The Root and the Blossom

Verses from a Sufi

Khalila Shahin

Published: 27 July 2017

Format: Paperback

Edition: 1st

Extent: 172 pp.

ISBN: 9781941634820

RRP: £9.99

Born in 1884, Khalila Shahin was a pillar of the spiritual community in the Levant. A Sufi mystic, she and her teachings were venerated across the region, from Aleppo to Konya and Istanbul. Shahin was also a gifted poet, who wrote deeply philosophical verse in accordance with Arabic literary traditions. She was never published in the West, but her poetry was immensely popular in Syria and the wider Middle East. She was the matriarch of a large family, whose members are now spread all over the world and continue to promote her peaceful message of love and understanding.

This volume collects some of Shahin's greatest unpublished mystical poetry, and is the first English translation of her work.