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Stations of the Sufi Path: The One Hundred Fields (Sad Maydan) of Abdullah Ansari of Herat
Stations of the Sufi Path is a new translation of a key Sufi text and the first Persian work to address the stages, or stations, of the Sufi way. Its author, Abdullah Ansari, was born in 1006 in Herat in present-day Afghanistan, and is considered one of the greatest as well as one of the earliest of the Persian Sufi scholars whose works constitute an important contribution to the intellectual history of Islam. Detailed descriptions of each 'station' make this work an esoteric masterpiece, now almost one thousand years old, that invites the reader ona spiritual journey of self-discovery.
- GenresSpiritualityReligion
192 pages, Hardcover
First published October 15, 2010
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About the author
Abdullah Ansari of Herat
10 books1 followerOne of the earliest Sufi masters, Ansari was born in the Kohandez, the old citadel of Herat, on 4 May 1006. He was the disciple of Abu al-Hassan al-Kharaqani, and a direct descendant of Abu Ayyub al-Ansari, a companion of the Prophet Muhammad, being the ninth in line from him. Ansari excelled in the knowledge of Hadith, history, and ʻilm al-ansāb. He used to avoid the company of the rich, powerful and the influential. His yearly majlis-e wa'az was attended by people from far and wide. Whatever his disciples and followers used to present to him was handed over to the poor and the needy.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
June 10, 2012
In this book, Nahid Angha masterfully produces an English translation of Abdu'llah Ansari's "The One Hundred Fields" or Sad Maydan, as it is known in Persian. The book includes an introduction with biographical information on Ansari, the 11th century Persian Sufi mystic, theologian, philosopher, and poet, in the context of the Persian literary and spiritual renaissance. In Sad Madyan, Ansari details for the reader the "One Hundred Fields" or stations of the spiritual path that the "wayfarer" experiences on his or her journey towards God. Angha provides extensive footnotes that reveal to the reader Ansari's Quaranic references, note nuances contained within the author's farsi word choice, and indicate where variations exist between the several published versions of the work. I highly recommend this book for anyone interested in Persian literature and poetry, mystical traditions, and the journey towards the self.
October 11, 2022
Everything about this book communicates the highest level of scholarship and craft, the proof of which is in the meditative and purifying impact that this work has on the reader, which remains extremely potent in its English version.
That is, the language of this work is so precise, multifaceted, and exquisitely rendered that a reader concentrating upon Ansari’s description of any given field with a longing for God will definitely feel his or her energy elevated, heart inspired, and resolve made firm, just as the Saint intended one thousand years ago.
Reading this book is a beneficial and active practice, as reading any Holy scripture is. It is a book one will open at random and find succor in the present moment. It is a book one will return to many times to read from start to end. It is a book whose beautiful lines will be underscored and annotated by your own hand and copied down to carry its wisdom with you beyond its covers.
And, incidentally, it is a book that you will also turn to for scholarship, to remember a fact about the Saint who was its author, to mine its appendices for information about the social institutions, literary traditions, and bibliographic treasures they discuss, and to look up the detailed footnotes to understand more deeply a concept the book has opened in your heart.
In short, this is a book that still carries the spiritual light of the author even in translation, suggesting that the translator, herself, is more than a scholar, but another Master in her own right, and thus it is a book that you may well declare sacred once you have read it, placing it in a special place or on a special shelf, as I have, where you hold the things and books that keep you connected with your true spirit. Obviously, I give it five stars. I am deeply grateful to both Abdullah Ansari of Herat and Nahid Angha for this wondrous book.
That is, the language of this work is so precise, multifaceted, and exquisitely rendered that a reader concentrating upon Ansari’s description of any given field with a longing for God will definitely feel his or her energy elevated, heart inspired, and resolve made firm, just as the Saint intended one thousand years ago.
Reading this book is a beneficial and active practice, as reading any Holy scripture is. It is a book one will open at random and find succor in the present moment. It is a book one will return to many times to read from start to end. It is a book whose beautiful lines will be underscored and annotated by your own hand and copied down to carry its wisdom with you beyond its covers.
And, incidentally, it is a book that you will also turn to for scholarship, to remember a fact about the Saint who was its author, to mine its appendices for information about the social institutions, literary traditions, and bibliographic treasures they discuss, and to look up the detailed footnotes to understand more deeply a concept the book has opened in your heart.
In short, this is a book that still carries the spiritual light of the author even in translation, suggesting that the translator, herself, is more than a scholar, but another Master in her own right, and thus it is a book that you may well declare sacred once you have read it, placing it in a special place or on a special shelf, as I have, where you hold the things and books that keep you connected with your true spirit. Obviously, I give it five stars. I am deeply grateful to both Abdullah Ansari of Herat and Nahid Angha for this wondrous book.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews