Spiritual Gems of Islam: Insights & Practices from the Qur'an, Hadith, Rumi & Muslim Teaching Stories to Enlighten the Heart & Mind

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SkyLight Paths Publishing, 2013 - Religion - 230 pages

Refine your heart and mind with the wisdom of Islamic spirituality

"To live a meaningful life--one that brings us joy, contentment and fulfillment--we have to do the inner spiritual work of becoming a more complete human being."
--from the Introduction

Over the centuries, Islamic sages have gleaned timeless spiritual insights and practices from sacred texts, meditation and knowledge of the heart--gems that have been passed down from generation to generation. This book invites you--no matter what your practice may be--to access the treasure chest of Islamic spirituality, particularly Sufism, and use its wealth to strengthen your own journey.

The riches include guidance drawn from the Qur'an, sayings of the Prophet Muhammad and Sufi poets such as the thirteenth-century Rumi on cultivating awareness, intentionality and compassion for self and others. This book also features entertaining wisdom teaching stories, especially those of Mulla Nasruddin, Islam's great comic foil, to expand the mind and heart. It breaks down barriers to accessing this ancient tradition for modern seekers by dispelling myths about the Muslim faith concerning gender bias, inclusivity and appreciation for diversity.

Regardless of where you are on your spiritual journey, you will find these gems worthy additions to your own treasure chest within.

 

Contents

OPENING UP TO THE LIGHT
3
The Quran Is a Shy and Veiled Bride
11
We Have Not Known You as We Should
23
CULTIVATING INNER SPACIOUSNESS
33
Fariduddin Attar
46
Will You Have Patience?
59
Ye Shall Surely Travel from Stage to Stage
65
PURIEYING AND EXPANDING THE HEART
78
8
131
Confound Not Truth with Falsehood
138
Work in the Invisible World at Least
146
Whoever Believes in God Has Grasped
157
WALKING ON SPACIOUS PATHS
165
133
179
BEING IN THE MYSTERY
187
Acknowledgments
210

Embrace Not Only the Ten Thousand Joys
94
REMEMBERING YOUR SUSTAINER
107
Truly in the Remembrance of God
115
DOING WHAT IS BEAUTIFUL
121
Selected Quranic Passages and Hadith
216
Asma alHusna
225
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About the author (2013)

Imam Jamal Rahman is a beloved teacher and retreat leader whose passion for helping people deepen their spiritual lives and cultivate interfaith understanding has inspired audiences throughout the world. He has been featured in the New York Times, on CBS News, the BBC and many NPR programs. He is cofounder and Muslim Sufi minister at Interfaith Community Sanctuary, adjunct faculty at Seattle University and a former host of Interfaith Talk Radio. He is author of Sacred Laughter of the Sufis: Awakening the Soul with the Mulla's Comic Teaching Stories & Other Islamic Wisdom and Spiritual Gems of Islam: Insights & Practices from the Qur'an, Hadith, Rumi & Muslim Teaching Stories to Enlighten the Heart & Mind (both SkyLight Paths) and The Fragrance of Faith: The Enlightened Heart of Islam; and coauthor of Getting to the Heart of Interfaith: The Eye-Opening, Hope-Filled Friendship of a Pastor, a Rabbi & an Imam and Religion Gone Astray: What We Found at the Heart of Interfaith (both SkyLight Paths), among other books.

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