Title: Return to Spirit - Questions and Answers

Author: Martin Lings

Publisher: TASNIM

Medium: Book

Theme: society & testimonials

This autobiographical work answers questions such as: "Do religions contradict each other?", "What is the spiritual meaning of tears and laughter?" and "What is the Quranic doctrine on life after death and how does it relate to Sufism?".

Since Martin Lings effectively "returned to the Spirit" after completing this compendium, an In Memoriam section is attached, including tributes from some of those around the world who have read his books, known or were under his spiritual direction.

Dr. Lings, on the other hand, saw beneath the surface of things, and helped us pierce the veil behind which lies the sacred meaning of so many of life's mysteries. He helped us to look beyond the literal, and to understand that there are multiple layers of meaning within the hidden universe — something science is finally beginning to recognize through the recognition of order and a harmony inherent in the world around us and within ourselves.

(Excerpt from the preface, HRH The Prince of Wales)

With the pen of a poet, the mind of a metaphysician, and the concerns of a saint, Dr. Lings left us a profound posthumous farewell letter with poignant insights gleaned throughout. a life of devotion, contemplation and concern for the human condition. What he accomplishes during his life, he urges us to accomplish it too: to return to the Spirit.

(Sheikh Hamza Yusuf, researcher and author, Zaytuna Institute, California)

A remarkable summary of a body of work spanning more than half a century and dealing with some of. thorniest issues dividing Christians and Muslims and essential reading for anyone seeking answers to the truly important questions that trouble the contemporary mind.

(Gai Eaton, Author of Islam and the Destiny of Man)

After teaching in Cairo for several years, Martin Lings became Curator of Oriental Manuscripts at the British Museum. He is the author, among other things, of a biography of the Prophet entitled "The Prophet Muhammad, his life according to the most ancient sources", an introduction to Muslim mysticism whose title is "What what is Sufism? and a biography of Sheikh al-`Alawr entitled "A Sufi Saint of the 20th Century".