Synopses & Reviews
The headlines are filled with the politics of Islam, but there is another side to the world's fastest-growing religion. Sufism is the poetry and mysticism of Islam. This mystical movement from the early ninth century rejects worship motivated by the desire for heavenly reward or the fear of punishment, insisting rather on the love of God as the only valid form of adoration. Sufism has made significant contributions to Islamic civilization in music and philosophy, dance and literature. The Sufi poet Rumi is the bestselling poet in America. But in recent centuries Sufism has been a target for some extremist Islamic movements as well as many modernists.
The Garden of Truth presents the beliefs and vision of the mystical heart of Islam, along with a history of Sufi saints and schools of thought.
In a world threatened by religious wars, depleting natural resources, a crumbling ecosystem, and alienation and isolation, what has happened to our humanity? Who are we and what are we doing here? The Sufi path offers a journey toward truth, to a knowledge that transcends our mundane concerns, selfish desires, and fears. In Sufism we find a wisdom that brings peace and a relationship with God that nurtures the best in us and in others.
Noted scholar Seyyed Hossein Nasr helps you learn the secret wisdom tradition of Islam and enter what the ancient mystics call the "garden of truth." Here, liberate your mind, experience peace, discover your purpose, fall in love with the Divine, and find your true, best self.
Review
“Despite the popularity of Sufism, few books provide an overview of this mystical branch of Islam a void Nasr fills nicely with this concise primer. . . . a wise and tantalizing overview.” Publishers Weekly
Review
The Sufi mystical heart of Islam is one of the few antidotes to fundamentalism in the Muslim world, and here Nasr looks at the human spiritual quest for the paradisiacal divine garden from a Sufi perspective . . . Eloquent, elegant, and lucid. Library Journal
Synopsis
We've all read about the laws and politics of Islam, but Sufism is the poetry and romance of the world's fastest growing religion. This ascetic and mystical movement within Islam dates from the early 9th century. It has a long and respected tradition of rejecting worship motivated by the desire for heavenly reward or the fear of punishment, insisting rather on the love of God as the sole valid form of adoration. Nasr is the preeminent Sufi scholar in the U.S., and in the tradition of Martin Buber's I and Thou, here provides the beliefs and vision of the mystical heart of Islam.
Sufism has made significant contributions to the spread of Islam and the development of various aspects of Islamic civilization (e.g., the Sufi poet Rumi is the bestandndash;selling poet in America). Many conservative Muslims disagree with many popular Sufi practices, particularly saint worship, the visiting of tombs, and the incorporation of nonandndash;Islamic customs. Consequently, in recent centuries Sufism has been a target for Islamic reformist and modernist movements.
Here is the book that will present the ideas and principles held dear by this peaceful, loving tradition within Islam, along with a history of Sufi saints and schools of thought. Sufism is a much needed corrective to the extremist Muslim fundamentalists who capture the headlines and taint our perception of the world's fastest growing religion.
Synopsis
What Kabbalah is to Judaism, Sufism is to Islam. This esoteric sect has made significant contributions to the religion; however, many conservative Muslims disagree with popular Sufi practices, particularly saint worship, the visiting of tombs, and its incorporation of non-Islamic customs. As a result, Sufism has become a target for Islamic reformist and modernist movements.
Seyyed Hossein Nasr, the preeminent Sufi scholar in the United States, explains the beliefs and vision of the mystical heart of Islam in The Garden of Truth, along with a history of Sufi saints and schools of thought. Readers of this book will find that Islam is much more than what is often depicted in the media.
Seyyed Hossein Nasr, one of the world's leading experts on Islamic science and spirituality, is a professor of Islamic Studies at George Washington University. Author of over fifty books and five hundred articles, Professor Nasr is a well known and highly respected intellectual figure both in the West and the Islamic world. Nasr was born in Tehran, raised from the age of twelve in the United States, and is a graduate of MIT and Harvard.
"Only Professor Nasr could have given us such a beautiful and authoritative book on Sufism, its genesis, practices, disciplines and states, both historically as well as practically ... This modern classic will challenge the serious reader to realize and experience directly the ever-present inner garden of eternal truth. A brilliant gift to a confused world."
- Shaykh Fadhlalla Haeri, Sufi Master, author and founder of the Academy of Self Knowledge (ASK).
About the Author
Seyyed Hossein Nasr, one of the world's leading experts on Islamic thought and spirituality, is university professor of Islamic Studies at The George Washington University. The preeminent Sufi scholar in the United States, Nasr is the author of more than fifty other books, including The Heart of Islamand Islam. Born in Tehran, raised in the United States, and graduate of MIT and Harvard, Nasr is a well-known and highly respected intellectual figure in both the West and the Islamic world. He lives in Washington, D.C.