In Search of the Hidden Treasure

Book excerpt: Like no other book, In Search of the Hidden Treasurecaptures the centuries-old traditions of Sufism. Its pages allow the contemporary reader to become immersed in the words, sights, and wisdom of this powerful mystical wing of Islam. Here is the world of whirling dervishes; of mysterious alleyways where chanting is heard all day long; and of a young poet named Rumi, who writes impassioned love songs to God. Constructed as a conference of Sufis who gather in a great hall to answer the questions of a seeker, In Search of the Hidden Treasureis illustrated with more than a hundred previously unpublished works of Islamic art, and portraits of the Sufi Pirs, or enlightened teachers, drawn by the author's wife, Mary Inayat Khan. The book also includes an extensive glossary of Sufi terms that pertain to states of consciousness, as well as well-documented biographies of all the Sufi Pirs, members of a long lineage that dates back to the prophet Muhammad.