The Book of Mirdad: A Lighthouse and a Haven (Arkana) [Paperback]

Mikhail Naimy (Author)

Book Description

Series: Arkana | Publication Date: February 1, 1994

This masterpiece of spiritual wisdom ranks alongside The Prophet--and is written by a close friend and biographer of Kahlil Gibran. Naimy weaves together mystical insights, practical ethics, poetry, philosophy, and ancient legend to create this work of inexhaustible riches that amply justifies its claims to be the "lighthouse for troubled souls".

Product Details

• Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: Penguin (Non-Classics) (February 1, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0140193324
• ISBN-13: 978-0140193329
• Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 5 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 3.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,384,914 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A guiding star, February 6, 2002

By 

Sharon Maas ([e-mail]) (England) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Book of Mirdad: A Lighthouse and a Haven (Arkana) (Paperback)

"This is the Book of Mirdad as recorded by Naronda, the youngest and the least of his companions, a Lighthouse and a Haven for those who yearn to overcome. LET ALL OTHERS BEWARE OF IT."

So begins the Book of Mirdad, and this must be the only book in the world that actually warns the public not to read it! If it were any other book it would be a marketing trick. In this case it is not. In fact the warning is unnecessary; The Book will only be read by those who are meant to read it, those who are receptive to its universal message.

When I first read the Book about 30 years ago I was thrown into a frenzy of enthusiam and passed it on to all my friends. "This is IT!" I told them; and they all read a few pages and passed it back to me shaking their heads. So no, it's not a book for everyone. But for those who are open to its timeless wisdom it is a gem among gems. It is a classic among the gnostic and mystical literature of the world, and I am delighted to see that it is being reprinted this year.

Seldom have legend, mysticism, philosophy and poetry been so skillfully woven together. Addressing himself to the age-old problems of thre Whence, the Whither the Why and the Who of Man, the author seeks and finds the answers in Man himself.
Mirdad, the Teacher in the title of the book, would lead us from the unconsciousness of the divided self to the superconsciousness of the undivided Self. His sole aim is to "uncover God in Man" by ridding us of the sense of duality: the I and the non-I. The non-I - the ego, our everyday identity, is but a shadow which must be cast away in order to know the real self and the state of perfect balance.

The book must be read with an open mind; then, and only then, it can become a lighthouse and a haven. All other readers will close it, without understanding and without interest. Never mind.
If you liked The Prophet you might like this. However, Mirdad digs deeper than The Prophet and so this book can rightly be called the next step on from that other literary gem. The author, Mikhail Naimy, was a close friend of Kahlil Gibran and is also Gibran's biographer.

10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars For those who yearn to overcome, June 11, 2000

By 

zaven laleyan (Montreal, Canada) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Book of Mirdad: A Lighthouse and a Haven (Arkana) (Paperback)

In his aphorisms and parables book "Vineyard by the Road" Naimy said the following to the reader: " Don't blame if today I addressed my words to another and not to you. I will talk to you in the 30th or 40th century ". Naimy has all time and great patience. In The Book of Mirdad, a clear warning is placed that the Book is not for everyone but " for those who yearn to overcome. Let all others Beware of it! ". For the Book contains a heavy dose of spirituality, materialists may be alergic to such potent medicine. Initiates and Seekers of the truth will find in the Book a treasure and a constant companion. Mikhail Naimy (1889 - 1988), had a very rich and interesting life, a close friend and biographer of Kahlil Gibran, a soldier in the american army during the first world war in europe, holder of law and arts degrees from the University of Washington in seattle, mastered Arabic, Russian, Ukranian, French and English languages, wrote in arabic more than 29 original books (most of them not yet published in other languages, and all of them of very high calibre comparable to Rumi, Hesse and Tolstoy). Mirdad was written in the english language and is reprinted regularly in the west. Enjoy the Sacred Wine!

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars best of two, January 19, 2002

By 

"matthew108" (Australia) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Book of Mirdad: A Lighthouse and a Haven (Arkana) (Paperback)

There are only two books I have read that are able to capture the spirit of life. One is Milarepa - Tibets Great Yogi. And this is the other.

His prose is more like verse through much of the text. His is Kahil Gibrans biographer, yet he surpasses Gibran. The text is elegant and he is able to structure the story to reflect spiritual truth in a manner Gibran cannot.

Where Gibran touches God , Naimy structures a path to God in language that surpasses even Gibran.

This is great stuff, it is unlikely anyone will be able to get hold of a copy and I am not letting go of my old yellow paged hardcover. But if you can get it - grab it!