That’s a great idea, Segovious. And responding to what you started, I have this book called “The People of the Secret” by Ernest Scott that list some important people in the Sufi tradition, including those in your list. So, for starter, I’ll just add some of the names from the books, that are not included in the list:

Jafar Sadiq (considered by Fatimite as the Sixth Imam) 765
Abu Hanifa (the founder of one of 4 Islamic Schools of Law) 765
Daud of Tai (studied under Abu Hanifa) 781
Maaruf Karkhi (student of Daud of Tai) 815
Abu-El Atahiya (left a collection of mystical verses in the era of Caliph Harun arRashid) 826
Abu Ishak Chisti (at Chist in Khorasan founded the Chisti Order. I couldn’t find the exact year, several sources only mention early tenth century)
Ibn Massarah of Cordoba (from him the love theme came into western literature) 931
Al Farabi (known in the west as Alfarabius, forerunner of Avicenna) 950
Ikhwan El Safa (Breathen of Sincerity, a secret group whose object is to make known the whole body of knowledge of the time. Published 22 treatises at Basra in 980)
Ibn Sina the Bokharan (Avicenna, Persian philosopher, physician and scientist) 1037
Solomon ben Gabirol (known as Avicebron, author of The Fount of Life) 1058
Ali El-Hujwiri (author of The Revelation of the Veiled) 1063
El Majriti (astronomer) 1066
El Karmani of Cordoba (student of El Majriti)
Nizami Vizier (founder of the great college of Baghdad where Omar Khayyam was taught. Wrote The Treasury of Mysteries and The Story of Alexander) 1092
Ziyauddin Najib Suhrawardi (follower of Junaid, founder of Suhrawardi Order, teacher and uncle of Shahabudin Suhrawardi) 1167
Abu Bakr Ibn Tufail (Abubacer) 1185
Suhrawardi the Murdered (wrote The Wisdom of Illumination) 1191
Ibn Rusd if Cordoba (Averroes, philosopher, astronomer and physician) 1198
Fariduddin Shakarganj (Father Farid of the Sweet Treasure) 1265
Sayid Khidr Rumi Khapradari (the Cupbearer, associate of Rumi’s father, Shahabudin Suhrawardi, and Shah Madar)
Shah Madar (founder of the Madari Order) not known
Haji Bektash (founder of the Bektashi Order) 1297
Najmuddin Gwath-Ed-Dahar Qalandar (born around 1232)
Mahmud Shabistari (author of The Secret Garden) 1319
Najmuddin Baba ( son or successor of Najmuddin Gwath Ed-Dahar Qalandar) 1338

Of course, we can make the list shorter and focus only on several figures. I just add these names as a reference.

peace,
Matahari
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Thanks Matahari, good suggestions. I have some of those on the list but some are definitely deserving of a place - in fact they all are but it is a question of time and one other thing: the limitations of my own knowledge as I don’t know too much about some of these.

I think Bektash definitely needs to go in and Ibn Massarah is very important as a source of the ‘Illuminism’ doctrine but a lot of research would be needed I think.

Ibn Tufail is fascinating also as a writer and the ‘Bretheren of Sincerity’ might need a separate post of their own.

What do you think of Scott’s book?

I think it would be easier if we start the discussion from your list first. Those figures are definitely more familiar as “classical masters”. I do have a question regarding figures like Malik bin Dinar or Ibrahim ben Adam who though are not “on the list” but they are quite interesting figures imo. (who isn’t? )

>>>What do you think of Scott’s book?>>>

It is a very interesting book. I was introduced very briefly to the idea of these “guardians of our planet” by my teacher more than a decade ago. But Scott explains it in details. The only problem for me is the language barrier, it is too “intellectual” imo, my English is not yet at that level . Honestly, for me Idries Shah’s books are much easier to understand (if not the easiest to understand than any sufi books in English).  Even some books by his students like “Journey with a Sufi Master” (and this is a translation!) and “Among the Dervishes” are easier to “digest” compares to Scott’s book. I plan to read it again tho, more slowly or if I have to, I’ll repeat it several times. Maybe I can understand it completely if I take my time.

peace,
Matahari

I thought I need to add something re: Scott’s book in case you haven’t read it (or for those who are interested but not read it yet). It is not a Sufi book really (at least not a conventional one). Basically, he tried to provide historical facts that our planet is actually “guarded” by special beings who intervene with our evolution. He talks more about the function of this secret community and their relation with other “vehicles” like The Jewish Cabbala, Freemasons, Troubadours, etc, rather than explaining about the “form”. He covers some interesting stuff including the Tarot, Nostrodamus, the Assassins even Kali-Worshipper and their relation with this secret society. Pretty fascinating!

peace,
Matahari

There are some amazing books available on the internet on the subject. Here is one which you may be already aware of.

The Mystics of Islam by RA Nicholson at http://www.khamush.com/books/Mystics_of_Islam.pdf. Don’t know how to incorporate links or emoticons into my postings perhaps you can advise.

Here is another by Ibn’al Arabi on What the Seeker needs translated by James Morris. http://www.sufism.org/society/articles/ibnarabisharseeker.html

Best Wishes

Paul

Thanks for the links, Paul. I read some of Nicholson’s books on Rumi, but haven’t read his Mystics of Islam.

peace,
Matahari

Salaam Alaikum Dear Segovious:
Please try and include Shah Nimatullah Wali on your list. The Nimatullahi Sufi Order and its master, Dr. Javad Nurbakhsh is reknown for hsi many books on Sufism.
Also, as a fellow traveler on the Sufi path, may I commend to you my book Master of the Jinn: A Sufi Novel, a mystical adventure tale on the Sufi path of Love. Alhamdulillah, it has been translated and published in Russia, and will soon, inshallah, be translated and published in Turkey and in Indonesia (into Bahasa, the national language).
You can view the book and read an excerpt at http://www.masterofthejinn.com
Please forward this email to anyone you think may be interested.
In the Name of the Most Merciful, 10% of all profits go to charity.

Ya Haqq,

Irving

Ibrahim Dusuki.
Shams at-Tabrisi
Ahmed Bedawi
Ahmed ar Rifai
Ahmed Murad Chisti
Nureddin Jerrahi

hi, all. i like the site.

i would recommend an important later sufi teacher (not mentioned so far) from the 17th century, of the Naqshbandi order, named Shah Waliullah of Delhi, whose work “The Sacred Knowledge of the Higher Functions of the Mind” provides some insights into sufi “psychology” and whose “Sufism and the Islamic Tradition” (english published title) provides some complex philosophical exposition of the workings of the Hidden Realities. The former work is more readible than the latter, and builds on the work of al-Junaid. You can get both from Octagon Press.

for me, the second Waliullah book i mentioned ties in with the People of the Secret, because ultimately they’re both trying to convey the impression of , as i said, the workings of this Hidden Reality and its influence on our ordinary reality, but whereas Waliullah uses philosophical and islamic tradition, Scott uses a method of contemporary historical speculation. Like all Sufi books supposedly have, these books seem to have multiple functions.

Yes, he should be in there - will get on it and hopefully get back on track with some posting too. Life has intervened.