Idries Shah
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Idries Shah (16 June, 1924–23 November, 1996), also known as Idris Shah, né Sayyid Idris al-Hashimi, was an author in the sufist tradition. Idries Shah has been described as "the most significant worker adapting classical spiritual thought to the modern world". Shah's books have sold over 15 million copies in 12 languages worldwide (see (his books)).
They have been reviewed by The New York Times, The New Yorker, The Times (see for example, Doris Lessing's review), The Tribune, The Daily Telegraph and numerous other international journals and newspapers.
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Life
Idries Shah was born in Simla, India, of an Afghan-Indian father and Scottish mother into the family of the Paghman saadat. Shah's early years were mainly spent in England (London and Oxford), but his upbringing bridged East and West. He was educated, as his father before him, by private tutors in Europe and the Middle East, and through wide-ranging travel—the series of journeys, in fact, that characterise Sufi education and development. In keeping with Sufi tradition, his life was essentially one of service. His friends and associates included soldiers, scientists, artists, writers, thinkers, businessmen; the high-achieving, the famous and the royal.
Shah married Cynthia (Kashfi) Kabraji in 1958, and fathered one son Tahir Shah and two daughters. One of the daughters, Saira Shah reported on women's rights in Afghanistan with her documentary Beneath the Veil. Shah's brother, Omar Ali-Shah, was also a writer and teacher of Sufism.
Works
Idries Shah's writings greatly extended the western knowledge of the sufi teachings.(see:Sufi studies) He had profound influence on several intellectuals, notably Doris Lessing. His definition of Sufism was liberal in that he was of the opinion that it predated Islam and did not depend on the Qur'an, but was universal in source, scope and relevance. He maintained that spiritual teachings should be presented in forms and terms that are familiar in the community where they are to take root. He believed that students should be given work based on their individual capacities, and rejected systems that apply the same exercises to all. In his own work he used teaching stories and humor to great effect.
Shah's knowledge and activities took place in so many different areas of specialisation and in so many countries, that friends and sometimes even family were aware of what he was doing purely on a 'need to know' basis.
Idries Shah started Octagon Press ([1]) as a means of publishing and distributing Sufi books that might otherwise have gone out of print. His desire was to have these always available to each generation. The books range from traditional Sufi manuals, to contemporary books. However, the first Octagon title (1960) was Gerald Gardner: Witch, the biography of a leading figure in the British witchcraft revival of the 1950s. Attributed to "Jack L. Bracelin", it has long been known as a pseudonymous work by Idries Shah, whose early and longstanding involvement with occultism tended to be glossed over by his supporters (see F. Lamond, Fifty Years of Wicca, 2004). For instance, his collection of grimoires entitled The Secret Lore of Magic: Book of the Sorcerers (London 1957) has not been kept in print by his publishing house. [[2]] Also included are several books with the Mulla Nasrudin character. These humorous teaching stories form a core part of self examination, so necessary to improvement on the Path.
He also started the Institute for Cultural Research ([3]), currently based in London, which hosts lectures and seminars on topics related to aspects of human nature. The Institute does not offer a religious approach. It is based more on psychology, and incorporates 'traditional psychology'. It leaves the issue of religion and God up to the aspirant.
His best-selling novel (see Kara Kush), was based on fact, incorporating his first-hand knowledge of the courage of the Afghan people, and the atrocities inflicted upon them. About a year after his last visit to Afghanistan in late spring of 1987, Shah suffered two successive and massive heart attacks. He died in London at the age of 72.
According to the obituary written by his supporters, Idries Shah was a founding member of the Club of Rome, the founder of Octagon Press, a collaborator with Mujahuddin in the Afghan-Soviet war, a Director of Studies for the Institute for Cultural Research and a Governor of the Royal Humane Society and the Royal Hospital and Home for Incurables, among other accomplishments. A longstanding student of Shah, and his brother Omar Ali-Shah, has since indicated that Shah's Club of Rome 'founder member' status was spurious, and he was soon asked to resign because of non-attendance (A. Hayter, Fictions and Factions, Paris 2002).
See also
Partial bibliography
- Sufism:
- Philosophy:
- Knowing How to Know ISBN 0863040721
- The Commanding Self ISBN 0863040667
- Learning How to Learn - Psychology and Spirituality in the Sufi Way ISBN 0900860596
- The Elephant in the Dark - Christianity, Islam and The Sufis ISBN 0900860367
- Thinkers of the East - Studies in Experientialism ISBN 0900860464
- Reflections ISBN 0900860073
- A Veiled Gazelle - Seeing How to See ISBN 0900860588
- Seeker After Truth - A Handbook ISBN 090086091X
- Collections of Mulla Nasrudin Stories:
- The Exploits of the Incomparable Mulla Nasrudin
- The Subtleties of the Inimitable Mulla Nasrudin
- The Pleasantries of the Incredible Mullah Nasrudin
- The World of Nasrudin
- Fiction:
- Kara Kush
- Children's Literature:
- World Tales
- The Man With Bad Manners
- The Old Woman and The Eagle
- The Boy Without A Name
- The Lion Who Saw Himself in the Water
- Neem the Half-Boy
- The Farmer’s Wife
- The Silly Chicken
- The Magic Horse
Shah admitted that he wrote under pseudonyms, although he did not reveal the details of the works published, stating that that would defeat the purpose of using a pseudonym. Some books which have been suggested as coming from Shah's pen are:
- Secret Societies: A History by Arkon Daraul
- The Teachers of Gurdjieff by Rafael Lefort
- Journeys With a Sufi Master by Bashir M. Dervish
- Among the Dervishes by O.M. Burke
External links
- Complete list of books by Idries Shah
- Doris Lessing on Idries Shah
- James Moore's attack on Idries Shah
- Sufism and Sufi Orders
- Articles by Idries Shah
- Islamic sufi criticism of Gnostic and Fourth Way (including Shah) interpretations of Sufism
- Exegesis on Idries Shah by member of Blaketashi Sufi group
- List of works by Idries Shah or with his participationde:Idries Shah