THE FOUR 'BABAS' OF SUFI POETRY Baba Tahir, Baba Azfal, Baba Farid & Rahman Baba SELECTED POEMS Translation & Introduction by Paul Smith Baba Tahir, or Oryan ('The Naked') of Hamadan... approx. 990-1065, was a great God-intoxicated, or God-mad soul (mast) and possibly a Qutub (Perfect Master) who composed about 120 known ruba'i in a simpler metre than the usual 'hazaj' metre. His simple, mystical poems that he would sing while wandering naked throughout the land had a profound influence on Sufis and dervishes and other ruba'i composers, especially Abu Sa'id, Ibn Sina and Omar Khayyam. Included in the Introduction... the life of Baba Tahir, an essay on the ruba'i and on Sufi Poetry. Bibliography. Baba Afzal (1186-1256) came from Maraq near Kashan. He is the author of many Persian works on philosophical and metaphysical subjects and translated the Arabic version of Aristotle's 'The Book of the Soul' into Persian. He was a Sufi and the author of about 500 mystical and at times controversial ruba'is . He is one of the greatest poets among the philosophers of Islam and one of the greatest of this form. Introduction includes: The Life, Times & Work of Baba Afzal, The father of Punjabi poetry Baba Farid (1173-1266) was born in the Punjab. Khwaja Bakhtiar Kaki was Baba Farid's Spiritual Master. Kaki met Mu'in ud-din Chishti at Baghdad and became his disciple. Farid, the Sufi Master poet laureate from Punjab is famous for his wise and spiritual couplets (slokas)... 112 of them are in the bible of the Sikhs. Hospitals and factories and even a town named after him. Introduction on The Life, Times and Poetry of Baba Farid. Rahman Baba (1652 to 1711) is considered the greatest Sufi Pashtun poet to compose poems, mainly ghazals, in the Pashtu language. Born in Mohmand region of Afghanistan near Peshawar he was called 'The Nightingale of Peshawar'. This was a time of struggle and hardship and in the midst of the turmoil he was an excellent student with a natural gift for poetry. His Divan is 343 poems... ghazals and a few qasidas and mukhammas. Introduction is on his Life & Times & Poetry and the Forms in which he wrote. The correct rhyme-structure is kept as well as the meaning of these beautiful, enlightened poems by all four great Sufi poets. Large Format Paperback 7" x 10" Pages 498. Paul Smith (b.1945) is a poet, author and translator of many books of Sufi poets of the Persian, Arabic, Urdu, Turkish, Pashtu and other languages including Hafiz, Sa'di, Nizami, Rumi, 'Attar, Sana'i, Jahan Khatun, Obeyd Zakani, Nesimi, Kabir, Anvari, Ansari, Jami, Khayyam, Rudaki, Yunus Emre, Mu'in, Abu Nuwas, Ibn al-Farid, Seemab, Jigar, Lalla Ded, Hali, Baba Farid and many others, as well as poetry, fiction, plays, children's books, biographies and a dozen screenplays. www.newhumanitybooks.com

BABA TAHIR The 'Naked' Sufi Poet... Ruba'iyat (Large Print & Large Format Edition) Translation & Introduction Paul Smith Baba Tahir, or Oryan ('The Naked') of Hamadan... approx. 990-1065 A.D., was a great God-intoxicated, or God-mad soul (mast) and possibly a Qutub (Perfect Master) who composed about 120 known ruba'i in a simpler metre than the usual 'hazaj' metre. His simple, mystical poems that he would sing while wandering naked throughout the land had a profound influence on Sufis and dervishes and other ruba'i composers, especially Abu Sa'id, Ibn Sina and Omar Khayyam. Included in the Introduction: The Life, Times & Poetry of Baba Tahir, a History of the ruba'i and examples by its greatest exponents, Sufis & Dervishes: Their Art & Poetry. Selected Bibliography. The correct rhyme-structure has been kept and beauty and meaning of these immortal four-line poems. Large Print (18pt) & Large Format (8" x 10") 216 pages. Paul Smith (b. 1945) is a poet, author and translator of many books of Sufi poets of the Persian, Arabic, Urdu, Turkish, Pashtu and other languages... including Hafiz, Sadi, Nizami, Rumi, 'Attar, Sana'i, Jahan Khatun, Obeyd Zakani, Nesimi, Kabir, Anvari, Ansari, Jami, Khayyam, Rudaki, Yunus Emre, Lalla Ded, Mahsati, Amir Khusrau, Bulleh Shah, Iqbal, Makhfi, Nazir, Seemab, Jigar, Huma, Dard, Mir, Hali and many others, as well as his own poetry, fiction, plays, biographies, children's books and screenplays. amazon.com/author/smithpa

THE BOOK OF BABA TAHIR ORYAN Translation & Introduction Paul Smith Baba Tahir, or Oryan ('The Naked') of Hamadan... approx. 990-1065 A.D., was a great God-intoxicated, or God-mad soul (mast) and possibly a Qutub (Perfect Master) who composed about 120 known ruba'i in a simpler metre than the usual 'hazaj' metre. His simple, mystical poems that he would sing while wandering naked throughout the land had a profound influence on Sufis and dervishes and other ruba'i composers, especially Abu Sa'id, Ibn Sina and Omar Khayyam. Included in the Introduction... The Life, Times & Poetry of Baba Tahir Oryan, a History of the ruba'i and examples by its greatest exponents, Sufis & Dervishes: Their Art & Poetry. Selected Bibliography. The correct rhyme-structure has been kept as well as the beauty and meaning of these immortal four-line poems. Large Format Paperback 7" x 10" 187 pages. COMMENTS ON PAUL SMITH'S TRANSLATION OF HAFIZ'S 'DIVAN'. "It is not a joke... the English version of ALL the ghazals of Hafiz is a great feat and of paramount importance. I am astonished. If he comes to Iran I will kiss the fingertips that wrote such a masterpiece inspired by the Creator of all." Dr. Mir Mohammad Taghavi (Dr. of Literature) Tehran. "Superb translations. 99% Hafiz 1% Paul Smith." Ali Akbar Shapurzman, translator of many mystical works in English into Persian and knower of Hafiz's Divan off by heart. "I was very impressed with the beauty of these books." Dr. R.K. Barz. Faculty of Asian Studies, Australian National University. "Smith has probably put together the greatest collection of literary facts and history concerning Hafiz." Daniel Ladinsky (Penguin Books author). Paul Smith is a poet, author and translator of many books of Sufi poets of the Persian, Arabic, Urdu, Turkish, Pashtu and other languages... including Hafiz, Sadi, Nizami, Rumi, 'Attar, Sana'i, Jahan Khatun, Obeyd Zakani, Nesimi, Kabir, Anvari, Ansari, Jami, Khayyam, Rudaki, Yunus Emre, Lalla Ded, Mahsati, Amir Khusrau, Bulleh Shah, Iqbal, Ghalib, Dara Shikoh, Makhfi, Nazir Akbarbadi and many others, as well as his own poetry, fiction, plays, biographies, children's books and a dozen screenplays. www.newhumanitybooks.com

RAHMAN BABA: LIFE & POEMS Translation & Introduction by Paul Smith Rahman Baba (1652 to 1711) is considered the greatest Sufi Pashtun poet to compose poems, mainly ghazals, in the Pashtu language. Born in Mohmand region of Afghanistan near Peshawar he was called 'The Nightingale of Peshawar'. This was a time of struggle and hardship and in the midst of the turmoil he was an excellent student with a natural gift for poetry. He eventually questioned the value of such pursuits and withdrew from the world, dedicating himself to prayer and devotion. In solitary worship he began to write again and his poetry spread. Religious figures used it to inspire the devout, political leaders to inspire the independence movement. His Divan is ghazals, qasidas and mukhammas. Introduction is on Life & Times & Poetry and Forms in he wrote and Sufism & Poetry. The correct rhyme-structure is kept as well as the meaning of these beautiful, enlightened poems. 90 pages Introduction to Sufi Poets Series Life & Poems of the following Sufi poets, Translations & Introductions: Paul Smith AMIR KHUSRAU, ANSARI, ANVARI, AL-MA'ARRI, 'ATTAR, ABU SA'ID, AUHAD UD-DIN, BABA FARID, BABA AZFAL, BABA TAHIR, BEDIL, BULLEH SHAH, DARA SHIKOH, GHALIB, HAFIZ, IBN 'ARABI, IBN YAMIN, IBN AL-FARID, IQBAL, 'IRAQI, JAHAN KHATUN, JAMI, KAMAL AD-DIN, KABIR, KHAQANI, KHAYYAM, LALLA DED, MAKHFI, MANSUR HALLAJ, MU'IN UD-DIN CHISHTI, NAZIR AKBARABADI, NESIMI, NIZAMI, OBEYD ZAKANI, RAHMAN BABA, RUMI, SANA'I, SADI, SARMAD, SHABISTARI, SHAH LATIF, SHAH NI'MAT'ULLAH, SULTAN BAHU, YUNUS EMRE, EARLY ARABIC SUFI POETS, EARLY PERSIAN SUFI POETS, URDU SUFI POETS, TURKISH SUFI POETS, AFGHAN SUFI POETS 90 pages each. Paul Smith is a poet, author and translator of over 80 books of Sufi poets of the Persian, Arabic, Urdu, Turkish, Pashtu and other languages... including Hafiz, Sadi, Nizami, Rumi, 'Attar, Sana'i, Jahan Khatun, Obeyd Zakani, Nesimi, Kabir, Anvari, Ansari, Jami, Khayyam, Rudaki, Yunus Emre and many others, as well as poetry, fiction, plays, biographies, children's books and screenplays. www.newhumanitybooksbookheaven.com

BABA FARID Sufi Master Poet's Poetic Sayings (Slokas) (Large Print & Large Format Edition)Translation & Introduction Paul Smith The father of Punjabi poetry Baba Farid (1173-1266) was born in the Punjab. Khwaja Bakhtiar Kaki was Baba Farid's Spiritual Master. Kaki met Mu'in ud-din Chishti at Baghdad and became his disciple. The king at Delhi, Balban, welcomed Farid in Delhi. His daughter married Farid. Baba Farid, the Sufi Master poet laureate from Punjab is famous for his wise and spiritual couplets (slokas)... 112 of them are in the bible of the Sikhs (whom he influenced) the Guru Granth, and 128 are translated here with the correct rhyme-structure and meaning. Hospitals and factories and even a town are named after him. Introduction on The Life, Times and Poetry of Baba Farid, Sufis & Dervishes: Their Art & Use of Poetry. Large Print (16pt) & Large Format (8" x 10") 171 pages. Paul Smith is a poet, author and translator of many books of Sufi poets of the Persian, Arabic, Urdu, Turkish, Pashtu and other languages... including Hafiz, Sadi, Nizami, Rumi, 'Attar, Sana'i, Jahan Khatun, Obeyd Zakani, Mu'in, Amir Khusrau, Nesimi, Kabir, Anvari, Ansari, Jami, Omar Khayyam, Rudaki, Yunus Emre, Mahsati, Seemab, Jigar, Hali and many others, and his own poetry, fiction, plays, biographies, children's books and a dozen screenplays.amazon.com/author/smithpa

Baba Rexheb, a Muslim mystic from the Balkans, founded the first Bektashi community in America. This is his life story and the story of his communities: the traditional Bektashi tekke in Albania where he first served, the displaced persons camps to which he escaped after the war, the centuries-old tekke in Cairo where he waited, and the Bektashi community that he founded in Michigan in 1954 and led until his passing in 1995. Baba Rexheb lived through the twentieth century, its wars, disruptions, and dislocations, but still at a profound level was never displaced. Through Bektashi stories, oral histories, and ethnographic experience, Frances Trix recounts the life and times of this modern Sufi leader. She studied with Baba Rexheb in his community for more than twenty years. As a linguistic anthropologist, she taped twelve years of their weekly meetings in Turkish, Albanian, and Arabic. She draws extensively on Baba's own words, as well as interactions at the Michigan Bektashi center, for a remarkable perspective on our times. You come to know Baba Rexheb and his gentle way of teaching through example and parable, poetry and humor. The book also documents the history of the 700-year-old Bektashi order in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries in the Balkans and Egypt and its transposition to America. It attests to the role of Sufi centers in Islamic community life and their interaction with people of other faiths.

THE BOOK OF RAHMAN BABA Translation & Introduction Paul Smith Rahman Baba (1652 to 1711) is considered the greatest Sufi Pashtun poets to compose poems, mainly ghazals, in the Pashtu language. Born in Mohmand region of Afghanistan near Peshawar he was called 'The Nightingale of Peshawar'. This was a time of struggle and hardship and in the midst of the turmoil he was an excellent student with a natural gift for poetry. He eventually questioned the value of such pursuits and withdrew from the world, dedicating himself to prayer and devotion. In solitary worship he began to write again and his poetry spread. Religious figures used it to inspire the devout, political leaders to inspire the independence movement. His Divan is 343 poems... ghazals and a few qasidas and mukhammas. Introduction is on his Life & Times & Poetry and the Forms in which he wrote and on Sufism & Poetry. Appendix on his Life, Poetry and Achievements.The correct rhyme-structure is kept as well as the meaning of these beautiful, enlightened poems. Large Format Paperback 7" x 10" 186 pages. COMMENTS ON PAUL SMITH'S TRANSLATION OF HAFIZ'S 'DIVAN'. "It is not a joke... the English version of ALL the ghazals of Hafiz is a great feat and of paramount importance. I am astonished." Dr. Mir Mohammad Taghavi (Dr. of Literature) Tehran. "Superb translations. 99% Hafiz 1% Paul Smith." Ali Akbar Shapurzman, translator of many works in English into Persian and knower of Hafiz's Divan off by heart. "I was very impressed with the beauty of these books." Dr. R.K. Barz. Faculty of Asian Studies, Australian National University. "Smith has probably put together the greatest collection of literary facts and history concerning Hafiz." Daniel Ladinsky (Penguin Books author). Paul Smith is a poet, author and translator of many books of Sufi poets of the Persian, Arabic, Urdu, Turkish, Pashtu and other languages... including Hafiz, Sadi, Nizami, Rumi, 'Attar, Sana'i, Jahan Khatun, Obeyd Zakani, Nesimi, Kabir, Anvari, Ansari, Jami, Khayyam, Rudaki, Yunus Emre, Iqbal and many others, as well as his own poetry, fiction, plays, biographies, children's books and screenplays. www.newhumanitybooks.com

RAHMAN BABA: SELECTED POEMSTranslation & Introduction by Paul SmithRahman Baba (1652 to 1711) is considered the greatest Sufi Pashtun poet to compose poems, mainly ghazals, in the Pashtu language. Born in Mohmand region of Afghanistan near Peshawar he was called 'The Nightingale of Peshawar'. This was a time of struggle and hardship and in the midst of the turmoil he was an excellent student with a natural gift for poetry. He eventually questioned the value of such pursuits and withdrew from the world, dedicating himself to prayer and devotion. In solitary worship he began to write again and his poetry spread. Religious figures used it to inspire the devout, political leaders to inspire the independence movement. His Divan is 343 poems… ghazals and a few qasidas and mukhammas. Introduction is on his Life & Times & Poetry and the Forms in which he wrote and on Sufism & Poetry. The correct rhyme-structure is kept as well as the meaning of these beautiful, enlightened poems. 141 pagesCOMMENTS ON PAUL SMITH'S TRANSLATION OF HAFIZ'S 'DIVAN'.“It is not a joke... the English version of ALL the ghazals of Hafiz is a great feat and of paramount importance. I am astonished. If he comes to Iran I will kiss the fingertips that wrote such a masterpiece inspired by the Creator of all.” Dr. Mir Mohammad Taghavi (Dr. of Literature) Tehran.“Superb translations. 99% Hafiz 1% Paul Smith.” Ali Akbar Shapurzman, translator of many mystical works in English into Persian and knower of Hafiz's Divan off by heart.“I was very impressed with the beauty of these books.” Dr. R.K. Barz. Faculty of Asian Studies, Australian National University.“Smith has probably put together the greatest collection of literary facts and history concerning Hafiz.” Daniel Ladinsky (Penguin Books author of poems inspired by Hafiz). Paul Smith is a poet, author and translator of over 80 books of Sufi poets of the Persian, Arabic, Urdu, Turkish, Pashtu and other languages… including Hafiz, Sadi, Nizami, Rumi, 'Attar, Sana'i, Jahan Khatun, Obeyd Zakani, Nesimi, Kabir, Anvari, Ansari, Jami, Khayyam, Rudaki, Yunus Emre and many others, as well as poetry, fiction, plays, biographies, children's books and screenplays.

Focuses on the poems rather than on their authors. Surveys the development of Persian mystical poetry, dealing first with the relation between Sufism and literature and then with the four main genres of the tradition: the epigram, the homiletic poem, love poetry and symbolic narrative.

A vast and diversified religious movement originating from Sai Baba of Shirdi, is often referred to as "the Sai Baba movement." Through the chronological presentation of Sai Baba's life, light is shed on the various ways in which the important guru figures in this movement came to be linked to the saint of Shirdi.