S3 E6: Sufism and Modern Religion

In this episode Shabnum sits down with Unitarian Minister Barbara Merritt, who is working on a collection of poetry from Rumi's Masnavi. She explains the persistence of Sufi poetry in our world and how and why it has survived the test of time. Sufi poetry has transcended organized religions and is widely read and used - the imagery being relatable and the lessons being easy to remember. Rumi is the most widely read poet in America, and Barbara explains why Sufi poetry which originated in the Islamic tradition has since overcome barriers of religion and been adopted by so many across the world. 

Host: Shabnum Gulati 
Guest: Barbara Merritt 
Art: Hanifa Abdul Hameed
Music: AnAkkiN on SoundCloud 

Bibliography from the show: 
Doorkeepers of the Heart, Versions of Rabi’a, Charles Upton , Threshold Books

The Conference of the Birds: Attar, translated by Sholeh  Wolpe, w.w. Norton & Company

The Winged Energy of Delight: Selected Translations, (Poems from Europe, Asia and the Americas), Robert Bly, HarperCollins

Bulleh Shah, J.R. Puri & T. R Shangari, Radha Soami Satsang Beas

The Essential Rumi, Translations by Coleman Barks and John Moyne, HarperSanFrancisco

Mystical Poems of Rumi, Translator, A. J Arberry , University of Chicago Press

Hafez, Translations and Interpretations of the Ghazals, Geoffrey Squires, Miami University Press 

The Poems of Hafez, translations  by Reza Ordoubadian, Ibex Publishers