CONTENTS PAGE

Publisher's Note 1

Introduction 3

CHAPTER 1

THE PATHETIC CONDITION OF THE WORLD 7

The Diagnosis 8

Science cannot Deliver a Verdict on the Purpose of life 10

Islam Presents a Glaring Contrast 14

Science has no Greater Champions than Muslims 15

The Modern Scientific Age Was Born in Islamic Centres of Learning 17

The Partial Acceptance of Islam by the West 17

The West Misses the Bus 18

Islam Recommended by Non-Muslims 32

Spiritual Activity in Russia 33

Extracts From "Psychic Discoveries Behind the Iron Curtain" 33

The Bible, the Quran and Science. 40

Possibilities of Planets Similar to Earth (in the Holy Quran) 47

Conquest of Space. (in the Holy Quran) 47

The Expansion of the Universe (in the Holy Quran) 47

Science Surrendering to Sufism 52

Science and Sufic Wahdat-ul-wujud 54

CHAPTER 2

BELIEF IN GOD

Conception of God in Islam 61

The Grades of Being. (Maratib-i-wujud) 62

The Descents: I, II and III 63

The Gradation of Existence 63

General Explanation 64

The Fourth Descent 65

Thee Fifth Descent 66

The Sixth Descent 66

The Universe is a Display of God's Essential Attributes 66

The Oneness of Being Wahdat-ul-Wujud 67

CHAPTER 3

MAN HIS GREATNESS AND PURPOSE OF LIFE

Sufism and Science Agree 69

The Spiritual Senses 70

The Six Corresponding Spiritual Worlds 71

CHAPTER 4

THE SUFI PATH

Science and Sufism Struggling for the Same Goal 74

It is More Difficult to Disprove than to Prove the Existence of God 74

Outer and Inner Aspects of Islam 76

The Necessity of a Sheikh 77

Duties of the Sheikh 79

Methods of Approach 83

The Orthodox Way 83

The Way of Elites 84

The Way of Lovers 84

Love in the Saying of Prophet 85

Fana 89

Fana-al-Fana 91

Neoplatonism is Half the Journey 93

The Two Phases of Sufism as Compared to One in all Other Mysticisms 93

Separation in Union 94

Some More Characteristics of Baqa-bi-Allah 96

Veils of Light Between Man and God 97

Necessary and Contingent Being 98

On Nearness of God 99

On Immanence and Transcendence 102

What is Man 102

Master Junaid on the Goal of Sufism 103

The Royal Road of Islamic Sufism 105

Sufism and Renunciation 106

Difference between a Muslim Sufi and a Western Spiritualist 107

CHAPTER 5

THAT MYTH OF FOREIGN ORIGIN OF SUFISM

Muslim Reaction 112

Reasons for Misunderstanding on the Part of Orientalists 114

Did the River Suddenly Start Flowing in the Opposite Direction? 118

Can You Borrow From a Borrower 118

Absence of the Word Sufi in the Prophet's Time 120

Similarity of Terms 122

Sufism and Pantheism 126

Concealment of Spiritual Attainments 139

The Prophet's Mission Was to Wage a War for Human Rights and Justice in the World 141

Sufism and Orthodoxy 144

Influence of Sufism on Christians in Modern Times 156

Richard Burton (from England) 157

Fair Fax (from England) 157

Wilberforce Clark (from England) 157

Shah Shahidullah Faridi (from England) 159

and his

Spiritual Psychology of Islam 162

Sufi Dr. Abdul Aziz (from Hinduism) 183

Sufi Abdus Salam (from Hinduism) 184

Sufi Habibullah Lovegrove (from England) 185

Mr. Les Hope (from England) 187

Dr. Rollo (from England) 188

Abdullah Moltke (from Germany) 189

Sheikh Abdul Qadir Assufi (from England) 190

Sheikh Murad. (from U.S.A) 191

Detailed Examination of Actual Allegations 192

Richard Hartmann 192

William Jones 195

John Malcom 196

F.R.D. Tholuck 196

D.B. MacDonald 198

Max Horten 199

Asin Palacios (from Spain) 199

Louis Massignon 204

William Stoddart 205

H.C. Happold 208

MacDonald Influenced by Sufi Gatherings 209

Spencer Trimingham 211

Margaret Smith 212

Annemarie Schimmel 213

Strong Influence of Islamic Sufism on Hindu Mysticism 223

The influence of Sufism on the Hindu Sects Lingayats (Jangamas) and Siddhars 226

Ramananda and Kabir 232

Guru Nanak 236

Sixteenth century Hindu Saints 238

Kabir's Disciples 238

Sundar Das 241

Virbha 242

Lal Das and Baba Lal 242

Dharna Das and Pran Nath 243

The Eighteenth Century Saints 244

Jagjiwan Das 244

Bulla Sahib 245

Gharib Das 245

Rama Charan 245

Ninteenth Century Hindu Saints 245

One Important Question 247

Conclusion 248

CHAPTER 6

THE SPIRITUAL ORDERS (Salasul-i-Tariqat)

Spiritual Orders, A Brief Description 249

Conclusion. 259

CHAPTER 7

SUFI SHRINES

Sufi Shrines and their Important Role 261

Urs 264

Etiquettes of Attendance 265

Some more Etiquettes 267

CHAPTER 8 260

SUFI MUSIC (QAWWALI-SAMAA)

Some examples of Sufi Poetry 270

Qawwali Poetry 271

Modes of Expression 272

King's Poetry is the King of all Poetry 273

CHAPTER 9

ISLAMIC WORSHIP

Five Pillars of Islam 276

1. Kalima Tayyibah 276

2. Salat 276

Wudhu 277

Things which Necessitate Bathing 279

The Mode of Prayer 279

Prayer is Nullified By 279

The Five Prayers 279

Jamaat. 280

Extra Prayers 281

The Funeral Prayer (Janaza) 281

3. Saum or Roza 281

The Mode of Fasting 282

Voluntary Fasts 283

The Fasts of Taiy 283

Daudi Fast 283

4. Zakat (Charity) 283

5. Haj 284

CHAPTER 10

SPIRITUAL EXERCISES

Zikr 285

Six Stages of Descent 285

Kinds of Zikr 287

1. Zikr Ism Zat 287

2. Zikr Nafi Ithbat 287

3. Shaghl-i-Sihpaya 287

4. The Breathing Exercise 288

5. Moraqaba-i-Zat 288

The Christian Way of Approach 288

CHAPTER 11

GLIMPSES INTO SUFI LIFE

Hasan of Basra and His Slave 293

How Malik Bin Dinar Came to be so Named 293

Habib The Persian 295

Miracles of Habib 298

Rabia Al Adawiya 298

Prayers (Dua) of Rabia 300

Fuzail and Emperor Harun Al Rashid 303

Ibrahim Bin Adham 305

Abu Yazid Bestami 307

Yusof Bin Hussain Razi 309

Abu Abdullah Ibn Al-Mobarak 310

The Conversion of Abd Allah-al-Mobarak 310

Abd Allah-al-Mobarak and His Slave 313

Sofyan Al-Thauri and the Caliphs 314

Dawud Al-Ta'i 318

Al-Mohasibi 318

The Austerity of Hareth-e-Mohasibi 318

Sari Al-Saqti 320

Anecdotes of Sari 320

Ahmad-e-Khazruya and His Wife 321

Ahmad-e-Khazruya Wrestles With His Soul 321

Anecdotes of Ahmad-e-Khazruya 232

Yahya-e-Mo'adh Razi and His Debt 324

Yahya-e-Mo'adh Razi and His Brother 325

Abo-al-Qasim Al-Jonaid 328

Junaid Put to Proof 328

Junaid Preaches 328

Anecdotes of Jonaid 329

The Doctrine of Abu Said Kharraz 355

Abul Hassan Nuri 356

Dhul-nun Misri and the pious disciple 357

Ibn Arabi 362

Iranian Sufis

Saadi's devotion to the Holy Prophet 364

Jami's devotion 365

Khwaja Hafiz's devotion 365

Shams Tabrizi's devotion 365

GLOSSARY 367

BIBLIOGRAPH 381

INDEX 383

THE AUTHOR