“Klasik olacağı ezelden tâyin edilmiş çok güzel bir kitap…” Dr. Alan Godias, İlahiyat Bölümü, Georgia Üniversitesi
“Michael Sugich’in anlattığı hikâyeler muazzam.” S. Abdallah Schleifer, Fahri Profesör, Kahire Amerikan Üniversitesi
“İslam üzerine yazılmış bir modern klasik.” Abdulhakim Murad, Dekan, Cambridge Muslim College
Ufuklardaki Âyetler, hayatı boyunca sayısız Allah dostu ile karşılaşmış, onlarla sohbet edip hemhâl olmuş bir tâlibin büyüleyici hâtıratı. Yaklaşık 40 yıl önce tasavvuf yoluna intisap eden Amerikalı Michael (Harun) Sugich, hayatının 23 yılını Mekke-i Mükerreme’de geçirmiş, uzun yıllar da Mağrip’te bulunmuş ve her gittiği yerde pek çok kıymetli zevâta temas etmiş. Bir nevi modern zaman menkıbelerinden oluşan bu kitap, Sugich’in penceresinden, bizi gözlerden uzakta yaşayan irfan ehlinin dünyasına buyur ediyor.
Sugich’in kendine has üslubuyla harmanladığı bu hikâyeler, her biri “sahilsiz bir deniz” olan Allah dostlarının hâllerine bizleri aşina kılıyor.
A beautiful book where Sidi Haroon shares stories of the encounters he had with men of God he got to meet on his path to Allah. Some stories left me in awe, others made me sob. I especially enjoyed the chapters on Hajj Mohamed Al-Khidra, Habib Ahmed Mashhur Al-Haddad, and Sayyid Omar Abdallah.
"اللهم دلّني على من يدلني عليك وأوصلني إلى من يوصلني إليك"
"The sickness of the human heart is, 'what shall I do?'"
A travelogue filled with beautiful anecdotes of some beautiful men who have blessed the earth. All credit goes to the author for attempting to capture the essence and spiritual greatness of the great men mentioned in this book. Most books expand your mind but this is one of the few reads that you'll come across that will expand your heart. As I read about each individual I went through a lot of mixed emotions. A part of me yearned to seek out the gatherings of such men, but ultimately realized that I probably won't ever have the courage or the blessings to come in the company of such men. While reading this I also remembered Shaykh Zulfiqar Ahmad's personal travelogue called "Lahore se Takhak e Bukhara wa Samarkand" (From Lahore to Bukhara to Samarkand) that too was filled with brilliant personal experiences of disciplined men he met on the path. For anyone interested in individuals and the great men our tradition produces this is a must read.
“All that I have done I reckon as but dust. Whatsoever Thou hast seen of me not pleasing to Thy Presence, do Thou draw the line of pardon through it. And wash the dust of disobedience from me; for I have myself washed away the dust of the presumption that I have obeyed Thee.”
This is an amazing book filled with anecdotes of incredible people reading about whom is always a boost of faith
I reread it this Ramadan, 2 years after the first time, and the thing I appreciated the most the second time around, as I've moved forward with my own spiritual struggles..is the humanness of the author, the honesty of his conversations, his sacred love for these men, his tears, his hopefulness...
In a way Michael Sugich is a mirror for so many of us ordinary people on the Path wondering if we'll make it..and that's what makes this book unique. It isn't pretentious.
Though I'm convinced he is far from ordinary himself.. And it was incredibly generous of him to share his dear memories.
Absolutely Amazing book! Sidi Haroon takes you on a journey to many Middle Eastern Countries to meet great Sufi Saints and Shuyookh. The book makes you feel like you are there at that moment, when the author is happy, you are happy, when he is angry, so are you, when he is sad and weeps, you do it to. Subhanallah one of the best books I've read!
Easy to read and digest. The stories are inspiring but only for those with an interest in sufism. Those from very “traditional” backgrounds with struggle with the content.
Stories of Sufi “masters”. I say this term with a humble reluctance because I do not believe even those most beloved to Allah would be capable of considering themselves “masters” and also because I do not consider human beings, in particular in this epoque, in a position of authority in which we could deign to suppose the calibre of man. God alone knows the condition of a heart and the weight and quality of their deeds.
This all being said, the book was pleasant and filled with goodness and love for fellow man, a great deal of reminders of humility, of charity, of patience and above all the beauty of friendship and companionship that is defined by a love of God. The best of friendships are those based on a mutual pursuit of God’s pleasure. The company we keep matters. I enjoyed many stories but often felt that the descriptions sometimes felt a little, how do I say this...
A tangent might help me to explain: it sort of reminded me of arriving at Clinton Hut on the Milford track in New Zealand. I remember Ranger Ross, an oldish man who reminded me of the BFG (he could have been 7 feet tall and sweetly gave all of us trampers oranges which we graciously accepted), anyways I remember when he gave his talk, he kept referring to the wildlife as the best best best only one in the world. So if he described a sort of eel that is native to New Zealand, somehow that eel would be the only one of its kind or something about it made it the best best rarest of them all. Then there would be some species of duck and the same would be true of it, too. And then every bird. This is how sometimes, Sugich’s descriptions of the men came across and I can’t tell one apart from the next. Often, I felt like there was little difference or disparity between some stories. This isn’t a big deal though to be fair.
What I did find contentious is the strain of Sufism that is described within this book. If you read some of Muhammad Iqbal you may find better articulated the critique to which I now refer. There is a strain of Sufism that renders a Muslim inactive and lazy. Sitting in a zawwiya is not a form of practice that I find compatible with the Islam of Qur’an. The prophet attained revelation first sitting in a cave but he did not then continue to receive revelation sitting in a cave for the succeeding 23 years. He married, he had children, he was a father, a preacher, a shepherd, a tradesman, a warrior, a friend and so much more. He was not inactive in society but rather more proactive. And indeed the prophet who was inactive: Yunus (AS) was put in the belly of the whale for giving up his mission.
May Allah protect us from inactivity and make us of benefit to the world and the people within it, may we be active in a manner most pleasing to Him, Ameen. This book has received almost unreserved praise but I wanted to remind that sitting in a masjid or a corner simply doing dhikr is of no consequence to your fellow man. It is a wholly selfish practice. Beneficial to only you.
There are times when I felt that the stories in this book may encourage inactivity and for that reason I was also a little wary of it receiving a lack of critical mention. I don’t mean to say that this is not a good book / contains good reminders, it does. But I think we should also read with some balanced critique.
“And We did not send before you, [O Muhammad], any of the messengers except that they ate food and walked in the markets. And We have made some of you [people] as trial for others - will you have patience? And ever is your Lord, Seeing.” - Qur’an 25:20
Packed with beautiful anecdotes of the lives of many great ulema and awliya of the last century. Also an elegant narrative of a person's search for spiritual direction and fulfillment which will resonate deeply with many readers.
Unusually great book. Enlightening. I love the personal story, and what I love even more is that I personally know the people who befriend with some Friends of Allah (awliyaullah) mentioned in this book. Moving, inspirational, and tear-jerking.
Made me practice Islam more vigorously which had slackened due to lack of dhikr, notwithstanding that i am skeptical of certain practices of Sufism as this book was entirely based on interactions with sufis,still it benefited me. I plan Insha Allah to add Tahajjud to my routine.
Kuzey Afrika, Mekke, Medine, Londra. Bir mühtedinin her bir şehirde bir mürşidin izini bulma çabası, yolculuğu. Nice meşhur olmayan büyüklerin hikayesini barındırıyor.
If you think about it, chronicling the lives of saints, the friends of God, is a somewhat paradoxical activity. The motivating impulse behind producing a biographical account of a person or people is the belief that they have accomplished something in their lives that makes them worthy of recognition. When it comes to hagiographical accounts, however, the subjects themselves would rather not be known at all. This is because firstly, they genuinely don’t think they’ve accomplished anything worthy of recognition, and secondly and more importantly, even if they did, it doesn’t even matter to them. The truth is that these people’s ambitions lie far beyond the insipid borders of the material realm where the lowly commodity of prestige is valued. They view the world as a transient place, each individual boarding the ship of life. While some set their sails to directions of their liking, they set their course towards the divine, peacefully sailing across the sea of gnosis and serenity, undisturbed by the turbulent conditions they face along their voyage. It is precisely this egoless personality, so fundamentally different than our own, so antithetical to the materialistic passions subliminally entrenched in the modern world, that attracts ordinary people like you and I to read about their lives. History has shown that man is ever so curious of the things that are different than him.
Sidi Haroon Michael Sugich has done a remarkable job in capturing his memories and experiences with multiple saintly men he had the fortune of meeting throughout his journeys in the Muslim world as a young, courageous, curious, convert to Islam. He does so with such graceful eloquence and impeccably descriptive language that effectively transports the reader to the distant lands he sojourns, making him a companion along the journey rather than a distant observer. There was more than one time that I could not help but continue reading as Sugich had successfully enchanted me with his captivating storytelling. The chapters related to his teachers, Habib Ahmad Mashur al Haddad and Sayyid Umar Abdullah were particularly touching.
The thought initially occurred to me that the magnificence of the book could be amplified had the author made it into an autobiographical memoir wherein the episodes could be arranged chronologically. However I soon realized that the episodic sequence of the book was perhaps symbolic of the greatest lesson Sugich leaned from the saintly men, namely that it isn’t about your own self. Rather the author, like the people he chronicled, are mere signposts towards the divine.
“Signs on the Horizons” has become a favorite of mine and I hope to revisit it time and again to regain inspiration and rekindle my spirit of adventure.
Michael Sugich in his introduction mentions meeting Gai Eaton, prior to publishing his book. Eaton comments on how he wished he had the courage to live the life that Sugich did, meeting so many great Awliya, and being able to convey his learnings in such a beautiful, prosaic way. This comment by Eaton is a perfect summation for this exceptional piece of writing.
Sugich in his book writes in a series of short chapters, detailing chance meetings with men who changed his life, and left a lasting impact in him. This, he couples with a loose general narrative as to his progress in the spiritual path. Sugich's sincerity in following the path, coupled with his healthy scepticism, provides a valuable frame for readers to follow the book, and to understand the merits of the meetings he has.
Overall, Sugich's book provides a great deal of positive reinforcement for those on the spiritual path, those who approach the religion of Islam valuing both the external and the internal. While he does address people who do not value the internal aspect of the religion (i.e. those who doubt the authenticity of the spiritual path) the book is overwhelmingly focused on the positive, on the beneficial. The book is a must-read for anyone who wishes to understand the merits of the spiritual journey that we as Muslims must undertake, someone who is lacking motivation or direction in their worship, or anyone who would wish to see a beautiful tale of brotherhood.
Enlightening. Wonderfully written. Not something that I can control — getting all teary everytime I read this book. Not the kind of tears of sadness or crying for a character or story like when you read some fiction book, no. It's not even a feeling, quite. Just, enraptured. Just, I read any part of this book, one encounter with one saint, and suddenly a stirring inside quickly bubbles up to tears. That's just reading about them. Imagine meeting one. What I love most is...in this world where one have been conditioned to view things / people in very skeptical manner, that cynicism has become somekind of a second nature, that you're always looking out for yourself out there, here in these accounts, you "meet" with some souls that tells you that there are these souls that wants the good for your soul without wanting anything from you. The good that remind you of what brings your Heart home; God.
These... Men of God, Saints, Awliya...whatever you call them, they exists. As for whether you believe in them or not, I shall waste no time putting arguments on that matter. I pray, may you be a receiver of their gaze one time and may such encounter be blessed for your soul too. And read this gem of a book.
Very reminiscent of Peter Sander's Meetings With Mountains, Signs on the Horizons tells an incredible autobiographical story of a man and his interactions with various saints and sages in a 40 year journey finding the Absolute Truth. Some accounts are wholesome and funny, some are inspiring, some have endings which are truly heartbreaking, particularly when Sugich describes his connections with his two shuyukh: Sayyid Omar Abdullah and Habib Ahmed Mashhur Al-Haddad رضي الله عنهم. This inspired me particularly to look at certain methodologies and paths in Sufism and sparked that interest again in pursuing the Path.
You also get an outwardly "down to earth" portrayal of these sages, rather than the typical image of holier-than-thou personalities, whether it is making people laugh, telling jokes, creating deeper and intimate connections with their students and companions, and most importantly (to paraphrase Sheikh Hamza Yusuf): to remind us of what it means to be a human being.
As someone who's interested in taking the Path, I find the stories of a modern saalik to be insightful and I generally enjoy listening to people's stories and interactions with these brilliant exemplars. An amazing contribution to Sufi literature and a beautiful tribute to blessed people.
"Memory for most of us is a compendium of our senses, vivid or muted images that resonate and remind us of time and age and achievement and loss. We experience our lives as a chain of events leading to each succeeding moment and we each live our personal history as its protagonist. In this continuum we find points of clarity and are touched by men and women who change us in some essential way."
After this first paragraph, I found it hard to relate to anything in the book. It's surreal- saints and supernatural powers and men getting messages from God in their dreams? Super interesting for sure, getting a glimpse of the streets of Meknes circa 1980, but the kinda spiritual stories that are more theatrics than substance imho.
"Signs on the Horizon" is probably one of the most beautiful books I have ever read. It tells the stories of the great men and Awliyā’ that Sidi Haroon (Michael Sugich) was blessed to meet during his journey as a seeker of truth.
The way Michael Sugich writes is so vivid and heartfelt that you feel as though you are right there with him, sitting in the presence of these righteous souls. It’s hard to choose a favorite story, but the relationships that stand out most to me are his bond with Sayyid ‘Umar ‘Abd’Allah and with his Sheikh, Habib Ahmad Mashhur al-Haddad. The love and respect they shared was profound. It’s the kind of love you only see between a father and a son.
Kudos to the author for sharing his personal encounters, experiences and stories of his beloved Sufis that lived at a time, long past. Beautiful, Respectful, Humbling. This book is a work of love, an attempt to share with the world the side of Islam - Sufism - that is hardly mentioned today.
“Ne kadar yaşarsan yaşa, Muhakkak öleceksin; Ne seversen sev, Ondan muhakkak ayrılacaksın; Ne yaparsan yap, Karşılığını mutlaka göreceksin!”
Demek hala bir yerlerde bu şekilde yaşayan Allah dostları varmış ve arayan California’dan gelip de bu kıymetli insanlarla böyle anlar yaşayabiliyormuş dedirtti, saygıyla…
Insightful and inspiring read. To read about the state of some giants awliya' were both thrilling and reflective. And through the author's lense and experiences proved to be beneficially substantial with spiritual anecdotes and quotes that goes hand in hand with their a'mal internally and externally.
Dünyaya eyvallahı olmayan, nasıl yaşıyorsa öyle konuşan, nazarıyla-sözüyle her daim kuşatan ehl-i irfana dair okumayı sevenler için kıymetli bir kitap. Dünyanın bambaşka bir coğrafyasında doğmuş ve dünyanın bambaşka bir yerindeki aşka tutulmuş, o lezzeti yaşamış bir kulun hikâyesi.
certainly a new perspective of religion and practices and how we perceive them. in sufism lies much love for God and how one can be closer to Him. so many great sheikhs and scholars, i find it most fascinating that so many different people exist within the same religion.
A beautiful easy read. This simple book is filled with real stories of the author's interactions with spiritually elevated men. Reading it has a profound effect on your own soul.