Shaykh Ahmad ibn 'Ajiba  [d.1224 AH ]

Shaykh Ahmad ibn 'Ajiba (1747–1809 CE ) was an 18th-century Moroccan saint in the Darqawa Sufi Islamic lineage. He was born of a Hasani sharif family in the Anjra tribe that ranges from Tangiers to Tetuan along the Mediterranean coast of Morocco. As a child he developed a love of knowledge, memorising the Noble Qur'an and studying subjects ranging from Classical Arabic grammar, religious ethics, poetry, Qur'anic recitation and tafsir. When he reached the age of eighteen he left home and undertook the study of exoteric knowledge in Qasr al-Kabir under the supervision of Shaykh Muhammad al-Susi al-Samlali, may Allah be pleased with him. It was here that he was introduced to studies in the sciences, art, philosophy, law and Qur'anic exegesis in depth. He went to Fes to study with Ibn Souda, Bennani, and al-Warzazi, and joined the Darqawiyya tariqah in 1208 AH (1793), of which he was the representative in the northern part of the Jbala region. He spent his entire life in and around Tetuan, and passed away in 1224 AH (1809).   

Page Last Updated : 24th November 2011

 Ibn Ajiba - Two Treatises on the Oneness of Existence                      

Paperback - 96 pages            

Compiled by Jean-Louis Michon

Translated by: John   

Preface by: Claude Addas

Foreward by: Hamza Yusuf

This book is presented in the original Arabic together with an English translation on the facing pages, being useful to the student.

Ibn 'Ajiba, May Allah be pleased with him, (1747-1809) was a Moroccan Sufi of the Darqawi school who studied in Fez and lived all his life in and around Tetuan. Although still relatively unknown in the English-speaking world, his writings are important for an understanding of Maghribi Sufism.   

In this bi-lingual edition, with a Preface by Claude Addas and a Foreword by Hamza Yusuf, Jean-Louis Michon presents two short metaphysical treatises by Ibn 'Ajiba which shed new light on the history of Sufism and show its vitality as a living tradition in eighteenth-century Morocco.     

The key idea underlying both treatises, the Oneness of Existence, reveals the enduring influence of Muhiy 'ud-Din Ibn 'Arabi, ‘Shaykh al- Akbar’ May Allah sanctify his secret, more than five centuries after his death. Students of the history of Islam in North Africa, and those interested in the Sufi tradition will welcome the publication of these treatises and the useful presentation of both Arabic text and English translation on facing pages.

Jean-Louis Michon was born in Nancy, France. He has a Ph.D. in Islamic Studies from the Sorbonne. From 1972 to 1980 he was in charge of the UNESCO programme for the preservation of traditional arts and crafts in Morocco, and the establishment of the General Survey of its Cultural Property, including monuments and sites. His publications include The Autobiography of a Moroccan Sufi: Ahmad Ibn ‘Ajiba; The Moroccan Sufi Ahmad Ibn ‘Ajiba and his Mi’raj, a glossary of the technical terms of Islamic Mysticism and numerous articles on Islam, its handicrafts, art and architecture.      

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The Immense Ocean : '' Al Bahr al Madid ''          

Paperback -  204 pages                                                                     by Ahmad ibn ‘Ajiba  

 
A Thirteenth/Eighteenth Century Quranic Commentary on the Chapters:   'The All-Merciful', 'The Event', and 'Iron'

“I have been requested by Shaykh, Sidi Muhammad al-Buzidi al-Hasani, as well has his Shaykh, the Qutb, Mulay al-‘Arabi al-Darqawi al-Hasani, to set down in writing a commentary that would combine both exoteric explanation and esoteric allusion, and I have responded to their request…in hopes that this work will benefit many and be a joy to the heart as well as to the ear.”  

The present translation is of one section--- the fifty-fourth hizb (or part) containing the Chapters of The All-Merciful, The Event, and Iron---from this unique and monumental work. Its intention is to provide the Anglophone reader with access not only to how the generality of educated Muslims have understood the dominant themes of these Chapters since the earliest days of Islam, but also how traditional Sufic sources have viewed these same themes in respect to the microcosm of the soul and the journey towards God. To this latter dimension, Ibn ‘Ajiba adds insights arising from his own spiritual quest, that of a man who, in his early 40s, having lived the life of a scholar from a noble Tetouani family, turned away from all the rank and respect he had previously enjoyed in order to become the disciple of two of the greatest Sufic teachers of his day, Mulay al-‘Arabi al-Darqawi and Muhammad al-Buzidi, and immerse himself in the rigorous spiritual training and practice that characterized their way, al-Tariqa al-Shadhiliyya al-Darqawiyya. This translation, then presents both an example of Islamic scholarship based on traditional formal sources as well as insight into Ibn ‘Ajiba’s own personal journey of discovery. 

In the course of this work, the reader will find commentary, both exoteric and esoteric, on verses concerning the interrelation between Divine benevolence and human gratitude; the blessings of Heaven and the place of faithful men and women there; the relationship between practice, grace, and salvation; the role and meaning of the invocation and remembrance of God (dhikr-Allah); the ephemeral nature of this world; the essential traits of Christians; the meaning of earthy tribulations; and the benefits of charity.  

In addition the reader will discover the depths at which Qur'anic discourse has been understood by the mystics of Islam over the centuries (and up to the present day), a depth at which formal differences between traditions become less and less distinct and the similarities in the human quest for knowledge of the Divine ever more inspiring.  

Excerpt:  

“As for God’s words Full of spreading branches, these allude to the many types of knowledge, tastes, mysteries, and lights to be found in those two gardens, as well as to the differing spiritual insights which arise from the ocean of mysteries. Therein, for each one, are two springs flowing forth, one with the teachings of the Revealed Law, ethics, and comportment befitting servanthood, and the other with the teachings of the esoteric truth, the Way, and the monotheism of the elect (al-tawhid al-khass). Therein of every fruit of spiritual experience (adhwaq) there is a pair, that is, two kinds: one which is constant and unchanging and the other which is renewed at each instant. We might also say there is a kind which pertains to the world of Divine Wisdom and another which pertains to the world of Divine Power, or one which pertains to the Essence and one which pertains to the Attributes; or one which arises from the sweetness of direct perception and one which arises from correct comportment.”

What makes this book special?  

Al-Bahr al-Madid, from which this translation is an excerpt, is the only traditional Quranic commentary in existence which gives both exoteric exegesis and mystical “spiritual allusion” for each verse of the Sacred Book. Only one other work by the prolific 13th/18th century Moroccan mystic and scholar, Ahmad ibn ‘Ajiba, has so far been translated into English.

Ahmad ibn ‘Ajiba--- The 18th century Moroccan mystic and scholar, Ahmad ibn ‘Ajiba, virtually unknown in the west before the 1967 publication of Jean-Louis Michon’s Le Soufi Marocain Ibn ‘Ajiba et son Mi’raj, spent six year towards the end of his life working intermittently on his single greatest work, The Immense Ocean (al-Bahr al-Madid), a complete commentary on the Holy Qur'an. The finished work would differ from all other previous Qur'anic commentaries (tafasir) by the fact that in addition to presenting the exoteric explanation for every verse, it also included esoteric commentary (ishara) which related each verse to the mystic path of Islam, Sufism.

Table of Contents  

I. Ritual Purity (Taharah)
II. Ritual Prayer (Salat)
III. On fasting
IV. On spiritual retreats, i.e., seclusion in the mosque for prayer and worship
V. On Zakah
VI. On the Hajj, or Greater Pilgrimage 
 
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The Basic Research - Shaykh Ahmad Ibn Ajiba  
Hardback - 341 pages

 
''Futuhat al Ilahiyya fi Sharh al Mabaahith al-Asliyya''

Translation by : Abdalkhabir al-Munawwarah and Haj Abdassabur al-Ustadh.

Madinah Press

This book is the commentary by Shaykh Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn 'Ajiba al-Hasani on the poem of Ibn al-Banna of Saragossa.

Editor: Shaykh Abdalqadir as-Sufi al-Murabit:

Description from the publisher -- "To travel the path of courtesy and instruction is before everything and the mightiest means to Allah. The most direct access for the slave of his Lord is to keep company with the Gnostics, those who have high yearning and prophetic instruction, and to have courtesy between the hands of the shaykhs who have no blemish and are pure and who know the stations and states of worshippers, zahids, fuqara and sufis. Research their behavior and states. and take on their highly pleasing courtesy. Realise their behaviour and their pure good manners."  

The Basic Research by :  Shaykh Ahmad ibn 'Ajiba      

CONTENTS

---A note on the text.

---Preface.

---Introduction.

---Chapter 1, The Basis, page 20

---Chapter 2, The Benefits, page 52

---Chapter 3, The Rules, page 75 - 242  

1]. The Shaykh
2]. Assembly
3]. Clothing
4]. Eating
5]. Courtesy
6]. Sama'
7]. Travelling and Visiting
8]. Begging
9]. Education and Instruction  

---Chapter 4, The Refutation, p.242

---Chapter 5, The Denial, p.311
  

Extract from the Book; 
--- ''O you who inquire about the practices of the faqir, you have asked about something which is difficult to elucidate.''   

Practices is the plural of practice. It is the Tariqa. When it is written in another way, it means the Shari'ah. Both are correct with respect to this instance. The faqir is the one who has taken a direction towards the Real on the carpet of sincerity. Sahl, may Allah be pleased with him, said. The faqir is the one who does not own and is not owned. He sees nothing except the time he is in.' As-Suhrawardi may Allah be pleased with him, said, 'Poverty is the basis of sufism, and by it, it stands.' Another said, 'Poverty is an attribute which is abundant. The human nature of the self flees from it. It is one of the means by which the slave sits between the hands of Allah on the carpet of purity.' There is disagreement about whether the faqir is higher than the sufi. ---   

 
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The Autobiography of a Moroccan Soufi - Ahmad Ibn 'Ajiba (1747-1809)  
 Paperback - 200 pages

Introduced & Translated from the Arabic by : Jean-Louis Michon
Translation by :  David Streight

Ibn Ajiba, May Allah be pleased with him, an 18th-century Moroccan saint in the Darqawi Sufi lineage, wrote his fahrasa or autobiography not for the pleasure of talking about himself but "to celebrate God's kindness" by informing others of the graces bestowed on him. This account details Ibn Ajiba's travels in search of both secular and spiritual knowledge; his entrance on a Sufi path strongly based within the Islamic tradition; and the social, intellectual, and spiritual struggles that such a search entailed. He spent time in prison, and time in ecstasy.

He tells his tale with humility and a sense of humour, and the story manages to be at the same time practical (details of how much he paid to workmen to build a house or advice to his followers on how to consummate their marriages) and spiritual (explaining the subtleties of mystical experience and how the esoteric way is superior to the exoteric). His zeal for both intellectual learning and the devotional path are apparent on every page. Long unavailable to Western readers, this new English translation by David Streight is based on the contemporary French version by Jean-Louis Michon, a longtime scholar of Islamic culture and traditional ideas in the North African country where Ibn Aijba lived and taught.

Reviews:  

" This lengthy and fascinating book is a rare example of the genre of autobiography in Islamic literature. It deals with everything from the little details of everyday life to the mystical states experienced on the path to God. It will be welcomed by everyone interested in the day-to-day workings of Islamic society, the interplay between "exoteric" and "esoteric" learning in the dynamics of Islamic understanding, and the place of the Sufi path in the personal and social life of the community. Recommended for historians and anthropologists, general readers, spiritual seekers, and Sufi adepts." ---- William C. Chittick, State University New York

" A fascinating account of the life of a prolific, yet little known, Moroccan Sufi that casts special light on the socio-cultural and religious milieu of eighteenth-century northwest Africa. By tracing the events of his life between the extremes of the mundane and the spiritual, Ibn ‘Ajiba paints a detailed and engaging picture of what a person eager for spiritual fulfillment had to learn, practice, and endure along the path of Sufism. In addition to the details of his genealogy, marriages, travels, contact, the geographical and tribal “maps” of his world (of interest to anthropologists and social historians), Ibn ‘Ajiba provides some insightful commentaries on the Islamic exoteric and esoteric sciences and alludes to the canonical texts in circulation. His preoccupation with the intricacies of daily life foregrounds his reflections and experiences gracefully against the rich, and often disharmonious mosaic of the social, intellectual, pedagogical, and moral values of the time. Michon’s rendering of the original text into French is masterful and elegant, and Streight’s competent translation into English has the subtlety and transparency necessary to reveal Michon’s erudite scholarship. The book will be of interest to scholars of Sufism and the socio-cultural history of Morocco and North Africa." ---- Samer Akkach, University of Adelaide

 
 
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