Quotes by Idries Shah

He who is fortunately enlightened [the Sufi]Knows that sophistry is from the devil and love from Adam.

Satisfaction is a treasure which does not decay.Proverb

Nothing can defile the Sufi, and he in fact purifies everything.” Abu-Turab al-Nakhsabi.

Rumi himself once said that counterfeit gold is only to be found because there is such a thing as real gold to be copied.

Hariri says, in his Maqamat: ‘Safety is on the river’s BANK.

The skilled artisan uses the same iron to make a horseshoeAs he does for a polished mirror for the King.

The great poet Hafiz says that you should dye your prayer-carpet with wine if your teacher tells you to do so.

Everything man needs is in the world.

God provides the food, men provide the cooks.

Q: How can I help myself?A: By remembering the proverb: ‘The Path is not to be found anywhere except in human service’, from Saadi.

Ibn El-Arabi wrote, ‘The Teacher is he who hears you, then unveils you to yourself

And Rumi tells us, ‘Soul receives from soul that knowledge, therefore not by book nor from tongue’.

The selection and following of a spiritual guide is the most important duty of a Sufi.

It is necessary to note, says Rumi, that opposite things work together, even though nominally opposed (Fihi Ma Fihi).

At His door, what is the difference between Moslem and Christian, virtuous and guilty? At his door all are seekers and He the sought.

Saying of the Prophet.Ink and Blood:The ink of the learned is holier than the blood of the martyr.

At His door, what is the difference between Muslim and Christian, virtuous and guilty? At his door all are seekers and He the sought.

The pathways into Sufic thinking are, it is traditionally said, almost as varied as the number of Sufis in existence.

The totality of life cannot be understood, so runs Sufi teaching, if it is studied only through the methods which we use in everyday living.

Practise your knowledge, for knowledge without practice is a body without life