Gulistan گُلستان, or “The Rose Garden,” is a 13th-century collection of Persian poetry and prose by Saadi Shirazi, divided into eight chapters and contains moralistic and anecdotal stories in both prose and verse that offer wisdom on ethics, social conduct, and leadership.
The book uses a light and humorous tone to teach practical life lessons and has been a significant educational textbook for centuries
Saadi’s Bustan بوستان (The Orchard) is a 13th-century Persian masterpiece of ethical and spiritual poetry, composed entirely in rhyming couplets, that offers timeless moral lessons through insightful stories and anecdotes on themes like justice, love, humility, contentment, and devotion, serving as a guide to a wise, purposeful life and a cornerstone of Persian literature.
What it contains:
Moral & Spiritual Wisdom: A collection of stories and poems, rich in Sufi wisdom, focusing on practical ethics and human psychology.
Ethical Themes: Explores 10 core principles: justice, mercy, love, humility, contentment, devotion, education, gratitude, repentance, and prayer.
Anecdotal Stories: Features vivid tales and parables, similar to Aesop’s fables, derived from Saadi’s extensive travels and life experiences.
Saadi Shirazi’s Prose Letters
These are prose letters, five of which have been collected under the titles: Letter of the Introduction, Letter on Advising Kings, Letter on Reason and Love, and Other Letters
Sermons by Saadi Shirazi
A collection of valuable sermons in the form of poetry, quatrains, masnavis, elegies, and various other poems on preaching and guidance.
Sa’adi, said: Some of the sons of kings asked me to write a book of humor in the style of Al-Suzani, but I refused. They threatened to kill me, so I obeyed their command and composed these verses, and I seek forgiveness from God Almighty. This is a chapter in the style of humor, and those of merit will not find it objectionable, for humor in speech is like salt in food. This is the book of humor, and success comes from God.