Attending an interfaith conference recently, Shaykh Nazim, author of this volume, was asked the question by the Orthodox Pope: "Why are troubles increasing in our time?" In his famously pithy manner, Shaykh Nazim replied, "did Satan take a vacation?" Thus in this book, the Master of the Naqshbandi-Haqqani Sufi Order focuses on the interference of Satan, the lower self, and negativity in the lives of human beings today and the many remedies available to those who seek spiritual solutions. Utterly pragmatic, Shaykh Nazim does not suffer fools who refuse to do the work of self-realization needed to prevent their lives from sliding down the slippery slope of cynicism and despair into affliction, depression and possibly even self-destruction. Rather he demands they face their problems head on, pick themselves up, reverse self-loathing and self-pity and seek the therapies needed to cure their spiritual-and often related-physical ailments. This book is a veritable toolbox for those seeking to raise the bar of spiritual gamesmanship to pursue not only normalcy but further themselves to attain championship status in the realm of the divine.

When they speak most teachers, lecturers, professors and scholars address the minds of their listeners, attempting to provoke new thought patterns, impart fresh information and describe what they know. However the Sufi masters speak "from the heart to the heart." For this reason, rather than falling into a listless torpor after ten minutes, their students are actually energized, for the Shaykh's words address their aspirations, desires and deepest needs with spiritual nourishment. Under the heavenly manifestations that accompany the Shaykh's simple but pithy words, those seeking realities are showered with holy impressions, whose mere touch sets the heart afire with Divine Love. Partake here of one such Sufi saint, who, from his humble abode on the island of Cyprus addresses the hearts and souls of seekers around the world.

Experience the spiritual ascent of the Sufi masters, as Shaykh Hisham Kabbani relates the intricacies of treading the mystic path. Presenting a 1400-year old tradition in an easy-to-understand contemporary style, Shaykh Kabbani interweaves the teaching of basic ethical principles with the tales of ancient gnostics and the travails and rewards of the Sufi way.