In East and West Guenon diagnoses the fundamental 'abnormality' of Western civilization vis-a-vis the traditional civilizations of the East, suggests avenues by which the West might be 're-oriented' toward the fundamental metaphysical principles it has largely abandoned, and outlines the possible role of a restoration of true intellectuality in this task. Of course, East and West are no longer what they were in Guenon's time. The aggressive rationalism and materialism of post-Christian Western culture has become a worldwide phenomenon, and no longer corrodes the philosophical and cultural underpinnings of the West only: it has infiltrated distorted forms of Eastern spirituality and metaphysics, incited fundamentalist reactions the world over, and, thanks to the pervasive internet, wields previously unheard of influence. And so today we have an East largely inflamed with a desire to surpass the West in materialism, and a West sodden with moral and spiritual degeneracy. Nonetheless, fruitful exchanges between traditional Christianity and Eastern religions have also taken place on an unprecedented scale, though marred by an ongoing temptation to ill-informed syncretism. In such a milieu, Guenon's East and West, read with an eye to events of recent decades, delivers a stunning intellectual punch. But the East is always the East: the place where the sun rises, the point of recollection and return to the Source. And the West is always the West: the place of the full manifestation of possibilities (including the most degenerate), of the tendency to dissipation and dissolution; the point where the sun sets. In postmodern, global culture, we are all more or less forced to be 'Westerners' outwardly; our only recourse under these circumstances may be to become 'Easterners' within.

Acclaimed worldwide as the definitive biography of the Prophet Muhammad in the English language, Martin Lings' "Muhammad: His Life Based to the Earliest Sources" is unlike any other. Based on Arabic sources of the eighth and ninth centuries, of which some important passages are translated here for the first time, "Muhammad: His Life Based to the Earliest Sources" owes the freshness and directness of its approach to the words of men and women who heard Muhammad speak and witnessed the events of his life.---Martin Lings' gift for narrative, and his adoption of a style which is extremely readable, allows both the simplicity and grandeur of the story to shine through. The result is a book which will be read with equal enjoyment by those already familiar with Muhammad's life and those coming to it for the first time. "Muhammad: His Life Based to the Earliest Sources" was selected as the best biography of the Prophet in English at the National Seerat Conference in Islamabad in 1983.

The author contends that Shakespeare's essential greatness is evident when focusing on the impact his best plays make when acted. This work also illustrates his preoccupation with the quest for human perfection and the mystery of sanctification. It concentrates on the texts and their theatrical rendering.

"Sufi Poems: A Medieval Anthology" is a selection of poems from the golden period of Sufism especially chosen and translated from the Arabic by the distinguished scholar Dr Martin Lings. "Sufi Poems" provides us with the opportunity to read a treasury of virtually untouched works of Arabic Sufism.---In "Sufi Poems", Dr Lings-the author of numerous best-selling works on Sufism and a published poet in his own right-brings together selections, including poems here translated for the first time, from the giants of Sufism. These include Rabia, Ibn al-Farid and Ibn Arabi, as well as Hallaj and Ghazali. With such a selection, Dr Lings offers us a taste of the inner life of Sufism at its most intoxicating. Preceding the selection from each of the poets is an introduction to the life of the poet placing him or her in the context of Arabic Sufi poetry. "Sufi Poems" is published as a bi-lingual Arabic-English edition, which will be of interest to all those wishing to read the original Arabic and will also be helpful for university students of Arabic.

Martin Lings provides an excellent and authoritative introduction to the mystical movement of the Sufis based on his lifelong interest in Islamic culture. His explanation derives from a profound understanding of Sufism, and extends to many aspects which are usually neglected. His illuminating answer to 'What is Sufism?' gives a taste of the very subject matter itself. What do Sufis believe? What do they aim at? What do they do? Unlike other writers on the subject, Martin Lings treats all the three questions with equal justice. He is thus able to give a wealth of answers to the main question 'What is Sufism?', each answer being from a different angle but all going to the root of the matter. A reviewer wrote 'Should the book appear in paperback, I would use it for undergraduate and graduate courses on Islamic civilization', and in fact 'What is Sufism?' has become a set book in colleges and universities on both sides of the Atlantic. It is now accepted as the authoritative statement on the subject of Sufism and it has been translated into French, German, Italian and Spanish. It has also been published in Sarajevo in Bosnian, and is available in Braille.

RELIGION / ISLAM"This work is widely recognized as the most readable account of the life of the Prophet to date."--Times of London"For those interested in Islam in one way or another, it is mesmerizing."--ParabolaMartin Lings's biography of Muhammad is an internationally acclaimed, comprehensive, and authoritative account of the life of the Prophet. Based on the sira, the eighth- and ninth-century Arabic biographies that recount numerous events in the Prophet's life, it contains original English translations of many important passages that reveal the words of men and women who heard Muhammad speak and witnessed the events of his life.Scrupulous and exhaustive in its fidelity to its sources, Muhammad: His Life Based on the Earliest Sources is presented in a narrative style that is easily comprehensible, yet authentic and inspiring in its use of language, reflecting both the simplicity and grandeur of the story it tells. The book has been published in twelve languages and has received numerous awards, including acknowledgment as best biography of the Prophet in English at the National Seerat Conference in Islamabad. This revised edition, which represents the final updates made to the text before the author's death in 2005, incorporates important additions about the Prophet's expanding influence and his spreading of the message of Islam into Syria and its neighboring states.Martin Lings (1909-2005) was a renowned British scholar with degrees in English and Arabic from London University and Oxford University. At Oxford, he studied English under C. S. Lewis, who later became a close friend. Lings taught at several European universities and the University of Cairo and served as the keeper ofOriental manuscripts for the British Museum and the British Library. His friendship and similar beliefs with philosophers Rene Guenon and Frithjof Schuon inspired Lings to convert to Islam. He went on to become an influential member of Western Muslim society, participating in several international Islamic councils and conferences, including acting as consultant to the World of Islam Festival Trust. He is the author of twelve books on religion and spirituality.

"Almost a prerequisite for any serious study of Sufism in European languages": this was the verdict of Seyyed Hossein Nasr in his review of the first edition of "A Sufi Saint of the Twentieth Century: Shaikh Ahmad al-Alawi his Spiritual Heritage and Legacy".---In this work, the author, Dr Martin Lings, presents a vivid picture of the unforgettable figure of the Algerian Shaykh Ahmad al-Alawi through a short biography by his French doctor and the translation of the Shaykh al-Alawi's own autobiography. These are followed by expositions of the Shaykh al-Alawi's teachings which are based on pure metaphysics and gnosis. Finally, Dr Martin Lings translates selections from Shaykh al-Alawi's aphorisms and mystical poetry. The whole work immerses the reader in the world of North African Sufism both as an intellectual tradition and a living reality.

THE UNDERLYING RELIGION is an anthology of 25 essays by 14 of the leading exponents of the "Perennialist" or "Traditionalist" school of comparative religious thought, associated with Rene Guenon, Ananda Coomaraswamy and Frithjof Schuon. This school is well known for its espousal of the "transcendent unity of religions" the idea that religions are different paths leading to the same summit. Focusing its selection on the most accessible of the Perennialist writings and structured in such a way as to allow for the easiest possible comprehension, Martin Lings was Keeper of Oriental Manuscripts and Printed Books at the British Museum. He is the author of the widely known and admired book Muhammad: His Life Based on the Earliest Sources and was himself one of the most prominent and active Perennialist authors of the 20th century. Dr. Lings died in May, 2005. Clinton Minnaar is a professional editor in the field of religious studies. Originally from South Africa, he currently lives with his wife in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

This book investigates differences between East and West in connection with the preservation of traditional principles, with a special view to envisioning how such differences affect the possibilities for the restitution of such principles in each domain. Special attention is given to various aberrant 'spiritualities' in the West, and how they might be overcome by reference to teachinigs still extant in the East, and a rejuvenation of what remains in the West of organizations retaining at least a core of the metaphysical teachings that were in full bloom in the medieval West.

A study of the traditional metaphysics of the Taoist tradition, with many comparisons made to Western esoteric traditions, such as Alchemy, Hermeticism, and Freemasonry, as well as parallels with Christian and Islamic doctrine.

The renowned scholar and Sufi master, the late Dr Martin Lings (Shaykh Abu Bakr Siraj ad-Din) was working on a full translation of the Qur'an when he passed away. The Aal al-Bayt Institute for Islamic Thought, who had commissioned Dr Lings to translate the Qur'an, and the Islamic Texts Society were granted access to his papers. The Publishers extracted from these previously unpublished writings, and from all his other publications, his translations of verses from the Qur'an. These are here presented as 'The Holy Qur'an: Translations of Selected Verses' accompanied by the original Arabic text on facing pages. Among the translations are the all-important first chapter of the Qur'an (al-Fatihah); full translations of the Chapter 'The God of Mercy' (ar-Rahman) and ten other Chapters including the often-repeated last three; the Verse of Light (ayat an-Nur); verses from the Chapter entitled Ya Sin which is regarded as 'the heart of the Qur'an'; and numerous other verses from seventy-six other Chapters. In addition, there is an appendix of Dr Lings' translation of the Ninety-nine Beautiful Names of God with the original Arabic and transliteration; and a cross-referenced index which is intended to work as a minor concordance. For all those wishing to learn about the Qur'an, for non-Arabic-speaking Muslims, for students of Arabic and translation, for scholars of Islamic studies, 'The Holy Qur'an: Translations of Selected Verses' is a short and accessible introduction with the additional benefits of the profound learning of an eminent scholar and the beautiful language of a published poet. Dr Martin Lings is the author of among others 'Muhammad: His Life Based on the Earliest Sources', 'What is Sufism?', 'A Sufi Saint of the Twentieth Century', 'The Book of Certainty' and 'Sufi Poems'.

René Guénon (1886-1951) was the founder of the Perennialist/Traditionalist school of comparative religious thought well-known for its espousal of the "transcendent unity of religions". In a time of unquestioning belief in the dogmas of progress and evolution, Guénon issued a devastating critique of the modern world. A pioneering philosopher, he, also, provided the intellectual keys for a reclamation of the West's spiritual riches through an exposition of the Eastern metaphysical doctrines. His writings range over a vast terrain - Vedanta, the Chinese tradition, Christianity, Sufism, the Kabbalah, world mythology, symbolism and alchemy.

The renowned scholar and Sufi master, the late Dr Martin Lings (Shaykh Abu Bakr Siraj ad-Din) was working on a full translation of the Qur'an when he passed away. The Aal al-Bayt Institute for Islamic Thought, who had commissioned Dr Lings to translate the Qur'an, and the Islamic Texts Society were granted access to his papers. The Publishers extracted from these previously unpublished writings, and from all his other publications, his translations of verses from the Qur'an. These are here presented as 'The Holy Qur'an: Translations of Selected Verses' accompanied by the original Arabic text on facing pages. Among the translations are the all-important first chapter of the Qur'an (al-Fatihah); full translations of the Chapter 'The God of Mercy' (ar-Rahman) and ten other Chapters including the often-repeated last three; the Verse of Light (ayat an-Nur); verses from the Chapter entitled Ya Sin which is regarded as 'the heart of the Qur'an'; and numerous other verses from seventy-six other Chapters. In addition, there is an appendix of Dr Lings' translation of the Ninety-nine Beautiful Names of God with the original Arabic and transliteration; and a cross-referenced index which is intended to work as a minor concordance. For all those wishing to learn about the Qur'an, for non-Arabic-speaking Muslims, for students of Arabic and translation, for scholars of Islamic studies, 'The Holy Qur'an: Translations of Selected Verses' is a short and accessible introduction with the additional benefits of the profound learning of an eminent scholar and the beautiful language of a published poet. Dr Martin Lings is the author of among others 'Muhammad: His Life Based on the Earliest Sources', 'What is Sufism?', 'A Sufi Saint of the Twentieth Century', 'The Book of Certainty' and 'Sufi Poems'.