Shaykh Sa‘d ud-Dīn Mahmūd Shabistārī was born around 1250 CE in Shabistār, near Tabrīz, in Iran. ‘The Secret Garden’ (Gulshan-e Rāz), one of two works of mystical poetry he produced, was composed in 1317 CE in response to questions on profound Sufi metaphysics sent to him by a contemporary Sufi Master, Shaykh Rukn ad-Dīn Husaynī Harawī, himself a renowned Sufi master from Azerbayjan.
In this short, didactical poem of one thousand rhyming lines, Shabistari skillfully references the body of poetic imagery used by previous Sufi masters in their works and contributes significantly to the codification of the terms used by Sufis to signify the facets and realities of the journey to awakening to Reality. Shabistārī’s penetrating answers cover a variety of themes on the Sufi path and the progress of the human soul and reflect the influence of the doctrine of the Unity of Being represented in the work of Ibn ‘Arabi, among others. His exposition elucidates the interconnectedness of reason, revelation and unveiling in the symbolic garden that offers both the thorns as well as the heady perfume of spiritual awakening.
Recognized as a classic of medieval philosophy and theosophy, ‘The Secret Garden’ was first brought to western attention in Europe in the 17th century, and continues to be appreciated as a masterpiece in the canon of Sufi literature.
You ask me to explain to you what thinking is, as you are
still confused as to its meaning.
Thinking is travelling inwardly from illusory nonexistence
to the Real — that is leaving the separation of
multiplicity for the gathered whole.
Go and sweep out the house of your heart — prepare a
place for the Beloved.
When you leave, He comes in and shows His majesty to
your ‘you’, purified of yourself.
Like the growth of the seed into the form of the tree,
a line of movement develops from the inner point of truth
into the outward form.
When the traveller on the path has completed the
circuit of return to separation, then his last point as man is
joined to the first of the Real.
Sheik Sa'd ud Din Mahmud Shabistari was born in Shabistar, near Tabriz modern day Iran, about 1250. Author of two books of mystical poetry and a single theosophical treatise, Shabistari is famed mainly for this book, which he composed in 1317 in rhyming couplets amounting to about one thousand lines. This poem was written in response to seventeen queries concerning various intricacies of Sufi metaphysics posed to the Sufi masters of Adharbayjan by another great Sufi of his day, Rukn al-Din Husayni Harawi. Composed in a highly symbolic language, the poem covers a variety of themes on the Sufi path and the evolution of the soul. The poem was first brought to Western attention by French travellers and later translated into German and English entering itself into the lexicon of Sufi literature.
Shaykh Fadhlalla Haeri is a spiritual philosopher and writer whose role as a teacher grew naturally out of his own quest for self-fulfilment. Since childhood he has been attracted to scientific investigation and intellectual pursuit. He was born in Karbala, Iraq, and is a descendant of several generations of well-known and revered spiritual leaders. After a stint in industry and consulting, he embarked on teaching, writing and meditating. His awareness of global realpolitik compelled him to seek a truth that would reconcile the past with the present, the East and West. His discovery affirms that One Cosmic Reality is the source behind all known and unknown states. Shaykh Haeri's unifying perspective emphasises practical, actionable knowledge of self-transformation. It provides a natural bridge between different approaches to spirituality, offering common ground of higher knowledge for various religions, sects and secular outlooks. His main work has been to make traditional Islamic teachings more comprehensible and widely available to the modern seeker through courses and publications. Shaykh Fadhlalla Haeri is currently engaged in lecturing and writing books and commentaries on the Holy Qur'an and related subjects, with particular emphasis on ethics, self-development and gnosis ('irfan). With a lifetime's experience of contemplation, research, and insights, he shares what it means to live in the light of the Absolute in a relative world and maintains that spiritual awakening is potentially available to all. For more information about the author, please visit www.sfhfoundation.com
