The Sufi master Abu 'l-Hasan al-Kharqani said human souls possess seventeen destructive traits, resembling huge trees, whose branches are loaded with negativity. Humans were also granted six tremendous powers from the Divine. The author details the steps to eliminating the tyrannical characteristics, purifying the soul and unveiling the six powers

"This is an excellent book that explains spiritual principles and how to carry them into everyday life . . . Highly recommended."—Library Journal Sufism is a centuries-old spiritual psychology leading to presence in life. Presence is our capacity to be whole in the moment, in alignment with our deepest wisdom. With unusual clarity, this book describes how presence is different from ordinary habits of mind, and how it can be developed. Drawing on the words of the great Sufi, Rumi, as well as traditional material and personal experience, this book integrates the wisdom of Sufism with the needs of contemporary life. Living Presence offers a wisdom that is both universal and practical. It shows how we can bring spirituality and psychology into a balanced system that honors and awakens the soul. “I am pleased to give Living Presence a high recommendation: It is sober, thoughtful, and well worth deep reflection. Helminski is concerned with out interactions with each other, with cultivating love and a desire to serve the Highest through serving each other . . . a valuable emphasis in a culture like ours that tends to think of spiritual development as special and solitary experiences.”—Noetic Sciences Review by Charles Tart, Ph.D.

Hardcover

Etiquette -- Daily life -- Worship -- Knowledge -- Charity and compassion.

For those who have reached a level of understanding of the illusory nature of the world and seek to discern the reality that lies behind it, Sufi meditation--muraqabah--is explained in this book. (World Religions)

The Naqshbandi Sufi Tradition is one of the most distinguished and respected schools of Islamic spirituality. Its long and glorious history stretches back to the earliest days of Islam and it has always played a central, pivotal role in the life of the Muslim world. Led by the shaykhs of the Golden Chaininheritors of the secret knowledge of the prophets and saintsthe Naqshbandi Order survived the turmoil and tribulations of the past century and remains one of the few authentic mystical traditions that still maintains a living link with its ancient past. Now, for the first time,the history and teachings of the Naqshbandi Way are being made available to the public.Classical Islam and the Naqshbandi Sufi Tradition is the most detailed and authentic book ever written about a Sufi order in English. Providing a comprehensive history of the Naqshbandi Tradition, the author Shaykh Muhammad Hisham Kabbani, one of the most respected teachers of Islamic spirituality in the world today, traces the lives of its foremost teachers from Prophet Muhammad, upon whom be peace, to the present. Their life stories are intimately woven with landmark events of history, from the time of the Companions to the fall of the Ottoman Empire and the reemergence of Islam in the former Soviet Union. However, this book also contains much more. It details the fundamental principles of the Sufi path and the primary teachings of the Naqshbandi Order, exploring the doctrines and philosophy behind this important current in spiritual thinking.

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 unprecedented series is based on hundreds of transcripts of spiritual discourses of Shaykh Muhammad Nazim al-Haqqani, 40th master of the preeminent Naqshbandi Golden Chain, which dates back to Prophet Muhammad, may the peace and blessing of God be upon him. World renowned for his moderate interpretation of traditional Islamic teachings, for sixty years Shaykh Nazim has been instrumental in spreading spiritual awareness to millions. Seekers around the world eagerly logon daily to his live broadcast on Sufilive.com, hoping to absorb his divinely inspired guidance on issues that impact all humanity. A testament to their popularity, these discourses are translated live into a dozen languages. Shaykh Nazim is ranked 49th in the ground-breaking book compiled by Georgetown University, "The 500 Most Influential Muslims-2009." In June 2010, he was the only Muslim leader to meet with His Holiness, Pope Benedict XVI, during the pontiff's visit to Cyprus.

Offers the reader different systems of meditation from cultures world wide.