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This is the most accessible work in English on the greatest mystical poet of Islam, providing a survey of the basic Sufi and Islamic doctrines concerning God and the world, the role of man in the cosmos, the need for religion, man's ultimate becoming, the states and stations of the mystical ascent to God, and the means whereby literature employs symbols to express "unseen" realities. William Chittick translates into English for the first time certain aspects of Rumi's work. He selects and rearranges Rumi's poetry and prose in order to leave aside unnecessary complications characteristic of other English translations and to present Rumi's ideas in an orderly fashion, yet in his own words. Thorough, nontechnical introductions to each chapter, and selections that gradually present a greater variety of terms and images, make this work easily accessible to those interested in the spirituality of any tradition.
"I consider this work to be of great importance in the field of Islamics in particular and of the humanities in general. It is superbly conceived and guides the reader through the theory, practice, and mystical realization of Rumi's thinking...I can think of no better way for a Westerner, and nowadays for a Westernized Muslim, to get to know the deeper aspects of the Islamic faith than through a work such as this. As far as I am aware of, it is the first work of its kind, providing the reader with a complete exposition of Rumi's fundamental notions through Rumi's own words. No one else has done this with the thoroughness and meticulousness shown by Chittick." — Victor Danner, Indiana University
List of Abbreviations
Introduction
The LifePart I. THEORY
The Works
The Teachings
Three Dimensions of Sufism
The Plan of the Book
The Translations
A. Seeing Things As They ArePart II. PRACTICE
1. Form and MeaningB. Spirit, Heart, and Intellect
2. Existence and Nonexistence
3. The Illusion of Dichotomy
4. "The Science of Religions"
1. The SpiritC. God and the World
2. The Levels of the Spirit
3. The Ego and the Intellect
4. The Universal Intellect and the Partial Intellect
5. The Heart
6. Interrelationships
1. The Essence, Attributes, and ActsD. Man
2. Gentleness and Severity
3. The Reason for Creation
4. Opposites
5. Good and Evil
6. Heedlessness and the Existence of the World
1. The Trust
2. The Goal of Creation and the Intellect
3. The Covenant of Alast
4. The Descent and Reascent of the Spirit
5. Adam and Iblis
6. Man's Place among the Creatures
7. Angel vs. Satan: Intellect vs. Ego
8. The Return to God
9. Congeneity
10. The Touchstones
11. Death and Resurrection
A. Doubters and DeniersPart III. ATTAINMENT TO GOD
1. The Blindness of the DeniersB. The Prophets and Saints
2. Fatalism and Free Choice
1. The Need for a GuideC. The Discipline of the Way
2. Imitative Knowledge and Realized Knowledge
3. The Role of the Saints
4. The Shaykh
5. The Mirror of God
6. Rejecting the Prophets and Saints
7. Fales Masters
1. Spiritual Warfare
2. Remembrance of God
3. Man's Effort and God's Grace
4. Men and Women
A. Naughting the SelfNotes
1. Selfhood and SelflessnessB. Love
2. Existence and Nonexistence
3. Annihilation and Subsistence
4. Affirmation and Negation: The Shahadah
5. Death and Rebirth
6. Poverty, Sufism, and Dervishhood
7. I am God"
1. God As Love and Beyond LoveC. Separation and Union
2. The World As Created by Love
3. The World As Maintained by Love
4. Love and Beauty: True and Derivative
5. Need and Aspiration
6. The Religion of Love
7. Love and the Intellect
8. Bewilderment and Madness
1. Separation and SufferingD. Imagination and Thought
2. Union and Joy
1. Imagination and the Created OrderE. Poesy and Imagery
2. Escaping Imagination
3. The Image Is All
4. Beyond the Image
1. Creation and SpeechF. The Garden of Spring
2. The Worth of Poetry
3. Understanding Poetry and Speech
4. Interpretation of Imagery
G. The Heart-Ravishing Beloved
1. The WitnessH. Winedrinking and Revelry
2. Vision of the Face
a. Vision3. Jealousy
b. The Face
c. The Tresses
d. The Kiss
a. Smashing Idols
b. Maintaining Veils
1. WineI. The Beloved's Beloved
a. The Cup2. Intoxication and Sobriety
b. The Saki
c. The Ruins
d. The Drinking Companions
e. The Dregs
3. Winesickness
4. The Sama'
5. The Revelry of the Spirit
1. Love's Call
2. Love's Messenger
Appendix: Notes on the Translations
Selected Bibliography
Index of Sources
General Index
Index of Koranic Quotations and Prophetic Sayings