The Sufis: Index Edition

by Idries Shah

Overview

The Sufis is the best introduction ever written to the philosophical and mystical school traditionally associated with the Islamic world. Powerful, concise, and intensely thought-provoking, it sums up over a thousand years of Eastern thought - the product of some of the greatest minds humanity has ever produced - into a single work, presenting timeless ideas in a fresh and contemporary style. When the book was originally published in 1964, it launched its author, Idries Shah, on to the international stage, attracting the attention of thinkers and writers such as J. D. Salinger, Doris Lessing, Ted Hughes and Robert Graves. It introduced to the Western world concepts which have subsequently become commonly accepted, varying from the psychological importance of attention and humour, to the use of traditional tales as teaching instruments (what Shah termed ‘teaching-stories’), and the historical debt owed by the West to the Middle East in matters scientific, literary and philosophical. As a primer for the many dozens of Sufi books that Shah later produced, it is unsurpassed, offering a clear window onto a community whose system of thought and action has long concerned itself with the advancement of the whole of humankind, and whose ideas about individuals and society, their purpose and direction, need to be understood now more than ever before.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781784793807
Publisher:	ISF Publishing
Publication date:	06/20/2020
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
File size:	1 MB

About the Author

Born in 1924 into an aristocratic Afghan family, Idries Shah created a large body of literary work, most of which considered elements of "Eastern Thought", especially Sufism and Sufi thought. Some of his best known works include The Sufis and several collections of teaching stories featuring Nasrudin. Shah devoted his life to collecting, selecting and translating Sufi books and key works of Sufi classical literature, adapting them to the needs of the West and disseminating them in the Occident. Called by some "practical philosophy", by others "templates in straight thinking" - these works represent centuries of Sufi thought and Islamic thought aimed at the development of human potential to its fullest extent. They stress virtues such as commonsense, clear-thinking and humor to counter cant and religious dogma. As such they are vital works in the area of Islamic philosophy, and may be viewed as an antidote to radicalism and fanaticism much needed in the world today. Shah’s books have been translated into dozens of languages, have sold in their millions, and are regarded as a cultural bridge between West and East. His work and contribution to Sufism are represented by The Idries Shah Foundation.