The Sufi Book of Life

December 20, 2004
Douglas-Klotz, scholar and Sufi leader, uses his considerable Semitic language skills to explore the 99 pathways to God, each representing a quality of the One. Douglas-Klotz uses the root and pattern system of Arabic vowels to liberally interpret these qualities as inseparable from many other traditions, notably the Aramaic tradition of Jesus. Additionally, his exegeses draw from the tradition of diversity, inclusion and heterodoxy that has anchored Sufism since the time of Rumi. Although Douglas-Klotz states that his exegeses are meant to be deliberately multivalent and somewhat enigmatic, they may prove opaque for many readers, especially those expecting an accessible how-to handbook for the "modern dervish." Despite Douglas-Klotz's early admonishment "Don't worry about getting the point," a high level of linguistic technicality is typical of at least half the pathways, and readers will have to take him at his word when he draws complex connections. Nonetheless, his intriguing insights, meditation tips and, above all, his inclusive spirit should trump technical details to appeal to readers within many religious traditions. Appendixes offer short biographies of Sufi men and women throughout history; contact information for Sufi organizations, orders and centers; and formal transliterations of the 99 pathways.

January 1, 2005
Douglas-Klotz, a leader in the International Association of Sufism and cofounder of the Dances of Peace, has written an interesting and user-friendly handbook on Sufism for the modern reader. Sufism, neither a philosophy nor a religion and sometimes called "a phenomenology of Reality," finds its historical roots, like Baha'i, in Islam; its adherents have included the likes of the ever-popular Rumi, Hafiz, and Idries Shah. While this book would never be a substitute for contact with living Sufi practice, it should form an excellent adjunct to personal exploration of Sufism. For most collections.

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