The Whirling Ecstasy by Aflaki

Jelal-ed-din Rumi was born at Balkh, Persia, in 1207, and died at Konya, Turkey, in 1273. He founded the order of Mevlevi or whirling dervishes, and his chief work is the Mathnawi, an epic poem which expresses their mystical path. It was translated into English by Reynold Nicholson (6 volumes, London, 1926). This booklet is [...]

Masnavi-I Ma’navi – Teachings of Rumi

The title of Rumis masterwork Masnavi-I Ma’navi means “Rhyming Couplets of Profound Spiritual Meaning.” Rumi himself referred to the Masnavi as “the roots of the roots of the roots of the Islamic Religion.”  The Masnavi is a poetic collection of rambling anecdotes and stories derived from the Quran, hadith sources, and everyday tales. Stories are told to illustrate a [...]

SUFISM: THE PERSIAN MYSTICS – JALALU’D-DIN RUMI

The word Sufi is derived from the word suf, meaning “wool”. When a little Persian sect at the end of the eighth century A.D. broke away from the orthodox Muslim religion, and struck out on an independent path, they ignored costly robes and worldly ostentation, and clad themselves in a white wool garment. Hence they [...]

Tabjuman Al-Ashwaq – A Collection of Mystical Odes

‘Tabjuman Al-Ashwaq – A Collection of Mystical Odes’ by MUHYI’DDIN IBN AL-’ARABI is a collection of three individual sufi manuscripts that have been edited together here. This scanned edition was published by The Royal Asiatic Society in London 1911. Download here (172 pages/6.7MB): Ibn Al-Arabi Tarjuman Al-Ashwaq