Mystical tradition or approach to God is present in all religions, especially Judeo-Christian-Islamic religions. The Jewish kabbalists, Christian Gnostics, and Muslim Sufis are well known to the people. Sufis, especially, encompass the idea that God can only be known through love. Indeed, approaching Him, knowing Him, and the act of immersion and immanence all involve love according to Sufi doctrine. A typical Sufi disciple practices these stages through an accomplished master who symbolically embodies all that is God and His manifestations. The mystical language of the Sufis is thus full of symbolic manifestations and its consequent pitfalls, in itself a very difficult journey. It is pitched in the renouncement of this world with an orientation toward God, the journey by stages, while it imbues one with the eternal love of God and teaches him or her the love of His creation. Sufis are thus the most benevolent creatures of God, the most docile, and the most loving; indeed, they are lovers by profession in its purest sense. This anthology, though probably already reeking of the specialized language, reflects my journey toward God, toward loving Him, and in that process, loving my fellow human beings and loving His creation.
