Category: The Jewelled Garden

Lalon (1774? – 1890? CE), also known as Fakir Lalon Shah, was a prominent Baul saint in Bengal. The Bauls form a musical, mystical tradition that is similar to Sufism. Continue Reading →

For more about the 10th c. Sufi Sheikh Abu Saeed Abil Khair, see this earlier post. Those with no sense of honour and dignity are best avoided.Those who change colours Continue Reading →

For more about Khwaja Abdullah Ansari, who was known as the Pir of the city of Herat in Afghanistan, see this earlier post. O seekers:        Hurry up.O night travellers:        Don’t go to Continue Reading →

For more about the 17th century Maharashtran poet Tukaram, see this earlier post, and this one. All men to me are god-like Gods!     My eyes no longer see     vice or fault. Life Continue Reading →

Bayazid – or Abu Yazid – Bistami (804 – 874 CE) was an ecstatic Sufi from the small city of Bastam in north central Persia. Very little is known about Continue Reading →

For more about Rabia al Adawiyya (714? — 801 CE), see this post. “O my God, my work and my desire, in all this world, is recollection of you and Continue Reading →

Akka Mahadevi was an important figure in the 12th c. CE Bhakta movement. For more about her, see this earlier post. Sunlight made visiblethe whole length of sky,movement of wind,leaf, Continue Reading →

Niyazi Misri (1616 – 1694 CE) was a Turkish Sufi, the son of a Naqshbandi sheikh, who later later became a disciple of the Helveti poet and saint Ummi Sinan. Continue Reading →

Abu Said al Kharraz was an early Sufi of whom very little is known. He was from Baghdad, a cobbler by trade, who went to reside near the Kaaba, and Continue Reading →

For more about Rabia al Adawiyya (714? — 801 CE), see this post. Fariduddin Attar relates that once three Sufis went to visit Rabia. The conversation turned to the question Continue Reading →