Solomon's Ring Book

	Acknowledgments
	Translator's Introduction
	About Sufism
	Translator's Note
	Introduction	1
Pt. 1	Stories
1	The Gift of the Mirror	11
2	Moses and the Lizard	12
3	Emperor Jehangir and the Majzub	13
4	The Four Travellers	15
5	The Dream of the Raja	19
6	Jesus and the Power to Raise the Dead	21
7	Satan's Plea of Innocence	22
8	Negation and Affirmation	24
9	The Snake-charmer	25
10	The King and the Four Thieves	26
11	Kabir's Connection and Disconnection	28
12	The Prophet's Dialogue with Gabriel	29
13	Imam Husayn's Dialogue with Ali	30
14	Noah and Satan	32
15	Something in Between	33
16	The Story of Hallaj	34
17	Sultan Mahumud and the Hindu Boy	35
18	Sadness at the Prospect of Death	38
19	Solomon's Ring	39
20	Caliph Harun Rashid	40
21	Moses on Sinai	41
22	Two Empty Pots	43
23	The Pharaoh and the Vial	45
24	Moses and the Leper	46
25	Shaikh Chilli	47
26	Nadir Shah Plunders Delhi	49
27	Sultan Mahumud and the Fishing Boy	51
28	Shibli Pardons the Criminal Every Time	53
29	The Python and the Faqir	55
30	The Prince in Rampur	57
31	Unveiling the Dead	59
32	The Alchemist in Rampur	60
33	The Muslim Village	62
34	The Letter from the Hakim	64
35	The Call of the Partridge	66
36	The Qalander Stays in a Mosque	67
37	Three Degrees of Certitude	68
38	Shibli Revives the Carpet Tiger	69
39	Masters, Paths and States	71
40	The Power of the Divine Attributes	72
41	The Power of Analogy	73
42	So Many Have Gone into that Fog	76
43	Imitating the Tiger	78
44	The Man Sleeping in the Mosque	80
45	The Faqir Asks for a Drink	81
46	The Imam Falls in Love	82
47	The Washerwoman's Son	84
48	The Nobleman of Lucknow	86
49	Laila Majnun	88
50	Sultan Mahumud and his Precious Cup	90
51	The Faqir and the Cap of Initiation	91
52	Insisting the Thief Be Initiated	92
53	The Soldier Serves an Old Man	94
54	The Jeweller Bequeaths Two Gems	96
55	Initiation by a Prostitute	98
56	Kabir and the Burglar	101
57	He was Asked to Go to a Prostitute	102
58	A Disciple's Dream	103
59	Kabir Sends his Wife to the Grocer	104
60	The Majzub who was Fond of Kebabs	106
61	Bayazid's Open House	108
62	The Woman Hears a Faqir's Call in the Night	110
63	Luqman and his Son	112
64	Halting under a Tree	116
65	The Man who Said the Qalander was Empty	118
66	Junaid and the Wrestler	119
67	How Alchemy was Taught	121
68	The Hidden Hierarchy	122
69	To Hear the Voice of the Unseen	125
70	Now You are a Faqir	127
71	Ghauth Ali Shah and his Mother	129
72	Abdul Haqq and the Faqir	131
73	About Tawhid	134
74	Ask What You Will	136
75	Self-consciousness	138
76	True Poverty	140
Pt. 2	Discourses
1	Reflections on Divine Unity	145
2	Discourse of Mahapursh Sanyas Mata	155
3	Guidance through Hospitality and Compassion	161
Pt. 3	Life and Times of Ghauth Ali Shah
1	Family and Spiritual Genealogy	175
2	Early Experiences and Subsequent Travels	178
3	Encounters with Hindu Sages	185
4	Encounter with Gul Hasan	194
5	Intimations of the End	204
	Epilogue: The Writer's Farewell to his Pen	209
	Reference in Original Text	211
	Glossary	214