Tales from the Land of the Sufis

Take a magic carpet ride into the delightful world of Sufi storytelling with these best-loved tales from Persian literature and lore, in which images of madness, passionate love, and self-sacrifice convey the inner experiences of the soul that has surrendered to the Divine Beloved. The tales are retold from the celebrated works of poets who were also spiritual masters, including Rumi, Attar, Nizami, and Jami, as well as anecdotes about famous masters themselves. They include: * LAYLA AND MAJNUN, the “Romeo and Juliet” of Sufism. Separation “from his beloved Layla drives Majnun mad, but in his madness he discovers the supreme Beloved, God. * YUSUF AND ZULAYKHA, based on the Qur’anic version of the biblical story of Joseph and Potiphar’s wife. In this version, Zulaykha is spiritually transformed by her love for the virtuous Yusuf. * KHUSRAU AND SHIRIN, an epic romance in which a Persian prince and an Armenian princess confront myriad obstacles to their union. * The story of Hallaj, Sufism’s most controversial figure, who was martyred for proclaiming his oneness with God. Mojdeh Bayat and Mohammad Ali Jamnia were born in Tehran and are initiates of the Nimatullahi Sufi Order. They live with their two children in Chicago.