This is the second volume of a 16-volume work by Dr. Javad Nurbakhsh. The sufis have developed a wonderful variety of metaphors, drawn from worldly experience and figurative love, to inspire others of sensitive heart to recognize the subtler landscape of the love of God. These metaphors comprise a rich symbolism that points us towards the hidden Reality and speaks of god's attributes and the inner life of his lovers. This volume explains those terms used by the sufis to describe love, the lover, the Beloved, and much more.
In sufi terminology, ‘seeking’ connotes the pain and attraction which cause the novice wayfarer to set out in quest of the Divine Reality (haqiqat). As such, it is a feature of the early stages of the sufi path (sair-o soluk).
In his Manteg at-tair (The Conference of the Birds), ‘Attar designates ‘seeking’ as the ‘first valley’ to be crossed in the traversal of the sufi path.
I'll not give up seeking until I gain fulfillment,
Till the soul reaches the Beloved or simply leaves the body.-Hafez
Sufi Symbolism I
Sufi Symbolism III
Sufi Symbolism IV
Sufi Symbolism IX
Sufi Symbolism V
Sufi Symbolism VI
