Rating: 
Summary: Read them all!
Review: I found this book, and all the others by I. Shah, to be the most important material I have ever read. So different in so many ways from the work of conventional authors, Shah's work defies easy description or facile categorization. If you choose, for the purposes of study, to accept as a "working hypothesis" Shah's assertions, you may find, as I have, a truly astonishing introduction to the Sufi mode of thought/action and view of humanity--infinitely complex thought forms simply expressed, at times distressingly hard-hitting (or like the slap of cold water on slack muscles), often funny, and always a good read. And, curiously, I find Shah's books never grow stale on repeated reading; in fact, for me their meaning and impact changes as I go through life and see much of what is written played out before me (and in me).
Rating:
Summary: A Difficult but Rewarding Read
Review: I think it should be clear from reading the above reviews that if one begins this book with a preconceived notion of what it should contain, the result will be disappointment and confusion. Like the title of the Rumi classic, this book has "in it what is in it." It is part of a course of study, and though it is rich in factual information about Sufism, those who are obsessed with the academic inquiries "Who, what, when, and where?" will find that they could have gotten what they were seeking without the difficulty of bothering with the parts of this book whose purpose is something else. So I will, in a sense, concur with those who have panned this book: If you are looking for an academic treatment of the history of Sufism, this book is not for you. If you are interested simply in learning what a true Sufi master has to teach you, whether or not it is what you originally set out to learn, read The Sufis.
Rating: 
Summary: Still an interesting book, despite it's flaws...
Review: Idries Shah was a controversial character. Known for his associations with G.I. Gurdjieff and his followers, as well as for claiming dubious titles, Shah is not above suspicion. On the other hand, "The Sufis" shows another side to Shah- that of an eloquent popularizer of the often difficult concepts of Islamic mysticism.
Shah's book is long, but far from dry. He takes one through the lives and works of many famous Sufi masters, from ibn'Arabi, Jalaluddin Rumi, Hafez, Omar Khyyam, and others, and discusses the way their ideas penetrated Europe through Christian mystics and later scholars, and the similarities to other traditions (such as various forms of Hindu tantra and Zen). He discusses the varied organization of Sufi orders, their masters and their practices. Overall he provides a good introduction to the ideas of Sufism.
On the other hand, there are some weaknesses. He repeatedly makes the insistence that Sufism is not Islamic, but pan-religious- and then tries to explain how other forms of mysticism are all varied corruptions of the Sufi tradition, in a rather condescending and none-too-persuasive manner. Nor does he really explore the idea that Sufism itself is derived from other sources, but insists that it is a primordial tradition, and the sources that most orthodox scholars would say it is derived from are, in fact, derived from it- a dubious claim at best. Despite these flaws however, it is, overall, a good overview for the casual reader.
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Summary: If there's any book that can teach you 'Sufism', this is it
Review: If there is any book that can teach you all that you need to learn in the study of Sufism, it's this book. Although its major theme is to describe the course of the influence of Sufi ideas on the western world from ancient to modern times, it also delineates the path of a student of this knowledge. The mistakes of the beginner and the remedies for change may all be found: this, however, only over the passing of time, the renewal of the book, and certain other conditions, which bit by bit become apparent to the gradually shifted apprehension, and to which the text refers.
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Summary: Each read is an experience
Review: Refrain from reading this book let alone buying it unless you are prepared to accept the possibility that this is not merely a book, but a doorway to ineffable experience. Each read reveals a new layer of understanding - an understanding that is within you, latent and unprovoked. Yet for all that this book is useless if your approach is analytical rather than experiential, prejudicial rather than sincere...
Rating:
Summary: "Idries Shah's classic and most expansive work"
Review: Sufism is not a religion (if by that we refer to organized groups with prescribed methods of ritual and dogma) because Sufism is the shedding of one's externals, the releasing of the True Self from the Commanding Self. It is the purification of the soul through seven stages, largely centered around (but not necessarily restricted to) esoteric interpretations of the Qu'ran, the Holy Book of Islam. Idries Shah's work is based upon his lifetime experience, having been raised as a dervish (a student of Sufism) and ultimately becoming a Grand Sheikh, like his father before him (the recently deceased author's lineage was legitimately traced as far back as the Prophet Mohammed). Hailed internationally as a master and scholar, he was a guest lecturer at several Universities, including Stanford, as well as a visiting professor at Geneva. First published in 1964, THE SUFIS is Idries Shah's classic and most expansive work. It brings to light the wonders of a highly misunderstood international society first established in the East, whose influence in the West remains largely unknown, while its true birth remains concealed beneath the veils of space and time.
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Summary: The most important book on Sufism ever published.
Review: Terry W. Williams, Ph.D., Del Mar, CA. Idries Shah's The Sufis, first published in 1964, is the seminal work of this famous Afghan author and a first-of-its-kind modern statement on Sufism. A famous Sufi once said, "Previously Sufism was a reality without a name. Now it's a name without a reality." One meaning of this saying is that there was a time when the science and procedures of learning the meaning of mankind's existence was clearly understood and formed an essential part of human life. However, that meaning has been lost by humanity and only the name remains. In The Sufis, Idries Shah has made a monumental contribution to bringing this precious meaning back into the life stream of humanity. This book, written after years of travel, research, and collection of an amazingly diverse array of materials, presents the reader with a series of startling revelations concerning the basis of the knowledge structure of Western and Eastern thought. The idea of an advanced knowledge in the custody of, for the most part, unknown and mysterious people with strange powers, may seem at first glance to be an absurdity. The idea that the unified knowledge of the Sufis concerning the developmental and evolutionary potential of mankind influenced or lay behind the organization and theories such as those of Chivalry, St. John of the Cross, St. Teresa of Avila, Roger Bacon, Geber, Hindu Vendantist teachings, the Troubadours, in Shakespeare, the Rosicrucians, the techniques of Japanese Zen, in Chaucer - to name only a few - is sure to clash with the conditioned thinking inculcated by submersion in conventional thought and maintained by our environment. In the book, Shah states: "Sufism, in one definition, is human life. Occult and metaphysical powers are largely incidental, though they may play their part in the process, if not in personal prominence or satisfaction. It is axiomatic that the attempt to become a Sufi through a desire for personal power as normally understood will not succeed. Only the search for truth is valid, the desire for wisdom the motive. The method is assimilation, not study." "The Sufi life can be lived at any time, in any place. It does not require withdrawal from the world, or organized movements, or dogma. It is coterminous with the existence of humanity. It cannot, therefore, accurately be termed an Eastern system. It has profoundly influenced both the East and the very bases of the Western civilization in which many of us live - the mixture of Christian, Jewish, Moslem and Near Eastern or Mediterranean heritage commonly called 'Western.' Mankind, according to the Sufis, is infinitely perfectable. The perfection comes about through attunement with the whole of existence. Physical and spiritual life meet, but only when there is a complete balance between them. Systems which teach withdrawal from the world are regarded as unbalanced." "When, and where, did the Sufi way of thinking start? This is, to most Sufis, slightly irrelevant to the work at hand. The "place" of Sufism is within humanity....' The practice of the Sufis is too sublime to have a formal beginning," says the Asrar el Qadim wa'l Qadim (Secrets of the Past and Future). But as long as one remembers that history is less important than the present and future, there is a great deal to be learned from a review of the spread of the modern Sufi trend since it branched out from the areas which were Arabized nearly fourteen hundred years ago. By a glance at this period of development, the Sufis show how and why the message of self-perfection may be carried into every conceivable kind of society, irrespective of its nominal religious or social commitment." "Sufism is believed by its followers to be the inner, 'secret' teaching that is concealed within every religion; and because its bases are in every human mind already, Sufic development must inevitably find its expression everywhere. The historical period of the teaching starts with the explosion of Islam from the desert into the static societies of the Near East." Thus, Idries Shah takes us on a developmental journey through the past fourteen hundred years, from the angle of how, when, and where the Sufic stream was in operation in the East and West. Thought provoking and written like a finely crafted mystery, The Sufis is an astounding and unparalleled source of information on the totally unexpected basis of Eastern and Western thought. It will appeal to those interested in spiritual and metaphysical ideas, as well as those with a yearning to discover the impulses which are the basis of our humanity.
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Summary: A book that exists to 'do' something...
Review: The 26 other reviews recorded here, with their wide range of reactions, illustrate why this is still such a remarkable book. The points that we all want to make about 'The Sufis' (and its author, Sayed Idries Shah) say far more about ourselves than they do about the book - a lesson the book itself teaches, if one will let it. "I think that mirror is a load of complete garbage - all I could see was a really ugly, unpleasant person." "That mirror showed me someone smart enough to think it was wonderful." "There are better mirrors - ones that reflect a slimmer, more elegant me". And so on. The question is, do we want to dwell on our own reactions - reactions that, to be honest, could be elicited by almost anything - or are we interested in what else this book might be able show us? This is not a book that primarily exists to impart information, although it is full of fascinating, unexpected and useful information. It is a book that exists to 'do' something. Yet it is not easy to describe what this action is - one might say that it begins to restructure our perceptions, or that it enables us to recognize a 'taste' or a 'scent' of something, or that through its technique of 'scatter' it feeds us with pieces that slowly begin to form into some kind of whole. None of this makes much sense unless one has experienced it - and if one has experienced it there is little need to describe it. Nor is this experience automatic: one has to allow the book time to work on one - a process that may take years and decades rather than days and weeks. If you find this description off-putting, it is most likely that you won't like the book either. That's fine - Shah wasn't in the business of convincing anyone, and 'The Sufis' works for those for whom it works. If that sounds high-handed, it is because we in the West are not used to thinking about books as instruments - as tools that require patience and respect and the acquisition of a certain amount of skill to get any benefit from. Instead we expect authors to make a sales pitch for their ideas, and we reserve the right to make consumer judgments as to whether to buy their product or a rival brand. But if you are prepared to put in the time, the effort, and a measure of goodwill you will undoubtedly find this book rewarding - and in many different ways, too. If I had to choose a single book to take to a desert island, it would be this one. For the last twenty five years it has proved an admirable companion and guide and it still astonishes me with its ability to be waiting ahead of each new experience. Its beauty and subtlety and insight reveal themselves little by little, in the same way that life itself does. If this is 'suggestibility' or 'charlatanism' or 'false Sufism', then may God grant me more of it! When it was first published in 1964, 'The Sufis' served as a call to those who were seeking a real path of spiritual development. Shah's caravan set off many years ago, and it is now nearly two decades since he announced that his work had been completed. If you are among those who are wondering where to pick up the trail, you might like to take a look at Juan Sgolastra's 'The Way' or Marco Santello's 'Between Heaven and Earth' (both listed here on amazon) for indications of a new phase of teaching.
Rating: 
Summary: amazingly egomaniacal
Review: The question sufism is very complicated, in part because of the deceptions created by its proponents. Shah's misleading and over hyped work on the subject is a genuine bum steer, with a lot of oulala come on, carrot dangling and mystification. Promoting this subject as a booby trap to attract liberal westerners is not a nice thing to do. Keep in mind this fellow had a secret arrangement of some kind with Gurdjieff, which should set the trust meter down ten pegs. The sufis (most of whom are harmless 'mystics') are cruellest and most sadistic of the New Age prophets on the loss. They don't deserve an iota of trust.
Keep in mind that Sufis never speak of Enlightenment or liberation. Be forewarned.
Rating:
Summary: Time is one of the requirements
Review: This is one of Shah's books which "popularized" the Sufi path in America. While it can be viewed as a very general "introduction" and is interesting in parts, it lacks the authority of scholarship and experience. The author, Idries Shah, was a self-proclaimed "Sufi Master" and falsely claimed numerous titles for himself. If you want a good, honest introduction to the Sufi path, read "Heart, Self, and Soul" by Robert Frager or"Irshad" by Muzaffer Ozak. If, on the other hand, you are looking for a New-Age, watered down, westernized "Sufism" stripped of it's spiritual essence, than I guess Idries Shah is for you
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