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The Sufi Book of Life: 99 Pathways of the Heart for the Modern Dervish
Part meditation book, part oracle, and part collection of Sufi lore, poetry, and stories, The Sufi Book of Life offers a fresh interpretation of the fundamental spiritual practice found in all ancient and modern Sufi schools—the meditations on the 99 Qualities of Unity. Unlike most books on Sufism, which are primarily collections of translated Sufi texts, this accessible guide is a handbook that explains how to apply Sufi principles to modern life. With inspirational commentary that connects each quality with contemporary concerns such as love, work, and success, as well as timeless wisdom from Sufi masters, both ancient and modern, such as Rumi, Hafiz, Shabistari, Rabia, Inayat Khan, Indries Shah, Irina Tweedie, Bawa Muhaiyadden, and more, The Sufi Book of Life is a dervish guide to life and love for the twenty-first century. On the
304 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 2005
157 people are currently reading
1104 people want to read
About the author
Neil Douglas-Klotz
67 books92 followersNeil Douglas-Klotz, Ph.D. is a renowned writer in the fields of Middle Eastern spirituality and the translation and interpretation of the ancient Semitic languages of Hebrew, Aramaic, and Arabic. Living in Scotland, he was for many years co-chair of the Mysticism Group of the American Academy of Religion. A frequent speaker and workshop leader, he is the author of several books. His books on the Aramaic spirituality of Jesus include Revelations of the Aramaic Jesus, Prayers of the Cosmos, The Hidden Gospel, Original Meditation, and Blessings of the Cosmos. His books on a comparative view of Native Middle Eastern spirituality include Desert Wisdom: A Nomad’s Guide to Life’s Big Questions and The Tent of Abraham (with Rabbi Arthur Waskow and Sr. Joan Chittister). His books on Sufi spirituality include The Sufi Book of Life: 99 Pathways of the Heart for the Modern Dervish and A Little Book of Sufi Stories. His biographical collections of the works of his Sufi teachers include Sufi Vision and Initiation (Samuel L. Lewis) and Illuminating the Shadow (Moineddin Jablonski). He has also written a mystery novel set in the first century C.E. Holy Land entitled A Murder at Armageddon.
In addition, he recently edited five “Little Books” published by Hampton Roads, four devoted to a new selection of the work of Lebanese American writer, poet, and mystic Kahlil Gibran, and one dedicated to Wild Wisdom, a collection early ecological writers and mystics.
In addition, he recently edited five “Little Books” published by Hampton Roads, four devoted to a new selection of the work of Lebanese American writer, poet, and mystic Kahlil Gibran, and one dedicated to Wild Wisdom, a collection early ecological writers and mystics.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 34 reviews
September 5, 2008
A wonderful book. Introduces the 99 traditional Muslim names, or energetic qualities, of God, as vehicles for meditation, prayer, inner work, whatever your spiritual/religious persuasion. (Actually there are hundreds of different names, but there are 99 "official" or "standard" names used.) Douglas-Klotz describes the names, gives their etymology and links to other names, and gives practices invoke the qualities and to deepen our understanding and relationship to them. I use this book as an oracle of sorts -- opening the book to a random page and working with the name that I've been given. It's always surprisingly relevant.
January 20, 2012
I started reading this back in June, in the way the author recommends, which is to just randomly open the book and read about one of the 99 names of God. Each chapter/name includes a mystical interpretation of the name, a little story or commentary on how that quality/name may play a role in our lives, a commentary on the linguistic roots of the name that relates it to Aramaic and Hebrew (showing connections between Islam, Christianity, and Judaism), and then a short meditation one can do using the name to invoke this quality. Easy to read, the book presents Sufism in a way accessible to everyone, not just Muslims. After a while I decided I wanted to understand the names better and started reading them one by one in order rather than randomly, reading one per day. Now that I've done that I may go back to the author's suggestion and open randomly in order to find a short meditative practice for that day.
February 11, 2010
After I read and fell in love with the writings of Sufi poets Rumi and Hafiz, I became more curious about the Sufi religion and its practices.
Unlike our Western robotic march from first page to last, this book is designed to be read randomly, either by browsing or by trusting that you'll be guided to the selection you need at that point in your life.
Douglas-Klotz defines "dervish" as "one who sits in the doorway, or on the threshold of something, ready to move on and transform him- or herself." He defines "Sufism" as "a nomadic tradition, one that has constantly deconstructed and transplanted itself, rather than settle and build gigantic shrines, institutions,...rituals, or organizations.... Sufism is, first of all, a series of 'nots' -- not a religion, not a philosophy, not even a mysticism... It's best to call Sufism a way of experiencing Reality as love itself."
Despite its origins within the Muslim faith, the point of Sufism is not to tie oneself to any particular creed or religion. The author points out that "In Sufi work, the divine Beloved is the Reality in which all events take place. Nothing is outside or excluded.... Perhaps...you have been bruised by organized religion in the past. Just because a love affair has gone bad does not mean that love is unimportant. ...Sufism as a path is so wild and nomadic that if you find yourself feeling too enclosed or settled, you can strike your dervish campsite and move on." "...Sufism strips the dogma from religion and goes to its heart, insofar as it insists on the reality beyond the ritual, the thing behind the symbol..."
Each of the 99 meditations is designed to apply to one of the aspects of your being or of your life. Each meditation is presented in the same format. The concept is first named, such as "The Sun of Love," "Burning Away Tension and Hurt," "Transition," or "The Return of What Passes Away." Then the Arabic word or name for that condition is given, and a suggestion of "When you are guided to this pathway,..."
For example, the meditation on "Repair and Restoration" suggests, "When you are guided to this pathway, it is an opportunity to feel the restorative power of the One and to take action to heal what has been broken." This is followed by a brief discussion of how it fits into the previous concept (meditation) and into the concept that follows. An appropriate story or poem is next, with some brief examples of how this teaching may apply to your own life. A literal translation of the Arabic word is given, including the root words from which its meaning is derived. Finally, a brief direction is given for meditating upon the word, chanting the word, holding and pondering the concept within your heart.
The book's overarching concept is that each of these 99 pathways is a different already-existing aspect of your own being. By meditating upon and bringing forth all of these multiple aspects of yourself, you can progress toward self-integration, toward your best self, "reunited in the circle of the heart's unity with the divine Beloved," gathering and linking this "circle of selves" into understanding your own unique purpose and philosophy in life.
The point is not to adopt a particular religious idiology, nor to wrestle each concept into your being, as much as it is to let that particular drop of wisdom fall into your consciousness and then let it do its work subconsciously if it is appropriate for your life. You may come back to read it again and again, seeing a different aspect each time.
I loved this view of not being tied to any particular tenets of an established religion, but to pursue sacred concepts and to establish your own understanding and direct relationship with "the Beloved."
The chanting is not my thing, but hey, they said you can freely choose, right? I liked the gentle humor and teasing, good-natured, encouraging tone throughout. I'd definitely recommend this book.
Unlike our Western robotic march from first page to last, this book is designed to be read randomly, either by browsing or by trusting that you'll be guided to the selection you need at that point in your life.
Douglas-Klotz defines "dervish" as "one who sits in the doorway, or on the threshold of something, ready to move on and transform him- or herself." He defines "Sufism" as "a nomadic tradition, one that has constantly deconstructed and transplanted itself, rather than settle and build gigantic shrines, institutions,...rituals, or organizations.... Sufism is, first of all, a series of 'nots' -- not a religion, not a philosophy, not even a mysticism... It's best to call Sufism a way of experiencing Reality as love itself."
Despite its origins within the Muslim faith, the point of Sufism is not to tie oneself to any particular creed or religion. The author points out that "In Sufi work, the divine Beloved is the Reality in which all events take place. Nothing is outside or excluded.... Perhaps...you have been bruised by organized religion in the past. Just because a love affair has gone bad does not mean that love is unimportant. ...Sufism as a path is so wild and nomadic that if you find yourself feeling too enclosed or settled, you can strike your dervish campsite and move on." "...Sufism strips the dogma from religion and goes to its heart, insofar as it insists on the reality beyond the ritual, the thing behind the symbol..."
Each of the 99 meditations is designed to apply to one of the aspects of your being or of your life. Each meditation is presented in the same format. The concept is first named, such as "The Sun of Love," "Burning Away Tension and Hurt," "Transition," or "The Return of What Passes Away." Then the Arabic word or name for that condition is given, and a suggestion of "When you are guided to this pathway,..."
For example, the meditation on "Repair and Restoration" suggests, "When you are guided to this pathway, it is an opportunity to feel the restorative power of the One and to take action to heal what has been broken." This is followed by a brief discussion of how it fits into the previous concept (meditation) and into the concept that follows. An appropriate story or poem is next, with some brief examples of how this teaching may apply to your own life. A literal translation of the Arabic word is given, including the root words from which its meaning is derived. Finally, a brief direction is given for meditating upon the word, chanting the word, holding and pondering the concept within your heart.
The book's overarching concept is that each of these 99 pathways is a different already-existing aspect of your own being. By meditating upon and bringing forth all of these multiple aspects of yourself, you can progress toward self-integration, toward your best self, "reunited in the circle of the heart's unity with the divine Beloved," gathering and linking this "circle of selves" into understanding your own unique purpose and philosophy in life.
The point is not to adopt a particular religious idiology, nor to wrestle each concept into your being, as much as it is to let that particular drop of wisdom fall into your consciousness and then let it do its work subconsciously if it is appropriate for your life. You may come back to read it again and again, seeing a different aspect each time.
I loved this view of not being tied to any particular tenets of an established religion, but to pursue sacred concepts and to establish your own understanding and direct relationship with "the Beloved."
The chanting is not my thing, but hey, they said you can freely choose, right? I liked the gentle humor and teasing, good-natured, encouraging tone throughout. I'd definitely recommend this book.
April 8, 2018
When you read on a book for four months, you know that something good is there.
If you are anything like me, you probably know nothing about Sufism. Perhaps you have heard of dervishes, but see them as some sort of odd practitioner.
Look again.
Let's let the author define it for us: "Sufism, is, first of all, a series of 'not's'---not a religion, not a philosophy, not even a mysticism....It's best to call Sufism a way of experiencing reality as love itself."
The book is a series of short essays illustrated by short stories or poems. The essays are wise and thoughtful and can be read over and over for more and more wisdom and thoughtfulness.
I'm very happy I received and read this book. I will keep it and read on it again from time to time.
If you are anything like me, you probably know nothing about Sufism. Perhaps you have heard of dervishes, but see them as some sort of odd practitioner.
Look again.
Let's let the author define it for us: "Sufism, is, first of all, a series of 'not's'---not a religion, not a philosophy, not even a mysticism....It's best to call Sufism a way of experiencing reality as love itself."
The book is a series of short essays illustrated by short stories or poems. The essays are wise and thoughtful and can be read over and over for more and more wisdom and thoughtfulness.
I'm very happy I received and read this book. I will keep it and read on it again from time to time.
April 3, 2018
Very good on any level, except maybe in that the author might not be well versed enough in the wonderful root system of the Arabic language (weird given his background, maybe there's another reason ?) ... Because sometimes it's just confusing for the reader with a linguistic background in Arabic when he equates different roots from different languages together when they don't have the same meaning. Maybe it's done on purpose (he does know a thing or two about Hebrew equivalents), but I find that he's missing out a lot on what the Arabic root system can say and suggest on the 99 names ... The book could have been even better.
Otherwise I really like opening this book randomly every day, the non-linguistic aspect is always interesting, and its spiritual aspect is the most interesting one to me.
Otherwise I really like opening this book randomly every day, the non-linguistic aspect is always interesting, and its spiritual aspect is the most interesting one to me.
July 8, 2010
Last year my son took rites into the Nur Ashki Jerrahi Sufi order. We've shared a common love for spirituality, religious studies, and each in our own ways pursued our own understanding of consciousness. This is a "Sufism Lite" kind of meditations book that gives me a daily look into a small piece of my son's world. I love the new insights it's giving me into Kabir, Rumi, Hafiz, Saadi, Arabi, Khayr, and so many others. It's piqued my interest and led me to want a more deep understanding of Sufi teachings. Good daily meditation or occasional oracle.
December 9, 2013
It's funny how things, ideas and people you need find their way to you in their own mysterious ways! I picked this book recently and the fact that it entirely banked on the Divine Names of Allah which I as a muslim have been aware of from birth was what mesmerized me most about the book.
Without a doubt this book is proving to be a beacon for me and it's readings and learning's are something I hold very close to the heart.
Without a doubt this book is proving to be a beacon for me and it's readings and learning's are something I hold very close to the heart.
October 10, 2020
DNF
A hodgepodge of quotes from Sufi poetry, the Quran, Bible, etc. the book felt like it was all over the place.
The only thing I took away from this is the amount of wine sufis seem to drink and that everything in life is comparable to being drunk.
As a person who doesn’t drink, none of these poems or short lessons made any sense to me.
I think a book on how to become/ feel wabi sabi would be more useful.
A hodgepodge of quotes from Sufi poetry, the Quran, Bible, etc. the book felt like it was all over the place.
The only thing I took away from this is the amount of wine sufis seem to drink and that everything in life is comparable to being drunk.
As a person who doesn’t drink, none of these poems or short lessons made any sense to me.
I think a book on how to become/ feel wabi sabi would be more useful.
Read
April 27, 2010Update: I'm giving up on this for now. Yeah, I know I was rhapsodizing earlier. I guess I can't get into the state of mind required. Trying not to feel disappointed in myself.
Original:
Reading this book will be a new process for me. In its opening pages, the author advises us against reading from beginning to end in a linear way but instead to open the book randomly. If something strikes you then you should stay with it. Also, not to stress too much about "getting the point" because your subconscious will be working through it at some level. We're being urged not to overthink - which really appeals to me since I've been concentrating so hard on the books I've been reading this year. (My brain is hurting a bit.) In fact, the author says, "Paradox and foolishness are built in, as is what is deeply serious." Commenting that "the book's "program" has not been debugged", he warns that it is "incompatible with any attempts to use it to find a consistent philosophy, metaphysic, or history that can be called `sufi'. The programmers take no responsibility for your rational system crashing under these circumstances." I like this book already!
Original:
Reading this book will be a new process for me. In its opening pages, the author advises us against reading from beginning to end in a linear way but instead to open the book randomly. If something strikes you then you should stay with it. Also, not to stress too much about "getting the point" because your subconscious will be working through it at some level. We're being urged not to overthink - which really appeals to me since I've been concentrating so hard on the books I've been reading this year. (My brain is hurting a bit.) In fact, the author says, "Paradox and foolishness are built in, as is what is deeply serious." Commenting that "the book's "program" has not been debugged", he warns that it is "incompatible with any attempts to use it to find a consistent philosophy, metaphysic, or history that can be called `sufi'. The programmers take no responsibility for your rational system crashing under these circumstances." I like this book already!
September 15, 2013
This is one of the resource books that I turn to over and over. For many years I have opened it at random every day as an oracle, and have always found wonderful guidance. Even if you are not so interested in the arabic root of each pathway (which I am), the life guidance each entry offers is kind and wise. If one used the book as spiritual training, by reading and working with the practices in somewhat of an order, one could definitely grow and develop tremendously. The book also offers an introduction to a universal kind of Sufism, which draws on the wisdom of all spiritual traditions, using poetry and teaching stories.
I own a number of copies, dog-eared and well-loved, I drag them with me to camping and travel and Sufi camps. This book makes a terrific gift to others on the spiritual path.
I have been to a number of workshops with Neil since 1986. He is a wonderfully kind and wise presence. He is laid back, a relaxed and skilled presenter. He is not only a scholar, but a mystic and a poet. And with his work in middle eastern mysticism- of all traditions, including the Aramaic translations of the Lord's Prayer and the Beatitudes, he is unique.
I own a number of copies, dog-eared and well-loved, I drag them with me to camping and travel and Sufi camps. This book makes a terrific gift to others on the spiritual path.
I have been to a number of workshops with Neil since 1986. He is a wonderfully kind and wise presence. He is laid back, a relaxed and skilled presenter. He is not only a scholar, but a mystic and a poet. And with his work in middle eastern mysticism- of all traditions, including the Aramaic translations of the Lord's Prayer and the Beatitudes, he is unique.
Read
January 8, 2015This book adds 3rd dimension to the well-known breath training and techniques for improving consciousness. I can't say this book promotes any religion though one can find references to the Jesus, Prop. Muhammad and the verses of Qur'an. After each name of God, he gives short description, where the name comes from and meditation for that name. "You may recite His names for 1000 times for this, 8000 times for other thing, even you recite this for 50000 times you will not get anything. Why? Because God has already given everything to you."
August 29, 2009
An interesting exploration of the 99 names of God and the pathways toward greater spiritual awakening that each name represents. Includes an etymological origin of each name as well as Sufi stories that illustrate the essence of the characteristics embodied in each name.
June 7, 2011
Whether you read it at one go or use it as a daily oracle this book is a wonderful support to a heartful practice. I've found that each time I read or practice a particular pathway I find something different.
May 9, 2017
Think of this one as a book of which you randomly open a page anytime you feel stuck. It has some great references from sufism which tell you how to lead a happy life and be loving and compassionate. Really liked the book :)
June 25, 2012
Amazing journey through the 99 names.... For those who would like to take a meditative approach to learning more about Sufism and the 99 names.
Read
June 28, 2012Good perspective!
March 1, 2013
One of the top five books I've read!! s nightstand book for sure!
July 8, 2015
Perhaps I am a Sufi, and not a Christian, at heart.
January 30, 2014
this is a book I'll read daily!
July 27, 2017
Amazing, amazing read. For that every day goodness, with every page you open, this is the book. Great feel good vibes.
April 7, 2015
Excellent book! Full of Sufi allegories and deep wisdom. A book you can pick up at anytime of your life. Each chapter takes a few minutes to read, then you are given a meditation.
November 12, 2025
It’s a beautiful book that captures the true essence of Sufism. I love how the author draws connections between all religions, showing how they share the same root. This book has always offered me guidance whenever I sought answers. I always got exactly what I needed when I chose to open a random page. I highly recommend it.
February 19, 2025
The suggestion by the author is to read by opening to any page, like a tarot. I read this from front to end, like an OCD tarot. Every pathway illumined something important for me on the day I read it.
May 16, 2017
Loved this book. My first on this subject and I was grateful for that. Thoughtfully written, concise, and engaging. A magically beautiful work.
April 19, 2019
quick and easy tool for those completely new to Sufism!
July 1, 2019
One of my all-time favorites. I use it as a meditation. Magical. Humbling. Inspiring.
February 7, 2020
Awesome, insightful and applicable. A book for multiple ways of use that has a lot of depth for reading it over and over again.
October 18, 2020
A really great book of devotionals, for any seeker.
April 4, 2022
This book is beautiful Mashallah
Displaying 1 - 30 of 34 reviews