Tales from the Land of the Sufis [Paperback]

Mojdeh Bayat (Author), Mohammad Ali (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 16, 2001

Take a magic carpet ride into the delightful world of Sufi storytelling with these best-loved tales from Persian literature and lore, in which images of madness, passionate love, and self-sacrifice convey the inner experiences of the soul that has surrendered to the Divine Beloved. The tales are retold from the celebrated works of Sufi poets and spiritual masters such as Rumi, Attar, Nizami, and Jami, as well as anecdotes about these famous masters.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Aesop and Jesus both knew that the best way to get a point across was through stories. In Tales from the Land of the Sufis, we find that same approach applied in Sufism, the mystical heart of Islam. Mojdeh Bayat and Mohammad Ali Jamnia retell in exquisite style some of the great tales from the likes of Attar and Rumi. Their emphasis is on the authors of the tales and how the exemplary lives of the master Sufi storytellers have also become material ripe for stories. Sufi story collections tend to be enchanting or humorously provocative and stand detached from the tradition. By including classic Sufi storytellers as subject matter, Bayat and Jamnia present these tales in their full spiritual glory. With themes such as self-sacrifice, humility, service, simplicity, faith in God, and, ultimately, union with God, the stories show both the outrageous iconoclasm of Sufism and its highest fundamentals. So, from dark tales, like the one about a mystic blasphemer who was executed by having his limbs and sense organs removed, to lighter stories, like those about a bald parrot and Alexander's big ears, Bayat and Jamnia strike a balance in this informative and eloquent storybook. --Brian Bruya

From Publishers Weekly

Spiritual instruction takes on entirely new dimensions when one considers the wisdom of the Sufi tradition; and here Bayat and Jamnia have dramatically increased our knowledge of and access to the teaching stories of the great Persian Sufi masters. To the magical and almost familiar names of Rumi and Kabir, we now can add Hallaj, Abu Sa'id, Fariduddin Attar, Hakim Nazami and Abdul-Raham Jami. We knew Attar, of course, from his Conference of the Birds , but set in this new context of other Sufi voices, his narratives become all the more potent. And while we should be especially grateful for the light flashing from the pages of Nazami's love stories, the authors' translation of the Attar story, "Sakyh San'an," would alone be justification for the entire volume. In short, the brilliance of these Persian teachers is exposed by the authors of this superb text.
Copyright 1994 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

• Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: Shambhala (October 16, 2001)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1570628912
• ISBN-13: 978-1570628917
• Product Dimensions: 5.5 x 0.4 x 8.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 8.5 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #68,883 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #15 in Books > Religion & Spirituality > Islam > Sufism

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