Shabistari’s Secret Rose Garden (1317 A.D.) must be reckoned among the greatest mystical poetry of any time or land. Treating such themes as the Self and the One, The Spiritual Journey, Time and this DreamWorld, and the ecstasy of Divine Inebriation, Shabistari’s work is a perennial witness to the capabilities and destiny of humanity. Stressing the One Light that exists at the heart of all religious traditions, Shabistari’s work is one of the clearest and most concise guides to the inner meaning of Sufism, and offers a stunningly direct exposition of Sufi mystical thought in poetic form:
- “I” and “you” are but the lattices, in the niches of a lamp, through which the One Light shines.
- “I” and “you” are the veil between heaven and earth/ lift this veil and you will see no longer the bonds of sects and creeds.
- When “I” and “you” do not exist, what is mosque, what is synagogue? what is the Temple of Fire?
An introduction by editor David Fideler discusses Shabistari’s work in terms of its historical setting and the traditions of Persian Sufism, Shabistari’s relationship with the thought of Ibn ‘Arabi, and the significance of Sufism in the contemporary world.
