This book takes the reader into the heart of the mystery of the 99 sacred Names of Allah. It is a vehicle for understanding the infinite nature of God, and for discovering the divine potential in every soul. It is also a guidebook for progressing through the stages of the spiritual path and an instruction manual for teachers on how to work with students more wisely, as physicians of the heart.
In the process of this voyage to discovery, the reader is systematically exposed to the universal mysticism encoded in the Qur'an and in the classical Sufi traditions, as well as to a modern psychological approach that works with the 99 Names to achieve individuation and wholeness.
Shabda Kahn, a direct disciple of the American Sufi Master, Murshid Samuel Lewis, has been practicing Sufism since 1969 and since 2001, is the Pir (Spiritual Director) of the Sufi Ruhaniat International , the lineage tracing from Hazrat Inayat Khan and Murshid Samuel Lewis. He has studied and performed North Indian Classical Vocal Music under the guidance of the late Master Singer, Pandit Pran Nath, since 1972. He is also a disciple of the illustrious Tibetan Master, the 12th TaiSitu Rinpoche. Shabda leads retreats and camps in Sufism with an emphasis on the mysticism of breath; the science and art of wazifa and zikr; music; the walking meditations of Murshid Samuel Lewis and opening the heart . He brings compassion and humor in transmitting the rich lineage of Sufism.
Wali Ali Meyer was chosen, as the principal editor of Physicians of the Heart, to put the conversation of the four authors into a single voice.
In 1963 he was named the college newspaper editor of the year for his editorial stance against racial segregation while the Editor of the University of Alabama newspaper. He received his M.A. in Philosophy and Theology from Vanderbilt University. He went in search of the reality behind the academic words and became a student of the Sufi Master Samuel L. Lewis of San Francisco, lived with him as his assistant and esoteric secretary, and was initiated as a Sheikh by him in 1970.
Since that time he has edited for publication a number of Murshid Samuel Lewis' works including The Jerusalem Trilogy ; and has written articles for books and publications. This includes a chapter in A Pearl in Wine, an anthology on Hazrat Inayat Khan, who was the first teacher to bring Sufism to the Western World more than 100 years ago. [SB1]
Wali Ali is the head of the Esoteric School of the Sufi Ruhaniat International, and the Spiritual Director of Khankah SAM, a residential community in San Francisco. He is one of the lead teachers in the Suluk Academy founded by Pir Zia Inayat Khan. Wali Ali has functioned as a guide for Sufi students for more than 40 years, and has formulated many systematic programs of spiritual study and practice. He has been a teacher of Sufism in workshops and seminars around the world.
