Shams-i-Tabr墨z墨 (Persian: 卮賲爻 鬲亘乇蹖夭蹖鈥庘€�) or 'Shams al-Din Mohammad' (1185鈥�1248) was a Persian poet and is credited as the spiritual instructor of Mewl膩n膩 Jal膩l ad-D墨n Muhammad Balkhi, also known as Rumi and is referenced with great reverence in Rumi鈥檚 poetic collection, in particular Diwan-i Shams-i Tabr墨z墨 (The Works of Shams of Tabriz). Tradition holds that Shams taught Rumi in seclusion in Konya for a period of forty days, before fleeing for Damascus. The tomb of Shams-i Tabr墨z墨 was recently nominated to be a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
I don't know how people read books this one is to be savored to be tasted little by little lest you burn your self this one sinks in or is to sunk in swim, and wade through the endless channels of life and its many manifestations regurgitations
I love this book, especially because I consider Shams Tabrizi as my guru. It's amazing to learn from him. Even after hundreds of years, his words still reached me perfectly.
Compilation must have taken lot of effort, but there is little context available in most of the texts presented which can easily lead to major misinterpretations. Great read for some one who already knows a lot about Islamic Spirituality. Not at all recommended for a beginner on the path
This is not an easy read for me. I picked this book an year back and 70% of it had gone above my head.I might not have understood it but it鈥檚 still close to my heart. A mere sight of this book makes me feel calm.
We didn't know much about Shams Tabrizi save that he was Maulana Jalalludin Rumi's enigmatic mentor. Now, thanks to this great autobiography, which has been translated by a knowledgeable scholar, we can get an inside look (William Chittick). Furthermore, it may correct some of our childhood illusions regarding both Rumi and Shams.This is a genuine biography, but it's a little out of the ordinary. "The first thing we need to understand about the Discourses is that it was not authored by Shams," says the translator's introduction. Rather, while Shams was speaking, one or more members of Rumi's inner circle took notes.
Shams Tabrizi, who was he? To answer this question for yourself, you must read the book. Shams narrates: "So, what do you know about me? I proceeded into the bush where lions wouldn't dare to go and I was overcome with amazement." What did anyone know about him, after all? . Shams' heart-secret (sirr-e asrar), it is obvious from this work, was no match for contemporaneous mystics, but he did esteem one or two or perhaps a few.
Even though this autobiography will always be considered advanced reading, it is a must-have for anybody truly interested in Islamic Sufism (or any tradition for that matter) in general, and (auto)biographies of mystics in particular.
Oh this book is such a gem that you would not want it to end anytime. I usually have this habit of reading a lot of it at once but not with this book because the information is too much to process all at once. Its more like poetry which you would want to read to feel yourself at places.
How do you rate such a read? It is to be felt sitting on the sea shore, with eyes on wide open ocean, seeing nothing but its endless vastness..and contemplate over what is to be contemplated given such meet up of the microcosm and the macrocosm?
It is to be savoured really, bit by bit.
A marvellous collection of words surely, aching yet indifferent, to convey what is meant to convey.
#Shams, when the final day comes, you are one of those I wish to see. May our paths cross that day and before that day, Amen 馃
This autobiography is one of the world's great cultural and spiritual treasures. It provides insight into the spiritual path of a sufi master about whom very little is known, Shams-i Tabrizi. In the framework of an autobiography, Mawlana Shams-i Tabrizi addresses the reader as a student and confidant, discussing his spiritual journey, his interactions with contemporary intellectuals, and his spiritual bond with Mawlana Rumi.
Misleading book, this kind of books is what I hate most. 1. Wrong iterpretation of Quran verses. 2. Alot of the sayings of prophet Mohammad in this books are lies. He never said that. 3. Some very important conceptions of islam like knowledge, fate, living in this world are explained wrongfully.