Recitations of Qur'anic Suras
[http://speakingoffaith.org/programs/spiritofislam/sura.shtml]
Includes translated passages and sound charts coupled with streaming audio of the suras recited by Seemi Bushra Ghazi—all excerpted from the CD included with Michael Sells' book, Approaching the Qur'an.

"Ramadan, Date Omelets, and Global Compassion"
[http://speakingoffaith.org/programs/spiritofislam/ramadan.shtml]
In this essay, Omid Safi describes fasting as a child and as an adult, and what the values of this ritual can teach us about humanitarian compassion in a world after September 11, 2001.

"The Reed Flute's Song"
[http://speakingoffaith.org/programs/spiritofislam/rumipoem.shtml]
English version of Rumi's classic poem about the ney recited by Safi. Translation by Coleman Barks.

Interview with Professor Michael Sells
[http://www.pbs.org/wnet/religionandethics/week551/sells.html]
An interview with Michael Sells, author of Approaching the Qur'an (August 23, 2002) in which he discusses the material included and omitted in his book, his understanding of Islam after September 11, 2001, and academia's approach to Islam in basic curricula.

Scholars of Islam and the Tragedy of September 11th
[http://groups.colgate.edu/aarislam/default.htm]
A site from the American Academy of Religion devoted to the study of Islam, which serves as a forum and gives voice to a variety of Muslim perspectives that have been largely missing from the national media.

Experiencing Islam through Calligraphy
[http://www.moa.ubc.ca/spiritofislam/intro.html]
An exhibit at the Museum of Anthropology at the University of British Columbia that explains the significance and meaning of Arabic calligraphy in the lives of contemporary Muslims.

"The Place of Tasawwuf in Traditional Islam"
[http://www.masud.co.uk/ISLAM/nuh/sufitlk.htm]
Transcript of a 1995 talk presented by Nuh Ha Mim Keller about the role of Sufism in contemporary Islam.

Islam Section of Religion & Ethics
[http://www.bbc.co.uk/religion/religions/islam/]
Section of the BBC's Religion & Ethics Web site that provides an overview of Islamic history, customs, and beliefs. It also includes a glossary, a list of holy days, and special features such as the Hajj.

So You Want To Be an Ayatollah"
[http://slate.msn.com/id/2098364/]
Article by Brendan Koerner from Slate magazine (April 4, 2004) explaining how Shiite clerics earn the prominent title of "ayatollah."

Sema Dancing
[http://www.mevlana.net/sema.htm]
A detailed explanation of the dance of the whirling dervishes, including drawings and photos.

Rumi Festival Archives
[http://www.rumifest.com/RumiFstivalArchives2000.htm]
Festival site features videos of a sema ceremony, Seemi Bushra Ghazi singing and speaking, and other instructional discourse.

"The Interior Life of Islam"
[http://www.al-islam.org/al-serat/interior-nasr.htm]
An essay by Seyyed Hossein Nasr, one of the foremost experts on Sufism, who contends that Sufism is a name for the esoteric dimension of Islam.

"On the Path of Love Towards the Divine: A Journey with Muslim Mystics"
[http://etext.lib.virginia.edu/journals/ssr/issues/volume3/number2/ssr03-02-e04.html]
Paper by Omid Safi for The Journal of Scriptural Reasoning (August 2003) examining particular Sufis and their teachings of love.

Zikr: The Remembrance of God
[http://www.rumisociety.org/zikr.html]
Page devoted to explaining the levels of remembrance.