Public-domain collection
Library — classic Sufi books in English
A curated shelf of classical Sufi literature and related older scholarship in public-domain editions. Prefer scanned or HTML texts where the translator and year are clear. This catalogue expands the starter shelf from Home v1 — the five original starter books remain included below.
How books are chosen
- Public domain: English translations (and some Arabic/Persian editions) published before 1930, or marked Public domain in the USA on Project Gutenberg / Internet Archive / Wikisource / Sacred Texts.
- Classic authors: works long recognised in the Sufi tradition — not modern self-help pastiches or pirated copyrighted translations.
- Readable editions: title-page translator and year checked; alternate duplicate scans removed.
- Site standards: mainstream, law-abiding spiritual reading. We do not feature works whose primary theme is magic/amulets, shrine polemics, or politics.
Browse by section
Rumi & Persian poets · Al-Ghazali · Early masters & manuals · Biographies of the saints · Jami & later classics · Studies & anthologies (older scholarship) · Arabic & Persian originals
89 titles after verification, each checked for public-domain status and a working free link.
Rumi & Persian poets
39 verified public-domain titles.
The Mesnevi (Book the First) with Anecdotes from Aflaki
Victorian verse translation of the first book of Rumi's Mesnevi, with selections from Aflaki's lives of the Mevlevi circle.
Gulshan-i Raz: The Mystic Rose Garden
Shabistari's concise Persian poem answering metaphysical questions on unity, the path, and mystical knowledge, with Lahiji commentary notes.
The Bustan of Sadi
English version of Saadi's Orchard: didactic verse on justice, beneficence, love, humility, and contentment with Sufi moral colour.
Poems from the Divan of Hafiz
Selected ghazals of Hafiz in Bell's lyrical English, with a substantial introduction on the poet and Sufi interpretation of the Divan.
The Sufistic Quatrains of Omar Khayyam
Parallel FitzGerald, Whinfield, and Nicolas readings of the Rubaiyat presented with Sufi commentary and comparative notes.
The Persian Mystics: Jalalu'd-din Rumi
Introductory life of Rumi with selected English renderings from the Divani Shams and the Masnavi for general readers.
The Festival of Spring from the Divan of Jelaleddin
English gazels from Rumi's Divan, after Rueckert, celebrating divine love and spring as symbols of spiritual awakening.
The Gulistan or Rose Garden
Saadi's Rose Garden of prose and verse tales on kings, dervishes, contentment, silence, love, and rules of conduct.
The Gulistan (Rose-Garden) of Shaikh Sa'di of Shiraz
Scholarly mid-Victorian prose-and-verse translation of the Gulistan with preface and life of Saadi.
The Awakening of the Soul
Philosophical-spiritual romance of Hayy ibn Yaqzan: solitary discovery of God through reason and contemplation.
Selected Poems from the Divani Shamsi Tabriz
Persian text with English translation of selected ghazals from Rumi's Divan-i Shams-i Tabrizi, foundational Sufi lyric poetry.
The Secret Rose Garden
Poetic English rendering of Shabistari's Gulshan-i Raz on the garden of mystical knowledge and divine unity.
The Divan of Hafiz, Volume I
Full prose English Divan of Hafiz with notes often clarifying ethical and Sufi readings of the ghazals.
The Divan of Hafiz, Volume II
Second volume completing Clarke's English Divan of Hafiz for study of the complete lyrical corpus.
Sadi's Scroll of Wisdom
Short ethical poem attributed to Saadi: counsel on virtue, justice, humility, and wise living.
The Enclosed Garden of the Truth (Hadiqat al-Haqiqa), Book I
First book of Sana'i's pioneering Sufi mathnawi on truth, ethics, knowledge, and spiritual discipline.
Bird Parliament
Verse abridgment of Attar's Conference of the Birds (FitzGerald, Literary Remains, 1889): the birds seek the Simurgh as the soul seeks God.
Quatrains of Omar Khayyam
Scholarly English quatrains with Persian text, long read for contemplative and Sufistic meanings.
The Diwan of Zeb-un-Nissa
Fifty ghazals of the Mughal princess-poet on divine love, humility, and renunciation.
Counsels of Attar
Early English rendering of Attar's counsel literature—ethical and spiritual advice from the great Nishapur Sufi poet.
Pend-Nameh, or The Book of Counsels
Persian text with French translation of Attar's Pandnama: practical Sufi counsels on manners, piety, and the Path.
The Bustan by Shaikh Muslihu-d-din Sadi
Full Victorian English Bustan: Saadi's Orchard of justice, love, humility, contentment, and spiritual ethics.
The Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam
Classic FitzGerald quatrains—often read in a Sufi key of fleeting world and longing for the Eternal.
The Conference of the Birds: A Sufi Allegory
English prose allegory of Attar's Mantiq al-Tayr: the birds' quest and the seven valleys of the Path.
Odes from the Divan of Hafiz
Free English renderings of Hafiz odes from literal versions—lyrical and spiritually suggestive ghazals.
Twelve Odes of Hafiz
Persian text with English of twelve Hafiz odes—compact classroom classic of ghazal and mystical lyric.
Gulistan or Flower-Garden (Ross translation)
Early English Gulistan with essay on Saadi—tales of kings, dervishes, and moral wisdom.
Persian Lyrics from the Diwan-i-Hafiz
Scattered early English paraphrases from Hafiz's Divan—among the first Western windows on the ghazal.
A Specimen of Persian Poetry, or Odes of Hafez
Early printed English odes of Hafiz introducing Persian lyric mysticism to European readers.
Stories from Sadi's Bustan and Gulistan
Selected moral and spiritual stories drawn from Saadi's Bustan and Gulistan for easy reading.
The Rubaiyat of Hafiz
English Rubaiyat-form selections from Hafiz, edited by Syed Abdul Majid (1912).
Selections from the Rubaiyat and Odes of Hafiz
1920 English selections presenting Hafiz as mystic and lyric poet of Persia.
Shah Abdul Latif
Introduction to the Sindhi Sufi poet Shah Abdul Latif Bhittai—devotional verse and spiritual legacy.
The Gulistan of Shaikh Muslihu'd-Din Sadi (Platts)
Scholarly Platts English Gulistan widely used by students of Persian morals and Sufi-tinged wisdom.
Hafiz, the Prince of Persian Lyric Poets
Turn-of-century English presentation of Hafiz as master of the Persian lyric and mystical ghazal.
The Poems of Shemseddin Mohammed Hafiz of Shiraz, Volume 1
Volume 1 of an early-1900s English Hafiz corpus for readers of Sufi-inflected lyric poetry.
Auswahl aus den Diwanen des Mewlana Dschelaleddin Rumi
Early German selections from Rumi's Divan—historic European window on Mevlana's lyrical Sufism.
Al-Ghazali
5 verified public-domain titles.
The Alchemy of Happiness
English abridgment of Ghazali's Persian Kimya-yi Saadat on self-knowledge, worship, and the path to lasting spiritual happiness.
Read / download (Internet Archive) · Wikisource · Sacred Texts
The Confessions of Al Ghazzali
Ghazali's autobiographical Deliverance from Error (Munqidh), recounting his search through theology, philosophy, and Sufism for certainty.
Mishkat al-Anwar (The Niche for Lights)
Ghazali's esoteric commentary on the Light Verse: grades of light, veils, and the heart as a niche for divine illumination.
Some Religious and Moral Teachings of Al-Ghazzali
Selected English extracts from the Ihya Ulum al-Din on ethics, worship, and spiritual refinement.
A Moslem Seeker After God
Early-20th-century biography of Ghazali's spiritual search and teaching (missionary-authored historical study; use with care).
Early masters & manuals
5 verified public-domain titles.
The Kashf al-Mahjub
Earliest major Persian treatise on Sufism: doctrines, stations, and biographies of early masters, in Nicholson's classic translation.
The 'Awarifu-l-Ma'arif
Classic Suhrawardi manual of Sufi ethics, companionship, and stations, Englished from the Persian Misbah al-Hidayah tradition.
Oriental Mysticism
Compact treatise on Persian Sufi theosophy based on Nasafi's Maqsad-i Aqsa, with a glossary of Sufi technical terms.
The Tarjuman al-Ashwaq
Ibn Arabi's mystical odes of longing, with his own commentary, in Nicholson's facing English translation.
Letters from a Sufi Teacher
Selected Maktubat of Shaikh Sharafuddin Maneri on repentance, tawakkul, love, and the manners of discipleship.
Biographies of the saints
1 verified public-domain title.
Mystics and Saints of Islam
Sketches of major Sufi figures—Rabia, Hallaj, Ghazali, Attar, Rumi and others—on divine love and the Path.
Jami & later classics
6 verified public-domain titles.
The Persian Mystics: Jami
Selections introducing Jami's Salaman and Absal, Lawaih, Yusuf and Zulaikha, and Baharistan for English readers.
Salaman and Absal
FitzGerald's English allegory of Jami's romance on the soul, desire, and ascent toward divine wisdom.
Lawa'ih: A Treatise on Sufism
Jami's flashes on divine unity and Sufi metaphysics, with Persian text and Whinfield's English translation.
The Beharistan (Abode of Spring)
Jami's Baharistan: prose-and-verse garden of ethics and anecdotes in the Gulistan tradition (Rehatsek, 1887).
Yusuf and Zulaikha
English verse of Jami's Yusuf and Zulaikha—prophetic romance read as Sufi allegory of love and beauty.
Joseph und Suleicha
German historical-romantic poem from Jami's Yusuf and Zulaikha tradition of sacred love.
Studies & anthologies (older scholarship)
26 verified public-domain titles.
The Mystics of Islam
Clear early-20th-century introduction to Sufism: the Path, illumination, gnosis, divine love, saints, and the unitive state.
Studies in Islamic Mysticism
Three deep studies: Abu Sa'id ibn Abi'l-Khayr, Ibn al-Farid's mystical odes, and al-Jili's Perfect Man doctrine.
The Dervishes: or, Oriental Spiritualism
Nineteenth-century historical survey of dervish orders and Sufi practice in Ottoman contexts (scholarly/orientalist source).
Selections from the Poetry of the Afghans
Pashto mystical poetry with Sufi symbols of wine, tavern, and the soul's journey toward God.
The Religious Attitude and Life in Islam
Haskell lectures on Muslim religious psychology, saints, dreams, and the inner life (1912 Chicago edition).
Aspects of Islam
Essays on Muslim theology and mystical life, including dervish fraternities and spiritual practice.
The Development of Metaphysics in Persia
History of Persian Muslim philosophy and Sufi metaphysics from early Islam through later theosophy.
The Secrets of the Self (Asrar-i Khudi)
Philosophical poem on strengthening the spiritual self (khudi), with Nicholson's introduction and notes.
A Literary History of Persia, Volume I
From earliest times through early Persian literature—background for later Sufi masters and poetry.
Development of Muslim Theology, Jurisprudence and Constitutional Theory
Survey of Islamic intellectual history framing theology, law, and the place of mystical thought.
A History of Persian Literature under Tartar Dominion (A.D. 1265–1502)
Covers the literary age of Rumi, Saadi, Hafiz, and Jami—core context for classical Sufi writings.
A Year Amongst the Persians
Memoir with intimate portraits of dervishes, Sufi circles, and Persian spiritual culture.
The Religious Orders of Islam
Historical outline of Islamic religious orders and Sufi ṭarīqas — organization and practices, for orientation only.
The Idea of Personality in Sufism
Short Cambridge study of the Sufi conception of the person, the self, and relation to the Divine.
A History of Ottoman Poetry, Volume I
Foundational history of Ottoman verse with deep coverage of Sufi poets and Mevlevi literary culture.
Persian Poetry for English Readers
Specimens of Firdawsi, Nizami, Saadi, Rumi, Hafiz, and Jami with notices useful for Sufi poetry readers.
Flowers Culled from the Gulistan and Bostan of Sadi
Selected roses from Saadi's Gulistan and Bustan, with an appendix extract from Rumi's Masnavi.
The Sufism of the Rubaiyat
Reading of the Rubaiyat as Sufi paradox and mystical symbolism rather than mere hedonism.
The Faith of Islam
Victorian survey of Islamic belief and practice including discussion of Sufism among Muslim traditions.
Persian Literature: Shah Nameh, Rubaiyat, Divan and Gulistan
English anthology gathering Shahnameh, Omar, Hafiz Divan selections, and Saadi's Gulistan in one volume.
Flowers from Persian Gardens
Selections from Saadi, Hafiz, Omar and other Persian poets for contemplative and literary reading.
A History of Ottoman Poetry, Volume II
Second volume of Gibb's Ottoman poetry history—further Sufi and classical Turkish poetic traditions.
A Literary History of Persia, Volume II
Browne volume covering the age leading to Saadi—essential for classical Persian Sufi literary history.
Sufism: Omar Khayyam and E. Fitzgerald
Study linking Omar's quatrains and FitzGerald's version to Sufi symbolism and mystical reading.
Bluthensammlung aus der Morgenlandischen Mystik
Early German anthology of Eastern (including Sufi) mystical texts with introductory study of mysticism.
Ssufismus sive Theosophia Persarum Pantheistica
Pioneering Latin monograph on Persian Sufi theosophy drawn from manuscript sources.
Arabic & Persian originals
7 verified public-domain titles.
The Tadhkirat al-Awliya (Memoirs of the Saints) Vol. 1
Persian text of Attar's Memorial of the Saints (Nicholson ed., 1905): biographies and sayings of early Sufi masters — not an English translation.
al-Risalah al-Qushayriyah fi Ilm al-Tasawwuf
Foundational Arabic Sufi epistle defining stations, states, and adab of the Path, in a 19th-century print.
Mantiq ut-Tayr (Persian text)
Persian text of Attar's Speech of the Birds—the allegory of the soul's journey through the seven valleys.
Kitab al-Luma' fi'l-Tasawwuf
Earliest comprehensive Arabic handbook of Sufism: terms, stations, states, and early masters, Nicholson edition.
Tuhfat ul-Ahrar (Gift of the Noble)
Jami's Haft Awrang poem Tuhfat al-Ahrar—Sufi ethical mathnawi in a mid-19th-c. scholarly Persian edition.
Salaman u Absal (Falconer edition)
Persian text of Jami's allegorical Salaman and Absal from the Haft Awrang cycle.
Two Persian Texts on Sufism (Marāḥil al-Sālikīn & Miṣbāḥ al-Qulūb)
Nineteenth-century Persian manuscript package: Marāḥil al-sālikīn and Miṣbāḥ al-qulūb on the stages and manners of the Path.