The Book of Sufi Healing (Paperback)

~ Hakim G. M. Chishti N.D. (Author)

Editorial Reviews

Review

. . . an easy read that demystifies the Sufi practice of divine healing. -- Muslim Views, January 2002

...very illuminating. . . written by someone who stands in the genuine Sufi tradition, and can therefore speak with authority. -- Professor Annemarie Schimmel, Harvard University

The most authoritative book on the subject in the English language. -- EastWest

Review

"The most authoritative work on the subject in the English language."
(

Natural Health

)

". . . very illuminating. . . written by someone who stands in the genuine Sufi tradition, and can therefore speak with authority." 
( Professor Annemarie Schimmel
 Harvard University  )

"The most authoritative book on the subject in the English language."
(EastWest )

" . . . an easy read that demystifies the Sufi practice of divine healing."
(Muslim Views, January 2002  )

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 208 pages
• Publisher: Inner Traditions; Revised edition (April 1, 1985)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0892813245
• ISBN-13: 978-0892813247
• Product Dimensions: 9.9 x 6.9 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #128,891 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A very refreshing book !!!, July 19, 1999

By	M. Akif "maakif" (Houston, TX) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

In his book "The Sufi Healings", Shaykh Hakim Moinuddin shed lights on different aspects of human life from physical to spiritual matters in the context of Sufi teachings. To support his discussion he uses parallels from modern day science. He makes a conscious effort to clarify Sufism. There are many direct references and anecdotes from the Holy Quran and from the life of Prophet Muhammad (May peace be upon him). The book is a great read and wonderful resource on Sufism.

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A wonderful presentation of Sufi healing traditions as well as Islam's contributions to world civilization, May 20, 2008

By	William Courson "William Courson" (Montclair, NJ USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

A wonderful presentation of Sufi healing traditions as well as Islam's contributions to world civilization

The author, Shaykh Hakim Moinuddin Chisti (Dr. Hakim Chishti) is a naturopathic physician and one of the few practitioners of Unani al-tibb in North America as well as a Fulbright Research Scholar. While conducting research in Afghanistan, he studied Unani medicine under the tutelage of a traditional practitioner, and has since participated in numerous international health symposia in Afghanistan, India, and Pakistan. Working from original material, he has translated into English the standard textbook of Avicenna on Unani medicine, Mizan-ul-Tibb ("The Canon of Medicine"). He is the author of "The Traditional Healer's Handbook" (Healing Arts Press, 1991), based on the foregoing translation.

For the Sufis within the mystic branches of Islam, the healing of the sick is considered to be the most important of all services to humanity. For the first time in the West, the author presents the secret principles and practices of this divine science, based on the 800-year tradition of the Chishti Order, to which the author belongs. The Chishti Order is a Sufi order which was founded in Chisht, a small town near Herat, in Western Afghanistan about 930 C.E. and continues to this day. The Chishti Order is known for its emphasis on love, tolerance, and openness, and "service to humanity" in the form of healing is one of the nine principles of the order first enunciated by Abu Ishaq Shami ("the Syrian"), its revered founder.

Among the many topics covered in "The Book of Sufi Healing" are dietary recommendations of the Prophet, the preparation of herbal formulas, healing with essential oils, the characteristics of illnesses arising at various stages of the soul's evolution, the therapeutic applications of fasting, prayer and correct breathing, the manufacture and use of talismans to maintain, restore and promote good health and the "infallible remedy."

Dr. Chishti has produced a truly wonderful, uplifting work, a veritable pharmacopoeia of Quranic verses (among other therapeutic modalities) relating to specific ailments affecting our spiritual and physical beings as well as a number of valuable chapters containing practical guidance for detoxification measures, diagnosis, the use of the Divine Names in the treatment of possession, and the use of spiritual geometric designs ("Taweez," akin in form and purpose to the Indian "Yantra") that have traditionally been used for healing. In addition to its detailed, very clear treatment of the Sufi healing tradition, Dr. Chishti's work is an excellent general introduction to the subject of Sufism for any serious student.

"The Book of Sufi Healing" is a work that should be read by anyone who wishes to acquire an in-depth knowledge of Sufism's and Islam's traditional healing practices as well as Sufism and its place in Islam more generally.

10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The best introduction for sufi students, February 24, 2002

By	Luciano (Salvador, Bahia Brazil) - See all my reviews

Despite its focus on healing and the fact that it was written by a Chishti sheikh, this book provides the best introduction to sufism for any serious students affiliated to any sufi order. Some of the ideas portrayed in this book are very difficult to come by, such as the Quran being a breathing exercise, or the science of ta'widh (talismans). I didn't pay much attention to the sections on healing, but I even learned how to pray from this book.