The Alchemy of Happiness & The Diwan of Zeb-un-Nissa

The Alchemy of Happiness
by Al-Ghazzali, tr. by Claud Field

The Kimiya-yi Sa'adat (Alchemy of Happiness) was written towards the end of Abu ?amid Mu?ammad ibn Mu?ammad al-Ghazali's life shortly before 499/1105. During the time before it was written the Muslim world was considered to be in a state of political as well as intellectual unrest. al-Ghazali noted that there were constant disputes regarding the role of philosophy and scholastic theology and Sufi's became chastised for their neglect of the ritual obligations of Islam. Upon its release, the Kimiya-yi sa'adat allowed al-Ghazali to considerably reduce the tensions between the scholars and mystics.


The Diwan of Zeb-un-Nissa

by Zeb-un-Nissa, translated by Magan Lal and Duncan Westbrook

Zeb-un-Nissa (b. 1637, d. 1702) was the oldest daughter of Mughal emperor Aurangzeb Alamgir. Her name means 'most beautiful of all women.' A Sufi, she was well educated in both the Quran and the sciences, and was fluent in Arabic, Persian and Urdu. She started to write Persian poetry secretly at the age of 14. She never married, preferring her literary work. Her works included the Diwan, a collection of her poetry, excerpts from which are included in this Wisdom of the East volume.