The Sufis

Last updated

The Sufis
TheSufisIdries.jpg
First edition (US)
Author Idries Shah
LanguageEnglish
Publisher Doubleday
Publication date
1964
Publication placeUnited Kingdom
Media typePrint (Paperback & eBook). Audiobook
OCLC 222708997
Preceded by Destination Mecca  
Followed by The Way of the Sufi  

The Sufis is one of the best known books on Sufism by the writer Idries Shah. First published in 1964 with an introduction by Robert Graves, it introduced Sufi ideas to the West in a format acceptable to non-specialists at a time when the study of Sufism had largely become the reserve of Orientalists.

Contents

Shortly before he died, Shah stated that his books form a complete course that could fulfil the function he had fulfilled while alive. As such, The Sufis can be read as part of a whole course of study. [1]

Summary

Eschewing a purely academic approach, Shah gave an overview of Sufi concepts, with potted biographies of some of the most important Sufis over the ages, including Rumi and Ibn al-Arabi, while simultaneously presenting the reader with Sufi teaching materials, such as traditional stories or the jokes from the Mulla Nasrudin corpus. The book also gave details of previously unsuspected Sufic influences on Western culture. According to Shah, the Freemasons, Miguel de Cervantes, Western chivalry, alchemy and Saint Francis of Assisi, amongst others, were all influenced directly or indirectly by Sufis and Sufi ideas, often as a result of contact between East and West in the Middle Ages in places such as Spain or Sicily.

Reception

The book had a powerful impact on many thinkers and artists when it appeared, including the Nobel Prize winning author Doris Lessing, the poet Ted Hughes, and the writers Geoffrey Grigson [2] and J. D. Salinger. [3] Doris Lessing described it as "the best introduction to the body of Shah's work", adding that by reading it one was "forced to use one's mind in a new way". She went on to call it "a seminal book of the century, even a watershed." [4]

Richard Smoley and Jay Kinney, writing in Hidden Wisdom: A Guide to the Western Inner Traditions (2006), pronounced The Sufis an "extremely readable and wide-ranging introduction to Sufism", adding that "Shah's own slant is evident throughout, and some historical assertions are debatable (none are footnoted), but no other book is as successful as this one in provoking interest in Sufism for the general reader." [5]

Richard C. Munn, reviewing the book in the Journal of the American Oriental Society , concluded that "One cannot approach this book either in the role of scholar or in the role of seeker (nut), for the author has cleverly blocked both these 'postural' approaches, much in the same way, one suspects, as a Sufi shaikh would. If the Sufi essence is untranslatable into book form, it naturally remains so, but Idries Shah, by 'playing' with the reader, and 'scattering' his points of information, has perhaps given the reader an inkling of Sufi 'experience'." [6]

German orientalist Annemarie Schimmel commented that The Sufis, along with Shah's other books, "should be avoided by serious students". [7]

Fiftieth anniversary (1964–2014)

2014 marked the fiftieth anniversary of the publication of The Sufis. New paperback and ebook editions of the work were published that year by the newly-formed ISF Publishing, in association with The Idries Shah Foundation, to coincide with that event. [8] [3]

Part of a wider initiative, The Idries Shah Foundation had begun to make available new paperback and ebook editions of Shah's many books in English, along with translations into other Western languages, and also into Arabic, Persian, Urdu and Turkish. [9] [10]

In an article on the Al Jazeera web site, John Bell and John Zada write about the wave of intolerant militance and extremism in the East and in Africa and about the destruction of many cultural resources such as libraries and UNESCO World Heritage shrines and mosques in places like Timbuktu. [8]

Explaining the historical, rich and diverse background of the tolerant Sufi tradition, the authors suggest that the material in Shah's book provides a useful and most-timely counterpoint and antidote to such extremism in the East; to consumerism in the West; and to intolerance, dogmatism and closed thinking, which they and Shah see as material, mental and emotional "prisons". [8]

In an article in The Guardian , Jason Webster is also of the opinion that the Sufi Way, as it is known, is a natural antidote to fanaticism. [3]

Webster states that classical Islamic Sufis include (amongst many others) the poet and Persian polymath Omar Khayyám, the Andalusian polymath Avërroes, the Persian poet and hagiographer Fariduddin Attar, and the Persian poet and theologian Jalāl ad-Dīn Rumi. [3] The reviewer also notes that when The Sufis first appeared, The Washington Post declared the book "a seminal book of the century", and that the work attracted writers such as Doris Lessing, J. D. Salinger and Geoffrey Grigson. The poet Ted Hughes also described it as "astonishing" and wrote that "The Sufis must be the biggest society of sensible men on Earth." According to the reviewer, others in the West drawn to or influenced by Sufism include St Francis of Assisi, the novelist, poet and playwright Miguel de Cervantes, the poet and diplomat Sir Richard Burton, the leading British politician Winston Churchill, and the diplomat and economist Dag Hammarskjöld. [3]

Reviews

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Idries Shah</span> Afghan writer and Sufi teacher (1924–1996)

Idries Shah, also known as Idris Shah, Indries Shah, né Sayed Idries el-Hashimi and by the pen name Arkon Daraul, was an Afghan author, thinker and teacher in the Sufi tradition. Shah wrote over three dozen books on topics ranging from psychology and spirituality to travelogues and culture studies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Attar of Nishapur</span> Persian Sufi poet

Abū Ḥāmid bin Abū Bakr Ibrāhīm, better known by his pen-names Farīd ud-Dīn (فریدالدین) and ʿAṭṭār of Nishapur, was an Iranian poet, theoretician of Sufism, and hagiographer from Nishapur who had an immense and lasting influence on Persian poetry and Sufism. He wrote a collection of lyrical poems and number of long poems in the philosophical tradition of Islamic mysticism, as well as a prose work with biographies and sayings of famous Muslim mystics. The Conference of the Birds, The Book of Divine, and Memorial of the Saints are among his best known works.

A teaching story is a narrative that has been deliberately created as a vehicle for the transmission of wisdom. The practice has been used in a number of religious and other traditions, though writer Idries Shah's use of it was in the context of Sufi teaching and learning, within which this body of material has been described as the "most valuable of the treasures in the human heritage". The range of teaching stories is enormous, including anecdotes, accounts of meetings between teachers and pupils, biographies, myths, fairy tales, fables and jokes. Such stories frequently have a long life beyond the initial teaching situation and have contributed vastly to the world's store of folklore and literature.

<i>Shikasta</i> 1979 novel by Doris Lessing

Re: Colonised Planet 5, Shikasta is a 1979 science fiction novel by Doris Lessing, and is the first book in her five-book Canopus in Argos series. It was first published in the United States in December 1980 by Alfred A. Knopf, and in the United Kingdom in November 1979 by Jonathan Cape. Shikasta is also the name of the fictional planet featured in the novel.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shah Abdul Latif Bhittai</span> 18th-century Sindhi Sufi writer

Shah Abdul Latif Bhittai, commonly known by the honorifics Lakhino Latif, Latif Ghot, Bhittai, and Bhit Jo Shah, was a Sindhi Sufi mystic and poet from Pakistan, widely considered to be the greatest poet of the Sindhi language.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tahir Shah</span> British author, journalist and documentary maker

Tahir Shah is a British author, journalist and documentary maker of Afghan-Indian descent.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Ikbal Ali Shah</span> Indian-Afghan author and diplomat

Sirdar Ikbal Ali Shah was an Indian-Afghan author and diplomat descended from the Sadaat of Paghman. Born and educated in India, he came to Britain as a young man to continue his education in Edinburgh, where he married a young Scotswoman.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Amina Shah</span> Author, poet, storyteller

Amina Maxwell-Hudson was a British anthologiser of Sufi stories and folk tales, and was for many years the Chairperson of the College of Storytellers. She was the sister of the Sufi writers Idries Shah and Omar Ali-Shah, and the daughter of Sirdar Ikbal Ali Shah and Saira Elizabeth Luiza Shah, a Scottish woman. Her nephew is the travel writer and documentary filmmaker Tahir Shah; her nieces are Safia Shah and the writer and documentary filmmaker Saira Shah.

<i>The Way of the Sufi</i>

The Way of the Sufi was the best-selling follow-up introduction to Sufism by the writer Idries Shah after the publication of his first book on the subject, The Sufis. Whereas The Sufis eschewed academic norms such as footnotes and an index, The Way of the Sufi provided a full section of notes and a bibliography at the end of its first chapter, entitled "The Study of Sufism in the West".

The Institute for Cultural Research (ICR) was a London-based, UK-registered educational charity, events organizer and publisher which aimed to stimulate study, debate, education and research into all aspects of human thought, behaviour and culture. It brought together many distinguished speakers, writers and Fellows over the years.

<i>Learning How to Learn</i> 1978 book by the writer Idries Shah

Learning How to Learn: Psychology and Spirituality in the Sufi Way is a book by the writer Idries Shah that was first published by Octagon Press in 1978. Later editions by Harper & Row (1981) and Penguin Books include an introduction by Nobel Prize Winner Doris Lessing.

<i>The Dermis Probe</i> 1970 book by Idries Shah

The Dermis Probe is a book by Idries Shah published by Octagon Press in 1970. A paperback edition was published in 1989 and again in 1993. The stories presented in the book are also available in an audio format.

<i>Thinkers of the East</i>

First published in 1971, Thinkers of the East: Studies in Experientialism was one of several books of Eastern practical philosophy study materials selected and arranged by Idries Shah for a contemporary readership.

Octagon Press was a cross-cultural publishing house based in London, UK. It was founded in 1960 by Sufi teacher, Idries Shah to establish the historical and cultural context for his ideas. The company ceased trading in 2014.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sufism in Sindh</span> Sufi tradition in Sindh

Sufism in Sindh covers the tradition of Sufism in Sindh, which is reputed to be an area of mystics. Sindh is famous for the enormous number of saints and mystics who lived there and preached peace and brotherhood. According to popular legend, 125,000 of them are buried on Makli Hill near Thatta. There is an abundance of Sufi literature produced in Sindh throughout history.

<i>Caravan of Dreams</i> (book) 1968 Sufi book by Idries Shah

Caravan of Dreams is a book by Idries Shah first published in 1968 by Octagon Press as part of his presentation of traditional Eastern teachings and Sufi ideas for contemporary society. New editions of the book were published in 2015 by The Idries Shah Foundation.

<i>The Elephant in the Dark</i> (book) 2016 book by Idries Shah

The Elephant in the Dark is a book by the writer Idries Shah, based on lectures he delivered at the University of Geneva as Visiting Professor in 1972–1973. He was invited to speak on the topic of “Salvation as a total surrender to God: an attempt at dialogue between Christians and Muslims.”

The Idries Shah Foundation (ISF) is an independent educational and cultural charity, set up by the family of the late thinker, writer, and teacher in the Sufi mystical tradition, Idries Shah, who wrote over three dozen books on topics ranging from psychology and spirituality to travelogues and culture studies.

<i>The Pleasantries of the Incredible Mulla Nasrudin</i> Book by Idries Shah

The Pleasantries of the Incredible Mullah Nasrudin is a book by the writer Idries Shah, based on lectures he delivered at the University of Geneva as Visiting Professor in 1972–73. The book is a collection of tales, none more than two pages and almost all less than a page long, about the folkloric character Mulla Nasrudin. Published by Octagon Press in 1968, it was re-released in paperback, ebook and audiobook editions by The Idries Shah Foundation in 2015.

<i>The Exploits of the Incomparable Mulla Nasrudin</i> 1966 folk collection by Idries Shah

The Exploits of the Incomparable Mulla Nasrudin is a book by the writer Idries Shah, It consists of jokes and anecdotes involving the wise fool of Middle Eastern folklore, Mulla Nasrudin. Published by Octagon Press in 1966, the book was re-released in paperback, ebook and audiobook editions by The Idries Shah Foundation in 2014 and 2015.

References

  1. ↑ Shah, Tahir (2008). In Arabian Nights: A Caravan of Moroccan Dreams. New York, NY: Bantam. pp. 215–216. ISBN   978-0-553-80523-9.
  2. ↑ Lessing, Doris (1997), The Sufis and Idries Shah
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 Webster, Jason (23 October 2014). "Sufism: 'a natural antidote to fanaticism'". The Guardian . Retrieved 23 October 2014.
  4. ↑ Lessing, Doris (18 April 1982). "Sufism: A Way of Seeing". The Washington Post . Retrieved 28 November 2015.
  5. ↑ Smoley, Richard; Kinney, Jay (2006). Hidden Wisdom: A Guide to the Western Inner Traditions. Wheaton, IL/Chennai, India: Quest Books. pp. 250–251. ISBN   0-8356-0844-1.
  6. ↑ Munn, Richard C. (January–March 1969). "Reviewed work(s): The Sufis by Idries Shah". Journal of the American Oriental Society. 89 (1). American Oriental Society: 279–281. doi:10.2307/598339. JSTOR   598339.
  7. ↑ Annemarie Schimmel (2011). Mystical Dimensions of Islam. University of North Carolina Press. p. 9. ISBN   978-0-8078-9976-2.
  8. 1 2 3 Bell, John; Zada, John (6 October 2014). "Fanaticism's antidote: 'The Sufis'". Al Jazeera . Retrieved 6 October 2014.
  9. ↑ Staff (2014). "The Idries Shah Foundation". The Idries Shah Foundation. Retrieved 6 October 2014.
  10. ↑ Idries Shah's son Tahir Shah was responsible for overseeing the Western translations, his daughter Saira Shah, the Eastern translations.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.