About the Author

Neil Douglas-Klotz, PhD, (Saadi Shakur Chishti) is a world-renowned scholar of religious studies, spirituality, and psychology. Living in Scotland, he directs the Edinburgh Institute for Advanced Learning and for many years was co-chair of the Mysticism Group of the American Academy of Religion. He is also the cofounder of the International Network of the Dances of Universal Peace.
Maryam Mafi was born and raised in Iran. She went to Tufts University in the U.S. in 1977 where she studied Sociology and Literature. While reading for her Master's degree in International Communications at American and Georgetown Universities she began translating Persian literature and has been doing so ever since. Reading Rumi's poetry, she says, has led her to a 're-education' in her own language and a new appreciation of her spiritual heritage.

Reviews

"Douglas-Klotz, director of the Edinburgh Institute for Advanced Learning, compiles an entertaining booklet of Sufi stories. These practical, ghostly, and often very funny tales come from a variety of Sufi works, including those by saints like Rumi as well as lay storytellers from Turkey and Persia. Some stories are religious allegories, such as those from the life of Jesus or Jonah as told by Muslim storytellers, and will be of interest to comparative religion aficionados. Other stories are twisted fairy tales such as "The Lady and the Golden Lampstand," in which the prince is unable to save anyone and the Cinderella-like heroine must be her own fairy godmother. In addition to sharing serious lessons, Douglas-Klotz includes a host of popular, humorous characters that many readers will recognize--particularly Mullah Nasruddin, whose capers are well-known throughout the Muslim world. At the end of the volume is a large list of books containing these and other Sufi accounts. This sampler of Sufi wisdom is a must-read for anyone interested in non-Western folktales." --Publishers Weekly (June 2018)-- "Reviews"