The Garden of Mystic Love: Volume I: The Origin and Formation of the Great Sufi Orders

The Garden of Mystic Love: The Origin and Formation of the Great Sufi Orders is Volume I of a history of Sufism from the time of the Prophet Muhammad to the beginning of the 20th-century, with an emphasis on the Turkish Sufi legacy and the path of the Halveti-Jerrahi Order. Written from a Sufi perspective, this account of the "religion of the heart" is nothing less than an education in Sufi spirituality, full of stories, teachings, poetry, and the lives of the great Sufi masters. "Muhammad Jamal's history of Sufism is a valuable tool for all Westerners who practice Sufism . . . Those of us who follow this path are obliged to examine our roots, and explore what is most viable and effective for those of us living in the West today." --- Robert Frager (Sheikh Ragip al-Jerrahi), author of Heart, Self, and Soul: The Sufi Psychology of Growth, Balance, and Harmony "This well-researched and scholarly book of the Sufi tradition points to a brilliant hope for world peace and a healing balance to the reputation of Islam in our day. Sufism goes to the heart of things and is the door to Islamic renewal in the new millennium. Gregory Blann (Sheikh Muhammad Jamal al-Jerrahi)---following the lead of Lex Hixon (Sheikh Nur al-Jerrahi), deserves great credit for bridging us into the heart of Jerrahi Sufism." --- Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi, author of A Heart Afire: Stories and Teachings of the Early Hasidic Masters