Shaikh Sharfuddin Maneri (14th century) is also known as Makhdum-ul-Mulk, or Master of the Kingdom. Born near Patna in Behar, India, he was initiated by Najibuddin Firdausi and was equally proficient in secular learning and esoteric knowledge. The present book consists of the translation of extracts from the Maktubat-i-Sadi ("The Hundred Letters," or rather essays on definite subjects), the most elaborate and comprehensive of his works.

This book contains spiritual techniques taken from letters of Shaykh ad-Darqawi. Almost all these letters are concerned with the method and the operative aspects of the Way and are considered among the most direct instructions given on Sufic method to be found in all Sufi literature.

Maneri (c. 1263-1381), born in India, was one of the most famous Islamic saints and one of the greatest Sufi masters. The Hundred Letters is a basic presentation of his teachings for spiritual advancement.

Ibn 'Abbad of Ronda (1332-1390) wrote to his friends in Fez from the small Moroccan town of Sale. Here are selections of his letters, dating from 1365 to 1375, blending the lay movement of his time and the Sufi traditions of his past into a fresh spirituality.

The Sufis is the best introduction ever written to the philosophical and mystical school traditionally associated with the Islamic world.Powerful, concise, and intensely thought-provoking, it sums up over a thousand years of Eastern thought - the product of some of the greatest minds humanity has ever produced - into a single work, presenting timeless ideas in a fresh and contemporary style.When the book was originally published in 1964, it launched its author, Idries Shah, on to the international stage, attracting the attention of thinkers and writers such as J. D. Salinger, Doris Lessing, Ted Hughes and Robert Graves.It introduced to the Western world concepts which have subsequently become commonly accepted, varying from the psychological importance of attention and humour, to the use of traditional tales as teaching instruments (what Shah termed 'teaching-stories'), and the historical debt owed by the West to the Middle East in matters scientific, literary and philosophical.As a primer for the many dozens of Sufi books that Shah later produced, it is unsurpassed, offering a clear window onto a community whose system of thought and action has long concerned itself with the advancement of the whole of humankind, and whose ideas about individuals and society, their purpose and direction, need to be understood now more than ever before.

This diary spans five years, making up an amazing record of spiritual transformation: the agonies, the resistance, the long and frightening bouts with the purifying forces of Kundalini, the perseverance, the movements towards surrender, the longing, and finally, the all-consuming love.

"The Way of the Sufi presents an unparalleled cross-section of material from Sufi schools, teachings and classical writings, as a basic course of Sufi study. Its author, Idries Shah, is regarded as the most influential modern exponent of Sufi ideas. His many books on the subject seek to make some of the Eastern world's greatest teachings accessible to a Western audience. In this book, Shah begins with the outward aspects of the teaching most likely to puzzle the student coming fresh to the subject. He considers various attitudes to Sufi ideas, and evidence of their absorption into medieval Christianity, Hinduism, Jewish mysticism and modern philosophical teachings. The greater part of the book illuminates aspects of Sufi activity and practice relevant to the contemporary world." --

A mixture of primitive and conditioned responses, common to everyone, which inhibits and distorts human progress and understanding.

The selections in this book are sparkling drops from the ocean of Rumi's spiritual masterpiece, the Mathnawi -- six volumes of rhymed verse, drawing on favorite stories from the Qur'an, tales of Sufi saints and masters, the sayings of Muhammed, folklore, and popular humor. The excerpts presented here are rendered in free-verse style and emphasize the teaching stories and spiritual fables. Also included are seventeen personal letters, in which Rumi offers spiritual counsel to disciples and family members.