Many biographers have written about Muhammad, the Prophet of Islam, but none have employed this literary device to relate his story in detail. The Beloved Prophet: An Illustrated Biography in Rhyme is a story overflowing with emotion and sentiment, presented in the most compressed literary style. This is not the only element that sets this unique biography apart. Combined with these verses are beautiful hand-drawn artwork that further animates the spirit of this profound story. The book comprises of fifty-two chapters, each with its corresponding artwork, 624 stanzas and 2,496 verses to delight a variety of palates ranging from the young to the old.

Ahmad Sirhindi is considered one of the founding figures of the renowned Naqshbandi-Mujaddidi Sufi lineage. In this book, Sirhindi's principal teachings, originally written in Persian, are translated into English and explained in detail. Offering access to the spiritual experiences and contemplative practices of a great 16th-century Sufi, this account demonstrates why there are so few other texts that have continued to impact Muslims in the eastern Islamic world.

"In these critical times nothing could be more valuable for the West than a rediscovery of its true spiritual heritage: books which were once the treasures of people, now rare and little known." Seyyed Hossein Nasr Early Islamic Mysticism: Sufi, Qur'an, Mi'raj, Poetic and Theological Writings translated, edited and with an introduction by Michael A. Sells preface by Carl W. Ernst God is the light of the heavens and earth. The light like the light of a lamp in a niche The lamp enclosed in a cover of glass The glass like a glistening star Kindled from the oil of a blessed tree An olive not of the East not of the West Its oil glows forth nearly without the touch of fire... Qur'an 24:35 The first centuries of Islam saw the development of Sufism as one of the world's major mystical traditions. Although the later Sufi writings by mystics such as Rumi are known and available in translation, access to the crucial early period of Islamic mysticism has been far more limited. This volume opens with an essay on the place of spirituality within the Islamic tradition. Immediately following are the foundation texts of the pre-Sufi spirituality: the Qur'an passages most important to the mystical tradition; the accounts of Muhammad's heavenly ascent (Mi'raj); and the crucial work of early poets in setting a poetic sensibility for speaking of union with the divine beloved. The volume then presents the sayings attributed to the key early figures of Islamic spirituality: Ja'far as-Saddiq, the Sixth Imam of the Shi'ite Tradition; Rabi'a, the most famous woman saint of classical Islam; Muhasibi, the founder of Islamic moral psychology; Bistami, whose sayings on mystical union have generated fascination and controversy throughout the Islamic tradition; Tustari, a pioneer in the mystical interpretation of the Qur'an; Junayd, who helped place Sufi mysticism at the center of the Islamic tradition; Hallaj, famous for his ecstatic utterances and martyrdom; and Niffari, whose sayings are considered among the deepest mystical expressions within Islam. The sayings of these pioneers are embedded in the later stratum of analytical and synoptic writings of later Sufi thinkers: Sarraj; Sulami; Qushayri; and 'Attar. Extensive portions of these writers are translated into English for the first time.

The present volume honours Rabbi Professor Nehemia Polen, one of those rare scholars whose religious teachings, spiritual writings, and academic scholarship have come together into a sustained project of interpretive imagination and engagement. Without compromising his intellectual integrity, his work brings forth the sacred from the mundane and expands the reach of Torah. He has shown us a path in which narrow scholarship is directly linked to a quest for ever-broadening depth and connectivity. The essays in this collection, from his students, colleagues, and friends, are a testament to his enduring impact on the scholarly community. The contributions explore a range of historical periods and themes, centering upon the fields dear to Polen's heart, but a common thread unites them. Each essay is grounded in deeply engaged textual scholarship casting a glance upon the sources that is at once critical and beneficent. As a whole, they seek to give readers a richer sense of the fabric of Jewish interpretation and theology, from the history of Jewish mysticism, the promise and perils of exegesis, and the contemporary relevance of premodern and early modern texts.

In Israel there are Jews and Muslims who practice Sufism together. The Sufi' activities that they take part in together create pathways of engagement between two faith traditions in a geographical area beset by conflict. Sufism and Jewish Muslim Relations investigates this practice of Sufism among Jews and Muslims in Israel and examines their potential to contribute to peace in the area. It is an original approach to the study of reconciliation, situating the activities of groups that are not explicitly acting for peace within the wider context of grass-roots peace initiatives. The author conducted in-depth interviews with those practicing Sufism in Israel, and these are both collected in an appendix and used throughout the work to analyse the approaches of individuals to Sufism and the challenges they face. It finds that participants understand encounters between Muslim and Jewish mystics in the medieval Middle East as a common heritage to Jews and Muslims practising Sufism together today, and it explores how those of different faiths see no dissonance in the adoption of Sufi practices to pursue a path of spiritual progression. The first examination of the Derekh Avraham Jewish-Sufi Order, this is a valuable resource for students and scholars of Sufi studies, as well as those interested in Jewish-Muslim relations.

Ibn al-Arabi's Fusus al-Hikam is a translation of one of the most important works written on Islamic Mysticism. Muhyi al-Din Ibn al-Arabi (1165-1240) is deemed the greatest mystic of Islam and his mystical philosophy has attracted the attention of both Muslims and non-Muslims from his time to the present day. Believing that the world is the self- manifestation of God, he claimed that all religions are equal and that the perfect human being is he who knows all the religious phenomena in the world. Fusus al-hikam examines the singular characteristics of twenty seven prophets of Islam and constitutes the best summary of Ibn al-Arabi's thought. The translation of these twenty seven chapters is preceded by an introduction that explains the main ideas of Ibn al-Arabi and is accompanied by explanatory notes to the text. Providing an easily accessible translation of one of the greatest mystics of Islam, Ibn al Arabi' Fusus al-Hikam is essential reading for students, scholars and researchers of Islamic Philosophy, Mysticism and Islamic Mysticism in particular.

Scriptural Exegesis gathers voices from an international community of scholars to consider the many facets of the history of biblical interpretation and to question how exegesis shapes spiritual and cultural creativity. Divided into four broadly chronological sections that chart a variety of approaches from ancient to modern times, the essays examine texts and problems rooted in the ancient world yet still of concern today. Nineteen chapters incorporate the expertise of contributors from a diverse range of disciplines, including ancient religion, philosophy, mysticism, and folklore. Each embraces the challenge of explicating complex and often esoteric writings in light of Michael Fishbane's groundbreaking work in exegesis.

Since the eighteenth century, adherence to Sufism, the mystical tradition of Islam, has been associated with membership in one of the Sufi brotherhoods. These brotherhoods constitute distinct religious communities within the general community of Islam. Jamil M. Abun-Nasr describes them as "communities of grace" because his readings in Sufi hagiographies have convinced him that divine grace is the central element of their system of beliefs.

In his reconstruction of the development of the Sufi tradition, Abun-Nasr examines the emergence of Sufism's central tenets and the factors that account for their appeal to Muslims in different lands. Drawing on original Sufi sources, he contends that, in their formative period, Sufi tenets were shaped by the caliphs' inability to live up to the ideal the Prophet represented in the Muslim community: that political leadership was a subordinate function of religious guidance. He also contends that the Sufi brotherhoods' form of religious communalism emerged from the adaptation of the spiritual authority that Sufis ascribed to their leaders to the Muslims' major pious concerns. In the last two chapters Abun-Nasr examines the reaction of the Sufi brotherhoods' shaykhs to European colonial rule, the campaign directed against them by Muslim reformers of the Salafiyya school, and the reliance of the independent Muslim states' rulers on their support in counteracting the hostility of the Muslim reformers, as well as, since the 1970s, the Islamists, to their secular development plans.

Drawing from her own experience as well as that of her students, Andrew offers many useful writing tips:
- Write a little every day. Produce small bursts of solid creative material without becoming overworked or overwhelmed.
- Create writing rituals. Find a favorite pen, notebook, and chair. Light a candle. Go to the same corner cafe.
- Be wild and fearless. Write whatever comes. There's always time later for focusing and cleaning up the writing.
- Find a writing community. A writing group or partner helps readers to stay motivated and keep writing.
- A unique book that shows readers how to write about spirituality and how to make your spiritual story accessible to others.
- Filled with thoughtful exercises and activities designed to teach readers new writing techniques.
- practical advice on generating and completing a manuscript.

'A Collection of Sufi Rules of Conduct' ('Jawami Adab al-Sufiyya') was written by one of the foremost early masters of Sufism and is considered as the first work devoted to the description of the way of life and the customs of the Sufis. It represents an early attempt to illustrate the conformity of Sufi beliefs and manners with the Qur'an and the example of the Prophet ('Sunna'). 'A Collection of Sufi Rules of Conduct' is therefore not only a pioneering work of ethics and mysticism, it is also a summary of the views of Sufis up till the eleventh century. It was a major influence on the development of Sufism from the eleventh century onwards. The translation by Dr Elena Biagi includes an introduction that places the author in his historical, literary and religious context, and a general glossary of Sufi technical terms.

In Return: Daily Inspiration for the Days of Awe, Dr. Erica Brown, one of today's most sought-after Jewish educators, leads the reader on a transformative journey spanning the ten days between Rosh HaShana and Yom Kippur. In her distinct interdisciplinary approach, Brown presents an original guide to teshuva that is both highly scholarly and deeply personal. For each day, the book offers a biblical- or rabbinic-themed essay, passages for textual study, and a practical exercise of self-improvement. The result is an engaging dialogue with both text and self, empowering Jews of all backgrounds to connect to the Days of Awe.

Comprising well over a thousand pages of densely written Aramaic, the compilation of texts known as the Zohar represents the collective wisdom of various strands of Jewish mysticism, or kabbalah, up to the thirteenth century. This massive work continues to provide the foundation of much Jewish mystical thought and practice to the present day. In this book, Pinchas Giller examines certaing sections of the Zohar and the ways in which the central doctrines of classical kabbalah took shape around them.

'Your soul each moment struggles hard with death - Think of your faith as though it's your last breath. Your life is like a purse, and night and day Are counters of gold coins you've put away' Rumi is the greatest mystic poet to have written in Persian, and the Masnavi is his masterpiece. Divided into six books and consisting of some 26,000 verses, the poem was designed to convey a message of divine love and unity to the disciples of Rumi's Sufi order, known today as the Whirling Dervishes. Like the earlier books, Book Three interweaves amusing stories with homilies to instruct pupils in mystical knowledge. It has a special focus on epistemology, illustrated with narratives that involve the consumption of food. This is the first ever verse translation of Book Three of the Masnavi. It follows the original by presenting Rumi's most mature mystical teachings in simple and attractive rhyming couplets.

Mystical and practical wisdom for daily life.

The least known of the Hasidic masters teachings the "hanhagot, " or spiritual practices are at the heart of this book. These short lists of instructions were created for their followers, inspirational treasures intended to be carried with you at all times. They were to be read again and again providing spiritual guidance, centering, and aid in bringing joy and God s presence into daily life.

Practical, personal, and wise, these brief teachings range from straightforward instructions to visualization exercises, meditations, and mantras. Also included are the "hanhagot" of two neo-Hasidic thinkers: the modern journalist and mystic Hillel Zeitlin (1871 1942), and the contemporary theologian Arthur Green.

This anthology offers a comprehensive look at key texts of the Jewish mystical tradition and the Kabbalah. The selections range from the earliest archetypes and sources of the late Antiquity, important kabalistic works, and mystics throughout the Middle Ages, the Renaissance and Early Modern Period up to modern Hasidism. Internationally recognized scholar of Jewish mysticism, Joseph Dan, sets the text in chronological order and provides a historical perspective with introductory material.