Holistic Islam

"Sufism has long been the kernel of Islamic truth and the embodiment of its wisdom. Kabir Helminski's Holistic Islam is a sagacious and indeed perspicacious walk through the heart and soul of Islam. It is an essential source for anyone who is interested in Sufism or in the moral impulse that motivated great sages like Rumi and Hafiz. Perhaps, more importantly, I think this book is a must-read for anyone who wants to understand the real Islamic faith. -Dr. Khalid Abou El Fadl, Distinguished Professor of Islamic Law at the UCLA Law School, and author of The Great Theft: Wrestling Islam from the Extremists Kabir Helminski has written an important and redolent book that deserves to be read and reread. His book, re-balances the understanding of Islam, away from the political and theological, and to-wards the realm of the spiritual and the ethical. For Islam above all is a way and a discipline that seeks to encounter the ever-present traces of the divine in the world. Helminski evokes the beauty and solace that countless millions in history have witnessed and experienced in Islam, and continue to do so to this very day. Holistic Islam is not only about Sufism. It is about a profoundly spiritual religion that continues to be a touchstone for those seeking an authentic path of inner awareness and outer harmony. -Ali Allawi, author of The Crisis of Islamic Civilization (Economist ""Best Book of the Year""), and former Minister of Finance and Minister of Defense, Iraqi Transition Government In this age when we see strife everywhere around us, it is no surprise that the spiritual and mystical dimension of Islam offers us a return to wholeness and unity. Kabir Helminski's Holistic Islam reminds us that tawhid (0neness) is not only about the oneness of God, but, fundamentally, the means whereby we as human beings become whole, striving for a holistic path towards the One. -Omid Safi, Director, Duke Islamic Studies Center, author of Memories of Muhammad Like Judaism, Christianity and every other religion, Islam has a variety of different stands and interpretations, some extremely repressive, others deeply enlightened. In the midst of an historical period of growing Islamophobia, Kabir Helminski's presentation of the Sufi version of Islam, much like Christian and Jewish liberation theologies, opens us to the creativity, beauty, and spiritual wisdom of this tradition. Helminski himself is a spiritual master of great depth, and anyone reading Holistic Islam will inevitably find in it wellsprings of inspiration and have new insights about why 1.5 billion people on our planet are attracted to Islam. -Rabbi Michael Lerner, editor of Tikkun Magazine and author of the national bestsellers Jewish Renewal: A Path to Healing and Transformation and The Left Hand of God: Taking Back our Country from the Religious Right Holistic Islam awakens readers to the realization that moral and spiritual perfection should be the primary goal of every Muslim. Normative models associated with formal religious practice-such as those embedded in classical Islamic law-should not be absolutized nor allowed to harden into dogma. In this book, Shaykh Kabir convincingly demonstrates how Islam may be practiced in a holistic manner, and thus help to bring about a world in which Islam, and Muslims, are truly beneficent and contribute to the well-being of all humanity. -Kyai Haji Yayha Cholil Staquf, General Secretary, Supreme Council of Nahdlatul Ulama (50 million members)"