Shabistari's Secret Rose Garden (1317 A.D.) must be reckoned among the
greatest mystical poetry of any time or land. Treating such themes as
the Self and the One, The Spiritual Journey, Time and this DreamWorld,
and the ecstasy of Divine Inebriation, Shabistari's work is a perennial
witness to the capabilities and destiny of humanity. Stressing the One
Light that exists at the heart of all religious traditions, Shabistari's
work is one of the clearest and most concise guides to the inner meaning
of Sufism, and offers a stunningly direct exposition of Sufi mystical
thought in poetic form:
- I and you are the veil between heaven and earth/ lift this veil and
you will see no longer the bonds of sects and creeds.
- When I and you do not exist, what is mosque, what is synagogue? what
is the Temple of Fire?
An introduction by editor David Fideler discusses Shabistari's work in
terms of its historical setting and the traditions of Persian Sufism,
Shabistari's relationship with the thought of Ibn 'Arabi, and the
significance of Sufism in the contemporary world.