"The works of Islamic mysticism are a crucial genre of Islamic piety, and the lives of the awliya (friends of God) have been and continue to be a crucial way in which the theoretical insights of Sufism are embodied and communicated to a wider audience. Traditionally, these genres would be deciphered by a living Sufi master. Here John Renard acts as our Sufi guide, transporting us to the marvelous world of Islamic piety."—Omid Safi, Professor of Islamic Studies, University of Northern Carolina

Prophets, saints, martyrs, sages, and seers—one of the richest repositories of lore about such exemplary religious figures belongs to the world's approximately 1.3 billion Muslims. Illuminating some of the most delightful tales in world religious literature, this engaging book is the first truly global overview of Islamic hagiography. John Renard tells of the characters beyond the Qur'an and Hadith, whose stories of piety and service to God and humanity have captured hearts and minds for nearly fourteen hundred years. Renard's thematic approach to the major characters, narratives, social and cultural contexts, and theoretical concepts of this remarkable treasury of tales, based on material ranging from the eighth to the twentieth centuries and from countries ranging from Morocco to Malaysia, provides insight into the ways in which these stories have functioned in the lives of Muslims from diverse cultural, social, economic, and political backgrounds. The book also serves as a useful and evocative tool for approaching the vast geographical and chronological sweep of Islamic civilization.

Presents the lives and sayings of some of the most renowned figures in the Islamic Sufi tradition, translated into a contemporary American English from the Persian of the poet Farid al-Din 'Att'r.

The short account given in the following pages of three of the "Friends of God" of the fourteenth century, is but a small fragment of a history which would form in itself a voluminous library, the history of the "Brethren" of the Middle Ages, known to us under many names, but in England chiefly as the Lollards or Boni Homines. - Preface.

Ray Stedman takes us on a rewarding and fascinating journey through the life of Abraham. His unique blend of insightful Bible teaching, delightful storytelling, and conversational style will draw you into the mind of the greatest of all Old Testament heroes. You'll experience each episode of Abraham's life in a new and life-changing way. As Pastor Stedman himself has said, “Each of the incidences in Abraham's life [is] a luminous illustration of some New Testament event or truth.” Rediscover the adventure of faith alongside this remarkable man known as Abraham.

Founder Lucas admonishes Daughters of Destiny to heed the wisdom embedded in a four-word whisper spoken into her left ear by God in 1997. Each reader is encouraged to manifest deliverance from a controlling spirit ' a sure sign of her displeasure with God's Will. As Founder and Chief Visionary Officer of Daughters of Destiny International, she imparts this teaching for a purpose ' to equip and teach a generation of divine daughters who honor spiritual leaders to harvest impregnability. All are compelled to mature in the things of God to produce divine fruit in and out of season. The divine mystery pursued in this teaching implores you to couple the life lesson of Anais Nin with the "Litmus Test for Friendship" shared by John C. Maxwell. Her candor will lead you to God. Armed with her deliverance anointing, each word is rooted in a divine mandate to leave you with Christ, your first friend. It will change your divine obedience-life for eternity!

'Abraham believed God, and God counted him as righteous because of his faith. He was even called the friend of God.' (James 2.23) Abraham is the only character in the Bible to be described as a 'friend of God', and John C. Lennox shows us why. Throughout the Bible, Abraham is seen as a pivotal figure in God's plan of salvation, and, in Friend of God, Professor Lennox helps us to see through the mists of the past to the real flesh-and-blood man with all his strengths and weaknesses. This study guide to Friend of God is packed with thought-provoking suggestions for private reflection or group discussion, drawing out the many ways in which the story of Abraham can teach us how to live faithfully in a world of religious doubt and scepticism today.

In one way or the other, almost every person in the world communicates about God, or the word God. What does that word mean? In this book you may find out what the word God really means, in the Christian religion. This book is not a pleasurable novel. It is a fact base study of the earliest and the most intelligent writers of the first three centuries, some of whom were companions of Jesus and or the apostles, like Clement of Rome, referred to in the Bible, as having his name written in the book of life.

'Abraham believed God, and God counted him as righteous because of his faith. He was even called the friend of God.' (James 2.23) Abraham is the only character in the Bible to be described as 'the friend of God'. This comprehensive study by John Lennox explores why. Abraham is unquestionably one of the most outstanding and influential figures in world history. He had no political or military achievements, and he left no literary remains, yet today billions of people - more than half of the world's population - claim him as their spiritual father. Throughout the Bible, Abraham is seen as a pivotal figure in God's plan of salvation. In this richly detailed account of his life and times, John Lennox helps us to see through mists of the past to the real flesh-and-blood man, with all his strengths and weaknesses, to better appreciate all that Abraham stands for as a model of faith today.

This collection of homilies by St. Josemaría Escrivá helps you develop a strong, lasting friendship with the God who is close to us. St. Josemaría gives you a broad picture of the basic human and Christian virtues, so that you can not only follow closely in our Lord's footsteps, but establish and maintain a filial dialogue with God. Each of his homilies here are not only heartfelt conversations with the Christian who is immersed in ordinary life, but also a prayerful colloquy with God. With a masterful pastor's hand, St. Josemaría combines theological depth with evangelical clarity. He gives you here not only a lesson in doctrine, but an introduction to essential aspects of the Christian life. Simple, compassionate, and profound, these homilies are a full expression of St. Josemaría's passionate, expansive love for God.