Three early Sufi texts

Description: "The three Sufi texts published in this volume all deal with some aspect of the Sufi path to God. The Sufi path is marked by a number of different stages or stations what's the Sufi traveler passes through as he advances on the path. On his way the Sufi also experiences various psychological and emotional states. These states differ from the stations through which the Sufi passes in that the states are transitory experiences granted to him by God and over which she has no control, whereas the stations are permanent stages on the path but she is achieved through his own individual effort.

Of the three Sufi works included in this volume, the first two, a treaty on the heart, and stations of the righteous, deal primarily with the stations and state of the Sufi traveler on the path to God. The third, the stumbling's of those aspiring, on the other hand, deals with the disciplining and the basement of the ego-self or self that insights to evil. We hope the publication of these three Sufi text in English translation Will contribute to a greater appreciation of Islam edits mystical aspects." -- from the preface"

"Translations of texts from the formative period of Islam are rare. Those that were done are now out of print. Translations of Tirmidhi and Sulami are even more difficult to find. The three, previously untranslated works presented here originate from the pens of two of the most eminent figures of the Khorasanian tradition, Hakim Tirmidhi (d. 300/912) and Abu ‘Abd al-Rahman al-Sulami al-Naysaburi (d. 412/1021).
These texts, dating from the formative period of Sufism, affirm the existence of an already highly developed school of Muslim psychology that provided the foundation for the transformational process referred to within multiple spiritual traditions of the spiritual journey. Hakim Tirmidhi portrays the science of the soul within the Islamic context.

In Stations of the Righteous al-Sulami deals with the inherently defective nature of the soul, and delineates the path the soul must travel towards purification and the roles it assumes on its journey.
In Stumblings of Those Aspiring al-Sulami shares with his aspirant how best to manage the itinerary and avoid the pitfalls and obstacles of this journey. These three works are relevant within the domains of human spirituality and psychology for both the specialist and the non-specialist." -- from the publisher

Table of Contents:
Foreword
PART ONE : treatise on the heart
Introduction
The manuscript
Translation : a treatise of the heart ( bayan al-farq )
Notes
Appendix : revisions to the Arabic text
Biography of Nicholas Heer
Index of Arabic Words
PART TWO : Stations of the righteous and stumbling of those aspiring
Acknowledgements, Preface
Introduction
The manuscripts
Translations : stations of the righteous ( darajat al-sadqin )
-- the stumbling of those aspiring ( zalal al-fuqara )
Notes, bibliography
Biography of Kenneth L. Honerkamp
Indexes : proper names; Qur'anic verses, and Hadith; Arabic words

FY2004 /