The Tawasin of Mansur al-Hallaj: A Mystical Sufi Treatise Interpreted in Poetry (Voices of World Religions)

Traditional cultures in many parts of the world have displayed a profound appreciation for the unity of all human spirit in its quest for knowledge of the Divine. Here a medieval Muslim mystic records his living meditation; Rumi wrote three centuries later on Al-Hallaj's words, ‘I am God,': “People imagine that it is a presumptive claim, whereas I find it is really a presumptive claim to say ‘I am the slave of God'; for, ‘I am God' is an expression of great humility. The man who says ‘I am the slave of God' affirms two existences, his own and God's; but he that says, ‘I am God,' has made himself non-existent and has given himself up, and says ‘I am God,' that is, ‘I am naught, He is all; there is no being but God's.' This is the extreme of humility and self-abasement.”�

Jabez L. Van Cleef takes foundational texts from many oral traditions and religions and creates a common poetic format to preserve, promote and disseminate the values of these cultures.