The shrine of Najm al-Din Kubra in Turkmenistan (Photo: Emily O
Since I tend to spend my time researching and publishing on Iran, Russia, and Sufism (among other things), I was excited to see that a Russian translation of “Mirsad al-Ibad” (مرصاد العباد من المبدا الی المعاد), written by the 13th century Persian mystic Najm ad-Din Razi, was just published in Baku, Azerbaijan. This medieval Persian masterpiece, which surveys the philosophical dimensions and spiritual practices of Sufism, is available in English under the title “The Path of God’s Bondsmen: From Origin to Return.”
Each moment I tire anew of my being,
And long anew for union with that beauty.
When the moth of my heart sees the candle of your face,
It disdains both worlds in its madness…
— Najm al-Din Razi
Najm ad-Din Razi belonged to the Kubrawiyya Sufi Order–named after the Sufi sheikh Najm al-Din Kubra (d. 1220). When I was in Turkmenistan doing research on Sufism, I was fortunate to spend time at the shrine of Najm al-Din Kubra–where many Turkmen still go today to pray and ask for a blessing…
