Rumi and Islam: Selections from His Stories, Poems and Discourses-Annotated & Explained

by Ibrahim Gamard (Translator)

Overview

Discover the richness of Rumi’s spiritual tradition—through
facing-page commentary that brings his writings to life for you.

"This book you are now holding is a selection of what I believe are the best of Rumi’s accounts of the compassionate actions, sayings, and qualities of the Prophet, which include Rumi’s own inspired comments and explanations. It is my hope that you will be surprised and uplifted by the profound wisdom that Jalaluddin Rumi conveys through these stories and sayings."
—from the Preface

This great Sufi poet and teacher can become a companion for your own spiritual journey.

The lyric and wisdom poetry of Mawlana Jalaluddin Rumi has been an inspiration throughout the Middle East and Asia for over seven hundred years. Recently, it has also become popular in Western countries through translations and interpretive poetic versions in English. But while popular renderings have created the appreciation of Rumi the mystic, there is little understanding today of the religious and spiritual traditions from which the great mystic came. Rumi and Islam—Selections from His Stories, Poems, and Discourses examines not the popularized Rumi of universal love but the Sufi disciple whose works express deep reverence for the Prophet Muhammad. Ibrahim Gamard focuses on Rumi’s place within the Sufi tradition of Islam, as one of the greatest Muslim followers of the Prophet Muhammed, and on the Islamic foundations of his lover-Beloved mystical poetry. By probing verse by verse Rumi’s spiritual teachings, Gamard provides insight into the mystical side of the Qur’an and Islam, a religion that holds a deep love of God at its core.

Now you can experience the profound and uplifting wisdom of Rumi even if you have no previous knowledge of Sufism or Islam. This SkyLight Illuminations edition presents the most important of Rumi’s writings, mainly from the Mathnawi, with insightful yet unobtrusive commentary that conveys how his teachings about the nature of love for God and God’s love for us can increase our understanding of Islamic wisdom in the West.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781594733710
Publisher:	Turner Publishing Company
Publication date:	07/21/2011
Series:	SkyLight Illuminations
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	240
File size:	2 MB

About the Author

Ibrahim Gamard is a member of the Mevlevi Order, a 730-year-old Sufi order which originated with Rumi himself.

Table of Contents

Preface
Introduction

Stories of the Prophet
1. Warfare
2. The Captives
3. Hilal
4. The Sick One
5. Bilal
6. The Water Carrier
7. The Greedy Pagan
8. The Blind One
9. The Arrival of the Caravan
10. The Groaning Pillar
11. 'Ayisha
12. Zayd

Sayings of the Prophet
13. Prayer and Guidance
14. Self-Denial and Ego-Death
15. Divine Sayings

Praises of the Prophet
16. Affirmations and Blessings
17. Praises and Virtues
18. Love and Closeness with God
19. The Seal of the Prophets
20. The Night Journey, the Cave, and the Pillar
21. Prayer and Pilgrimage
22. The Light of Muhammad and Intercession
23. Death and Resurrection

Notes
Glossary
Suggested Readings and Resources
Index of Passages in Rumi's Works
Acknowledgments

Editorial Reviews

Gamard, a licensed psychologist and convert to Islam, has been translating the writings of famed 13th-century Islamic mystic Mawlana Jalaluddin Rumi for almost 20 years, and some of his translations and commentaries have been appearing online since the late 1990s. For a poet dead more than 700 years, Rumi has recently enjoyed an astonishing popularity in the West (in the East, his star never faded), but, as Gamard rightly points out, recent translations of Rumi have been highly selective, nonliteral, and poetic. Gamard's rather flat-footed translations make no concession to modern literary or spiritual tastes, yet they form the basis of an excellent introductory return to the source for readers already fascinated with the poet who said, "The Heavens are revolving around Love. Leap up, so we may also whirl!" Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.

Library Journal

"Dr. Ibrahim Gamard, after painstaking research from classical Persian texts, has masterfully managed to assemble wonderful summaries, quotations, and a wealth of important information in one book. This work will shatter some old myths and bring new light to the subject."
—Ravan Farhadi, former professor of history of Persian classics, University of California at Berkeley; ambassador of Afghanistan to the United Nations

“An excellent introductory return to the source for readers already fascinated with the poet.”
—Library Journal

From the Publisher