The Book of Certainty: The Sufi Doctrine of Faith, Vision and Gnosis (Islamic Texts Society)

This is another great book by Martin Lings AKA Abu Bakar Siraj ad-Din. It deals with the complex issue of certainty and what it means. Not an easy book to understand for a novice who do not have the understandings of Sufism or its metaphysical and philosophical approach to God and its creations. Its a great companion book to understand writings of other older Sufis like Ibn' Arabi. If you do not understand it in one go, take time. This is not a book to be read on the fly, its size is deceptive. If you are a novice in this field then read it slowly, think, and let it percolate.

Extraordinary.

I review this work with some trepidation. "Martin Lings" and "Abu Bakr Siraj Ad-Din" are the same person, incidentally; Lings embraced Islam and wrote this book in Egypt, where, he indicates, it has been translated into Arabic.My impression can be summed up succinctly. To date, I have not encountered any other original work in a Western language that incorporates and reveals so much directly transmitted Sufi lore - not Guenon, not Henry Corbin, not Frithjof Schuon - and this despite the fact that this is a little book, less than 100 pages. I was a surprised to find such material in print, and I wonder if it should have been written at all, due to the possibility of misinterpretation.But then, I am not qualified to pass judgment on such matters. The book requires multiple re-readings to obtain all that it has to offer - then set it aside, and read it again in a couple of months. In this unenlightened age, it is a treasure.

Being neither Muslim nor Sufi, some of this is a very "dense" read. But having some background in both, I find the imagery and metaphors fascinating. I find myself drawing the cosmology discussed so that I can get a picture in my head. I do think the translation and explanations are good...but this is new esoteric territory for me. Each chapter is a few pages and that is about all I can manage at one sitting (which is OK too).

A book which has to be read by every one Gold. This books helped me in the enlighten my search for guidance

Excellent reading with great insight for every human being