Publisher's Synopsis
AL-MUQADDASI: LIFE & POEMS Translation & Introduction by Paul Smith There is little to say about the author of these allegories as very little is known about him. His real name is unknown because Azz-eddin is a nickname and al-Muqaddasi means of Jerusalem, in that Azz-eddin was native of that town or territory, or sometime lived there. It is said that Azz-eddin was an Imam (religious leader) and he was erudite and eloquent in Arabic and he imitated the style of Ibn al-Giouzi (historian) and listened to him with much pleasure. It is said that he perished one day near the Kaaba, in the presence of a crowd of the great and learned and he fulfilled his obligation of pilgrimage perfectly and many took an exact copy of his speech, and his death was on Wednesday February the 12th, 1280, caused by a fall from a high place in Mecca. Al-Muqaddasi is also known for other highly respected works that are all Sufi but have not come down to us. It is obvious he was influenced by 'The Conference of the Birds' by 'Attar who died about 60 years before he did. These short poems (qita's) translated in the correct form for the first time, coming after the speech in prose of the flower, bird, nature, herb, animal or insect appear as a continuation. 120 pages Introduction to Sufi Poets Series AATISH, ASHGAR, AHMED YESEVI, 'AISHAH Al-BA'UNIYAH, AMIR KHUSRAU, ANSARI, ANVARI, AL-MA'ARRI, 'ARIFI, 'ATTAR, ABU SA'ID, AUHAD UD-DIN, BABA FARID, BABA AZFAL, BABA TAHIR, BEDAR, BEDIL, BULLEH SHAH, DARA SHIKOH, DARD, FAIZI, GHALIB, GHANI KASHMIRI, HAFIZ, HALI, HASAN DEHLAVI, HATEF, HUMA, IBN 'ARABI, IBN YAMIN, IBN AL-FARID, IQBAL, INAYAT KHAN, 'IRAQI, JAHAN KHATUN, JAMI, JIGAR, KAMAL AD-DIN, KABIR, KHAQANI, KHAYYAM, LALLA DED, MAHSATI, MAKHFI, MANSUR HALLAJ, MIR, MOMIN, MU'IN UD-DIN CHISHTI, NAZIR, NESIMI, NIZAMI, NUND RISHI, OBEYD ZAKANI, PAUL, QUTUB SHAH, RABI'A, RAHIM, RAHMAN BABA, RUMI, SADI, SA'IB, SANA'I, SARMAD, SAUDA, SEEMAB, SHABISTARI, SHAH LATIF, SHAH NI'MAT'ULLAH, SHEFTA, SULTAN BAHU, URFI, WALI, YUNUS EMRE, ZAFAR, ZAUQ, EARLY ARABIC, PERSIAN, URDU, TURKISH, AFGHAN SUFI POETS. 90-120 pages Paul Smith (b. 1945) is a poet, author and translator of many books of Sufi poets from the Persian, Arabic, Urdu, Turkish, Pashtu and other languages including Hafiz, Sadi, Nizami, Rumi, 'Attar, Sana'i, Jahan Khatun, Obeyd Zakani, Mu'in, Amir Khusrau, Nesimi, Kabir, Anvari, Ansari, Jami, Khayyam, Rudaki, Lalla Ded, Mahsati and others, and his own poetry, fiction, biographies, plays, children's books and screenplays. amazon.com/author/smithpa
