Turning Toward the Heart: Awakening to the Sufi Way (Shaykh Hazrat Azad Rasool)

Gray Henry

Posted Dec 23, 2002      •Permalink      • Printer-Friendly Version
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    Forty Questions and Answers
    By Shaykh Hazrat Azad Rasool
    180 pp, 6 x 9, paper, $15.95, 1-887752-46-3
    Sufism/Islam/Eastern Philosophy with illustrations and chapters of Sufi order lineages.

gThis work, in its accessible question and answer format, offers profound insights into the practical day to day aspects (practice-oriented teachings) of the master disciple relationship, from the lips of a living mater of the Nakshabandi Sufi Order.h
-from the preface by Dr. Kenneth Honerkamp, University of Georgia

gThis new book is useful both as a university classroom text and as an intimate introduction to a present-day authentic Sufi master whose spiritual lineage is directly traced back along the great silsilahs (or chains) of saints belonging to five prominent Sufi orders.  In his introduction, Dr. Honerkamp makes accessible to the modern reader the wisdom presented in this magnificent contribution by a great contemporary spiritual master.h

-from Dr. Alan Godlas, Associate Professor of Religion and Islamic Studies, University of Georgia

The book also contains a useful appendix in which all of the shaykhs of each lineage, their dates and the places where they lived and taught going back to the seventh century are listed.  (Shadhiliyyah, Chishtiyyah, Qadiriyyah, Naqshbandiyah and Mujaddidiyyah.)

Authorfs Credentials:
h B.A. in Islamic Studies and Arabic (Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi, India)
Ąh B.Ed. (Allahabad University, Allahabad, U.P., India)
h M.A. in Philosophy (Hinduism-Islam) (Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh, U.P., India)
Ąh Authorized teacher in five Sufi orders

Editorial Description:
Responding to questions asked by spiritual seekers in Europe and the United States, Sufi teacher Hazrat Azad Rasool provides concise, timely, and thought-provoking insights into the path of Islamic mysticism. Topics range from the role of spirituality in Islam to the significance of the Sufi guide, from qualities of an enlighted human being to the importance of service in the mystic search. The author, who spent thirty years as an instructor and headmaster at Jamia Milia University in Delhi, India, combines the warmth and wit of a seasoned teacher with the wisdom gained through his own study and practice of Sufism. While addressing concerns of those who seek the truth today through up-to-date, relevant language and examples, Hazrat Rasool grounds his responses in the classical teachings of Sufi lineages that stretch back more than 1,400 years to the Prophet Mohammad (peace be upon him). Anecdotes and historical summaries, explanations of techniques and personal reflections, practical instruction and gems gleaned from works of Sufi elders are skillfully interwoven in a work that will both introduce newcomers to Sufism, and expand the knowledge of those already familiar with the Sufi path.

Most Sufi shaykhs represent a single lineage of masters. Hazrat Sayid Abdul Bari Shah, the nineteenth century shakh from who Hazrat Rasoolfs teachings descent, was exceptional in receiving authorization to instruct students in multiple orders. Drawing from the wealth of these traditions, he adapted practices to fit the changing life styles brought about by industrialization and modernization. Abdul Bari Shahfs spiritual heir, Hazrat Rasool, continues the process here; he not only explains centuries-old concepts such as remembrance of the Divine (dhikr=Allah), the inner centers of consciousness (lataif), and meditation or contemplation (muraqabah), but responds with equal insight to questions about Islamfs treatment of women, the process of choosing a mystical path, and the significance of spiritual endeavor for humanityfs future.


2a) Understanding Islam and the Muslims: The Muslim Family ۰ Islam and World Peace
    $7.95
    99 pp 190 full color photographs
    Now available

Myths and misunderstanding continue to proliferate about Islam and its millions of followers worldwide. Through stunning photography provided by ARAMCO World and an accessible question and answer format this newly-expanded version of Americafs most popular short introduction to the key precepts of Islam offers succinct, and sometimes surprising, answers to frequently asked questions about the Muslim faith.

Written by eminent scholars T.J. Winter, Lecturer in Islamic Studies at Cambridge University, and John A. Williams of the College of William and Maryfs Department of Religion, this new version of a classic work is unique in that it has the endorsement of Al Azhar University of Cairo, which has been the center of Islamic study for the entire Muslim world since 969 C.E.

gThrough its text and photographs, this book seeks to replace inaccurate images of Islam with recognition of the multi-faceted character of this global religion and its widely diverse adherents. It cannot be reduced to stereotypes. Islam is not inherently violent, nor are Muslims intrinsically prone to violence.h
-Bruce B. Lawrence, Professor of Islamic Studies, Duke University

gA much welcome contribution-an accurate and scholarly presentation of the Islamic faith. Having carefully reviewed the contents, I find there is nothing to add. The Ministry of Islamic Endowments intends to make this reliable resource available on its website.h
-Dr. Ali Jumfa, Professor of Islamic Jurisprudence, University of Al Azhar, Cairo; Director of the Azhar Mosque and Imam at the Sultan Hasan Mosque, advisor to the Minister of Islamic Endowments, Cairo.
Dr. Jumfa also wrote the Afterword which appears in the book.

gThe most user-friendly introduction to the basics of Islam today. Itfs compact enough to make it an ideal choice for workshops and discussion groups.h
-Dick Doughty, assistant editor Saudi Aramco World

Tim Winter is University Lecturer in Islamic Studies at the Faculty of Divinity, University of Cambridge, England; and Director of Studies in Theology at Wolfson College. His research work focuses on Muslim-Christian relations, Islamic ethics and the study of Orthodox Muslim response to extremism. He is best known for his translations and namely his Al-Ghazali series including Al-Ghazalifs On Death and What Comes After and On Disciplining the Soul.

John Alden Williams is a retired Professor of Humanities and Religion at the College of William and Mary. He taught Islamic Studies at the Institute of Islamic Studies (McGill University, Montreal), the American University in Cairo and at William and Mary. He has written eight books on Islamic religion and civilization as well as many articles. 

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