and access to the Hereafter; the city of Touba actualizes this spiritual construct. Important aspects of its configuration, such as the vertical and horizontal alignment of its monumental central shrine complex, its radiating avenues and encircling ring roads, and the actual trees that mark its landscape relate directly to the archetypal tree of Sufi theosophy. The relationship between the spiritualarchetype and its earthly actualization as a city is explained by recourse to Sufi methodology. The book employs a semiotic analysis of urban form, cartography, hermeneutics, field investigation and analysis of satellite imagery in order to relate contemporary urban design issues to overarching metaphysical concepts. Sufi City also explores the history of urban networks in Senegal since the emergence of autonomous Muslim towns in the seventeenth century. Finally, the layout of Senegal's modern Sufi cities is related to the monumental palaver trees that marked that country's historic settlements. Eric S. Ross is a cultural and urban geographer who holds a degree inIslamic Studies. Since 1998 he has been Assistant Professor of Geography at Al Akhawayn University in Ifrane, Morocco. Apart from research on Sufi orders and Muslim towns in Senegal, he has studied cultural tourism and urban planning in Morocco.Trade ReviewOne has to look hard to find fault with this work. It crosses numerous disciplinary boundaries, encompassing aspects of urban history, African and Islamic Studies and cultural geography in a manner that should appeal to all those with an interest in any or all those fields. -- Stephen J. Salm * URBAN HISTORY JOURNAL *[Ross's] insights have carried the study of African Islamic urban history and morphology to a new level of understanding, one which goes far beyond those that have dominated Africanist literature to date. This study is a must for anyone interested not only in the morphology of the Islamic city, but in the African fabric of settlement design-at-large. --Labelle Prussin, architect; author of Hatumere: Islamic Design in West Africa * . *Touba may be unique in the world of Islam, as a 20th-century urban complex of wholly Sufi design and social purpose. With signal clarity, intellectual fervor, and exceptional sensitivity, Eric Ross introduces readers to the mystical depth and vibrancy of Touba, the second largest city of Senegal. Sufi City deserves broad attention, for its many contributions disprove any sense that sub-Saharan African achievements are peripheral to Islam or Islamic Studies. --Allen F. Roberts, Professor of World Arts and Cultures and Director of African studies at the University of California, Los Angeles; and co-author of A Saint in the City: Sufi Arts of Urban Senegal * . *A new and fresh look at African cities that bridges the all too frequent gap between African and Islamic studies, Sufi City will be of great use for researchers, professors, and students in urban studies, African studies, and Islamic studies. --John Shoup, Associate Professor of Anthropology, Al Akhawayn University, Morocco * . *Table of ContentsArchetypes: Sufi Phenomenology and the Semiosis of Landscape Urban Design: The Spatial Configuration of a Spiritual Project Marabout Republics Then and Now: Autonomous Muslim Towns in Senegal The Pénc: Trees and Urban Design in West Africa

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Book SynopsisJonathan Star has assembled selections of Rumi''s verse in a treasury that spans the poet''s life and includes his most celebrated and poignant work. It is an enchanting volume of classic Eastern thought that creates an exhilarating experience for all readers.

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Book SynopsisThe classic introduction to the philosophies, practices, and history of Sufism, the mystical tradition of IslamThe 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.

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Book Synopsis"My heart wandered through the world constantly seeking after my cure, but the sweet and delicious water of life had to break through the granite of my heart."  When the words of Rumi enter your heart, something softens, breaks, and is subtly reborn. That he wrote the words seven hundred years ago in a medieval Persian world that bears little resemblance to ours makes their uncanny resonance to us today just that much more remarkable. Here is a treasury of daily wisdom from this most beloved of all the Sufi masters—both his prose and his ecstatic poetry—that you can use to start every day for a year, or that you can dip into for inspiration any time you need to break through the granite of your heart.

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Book SynopsisThis collection of articles by artists, philosophers, psychologists, and social scientists explores the Sufi tradition and its best-known teacher, Rumi, a 13th-century poet, jurist, and philosopher. Setting aside the standard account of Rumi as a poet of mystic love, these contributors view his writings in a historical context, investigating Sufism''s ties to Islam and the teachings of the Prophet Mohammad and tracing Rumi''s influence on Persian and Turkish literature. The reasons why Sufism has transcended national boundaries and sectarian strife so successfully are also debated, and several contributors recommend the Sufi message of faith, love, and tolerance as a useful common ground for dialogue between religious groups.

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Book SynopsisDelving deeper into the soul of Islam and the definition of spirituality, this third volume examines the mainstream path that seekers are expected to follow in order to learn the fundamental concepts of Sufism and the essentials of the Islamic faith. Concepts central to Sufism, such as unity and multiplicity, silence, privacy and company, and sainthood, are thoroughly discussed.

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Book SynopsisConcluding a textually long but spiritually endless journey toward insan al-kamil?the perfect human?this fourth volume approaches Sufism through the middle way, an approach that revives the legacy of the Prophet Muhammad. With an awareness of the social realities of the 21st century, concepts such as tranquility, the truth of divinity, life beyond the physical realm, the preserved tablet, the glorified attributes, and the beautiful names are delicately explained.

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Book Synopsis

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Book Synopsis

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Book Synopsis

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Book SynopsisDelving deeper into the soul of Islam and the definition of spirituality, this third volume examines the mainstream path that seekers are expected to follow in order to learn the fundamental concepts of Sufism and the essentials of the Islamic faith. Concepts central to Sufism, such as unity and multiplicity, silence, privacy and company, and sainthood, are thoroughly discussed.

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Book SynopsisIncluding a textually long but spiritually endless journey toward insan al-kamil the perfect human this fourth volume approaches Sufism through the middle way, an approach that revives the legacy of the Prophet Muhammad. With an awareness of the social realities of the 21st century, concepts such as tranquility, the truth of divinity, life beyond the physical realm, the preserved tablet, the glorified attributes, and the beautiful names are delicately explained.

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Book Synopsis“Mysticism” in Iran is an in-depth analysis of significant transformations in the religious landscape of Safavid Iran that led to the marginalization of Sufism and the eventual emergence of ‘irfan as an alternative Shi‘i model of spirituality. Ata Anzali draws on a treasure-trove of manuscripts from Iranian archives to offer an original study of the transformation of Safavid Persia from a majority Sunni country to a Twelver Shi‘i realm. The work straddles social and intellectual history, beginning with an examination of late Safavid social and religious contexts in which Twelver religious scholars launched a successful campaign against Sufism with the tacit approval of the court. This led to the social, political, and economic marginalization of Sufism, which was stigmatized as an illegitimate mode of piety rooted in a Sunni past. Anzali directs the reader’s attention to creative and successful attempts by other members of the ulama to incorporate the Sufi tradition into the new Twelver milieu. He argues that the category of ‘irfan, or “mysticism,” was invented at the end of the Safavid period by mystically minded scholars such as Shah Muhammad Darabi and Qutb al-Din Nayrizi in reference to this domesticated form of Sufism. Key aspects of Sufi thought and practice were revisited in the new environment, which Anzali demonstrates by examining the evolving role of the spiritual master. This traditional Sufi function was reimagined by Shi‘i intellectuals to incorporate the guidance of the infallible imams and their deputies, the ulama.Anzali goes on to address the institutionalization of ‘irfan in Shi‘i madrasas and the role played by prominent religious scholars of the eighteenth and early nineteenth centuries in this regard. The book closes with a chapter devoted to fascinating changes in the thought and practice of ‘irfan in the twentieth century during the transformative processes of modernity. Focusing on the little-studied figure of Kayvan Qazvini and his writings, Anzali explains how ‘irfan was embraced as a rational, science-friendly, nonsectarian, and anticlerical concept by secular Iranian intellectuals.

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Book SynopsisWomen have traditionally played a vital part in Islam throughout Central Asia - the vast area from the Caspian Sea to Siberia. With this ground-breaking and original study, Razia Sultanova examines the experiences of Muslim women in the region and the ways in which religion has shaped their daily lives and continues to do so today. 'From Shamanism to Sufism' explores the fundamental interplay between religious belief and the cultural heritage of music and dance and is the first book to focus particularly on the role of women. Based on evidence derived from over fifteen years of field work, 'From Shamanism to Sufism' shows how women kept alive traditional Islamic religious culture in Central Asia, especially through Shamanism and Sufism, even under Soviet rule when all religion was banned. Nowhere was the role of women more important than in the Ferghana Valley in Uzbekistan, the cradle of female Islamic culture and a centre for women's poetry and music. This area is home to the 'Otin-Oy', a sisterhood of religiously educated women and members of Sufi orders, who take a leading part in rituals, marking the pivotal moments in the Islamic calendar and maintaining religious practices through music and ritual dances. Sultanova shows how the practice of Islam in Uzbekistan has evolved over time: long underground, there was a religious resurgence at independence in 1991, boosting national Uzbek identity and nationalism - 500 new mosques were built - only to be followed by a return to persecution by a repressive state under the banner of the 'war against terror'. Now events have come full circle, and once again covert worship by women remains crucial to the survival of traditional Muslim culture. Ritual and music are at the heart of Central Asian and Islamic culture, not only at weddings and funerals but in all aspects of everyday life. Through her in-depth analysis of these facets of cultural life within Central Asian society, 'From Shamanism to Sufism' offers important insights into the lives of the societies in the region. The role of women has often been neglected in studies of religious culture and this book fills an enormous gap, restoring women to their rightful historical and cultural context. It will be essential reading for anyone with a serious interest in the History or Religion of Central Asia or in Global Islam.Trade Review'Sultanova has written a magnificent portrait of the social life and mores of the mysterious and little known but largest land mass in the world. Her remarkable book portrays past and present Central Asia through its music and lifestyle that includes Shamanism and popular Sufism. A wonderful read.' Ahmed Rashid, author of Taliban 'This book shows the role played by Central Asian women in the harmonisation of non-Muslim and Muslim spiritual and ethical trends and arts in Shamanism and popular Sufism. It gives insight into the interconnection between music and mysticism and the mentality of Sufi female musicians and singers.' Thierry Zarcone, Senior Researcher at the Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Paris 'An insightful work that scholars from many disciplines will enjoy.' Earle Waugh, Professor of Islamic Studies, University of AlbertaTable of ContentsPreface Chapter 1: Historical Overview 1. Early religious practices and beliefs 2. Islam in Central Asia 3. Central Asia under Russian and Soviet rule 4. Land ploughed by Cultural Revolution Chapter 2: Shamanism in Central Asian nomadic culture 5. Theory and practise 6. How to become shaman? 7. Women and Shamanism in Central Asia 8. Kyrgyz heroic epic 9. Shamanism and Islam Chapter 3: Sufism in Central Asia 10. Historical development 11. Main Tariqas of Central Asia Chapter 4:Female Sufism: historical overview 12. Female Sufism: historical overview 13. Sufi poetry in Central Asia: Ghazal and female poets Chapter 5: Transmission of Sacred Knowledge 14. Usto-shogird in medieval sources 15. Usto-Shogird tradition today 16. Mehterlik or Professional guilds 17.Professional training: Hafizlik Chapter 6: Music and Female Sufis . 18. Sufi Masters in Music 19. Sufi music in Central Asia: from court to folk traditions 20. Maqam music and Sufism 21. Female Maqam singers 22. Munojat Yulchieva 23. Sufi origin genre Katta Ashulla Chapter 7: Interaction of Shamanism and Sufism 24. From healing rituals to protective songs 25.Femalee shamanism in Turkmenistan 26.Galeke 27.Tajikistan Chapter 8: Female music making: Musical instruments and Dance 29. Musical instruments: from Shamanism to Sufism 30. Dutar 31. Dances in Central Asian culture Chapter 9 : Female folk Sufism 32. Female Sufi practises 33. Otin-Oy as female Sufi Pirs 34. How to become an Otin-Oy 35. Current situation: female religious school in Bukhara Chapter 10 : Female rituals led by Otin-Oys 36. Female rituals 37. Zikr 38. Other rituals led by Otin-Oy 39. “O’qish” (reading) as a ritual’s session 40. Calssification 41. Ichkari: the inner space 42. Pre-Islamic believes and practices in rituals 43. Female rites of passage 44. Toy: the main ritual in human life as a Sufi feast 45. Calendar Rituals led by Otin-oy 46. Otin-Oy in Uzbek pop music Chapter 11: Otin-Oy in the neighbouring areas 47. Female rituals in Turkic speaking world 48. How musical are female rituals Conclusion Apendix: 1. Female poetry References and notes Comprehensive glossary Bibliography

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Book SynopsisThis volume provides a composite of contemporary Sufi involvement in politics using a range of approaches and disciplines. It explores the role of Sufi-related parties where they exist or are emerging. It also examines how parties that condemn Sufism have adopted aspects of Sufi organization and practice. Changes in views within the academy on politics and Sufism are discussed. Perspectives on Egypt, Pakistan, Bangladesh and Indonesia are included as are overviews of Sufism's political dimension across various regions.Contributions in the volume seek answer questions such as: Where Sufi related parties exist, what policies do they propose, and how do they differ from those of Islamist parties? How would "law" be understood? What is the relationship between secular and Sufi ideas about the role of religion in society? How do Sufi views about how to structure the state in Muslim majority space differ from alternatives? Are Sufis more likely to support democracy?Table of ContentsINTRODUCTION Sufism, Pluralism and Democracy: contexts, comparisons and critiques Clinton BennettSection One: Multi-contextual1. Sufis, Saints and Politics in Islam: an historical surveyClinton Bennett Section Two: European/Euro Asian Contexts (Kosovo/Albania & Turkey)2. Sufism as a Working Spirit in Globalization and Pluralism: The Case of the Hizmet Movement, a Turkey-oriented Global Islamic Network (Turkey)Heon C. Kim, East Stroudsburg University of Pennsylvania 3. A Paradox of Political Mysticism: The Bektashi Sufi Order as an Islamic Esoteric Community And Factor in Albanian National History (Kosova/the Balkans)Stephen Schwartz, Center for Islamic Pluralism, Washington DCSection Three: A Middle Eastern Context (Iran)4. Sufi Politics in the Contemporary West: The Role and Definition of Sufism in the works of Javad Nurbakhsh (1926-2008) (Iran)Milad Milani, University of Western Sydney Section Four: South Asian Contexts: Bangladesh, Indonesia & Pakistan5. Anti-saint or anti-shrine? Tracing Deoband's disdain for the Sufi in PakistanCharles M. Ramsey, Forman Christian College, Lahore, Pakistan6. Sufis as shapers of pluralist political culture: the examples of Bangladesh and Indonesia.Clinton Bennett 7. In Search of God, In Search of Humanity: Vilayat-e-Mutlaqa of Hazrat Delaor Husayn Maizbhandari (Bangladesh) Sarwar AlamSection Five: Literary/Theoretical Underpinnings8. Two Beloved Sufi poets of the Punjab: A Case of "Hearing Without Listening". Nikky-Guninder Kaur Singh, Colby College, Maine 9. Looking Inside the Heart: The Universal Appeal of God and Humanity as Reflected in Ibn al-'Arabi 's Fusus al-Hikam and Maulana Rumi 's Mathnawi ManawiSayed Hassan Akhlaq Hussaini, George Washington University CONCLUSION: "Corporate Islam" v Sufi Islam and the articulation of the present Sarwar Alam

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Book SynopsisIn contrast to most introductory texts on Sufism, this work begins not with the historical past, but with the contemporary present. Beginning with Sufism as it is lived today, each chapter further unveils the complexities of Sufism, journeying through a variety of historical, political, and cultural contexts, moving deeper into the past, and closer to the origin and heart of Sufism. This geneological framework will enable the reader to understand the patterns of connection between contemporary manifestations of Sufism and past realities. To ensure that the full range of Sufism's varied expressions is taken into account, each chapter is divided into four sections: Politics and Power, Philosophy and Metaphysics, Arts and Culture, and Overview of Historical Developments. Dividing chapters into these four broad categories enables the book to highlight some of the ways in which Sufism has influenced Muslim politics, philosophy, art, and culture in each historical period. In each category the relevant issues are illustrated through detailed case studies, whether of a particular Sufi figure, place, artistic expression, or philosophical view. This allows the reader to develop a genuinely three-dimensional appreciation of Sufism, neither reducing it to a private mystical experience divorced from social expression, nor limiting the tradition to historical names and dates.Table of ContentsIntroduction1. The Many Faces of Contemporary Sufism in North America2. Warriors, Philosophers and Poets: Sufis in the Age of Colonization3. Commanding Sultans to Wandering Dervishes: Sufism in the Later Medieval Era4. Synthesizers and Saints: Sufism in the Medieval Era5. A Reality without a Name: Early Sufis and the Formation of Tradition6. Sources of Sufism: Transmission of the Prophetic WordConclusion

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Book SynopsisIn contrast to most introductory texts on Sufism, this work begins not with the historical past, but with the contemporary present. Beginning with Sufism as it is lived today, each chapter further unveils the complexities of Sufism, journeying through a variety of historical, political, and cultural contexts, moving deeper into the past, and closer to the origin and heart of Sufism. This geneological framework will enable the reader to understand the patterns of connection between contemporary manifestations of Sufism and past realities. To ensure that the full range of Sufism's varied expressions is taken into account, each chapter is divided into four sections: Politics and Power, Philosophy and Metaphysics, Arts and Culture, and Overview of Historical Developments. Dividing chapters into these four broad categories enables the book to highlight some of the ways in which Sufism has influenced Muslim politics, philosophy, art, and culture in each historical period. In each category the relevant issues are illustrated through detailed case studies, whether of a particular Sufi figure, place, artistic expression, or philosophical view. This allows the reader to develop a genuinely three-dimensional appreciation of Sufism, neither reducing it to a private mystical experience divorced from social expression, nor limiting the tradition to historical names and dates.Table of ContentsIntroduction1. The Many Faces of Contemporary Sufism in North America2. Warriors, Philosophers and Poets: Sufis in the Age of Colonization3. Commanding Sultans to Wandering Dervishes: Sufism in the Later Medieval Era4. Synthesizers and Saints: Sufism in the Medieval Era5. A Reality without a Name: Early Sufis and the Formation of Tradition6. Sources of Sufism: Transmission of the Prophetic WordConclusion

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