Breathing with God

The first translated collection of the thousand-year-old aphorisms of Kharaqani, one of the most original and important mystics in the Sufi tradition of Islam

In this beautiful book, Omid Safi provides the first-ever English collection of the verses of Kharaqani (d. 1033 CE), a shepherd whose vivid and powerful conversations with God led to his being remembered as a Sufi master and the highest-ranking saint of his age in this Persian Islamic tradition.

Kharaqani was not concerned with mere salvation or getting to heaven. Instead, he sought to link the love of God with the love of humanity through his bold, fresh, and original teachings. He said:

A single breath taken with God
is better
than all there is
in heaven
or on Earth

Safi’s deeply researched translations and commentary bring Kharaqani’s original voice alive for modern audiences and show how Kharaqani has shaped the Sufi tradition—and how this simple man has captivated religious seekers for centuries in Iran, South Asia, and Turkey.