The Way of The Sufi, by Idries Shah (Jonathan Cape, London, 1968)

Book Review by Lloyd Irving

Idries Shah introduces his book to the general reader by observing that it is "designed to present Sufi ideas, actions and report: not for the microscope or museum-pieces, but in their relevance to a current community - what we call the contemporary world" (p9). This somewhat cryptic statement gives us the best clue to understanding how The Way of the Sufi (hereinafter, "The Sufi") is to be read. Whatever Shah's precise intentions are, he does not seek to present a methodical, analytical treatment of the history and major characteristics of what is commonly referred to as "Sufism" in the West.

Following Shah's stated design, The Sufi is comprised of two distinct sections. The first is an introduction to the history of the West's contact with what it has called "Sufism" - Part 1, 35 pages; the second is a carefully selected anthology of classical pieces of Sufi literature, the earliest of which date from the end of the first millennium CE -Parts II to IX, 236 pages.

Throughout, Shah avoids any simple "explanation" of what Sufism is. He explains his reticence by observing that “[t]he correct study of Sufi ideas depends upon the supply and right use of the literature and also the contact with the Sufi instructor" (p33). At the heart of this attitude is Shah's belief that the special form of knowledge Sufism deals with can only be indirectly communicated from the pages of a book and that Sufi study occurs primarily in the context of direct, personal interaction between a Sufi teacher and his or her(?) student. This stance is explained by the traditional Sufi "doctrine" that the particular "form" within which the essence of Sufism is presented by a teacher or "Master of the Way" depends entirely upon the particular "time, place and person" involved.

Given the above constraints, the reader may rightly wonder what sort of understanding of Sufism he or she can possibly gain from reading the contents of The Sufi. If this reader is patient and earnest enough, the answer seems to suggest itself from within the anthology of poetry, anecdotes, stories, jokes, parables, proverbs, sayings, letters, addresses, hagiography, legends, fables, mythology and dialogues: the reader can hope to get a taste or feel of the spirit of Sufism

As Shah leaves it largely up to his readers to make whatever they like of Sufism from his anthology of Sufic literature, a high degree of subjectivity necessarily enters into the equation on the side of the book reviewer - and this effect is quite intentional. Therefore, in addition to an examination and commentary on Part I, this review seeks to make a genuine attempt to give an overview of the major themes and teachings found within the anthology.

PART 1 - "The Study of Sufism in the West"

Shah begins his presentation by setting the record straight on various current Western misconceptions about Sufism. The first area he tackles is how the West has understood the words “Sufi” and “Sufism”. Shah explains that the widespread understanding that these words derive from the Arabic word for “wool” is the product of scholastic and romantic obsessions: scholastic, in that every word should have an etymology; and romantic, because of the suggestion that wise men in woollen garb fit a Western picture of "the poor,

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humble, mystic". Shah explains that these words in fact have no etymology but are derived from the sound of the pronunciation of three Arabic letters.

Shah's other observations about Western conceptions of Sufism follow this basic theme. That is, by and large, the West has tried to understand Sufism according to its own categories of thought, thereby leading to an imprecise if not entirely erroneous interpretation of what Sufism is. Shah illustrates this by listing those areas of thought and activity in which Sufism has had a direct influence but under which Sufism cannot be placed for the purposes of definition, such areas including: religion; philosophy; an esoteric system of knowledge within Islam; shamanic cult; secret society; an occult training system; literary circle; and even a military system.

Despite Shah's criticism of Western misconceptions of Sufism and his additional desire to clearly separate true Sufism from the vast majority of the so-called Sufic societies which have sprung up in the West, he does allow certain descriptions of Sufism to stand, albeit in a qualified manner. Thus, at one point, he allows Sufi ideas to be described as a "psychology" or "wisdom" (p20) which utilises certain methods of mental activity to produce a higher working of the mind. This higher working of the mind leads the subject into a special state of knowledge which normally lies beyond the experience of "ordinary" people.

Perhaps the most striking feature of Part I is Shah's extraordinary claim that Sufism, more than any other system or body of ideas, has had the greatest and broadest influence upon the life and thought of both Eastern and Western civilisations. Among numerous examples, each with copious endnotes, Shah proposes Sufic influence in: the emergence of Chivalry; the works of St John of the Cross and St Teresa of Avila; Sikhism; medieval Jewish Mysticism; Hindu Vedantist teaching; Western alchemy; Zen; Yoga; the works of Chaucer, Aligheri, Shakespeare, Gurdjieff and Ouspenski; and in psychotherapy.

At the end of Part I, the Western reader should be in a position to approach the rest of The Sufi without any firmly held misconceptions about Sufism. In addition, there may be a burning curiosity about what sort of enigmatic wisdom or psychology Sufism could be if the claim that it has so pervasively influenced so many fields of thought within the West is true.

PARTS II - IX: An Anthology of Classical Sufi Literature

As the reader discovers almost at the end of the anthology, there is actually a Sufic tradition on how to present selections of Sufi literature! The piece "Readings in Sufi Philosophy" following the "time, place people” doctrine, advises the teacher to adapt the selection to the specific needs and culture of the audience, with a view to helping the community or individual "find their way" (p280). We are also informed in Part 1 that Sufi literature is intended to be understood on many levels and therefore we are warned to expect "manipulated and enciphered material" in Sufic literature (p27). Thus, a literal interpretation will rarely be the preferred one.

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Part II is a presentation of snippets from the works of eight of the greatest Sufi teachers, including Omar Khayyam. Part III consists of selections from each of the four Sufi or "Dervish" schools which exist in the Middle-East, the fourth of which - The Naqshbandi Order - has special prominence since a Sufi master from this order can initiate a disciple into any of the other three orders. (Incidentally, this is also the same Order which Gurdjieff claimed taught him the basics of what was to become his esoteric teaching about the powers inherent in human consciousness.)

Part IV, "Among the Masters" and Part V, "Teaching Stories”, continue very much in the same manner, being, if anything, less specifically tied to any particular author or school. Parts VII and VIII are selections intended for the solitary student and group settings respectively. Part IX, concludes the book, and contains specific answers by two eminent Sufi teachers to various questions regarding Sufism. There being no concluding remarks by Shah, the book ends somewhat abruptly, perhaps encouraging the interested reader to further explore the mysteries of Sufism.

So, what is Sufism?

The question which Shah so masterfully side-steps is given many answers in the anthology, the most direct of which is given in Part IX, in the reply of Rais Tchaqmaqzade to the question: "[i]s Sufism the interior meaning of Islam, or does it have wider application?" He answered: "Sufism is the knowledge whereby [humankind] can realize [itself] and attain permanency. Sufis can teach in any vehicle, whatever its name. Religious vehicles have throughout history taken various names" (p286). Elsewhere, Sufism is identified as "conduct", "truth without form", "the teaching as well as the fraternity of the Sufis". The most enigmatic response in the anthology was that the reply to the question, "What is Sufism?" varies, according to the capacity of the inquirer to accept whatever answer is given.

From the anthology as a whole, it appears that the essence of Sufism, as of so many other spiritual paths, cannot be described, but only pointed to. Insofar as this essence has been pointed to, the anthology presents Sufism pre-eminently as a superior way of being or a higher state of perceiving reality. The widespread use of various methods employed in the “practice” of Sufism - among them, listening to music, dancing, reading, drawing, praying and working - are only the outward, occasional, and accidental "forms" in which the "substance" of Sufism manifests itself. For a Westerner brought up in the Judeo-Christian tradition, a good analogy appears to exist between Sufism and the Old Testament "Wisdom" tradition. Both seem to share a worldview characterised by an emphasis upon the perception of the inner realities of life as derived from the everyday, here-and-now experience of humans.

True Knowledge

Sufism places its greatest emphasis on the particular form of knowledge which characterises the whole Sufic way of being: “real love, effort and action are made possible

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only through real knowledge" (p278). This "Knowledge of Reality", or wisdom, is clearly distinguished from other forms of knowledge such as "intellectual knowledge", which is described as the collection of information, and the "knowledge of states", which is described as those emotional sensations which lead to nowhere in particular. Knowledge of Reality enables a person to perceive what is right and true, "beyond the boundaries of thought and sense" (p78).

The Reality that lies beyond Religion

From the anthology, Sufism seems to reveal its most enigmatic character in its interaction with religion. Here, Sufic teaching emphasises the unity of reality within which all people and things participate. Thus we find the profound story of "The Garden" (pp117-119) in which the essential unity created by the master-gardener is allowed to deteriorate because people don't really know any better, taking their portion of the garden to be the whole, and only tending it for immediate results rather than out of a genuine love and care that the garden should be a healthy, vibrant, system of life.

To use the metaphor of the garden - and elsewhere the rose garden carries specific Sufic significance - religion at best helps the process of the reintegration of the garden. The present state of humanity is described in "The Seven Brothers" story (pp121-122) in terms of members of a family who had been separated from each other and who had subsequently had such different experiences of life that they could no longer recognise - from external appearances - each other as family.

One example of the specific linkage of religion to the unity of reality is found in the following lines from the Urdu song, "The Mystery of the Sufis" (p125): "Muslim, Hindu, Christian, Jew, Sikh. Brothers in a secret sense - yet who knows it internally? ... All is He, my friends, companions, ALL is HE!"

"God" and Being

In harmony with the "unity of reality" emphasis, the ultimate, absolute and indescribable reality, referred to on some occasions as "God" or "Deepest Consciousness", is strongly associated with the notion of "being". Thus, in Part IV, we find the short sentence, “No human mind can attain an understanding of the form of being which is called God"; and, in Part VI, the assertion: " 'Being' is absolutely good. If it contains any evil, it is not Being" (p224). Other streams within the anthology suggest that the highest form of Sufi knowledge can be described in terms of the realisation of the uniqueness of one's own being and consciousness. This is seen, for example, in the poem, "I am" (p228).

The Journey of Humankind

Following the above, significant selections within the anthology discuss the journey that can only be undertaken with real knowledge, hence the references to Sufism as a Way or Path. Paradoxically, it is understood that every person can only move at their own pace and in their own time ("My Lady Fatima and the Animals", pp202-204 is a good illustration of

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this). Everyone must undergo an evolution in consciousness: the saying, "Worship" (p189) describes three stages of faith the worship of anything, the worship of God and finally neither the worship of God nor the non-worship of God.

Other Aspects of the Anthology

There is much in the anthology that has been skimmed over due to this review's primary focus of only its major themes. However, this review would be incomplete if no comment was made about the immensely interesting and entertaining character of the literature. This is especially seen in the stories of everyday situations in which the common weaknesses of humans are brought to the fore. Good examples of this occur whenever a "madman" appears on the scene. These "holy fools” bring to the surface, in a spectacular way, many of the otherwise hidden agendas of apparently normal or pious people. In "The Perception of the Madman" story (pp69-70) a madman bellows like an ox at a certain place in the prayers at the mosque. Later, the leader of prayer confesses he started to think about buying an ox at the same time the madman bellowed.

Other examples within this diverse collection include many humorous stories of people tying themselves up in knots because of their inferior ways of thinking and because of their slavery to certain base desires. The story of "The Horrid Dib Dib" (pp129-132) is an ingeniously hilarious example of this centring on the sound of a dripping tap.

There are numerous other pithy statements, proverbs, sayings, and legends, all based on observations of the everyday behaviour of humans and animals, each piece offering the reader a teaching about the inner meaning of everyday reality.

Other themes within the literature centre upon the nature of love, and the spirit of practical compassion which marks the way of the Sufi. In places, Sufism is seen to exhibit a remarkably non-sexist attitude in its practice of allowing women to participate in the learning and practice of Sufism. Much material is of an "in-house" nature, advising followers about how to teach and practice Sufism in such a way that they help rather than repel those who do not comprehend their way. There are also references to martyrdoms, a specific Sufic cosmology and various statements about the nature of humankind.

A Concluding Comment

Given Shah's specific design, and what we know from within the anthology about how to present Sufic literature, Shah has, to all intents and purposes, achieved what he set out to do. At the end of the book, and considering the delicate balance of the materials he has placed together, I suspected that Shah himself was a Sufi master, rather than simply a "Sufi watcher". In his own subtle and unexplained way, Shah has directed his work to those who have ears to listen and eyes to see - not to give them an instantaneous grasp of Sufism, but to enable them, however slightly, to enter into the spirit which characterises all who participate in the knowledge of undivided reality.