Provides an insight into the everyday lives of Sufi devotees of the eighth-eleventh centuries and the moral and ethical dilemmas they were facing. This work invites the reader to explore the world of Islamic ascetic and mystical piety.

'A'ishah al-Ba'uniyyah of Damascus was one of the great women scholars in Islamic history. Born into a prominent family of pious scholars and Sufi devotees, 'A'ishah received a thorough religious education and memorized the Quran at age eight. A mystic and a prolific poet and writer, she composed more works in Arabic than any other woman before the twentieth century. Yet despite her extraordinary literary and religious achievements, 'A'ishah al-Ba'uniyyah remains largely unknown. For the first time, her key work, The Principles of Sufism, is available in English translation. The Principles of Sufism is a mystical guide book to help others on their spiritual path. Outlining the four principles of Repentance, Sincerity, Remembrance, and Love, it traces the fundamental stages and states of the spiritual novice’s transformative journey, emphasizing the importance of embracing both human limitations and God’s limitless love. Drawing on lessons and readings from centuries-old Sufi tradition, 'A'ishah advises the seeker to repent of selfishness and turn to a sincere life of love. In addition to his lucid translation, Th. Emil Homerin provides an insightful introduction, notes and a glossary to 'A'ishah al-Ba'uniyyah’s remarkable account of the pursuit of mystical illumination. An English-only edition.

Sheikh Abu Abd al-Rahman al-Sulami (325-412 AH) was the undisputed sheikh of Sufism in Khorasan during his lifetime. He authored 700 volumes on Su- fism and 300 in Hadith, in addition to works in Tafsir and other disciplines. A man who bore the markings of Divine acceptance, he was loved by common men and princes, yet politely declined the extravagant gifts of the latter. His works were so popular that swaths of people would gather to listen to his public readings and lectures. Among his works is acompilationof 40 hadiths on the subject of Sufism-spirituality in Islam-with his own chains of transmission returning to the Prophet , his companions, or the generation after them. Imam al- Sakhawi (831-902 AH), one of the erudite luminaries of Hadith science, produced a derivative work (known as a takhrij) in which he checked and graded al- Sulami's collection. He also provided corroborating transmissions (shawahid). While not all of the hadiths in al-Sulami's collection are authentic, the principles they demonstrate are, without doubt, central to Sufism, and, consequently, compliant with the noble Sharia. True Sufism is the spiritual dimension of Islamic Law. Anything that contradicts the Law is either fraud or misguidance. In addition to the translation of Sheikh al-Sulami's collection of 40 hadiths on Sufism, brief footnotes- gleaned and paraphrased from Imam al-Sakhawi's de- rivative text-are included in the following work.

Written by 18th-century Moroccan scholar and mystic Ahmad ibn 'Ajiba, this book defines Sufic terminology. Based on four published Arabic editions of the Mi'raj and two manuscript versions, this translation is supplemented by excerpts from some of Ibn 'Ajiba's other works, which offer insights about the essential notions of Sufism: repentance, integrity, love, patience, gratitude, and the Eternal Wine. A comprehensive compilation, this bilingual edition--Arabic and English--celebrates Ahmad ibn 'Ajiba's belief that coming to know and reflect upon these notions could be, in itself, a sort of ascending meditative journey.

The definitive compendium of Sufi wisdom, 'Essential Sufism' draws together more than three hundred fables, poems and prayers that reveal the luminous spirit of Islamic mysticism. Embracing all eras and highlighting the many faces of Sufism, this colle

The Self-Disclosure of God offers the most detailed presentation to date in any Western language of the basic teachings of Islam's greatest mystical philosopher and theologian. It represents a major step forward in making available to the Western reading public the enormous riches of Islamic teachings in the fields of cosmology, mystical philosophy, theology, and spirituality. The Self-Disclosure of God continues the author's investigations of the world view of Ibn al-ʿArabī, the greatest theoretician of Sufism and the "seal of the Muhammadan saints." The book is divided into three parts, dealing with the relation between God and the cosmos, the structure of the cosmos, and the nature of the human soul. A long introduction orients the reader and discusses a few of the difficulties faced by Ibn al-ʿArabī's interpreters. Like Chittick's earlier work, The Sufi Path of Knowledge, this book is based primarily on Ibn al-ʿArabī's monumental work, al-Futūḥāt al-Makkīyah "The Meccan Openings." More than one hundred complete chapters and subsections are translated, not to mention shorter passages that help put the longer discussions in context. There are detailed indices of sources, Koranic verses and hadiths. The book's index of technical terminology will be an indispensable reference for all those wishing to delve more deeply into the use of language in Islamic thought in general and Sufism in particular.

Thus Spake the Dervish explores the unfamiliar history of marginal Sufis, known as dervishes, in early modern and modern Central Asia over a period of 500 years. It draws on various sources (Persian chronicles and treatises, Turkic literature, Russian and French ethnography, the author’s fieldwork) to examine five successive cases, each of which corresponds to a time period, a specific socially marginal space, and a particular use of mystical language. Including an extensive selection of writings by dervishes, this book demonstrates the diversity and tenacity of Central Asian Sufism over a long period. Here translated into a Western language for the first time, the extracts from primary texts by marginal Sufis allow a rare insight into their world. The original French edition of this book, Ainsi parlait le dervice, was published by Editions du Cerf (Paris, France). Translated by Caroline Kraabel.

This book traces the evolution of Sufism from the formative period to the present.

The Book Of Remembrances [Kitab al-Adhkar] – By Imam Yahya ibn Sharaf an-Nawawi Kitab al-Adhkar is the definitive compilation of words of remembrance and glorification of (dhikr), and supplicatory prayer to (du’a), the Lord of the Universe, as related from His final Emissary, the Prophet Muhammad (may Allah bless and exalt him). Dhikr and du’a lie at the very heart of the din, the relationship between creature and Creator. As part of the Sunna or Prophetic Way, they are a divinely appointed means of approaching Allah Most High for all our needs, and of making use of all the moments of daily life to strengthen our tawhid, the existential and cognitive Unity that is the hallmark of Muslim spirituality. Also covered are the vital principles of speaking only what is good and avoiding the sins of the tongue. The author, Muhy al-Din Yahya ibn Sharaf al-Nawawi (631-676/123-1277) devoted his entire life to the pursuit of sacred knowledge. He is revered throughout the Sunni world as one of its greatest authorities. Among his most famous writings are the Arba’in, a collection of forty Hadiths; a commentary on the Sahih of Imam Muslim; and Kitab al-Adhkar. Designed as a reference guide and a source of inspiration, this volume presents a clear and elegant English translation of Imam al-Nawawis classic, together with the text of every single prayer and invocation, both in Arabic letters and in romanisation. Also included are all the authors statements about those Hadiths which he related personally from his own teachers, and his guidance on the correct spelling and meanings of rare words and names. Finally, al-Nawawi's comments on the sources of Hadiths are supplemented by further scholarly notes.