Beautiful Signs / Ayat Jamilah draws from not only the core of Islamic spirituality and ethics--the Qur'an and the traditions (hadiths)--but also from the mystical verse, folk tales, and exemplary figures of the Islamic narrative. Unlike any other collection of Islamic stories, Beautiful Signs gathers traditional stories from the farthest reaches of the Muslim world, stretching from Morocco in the west to Indonesia in the east, and from China in the north to Tanzania in the south.

This unique anthology, with its rich and thorough explanatory notes, will be invaluable to anyone wishing to understand or teach geography, world history, or world religions. It will also be treasured by Muslim families and by all parents committed to broadening the lives and values of their children and themselves....

Sarah Conover's collection of traditional Buddhist tales leads us to the kind of implicit understanding of ourselves and others that only stories can provide. Following the Buddha through his various transformations, these clarified and often humorous narrative journeys open the ancient master's profound and gentle teachings to persons of all ages, religions, races, and ideological persuasions. Over and over, this marvelous book tells us, "Let go of your anger, your fear, your greedy desire. Embrace gladness. Follow the path." The stories form a wondrous pageant: of elephants, monkeys, monks, and men working through foolishness toward wisdom and delight.

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