Living and Dying with Grace Counsels of Hadrat Ali Translated by Thomas Cleary Sufism Description of Living and Dying with Grace Living and Dying with Grace is a book of aphoristic Sufi teachings on how to make ones way in the worldà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã¢â‚¬ especially on how to bring spiritual insight to the affairs of daily life. Sufism, the mystical branch of Islam, contains a vast body of knowledge concerning the inner development of the complete human being. Among the greatest of Sufi masters, Hadrat Alà® (598-661 CE), cousin and son-in-law of the Prophet Muhammad, is regarded as a paragon of compassion and virtue and a master of both exoteric and esoteric knowledge. He was not only a great warrior, statesman, and scholar, but also a devoted husband and father. Success in this life, Alà® teaches, is bestowed on those who maintain generosity, intelligence, perseverance, integrity, and calm reflection. As for success in the hereafter, Alà® says, God, the Glorified, admits to Paradise anyone, at will, for truthfulness of intention and goodness of innermost thoughts. This book contains four hundred of Hadrat Alà®s teachings, showing how people can use the everyday realities of their lives to cultivate wisdom and well-being, both temporal and eternal, offering a path to living and dying with grace.