Conference of the Birds: A Philosophical Religious Poem in Prose

This 12th century Persian poet's work tells of the journey of the birds to visit King Simorgh. Their journey is an allegory of the soul's search for unity with the divine. Sufic belief is that in such unity the distinctions between self and the divine fall away.

Raficq Abdulla has written and presented numerous radio programs about Islam for the BBC, including a series of talks on the Prophet Muhammad and the Four Caliphs, and programs on the life and work of Jalaluddin Rumi. He has also written award-winning screenplays for Channel 4 in Britain, poetry and articles for a range of journals, and he is a frequent book reviewer. Raficq Abdulla describes himself as a secular Muslim and a lover of the arts, particularly music and poetry. He is the author of Words of Paradise, a collection of new interpretations of poems by Rumi and has gained popularity as an accomplished public speaker and performer of his own poetry.