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The Sufi Path of Love: The Spiritual Teachings of Rumi (Suny Series in Islamic Spirituality) (Suny Series, Islamic Spirituality) Paperback – June 30, 1984

by William C. Chittick (Author)

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This is the most accessible work in English on the greatest mystical poet of Islam, providing a survey of the basic Sufi and Islamic doctrines concerning God and the world, the role of man in the cosmos, the need for religion, man's ultimate becoming, the states and stations of the mystical ascent to God, and the means whereby literature employs symbols to express "unseen" realities. William Chittick translates into English for the first time certain aspects of Rumi's work. He selects and rearranges Rumi's poetry and prose in order to leave aside unnecessary complications characteristic of other English translations and to present Rumi's ideas in an orderly fashion, yet in his own words. Thorough, nontechnical introductions to each chapter, and selections that gradually present a greater variety of terms and images, make this work easily accessible to those interested in the spirituality of any tradition.

"I consider this work to be of great importance in the field of Islamics in particular and of the humanities in general. It is superbly conceived and guides the reader through the theory, practice, and mystical realization of Rumi's thinking...I can think of no better way for a Westerner, and nowadays for a Westernized Muslim, to get to know the deeper aspects of the Islamic faith than through a work such as this. As far as I am aware of, it is the first work of its kind, providing the reader with a complete exposition of Rumi's fundamental notions through Rumi's own words. No one else has done this with the thoroughness and meticulousness shown by Chittick." -- Victor Danner, Indiana University.

The Sufi Path of Love: The Spiritual Teachings of Rumi (Suny Series in Islamic Spirituality) (Suny Series, Islamic Spirituality)

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Editorial Reviews

Review

I consider this work to be of great importance in the field of Islamics in particular and of the humanities in general. It is superbly conceived and guides the reader through the theory, practice, and mystical realization of Rumi s thinking...I can think of no better way for a Westerner, and nowadays for a Westernized Muslim, to get to know the deeper aspects of the Islamic faith than through a work such as this. As far as I am aware of, it is the first work of its kind, providing the reader with a complete exposition of Rumi s fundamental notions through Rumi s own words. No one else has done this with the thoroughness and meticulousness shown by Chittick. Victor Danner, Indiana University"

"I consider this work to be of great importance in the field of Islamics in particular and of the humanities in general. It is superbly conceived and guides the reader through the theory, practice, and mystical realization of Rumi's thinking...I can think of no better way for a Westerner, and nowadays for a Westernized Muslim, to get to know the deeper aspects of the Islamic faith than through a work such as this. As far as I am aware of, it is the first work of its kind, providing the reader with a complete exposition of Rumi's fundamental notions through Rumi's own words. No one else has done this with the thoroughness and meticulousness shown by Chittick." -- Victor Danner, Indiana University

Language Notes

Text: English, Persian (translation) --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

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Product Details

Series: Suny Series, Islamic Spirituality
Paperback: 444 pages
Publisher: State University of New York Press; Reprint edition (June 30, 1984)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0873957245
ISBN-13: 978-0873957243
Product Dimensions: 6 x 1 x 9 inches
Shipping Weight: 1.6 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (22 customer reviews)
Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #407,345 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #165 in Books > Religion & Spirituality > Islam > Sufism
- #13498 in Books > Politics & Social Sciences > Philosophy

Customer Reviews

4.7 out of 5 stars

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Top Customer Reviews

A very well written translation

ByGogolon October 2, 2007

Format: Paperback

Apart from Nicholsons translation of the Mathnawi and the works of his students Iqbal (Life and works) and Arberry (who transltated the Fihi Ma Fihi as the 'Discorses of Rumi) All other so called 'translations' are pretty much worthless because 1. They are not translations at all but rather re-writes of Nicholson 2. They are just pandering to an ever growing market of supermarket spirituality. Chitticks translation however, is very different.

For a start, Chittick is a scholar in Persian and taught in Iran for several years and had first hand knowledge of not only the Persian Mathnawi but some of the major comentaries in Persian (which may explain why a previous reviewer found many parts of the book similar to Shia text he had read)

Chittick may be covering the same ground as Nicholson here but his translation is well put together not only applying modern English but also a knowledge of the original.

The book may not be of much use to everyone especially if you have already the Nicholson translation but if you are seeking a book that covers the fundamentals of the teachings of Rumi then there is no better place to start than this book.

22 comments 29 people found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you?YesNo

Essential reading for students of RUMI

ByAmazon Customeron August 26, 2011

Format: Paperback

As a native Farsi speaker and life- long student of MAULANA, I must admit that professor William Chittick has out done himself in this work. As a native speaker of any language, you are familiar with the idioms and language usage so you can catch out easily mistakes in translation and misunderstandings of the translator. As far as the farsi language and even Sufi and Islamic nomenclature goes, Chittick knows his stuff! You can comfortably read his works without being afraid of simple blunders and misunderstanding of language.

In this amazing work, he has phenomenally compressed all the nomenclature, imagery, allusions, themes, and ideas contained in the works of RUMI in a concise compendium which works almost like a reference-book or supplementary reading for the student of RUMI. In my opinion, more than a supplementary, it should be considered an essential reading for anyone who wishes to correctly understand RUMI and his works.

I must also add that Chittick's perspective of Islam is not a medieval, bias view, like the many orientalists who studied and wrote on Islamic works. As a Muslim myself, I highly appreciate his depth and scholarly approach towards Islam which is clearly different than many other non-Muslim scholars, who approach Islam filled with hate and prejudice.

I greatly benefited from this work, which gave me an overview of the RUMI ideology and highly recommend it to others.

0Comment 18 people found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you?YesNo

Most impotant book for the sufi student

ByRonald H Freemanon August 4, 2012

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

After studying the Sufis for almost 40 years I came upon this book and found it to be incredibly illuminating. It is a MUST for the sincere seeker and for those wishing to understand the Sufi path.I can't thank the author enough and must add all his books are of the same excellent quality.
Blessings Be Upon Him

0Comment 10 people found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you?YesNo

A great and beautifully written book

ByA customeron December 14, 1998

Format: Paperback

I truly enjoyed reading this book. Mr. Chittic does an excellent job in explaining Sufi way of understanding Koran and Islam. The author has another fine and very readable book on the great sufi master Ibne Arabi " Sufi path of knowledge". I highly recommend this book. While reading the sufi path to knowledge, I made some interesting observations. Almost for every page of the book I could come up with a corresponding saying( Hadith) from the Shiie Imams from Shia hadith sources. This was interesting to me, since in many books there are discussions as to the background and sources of great masters such as Rumi and Arabi. By the time I was done reading the great book" sufi path to knowledge, I had related almost every theme of Ibne Arabi's discussion back to a saying from these earlier sources. My take of these great masters are that they unfolded these compressed teachings of Koran and Hadith from Prophet and Imams. Just as in science F=ma, tells us all that there is to know about the motion of bodies under the influence of gravity, these sayings also contain all there is to know about the Islamic understanding of God-Man-Universe. And just as it takes a great and experienced scientist to unfold the detail of F=ma, and land a person on the moon, it also takes a great master like Rumi and Arabi to unfold the teaching of these sources. I think to map Rumi and Arabi's teaching to these earlier sources would be very useful and enlightening and may answer many questions as to the background of the sufism. I don't think this mapping of ideas to its origin is a difficult task. I came up with some interesting results and yet all I had was a few shia hadith books and the books wirtten by Mr. Chittic.

11 comment 30 people found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you?YesNo

AT PAGE 74 AND I'M ALREADY ENLIGHTENED

Byshivaon May 21, 2013

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

I am anxious to go further with reading this fascinating book and at the same time I am having a hard time turning the pages. I regret having to leave one page behind. The joy of reading these passages persists even when read numerous times.
At this time I am on Chapter D,(MAN), and I would like to say to Mr. William Chittick in his own words that "THE HIDDEN TREASURE IS BEAUTIFULLY MANIFESTED IN YOUR WORK".
The esoteric knowledge of Allah is hard to understand, but even harder to relate and make known to others. This task is not possible unless one has reached the purity of the mirror that reflects "The Light" shinning onto him. In my opinion Mr. Chittick has been very successful in translating, as well as interpreting the wisdom that lies within Molana's poems.

0Comment 6 people found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you?YesNo

Pure Spiritual Beauty

ByIshraqion April 9, 2008

Format: Paperback

This is by far the best book on my favorite spiritual poet. The poetry of Rumi is truly awe inspiring and the examination of his teachings by William C. Chittick is first rate. I can't even begin to guess the amount of time I've walked around with this book in my hand. You will want to read this over and over. It's a true spiritual classic and contains some translations of Rumi's poetry you wont find elsewhere.

11 comment 9 people found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you?YesNo

The author does a good job with the translation and explains the Sufi's beautifully

ByMahreen Azamon November 20, 2015

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

I purchased this book for my Sufism class and the books seems well-written. The author does a good job with the translation and explains the Sufi's beautifully. I don't think it's the best book you can purchase to start learning about Sufism, but is still a good source of knowledge. If you are looking into Sufism on your own I would recommend Sufism by Ernst as a good starting point.

0Comment One person found this helpful. Was this review helpful to you?YesNo

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Most Recent Customer Reviews

A wonderful resource!

I find this collection and translation to be an extremely valuable and reliable resource at a time when so many of Rumi's mistranslations are being shared.Read more

Published 5 months ago by Pouria

Book of Intoxication and ecstacy

To be very precise this book is full of intoxication and ecstacy of GOD

Published on April 9, 1999

Enjoyed the love language

Man expressing his love for the divine is always fascinating. I enjoyed Rumi's passionate descriptions and deep spirituality in his native Central Asian context.Read more

Published on October 16, 2012 by R. Hewitt

Love it, and can't put it down

This is the book I've been searching for and didn't know it existed! Love it, and can't put it down. It will definitely be a book to re-read and reference many times over.

Published 1 year ago by Sulayma Hassan

Highly recommend!

This book is essential if you want to journey on the Path.

Chittick does a wonderful job with Rumi's Poetry.

Highly recommend!

Published 9 months ago by Amazon Customer

Five Stars

A good book more literal translation than C Barks (more poetic )but very good .

Published 3 months ago by Robert J. Hamburger

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