Sufi Women [Paperback]

Javad Nurbakhsh (Author)

Product Details

• Paperback: 264 pages
• Publisher: Khaniqahi Nimatullahi Pubns; 2nd edition (January 1990)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0933546424
• ISBN-13: 978-0933546424
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5.4 x 0.9 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,901,695 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Encounters with a Lady, October 27, 2004

By 

Peacock Eye - See all my reviews

This review is from: Sufi Women (Paperback)

This book contains the biographies of a number of women in Islamic sufism, beginning with Rabe'ah, the most famous Sufi woman of early times, and ending with Hayati, the most highly reputed of later times.

What I particularly like about this book, is that it contains several stories of how a Sufi woman appears to a Sufi adept, as if testing his spiritual state. Rejecting her presence would then imply defeat for the adept involved, as if her presence, and the inherent dynamics of that presence, signalled a test from the Unseen.

Another class of stories involves spiritual partnership between a male and female Sufi adept. This phenomenon is called "ham-dam" or "ham-nafas" (literally: "together in breath") in Islamic sufism, which means a crossing of the life-paths of these two, breathing in the same spirit, as they do. The meeting of these two often signals a phase of spiritual transmutation (or alchemy), in their mutual presence.

And then there are of course examples of Sufi women who choose to refuse any such partnership, claiming that only God could be her partner - and God knows best.

This book contains wonderful stories as well as beautiful poetry. It is is very worthwhile to be read by anyone who is interested in these subjects.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Makes an interesting read, April 16, 2007

By 

Gogol (England) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Sufi Women (Paperback)

These type of books are almost everywhere in Muslim countries (apart from the Gulf states perhaps) small books of biographies of classical Muslim saints. Usually they are both male and female saints but often modern books such as this one or biographies of female saints only.

Dr Nurbakhsh, a Sheikh of an Iraninan Sufi order currenly residing in the west has compiled this book filled with Sufi tales and words of wisdom from classical Sufi saints such as Rabia to latter day Persian saints. The book is based upon the Sifat of ibn al-Jawzi, the Manaqib and the Nafahat of Jami all classical books in Arabic which feature biographies of leading saints of Islam.

Well worth a read but probably only of interest to Muslim readers.