A book of adab, a term understood in modern times to specifically mean literature but in earlier times its meaning included all that a well-informed person had to know in order to pass in society as a cultured and refined individual.
IBN AL-FARID: WINE & THE MYSTIC'S PROGRESSTranslation, Introduction & Notes by Paul SmithUmar Ibn al-Farid, an Egyptian poet (1181-1235), is considered to be the undisputed master of Islamic mystical poetry into Arabic. He is considered not only to be a poet but a Perfect Master (Qutub) a God-realised soul… and it is his journey to unity with God that he reveals in probably the longest qasida (ode) in Arabic (761 couplets), his famous The Mystic's Progress. The other poem for which he is most known is his Wine Poem that is often seen as a prologue to the The Mystic's Progress. Although these long poems have been translated into English before this is the first time in the correct rhyme of the qasida and in clear, concise, modern English. Included in the Introduction are chapters on his Life & Work, The Qasida in Arabic, Previous Qasidas by Master Arab Poets that would have influenced him, The Perfect Master (Qutub), and the Wine Poem and The Mystic's Way. Selected Bibliography. The correct rhyme-structure has been kept and the beauty and meaning of these beautiful poems. 174 pages.COMMENTS ON PAUL SMITH'S TRANSLATION OF HAFIZ'S 'DIVAN'.“It is not a joke... the English version of ALL the ghazals of Hafiz is a great feat and of paramount importance. I am astonished. If he comes to Iran I will kiss the fingertips that wrote such a masterpiece inspired by the Creator of all.” Dr. Mir Mohammad Taghavi (Dr. of Literature) Tehran.“Superb translations. 99% Hafiz 1% Paul Smith.” Ali Akbar Shapurzman, translator and knower of Hafiz's Divan off by heart. “Smith has probably put together the greatest collection of literary facts and history concerning Hafiz.” Daniel Ladinsky (Penguin Books author). Paul Smith is a poet, author and translator of over 80 books of Sufi poets of the Persian, Arabic, Urdu, Turkish, Pashtu and other languages including Hafiz, Sadi, Nizami, Rumi, 'Attar, Sana'i, Jahan Khatun, Obeyd Zakani, Mu'in, Amir Khusrau, Nesimi, Kabir, Anvari, Ansari, Jami, Khayyam, Rudaki, Yunus Emre, Bulleh Shah, Shah Latif, Mahsati and others, and his own poetry, fiction, plays, biographies, children's books and screenplays.
An English translation of "Al-Iqd al-Farid", which is one of the classics of Arabic literature. Compiled in several volumes by an Andalusian scholar and poet named Ibn Abd Rabbih (246-328 H/860-940 CE), it is a mine of information about various elements of Arab culture and letters during the four centuries before his death.
Whatever view may be taken of the respective merits of Arabic and Persian poetry, I think it will generally be allowed by those familiar with the mystical literature of both nations that the Arabs excel in prose rather than in verse, while the Persian prose-writers on this subject cannot be compared with the poets. Faridu'ddin 'Attar, Jalalu'ddin Rumi, Hafiz, and Jami - to mention only a few of the great Persian poets whose works, translated into various languages, have introduced the religious philosophy of Sufism to a rapidly widening circle of European culture - are as much superior to their Arab rivals, including even the admirable Ibn al-Farid, as the Futuhat al-Makkiyya and the Fusus al-Hikam are superior to similar treatises in Persian. The Tarjuman al-Ashwaq is no exception to this rule. The obscurity of its style and the strangeness of its imagery will satisfy those austere spirits for whom literature provides a refined and arduous form of intellectual exercise, but the sphere in which the author moves is too abstract and remote from common experience to give pleasure to others who do not share his visionary temper or have not themselves drawn inspiration from the same order of ideas. Nevertheless, the work of such a bold and subtle genius deserves, at any rate, to be studied, and students will find, as a reward for their labour, many noble and striking thoughts and some passages of real beauty. The following lines are often quoted. They express the Sufi doctrine that all ways lead to the One God. 'My heart has become capable of every form; it is a pasture for gazelles and a convent for Christian monks, and a temple for idols and the pilgrim's Ka'ba and the tables of the Tora and the book of the Koran. I follow the religion of Love: whatever way Love's camels take, that is my religion and my faith.' The present edition was designed in the first instance for the Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society, and is now published in its original shape. I will not repeat or expand what I have said in my brief introduction concerning the date of composition, the different recensions of the text, the method of interpretation, and the general character of these remarkable odes, but it may be useful to indicate in a few words some of the principal theories which are shadowed forth symbolically in the text and revealed more explicitly in the author's commentary. Although the Tarjuman al-Ashwaq affords material for an essay on Ibn al-'Arabi's theosophy, I feel, speaking for myself, that further study of his works is necessary before such a task can be attempted with advantage. Much valuable information is contained in a treatise on Monism by Ali b. Sultan Muhammad al-Qari al-Harawi - a polemic directed against Ibn al-'Arabi and his followers who held that all Being is essentially one with God, notwithstanding its apparent diversity. This pamphlet was written in answer to a champion of Ibn al-'Arabi, who had collected under twenty-four heads various passages in the Futuhat and the Fusus to which objection was taken by orthodox theologians, and had endeavoured to justify the author against his critics. 'Ali al-Qari regards Ibn al-'Arabi as a dangerous infidel and gives him no quarter. Of course the offending passages admit of more than one interpretation, and the author would doubtless have repudiated the construction put upon them by theologians. Their pantheistic import, however, cannot be explained away. I have classified the following examples for the sake of convenience and have added a few references to the commentary on the Tarjuman. - This is a new edition of the first old edition published in 1911, and traslated by Reynold A. Nicholson (1868-1945).
Mystic and poet Abū al-Hasan al-Shushtarī (1212-1269) remains a towering figure in North African Sufism. His verses are still well loved and often recited, and his songs are arguably the most vibrant element of Islamic Spain's cultural legacy. He is crucial to an understanding of the history of mysticism in Islamic Spain and North Africa. Yet, he is overlooked by Western scholars and few of his poems have been translated. This book seeks to correct this deficit by (1) setting Shushtarī and his work in the political and intellectual contexts of his time; (2) introducing his thought to an English-speaking audience through a presentation of his poetry. Each of the chapters that presents the poetry starts with a thematic introduction that explores the symbolic, poetic, and doctrinal import of the material that follows. Sensuous and spiritual, erotic and ethereal, this selection of works will delight everyone, whether or not they are devotees of Islamic literature. +
Thank you for visiting our website. Would you like to provide feedback on how we could improve your experience?
This site does not use any third party cookies with one exception — it uses cookies from Google to deliver its services and to analyze traffic.Learn More.