Bøger udgivet af Fons Vitae,US

An exceptional contribution to the understanding of a key figure in Islamic mysticism, this book offers a 20th century commentary--by the eminent Sufi and spiritual guide Kenan Rifai--on Jalal ad-Din Rumi's 13th-century Spiritual Couplets, or Masnavi. Symbolically connecting the long poem to Qur'anic passages, hadiths, and other poems by Sufi masters, this enlightening reference answers the most tortuous of problems and guides one to comprehend the meaning of life. A rigorous translation of Rumi's original work is also included.

Unlike most English-language books on Sufism--which tend to reflect on the sociocultural orientations of the modern West--this account provides a window into the living Sufism of the Khalidi-Naqshbandi of Kurdistan. In this sense, Sufism is quite unique as it contextualizes the practice both historically and within the Islamic religious milieu. With reviews on the 25 stations experienced by Sufis, from repentance to servanthood, this reference also discusses 15 common altered states of consciousness as well as technical terms, praiseworthy and blameworthy attributes, and the Naqshbandi path. Given its comprehensive content, this book offers a solid basis upon which to understand authentic Sufi practice.

Written by 18th-century Moroccan scholar and mystic Ahmad ibn 'Ajiba, this book defines Sufic terminology. Based on four published Arabic editions of the Mi'raj and two manuscript versions, this translation is supplemented by excerpts from some of Ibn 'Ajiba's other works, which offer insights about the essential notions of Sufism: repentance, integrity, love, patience, gratitude, and the Eternal Wine. A comprehensive compilation, this bilingual edition--Arabic and English--celebrates Ahmad ibn 'Ajiba's belief that coming to know and reflect upon these notions could be, in itself, a sort of ascending meditative journey.

The traditions of the Prophet of Islam are, after the Qu'ran, the most important source for every aspect of Islamic life and thought. Ranging in topic from prayer to economic activity, hygiene to politics, ethics to aesthetics, and law to metaphysics, this work is the first in a European language to collect more than 200 of the purely spiritual traditions drawn from canonical collections of the Hadith as well as from other traditional resources. It contains illuminating commentaries drawn from the writings of eminent Sufis, such as Hasan al-Basri, Ibn Arabi, al-Ghazali, al-Janayd, Shaykh al-'Alawi and his spiritual progeny. This unique book also reveals an important dimension of the Prophet's being, one that is often neglected in modern studies not only by non-Muslim Westerners, but also by many Muslim biographers.

Answering questions from scholars and travelers on the Sufi path, this core statement of Sufi belief explains confusing and obscure points of devoted practice. The discussion covers the beliefs of the Pole of Time and the Circle of Saints, the states of extinction and subsistence, the nature of universal existence, and technical points concerning the relationship between master and novice. There are also rulings on more practical questions about the respective merits of fame and obscurity, the correct way to worship the spirits of the dead, and the causes of civil war. The book is also notable for a fascinating stylistic technique: the curt and pitiless dismissals of all questions not on the traveler's path.

Coomaraswamy's final un-published essays, including: The Iconography of Sagittarius, Philo's Doctrine of the Cherubim, Concerning Sphinxes, and The Concept of Ether in Greek and Indian Cosmology, are complemented by the author's own illustrations from his personal archives.

In an axial volume from his celebrated compendium, the "Ihya ulum al din," al-Ghazali shares his startling and original exploration of the meaning of trust in Divine Providence and recommends specific spiritual skills to help the seeker develop a state whereby he or she may rightly respond to events as they happen. This judicious use of stories is intended to imitate the Sufi practice of the master/disciple relationship, where the novice is helped to discern correct action.