Este livro é uma magnífica recompilação de estudos de René Guénon sobre simbolismo, realizada com extrema dedicação por seu seguidor Michel Vâlsan, publicada originalmente em 1962, pela Gallimard, na França. - Mas, afinal, o que é um símbolo ? - Segundo a tradição, os símbolos fazem a intermediação entre o mundo espiritual e o mundo manifestado, onde nos encontramos presentemente. Pode-se depreender, por isso, a importância verdadeiramente transcendental que os símbolos representam para todas as formas tradicionais sem exceção, desde o Hinduísmo até o Islã, passando pelo Budismo, Taoísmo, Judaísmo, Cristianismo e todas as demais doutrinas autênticas. É importante assinalar que a obra não se destina exclusivamente a estudiosos ou acadêmicos, mas a todos que tenham interesse sobre o assunto. Guénon demonstra grande domínio e maestria, sem ser obscuro ou impenetrável, muito pelo contrário. Ao todo, são nada menos que 75 estudos/capítulos distribuídos em 8 partes/temas, abrangendo um amplo leque que contempla vários aspectos tradicionais de praticamente todas as religiões e doutrinas hoje existentes. René Guénon nos fala dos símbolos de "Centro e do Mundo", nas tradições antigas ( como os Druídas, por exemplo ), dedicando a este tema 10 estudos, entre eles, "As flores simbólicas", "Os Guardiães da Terra Santa", "O Zodíaco e os pontos cardeais", e "A letra G e a swastika". Outro tema geral abordado é o "Simbolismo Construtivo", com 11 estudos específicos, entre eles "Lapsit exillis", "Pedra negra e pedra cúbica", "Pedra bruta e pedra talhada", "O domo e a roda", "A porta estreita" e outros. Sobre o simbolismo axial, temos "A árvore do mundo", "O simbolismo da escada, " A passagem das águas", "Laços e nós"; sobre o simbolismo do coração, temos "O coração e o cérebro", "O olho que tudo vê" e outros. O Instituto René Guénon de Estudos Tradicionais há vários anos vem lecionando sobre temas tradicionais, e seu curso básico "Olhar Oriental", assim como os demais, são inteiramente fundamentados sobre a obra magistral de René Guénon. "Símbolos Fundamentais da Ciência Sagrada" é um livro importantíssimo e indispensável a quem tem verdadeiro interesse pelo assunto, de importância capital para todas as religiões e doutrinas. LUIZ PONUAL IRGET

This book is a magnificent recompilation of studies of René Guénon about symbolism, accomplished with extreme dedication by his follower Michel Vâlsan, published originally in 1962, by Gallimard, in France. - But, actually, what is a symbol? - According to the tradition, the symbols make the intermediation between the spiritual world and the manifested world, where we are at present. It can be inferred then the transcendental role that the symbols represent for all the traditional forms without exception, from the Hinduism to Islam, including the Buddhism, Taoism, Judaism, Christianity and all the other authentic doctrines. It is important to mark that the work is not destined exclusively to studious or academics, but to all that have interest on the subject. Guénon demonstrates great domain and mastery, without being obscure or impenetrable. These are nothing less than 75 chapters distributed in 8 thematic parts, embracing a wide approach that contemplates several traditional aspects of practically all the religions and doctrines today existent. René Guénon in tells us of the symbols of " The Center and of the World ", in the ancient traditions (like Druids, for instance), dedicating to this theme 10 studies, among them, "The symbolic flowers", "The Guardians of the Holy Land", "The Zodiac and the cardinal points", and "The letter G and the swastika". Another general theme is the construtive symbolism, with 11 specific studies, among them "Lapsit exillis", "Black Stone and cubic stone", "The dome and the wheel", "The narrow door". About the axial symbolism, we have "The tree of the world", "The symbolism of the stairway", "The passage of the waters"; about the symbolism of the heart, we have "The heart and the brain", "The eye that sees everything" and much more. "Fundamental Symbols: the Universal Language of Sacred Science" is a very important and indispensable book to anyone who has true interest for this subject, of capital importance for all the religions and doctrines. Luiz Pontual IRGET

Este livro é uma magnífica recompilação de estudos de René Guénon sobre simbolismo, realizada com extrema dedicação por seu seguidor Michel Vâlsan, publicada originalmente em 1962, pela Gallimard, na França. - Mas, afinal, o que é um símbolo ? - Segundo a tradição, os símbolos fazem a intermediação entre o mundo espiritual e o mundo manifestado, onde nos encontramos presentemente. Pode-se depreender, por isso, a importância verdadeiramente transcendental que os símbolos representam para todas as formas tradicionais sem exceção, desde o Hinduísmo até o Islã, passando pelo Budismo, Taoísmo, Judaísmo, Cristianismo e todas as demais doutrinas autênticas. É importante assinalar que a obra não se destina exclusivamente a estudiosos ou acadêmicos, mas a todos que tenham interesse sobre o assunto. Guénon demonstra grande domínio e maestria, sem ser obscuro ou impenetrável, muito pelo contrário. Ao todo, são nada menos que 75 estudos/capítulos distribuídos em 8 partes/temas, abrangendo um amplo leque que contempla vários aspectos tradicionais de praticamente todas as religiões e doutrinas hoje existentes. René Guénon nos fala dos símbolos de "Centro e do Mundo", nas tradições antigas ( como os Druídas, por exemplo ), dedicando a este tema 10 estudos, entre eles, "As flores simbólicas", "Os Guardiães da Terra Santa", "O Zodíaco e os pontos cardeais", e "A letra G e a swastika". Outro tema geral abordado é o "Simbolismo Construtivo", com 11 estudos específicos, entre eles "Lapsit exillis", "Pedra negra e pedra cúbica", "Pedra bruta e pedra talhada", "O domo e a roda", "A porta estreita" e outros. Sobre o simbolismo axial, temos "A árvore do mundo", "O simbolismo da escada, " A passagem das águas", "Laços e nós"; sobre o simbolismo do coração, temos "O coração e o cérebro", "O olho que tudo vê" e outros. O Instituto René Guénon de Estudos Tradicionais há vários anos vem lecionando sobre temas tradicionais, e seu curso básico "Olhar Oriental", assim como os demais, são inteiramente fundamentados sobre a obra magistral de René Guénon. "Símbolos Fundamentais da Ciência Sagrada" é um livro importantíssimo e indispensável a quem tem verdadeiro interesse pelo assunto, de importância capital para todas as religiões e doutrinas.

LUIZ PONUAL IRGET

Nowadays, when the East is mentioned, and more specifically, the traditional East, immediately rise almost insurmountable barriers, such the differences of mental physiognomy that characterizes the modern westerners and the orientals. Few know that, only six centuries ago, the Occident had much more points in common that divergences, in relation to the East, because both had ther respective civilizations developed from similar priciples, that is, both respected the natural hierarchy that orders everything, from the highest, that is, the spiritual, until the lowest, the material. René Guénon, in this exemplary book, written with extreme clarity, provides us a "radiography" of the modern Occident and its roots, as no other contemporary author had ever accomplished. In the first part of the work, Guénon, shows the modern western civilization as truly monstrous, because it is the only one that grew exclusively in a material sense; he brings to the light the philosophical deformations, from Renascence, that constituted the roots of this type of "development and progress", words so in fashion and at the same time, so insignificant. The author approaches the limits of the modern science and the most spread prejudices against the East. In the second part are examined the frustrated attempts of approach between the East and the West, as well as how such an objective could be reached through an agreement on certain principles. Guénon approaches the role that the constitution of an elite would carry out in such agreement. The reading of this work provides us with a vision of the whole roots of the modern world, whith a span and a depth rarely found in any other author in any time, turning possible a rigorous evaluation of what represents, in catastrophic terms, the growing global hegemony of the modern western mentality par excellence, that is, the North American mentality. The Institute René Guénon of Traditional Studies (www.geocities.com/Athens/Aegean/9638) since many years gives a basic course "The Oriental Sight" entirely based in René Guénon's masterly work, whose entrance door can be "East and West". It is also recommended, as a complementation the this reading, "The Crisis of the Modern World", of the same author. Luiz Pontual IRGET.

Hoje em dia, quando se fala de Oriente, e mais especificamente, do Oriente tradicional, imediatamente se erguem barreiras quase intransponíveis, tal a diferença da 'fisionomia mental' que caracteriza os ocidentais modernos e os orientais. Poucos sabem que, há apenas seis séculos, o Ocidente tinha muito mais pontos em comum que divergentes, em relação ao Oriente, pois um e outro tinham suas respectivas civilizações desenvolvidas a partir de princípios semelhantes, isto é, ambos respeitavam a hierarquia natural que ordena todas as coisas, desde o mais elevado, isto é, o espiritual , até o mais baixo, o material. René Guénon, neste livro magistral, escrito com extrema clareza, nos proporciona uma 'radiografia' do Ocidente moderno e suas raízes, como jamais qualquer outro autor contemporâneo havia realizado. Na primeira parte da obra, Guénon , mostra a civilização ocidental moderna como verdadeiramente monstruosa, pois é a única que se desenvolveu num sentido exclusivamente material ; traz à luz as deformações filosóficas, desde a Renascença, que constituíram as raízes deste tipo de "desenvolvimento e progresso", termos tão em moda e ao mesmo tempo, tão insignificantes. O autor aborda os limites da ciência moderna e os preconceitos mais difundidos contra o Oriente. Na segunda parte, são examinadas as tentativas frustradas de aproximação entre o Oriente e Ocidente assim como em que termos tal objetivo poderia ser alcançado, isto é, através de um acordo sobre determinados princípios. Guénon aborda o papel que a constituição de uma elite desempenharia em tal hipótese. A leitura desta obra nos proporciona uma visão de conjunto das raízes do mundo moderno cuja envergadura e profundidade raramente se encontra em qualquer outro autor em qualquer tempo, tornando possível uma avaliação rigorosa do que representa, em termos catastróficos, a crescente hegemonia mundial da mentalidade ocidental moderna por excelência, isto é, a mentalidade norte-americana. O Instituto René Guénon de Estudos Tradicionais ( www.geocities.com/Athens/Aegean/9638 ) há vários anos vem lecionando seu curso básico "Olhar Oriental" inteiramente fundamentado na obra magistral de René Guénon, cuja porta de entrada pode muito bem ser "Oriente e Ocidente". É recomendada também, como complementação a esta leitura, "A Crise do Mundo Moderno", do mesmo autor.

Luiz Pontual IRGET.

I could not think of a better title. The book is filled with discourses, I would have loved more but...Many spiritual healings of the heart and the mind can be found.

The book leaves you with one conclusion. You need a Shaykh to follow the path to Allah, you need a madthab to follow Sharia, and you can't use a book for either.

Wonderful!

This is one of the best books I have read about Sufism. The letters was from a master to advice his disciples concerning the sufi path. It is informative and helpful to all who are intrested to step into the spirtual path.

Al-Arabi Ad-Darqawi was follower of the Shadhili order which was founded by the great Shaykh Abu'l Hasan ash-Shadhili.

I would recommend this book to anyone who is interested to know about the practical way of Sufi path.

The translation is excellent and the authour shows true insight on the subject.

I came across this book in the 'magic' section of a Tower Books store... (I mention this misplacement to let you know this book is hard to find even when it's in print.) The author devotes the first two or three slim chapters (all the chapters of this book are short but effectively enlightening) to Shakespeare's 'secret' (the structure of his plays as well as practical aspects of his religious art - call it 'alchemy,' but don't let that word turn you away, it's not a book on alchemy in the usual sense that word is used...) Then he devotes the next twelve chapters to twelve of Shakespeare's greatest plays (as well as the most mysterious plays) giving the reader very impressive, revelatory insights as to what these plays are about and what some of the various characters symbolize (for instance how some of the beautiful and charming female characters in the late 'romances' - Cymbeline, Winter's Tale... - represent the Heavenly Realm, etc...) and the general 'undercurrent' of themes that are meant to carry a viewer or reader through a universal drama of darkness to light... Suffice it to say this is not usual academic fare, but it is original and impressive and enlightening and it has the added grace of being concise...

Academics will wince. Many will throw the book down in anger. A few may even write angry letters to the publisher demanding that the book be recalled. After all the work they've done convincing the public that Shakespeare was a Marxist, feminist, proto-Nazi, homosexual, anti- smoker, imperialist here appears (or reappears) a little book suggesting that Shakespeare was just simply an inspired artist creating inspired art suggesting that there's something higher than the fully-accredited human being. This book is a to-the-point revelation of Shakespeare's Work's; justifiably forgettable when you go back to the plays themselves (as all books on Shakespeare should be forgotten when you go back to the plays themselves) but a revelation none-the-less. By itself it's worth all the books on Shakespeare in the New York Public Library; and it's a good aquisition for those interested in the esoteric side of life (what's NOT contained in Horatio's philosophy...).

This book in its original edition was titled THE SECRET OF SHAKESPEARE. That title had problems, as the author acknowledged himself, in that it made people assume the book was about the identity of Shakespeare which it is not. This new edition has the new title - THE SACRED ART OF SHAKESPEARE - and is expanded as well. The first edition was about 140 pages and this new edition is over 200 pages, yet there are no new chapters. Lings starts out with a chapter on Shakespeare's 'Sacred Art'. He then continues with a chapter called Shakespeare's Outlook which contains much of the heart of what Lings has to say about the esoteric nature of Shakespeare's works. He then follows with surprisingly illuminating glosses on ten of the plays. It's in these short and well-written chapters that you realize you have found a very unusually enlightening and not run-of-the-mill 'Shakespeare' book. Mr. Lings' expositions of these plays does not fall into any predictable camp. In fact, what he does is really to bring the universal, underlying structure of the plays to light and on that to point the reader in the direction of where each play stands within that overall universal structure and what main characters represent in that structure as-well-as some of the dramatic points-of-interest and how they are often not seen or completely misunderstood by directors and actors, etc... This may give the impression that Mr. Lings seems to think he holds THE key to interpretation, yet what he has done is really just set the plays on their true foundations which are fundamental and universal, and from there one is able to interpret on up towards the sun if one likes... The ten plays discussed are: Henry IV, Hamlet, Othello, Measure for Measure, Macbeth, King Lear, Antony and Cleopatra, Cymbeline, The Winter's Tale, and The Tempest. He also says much, in passing, on Romeo and Juliet and A Midsummer Night's Dream... There then follows a chapter called Notes on Performance and Production, and he ends the book with a chapter called, in the first edition, 'The Secret', and, in this new edition, 'The Mystery of Things'. It discusses further the esoteric elements in Shakespeare's art. A final note: for those reading this who think they know of all angles of approach in Shakespeare scholarship or pseudo-scholarship and have divined that this book in question is obviously another out-of-breath revelation from the Pythagorian, Platonic, Cabalistic, Hermetic, Illuminist, Rosicrucian, Alchemical, etc., etc., etc. side of things - think what you will and just walk on by... Shakespeare doesn't need any more scholars.

The book, Muhammad, by Martin Lings is a lucid and awe inspiring insight into a culture, a people, their lifestyle, their growth and the development of the religion of Islam. This it does by tracing the life of one whose actions are so well intentioned, so meaningful, so thoughful. Their culture, their scribes, their oral traditions, their love for poetry, remind one of the more studied and familiar Shakespearian tradition, only this is non fiction. The book relates the trails and travails of the clans and tribal etiquette, from his grandfather's parents, their marriages, their journeys, their businesses, in a manner that their lives jump out at you.

Islam is the religion that he brought, those opposed to Islam should read this book so that that their opinions may be reworked to appreciate the reality of the man called Muhammad. saw. The Prophet May Allah be pleased with him, brought peace, negotiation, justice, a mandate for education, respect for women, love , brotherhood, and the deepest appreciation for our common humanity, all of which the book chronicles so well. His wars, were never senseless slaughter of women and children, he did not enforce his Islam, but allowed others to worship as they pleased. He was a strategic thinker, a planner and a slave of Allah. He loved people as his brothers, he was gentle with his wives, he leglislated with equity. He never professed greatness, he was such a simple man, unassuming, and he suffered like all of God's Prophets. However, he outshun them all. First because so much detail has been preserved as recorded by Lings, about his life, his family, their acceptance of Islam as a religion. Second, because when he died he was the most beloved by all the community, he was respected by world leaders of that day. Even his bitter enemies of the Qureysh had come to love and revere him and third, his Books, the Qur'an and the Hadith have been painstakingly preserved. May Allah bless him and his family and his companions, and their companions who sought nearness to God.
Thank You. Raziah Ahmed, Trinidad WI.

I read lots of books on Muhammad(PBUH) earlier. This book is very different from all those I read earlier. It describes the Life of Prophet Muhammad in a very simple and nice way. The incidents and the cases are taken from the earliest sources, which are true and proven. This is what makes the book an authenctic source of information to all those readers who are interested to know about Islam and its culture. I encourage people of every religion to read this book and know who and what was Muhammad's(PBUH) personality.

It would seem that Muhammad is gradually succumbing to the same fate as Jesus, in that each generation feels an urgent need to reinterpret him in light of their own understanding. Quite a few biographies of the prophet are already on the market, from such diverse writers as the military man John Glubb to the atheist Maxime Rodinson.

This one is different. As the title indicates, it is a life of Muhammad based on the earliest sources. The "sources" in question here are the sirat, or biographies of the prophet, which were written a couple of centuries after his death. These original biographies were compiled based on the traditions handed down regarding what the prophet did, much the same as the hadith are a transmission of what the prophet said. The contents of these biographies are canonical; their position in Islam is somewhat analogous to works of the fathers of the church in Christianity.

Which explains the air of piety about this book, which unfortunately may throw some readers off. What this book achieves, and achieves greatly in my opinion, is a reflection of how the Muslim world traditionally thinks of Muhammad. It does not attempt to break new ground or provide new interpretations of Muhammad's life and mission; rather it assists the Western reader in understanding the traditional interpretation of his life and mission. I would recommend this book highly to anyone interested in understanding Islamic belief and the position that Muhammad occupies in traditional Islamic values; I have come across no other book in English that conveys it as well as this one does.

I give it the stars, only because it is the only English translation of the great Shaykh Al Alawi. The BIGGEST mistake of the book, and why oh why did they get away with it was when the story goes how Al Alawi was given the tariq. pg 68 says that he received the tariq in a dream. This is incorrect, and if it wasn't for that I would have given this book more stars! All in all, it was a nice read, there is a photo of him Rahimullah, Is it really him though?? Although it is a biography, at the end there are some of his wonderful poetry, and Mystical sayings to his murid's! That was the highlight of the book, oh and some nice brush ups on Islamic history of that time in the Maghrib area!

Though I don't know much about such things as whether this book is good in comparison to others, I can give my personal opinion. The first half of the book is more or less a biography, which is both entertaining and inspirational for anyone who likes to read about people and their lives...one interesting side note is that they compare his greatness to that of Ramana Maharshi. In any case...the second half of the book is absolutly amazing, and anyone who is new to the language the sufis use to explain universal truths will say "wow" more than once while reading this book...I would read a page or two and it would be interesting, and then I would suddenly read something that shifted me, made me give thanks and put the book down. This book is not for those who see themself as the judge..it is for those who are thankful for being gifted even the slightest desire to want to know and be with God. You will find something useful here. Peace.

The first problem with this book is the cover. It depict the two names of God and the prophet intertwined together, like two equal entities, creating a sense of unity. This design tells a lot about Sufi thought, which elaborates on man's journey towards his Creator until he reaches the final state of unity, at which point he becomes at the highest state of being. And thus he is looked up to by others in 'subordinate' stages as a person through which God communicates with them. To any devout Muslim, this is pure heresy. One of the main objectives of Islam was to purify faith from the 'other' in man's relationship with his Creator. The second problem with this book is its preset assumption that Sufism is an Islamic concept. For anyone familiar with the everyday life of the prophet and his companions, it is clear that they had no time to sit and meditate over which 'station' of knowledge or literal advancement towards God they were at (in fact, they never viewed themselves as being the best or the most knowledgeable, knowing that whoever thought of himself as such had probably claimed authority over matters known only to God). There were more important things set down from God for them and subsequently, for all muslims. Those were clearly set out and, to find out about them, all you have to do is just read the Quran. The prophet had a mission to humanity and his companions followed in his footsteps. They were to accomplish it exactly as God had ordered them, there was neither the desire, nor the room, to come up with man made ideologies and to distract themselves from God's clearly defined commands. Those people were NOT saints, for Islam does not acknowledge sainthood. If they were all a group of mystics, their minds would have been too clouded with problems of knowledge and existence that no civilization would have been built in the first place. As the case is with most Sufi readings, reference is hardly to the companions of the prophet or to names like Ibn Qayyim, Ibn Taymiya, Malek, Abu Hanifa, or Shafei. It is in the writings of those that a reader will find the fulfilling spiritual aspect of Islam. All that readers find, however, is 'saints,' or mystic scholars whose writings, as known to all Muslim scholars, sharply deviate from the teachings of Orthodox Islam found in the Quran and in the sayings of the prophet (pbuh). Finally, it is important to note that the often praised Sheikh Ghazali, considered by Sufis as the founder of Sufism and, to whom reference is indeed abundant in many Sufi texts, had himself changed much of his ideas near the end of his life and had in fact complied more closely to the teachings of Orthodox Islam.

This is a very well researched and written introduction to the Islamic science of tassawuf--which is the Arabic word usualy translated as sufism.

As Dr. Lings shows--and he later converted to Islam as Dr. Abu Bakr Siraj ud Deen--Sufism is an integral part of Islam; a part which has always been accepted as the heart of Islam. As a famous Sufi [Islamic saint who has reached the highest spiritual station] once said, "Shariat is the body and tariqat [another name for Sufism] is the soul".

This book looks at the origins of Sufism, its historical development, its branching into various brotherhoods, its importance in Islamic history as well as the various aspects of sufi methodology and worship. Most importantly, this book puts Sufism where it belongs: at the heart of Islam and it shows that Sufism is not, as some have argued, extraneous to the Islamic belief. In other words, though it has some similarities with other mystical aspects of other religions, it is totally a product of Islam and it's orthodox teachings. There is no such thing as a non-Muslim Sufi.

This book is thus a superb introduction to the inner-mystical--aspects of Islamic worship and the best one i've seen so far in English for the beginner. Highly recommended.