Since its founding in 1989, Sufi Journal has offered readers a meeting place between the timeless wisdom of the Sufi path and the questions of modern life. Over more than one hundred issues, the Journal has featured discourses, essays, interviews, narratives, poetry, art, and reviews that illuminate the enduring relevance of mystical traditions today.
Published under the auspices of the Nimatullahi Sufi Order, the Journal has carried contributions not only from its masters but also from distinguished writers and scholars including Annemarie Schimmel, Huston Smith, William Chittick, Robert Bly, Coleman Barks, Mark Nepo, and many others.
In its early decades, Sufi Journal appeared on a quarterly schedule, before gradually moving to its present biannual rhythm, with occasional special editions. This archive provides access to the Journal’s tables of contents and selected discourses, while direct purchase links are included on each issue page. Subscriptions and digital access remain available through the official website at sufijournal.org.
1989–1999 (Issues 1–43)
The Journal’s first decade established its distinctive voice. Beginning in 1989 with three inaugural issues and settling quickly into a steady quarterly rhythm, Sufi Journal combined the discourses of Dr. Javad Nurbakhsh with essays, poetry, and interviews that introduced readers to the Sufi path in a modern context. By the mid-1990s, with four issues appearing each year, the Journal had become a consistent forum where classical teachings and contemporary questions met.
2000–2009 (Issues 44–77)
The second decade continued the quarterly pace through 2006, producing a rich sequence of issues that deepened the Journal’s international reach. From 2007 onward the rhythm became less regular, with three issues in 2007, a single issue in 2008, and two in 2009—signaling a transition from the earlier quarterly model toward a new publishing cadence. Two milestones marked this period: Issue 75 (Summer 2008), the Journal’s Twenty Year Anniversary Issue collecting “best of” discourses, articles, narratives, and poetry from its first two decades; and Issue 76 (Winter 2008/Spring 2009), a commemorative edition dedicated to the life of Dr. Javad Nurbakhsh. The decade closed with Issue 77 in Summer/Autumn 2009, marking the transition toward a new publishing cadence.
2010–2019 (Issues 78–97)
During the 2010s, the Journal gradually found its way to the biannual rhythm it follows today. The decade began unevenly—2010 produced three issues, 2011 just one—but by 2012 a pattern of two issues per year had emerged. With discourses by Dr. Alireza Nurbakhsh and contributions from an increasingly diverse set of voices, these years reflect both continuity with the Journal’s origins and an openness to contemporary themes of service, love, and unity.
2020–Present (Issues 98–109)
The 2020s have brought Sufi Journal into a new phase of maturity, carrying forward the discourses of Dr. Alireza Nurbakhsh alongside essays, narratives, poetry, and interviews. A milestone came with Issue 100 (Winter 2021), a commemorative edition that celebrated the Journal’s centennial number and its enduring legacy. This decade has also featured distinctive special editions, including the Special Music Issue (2022) and the Special Poetry Issue (2023), which highlight the breadth of expression within the Sufi tradition.