The Sufi Path of Love: The Spiritual Teachings of Rumi

by William C. Chittick

Book Overview

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...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0873957245
• ISBN13: 9780873957243
• Release Date: June 1984
• Publisher: State University of New York Press
• Length: 448 Pages
• Weight: 1.54 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 5.9" x 9.3"

Customer Reviews

A bright light of love

Excellent translation of and introduction to the works of Rumi regarding the end of false religion, the experience of the ocean of unity, the wholeness of God and His creation, the source of Life itself, the meaning beyond form. Or to quote the words of Bohm a physicist: One of the most impressive theories emerging out of scientific cosmology respecting the ancient truth was set forth by the late physicist, David Bohm in his book, Wholeness and the Implicate Order. Using the language of mathematics, Bohm set out to describe the transcendent reality and its graded energetic hierarchy in four basic states or orders of energy beginning with the physical world, which he called the Explicate Order. "The Explicate Order, weakest of all energy systems, resonates out of and is an expression of an infinitely more powerful order of energy called the Implicate order. It is the precursor of the Explicate, the dream-like vision or the ideal presentation of that which is to become manifest as a physical object. The Implicate order implies within it all physical universes. However, it resonates from an energy field which is yet greater, the realm of pure potential. It is pure potential because nothing is implied within it; implications form in the implicate order and then express themselves in the explicate order. Bohm goes on to postulate a final state of infinity [zero point] energy which he calls the realm of insight intelligence. The creative process springs from this realm. Energy is generated there, gathers its pure potential, and implies within its eventual expression as the explicate order." Will Keepin, Noetic Science Journal "It is proposed that the widespread and pervasive distinctions between people (race, nation, family, profession, etc., etc.) which are now preventing mankind from working together for the common good, and indeed, even for survival, have one of the key factors of their origin in a kind of thought that treats things as inherently divided, disconnected, and "broken up" into yet smaller constituent parts. Each part is considered to be essentially independent and self-existent." - David Bohm, Wholeness and the Implicate Order Also recommended for Christians who want to compare and understand the words of St. John of the Cross in the light of union of the Spirit, to love the creator more as the created. Man created in the image of God, to mirror his light.

Pure Spiritual Beauty

This is by far the best book on my favorite spiritual poet. The poetry of Rumi is truly awe inspiring and the examination of his teachings by William C. Chittick is first rate. I can't even begin to guess the amount of time I've walked around with this book in my hand. You will want to read this over and over. It's a true spiritual classic and contains some translations of Rumi's poetry you wont find elsewhere.

A very well written translation

Apart from Nicholsons translation of the Mathnawi and the works of his students Iqbal (Life and works) and Arberry (who transltated the Fihi Ma Fihi as the 'Discorses of Rumi) All other so called 'translations' are pretty much worthless because 1. They are not translations at all but rather re-writes of Nicholson 2. They are just pandering to an ever growing market of supermarket spirituality. Chitticks translation however, is very different. For a start, Chittick is a scholar in Persian and taught in Iran for several years and had first hand knowledge of not only the Persian Mathnawi but some of the major comentaries in Persian (which may explain why a previous reviewer found many parts of the book similar to Shia text he had read) Chittick may be covering the same ground as Nicholson here but his translation is well put together not only applying modern English but also a knowledge of the original. The book may not be of much use to everyone especially if you have already the Nicholson translation but if you are seeking a book that covers the fundamentals of the teachings of Rumi then there is no better place to start than this book.

Book of Intoxication and ecstacy

To be very precise this book is full of intoxication and ecstacy of GOD

A great and beautifully written book

I truly enjoyed reading this book. Mr. Chittic does an excellent job in explaining Sufi way of understanding Koran and Islam. The author has another fine and very readable book on the great sufi master Ibne Arabi " Sufi path of knowledge". I highly recommend this book. While reading the sufi path to knowledge, I made some interesting observations. Almost for every page of the book I could come up with a corresponding saying( Hadith) from the Shiie Imams from Shia hadith sources. This was interesting to me, since in many books there are discussions as to the background and sources of great masters such as Rumi and Arabi. By the time I was done reading the great book" sufi path to knowledge, I had related almost every theme of Ibne Arabi's discussion back to a saying from these earlier sources. My take of these great masters are that they unfolded these compressed teachings of Koran and Hadith from Prophet and Imams. Just as in science F=ma, tells us all that there is to know about the motion of bodies under the influence of gravity, these sayings also contain all there is to know about the Islamic understanding of God-Man-Universe. And just as it takes a great and experienced scientist to unfold the detail of F=ma, and land a person on the moon, it also takes a great master like Rumi and Arabi to unfold the teaching of these sources. I think to map Rumi and Arabi's teaching to these earlier sources would be very useful and enlightening and may answer many questions as to the background of the sufism. I don't think this mapping of ideas to its origin is a difficult task. I came up with some interesting results and yet all I had was a few shia hadith books and the books wirtten by Mr. Chittic.