Spiritual Gems of Islam

Imam Jamal Rahman is a beloved teacher and retreat leader whose passion for helping people deepen their spiritual lives and cultivate interfaith understanding has inspired audiences throughout the world. He has been featured in the New York Times, on CBS News, the BBC and many NPR programs. He is cofounder and Muslim Sufi minister at Interfaith Community Sanctuary, adjunct faculty at Seattle University and a former host of Interfaith Talk Radio. He is author of Sacred Laughter of the Sufis: Awakening the Soul with the Mulla's Comic Teaching Stories & Other Islamic Wisdom and Spiritual Gems of Islam: Insights & Practices from the Qur'an, Hadith, Rumi & Muslim Teaching Stories to Enlighten the Heart & Mind (both SkyLight Paths) and The Fragrance of Faith: The Enlightened Heart of Islam; and coauthor of Getting to the Heart of Interfaith: The Eye-Opening, Hope-Filled Friendship of a Pastor, a Rabbi & an Imam and Religion Gone Astray: What We Found at the Heart of Interfaith (both SkyLight Paths), among other books.

• Introduction ixOpening Up to the LightGem 1 "This Is the Book" (Qur'an 2:2)—"Meditate on Its Signs" (Qur'an 38:29) 3Gem 2 "The Qur'an Is a Shy and Veiled Bride" (Rumi) 11Gem 3 “I Was a Secret Treasure and I Longed to Be Known” (Hadith Qudsi) 15Gem 4 “We Have Not Known You as We Should Have” (Hadith) 23Cultivating Inner SpaciousnessGem 5 “Know Thyself and You Shall Know Thy Lord” (Hadith) 35Gem 6 “Die Before You Die” (Hadith) 41Gem 7 “The Road Is Long, the Sea Is Deep” (Fariduddin Attar) 46Gem 8 “In the Name of God, Boundlessly Compassionate and Infinitely Merciful” (Qur’anic Invocation) 51Gem 9 “We Have Made Some of You as a Trial for Others: Will You Have Patience?” (Qur’an 25:20) 59Gem 10 “Ye Shall Surely Travel from Stage to Stage” (Qur’an 84:19) 65Gem 11 “Will You Not See? Will You Not Listen? Will You Not Pay Attention?” (Qur’an 54:17, 7:204) 68Purifying and Expanding the HeartGem 12 “O My Lord! Open for Me My Heart!” (Qur’an 20:25) 77Gem 13 “Bring to God a Sound Heart” (Qur’an 26:89) 81Gem 14 “Who Has a Better Dye Than God?” (Qur’an 2:138) 86Gem 15 “Embrace Not Only the Ten Thousand Joys of Life, But Also the Ten Thousand Sorrows” (Traditional Saying) 94Gem 16 “There Is Room Inside for Only One of Us” (Rumi) 99Remembering Your SustainerGem 17 “Bow in Adoration and Draw Closer” (Qur’an 96:19) 107Gem 18 “Truly in the Remembrance of God Do Hearts Find Rest” (Qur’an 13:28) 115Doing What Is BeautifulGem 19 “Persevere in Doing Good: Behold! God Loves the Doers of Good.” (Qur’an 2:195) 121Gem 20 “Ah! What a Beautiful Fellowship!” (Qur’an 4:69) 126Gem 21 “Be Just; This Is Closest to Being God-Conscious.” (Qur’an 5:8) 131Gem 22 “Confound Not Truth with Falsehood” (Qur’an 2:42) 138Gem 23 “All Things Have We Created in Proportion and Measure” (Qur’an 54:49) 141Gem 24 “Work in the Invisible World at Least as Hard as You Do in the Visible” (Rumi) 146Gem 25 “Move from Knowledge of the Tongue to Knowledge of the Heart” (Traditional Saying) 151Gem 26 “Whoever … Believes in God Has Grasped the Most Trustworthy Handhold” (Qur’an 2:256) 157Walking on Spacious PathsGem 27 “Women Are the Twin-Halves of Men” (Hadith) 165Gem 28 “Come to Know Each Other” (Qur’an 49:13) 172Gem 29 “Be Quick in the Race for Forgiveness from Your Lord” (Qur’an 3:133) 179Being in the MysteryGem 30 “Praise Be to Allah … Who Made the Angels Messengers with Wings” (Qur’an 35:1) 187Gem 31 “What Is This Love and Laughter?” (Hafiz) 193Gem 32 “To God We Belong and to God We Are Returning” (Qur’an 2:156) 199Gem 33 “A Lovesick Nightingale among Owls” (Rumi) 203Acknowledgments 210Notes 212Selected Qur’anic Passages and Hadith 216The Most Beautiful Names of Allah: Asma al-Husna 225Bibliography and Suggestions for Further Reading 229

"Beautiful, helpful and timely…. All those interested in the spiritual life, God, interfaith dialogue, peace and our shared human journey through life will find this to be a treasure trove of wisdom and spiritual insight."—Rev. John Dear, author, Transfiguration: A Meditation on Transforming Ourselves and Our World"Whether you have read these classic Islamic teachings before or they are new to you, you will find wisdom, deepen your compassion and enrich your spiritual life."—Amir Hussain, editor, Journal of the American Academy of Religion“Invokes the power of the Qur'an to open the doors of the heart and invite us into a direct encounter with the source of Mercy and Compassion…. As a lifelong seeker of the world's wisdom in every tradition, this is the book I have been waiting for.”—Mirabai Starr, author, God of Love: A Guide to the Heart of Judaism, Christianity & Islam“A gem all its own … a wonderful guidebook to spiritual living…. Allows the Qur’an to speak beyond the boundaries of Islam.”—Rami Shapiro, author, The Sacred Art of Lovingkindness: Preparing to Practice“Beautiful … reaches deep into the heart and soul, reminding us of our divine nature. Allow its deep Qur’anic wisdom to guide you on your journey Home.”—Llewellyn Vaughan-Lee, PhD, Sufi teacher; author, Prayer of the Heart in Christian and Sufi Mysticism“A modern-day jewel of some of the richest offerings of Islam…. Goes to the very depth of the rich oceans of Islamic spirituality to bring us pearls of wisdom and beauty.”—Omid Safi, professor of Islamic studies, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill; author, Memories of Muhammad