About The Book
Dr.Lings answers various questions posed to him relating to his life, Islam, Sufism, Religion, and Spirituality.
This final work of the greatly revered Martin Lings opens with an insightful autobiographical account of his own interior journey, the finding of a spiritual master, and the conclusions he ultimately reached regarding inner life and Islam.
The 96-year-old author, a respected British scholar, recounts the lessons learned from his life as a practicing Sufi, including the answers to profound questions such as:
- How did I come to put First Things First?
- What is the Spiritual Significance of Tears and Laughter?
- What is the Spiritual Significance of Civilization?
- What is the Qur'anic Doctrine of the Afterlife and How is it related to Sufism? and
- Why "With All Thy Mind"?
Prior to the publication of this volume, its distinguished author, Martin Lings, did in fact "return to the Spirit" on May 12th, 2005. This has occasioned the addition to this work of an "In Memoriam" appendix.
Readers will be treated to tributes that have arrived from the world overwritten by those who simply read and loved his work to those who knew him personally, some of whom were under his spiritual direction. These diverse accounts of this extraordinary man round out a profound image of his person. The book also includes a selection of previously unpublished photographs taken throughout his life.
About The Author
Martin Lings (1909–2005), also known as Abu Bakr Siraj ad-Din, was an English writer, a student of Frithjof Schuon and a renowned British Shakespearean scholar, with degrees in English and Arabic from London University and Oxford University. At Oxford, he studied English under C. S. Lewis, who later became a close friend.
He teaches at several European universities and the University of Cairo and served as the keeper of Oriental manuscripts for the British Museum and the British Library. His friendship and similar beliefs with philosophers René Guénon and Frithjof Schuon inspired Lings to convert to Islam.
He went on to become an influential member of Western Muslim society, participating in several international Islamic councils and conferences, including acting as consultant to the World of Islam Festival Trust. He is the author of twelve books on religion and spirituality.
