Civilization of Paradise: Revelation Poems

Civilization of Paradise is both a collection of Qur’an inspired poetry and a fascinating record of intimate dialogs with a Sufi master in Damascus.

Poetry, in the case of Asad Ali, is a way of life and prayer. In the state of cnscioousness from which he speaks, we become the companions of great beings: the Timeless Desert, the Infinitely Compassionate, the Supplicating Earth, the Universal Human.

Each of these poems is related to a Surah of the Qur’an, as noted below the title of each poem. The great scholar Anne-Marie Schimmel said of Asad Ali’s earlier volume, “If read carefully, as it deserves, Happiness Without Death (Threshold Books, 1990) can reveal the immense power of pristine Islam.”