The Book of Sufi Healing

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To the Sufis, the healing of the sick is considered to be the most important of all services to humanity. For the first time in the West, the author presents the secret principles and practices of this divine science, based on the 800-year tradition of the Chishti Order. Among the many topics covered are dietary recommendations of the Prophet, the preparation of herbal formulas, healing with essential oils, ill-nesses arising at the various stages of the soul's evolution, fasting and prayer, talismans, and the "infallible remedy."

Central to the doctrine of Sufi healing are the connections between health, the heart, wholeness, and holiness. The Book of Sufi Healing, written by the shaykh of the American order of Chishtis, unlocks the origin of miracles through which the Sufis gain access to God's attributes and reflect them in their healing ministry. Shaykh Moinuddin is the author of many books on various aspects of natural medicine and is a former Fulbright research scholar, having compiled the first English translation of several classic Persian texts on healing. He received training in ta'widh (the science of utilizing Qur'anic verses in healing) and the authority to transmit it under Hajji Sheikh-ul-Islam Nimatullah Shahrani, director of shari'at law of Afghanistan. He also studied with Pir Syed Daud Iqbali, the leader of the Naqshabandi Sufis of the Near East. A member of the Islamic Medical Association, he has addressed international symposiums on Sufism and healing at the invitation of the government of Afghani-stan, and Pakistan and India.

Shaykh Moinuddin was recently named the Khalifat, or successor, to Syed Safdar All Shah Chishti, Grand Shaykh of the Chishtiyyah Order in the Near East.

Not even the highest degree of dedication to worship may earn anybody the claim of divine forgiveness or recompense in any other form, yet there is one thing that everybody should make sure of, which shall not go un-requited under any circumstance by Allah the Almighty, and that is the selfless service to the ailing humanity. There is no other human act more favorably acceptable to Allah than helping the sick and the suffering creatures of His. That is what Shaykh Hakim Abu Abdullah Moinuddin Chishti has endeavored to do in presenting this Book of Sufi Healing.

The subject being a difficult and rare one, there are not very many books in this branch of knowledge. Nevertheless it is most heartening to note that the author has taken great pains in bringing out this commendable work by dint of his unshakable trust in Allah and unswerving will to serve the humanity. He displays ample evidence of his vast knowledge in fields of multifarious kinds-theology, mysticism, Islamic Sufism, medicine, hygiene, astronomy, and modern sciences. One wonders at the depth and insight of his knowledge, essentially the result of intensive as well as extensive study in subjects of diverse nature. He takes up different subjects separately and then correlates and coordinates them to converge on a central point, namely health, be it physical and mental health or purification of the soul. This he has done most logically and methodically. What part do vial, fasting, tacwidh, or recitation of the Holy Qur'an or dhikr of Allah the Almighty in any other form play in physical and mental health or purification of one's nafs? The answer is not very far to seek.

The author has also endeavored to dispel doubts and misgivings about Islamic Sufism, a most misunderstood subject in the West. It is a tremendous effort on the part of the author to vindicate the cause of Islam and Sufism. The presentation of additional information in the shape of illustrations, list of herbs with their characteristics and ailments with their treatment, glos-sary of mystical terms, Qur'anic verses aptly quoted, basic information about Ica, fasting, dhikr, and so on, has made the book still more beneficial for the ordinary reader. Indeed, The Book of Sufi Healing is a blessing for the English-reading world population in general and fellow American and Muslim brethren of the author in particular. In creating such a fine book, the author has rendered a great service to the cause of Islam in the sense that, as Islam is the most natural faith, adherence to its tenets and principles is the only course leading toward human perfection and establishing the rule of Allah the Almighty on this earth. For Sufism in its purest form is nothing else but Islam and Islam only.

I wish the author still more courage and determination to serve the cause of Islam and betterment of the ailing humanity.

**Contents and Sample Pages**