Table of Contents
Spring 1995
Issue 25 of Sufi Journal explores moral awareness and the transformation of the self through humility, guidance, and love.
In his discourse, Dr. Javad Nurbakhsh contrasts outward transgression with the deeper sin of egocentricity, teaching that merit lies in selflessness and in bringing joy to others.
The articles examine the Sufi lineage of St. John of the Cross, the teachings of Ibn Sabʿin and Shushtari on unity, and the importance of teachers on the path.
The stories and poems together convey devotion, endurance, and the mystery of awakening.
The “Old Wine in New Bottles” piece retells a tale from Rumi’s Mathnawi in which a king learns that inner virtue surpasses outward form.
Discourse
- Sin and Merit for Sufis — by Dr. Javad Nurbakhsh
Articles
- The Sufi Origins of St. John of the Cross — by Terry Graham
- Ocean and Pearls: Ibn Sabʿin, Shushtari and the Doctrine of Absolute Unity — by N. Scott Johnson
- Why We Need Teachers — by Muriel Maufroy
Stories
- The Cross of a Friend — by Caroline McCutcheon
- Broken — by Llewellyn Smith
- Old Wine in New Bottles: Tales from the Mathnawi — adapted from Rumi’s Mathnawi
Poetry
- Surviving — by Herbert Mason
- Optimystic Message for the Nafs — by Alex Cowie
- Rahbee — by Paul Bergner
- In Remembering You — by Dr. Javad Nurbakhsh
- The Great Awakening — by Mark Nepo
- Sufi Dream — by Ian Richard Netton
Book Reviews
- A Handbook on the Founder of Institutional Sufism — by Neil W. Johnston, reviewing Under the Sufi’s Cloak: Stories of Abu Sa‘id and His Mystical Teachings by Mohammad Ali Jamnnia and Mojdeh Bayat (Writer’s Inc. International, 1995)
- What Are Saints Made of? — by Terry Graham, reviewing Seal of the Saints: Prophethood and Sainthood in the Doctrine of Ibn ‘Arabi by Michel Chodkiewicz; translated by Liadain Sherrard (Islamic Texts Society, 1993)
- Ecology, Science and Spirituality — by Alireza Nurbakhsh, reviewing Asking for the Earth: Waking up to the Spiritual/Ecological Crisis by James George (Elements Books Limited, 1995)