Elephant in the Dark

by Idries Shah

As our world continues to shrink, we are being brought headlong into often explosive contact with other cultures and religions. Islam continues to be for many a mysterious and misunderstood force, alien to our own cultural values. Yet, in more ways than expected, Christianity and Islam share common ground. For centuries, Sufi thinkers have been linked to both religions in certain important ideas. But, like the elephant in the dark in Jalaludin Rumi's classic fable, these ideas are not grasped in full by seizing parts of the whole and arguing for or against their supposed Christian or Islamic derivation. From a series of lectures given by Idries Shah as a Visiting Professor at Geneva University, Switzerland, The Elephant in the Dark shifts focus to more fruitful ground, tracing documented episodes of co-operation and understanding between Christians and Moslems over the past 1,400 years

Genres: Islam, Mysticism, Spirituality

1000 pages, Hardcover

First published July 1, 1974

About the author

Idries Shah (Persian: ادریس شاه), also known as Idris Shah, né Sayed Idries el-Hashimi (Arabic: سيد إدريس هاشمي), was an author and teacher in the Sufi tradition who wrote over three dozen critically acclaimed books on topics ranging from psychology and spirituality to travelogues and culture studies.

Born in India, the descendant of a family of Afghan nobles, Shah grew up mainly in England. His early writings centred on magic and witchcraft. In 1960 he established a publishing house, Octagon Press, producing translations of Sufi classics as well as titles of his own. His most seminal work was The Sufis, which appeared in 1964 and was well received internationally. In 1965, Shah founded the Institute for Cultural Research, a London-based educational charity devoted to the study of human behaviour and culture. A similar organisation, the Institute for the Study of Human Knowledge (ISHK), exists in the United States, under the directorship of Stanford University psychology professor Robert Ornstein, whom Shah appointed as his deputy in the U.S.

In his writings, Shah presented Sufism as a universal form of wisdom that predated Islam. Emphasising that Sufism was not static but always adapted itself to the current time, place and people, he framed his teaching in Western psychological terms. Shah made extensive use of traditional teaching stories and parables, texts that contained multiple layers of meaning designed to trigger insight and self-reflection in the reader. He is perhaps best known for his collections of humorous Mulla Nasrudin stories.

Shah was at times criticised by orientalists who questioned his credentials and background. His role in the controversy surrounding a new translation of the Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam, published by his friend Robert Graves and his older brother Omar Ali-Shah, came in for particular scrutiny. However, he also had many notable defenders, chief among them the novelist Doris Lessing. Shah came to be recognised as a spokesman for Sufism in the West and lectured as a visiting professor at a number of Western universities. His works have played a significant part in presenting Sufism as a secular, individualistic form of spiritual wisdom.

Idries Shah's books on Sufism achieved considerable critical acclaim. He was the subject of a BBC documentary ("One Pair of Eyes") in 1969, and two of his works (The Way of the Sufi and Reflections) were chosen as "Outstanding Book of the Year" by the BBC's "The Critics" programme. Among other honours, Shah won six first prizes at the UNESCO World Book Year in 1973, and the Islamic scholar James Kritzeck, commenting on Shah's Tales of the Dervishes, said that it was "beautifully translated".
The reception of Shah's movement was also marked by much controversy. Some orientalists were hostile, in part because Shah presented classical Sufi writings as tools for self-development to be used by contemporary people, rather than as objects of historical study. L. P. Elwell-Sutton from Edinburgh University, Shah's fiercest critic, described his books as "trivial", replete with errors of fact, slovenly and inaccurate translations and even misspellings of Oriental names and words – "a muddle of platitudes, irrelevancies and plain mumbo-jumbo", adding for good measure that Shah had "a remarkable opinion of his own importance". Expressing amusement and amazement at the "sycophantic manner" of Shah's interlocutors in a BBC radio interview, Elwell-Sutton concluded that some Western intellectuals were "so desperate to find answers to the questions that baffle them, that, confronted with wisdom from 'the mysterious East,' they abandon their critical faculties and submit to brainwashing of the crudest kind". To Elwell-Sutton, Shah's Sufism belonged to the realm of "Pseudo-Sufism", "centred not on God but on man."

Doris Lessing, one of Shah's greatest defenders,stated in a 1981 interview: "I found Sufism as taught by Idries Shah, which claim

Reviews

[Spotted Towhee · Rating 3 out of 5]

I got this book for a dollar without knowing anything about the author, which has weighted my rating. I would not pay $10 for it, for example.

Looking at his Wikipedia page, it seems like some people dispute his authority on Sufism; some of the claims the Wiki page makes go against what he says in this book (eg it claims he considers Sufism to predate & be separate from Islam; in the book, he claims Sufism comes from Islam & is of it). My research into Sufism, & Islam generally, is still in an early & basically entirely amorphous stage, so it is hard for me to gauge how accurate his claims are, though he mostly keeps to events discussed in the Quran, historical texts, & more recent histories and he provides a bibliography & citations for many of his claims.

The book is pretty light. It's under 80 pages, and the font is large relative to the size of the page. I finished it in two sittings, and will probably not read it again. But it was an enjoyable romp. It is supposed to be about the convergence between Sufism & Islam's ideas of submission to God and with Christian ideas of same. He goes over some of the history (mostly specific examples with gestures towards broad trends rather than a total historical narrative) of Muslim & Christian dialogue and mutual respect. He goes over some of the influence of Sufism on Christian mysticism and rejects the common falsehood of determining influence in the other direction. He does not personally delve very deeply into Muslim (either Sufi or non-) ideas of submission to God, though some time is given to it & he quotes Al-Ghazali at length on the matter. He doesn't really talk about Christian submission to God at all. He is mainly concerned with the miscommunication & misunderstanding present in Christian discourses about Islam, as well as a less intense version of same on the other side. The writing is straightforward and very readable.

If one has no or little understanding of Sufism and is interested in checking it out, this might be a good starting point -- he talks about some of the ways one can end up (or start out) with a poor understanding of it, and talks about some of the more esteemed thinkers in the tradition. If one is hoping for a deep dive into the ideas, or a contrast of those ideas with Christianity, you should probably find something else (& then tell me what it is)

[Aubrey Davis · Rating 5 out of 5]

THE UNTOLD HISTORY OF CHRISTIAN & MUSLIM FRIENDSHIP “The important place held by Jesus among the world's six hundred million Moslems... and the agreement of both religions about the necessity for surrender to God as the means of salvation, thus makes it comparatively easy for a Moslem to address himself to Christians: the sympathy and the history are already there.”

This timely little book reveals the little known, often secret history of friendship and support between Christians & Muslims from Mohammed’s time to the present. It includes key scholarly writings, wonderful anecdotes, Sufi materials embraced by Christianity and Islam, and quotations illustrating what they share and can learn from each other. The title comes from an Eastern version of Blind Men and the Elephant. It reveals the cultural & personal assumptions that blind us. It also shows how facts can help us see.

"God may be above facts: but he does not dispute them. How then can man presume to do so?”

[Ita · Rating 5 out of 5]

‘The Elephant in the Dark’ is as vital now as it was when first published in 1974. In it Shah shows us that deep understanding is possible between Muslims and Christians. It is achieved, not through discussion and preaching, but by living lives that have been touched by God, and changed. He gives us some very moving examples, including one which goes back to AD 615. Ninety-four Muslim families, who had been persecuted by idolatrous Meccans, were given refuge by the Christian king of Ethiopia. The Negus asked one of them to read from the Koran and, when they had heard the chosen passage, he and the bishops surrounding him wept. ‘Of truth,’ said the Negus, ‘this and what Jesus brought have come from the same niche’.

Surrender to God is at the heart of Christianity – and Islam. The Arabic root SLM from which the word ‘Islam’ is derived is also connected to other words, including those for peace, leniency and wholeness.

Idries Shah was qualified to write about surrender because his life was lived in submission to the will of God. However, for a record of his experiences on the Way, he turns, in this book, to al-Ghazzali (1058-1111), a mystic revered by many Christians in the Middle Ages, but whose works were burned by some who described themselves as Muslims. Al-Ghazzali compared his search for God to a journey through seven valleys. The first of these was The Valley of Knowledge. This led to The Valley of Repentance, and on to The Valley of Stumbling Blocks.

The search, Shah stresses, in the final chapter of this book, must be carried out in a certain way. Otherwise it can nurture greed, and be worse than no search at all.

Those of us who have felt the ear of Rumi’s Elephant and taken it for a fan, and those who have discovered its tail and decided it was a rope, can learn from the few who have known the whole living pachyderm – body, spirit, heart and soul.

[Kevan Bowkett · Rating 4 out of 5]

This most interesting book by Afghan author Idries Shah is concerned with Christianity, Islam, and the Sufis and their involvement with the concept of surrender to God. Alternately (or simultaneously) amusing, inspiring, and fascinating, the volume is well worth the effort of reading. Among other things, it is a rich mine of unusual historical information (eg. did you know there were Muslim colonies in Switzerland in the 8th century? Or that the Christian king of Ethiopia granted asylum to persecuted Muslim families in the very beginning of Islam? Or the debt to the Sufis of medieval Catholic mystics like Ramon Lull or Roger Bacon?) In today's environment of a renewed clash between part of the West and certain fanatical devotees of 'Islam,' this book is most welcome for its creation of bridges of understanding. Strongly recommended.

[Endah · Rating 3 out of 5]

A very humble way to explain why we should not blame and misunderstand each other. Idries Shah wrote it in this 76 pages book with descriptions, story about Rumy and Lully, etc. Writen in simple way but very clear.

[Toni · Rating 5 out of 5]

Find in these pages what Surrender to God might really mean. Muslim or Christian, what possible difference can there be?

[Ronald Tailor · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is a transcript of a lecture the author, Idries Shah, gave at Geneva University on ecumenical studies (the study of the similarities and contrasts between religions or the sects of a single religion). The lecture's primary theme was how the concept of "surrender to God" has expressed itself within in both Christianity and Islam over the centuries and why that concept is so vitally important to both religions.

As is usual with anything Idries Shah communicates, there is far more in this short talk than just the primary subject. Do not be fooled by the dry, fact-laden beginning. Often, a lecturer facing an audience of intellectuals or aspiring intellectuals who come with critical mindsets, determined to find some chinks in the lecturer's stand in order to boost their own egos, need to first be presented with an ironclad presentation that proves to the listeners that this speaker not only "knows his stuff" but knows a lot more about "their stuff" than even they do.

Sprinkled within this standard lecturing technique of building a watertight argument, however, are quietly placed gems of wisdom that will assist those who read Shah's works, even the seemingly "dry" ones, for different reasons. This audience may find, as I did, "The Seven Valleys of the Path" and sections 14 and 16 of particular interest.

If you are interested in how the Islam and Christian religions are similar to one another in their ideas and attitudes about approaching God, this tiny book, packed with little-known facts about Christians and Muslims, will not disappoint. At various key periods in history great Christian and Muslim religious figures worked together harmoniously. They also deeply respected and influenced one another in such beneficial ways that some of the greatest religious and mystical writings of both traditions were produced and, as a side effect, I believe, culture and learning of all sorts flourished.

This book also does a very good job, in virtually every section, of defining very clearly what the surrender to God is--and what it is not. A major theme in this book is that a strong, sincere endeavor to know and to serve God is fraught with peril and will harm those who are not also armed with plenty of knowledge about this path and how to navigate it. A few priceless tips on such navigation are generously provided.

[Ita · Rating 5 out of 5]

‘The Elephant in the Dark’ is as vital now as it was when first published in 1974. In it Shah shows us that deep understanding is possible between Muslims and Christians. It is achieved, not through discussion and preaching, but by living lives that have been touched by God, and changed. He gives us some very moving examples, including one which goes back to AD 615. Ninety-four Muslim families, which had been persecuted by idolatrous Meccans, were given refuge by the Christian king of Ethiopia. The Negus asked one of them to read from the Koran and, when they had heard the chosen passage, he and the bishops surrounding him wept. ‘Of truth,’ said the Negus, ‘this and what Jesus brought have come from the same niche’.

Surrender to God is at the heart of Christianity – and Islam. The Arabic root SLM from which the word ‘Islam’ is derived is also connected to other words, including those for peace, leniency and wholeness.

Idries Shah was qualified to write about surrender because his life was lived in submission to the will of God. However, for a record of his experiences on the Way, he turns, in this book, to al-Ghazzali (1058-1111), a mystic revered by many Christians in the Middle Ages, but whose works were burned by some who described themselves as Muslims. Al-Ghazzali compared his search for God to a journey through seven valleys. The first of these was The Valley of Knowledge. This led to The Valley of Repentance, and on to The Valley of Stumbling Blocks.

The search, Shah stresses, in the final chapter of this book, must be carried out in a certain way. Otherwise it can nurture greed, and be worse than no search at all.

Those of us who have felt the ear of Rumi’s Elephant and taken it for a fan, and those who have discovered its tail and decided it was a rope, can learn from the few who have known the whole living pachyderm – body, spirit, heart and soul.

[Cj Maddox · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is full of historical anecdotes showing beneficial interactions between people of Christian and Muslim backgrounds. Shah shows the connections which Muhammad and the early Muslims had with the Christians of Arabia and North Africa, and also includes many examples of how Sufi teachers-- like Rumi and Al-Ghazali-- influenced Christian thinkers and mystics at different periods in history. Using selections from Al-Ghazali, he shows the stages of the spiritual journey as it was framed in the Middle Ages, and how this wisdom transcends any one religion. He also gives useful information on many of the characteristics of the Muslim religion, as well as dealing with some of the impediments to mutual understanding and tolerance between Christians and Muslims which have caused suffering and conflict throughout history. Finally, in true Shah fashion, he deals with some of the psychological attitudes which block the development of real spirituality-- such as ignorance, hypocrisy, greed, and misguided preconceptions-- and does it all using humor, teaching-stories and anecdotes from both history and contemporary everyday life. Although the book is short and easy to read (it's based on lectures Shah gave at Geneva University in the early 1970's) it covers a lot of ground and is densely-packed with information, insights, observations and impressions. Most of all, in this day-and-age when people from different religious communities are being thrust together under difficult circumstances, it provides a window into a way of living and seeing life that transcends lesser concerns and opens the possibility of a deeper understanding and connection between people of different communities.

[Robs · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very interesting exposition illustrating, with ample historical examples, the relationship between Christianity & Islam, over many centuries. The focus is on the numerous positive interactions that these two religions have produced and explanation of the core ontological concepts that both hold in common.

[Jude · Rating 5 out of 5]

Published in 1976, this slim Dutton paperback is a rigorous re-editing of a 1972 effusion, tempered to deliver the eternal Sufi message. The claim: that humans, capable of the most sublime capacities, live on a plane far below their potential; that Sufism, the "science of man", with the student disposed to 'seek knowledge for its own sake,' is the Way to achieve that evolutionary status.

Reincarnated, the work profits from the discernable hand of Shah himself, Sufism's late leading teacher and exponent in the West from the sixties. Some pieces are now in ISF colours; yet the '70s iteration, to this reviewer's mind, merits attention for the compelling interaction of its parts. A refresher for some; a primer for new seekers.

While Sufi literature is not sacred, and the ancient science – "Truth without form" – is not in books, as Shah himself stressed, the spirit of it most certainly is; and is vital in approaching it in the West, where societies acquire much of their learning via the written word.

In four parts: Christianity, Islam and the Sufis; Sufi Study Material; On Idries Shah and Contemporary Sufism; and On the Diffusion of Sufi Ideas in the West, a number of contributors address what Sufism is; plus growing threat to authenticity, across East and West, from imitation, proselytising "Sufis" and "schools" intent on scooping up followers.

With Shah's emergence, some essays by early supporters are designed to advance his recognition: Doris Lessing, novelist, 2007 Nobel Prize winner for Literature (praised "The Sufis" to this reviewer in '64); Pat Williams, author, critic, whose '71 BBC Radio interview brought Shah a surge of attention. Other contributions, revelatory and cautionary, are by genuine Sufis.

A MANUAL FOR HUMAN EVOLUTION ON OUR SMALL PLANET:
Grand claim? While acquisition of 'Knowledge for its own sake' may be a life-changing challenge, all up for it must understand it does have a wider purpose. There are two further critical elements:
One: it's achievable only by working through and on behalf of society. With mindset and action, as Sufis stress, 'In accordance with the Unseen': Order, Discipline, and Service to others, ('without reluctance, or delight'). Second: a greater objective, or telos, extending beyond one's lifetime: mankind's more enlightened continuance.

Space allows only a small selection to be referenced. The book is, though a living part of that corpus of works, that "manual for human advancement" overseen by the people of the ancient science of man, the Sufis.

It opens with Shah's '72-'73 Geneva University lecture, "The Elephant in the Dark" allegory, his scholarly text illuminating interplay between the monotheistic religions of early Christianity and Islam.

A group of men examine an elephant by the sense of touch alone, mistaking parts – life's myriad secondary aspects – for its full panoply. For one, the elephant is a fan (ear), for another, a rope (tail), a third, a pillar (leg), and so on.

On its lowest level it sends up authority which presumes to explain things through evidence it can evaluate, and none other. Philosophically, it says man is blind, assessing great things with inadequate tools. In the religious field, God is everwhere and everything; and while man gives different names to seemingly separate things, they are parts of a greater whole, which he can't perceive because he is "blind" or "there is no light".

These levels of interpretation are as far as anyone ordinarily goes, before dogmatically, apodictically, expounding false assumptions to confuse the many. In the wider sense, effects are thought causes; the apparent, believed true.

So goes the life-diminishing tragedy, the self-denying chance to garner value from the celestial ticket to ride bestowed on us at birth. And so Time – "our non-renewable resource" in my term – (though time is experienced stretched, or squeezed), slips through nerveless fingers ever faster in our brief, profligate sojourn on Earth.

(Digressing on the Time enigma, from the Sufi canon, read/absorb Saadi of Shiraz. In "The World of the Sufi", ed. Shah, pub. Octagon Press, Peter Brent on Saadi, who warns on our frittering of time: 'The sanctuary is in front of you, the thief is behind you. If you go on, you win; if you sleep, you die!')

Shah's exposition points up the two religions' connectedness and shared genesis in the science of man, Sufism: inspiration and evolutionary experience behind all great schools of mysticism.

Readers may encounter the ever-giving Elephant – part allegory for pursuit of open-minded thinking about truth – in ISF editions: "The Elephant in the Dark: Christianity, Islam and the Sufis".

(ISF now benefits from his daughter Saira's insightful Anthology of excerpts, covering Shah's entire Sufi treasury. Multi-award winning documentary maker and author, her 1,500 word Intro defines his mind-set in presenting Sufism in the West.

He claimed it essential to divorce the essence of Sufi philosophy from secondary accretions of Islamic culture and religion. 'You can only absorb materials designed for your own time and place. Sufism may be "truth without form" but, in order to penetrate the mind, it must be delivered in a manner to fit the receiving culture.' Shah would admire these 400 pages.)

Ismael Sanchez writes on the current between early "Christian mysticism and the Sufis", at the higher initiatory level, the ancient teaching's goal, self-realisation, conscious regeneration and enlightenment of man and society. Recall, too, St Augustine: 'That which is called Christianity existed among the ancients and never did not exist from the beginning of the human race'.

He reveals shared characteristics and interactions between early Christian mystics and classical Sufis. Followers of the immemorial mystical path neither belonged to organised creeds nor adhered to dogma thought essential to Christianity. To Sufis, waters of the sea, put in separate cups, remain the sea.

'To be a Sufi one must work on oneself and interact with one's own community.' Saadi again: 'The Path is none other than in service of the people.'
* *
Abdul-Hamid's "Sufi Study Material" arrows straight to the existential question of our purpose on Earth. "First Statement" is a seriously apposite guide to the Traveller. 'Man, like a sleepwalker who suddenly "comes to" on a lonely road, has in general no correct idea as to his origins or his destiny'.

In summary: Man can't evaluate what is happening to him qualitatively or understand the means controlling his psychological activity. Hamid fillets the arguments advanced by even the most sophisticated to explain, justify, settle for, the situation he exists in. 'Yet, he is hazily aware that there is a "world beyond", another dimension.'

There's a Way out of the maze; product of scientific specialisation over many centuries: the discovery of certain laws and their application. The method enables breaking through familiar limitations, gaining knowledge by unfamiliar routes; passed down through millennia as "the inner doctrine", it's nothing less than the discovery of the meaning of man.

Man has the capacity and duty to bridge the gap between himself and the rest of creation. 'In disguised form most religious systems teach this. But religions in general obey the physical laws of this planet biased towards repetition. The aim is lost; the system, automatised. Religion becomes an instrument of social domination, nothing more.'

The science of man lies behind the monotheistic religions, established to assist in the former's implementation, each in accordance with the character of those among whom it was instituted. Crucial to recognise, Sufis add, 'While religion is "about", Sufism "is".

Automatism of the world, like a parasite, takes over and nullifies human thinking – in fields besides religion. Thus they are incapable of studying the Way, for two reasons. 1. The subjectivity of scientists, reared in a physical world interested only in "consistent results", and compelled to work only in narrow fields where the non-equilibriated mind can operate. 2. The assumption, that psychological phenomena must work similar to crude "worldly" workings. Words being full of misleading associations, we are in reality dealing with a wholly different science, responsive to its own laws. 'For many, neither these laws nor the disciplined, necessary application of them exist.'

Hamid's advice to students of Sufi teaching materials is of great value. 'Study the materials first for obvious content or factual meaning. Then study it for the ways in which it relates to you and the ways it can help you correct your mistakes in thinking. Finally, study it for what it may communicate to you outside these two fields. Realise it is not a formal exposition alone, but contains elements which will help you understand in a deeper sense.'

Next, Shah's "The Teaching Story: Observations on the Folklore of our Modern Thought". 'In a seemingly simplistic manner the teaching story is capable of leading one into the vital area of non-linear thinking and seeing.' Successive layers of mental nutrition to be gained from open-minded readings, free of constricting, logic-bound Western thinking and interpretation – of tales constructed, often, millennia ago by Sufis: the treasure is in your hands!

He stresses the need to allow the working hypothesis that there many be such a level operative in stories. 'We must approach them from the point of view that they may be documents of technical value: an ancient yet irreplaceable method of arranging and transmitting a knowledge which can't be put in any other way. In this sense the teaching story . . . is part of a curriculum and representation of fact valid as any mathematical formula or scientific textbook.'

In the absence of a *Sufi Master, students of the teaching story apply the step-process in the penultimate paragraph of Hamid's essay. The characters, symbols, situations, movements represent the ways in which the mind works, allowing readers, in an unfamiliar manner, to observe themselves in others.

(*We make much of the Sufi Teacher. Not all Sufis are teachers. What is he? Potential teachers undertake an extraordinary Journey. Do not miss Shah's brief glimpse, "The Teacher", in that further key work, "The Commanding Self" [ISF]. A revelatory 400 words – he adds the subject might be 'touched on' in a hundred thousand – stressing that the Sufi guide teaches from a position at times "in the world" because he must maintain contact with his environment . Yet he must follow the "arc of ascent" to learn; then, when he has completed the "arc of descent", he is among the people.)

Space prohibits fuller exposition of the teaching story phenomenon. Hold in mind that the materials within them, and their possible full effect, are described by Shah as 'Of surpassing importance'. Set aside logic – and in time your deeper mind will whisper further layers of meaning in numbers of your favourite stories.
* *
In the magisterial "The Sufis" Shah stresses 'Man must develop by his own effort, toward growth of an evolutionary nature, stabilising his consciousness. He has within him an essence, initially tiny, shining, precious. Development depends upon man but must start with a teacher. When the mind is cultivated correctly and suitably, the consciousness is translated to a sublime plane.'

In the '60s Shah founded Octagon Press, which by the time of Lessing's article, listed a dozen successful titles. She notes he would say, 'Perhaps it is not me but your ideas about the possibilities of man that are extraordinary,' and refuse to be treated as a guru.

Her heartfelt call was for approaches to education to equip individuals for a life of conscious evolution, freed from our shared mental cage. For possibilities of advanced perception, for self-transcendence. (Her essay is available to hear on ISF's YouTube channel.)

"A Visit to Idries Shah", by Lewis F. Courtland, was a problem for Shah. His objective, selflessness, in line with Rumi's 'Look not upon my face but take what is in my hand', is echoed in his own 'In Sufism it's the message not the man that's important.' Yet, he needed to show something of the adept's consequent wider abilities, how to be 'In the world but not of the world'. Thus his part in a diverse range of endeavours, business to scientific exploration and invention, in collaboration with experts in many fields.

Williams' BBC Radio interview produced a huge surge in mail response, and commissioning of Shah's work for educational programmes, illustrating new ways of thinking. Also, recording of his tales for in-flight listening by a major airline; commissioning by Cape of twenty-four international Sufic and other authorities, on human thought, mysticism, Oriental, Arabic and Persian studies, and much else – of a book on the importance of his work. The BBC interview is on ISF's YouTube channel.
* *
Before Shah, the average Western student had to learn about Sufism from Moslem divines' writings. Anxious to identify the prestige of Sufi thinkers with their own view of Islam, Moslem writers emphasised often superficial points of resemblance between Sufi and Islamic theological thought, ignoring Sufi thought and action not according with social and psychological norms of their part of traditional society.

In short, it is something uniquely on its own. A study of ideas and practices centred around collections of people, it aims at a form of "perfecting of man". Once, in my London Kensington Waterstone's bookshop, I picked up a volume on "Islamic Sufism" seeking a definition. 'The purpose of Sufism,' it stated, 'is the worship of God'. I opened an Octagon Sufi work. 'The purpose of Sufism, it declared, 'is the development of the essence of man'.

Development, which in due course can produce certainty as to God, not a subjective, emotional construct, varying within every race, culture and theology. Incomparable Rumi's lines on deliberate evolution and the need for ever-greater perception followed: 'Because of necessity, man acquires new organs. Therefore, necessitous one, increase your need!'

In reviewing Shah's work, and other Sufis', it may appear that the core, the essence of the Sufi experience, striven for over millennia, of full consciousness and knowledge of the true purpose of self and society, is pure elitism. If so, then in a deliberate non-sequitur, it is elitism for all.

The Big Picture: In my review of "The Sufis" I asked why one might take up its demanding study today. The answer I proposed confronts us ever more urgently. The absolutely crucial need to halt the further trashing of our beautiful litttle "Spaceship Earth", its critically damaged life-support systems, pollution, and teeming over-population. Through the centuries, men of knowledge , from before Rumi, Shabistari, or Shah, have offered not only vision, but an open hand bearing the means to contain it. JM

[Chris · Rating 5 out of 5]

This little book, transcribed from lectures to the Geneva University, explores the remarkably large amount of common ground between Christianity and Islam, especially within the mystical expression of Sufism. A consistent thread, elaborated upon throughout the book, is the foundation of both major religions upon the act of surrender to God. Islam is shown clearly to be a continuation of the Christian revelation and not the separate and alien faith it is frequently portrayed as in today's, often xenophobic, atmosphere. Idries Shah even shows how it can be that an Afghan tribesman could say of a Christian he knows “What a good man this Christian is – he is a Muslim”. There is no clearer expression of the union of the faiths.
In relation to the foregoing I found it especially interesting that 'being' a Muslim is perhaps better viewed as an action, or process, rather than a simple badge of identity. When a man or woman is asked if they are a Muslim, they might reply “if God wills it”, indicating the continuous endeavour involved in submission to God and explaining just how a Christian can be a Muslim.
The association, too, of the triliteral SLM root of the word Islam with other words built on this root that refer to a way or means, safety, peace and wholeness is fascinating. Idries Shah points out how this 'manifesto' constellated around the single word holds secure the core principles of being a Muslim, whatever interpretations might come along later. This presents a strong defense against some of the Islamophobic distortions that currently abound.
There is an idea expressed in the book, from another writer, that a “revitalisation of spiritual life in the modern world may come through Islamic sources”. As appealing to some as another Golden Age of Islam might be with the attendent flowering of science, art and civilisation that was seen the first time around, it feels a long way off in the current climate. For this reason, however, this remains an important book.

[Hariz S. H. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Aside from the main subject of the book, to create common ground between muslim & christian;
It 3 main components are

1. A bit of histories of Christian & Muslim friendship, alliance, & partnership.

2. Critics against people who make the unity difficult, without them realised it or not.

3. Some ideas to gain unity (ideology of coexistence/ecumenism), and bridge of understanding and co-existence as such.

The points made are great, I wish the author could state more practical ideas, instead of vague problem statement of modern psychology.

[Peter · Rating 5 out of 5]

A short book, now reissued by ISF, was originally published in the 1970s. It is based on a series of lectures the author gave at Geneva University on Christianity, Islam and the Sufis. And how timely is it now in the 21st century when we are so aware of Islam in a way we weren't then, but almost exclusively of the extreme brand. This book explores a calmer side, what we in the west (with our roots in Christianity whatever our current beliefs) share with the east and Islam. An important book.

[John Bell · Rating 5 out of 5]

As the chasm between east and west continues to breed incomprehension and sometimes conflict, this book creates a bridge by highlighting how especially Islam and Christianity, but also other faiths, met and learned and influenced each other positively. "“You cannot really unify all different creeds. But you can disunify what lies behind all of them," says Idries Shah in this book. The Elephant in the Dark helps us move towards what does indeed lie behind them.

[Stuart Bathgate · Rating 5 out of 5]

An informative and fascinating assessment of the historical links between Christianity and Islam first published in the 1970s, this book and its message of ecumenical tolerance is more important than ever in 2020.
If you can, get hold of an edition which, as well as the titular essay by Idries Shah, includes an article by Doris Lessing, a transcript of a radio interview with Shah, and several other equally illuminating articles.

[Leonard Robichaud · Rating 5 out of 5]

Quite a short book but most valuable. I first read this book a couple of decades ago and recently finished reading it once again. I would highly recommend this book to anyone interested in deepening their understanding and appreciation of religion. Also I think it makes a useful antidote to all the religious/cultural bigotry that plagues us today.

[John Zada · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fascinating lecture exploring the deep spiritual underpinnings and commonalities between Islam and Christianity - and their interplay across the centuries. There's a great deal of information here that is little known, and/or forgotten.

[Kathy Piselli · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great anecdotes, such as the audience that clamored for the dried herb, the stories of Islam and Christianity, and the many Sufi stories in this compact, but full book. I liked the observation about the inherent bias toward repetitiveness of the physical world. This explained a lot to me.

[Ulrika Eriksson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Egentligen universitetsföreläsningar i Geneve 1972/3 om vad Islam och Kristendom har gemensamt med utgångspunkt från idén om underkastelse inför Gud. Utan kunskap går det inte att närma sig den ekumeniska idén. Kunskaperna om Jesus bland muslimer är inte liten eftersom Jesus förekommer i Koranen som en av profeterna före Muhammed. Shah skriver bl a om vänskapen mellan borgmästaren i Tripoli och en italiensk biskop på den tiden då Libyen var ockuperat av Italien. Historien finns i boken ” A Cure för Serpents”; om hur de första muslimerna fick skydd hos den kristne härskaren i Abyssinien (Etiopien); en kristen munk informerade de polyteistiska araberna om att Muhammed skulle bli en andlig ledare.
Utbytet mellan kristna o muslimer, markerat av det ömsesidiga erkännandet av vikten av underkastelsen, har funnits kontinuerligt från allra första början till idag. Shah hänvisar till Evelyn Underhill; till The Throne Verse som kontempleras av muslimer som en väg till underkastelse inför Gud. Att hjälpa sina medmänniskor är att underordna sig Gud. Om Al-Ghazzalis Seven Vallies. Om att söka Gud på rätt sätt.

[Dan Sperling · Rating 5 out of 5]

This fascinating book, short in length but powerful in impact, shows that at the deepest levels of spirituality, Islam and Christianity have much in common. Painstakingly researched, it gives touching examples of the surprising level of appreciation, cooperation and mutual understanding between adherents of both faiths, dating back to the time of Mohammed – with special focus on Sufism, which has been a significant force within Islam. Based on lectures the author gave as a visiting professor at Geneva University in Switzerland in the 1970s, THE ELEPHANT IN THE DARK seems especially timely today. I found it a fascinating and edifying read, and wish it were required reading in high school and college throughout the Muslim and Christian worlds.

[Chris Petrakos · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a very well-timed reissue of one of Shah's early books on the relationship between Islam and Christianity and the connection of both to Sufism. Along the way, Shah delineates the history of cooperation and understanding between the two groups through the centuries. Further, he closely examines the idea of "surrender to God," a common goal of both religions and how this idea has been understood by some of the great Sufi thinkers.

[Toni · Rating 5 out of 5]

Find in these pages what Surrender to God might really mean. Muslim or Christian, what possible difference can there be?

[Karina Rally · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty interesting and informative way about two of the biggest religions and the way how they interact with each other