Forty Days

by Michaela M. Özelsel, Andy Gaus (Translator)

This is a woman's firsthand account of a Sufi halvet, a forty-day retreat conducted in complete isolation, along with strict fasting from sunrise to sundown. Voluntarily confined to a sparsely furnished room amid the bustle of Istanbul, Michaela Özelsel will occupy her time with reading the Qur'an and works of Rumi and Ibn 'Arabi, and with praying and practicing the powerful Sufi exercise known as zhikr, the rhythmic repetition of names of God or other sacred formulas, accompanied by movements of the head or body.

In intimate detail Dr. Özelsel shares her experiences as she strives to attain true "Islam" in its meaning of surrender or unconditional acceptance of the will of God. Her daily journal ranges over the frustrations of noisy neighbors, power outages, and a poorly heated room; her inner longings, doubts, and memories of the life course that has brought her to this moment; and the most inspirational philosophical insights, dreams and visions, and ecstatic raptures.

The second half of the book is devoted to the author's psychological and cultural commentary on her experiences, including observations about the methods of Sufi schooling, sexuality and spirituality, and the relationship with the spiritual guide. Forty Days is unique in the literature of spiritual education because it is informed by her knowledge of contemporary research from several disciplines, thus creating a bridge between ancient wisdom and scientific investigation.

Genres: Nonfiction, Memoir, Religion, Islam, Spirituality

240 pages, Paperback

First published September 7, 1999

Reviews

[Cuneyt · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading Ozelsels book. It is an honest modern time account of personal experience in retreat, which is quite rare. At times I remember finding the emphasis on Islamic sharia, which is an absolute must of Sufism, a bit weak but considering the rarity of such books I in English I give it four stars.

[Munirah MacLean · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an interesting description of a unique spiritual experience. However I was a little surprised by the lack of supervision and support during the retreat by Advanced Sufi teachers as this process can be quite dangerous. What makes the book even more valuable are the extensive footnotes and appendixes describing and commenting on the process. I highly recommend this book for anyone serious about their practice.

[Ariana Arken · Rating 3 out of 5]

For my religion class, we were only required to read up to page 107. Purely the entries of her experience over the forty days. Very very interesting read that opened my mind to different ideologies that I knew little to nothing of.