Islamic Mystical Poetry

Nov 16, 2024 3:47 AM

Author:Mahmood Jamal,Mahmood Jamal

Written from the ninth to the twentieth century, these poems represent the peak of Islamic Mystical writing, from Rabia Basri to Mian Mohammad Baksh. Reflecting both private devotional love and the attempt to attain union with God and become absorbed into the Divine, many poems in this edition are imbued with the symbols and metaphors that develop many of the central ideas of Sufism: the Lover, the Beloved, the Wine, and the Tavern; while others are more personal and echo the poet's battle to leave earthly love behind.

These translations capture the passion of the original poetry and are accompanied by an introduction on Sufism and the common themes apparent in the works. This edition also includes suggested further reading.

Reviews

Comte-Sponville presents big ideas with masterful and witty clarity. For those who prefer Kant to cant, this refreshing little book is perfect.

—— Publisher's Weekly (starred review)

[We Are A Muslim, Please] vividly conveys the secure by stifling atmosphere Malik left behind when she went to college...but it is to thoughtful people like Malik that the future belongs.

—— Joan Smith , Independent

Absorbing...it projects the experience of the province through a fascinating and thought-provoking prism... the writing throughout is terse, idiomatic and arresting, and the control of the material impressively assured

—— Guardian

Lundy proves an excellent guide to his people

—— Financial Times

[Lundy] has an undeniably vivid flair for anecdote

—— Sunday Telegraph

Personable and flavoursome

—— Literary Review

An extraordinary and compelling book, combining vivid travel adventures, wonderful characters, and absorbing journeys of the mind and heart. Janet Soskice brilliantly and accessibly unfolds one of the most gripping sagas of Biblical detection, while telling the story of two magnificent women who trespassed intrepidly in worlds that sought to exclude them

—— John Cornwell

This rattling tale appears to come straight from an Indiana Jones adventure... Janet Soskice had done an excellent job in piecing together the lives of two remarkable, and largely forgotten women

—— Marc Horne , Scotland on Sunday

Soskice tells the story with scholarly conviction... [This] biography is one to be earmarked

—— www.thebookbag.co.uk

An ambitious and attractive book. Its tone is learned, thoughtful and usually intimate...a finely balanced and well-told experiment that will echo with many readers

—— Independent

Previous Article：The Book of Atheist Spirituality Next Article：The Horrors and Absurdities of Religion

Comments

Welcome to zzdbook comments! Please keep conversations courteous and on-topic. To fosterproductive and respectful conversations, you may see comments from our Community Managers.