Ibn 'Ata'allah 

Abu al-Fadl Ibn 'Ata' allah al-Iskandari (d.709), May Allah be pleased with him.

Ibn Ata' illah al-Iskandari, Rahmatullahi 'alayh, was born in Alexandria, Egypt, as his family tree (nisbah) indicates, about the middle of the seventh [AH] /thirteenth [CE] century. His family were renowned Maliki scholars from the Banu Judham tribe, originally from Arabia. His grandfather, Abd al-Karim (d. 612 AH/1216 CE) had distinguished himself as an expert in Fiqh, usul (principles of jurisprudence), and Arabic, having studied under the famous Abu'l-Hasan al-Abyari.

Ibn Ata' illah, May Allah be pleased with him, was one of the great Sufi Imams who was also known as a muhaddith, preacher, and Maliki jurist. He is the author of 'al-Hikam' (Aphorisms), 'Miftah al-falah' (The key to success), 'al-Qasd al-mujarrad fi ma'rifat al-ism al-mufrad' (The pure goal concerning knowledge of the Unique Name), amongst others.  

This pious and extraordinary contemplative figure left behind a spiritual legacy no less impressive than those of his own beloved Shaykh, and the eminent founder Shaykh Abu'l-Hasan ash-Shadhili, May Allah be pleased with him. All the biographers refer to Ibn 'Ata illah with illustrious titles and reverence and mention how marvellously he spoke and how uplifting his words were. In spite of the fact that he followed the Maliki madhbab, the Shafi'is laid claim to him, most probably because some of his earlier teachers had been Shafi'i scholars, not to mention some of his students.

Page Last Updated : 11th June 2011

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Ibn 'Ata' illah [The Book of Wisdom] &

Kwaja Abdullah Ansari [Intimate Conversations]

Paperback - 256 pages 
This is one of The Classics of Western Spirituality (A Library of the Great Spiritual Masters).

Product Description : This highly treasured book embodies the essence of spiritual life in the Islamic tradition. Its author, Ibn Ata'llah May Allah be pleased with him a well known Sufi saint and sage of the 13th century Egypt, lived during the flowering of new Sufi Orders. Muslims of every age have been drawn to the simple, aphoristic nature of, 'The Book of Wisdom, [Kitab al-Hikam] and have learned its practical poetry by heart. This Arabic work is in three parts - the maxims, the treatises and the intimate conversations. Victor Danner's new translation maintains the timeless quality of this work as an ever-fresh affirmation of the life in the spirit. 

Intimate Conversation. One of the major early writers of Persian mystical literature, Kwaja Abdullah Ansari May Allah be pleased with him is best loved for his collection of simple flowing sentences long used as a devotional handbook. In these very human dialogues with God, Ansari speaks of a love and longing for his Creator as well as the frustration at his own human frailty.

 
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The Key to Salvation  -    A SUFI MANUAL OF INVOCATION            NEW       

Paperback - 269 pages        '' Miftah al-falah ''                    by Ibn ‘Ata’ Allah Al-Iskandari  

Translated by :  Mary Ann Koury Danner
 
Key to Salvation is considered to be one of Ibn ‘Ata’ Allah’s most important works because it contains the principles of actual Sufi mystical practices. 

It is unprecedented for the light it sheds on the central role of dhikru’llah, or sacred invocation and associated practices, such as spiritual retreat. It offers a glimpse into the Sufi world of the seventh Islamic century and allows us to see how the novice was guide by the Sufi Shaykh and the purpose and preparation involved in engaging in the dhikru-llah. 

This is the first English translation of Miftah al-falah, a thirteenth century Sufi text, written by Ibn Ata Allah, one of the great masters of the Shadhili Sufi order. 

It is considered to be one of his most important works because it sets out the principles of actual Sufi mystical practices, shedding light on the sacred invocations, and associated practices, such as the spiritual retreat. 

Written in a clear, lucid style, it offers a glimpse into the Sufi world of the 7th Islamic century and allows us to see almost at first hand how the novice was guided by the Sufi Shaykh and, above all, the purpose and preparation involved in engaging in the invocation, dhikhru’llah. Ibn Ata’ Allah sets out to define it, to explain its nature and power, to show its results and to prove that it is part of the Prophet’s Sunna, or practice. 

The author goes to great lengths to point out many Qur’anic verses where dhikru’llah is mentioned and cites many noted authorities.

Mary Ann Koury-Danner, currently Area Specialist for Middle Eastern Studies at Indiana University Library, has already won two awards for this translation.

 
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The Book of Illumination -  al-Tanwir fi Isqat al-Tadbir         NEW  

Paperback - 440 pages                                                                    by Ibn ‘Ata’ Allah Al-Iskandari

 
Translated from the Arabic by :  Dr Scott Kugle 
 
The Book of Illumination is a translation of al-Tanwir fi Isqat al-Tadbir, a Sufi text composed by the Muslim saint and jurist, Ibn Ata'illah al-Iskandari, May Allah be pleased with him. The text is about avoiding the anxieties associated with rational calculation, hoarding wealth, and exercising self-interest. It consists of ethical commentary on the Qur'an, traditions of the Prophet Muhammad, May Allah bless him and grant him peace, and examples of North African Sufi masters. The author meant it to be an ethical introduction to Sufi mysticism, a first stepping-stone for aspirants who would experience spiritual intimacy with God within the framework of Islamic ethics and law.

While revealing important characteristics of North African Islamic thought, The Book of Illumination also addresses the concerns of contemporary audiences. The text offers deep insight into topics crucial to many people who are exploring "spirituality" in the age of late capitalism with its consumer-driven economics and endless production of new desires and proliferation of choices. Though thoroughly medieval in its subtle elaboration on the richness of scripture and its belief in the efficacy of sainthood, The Illumination is also uniquely contemporary in its piercing critique of selfish desire and rational calculation. The argument of this thirteenth century Muslim author articulates an "Islamic work ethic" that challenges many sociological assumptions of Max Weber while simultaneously dissecting many assumptions of our contemporary consumerist culture whose triumph Weber had announced with such ambivalence.

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What happens if you stop taking care of yourself?  Will anyone else step in to take care of you? This Sufi text by the renowned Shadhili master, Ibn Ata'illah al-Iskandari, asks and answers this basic existential question about the way we live our lives.  In Kitab al-Tanwir fi Isqat al-Tadbir, Ibn Ata'illah proposes that if you desist from selfish calculation to secure your own welfare, then you invite Allah to step in and take care of you, materially as well as spiritually.  That seems simple enough, but the text reveals the profound depth of this proposition. It weaves together creative Qur'anic interpretation and explanation of rare teachings from the Prophet Muhammad's, May Allah bless him and grant him peace, traditions with the Sufi master's own poetry, parables, and stories of past Shadhili masters.

The Book of Illumination has been the basic training manual for Sufis in North Africa, and serves as an indispensible introduction to Ibn Ata'illah's more advanced writings, such as his Sufi Aphorisms (Kitab al-Hikam).  In this age of conspicuous consumption and capitalist greed, a translation of the Book of Illumination has special value. It upholds the spiritual value of work while urging readers to simplify their reliance on material means and question their obsession with possessing and craving.  It argues for a spirituality of living in the world without relying on the world, a spirituality that is more relevant now than ever.

 
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The Book of Aphorisms  ... Being a translation of Kitab al-Hikam       NEW   

Paperback - 165 pages

Translated by: Muhammed Nafih Wafy

 
This book, one of the more widely distributed works of Ibn 'Ata'illah, serves as an ethical guide to those seeking God. It is a collection of short spiritual sayings each containing profound meaning driven from the Qur'an and Sunnah, and deals with issues related to tawhid, ethics and day-to-day conduct.

Kitab al-Hikam is a slender mystic classic which enjoys a universal reputation as the jewel in the crown of Sufi literature. The book is a collection of 261 Sufi aphorisms (some counted it 264) containing precise contemplative reflections on man's relations with his Creator. It is designed as a manual of spiritual development aimed at guiding and instructing spiritual aspirants and pursuers. Purely based on the teachings of the Noble Qur'an and the sayings of the Prophet Muhammad, May Allah bless him and grant him peace, the book provides training to fulfil the objectives of sublime servanthood in human life through developing a deep relation with the Almighty God.

It explains the way to live Islam both outwardly and inwardly and guides people toward the perfection of good character and spiritual realisation. Most of the aphorisms are written in a conversational format addressing a second person, obviously the spiritual aspirant.

The Hikam was evidently dictated by the Shaykh to one of his disciples who was none other than Taqi al-Din al-Subki, May Allah be pleased with him, who later handed it over to the Shadhilli master Ahmad Zarruq, May Allah be pleased with him. 

As a unique and beautiful work written in a meditative language and inimitable style, Hikam attracted universal Muslim approval from his own time up to the present day. A combination of profound spiritual teachings, real charm of language, forcefulness of expression and intensity of conviction makes Hikam certainly the most appealing ob Ibn 'Ata' illah's books to later generations of Muslims.

[ Back in Stock - 11th June 2011 ]

 
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The Subtle Blessings in the Saintly Lives of Abu al-Abbas al-Mursi  
 & His Master Abu al-Hasan al-Shadhili -  
 Kitab Lata'if al-Minan fi Manaqib Abi 'l-Abbas al-Mursi wa Shaykhihi Abi 'l-Hasan 
 Paperback - 455 pages                                                       by Ibn 'Ata' Allah al-Iskandari 

Laţā'if al-Minan ("Subtle Graces") by Ibn Ata 'Allah May Allah be pleased with him (d. 709 AH) might be described as a tribute by the author to the two great shaykhs who molded his spiritual life and vision, namely, Abū al-Ĥasan al-Shādhilī (d. 656 AH) and Abū al-'Abbās al-Mursī (d. 686 AH), the latter of whom Ibn 'Aţā' Allāh describes as "our master and companion, the pole of gnostics, the signpost of the rightly guided, the supreme apologist for Sufism, the travelers' guide, the rescuer of the perishing…he who speaks by the light of his flawless spiritual insight into [people's] secret thoughts…he who unveils the suns of knowledge after they have set and the secrets of subtle intimations after they have departed, he who has arrived in God and who assists others in doing the same."

Filled with anecdotes illustrating the shaykhs' spiritual gifts and insights, Laţā'if al-Minan is Ibn 'Aţā' Allāh's attempt to convey to his readers not only the beauty and inspiration of these men's lives and their utter devotion to God, but to help his readers themselves to enter into this same life of devotion and to experience its inimitable blessings.

For anyone desiring a vivid, lively exposition of the Sufi path as embodied in the lives of God's friends, the saints, together with their expositions of the prophetic traditions and Qur'anic passages which stayed their feet along the path, explanations of the divine realities, mystical stations and related enigmas, as well as specific phrases of divine remembrance (dhikr) which Abū al-'Abbās used for himself and his disciples, Laţā'if al-Minan offers a delightful excursion through this inviting, albeit arduous, realm of body and spirit.

This deeply personal reminiscence of one man's growth in Islamic mysticism is a tribute to the two great shaykhs who molded his spiritual life and vision. Filled with anecdotes illustrating the shaykhs' spiritual gifts and insights, the text not only conveys the beauty and inspiration of these men's lives and their utter devotion to God, but also helps readers to enter this same life of devotion and experience its inimitable blessings. Sufi interpretations of Qur'anic passages and traditional Sufi spiritual litanies are included.
  
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