''Wisdom of the Idiots'' is a book of

Sufi Sufism ( ar, ''aṣ-ṣūfiyya''), also known as Tasawwuf ( ''at-taṣawwuf''), is a mystic body of religious practice, found mainly within Sunni Islam but also within Shia Islam, which is characterized by a focus on Islamic spirituality, ...

teaching stories A teaching story is a narrative that has been deliberately created as a vehicle for the transmission of wisdom. The practice has been used in a number of religious and other traditions, though writer Idries Shah's use of it was in the context of Suf ...

by the writer

Idries Shah Idries Shah (; hi, इदरीस शाह, ps, ادريس شاه, ur, ; 16 June 1924 – 23 November 1996), also known as Idris Shah, né Sayed Idries el- Hashimi (Arabic: سيد إدريس هاشمي) and by the pen name Arko ...

first published by the

Octagon Press Octagon Press was a cross-cultural publishing house based in London, UK. It was founded in 1960 by Sufism, Sufi teacher, Idries Shah to establish the historical and cultural context for his ideas. The company ceased trading in 2014. Description ...

in 1969. A paperback edition was published in 1991. ISF Publishing, sponsored by

The Idries Shah Foundation The Idries Shah Foundation (ISF) is an independent educational and Culture, cultural Charitable organization, charity, set up by the family of the late thinker, writer, and teacher in the Sufism, Sufi mysticism, mystical tradition, Idries Shah, w ...

, published a paperback edition on 2015, followed by the ebook version and audiobook.

Content

''Wisdom of the Idiots'' is a book of Sufi

designed to influence the reader using traditional

Sufi psychology There are three central ideas in Sufi Islamic psychology, which are the Nafs (self, ego or psyche), the Qalb (heart) and the Ruh (spirit). The origin and basis of these terms is Qur'anic and they have been expounded upon by centuries of Sufic co ...

. Many stories are reminiscences of encounters with Sufis of long ago but experiences highlighted are valuable even from today's perspective. The carefully selected stories contain several levels of meaning and work like psychological mirrors in which the reader may see himself and Reality reflected, and come to understand these better. 'In Idries Shah's ''Wisdom of the Idiots'', the 'idiots' are Sufis, called this because their wisdom penetrates to a depth which renders it inaccessible to the merely intelligent or academically-knowledgeable.' Shortly before he died, Shah stated that his books form a complete course that could fulfill the function he had fulfilled while alive. As such, ''Wisdom of the Idiots'' can be read as part of a whole course of study.

Reception

As part of the corpus of teaching stories/traditional psychology, ''Wisdom of the Idiots'' has grabbed the attention of modern researchers into psychology. Various techniques that modern science has claimed for itself are clearly present in materials provided centuries before. The psychologist

Robert Ornstein Robert Evan Ornstein (August 21, 1942 – December 20, 2018) The web page gives the birth year as 1942. was an American psychologist, researcher and author. He taught at the Langley Porter Neuropsychiatric Institute, based at the University of ...

has researched the psychological nature of human mind and brain and their relationship to thought, realised potential, and the applicability of traditional techniques for today's applications.

Arthur Deikman Arthur J. Deikman (September 27, 1929 – September 2, 2013) was a clinical professor of psychiatry at the University of California, San Francisco, and a member of the editorial board of the ''Journal of Humanistic Psychology'' and Human Givens. ...

, a clinical professor of psychiatry and pioneer investigator of mystical states from scientific point of view, studied under Shah and wrote extensively on functional approaches to mysticism. M.Y. Shawarbi, an authority on Islamic culture, scientist and author, says of this book "In comparative religion and metaphysics, the release of over five hundred "teaching stories" in ''Tales of the Dervishes'', and ''Wisdom of the Idiots'', and several other books was recognized in religious and philosophical journals as elucidating a hitherto very imperfectly known system of teaching." Wealth, volume and entertainment factor of these stories have spurred establishment of many organizations and colleges of story tellers. ''Wisdom of the Idiots'' has been awarded many prizes, including two gold medals, one for being 'Best Book', in conjunction with UNESCO's World Book Year.

References

External links

Official Idries Shah Foundation website

Online Book and Audiobook on the ISF Official Website

Pat Williams webpage
{{DEFAULTSORT:Wisdom Of The Idiots Sufi literature Sufi psychology Spirituality Books by Idries Shah 1969 books