New This Month in Religion and Spirituality - July 2024
The SUNY series in Islam focuses on the theology and philosophy of this tradition. It includes translations and material in historical context. We have two new books this month to share with you.
A Lover of God; The Ecstatic Sufi Nūrī, by By Dora Zsom, collects and interprets the literary legacy of Nūrī, an early Sufi master known for his ecstatic behaviour, eccentric acts, and passionate poems of mystical love.
"This book has much to offer as the first monograph-length study of Abū al-Ḥusayn al-Nūrī. Drawing on a combination of well-known foundational works and unstudied material, it shows how Nūrī's ideas and legacy evolved among classical and medieval Sufi authors." — John Zaleski, Loyola University Maryland
Religion of Love: Sufism and Self-Transformation in the Poetic Imagination of ʿAṭṭār, by Cyrus Ali Zargar, is a groundbreaking study of Farid al-Din ʿAṭṭār, one of Persian literature's greatest poets.
"Religion of Love is by far the best study we have of what ʿAṭṭār is actually saying, bringing out clearly the religious and spiritual roots of ʿAṭṭār's work and his role as a guide on the path to God. At the same time, it offers an outstanding introduction to poetry's role in effectuating the transformation of the soul that is the goal of the religious quest. It brilliantly contextualizes the imagery of wine, women, song, unbelief, and so on that is the stock-in-trade of Persian, Turkish, and Urdu poetry." — William C. Chittick, Distinguished Professor, Stony Brook University, State University of New York
"This succinct, meticulously researched, and well-written study offers a fresh glimpse into the life and thought of ʿAṭṭār of Nishabur, one of the most influential Sufi authors of all time. Treating ʿAṭṭār's writings as 'a treasure-hunt for the Real that is full of revealed clues and natural signposts,' and utilizing his own knowledge of philosophy and theology, Zargar opens new vistas to rethink concepts such as 'religion,' 'infidelity, 'union,' and more." — Fatemeh Keshavarz, author of Lyrics of Life: Saʿdi on Love, Cosmopolitanism and Care of the Self
"Farīd al-Dīn ʿAṭṭār occupies a crucial place in the history of Sufism. Cyrus Zargar's Religion of Love helps us see the full contribution of ʿAṭṭār as the essential 'merging of the two oceans' through whom the worlds of poetry and Sufism mingled in the ripe and lifegiving form that would continue through the centuries through Rumi and others. Zargar makes a unique contribution by centering the religion of love (Madhhab-i ʿishq) not as a path of sentimentality but a divine journey of transformation. In Zargar, ʿAṭṭār has found a profoundly creative, thoughtful, and sensitive contemporary interlocuter. Most enthusiastically recommended for all!" — Omid Safi, Professor of Islamic Studies, Duke University; Director, Illuminated Courses and Tours
"Religion of Love will be around as an unmatched work for a long time to come. With great lucidity and insight, Cyrus Zargar explains the relevance of the difficult and nuanced teachings and ideas of ʿAṭṭār, deftly relating them to our fundamental lived experience as human beings and probing wider questions pertaining to the meaning of religion in the modern world." — Mohammed Rustom, author of Inrushes of the Heart: The Sufi Philosophy of ʿAyn al-Quḍāt
Happy reading and come back and see what's new next month!
