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.
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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, 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
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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.

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.
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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 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.
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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 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
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"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.