You are currently viewing Poetry Book Reading: Peace Be Upon Us by Iljas Baker

Poetry Book Reading: Peace Be Upon Us by Iljas Baker

It was wonderful listening to Iljas Baker reading from his poetry collection Peace Be Upon Us and discussing what inspired his writing and his spiritual journey from Buddhism to Subud and Islam. Watch the replay below for uplifting poetry inspired by East Asian poetic traditions with Islamic and Sufi themes. You can sign up for future free online poetry book reading events with Muslim poets here.

Peace Be Upon Us by Iljas Baker

Peace Be Upon Us by Iljas Baker

“In this sublime book Iljas Baker gives us a glimpse - in poetic form - of his spiritual journey through Buddhism, the spiritual exercise of Subud, and Islam. Many of the poems use Chinese and Japanese poetical forms, especially Haiku, Haibun and Tanka, but express somewhat uniquely an Islamic rather than a Buddhist worldview. The presence of some examples of the world-famous calligrapher Haji Noor Deen's Chinese interpretations of Islamic calligraphy adds a beautiful and complementary graphic element to the subtle marriage of East Asian literary forms and Islamic spirit to be found in this book. Iljas's poems and poetic artistry demonstrate the universality of Truth which, being Absolute, can and must manifest in every culture and in every art form, and both penetrate and embrace human life from the most mundane to the most exalted.” -Imam Feisal Abdul Rauf, Founder and President of Cordoba House

Iljas Baker was born in Scotland and now lives in Thailand where he is a retired university professor. His first book of poems Peace Be Upon Us was published by Lote Tree Press in Cambridge UK in 2023. His poems have also appeared in three anthologies, namely The God’s Eye, We Humans, and, most recently, A Kaleidoscope of Stories: Muslim Voices in Contemporary Poetry and in numerous poetry journals. He writes about essential things and his writing is inspired principally by an inclusive, compassionate interpretation of Islam and the practice of the Spiritual Exercise (Latihan Kedjiwaan) of Subud, which originated in Indonesia. He is married with a daughter and a son and two grand-daughters.