WRITER

Idries Shah

1924 - 1996

Photo of Idries Shah

Icon of person Idries Shah

Idries Shah (; Hindi: इदरीस शाह, Pashto: ادريس شاه, Urdu: ادریس شاه; 16 June 1924 – 23 November 1996), also known as Idris Shah, Indries Shah, né Sayed Idries el-Hashimi (Arabic: سيد إدريس هاشمي) and by the pen name Arkon Daraul, was an Afghan author, thinker and teacher in the Sufi tradition. Shah wrote over three dozen books on topics ranging from psychology and spirituality to travelogues and culture studies. Born in British India, the descendant of a family of Afghan nobles on his father's side and a Scottish mother, Shah grew up mainly in England. Read more on Wikipedia

Since 2007, the English Wikipedia page of Idries Shah has received more than 504,968 page views. His biography is available in 27 different languages on Wikipedia (up from 25 in 2019). Idries Shah is the 3,290th most popular writer (down from 2,146th in 2019), the 414th most popular biography from India (down from 254th in 2019) and the 61st most popular Indian Writer.

Memorability Metrics

  • 500k

    Page Views (PV)

  • 52.12

    Historical Popularity Index (HPI)

  • 27

    Languages Editions (L)

  • 3.92

    Effective Languages (L*)

  • 3.42

    Coefficient of Variation (CV)

Notable Works

Special problems in the study of Sufi ideas
1966
The exploits of the incomparable Mulla Nasrudin
Nasreddin Hoca (Legendary character)
Collected stories about a popular figure in the folklore of many Asian and European countries.
1972
Special illumination
Humor
These lines by the great teacher and mystic Jalaludin Rumi indicate the many-faceted role of humor in Sufi teaching. Shah writes: "As a shock-applier and tension-releaser and an indicator of false situations, humour, certainly to the Sufi in traditional usage, is one of the most effective instruments and diagnostic aids." Not only are the 60 jokes contained in this volume representative of the type of material used in Sufi development, but their selection, arrangement, and presentation comprise an actual learning experience for the modern reader. Shah weaves contemporary jokes, humorous anecdotes, and stories with skillful commentary. The result is an a entertaining journey which mixes laughter, introspection, and surprise.
1977
Learning how to learn
1985
The elephant in the dark
Religion
As our world continues to shrink, we are being brought headlong into often explosive contact with other cultures and religions. Islam continues to be for many a mysterious and misunderstood force, alien to our own cultural values. Yet, in more ways than expected, Christianity and Islam share common ground. For centuries, Sufi thinkers have been linked to both religions in certain important ideas. But, like the elephant in the dark in Jalaludin Rumi's classic fable, these ideas are not grasped in full by seizing parts of the whole and arguing for or against their supposed Christian or Islamic derivation. From a series of lectures given by Idries Shah at Geneva University, The Elephant in the Dark shifts focus to more fruitful ground, tracing documented episodes of cooperation and understanding between Christians and Moslems over the past 1,400 years.
1974

Among WRITERS

Among writers, Idries Shah ranks 3,290 out of 7,302. Before him are Lucius Cornelius Sisenna, Dámaso Alonso, Douglas Preston, Eugène Burnouf, Malak Hifni Nasif, and Bernard Maris. After him are Konstanty Ildefons Gałczyński, Ashapurna Devi, Konstantin Mihailović, Roberto Arlt, Émile Faguet, and Victor Segalen.

Most Popular Writers in Wikipedia

Go to all Rankings
Load previousLoad previous

Contemporaries

Among people born in 1924, Idries Shah ranks 208. Before him are Nina Bocharova, Jaime Lusinchi, Genichi Taguchi, Wiel Coerver, Patricia Knatchbull, 2nd Countess Mountbatten of Burma, and Anatoli Bashashkin. After him are Jean Laplanche, Evald Ilyenkov, Juan Carlos González, Basil Bernstein, Anne Vernon, and J. J. Johnson. Among people deceased in 1996, Idries Shah ranks 141. Before him are Margaux Hemingway, Paul Rand, Stanko Todorov, Amata Kabua, Emile Habibi, and Tamara Toumanova. After him are Jack Nance, Henri Nouwen, Joseph Mermans, Zulfiya, José Manuel Fuente, and Inger Jacobsen.

Others Born in 1924

Go to all Rankings
Load previousLoad previous

Others Deceased in 1996

Go to all Rankings
Load previousLoad previous

In India

Among people born in India, Idries Shah ranks 414 out of 1,861. Before him are Kiran Bedi (1949), Madhubala (1933), Debendranath Tagore (1817), Jeetendra (1942), Vichitravirya (null), and R. K. Narayan (1906). After him are Man Singh I (1550), Ashapurna Devi (1909), Prince Vijaya (-543), Jagat Gosain (1573), Sam Manekshaw (1914), and Jai Singh II (1688).

Others born in India

Go to all Rankings
Load previousLoad previous

Among WRITERS In India

Among writers born in India, Idries Shah ranks 61. Before him are K. Shivaram Karanth (1902), Maithili Sharan Gupt (1886), Sumitranandan Pant (1900), Shibli Nomani (1857), Suryakant Tripathi (1899), and R. K. Narayan (1906). After him are Ashapurna Devi (1909), Ibn Warraq (1946), Vaikom Muhammad Basheer (1908), Tarasankar Bandyopadhyay (1898), Bharatendu Harishchandra (1850), and Subhadra Kumari Chauhan (1904).

Indian born Writers

Go to all Rankings
Load previousLoad previous