Insight into Life is the real religion, which alone can help man to understand Life.' Hazrat Inayat KhanThe Sufis have been using carefully constructed stories for teaching purposes for thousands of years. Though on the surface these often appear to be little more than fairy or folk tales, the Sufis hold that they enshrine - in their characters, plots and imagery - patterns and relationships that nurture a part of the mind not reachable in more conventional ways, thus increasing ou...

Get drunk on Love, for Love is all that exists. Unless you make Love your business, you will not be admitted to the Beloved.' (Divan-i Shams-i Tabriz 455:A1:54)The thirteenth-century saint Jalaluddin Rumi has been called the greatest mystical poet of any age, and his work compared to that of Dante and Shakespeare. Over a period of 25 years he composed over 70,000 verses of poetry on the subjects of divine love, mystic passion and ecstatic illumination.Rumi was also a master...

The Sufis have been using carefully constructed stories for teaching purposes for thousands of years. Though on the surface these often appear to be little more than fairy or folk tales, the Sufis hold that they enshrine - in their characters, plots and imagery - patterns and relationships that nurture a part of the mind not reachable in more conventional ways, thus increasing our understanding, flexibility and breadth of vision. Familiarization with this body of material can eventually pr...

The Tibetan Book of the Dead is a Buddhist funerary text and guide to the afterlife. It was read aloud to the dying or recently deceased to help them attain enlightenment and liberation from the endless cycle of death and rebirth.

Apart from a few women such as Eve, Mary (the mother of Jesus) and Mary Magdalene, the women in the Bible are generally eclipsed by their more famous male counterparts. This state of affairs not only mirrors the general standing of women in Western society over the past two thousand years, it also reflects the patriarchal nature of both the Jewish and Christian religions.And yet closer study of the Bible reveals that women were once regarded as the equals of men rather than subject...

There are few women in the Bible that are treated with as much reverence as their more famous male counterparts. This dismal state of affairs mirrors the position of women generally in Western society over the last two thousand years. And yet closer study of the Bible reveals that women were once regarded as equals of men rather than subject to them.John Baldock is at pains to rescue the reputation of women in the Bible, exploring the ancient priestesses, prophets and heroines who ...

From ancient priestesses to prophets and heroines, this guide takes a closer look at the remarkable stories of women in the Bible.There are few women in the Bible that are treated with as much reverence as their more famous male counterparts. This dismal state of affairs mirrors the position of women generally in Western society over the last two thousand years. And yet closer study of the Bible reveals that women were once regarded as equals of men rather than sub...

A breathtaking new collection of translations of poems by Rumi, one of the world’s most loved mystical teachers. Beautifully illustrated with Persian calligraphy, this is an ideal ebook for every MBS reader.Jalal-uddin Rumi was born in what is now Afghanistan in 1207. His poetry has inspired generations of spiritual seekers, both from his own Sufi school and well beyond. His poems speak to the seeker and the lover in all of us.In recent years, interest in Rumi has skyrocket...

It is a custom in some quarters to represent Mohammadan mysticism as merely a late importation into Islam, and an altogether alien element in it. But however much later Islamic mysticism may have derived from Christian, Neo-platonic, and Buddhist sources, there is little doubt that the roots of mysticism are to be found in the Koran itself. The following verse is an instance: "God is the Light of the heavens and the earth. His light is like a niche in which is a lamp, the lamp encased in g...

Covers those dimensions of Islamic rituals of worship prayer, almsgiving, fasting, Pilgrimage, etc. which are essential to the fulfilment of inner quality. Consists of selections from al-Ghazali's Ihya, a pivotal work in the history of Islamic thought.

This extremely useful book deals with subjects necessary for the understanding of the Holy Qur'an such as the division and arrangement of the Quranic chapters, rules for Interpretation, the Theory of Abrogation, Relationship of the Holy Qur'an to the Sunnah (the practice of the Holy Prophet Muhammad), Relationship of the Holy Qur'an to Earlier Scriptures, the Unity of God, Divine Attributes, Life after Death, Paradise and Hell, Revelation, History of the Prophets, etc.

The Love Poems of Rumi, as translated by Philip Dunn in this gorgeous little book, maintain the same emotional significance with readers today as they did seven centuries ago when originally composed by the Persian poet.Samples:The heart is comforted by true words, just as a thirsty man is comforted by water.Don't hide your heart but reveal it, so that mine might be revealed, and I might accept what I am capable of.If the heart isn't there, how can the body spea...