While there are many courses and tutorials online, learning from a book is still one of the best ways to greatly improve your skills. Below I have selected top Sufi books.
- The Sufi Book of Life: 99 Pathways of the Heart for the Modern Dervish (2005)
- Living Presence (Revised): The Sufi Path to Mindfulness and the Essential Self (2017)
- The Sufis (2018)
- Physicians of the Heart: A Sufi View of the 99 Names of Allah (2011)
- The Lover: A Sufi Mystery (The Sufi Mysteries) (2019)
- The Unveiling of Secrets: Diary of a Sufi Master by Ruzbihan Baqli (November 01,1997) ()
- The Sufi Path of Love: The Spiritual Teachings of Rumi (SUNY series in Islam) (1984)
- Secret Practices of the Sufi Freemasons: The Islamic Teachings at the Heart of Alchemy (2013)
- I Heard God Laughing: Poems of Hope and Joy (2006)
- Jesus the Sufi: The Lost Dimension of Christianity (Second Edition) (2018)
- The Way of the Sufi (Compass) (1991)
- Love Is a Fire: The Sufi’s Mystical Journey Home (2000)
- The Sufi Science of Self-Realization: A Guide to the Seventeen Ruinous Traits, the Ten Steps to Discipleship and the Six Realities of the Heart (2018)
The Sufi Book of Life: 99 Pathways of the Heart for the Modern Dervish (2005)
Part meditation book, part oracle, and part collection of Sufi lore, poetry, and stories, offers a fresh interpretation of the fundamental spiritual practice found in all ancient and modern Sufi schools—the meditations on the 99 Qualities of Unity. Unlike most books on Sufism, which are primarily collections of translated Sufi texts, this accessible guide is a handbook that explains how to apply Sufi principles to modern life.
Living Presence (Revised): The Sufi Path to Mindfulness and the Essential Self (2017)
In Sufism, the mystical branch of Islam, presence is the quality that describes a heart-filled state of mindfulness, an experience of being conscious in the present moment. It is only in this present moment, Sufi teachings reveal, that we can connect with the Divine, and the Divine can live through us.Kabir Helminski is one of the world’s most recognized teachers of Sufism.
The Sufis (2018)
When it first appeared in 1964, The Sufis was welcomed as the decisive work on the subject of Sufi Thought. Rich in scope, author Idries Shah explained clearly the traditions and philosophy of the Sufis to a Western audience for the first time. In the five decades since its release, the book has been translated into more than two dozen languages, and has found a wide readership in both East and West.
Physicians of the Heart: A Sufi View of the 99 Names of Allah (2011)
This book takes the reader into the heart of the mystery of the 99 sacred Names of Allah. It is a vehicle for understanding the infinite nature of God, and for discovering the divine potential in every soul. It is also a guidebook for progressing through the stages of the spiritual path and an instruction manual for teachers on how to work with students more wisely, as physicians of the heart.
The Lover: A Sufi Mystery (The Sufi Mysteries) (2019)
Zaytuna just wants to be left alone to her ascetic practices and nurse her dark view of the world. But when an impoverished servant girl she barely knows comes and begs her to bring some justice to the death of a local boy, she is forced to face the suffering of the most vulnerable in Baghdad and the emotional and mystical legacy of her mother, a famed ecstatic whose love for God eclipsed everything.
The Unveiling of Secrets: Diary of a Sufi Master by Ruzbihan Baqli (November 01,1997) ()
Noticeable wear to cover and pages. May have some markings on the inside. Fast shipping. Will be shipped from US. Used books may not include companion materials.
The Sufi Path of Love: The Spiritual Teachings of Rumi (SUNY series in Islam) (1984)
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.
Secret Practices of the Sufi Freemasons: The Islamic Teachings at the Heart of Alchemy (2013)
Reveals the secret spiritual exercises of the Bektashi Order of Sufis • Shows how this order, also known as Oriental Freemasonry, preserves the ancient spiritual doctrines forgotten by modern Freemasonry • Explains how to transform the soul into the alchemical Magnum Opus by combining Masonic grips and the abbreviated letters of the Qur’an • Includes a detailed biography of Baron von Sebottendorff Originally published in Germany in 1924, this rare book by Baron Rudolf von Se…
I Heard God Laughing: Poems of Hope and Joy (2006)
To Persians, the poems of Hafiz are not “classical literature” from a remote past but cherished wisdom from a dear and intimate friend that continues to be quoted in daily life. With uncanny insight, Hafiz captures the many forms and stages of love.
Jesus the Sufi: The Lost Dimension of Christianity (Second Edition) (2018)
This book presents Jesus as a representative of an ancient and continuing wisdom tradition identified with that of the Sufis.
The Way of the Sufi (Compass) (1991)
In this wide-ranging anthology of Sufi writings, Idries Shah, who was one of Sufism’s leading exponents, offers a broad selection of poetry, contemplations, letters, lectures, and teaching stories that together form an illuminating introduction to this unique body of thought. Sufism, the mystical aspect of Islam, has had a dynamic and lasting effect on the literature of that religion. Its teachings, often elusive and subtle, aim at the perfecting and completing of the human mind.
Love Is a Fire: The Sufi’s Mystical Journey Home (2000)
Love is a Fire is an introduction to the Sufi path of love, taking the reader into the passion and wisdom of this mystical tradition. The call of the heart and how it draws us back to divine union is one of mankind’s greatest secrets, and for the Sufi this love is a fire that burns away all traces of separation. Love is a Fire is based on live talks and meetings with Llewellyn Vaughan-Lee, who teaches how to live this burning.
The Sufi Science of Self-Realization: A Guide to the Seventeen Ruinous Traits, the Ten Steps to Discipleship and the Six Realities of the Heart (2018)
The Sufi master Abu ‘l-Hasan al-Kharqani asserted that the human state contains seventeen chief ruinous traits, each of which resembles a great tree, with main branches, smaller branches, twigs and leaves, all laden with various kinds of negativity.
Best Sufi Books to Read
We highly recommend you to buy all paper or e-books in a legal way, for example, on Amazon. But sometimes it might be a need to dig deeper beyond the shiny book cover. Before making a purchase, you can visit resources like Library Genesis and download some sufi books mentioned below at your own risk. Once again, we do not host any illegal or copyrighted files, but simply give our visitors a choice and hope they will make a wise decision.
Re-centering the Sufi Shrine. A Metaphysics of Presence
Author(s): Irfan Moeen Khan
ID: 3630688, Publisher: De Gruyter, Year: 2023, Size: 3 Mb, Format: pdf
Visualizing Sufism: studies on graphic representations in Sufi literature (13th to 16th century)
Author(s): edited by Giovanni Maria Martini.
ID: 3634687, Publisher: Brill, Year: 2023, Size: 169 Mb, Format: pdf
Islam, Islamic Muhasabah, Sufi, Sufism and Lester Levenson Sedona Method
Author(s): LINA LATHIFAH , Lester Levenson
ID: 3642525, Publisher: Lester Levenson, Year: 2023, Size: 2 Mb, Format: pdf
Please note that this booklist is not errorless. Some books are really best-sellers according to Los Angeles Times, others are drafted by unknown writers. On top of that, you can always find additional tutorials and courses on Coursera, Udemy or edX, for example. Are there any other relevant resources you could recommend? Drop a comment if you have any feedback on the list.