Includes diagram of shajarahs of the Naqshbandi, Shadhili, Chishti, Qadiri and Mujaddidi Orders as well as a chart listing the sufi masters of these brotherhoods with their Dates, Places of Birth and Death.

“This work, in its accessible question and answer format, offers profound insights into the practical day to day aspects (practice-oriented teachings) of the master-disciple relationship, from the lips of a living master of the Naqshabandi Sufi Order.”

-from the preface by Dr. Kenneth Honerkamp, University of Georgia

“This new book is useful both as a university classroom text and as an intimate introduction to a present-day authentic Sufi master whose spiritual lineage is directly traced back along the great silsilahs (or chains) of saints belonging to five prominent Sufi orders.  In his introduction, Dr. Honerkamp makes accessible to the modern reader the wisdom presented in this magnificent contribution by a great contemporary spiritual master.”

-from Dr. Alan Godlas, Associate Professor of Religion and Islamic Studies, University of Georgia

Turning Toward the Heart poses forty questions about sufism and the Naqshbandi-Mujaddiddi path with straightforward, lucid answers by an authentic, experienced teacher, Hazrat Azad Rasool. The author contextualizes sufism within a larger sphere of spiritual transformation, making this book useful for anyone searching for a spiritual teacher, e.g., the responsibilities of a teacher and the qualities necessary for an aspirant. It is impressive to see how the Mujaddidi teachings have been transmitted faithfully from the founder-figure Ahmad Sirhindi (d. 1624) with skillful adaptation to the modern West. In the range of topics presented, seekers, students of sufism, and scholars will find nuggets of wisdom distilled from Hazrat Azad Rasool's decades of experience working with hundreds of students from all over the world. As Hazrat states, "The hidden power of the Self that Sufis seek to utilize is love. It is love that frees human beings from the bonds of narrow-mindedness, materialism, and selfishness." In a world driven more by fear than love, this is a very timely book.

-Arthur Buehler, Philosophy & Religious Studies, Louisiana State University

The book also contains a useful appendix in which all of the shaykhs of each lineage, their dates and the places where they lived and taught going back to the seventh century are listed.  (Shadhiliyyah, Chishtiyyah, Qadiriyyah, Naqshbandiyah and Mujaddidiyyah.)

Author’s Credentials:

·         B.A. in Islamic Studies and Arabic (Jamia Millia Islamia, New Delhi, India)

·         B.Ed. (Allahabad University, Allahabad, U.P., India)

·         M.A. in Philosophy (Hinduism-Islam) (Aligarh Muslim University, Aligarh, U.P., India)

·         Authorized teacher in five Sufi orders

Editorial Description:

            Responding to questions asked by spiritual seekers in Europe and the United States, Sufi teacher Hazrat Azad Rasool provides concise, timely, and thought-provoking insights into the path of Islamic mysticism. Topics range from the role of spirituality in Islam to the significance of the Sufi guide, from qualities of an enlighted human being to the importance of service in the mystic search. The author, who spent thirty years as an instructor and headmaster at Jamia Milia University in Delhi, India, combines the warmth and wit of a seasoned teacher with the wisdom gained through his own study and practice of Sufism. While addressing concerns of those who seek the truth today through up-to-date, relevant language and examples, Hazrat Rasool grounds his responses in the classical teachings of Sufi lineages that stretch back more than 1,400 years to the Prophet Mohammad (peace be upon him). Anecdotes and historical summaries, explanations of techniques and personal reflections, practical instruction and gems gleaned from works of Sufi elders are skillfully interwoven in a work that will both introduce newcomers to Sufism, and expand the knowledge of those already familiar with the Sufi path.

Most Sufi shaykhs represent a single lineage of masters. Hazrat Sayid Abdul Bari Shah, the nineteenth century shaykh from who Hazrat Rasool’s teachings descent, was exceptional in receiving authorization to instruct students in multiple orders. Drawing from the wealth of these traditions, he adapted practices to fit the changing life styles brought about by industrialization and modernization. Abdul Bari Shah’s spiritual heir, Hazrat Rasool, continues the process here; he not only explains centuries-old concepts such as remembrance of the Divine (dhikr=Allah), the inner centers of consciousness (lataif), and meditation or contemplation (muraqabah), but responds with equal insight to questions about Islam’s treatment of women, the process of choosing a mystical path, and the significance of spiritual endeavor for humanity’s future.

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