The Nightingale in the Garden of Love The Poems of Üftade

This is a translation of the spiritual poems of one of the greatest Ottoman Sufi masters, Mehmed Muhyiddin Üftade (1490-1580). Üftade was born and lived in Bursa, a hugely important spiritual centre at the height of the Ottoman Empire. He was founder of one of its main dervish orders, the Jelvetiyye, through the training of his famous disciple, 'Aziz Mahmud Hüdayi. In addition, Üftade composed a collection of poems, which express his spiritual quest in simple, direct and wonderfully human language, and these are presented here for the first time in English. Paul Ballanfat's introduction provides a detailed overview of the main features of Üftade's life and teachings, and of his cultural background, where sultans were often affiliated to Sufi orders. Particularly prominent in Üftade's teaching was the thought of "the greatest master", Muhyiddin Ibn 'Arabi, and of Mevlana Jalaluddin Rumi. Üftade had a direct spiritual connection with both of these extraordinary men and a great veneration for them.

Paul Ballanfat is the head of the department of Turco-Persian studies at the Universite Jean Moulin-Lyon III in France. He is the author of Najm al-din Kubra: La pratique de Soufisme, Najm al-din Kubra: Les Eclosions de la Beaute et les Parfums de la Majeste, and Quatres Traites inedits de Ruzbehan Baqli Shirazi.