Inspirational Quotes by Idries Shah (Indian-born Sufi Author)

Idries Shah (1924–96,) also Idris Shah, né Sayed Idries el-Hashimi, pen name Arkon Daraul, was an Indian-born Afghani Oriental scholar and novelist in the Sūfī tradition. He was a prolific collector of Sūfī stories, particularly his collections of humorous Mulla Nasrudin stories.

Born to a family of Afghan nobles in Shimla, India, Shah grew up mainly in England. His early writings centered on magic and witchcraft. In 1960, he established a publishing house to produce translations of Sūfī classics and titles of his own. In 1966, he became Director of Studies at the Institute for Cultural Research, London.

Shah wrote over three dozen books on topics ranging from psychology and spirituality to travelogues and culture studies. Shah portrayed Sūfīsm as a universal form of wisdom that predated Islam. Using the Western psychological terms as the framework to elucidate Sūfīsm, Shah made extensive use of traditional teaching stories and parables. His many works introduced Islamic philosophy and Sūfī thought to the West—they include The Sūfīs (1964,) The Tales of the Dervishes (1967,) Caravan of Dreams (1968,) The Way of the Sūfī (1968,) and Learning How to Live (1978.)

Shah’s works include Oriental Magic (1956,) Destination Mecca (1957,) Wisdom of the Idiots (1969,) Thinkers of the East: Studies in Experientialism (1971,) The Elephant in the Dark—Christianity, Islam and the Sūfīs (1974,) The Hundred Tales of Wisdom (1978,) and The Commanding Self (1994.) Shah’s collections of Mulla Nasrudin stories include The Pleasantries of the Incredible Mulla Nasrudin (1968) and The World of Nasrudin (2003.)

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