Recommended Reading

Beyond the course

At Riyaaz Academy, we believe that the journey of learning extends far beyond the classroom.
The books below have been thoughtfully selected to inspire reflection, deepen understanding, and open new perspectives on music, spirituality, and artistic expression.

Whether you are a student, performer, or listener, these works offer diverse ways to explore the connections between sound, poetry, devotion, and the human spirit.

Sufi Music of India & Pakistan: Sound, Context & Meaning in Qawwali

An academic view and understanding of qawwali from Dr. Regula Qureshi, a prominent ethnomusicologist. The book begins with a gripping performance in the famous Old Delhi dargah of Nizzamudin Aulia and Amir Khusrow.
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Narasinha Mehta of Gujarat: A Legacy of Bhakti in Songs & Stories

Exploring medieval manuscripts, Gandhi's writings, and performances in multiple religious and non-religious contexts, Narasinha Mehta of Gujarat demonstrates how over five centuries, performers and audiences of devotional songs and hagiographic narratives associated with the saint-poet Narasinha Mehta have sculpted them into popular sources of moral inspiration.
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Secrets of Divine Love: A Spiritual Journey into the Heart of Islam

Secrets of Divine Love draws upon spiritual secrets of the Qur’an, ancient mystical poetry, and stories from the world’s greatest prophets and spiritual masters to help you reignite your faith, overcome your doubts, and deepen your connection with God. Through the use of scientific evidence, practical exercises, and guided meditations, you will develop the tools and awareness needed to discern and overcome the negative inner critic that prevents you from experiencing God’s all-encompassing love.
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The Essential Rumi, New Expanded Edition

This revised and expanded edition of The Essential Rumi includes a new introduction by Coleman Barks and more than 80 never-before-published poems of Rumi. Through his lyrical translations, Coleman Barks has been instrumental in bringing this exquisite literature to a remarkably wide range of readers, making the ecstatic, spiritual poetry of thirteenth-century Sufi Mystic Rumi more popular than ever. The Essential Rumi continues to be the bestselling of all Rumi books, and the definitive selection of his beautiful, mystical poetry.
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Nizam Ad-din Awliya: Morals for the Heart

The Malfuzat series is a unique genre of books that records the utterances emanating from the lips of the sage through the pen of the devoted disciple. These words of wisdom are not only a source of guidance for the initiated but will provide inspiration and edification for the general reader.
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The Mysticism of Sound and Music: Teaching of Hazrat Inayat Khan

The first teacher to bring Islamic mysticism to the West presents music’s divine nature and its connection to our daily lives in this poetic classic of Sufi literature Music, according to Sufi teaching, is really a small expression of the overwhelming and perfect harmony of the whole universe and that is the secret of its amazing power to move us. The Indian Sufi master Hazrat Inayat Khan (1882–1927), the first teacher to bring the Islamic mystical tradition to the West, was an accomplished musician himself. His lucid exposition of music's divine nature has become a modern classic, beloved not only by those interested in Sufism but by musicians of all kinds.
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Inspirational Insights, by Islamic Publishing House

This book features the author's anthology of letters, columns and articles written over a 20-year span and published in various newspapers and websites in the USA and abroad.
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