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Book of Wisdoms al-Hikam al-‘Ata'iyya

Hikam section 1 to 5 and

Ibn ‘Ata' Illah was a scholar of Maliki jurisprudence, Arabic grammar, hadith,

Qur’anic exegesis, and fundamentals of law and faith, who became thesecond successor of the great mystic Abul Hasan al-Shadhili in Egypt after hisown sheikh, Shadhili’s disciple Abul ‘Abbas al-Mursi (may Allah be wellpleased with them). Originally from Alexandria, Ibn ‘Ata' Illah moved to Cairo,where he gained a large following, gave lectures at al-Azhar Mosque thatwere well attended, and wrote his Hikam and other enduring works whichattest to his profound mastery of the mystic way and knowledge of Allah MostHigh. He died in Cairo in 709/1309.

Wisdom

"Your desire to withdraw from everything when GOD has involved you inthe world of means is a hidden appetite.

Your desire for involvement with the world of means when GOD haswithdrawn you from it is a fall from high aspiration".

Commentary by Ibn Ajiba.

His desire to withdraw when GOD has established means for him is a hiddenappetite because the self desires rest by that and does not have enough

certainty to endure the hardships of poverty. When poverty descends on him,he is shaken and upset and resorts to means, and so that is uglier thanremaining with them. This is an aspect which is appetite, and it is hiddenbecause inwardly he displays cutting off and asceticism, which is a noblestate and sublime state, while inwardly he conceals his portion of rest, honour,wilayat or whatever. He did not intend to achieve servitude and certainty. Healso lacks adab (etiquette) with GOD when he wants to leave withoutremaining patient until he is given permission. The sign of him remainingconstantly in causes is that he has results, lack of attachments which cut himoff from the religion and obtains sufficiency, but if he were to abandon that, hewould look to people and be worried about provision.

Foreordained Destiny and the Inefficacy of Material Causes-and-Effects

Eighth Lesson: Foreordained Destiny and the Inefficacy of Material Causes-

and-Effects (Al-Qadar wa Lâfâ‘iliyya al-Asbâb) Ibn ‘Ata’ Allah, Hikam No. 3

Translation Dr. G. F. Haddad

“The most truthful word any poet ever said is Labid’s:

Lo! Everything other than Allah is vain.” Hadith of the Prophet – Allah blessand greet him.



We had begun to speak about Ibn ‘Ata’ Allah’s Third hikma. In it he said –may Allah Almighty have mercy on him:

#3. The foremost energies cannot pierce the walls of foreordaineddestinies.

This hikma is in reality a completion for the hikma that comes before it. Ibn‘Ata’ Allah – rahimahullâh – had asked us to conform with the reality in whichAllah has placed us. The measuring-scale for this reality is the most nobleLaw. If you see that Allah Almighty has placed you within the screens of ambient causes which are all forbidden: then Allah is testing you withdispossession (al-tajrîd). What is required of you is to move away from thesecauses which Allah Almighty has not authorized, and rely on Allah for theobtainment of your wants. But if you see yourself placed within the screens of ambient causes to which the Law has unlocked wide and licit paths – and theway in which you use them is licit – then know, at that time, that Allah has

placed you in the world of causes (‘âlam al-asbâb). What is required of you isto interact with these causes, and not to substitute them with complete trust(tawakkul) in Allah Almighty. Complete trust is required anyway; however, youare obligated, in such a condition, to interact with those causes that are licitand, at the same time, trust in Allah. That is the gist of the previous hikma:

#2. Your asking for dispossession when Allah has placed you in the midst of causes is a surreptitious lust, and your asking [to handle] causes when Allahhas placed you in dispossession is a decline from a higher level.

When Ibn ‘Ata’ Allah says this – we discussed it at length previously – onemight infer that causes possess great efficacy (fâ‘iliyya) and that, whensomeone finds himself face-to-face with unproblematic, licit causes, he mustinteract with these causes in all his goals and all the essentials of life. Onemight therefore think that causes possess efficacy and influence, and that,therefore, one must interact with these causes and not say: “I shall substitutethem with complete trust in Allah Almighty.” Because of this possibility – whichmight arise in the mind of whoever listens to the second hikma – Ibn ‘Ata’Allah followed up with this third hikma and said: “The foremost energiescannot pierce the walls of foreordained destinies.”

This question is related to doctrine (al-‘aqîda). It is the basis from which weshould set forth, whether we have been tested through dispossession, or wehave been tested and asked to interact with causes. In both cases, there is adoctrinal reality which we must all acquire in our very beings. What is thatdoctrinal reality? It is that causes, whatever they are, are subservient to Allah’s foreordained destiny (qadar), and it is not Allah’s foreordained destiny that is subservient to causes. This we must know.

Causes that are represented by human endeavors to work, seek sustenanceand so forth – such causes are troops among Allah’s other troops which allserve Allah’s qadar . These causes with which you interact, lead you to what-

ever Allah Almighty has foreordained for you. Whenever we have recourse tophysicians and their medications, which are among the causes used to



remedy illness, endeavoring to achieve a cure therefrom, we must know thatthe use of medication, the recourse to physicians – all this is subservient toAllah’s foreordainment (qadâ’). This means that physicians, their remedies,their prescriptions, and all their means lead you, in the end, to whatever Allahhas foreordained for you or against you. All the means with which you

interact, those you use and seek after in order to obtain education or degrees,marry, start a family in the way you envisage, and whatever goals other thanthose – the Creator has filled the earth with causes! – you must know thatthese causes, whether you are now tasked with deprivation of them or withinteracting with them – you must know that causes are troops which revolvearound a single axis: execution of Allah Almighty’s foreordainment.

That is the meaning of Ibn ‘Ata’ Allah’s words: “The foremost energies cannotpierce the walls of foreordained destinies.” Have the highest energy you like.Exert the greatest skills in marshalling causes to your advantage. As skillful asyou may get in gathering together causes according to your wishes, that

energy of yours, which has marshalled all causes for your sake, can never overcome Allah’s foreordained destinies. Yes, it is as if these foreordaineddestinies were a kind of fortified wall – like the fortified wall around the citywhich everyone knows – while the causes with which we interact are likearrows we shoot at that high wall. Can the arrows of causes, whatever theymay be, ever pierce the bastions of foreordained destinies and go beyondthem? Never in any way whatsoever.

Each and everyone of us must know this doctrine. But first, what is theevidence for it? We do not want to open the file of doctrinal issues in thefamiliar style of the books of the science of Oneness (al-tawhîd), theologicaldiscourse (al-kalâm), and the like. Allah’s Book suffices for us, and the clear words which we use and repeat every day suffice for us. The Elect One –Allah bless and greet him – has taught us a sacred phrase which he orderedus to repeat always. What is that phrase? It is lâ hawla wa lâ quwwata illâbillâh – “There is no change nor power except by Allah.” What does thisphrase mean? Reflect upon it. It means exactly what Ibn ‘Ata’ Allah is saying:There is no change for a human being, for causes, for means, for the universeand all that is in it – there is no change for all of that, nor power, except if thatpower comes from Allah Almighty. Is it not so?

Among the names of Allah Almighty is al-Qayyûm – “The Sustainer of All.”What is the meaning of this name? “Allah! There is no God other than He,the Living, the Sustainer of All” (2:255, 3:2). That is: the Sustainer of theuniverses, Who controls them as He wishes and organizes them as He likes.Nothing at all moves except by His Sustainment (qayyûmiyya). That is themeaning of the word qayyûm. Is there any efficacy left for causes after this?

Our Almighty Lord says: “And of His signs is this: The heavens and theearth stand fast by His command” (30:35). It means that what you canbehold of the movement of the celestial spheres – those we see and those wedo not, – the ordering of the earth, all that is between the heaven and the

earth, and all that lies within this universe, seen and unseen – it is one of Hissigns that “The heavens and the earth stand fast by His command.” It



means that if you see in them causes and effects (asbâb wa musabbabât),who is the one who threaded together these causes and effects, joining theformer with the latter? It is Allah Exalted and Glorified!

To elaborate: the nature of combustion in fire – so to speak, for there is no

such thing as “nature” but we have to make what we say intelligible throughapproximations – that nature does not exist inside fire. It is but a divine Force(quwwa rabbâniyya) that has marshalled fire for its purpose. So it is AllahWho is the author of combustion (al-muhriq), not the fire. Our Exalted Lordsays: “Lo! Allah grasps the heavens and the earth, lest they cease, and if they were to cease there is not one that could grasp them after Him” (35:41). It means that the existence of these spheres suspended in their orbits, these arrangements by which He has made these orbits stand together with the earth, these cosmic laws and patterns which we see all around us,from the farthest celestial bodies to the earth and thereunder – all that is byAllah Almighty’s arrangement. “Lo! Allah grasps the heavens and the

earth, lest they cease, and if they were to cease there is not one thatcould grasp them after Him.” If you believe – and believe firmly – that this isAllah’s speech, is there any efficay left for causes?

Our Exalted Lord says in His explicit disclosure: “And a token unto them isthat We bear their offspring in the laden ship” (36:41). Have you reflectedupon these words? The ship, externally, is a cause. Therefore it is the ship,apparently, which carries the people who board it, is it not? In our understanding, the phrasing should have been: “And a token unto them is thatthe laden ship bears them.” However, the divine disclosure came in a differentform. “And a token unto them is that We bear their offspring in the ladenship.” Who, then, is the carrier for those who sought refuge in the ship? Is itthe ship or is it Allah? So then, the ship possesses no efficacy.

What does Allah say? “A token unto them is the dead earth. We revive it,and We bring forth from it grain so that they eat thereof; And We haveplaced therein gardens of the date palm and grapes, and We havecaused springs of water to gush forth therein. That they may eat of thefruit thereof, and their hands made it not. Will they not, then, givethanks? Glory be to Him Who created all the sexual pairs, of that whichthe earth grows, and of themselves, and of that which they know

not!” (36:33-36) In all this discourse you will notice that Allah attributes allthese things to Himself while we find the causes present: we find the earth,we find agriculture, but Allah attributes all this to Himself.

Allah says in Sura Nuh, as He speaks of the means by which He has savedour master Nuh u and those who were with him: “And We carried him upona thing of planks and nails, That ran (upon the waters) in Our sight, as areward for him who was rejected.” (54:13) Consider well these words.Notice that what we aim to do by citing this evidence is to make firm our awareness and our certitude that the causes which we see have no efficacy inthemselves. That is what we are aiming for. Allah is here recounting in a

succinct and quick manner our master Nuh’s situation. When he wasbesieged and harmed by his people, what did he do? “So he cried unto his



Lord, saying: I am vanquished, so give help.” (54:10). Two words: “I amvanquished,” and “so give help.” “Then opened We the gates of heavenwith pouring water And caused the earth to gush forth springs, so thatthe waters met for a predestined purpose. And We carried him upon athing of planks and nails, That ran (upon the waters) in Our sight, as a

reward for him who was rejected.” (54:11-13) “We carried him” – He did notsay: “It is the ship that carried him.” Further, He did not even use the word“ship” in His wording. What did He say? “And We carried him upon a thingof planks and nails.” [That is] “We carried him upon some planks and nailswhich were assembled” – so as to minimize the status of that ship and make itclear for you that the ship itself is less than [deserving of] being the one thatrescued and the one that saved. Thus He first said: “And We carried him.”He did not attribute the carrying to our master Nuh nor to the ship. Then Hesaid “upon a thing of planks and nails” to let you see that some plankswhich were put together are not strong enough to save those people from aperpetual deluge unknown to humanity heretofore nor hereafter.

So then we have before us positive evidence that the creator of causes isAllah and that causes, all of them, melt under the authority of Allah’s Lordship.That is a truth which you are free to express in whatever theological fashionyou wish. But that is what Allah Almighty’s Disclosure states. Nay, the vastmajority of the Muslims hold that Allah has not deposited into these causesthe least efficacy, unlike what some have said – such as the Mu‘tazila – atone point. No, not at all! Allah did not deposit into fire the secret of combustion, thereafter leaving fire in charge of its mission, which consists incombustion. A simile would be a human being’s disposal of artificialintelligence, which is then left by him to do its job. No! The reality is certainlynot so. Yet to some people, even among Muslims, this is imagined to be true.The latter say: “Fire burns by virtue of the force which Allah has deposited init. Water quenches thirst by virtue of the force which Allah has deposited in it.Medicine heals by virtue of the force which Allah has deposited in it. Poisonkills by virtue of the force which Allah has deposited in it.” Are thesestatements correct? Never.

We do not charge [them] with disbelief. However, even scientifically, thesestatements are incorrect. The reason is that, if one believes that Allah hasdeposited healing within medicine and then left it so that medicine heals in

permanence, it would mean that Allah now has a partner, which is this secretthat He deposited within the medicine. As much as the Creator disassociatesHimself from that medicine, the latter [allegedly] still performs its work, withoutthe continuance (istimrâriyya) of Allah Almighty’s efficacy. That is the meaningof that “deposited force.” We seek refuge in Allah from such belief! What havewe done with “The Sustainer of All”? Similarly, if you say: “Fire burns by virtueof the efficacy which Allah Almighty has deposited in it.” The outcome of thisstatement is that Allah Almighty has deposited that secret – combustion –inside fire, then left fire so that the latter burns in perpetuity. So then thatsecret has become a partner with Allah! If Allah has left fire alone after depositing in it that secret, then [they claim] there is no problem with that: it

shall always burn. That position is false, incorrect, and scientifically incorrect



in any way one looks at it. Combustion only takes effect by the act of Allah at the time of contact between fire and the matter it burns.

Allah creates satiation at the time you ingest food. Who is it that createdsatiation? Allah. If He wished, He could make you eat, and eat, and eat, and

not be sated. Allah created quenchedness for you at the time you drinkbeverage. There are not, in these things, forces-in-residence which Allah hasleft alone so that they do their work. No – it is a mistake to think so. The PiousPredecessors (al-Salaf al-Sâlih), the People of the Way of the Prophet andthe Congregation of the Companions (ahl al-Sunna wa al-Jamâ‘a) holdotherwise. Just look at Allah’s words: “And a token unto them is that Webear their offspring in the laden ship” (36:41). If some self-sufficientphysiological force had been deposited into the ship so that ships performtheir tasks always, regardless to what extent Allah disconnects Himself fromthem – then His saying would no longer be correct that “And a token untothem is that We bear their offspring in the laden ship.” But He continues:

“And if We will, We drown them, and there is no help for them, neither can they be saved” (36:43).

Dear brethren: we must deal with this reality. Many are those that stray in thismatter. One of us may say: “If this is the case, then why do we have tointeract with these causes? Why does the sick person seek recourse in thephysician? Why does he take medicine? Why do we take precautions againstfire and its burning pain? Let us plunge into fire just as we plunge into water and swim in it. Why do we go out to the market and struggle, why work intrade and farming and so forth, if, as you said, there are no causes, and theone and only Causator is Allah, around Whose might all causes revolve?”What is the answer to this?

Allah Almighty has made this lower-wordly existence stand on certaincustoms (sunan). He has tied together these things and those. Whatever comes first, appears to us to be a cause; whatever comes last, appears to usto be an effect. Allah has made the universe stand on that system. That is:Allah’s way is that He satiates you when you take food. His way is that Hequenches your thirst when you take drink. His way is that He provides youwith sustenance when you knock at the door of sustenance. His way is thatHe cures you when you rush to the doctor and ask him for the remedy that will

benefit you. That is the way of Allah. He ties things together, but without therebeing actual efficacy for what we call a cause. It is proper conduct (adab) onour part with Allah to respect His system in the universe.

It is proper conduct on our part with Allah to respect His universal customs.Thus has Allah Almighty willed it. If you have recognized what must bebelieved in the chapter of doctrine and then say: “For myself I shall not drinkwhen I feel thirst, because Allah is the One that shall create quenchedness,”know that at that time you are committing misconduct with Allah Almighty. MyExalted Lord has willed to create quenchedness in your being at the time youtake drink. If you say: “I shall not take drink,” then this is rebellion against

Allah Almighty’s system.



I will give you an example that will resolve the above to satisfaction. LadyMaryam – upon our Prophet and upon her peace – when birthpains came toher – you have all read the Sura of Maryam – felt pain and foresaw what wasgoing to happen with her, what people were going to say about her: “And thepangs of childbirth drove her unto the trunk of the palm tree. She said:

Oh, would that I had died before this and had become a thing of naught,forgotten! Then (one) cried unto her from below her, saying: Grieve not!Thy Lord has placed a rivulet beneath you, and shake the trunk of thepalm tree toward you, you will cause ripe dates to fall uponyou.” (19:23-25) The scholars all said here: She had rested her back againstthe trunk of a date-palm tree of huge size at a time there was not, at the headof that date-palm tree, any date nor fruit, for it was not yet the season for them. The tree was bare of fruit. Allah then created in front of her the rivulet,and He created for her in the height of the date-palm tree a bunch of ripedates. Now, the God Who created the date-bunch instantly – is He not able tomake it fall, or to make some of the dates fall in front of her? But He said:

“And shake the trunk of the palm tree toward you, you wilt cause ripedates to fall upon you.” Imagine, what can that weak hand of hers do to thattrunk which is very much like that column [in the mosque]? You all know thestrength of the trunk of the date-palm. What can one do? So then: Is there anyefficacy to the hand? Yet Allah ordered her to do something; to exert someeffort; to knock at Allah Almighty’s door. If Lady Maryam had said: “The GodWho created the rivulet for me, and created those fresh, ripe dates for me, isable to let some of them fall in front of me just as He wishes; therefore I shallnot move my hand, nor move the tree-trunk.” If she had said that, it wouldhave been misconduct with Allah Almighty. She actually moved her hand,after which Allah Almighty made them fall. Was the fall of the ripe dateseffected by the moving of the hand or by Allah’s subtle kindness? It waseffected by Allah’s subtle kindness (lutf).

So then, dear brethren: Our works in the marketplaces, our studies in theuniversities, our tilling of the fields and our farming, our medication at thehands of physicians – all the means that exist – are but the same thing aswhat Lady Maryam did when she was tasked with shaking the date-palm tree-trunk. If there were any efficacy to her hand, then it is the same with our worksby which we strive and all our activities. But who is he that says there is anyefficacy there? And that is the answer to the question mentioned before.

I am tasked with rising in the morning and going out to knock at the door of Allah’s sustenance with the means which He has made licit. I am tasked withobserving and respecting the causes which He has thus named for me:“causes” – and so I interact with them. That work in response to Allah’scommand is part of worship, part of the condition of being Allah Almighty’sservant. This means that when you know that these causes have no actualefficacy, but [you say]: “Allah has commanded me, therefore, I hear and Iobey” – at that time you are performing one of the greatest of all acts of worship to Allah Almighty. When the farmer goes out to his field, tills, plants,strives to his utmost, knowing that Allah has tasked him with a duty, and that it

is Allah, thereafter, Who creates the results: that farmer is performing an actof worship which is among the greatest acts of worship. The young man who



marries in order to practice continence, knowing, however, that it is Allah Whocreates continence and it is He Who shall give him happiness through thatmarriage – it is Allah Himself Who gives him happiness – he is performing anact of worship which is among the greatest acts of worship. The sick man whoknocks at the door of the physician to ask him for the remedy to his ailment, is

performing an act of worship which is among the greatest acts of worship.This is all on condition that you know that efficacy belongs only to AllahAlmighty. Whether you are in the world of dispossession (‘âlam al-tajrîd) or inthe world of causes (‘âlam al-asbâb), you must know this. “The foremostenergies cannot pierce the walls of foreordained destinies.”

When a human being becomes immersed in this doctrine – his heart, not histongue – he shall be far away from suffering, far from emotional and nervousupheavals; he shall no longer be affected. Why? If some merchant toils andgathers all the causes to use them to his benefit, after which it appears thathis efforts all went to loss, and he goes back to his house with peace of mind,

in his knowledge that efficacy does not belong to those causes but to Allahalone, Who wished that no [positive] outcome should be realized – he cannotsay: had I done such-and-such, this result would not have happened; had Ipreceded so-and-so and submitted my project two days earlier, I would havebeen the one to succeed instead of him. The one who believes that efficacy belongs to Allah, his core does not ever burn with the flames of such words.Rather, he finds himself face-to-face with the words of Allah’s Messenger –Allah bless and greet him – in the authentic narration of Muslim in his Sahih:“If something bad happens to you, do not say: if only I had done such andsuch, then such and such would have happened. Say: Allah foreordained it totake place, and whatever Allah wishes, He does (qaddara Allâh wa mâ shâ’a Allâhu fa‘al).

For ‘if only’ begins Satan’s work.” But Satan cannot use ‘if’ and begin his workthrough it except in a heart that is devoid of such doctrine. Similarly, someonewhose relative was afflicted by some illness, then he took that relative to thephysicians and used all kinds of medicine and remedies, but Allahforeordained to take the patient away. Then someone might come to him andsay: “You made a mistake. The physician you went to was not a specialist.

You should have taken the patient to So-and-so. If you had done so, he wouldhave known the cure. Someone ailed more than that and was healed at hishands.” If one’s doctrine is absent, one will [at those words] feel an anguishthat will not let him sleep at night. He will say: “It is true, by Allah! Oh no, no,no! –” But look at him who possesses true doctrine and true belief in Allah,who has fastened his heart to Allah, and before whose eyes and insight allcauses have melted away so that he no longer see anything other than theCausator. He shall sleep in all tranquility. He shall say: “Leave me alone, youand your talk! The physicians, their medicine, ailments and their remedies areall servants bound to obey Allah’s foreordained destiny, and it is not Allah’sforeordained destiny that is subservient to the knowledge of physicians and

their remedies and all the rest.” His mind is at peace.



Let us plant this certitude firmly in the core of our beings. It brings immensebenefits to us. Among its other benefits is that this doctrinal certitude leadsyou to what the spiritual masters (al-rabbâniyyûn) have called “oneness of perception” (wahda al-shuhûd). I am not saying “oneness of being” (wahda al-wujûd) – beware! What is the meaning of the expression “oneness of

perception”? When I interact with causes with full respect to Allah’s ways, Hisorders, and His Law, and know that the sustenance that comes to me is fromAllah; the felicity that enters my home is from Allah Almighty; my food isreadied for me by Allah – I mean even the smallest details; the wealth withwhich I have been graced, comes from Allah; the illness that has been put inmy being or that of a relative of mine comes from Allah Almighty; the cure thatfollowed it is from Allah Almighty; my success in my studies is by AllahAlmighty’s grant; the results which I have attained after obtaining my degreesand so forth, are from Allah Almighty’s grant – when the efficacy of causesmelt away in my sight and I no longer see, behind them, other than theCausator Who is Allah Almighty, at that time, when you look right, you do not

see except Allah’s Attributes, and when you look left, you do not see other than Allah’s Atttributes. As much as you evolve in the world of causes, you donot see, through them, except the Causator, Who is Allah. At that time youhave become raised to what the spiritual masters have called oneness of perception. And this oneness of perception is what the Messenger of Allah –Allah bless and greet him – expressed by the word ihsân [which he defined tomean]: “That you worship Allah as if you see him.” You do not see the causesas a barrier between you and Allah. Rather, you see causes, in the context of this doctrine, very much like pure, transparent glass: the glass pane ispresent, no one denies it, but as much as you stare at it, you do not seeanything except what is behind it. Is it not so? You only see what is behind it.The world is entirely made of glass panes in this fashion. You see in themAllah’s efficacy in permanence, so you are always with Allah Almighty.

None has tasted the sweetness of belief (îmân) unless he has reached thatlevel of perception. At that time you will find yourself, when you enter your house, enjoying the pleasures of this house and whatever sustenance andgood things are in it, you will know that it is Allah Who has bestowed all thisupon you, so you will love Him. When you find that Allah has tied together your heart and the heart of your wife with mutual love, you will know that thesecret of this love is not effected by your wife, but comes from Allah, the Lord

of the worlds. When you look at yourself in the mirror, finding yourself in goodhealth, you immediately know that it is Allah Almighty that has bestowed goodhealth upon you. When food is placed before you and you look at it, youimagine that Allah – so to speak – has carried this food and placed it beforeyou after he subordinated to this purpose His heaven, His earth, the pasturesof His livestock, and then said to you: “Eat!” You will live with Allah Almighty! If you become thirsty and drink some cold water you will forget the water andremember only the One Who quenched your thirst. And when you lie down inbed at night and find yourself falling sleep, you will know that the One Whomade you sleep is Allah – not sleeping pills at all, nor the efficacy which Allahsubordinated to the physician. And so forth. You interact with causes, but this

certitude shall make you as I described: you will see causes as very, very



transparent glass panes which, as much as you stare at them, you will nolonger see other than what is behind them.

The disbeliever, on the other hand, or the denier, or the doubter, or thesceptic, will look at these causes as one of us would look at glass panes that

have been completely painted over. These panes have become thickobstacles that prevent you from seeing what is behind them. As much as youlook, you cannot see what is behind them. At that time one will divinizecauses, and all those things. It is not permitted for the Muslim to fall into thisspot in any way whatsoever.

We have now determined the working relationship between the words of theImam Ibn ‘Ata’ Allah al-Sakandari in his second hikma and his words in thethird. There remains one question which might arise in the minds of somepeople: “If everything is according to qadâ’ and qadar , then the believer isforeordained by Allah to be a believer, and the disbeliever is foreordained by

Allah to be a disbeliever. Therefore, the disbeliever’s disbelief is not by hisfree choice, nor is the believer’s belief by his free choice.” Our precedingdiscourse might lead some of you to this difficulty. What is the answer? It isactually a different question, unrelated to what we have said today. I shallanswer this question, Allah willing, but what I say now will not suffice and Itherefore direct you to what I said in detail, in depth, and at length in my book Al-Insanu Musayyarun aw Mukhayyar? (“Is Man Controlled or Endowed WithFree Choice?”). I believe that I answered this problem there in great detail.However, I shall answer now succinctly.

Everything is by qadâ’ and qadar , just as the Messenger of Allah – Allah blessand greet him – says, including helplessness and intelligence. Allah’sforeordained destinies are two kinds. The first kind is directly created by AllahAlmighty. This is all part of “the world of creation” (‘âlam al-khalq): stars andtheir orbits, the order of the universe which is unrelated to man’s free choice,human birth and death, human illness and cure, vegetation, earthquakes,eclipses – all these matters are part of Allah’s foreordainment and created byHim directly, without any part for free choice. This comes under the heading of “creation” in the verse “His verily is all creation andcommandment” (7:54). The Creator does not make you in any wayresponsible for what He created without any choice on your part. “Allah tasks

not a soul beyond its scope” (2:286).

The second kind of foreordained destinies is what Allah has foreordained –and what is foreordainment? It is Allah’s knowledge of what shall take place.Allah only creates something in correspondence with (tilqâ’) His knowledge.This second kind of foreordained destinies is one that takes effect or circulates through the free choices of human beings. For example: your prayer, your fasting, your pilgrimage, your purification-tax (zakât), your acts of obedience, your acts of piety, your acts of disobedience – we seek refuge inAllah! – and all your deeds freely undertaken: are they foreordained by Allahor not? They are foreordained by Allah, in the sense that Allah knows that you

will pray by choice. When, according to Allah’s knowledge, you rose to pray,He put you in a position to pray (aqdaraka ‘ala salâtik) and created in your



entity the motions of your prayer. He is the Creator [of all this]. Allah knowsthat you will perform pilgrimage to the Sacred House. At the time youdetermined to go on pilgrimage, He put you in a position to do so and createdfor you the causes that facilitate it for you. Allah knows that So-and-so willdisobey Him by drinking wine. At the time he finally determined to drink wine,

Allah put him in a position to do so and created in his hand, his feet, and hismouth the power to do it.

So then Who is the Creator of the acts of obedience? Allah. And Who is theCreator of the acts of disobedience? Allah. But to what does reward andpunishment apply? Reward and punishment do not apply to the actual deedwhich is created by Allah, but to the resolution (al-qasd), the “earning” (al-kasb) as Allah Almighty said: lahâ ma kasabat wa ‘alayhâ ma iktasabat – “For it is what it has earned, and against it is what it has deserved” (2:286). If Idetermine to come to this place so that we should remind each other of one of the matters of this Religion, and say: “Yâ Allâh! O my Lord, I have determined

to do this”– at that time the Creator creates power in my person, enables meto walk and come here, and when I sit in this place He enables me to think.He does all this, but on the Day of Resurrection what will He reward me for?Will He reward me for something which He Himself created? Rather, He willonly reward me for my having determined (qasadtu). And so Allah has mademy act subservient to my determination.

This is a brief summary of the topic. Perhaps we shall elaborate on it in thenext lesson, Allah willing. And praise belongs to Allah the Lord of the worlds.

Notes

Narrated from Abu Hurayra by Bukhari and Muslim.

I.e. in the sense of a personified force independent of the Creator, as in“Mother Nature.”

“Things do not act of their own nature. Neither does water quench thirst, nor does bread sate hunger, nor does fire burn, but Allah creates satednesssimultaneously with eating, and hunger at other times. Likewise, drinking isthe drinker’s doing while quenchedness is from Allah, and killing is the killer’s

doing while death is from Allah.” Ibn Khafif (d. 371), al-‘Aqida al-Sahiha (§41),in Ibrahim al-Dusuqi Shatta, Sira Ibn Khafif (Cairo: al-Hay’a al-‘Amma liShu’un al-Matabi‘ al-Amiriyya, 1977) p. . A man asked al-Tustari (d. 283):“What is sustenance?” He said: “Perpetual dhikr .” The man said: “I was notasking about that, but about what sustains one.” He replied: “O man, thingsare sustained by nothing but Allah.” The man said: “I did not mean that, Iasked you about what is indispensible!” He replied: “Young man, Allah isindispensible.” Abu Nu‘aym, Hilya al-Awliya’ (10:218 #15022). “Satiation,quenching, and combustion are phenomena which Allah alone creates, sincebread does not create satiation, nor does water create quenching, nor doesfire create combustion, although they are causes for such results. But the

Creator is Himself the Causator (al-Musabbib), not the causes. This is just asAllah said: “You threw not when you did throw, but Allah threw.” (8:17)



He denied that His Prophet was the creator of the throw, although he was itscause. Allah also said: “And that it is He Who makes laugh, and makesweep, and that it is He Who gives death and gives life.” (54:43-44) ThusHe dissociated making-laugh, making-weep, the giving of death and of lifefrom their respective causes, attributing all to Himself. Similarly, al-Ash‘ari (d.

330?) dissociated satiation, quenching, and combustion from their causes,attributing them all to the Creator Who said: “Such is Allah, your Lord.There is no God save Him, the Creator of all things.” (6:102) “Is there anycreator other than Allah?” (35:3) “Nay, but they denied what they couldnot comprehend and whereof the interpretation had not yet come untothem.” (10:39) “Did you deny My signs when you could not compassthem in knowledge, or what was it you did?” (27:84).” Ibn ‘Abd al-Salam(d. 660), al-Mulha fi I‘tiqad Ahl al-Haqq in Rasa’il al-Tawhid (p. 11-27) and al-Subki, Tabaqat al-Shafi‘iyya al-Kubra (8:219-229).

Narrated from Abu Hurayra by Muslim, Ahmad, Ibn Majah, Malik in his

Muwatta’ , and al-Tabarani, all as part of a longer hadith which begins: “Thestrong believer is better and more beloved to Allah than the weak believer”(al-mu’min al-qawiyy khayrun wa ahabbu ilallâh min al-mu’min al-da‘îf).

Narrated from Abu Hurayra by Bukhari, Muslim, Ahmad, al-Nasa’i, and IbnMajah; from ‘Umar by Muslim, al-Tirmidhi, Abu Dawud, Ibn Majah, Ahmad,and al-Nasa’i; and from Abu Dharr by al-Nasa’i, all as part of a longer hadith.

“Everything is by qadar , including helplessness and intelligence.” Narratedfrom Anas and Ibn ‘Umar by Muslim; from Ibn ‘Umar by Ahmad and Malik;and from Ibn ‘Abbas by Bukhari in his Tarikh. The latter narrates it both withqada’ and qadar .

Infinitude is the native land from whence Allah has created the soul, thensummoned it again upon the tongue of His messengers (Allah bless them andgive them peace) from its exile. This is the first of a series of articles theinterpreter has been asked to write on "traditional Islamic spirituality," ascience that deals with answering this summons, lifting the heart from thenarrowness of the self to the limitlessness of the knowledge and love of theDivine.

People have spoken and written much about Sufism, as the discipline isknown, but these articles shall endeavor to understand it in its own context bytranslating, Allah willing, Ibn ‘Ata' Illah’s famous Book of Wisdoms (al-Hikamal-‘Ata'iyya), a classical manual of spiritual development, together with somecommentary on it. One either has a tariqa and a sheikh or one does not, andIbn ‘Ata' Illah is writing without apology for those who do, although the insightshe raises may interest many others.

The interpreter conveys this knowledge by the authorization of Sheikh ‘Abd al-Rahman al-Shaghouri, from Muhammad Sa‘id al-Kurdi, from Muhammad al-Hashimi, from Ahmad al-‘Alawi, from Muhammad al-Buzidi, from Muhammad

Qaddur al-Wakili, from Abu Ya‘za al-Mahaji and Muhammad ibn ‘Abd al-Qadir, from al-Arabi al-Darqawi, from ‘Ali al-Jamal, from al-‘Arabi ibn



‘Abdullah, from Ahmad ibn ‘Abdullah, from Qasim al-Khassasi, fromMuhammad ibn ‘Abdullah, from ‘Abd al-Rahman al-Fasi, from Yusuf al-Fasi,from ‘Abd al-Rahman al-Majdhub, from ‘Ali al-Sanhaji al-Dawwar, fromIbrahim al-Fahham, from Ahmad Zarruq, from Ahmad al-Hadrami, from Yahyaal-Qadiri, from ‘Ali ibn Wafa, from Muhammad Wafa Bahr al-Safa, from

Dawud al-Bakhili, from Ibn ‘Ata' Illah al-Iskandari the author of the work (Allahbe well pleased with them all of them), who says:

1. One of the signs of relying on deeds is loss of hope when a misstepoccurs.

The sheikh begins his book with this key aphorism because it is of the adab or "proper way" of travelling the spiritual path to focus upon tawhid or the "DivineOneness," in this context meaning to rely upon Allah, not on works, since

"Allah created you and that which you do" (Qur’an 37:96).

The method of the spiritual ascent is threefold, consisting of knowledge (‘ ilm),practice (‘amal ), and the resultant state (hal ) bestowed by Allah. Knowledgehere means everything conveyed to us by the Holy Prophet (Allah bless himand give him peace), which is the content of the Sacred Law or shari‘a. Thepractice of this knowledge, inwardly and outwardly, with heart and limbs, isthe spiritual path or tariqa. The resultant state, Allah’s drawing near to theheart that thus draws near to Him, is the dawning of the Divine Presence uponthe soul, termed by Sufis "ultimate reality" or haqiqa.

Ibn ‘Ata' Illah, as a spiritual guide, is concerned in this work with the secondmoment of this ascent, that of way and works, so begins his book by lettingthe traveller know that the matter of his spiritual progress is in Allah’s handsalone. Discouragement at the inevitable mistakes one makes in the path is asign of relying on one’s deeds rather than on Allah.

Works, whether prayer, or the dhikr or "remembrance" of Allah, or fasting, or jihad, do not cause one to reach the end of the path, but are merely proper manners before the majesty of the Divine while on it. Just as putting one’s netin the sea does not produce fish, though one must keep it there so that if Allahsends fish they can be caught—so too works are a net, and their spiritual

outcomes are from Allah. Abu Hurayra (Allah be well pleased with him) heardthe Holy Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) say:

"None of you shall be saved by his works." A man said, "Not even youyourself, O Messenger of Allah?" He said, "Not even me myself, unless Allahenvelopes me in mercy from Him. But aim to do right" (Muslim, 4.2169: 2816).

Imam Nawawi comments:

The outward purport of these hadiths [n: of which Muslim relates several]bears out the position of those who are in the right, that no one deserves

reward and paradise for his acts of obedience. As for the words of Allah MostHigh



"Enter paradise for that which you have done" (Qur’an 16:32),

and

"That is paradise, which you have been bequeathed for what you used to

do" (Qur’an 7:43),

and similar verses that indicate that paradise is entered by virtue of works,they do not contradict these hadiths. Rather, the meaning of the verses is thatentering paradise is because of works, although divinely given success(tawfiq) to do the works, and being guided to have sincerity in them, and their acceptability are the mercy of Allah Most High and His favor (Sharh SahihMuslim, 17.160–61).

The true spiritual path is one of gratitude. Abu Sulayman al-Darani used tosay, "How can a sane man be conceited about his spiritual works, when his

works are but a gift from Allah and a blessing from Him that he should thankHim for" (Nata’ij al-afkar, 1.114). And Abu Madyan has said, "Theheartbrokenness of the sinner is better than the forcefulness of theobedient" (Diwan, 50).

Ibn ‘Ata' Illah in this aphorism is apprising the traveller not to be veiled fromthe true path by his own high resolve. While irada or "will" is presupposed bythe way, indeed the word murid or "disciple" is derived from it, the pathultimately sublimates it into its opposite through tawhid, disclosing it to be amere cause, conjoined with the soul’s ascent not out of logical necessity butout of Allah’s pure largesse. For this reason some sheikhs term a traveller of the former spiritual vantage a murid or "desirer," and one of the latter a faqir or "needy." The prophet Moses (upon whom be blessings and peace) said whenhe reached the land of Midian,

"My Lord, I am truly in need of what good You have sent down to me" (Qur’an28:24).

This humble sincerity of slavehood, or we could say realism, enables thegenuine spiritual traveller to benefit in the path from both his good and his evil.

He benefits from his good by not seeing it as from himself, for as Abu Bakr al-Wasiti says, "The closest of all things to Allah’s loathing is beholding the self and its actions" (‘Uyub al-nafs, 39), that is, because it contradicts tawhid, for Allah says,

"Whatever blessing you have, it is from Allah" (Qur’an 16:53).

And he benefits from his evil by his faith (iman) that it is evil, which is itself anact of obedience; and by repenting from it, which rejoices Allah Most High.Anas ibn Malik (Allah be well pleased with him) relates from the Holy Prophet(Allah bless him and give him peace) that he said:



Truly, Allah rejoices more at the atonement of His servant when he repents toHim than one of you would if he were on his riding camel in an empty tract of desert, and it got away from him with all his food and water on it, and he gaveup all hope of finding it, so he came to a tree and laid down in its shade,having despaired of ever seeing it again. While lying there, he suddenly finds

it standing beside him, and he seizes its halter, and overjoyed, cries, "O Allah,You are my slave, and I am your lord," making a mistake out of sheer joy" (Muslim, 4.2104: 2747).

The secret of true repentance (tawba) in the spiritual path is this divinerejoicing it is met with from Allah Most High. Abul Hasan al-Shadhili, thesheikh of Ibn ‘Ata' Illah’s own sheikh, used to daily pray to Allah: "And whenwe disobey You, show us even greater mercy than You do when we obeyYou" (Invocations, 27).

Ibn ‘Ata' Illah made this the first aphorism of his Book of Wisdoms to apprise

the traveller that when failings happen, there is also work to be done: torepent to Allah, to realize that Allah is generous, and to hope for the best fromthe spiritual path. The mark of relying on Allah is that one’s hope isundiminished. The mark of relying on one’s self is that it soars until there is amisstep, when it plummets along with its injured pride. Discouragement in thepath is an incomprehension of the Divine Omnipotence, while certitude in thepath and in one’s Lord is of the adab of those who know Allah. Nuh Ha MimKeller

Abu Madyan al-Ansari, Shu‘ayb, and al-‘Arabi al-Shawwar . Al-Minan al-rabbaniyya al-wahbiyya fi al-ma’athir al-Ghawthiyya al-Shu‘aybiyya. Compiledby al-Shawwar, Edited by Muhammad al-Hashimi (as Diwan al-Qutb al-Rabbani al-‘Arif bi Llah al-Ghawth al-Samadani al-Shaykh Sayyidi Shu‘ayb Abu Madyan ibn al-Husayn al-Ansari [. . .]). Damascus, Matba‘a al-Taraqqi,1357/1938.

al-Ansari, Zakariyya, Mustafa al-‘Arusi, and ‘Abd al-Karim al-Qushayri.Nata’ij al-afkar al-qudsiyya fi bayan ma‘ani Sharh al-Risala al-Qushayriyya.[al-‘Arusi’s commentary on al-Ansari’s Sharh of al-Qushayri’s al-Risala.] 4vols. Cairo. 1290/1873. Reprint. Damascus: ‘Abd al-Wakil al-Durubi, n.d.

Muslim ibn al-Hajjaj. Sahih Muslim. Ed. Muhammad Fu’ad ‘Abd al-Baqi. 5vols. Cairo 1376/1956. Reprint. Beirut: Dar al-Fikr, 1403/1983.

Muslim ibn al-Hajjaj, and Yahya ibn Sharaf al-Nawawi. Sahih Muslim bi Sharh al-Nawawi. 18 vols. Cairo 1349/1930. Reprint (18 vols. in 9). Beirut:Dar al-Fikr, 1401/1981.

al-Shadhili, Abul Hasan, and sheikhs of the Shadhiliyya tariqa.Invocations of the Shadhili Order. Ed. and tr. by the writer. Amman: Dar AbulHasan, 1418/1998.

al-Sulami, Abu ‘Abd al-Rahman. ‘Uyub al-nafs wa adwiyatuha. Ed.Muhammad Amin al-Faruqi. Damascus: Dar al-‘Uruba, 1418/1997.



Relying on One's Deeds Hikma #1:

One of the signs of relying on deeds is loss of hope when there aremissteps.

Infinitude is the native land from whence Allah has brought the soul, thensummoned it again upon the tongue of His messengers (Allah bless them andgive them peace) from its exile. Traditional Islamic spirituality deals withanswering this summons, lifting the heart from the narrowness of the self tothe limitlessness of the knowledge and love of the Divine.

People have spoken and written much about Sufism, as the discipline isknown, but it is perhaps easiest understood in context, so I have thought tobegin translating the aphorisms of the Egyptian Master Ibn ‘Ata' Illah’s classicmanual of spiritual development al-Hikam al-‘Ata'iyya or “Book of Wisdoms”together with some commentary. He is writing (Allah be well pleased with him)for those who have a tariqa or actual path and a sheikh, yet his words mayinterest others. He says:

1. One of the signs of relying on deeds is loss of hope when there aremissteps.

The book begins with this key aphorism because it is of the adab or “proper way” of travelling the spiritual path to focus upon tawhid or the “DivineOneness,” in this context meaning to rely upon Allah, not on works, since

“Allah created you and that which you do” (Qur’an 37:96).

The method of the spiritual ascent is threefold, consisting of knowledge (‘ilm),practice (‘amal), and the resultant state (hal) bestowed by Allah. Knowledgehere means everything conveyed to us by the Holy Prophet (Allah bless himand give him peace), which is the content of the Sacred Law or shari‘a. The

practice of this knowledge, inwardly and outwardly, with heart and limbs, isthe spiritual path or tariqa. The resultant state, Allah’s drawing near to theheart that thus draws near to Him, is the dawning of the Divine Presence uponthe soul, termed by Sufis “ultimate reality” or haqiqa.

Ibn ‘Ata' Illah, as a spiritual guide, is concerned in this work with the secondmoment of this ascent, that of way and works, so he begins his book by lettingthe traveller know that the matter of one’s spiritual progress is in Allah’s handsalone. Discouragement at the inevitable mistakes one makes in the path is asign of relying on one’s deeds rather than on Allah.

Works, whether prayer, or the dhikr or “remembrance” of Allah, or jihad, or fasting do not bring one to the desired end of the path, but are merely proper



manners before the majesty of the Divine while on the path. Just as puttingone’s net in the sea does not produce fish, though one must keep it there sothat if Allah sends fish they can be caught, so too, works are a net, and their spiritual recompense is from Allah. Abu Hurayra (Allah be well pleased withhim) heard the Holy Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) say:

“None of you shall be saved by his works.” A man said, “Not even yourself, OMessenger of Allah?” He said, “Not even myself, unless Allah covers me witha mercy from Him. But strive to be right” (Muslim, 4.2169: 2816).

Imam Nawawi comments:

The outward purport of these hadiths [n: Muslim relates several] bears out theposition of Islamic orthodoxy that no one deserves recompense or paradisefor his acts of obedience. As for the words of Allah Most High “Enter paradisefor that which you have done” (Qur’an 16:32), and “That is paradise, which

you have been bestowed for what you did before” (Qur’an 7:43), and similar verses that indicate that paradise is entered by virtue of works, they do notcontradict these hadiths. Rather, the meaning of the verses is that enteringparadise is because of works, although divinely given success (tawfiq) to dothe works, and being guided to have sincerity in them, and their acceptabilityare the mercy of Allah Most High and His favor (Sharh Sahih Muslim, 17.160–61).

The true spiritual path is one of gratitude. Abu Sulayman al-Darani used tosay, “How can a sane man be proud of his works, when his works are but agift from Allah and a blessing from Him that he must thank Him for” (Nata’ij al-afkar, 1.114). And Abu Madyan says, “The crestfallenness of the sinner isbetter than the exulting of the obedient” (Diwan, 50).

Ibn ‘Ata' Illah in this aphorism is apprising the traveller not to be veiled fromthe true path by his own high resolve. While irada or “will” is presupposed bythe way, indeed the word murid or “disciple” is derived from it, the pathultimately sublimates it into its opposite through tawhid, disclosing it to be amere cause, conjoined with the soul’s ascent not out of logical necessity butout of Allah’s pure largesse. For this reason some sheikhs term a traveller of the former spiritual vantage a murid or “desirer,” and one of the latter a faqir or

“needy.” The prophet Moses (upon whom be blessings and peace) said whenhe reached the land of Midian,

“My Lord, I am greatly needy of the good You’ve sent me down” (Qur’an28:24).

This humble sincerity of slavehood, or we could say realism, enables thegenuine spiritual traveller to benefit from both his good and his evil. Hebenefits from his good by not seeing it as from himself, for as Abu Bakr al-Wasiti says, “The closest of all things to Allah’s loathing is beholding the self and its actions” (‘Uyub al-nafs, 39), that is, because it contradicts tawhid, for

Allah says,



“Whatever blessing you have, is from Allah” (Qur’an 16:53).

And he benefits from his evil by his faith (iman) that it is evil, which is itself anact of obedience; and by repenting from it, which rejoices Allah Most High.Anas ibn Malik (Allah be well pleased with him) relates from the Holy Prophet

(Allah bless him and give him peace) that he said:

“Truly, Allah rejoices more at the atonement of His servant when he repents toHim than one of you would if he were on his riding camel in an empty tract of desert, and it got away from him with all his food and water on it, and he gaveup all hope of finding it, so he came to a tree and laid down in its shade,having despaired of ever seeing it again. While lying there, he suddenly findsit standing beside him, and he seizes its halter, and overjoyed, cries, “O Allah,You are my slave, and I am your lord,” making a mistake out of sheer joy” (Muslim, 4.2104: 2747).

The secret of repentance (tawba) in the spiritual path is that it is met with thisdivine rejoicing from Allah Most High. Abul Hasan al-Shadhili, the sheikh of Ibn ‘Ata' Illah’s sheikh, used to daily pray: “When we disobey You, show useven greater mercy than when we obey You” (Invocations of the Shadhili Order, 27).

Ibn ‘Ata' Illah made this the first aphorism of his Book of Wisdoms to apprisethe traveller that when failings happen, there is also work to be done: torepent to Allah, to realize that Allah is generous, and confidence in attainingthe best from the spiritual path. The mark of relying on Allah is that one’s hopeis undiminished. The mark of relying on one’s self is that it soars until there isa misstep, when it plummets from injured pride. Discouragement in the path isan incomprehension of the divine omnipotence, while certitude in the path andin one’s Lord is of the adab of those who know Allah. By Nuh Ha Mim Keller

Hikma #2: Being in or Apart from the World

Your wish to be apart from the world when Allah keeps you in it is butfrom hidden desire, while your wish to be in it when Allah keeps youapart from it is a fall from high purpose.

When one sets out on a journey, it is natural to look for the shortest way, andthis aphorism warns the mystic traveller from taking a wrong turn, as manydisciples do, by wishful thinking. The Prophet (Allah bless him and give himpeace) once said, “[Saying] ‘if only’ opens the Devil’s work,” [1] and longing for new and different circumstances, unless the present ones are clearly morallyreprehensible, can be a veil from knowing Allah in whatever state He hasplaced one. Because Allah knows our interests better than we do and iskeener for them than we are, masters tend to let disciples change their situation in life only when Allah unmistakably creates an alternative that issuperior or plainly unavoidable. Ibn ‘Ata' Illah had such an experience with his

own sheikh, Abul ‘Abbas al-Mursi, which he described in the words

http://shadhilitariqa.com/site/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=30&Itemid=20#_ftn1




I used to hear students say, “Whoever keeps the company of sheikhs never attains much in the outward sciences,” and it weighed upon me not to be ableto attain Sacred Learning, and weighed upon me not to be able to keep thecompany of the sheikh (Allah be well pleased with him).

So I went to the sheikh, and found him eating meat with vinegar, and I said tomyself, “If only the sheikh would give me a bite with his own hand.” I hadbarely finished the thought when he put the morsel he had in his hand into mymouth, and then said: “When we keep the company of a merchant, we don’ttell him, ‘Leave your business and come,’ or tell an artisan, ‘Leave your craftand come,’ or tell a student, ‘Leave your studies and come.’ Rather, weconfirm each wherever Allah has put him, and whatever is meant by Allah toreach them at our hands will reach them. The Companions were with theMessenger of Allah (Allah bless him and give him peace) and he never said toa merchant, ‘Leave your business,’ or to an artisan, ‘Leave your work,’ butrather, he had them remain at their livelihoods, and commanded them to have

godfearingness in them.” (Lata’if al-minan, 125).

The distance of the Sufi path is a return to its own beginning: to the basicpractice of living in this world according to the Qur’an and wont of the Prophet(Allah bless him and give him peace), though with a unitive breadth of visionunknown before travelling the path. The Sufi sees the ultimate implications of what for others are but ordinary things, seeing everything as existing throughAllah; in that specific sense, “seeing Him in everything.”

This is not as unlikely as it may appear, for Allah is the Creator of everything,and since deeds reveal rather than conceal their doer, it is impossible in theeyes of the Sufis that creation, as the act of Allah, should conceal Him.Rather, it manifests Him, as Allah Himself says,

“He is the First and the Last, the Manifest and the Hidden” (Qur’an 57:3).

Allah Most High is one, without any associate in His entity, His attributes, Hisrulings, or His actions. His purpose in creating the worlds is as a sign (ayah)to manifest His absolute Oneness to those who can see it.

We shall show them Our signs, in the horizons and in themselves, until it is

plain to them that it is the Truth (Qur’an 41:53).

What veils man from God, for the Sufis, is the attachment of the ego to itsdesires, together with its instrumental relations for fulfilling them and thecognitive categories with which it sifts and strains the great sea of being toallow these relations to arise as phenomena. The veil between oneself andAllah is thus not created things, but the ego itself, whose plainest attribute isthe will, the familiar “I want this, I want that,” of one’s own heroic narrative.The stages of the journey to Allah are not marked by road signs, but bychanges in the traveller himself, and the tendency to externalize these,particularly with wishful thinking about oneself and one’s journey, can be part

of the veil.



The way that is a way of reality and not of mere talk is the way of iman or “faith” and taqwa or “godfearingness,” and all mystical stations and states arebut part of the ascending continuum of these two qualities, by which Allah hasdefined wilaya or “sanctity” in the Qur’an by saying:

“Verily the friends (awliya’) of Allah, no fear shall be upon them, nor shall theygrieve; those who have true faith and godfearingness. Great good tidings aretheirs in this life and the life to come. There is no changing the words of Allah:that is the supreme triumph” (Qur’an 10:62–64).

One takes a path and a sheikh in order to ensure that these happen. In turn,though sheikhs typically use three practices to bring about change in disciples—namely dhikr, the “invocation of Allah,” mudhakara, the “spiritual teaching,”and jihad al-nafs, or “striving against the ego”—it is the rough and tumble of life, the amount of light that remains in the heart when events befall thatdarken others, that discloses and consolidates one’s attainment in the Sufi

path.

Your wish to be apart from the world when Allah keeps you in it is but fromhidden desire, because one’s spiritual provender can only come from Allah,and upon His terms, and it is He who is keeping one in the world, and Heknows best what one needs to reach Him. And your wish to be in it whenAllah keeps you apart from it is a fall from high purpose, because when Hekeeps one apart from the world, one has more control over one’s momentsand hours and days, and Allah has given them to one as a test of one’s highpurpose in drawing nearer to Him, not chasing what He has caused to leaveone.

The two parts of the aphorism also distinguish for the traveller betweenshahwa khafiyya or “hidden desire,” a lust for gratification and results; andbetween himma ‘aliyya or “high purpose,” meaning spiritual resolve or aspiration. Shahwa finds frustration or disappointment when thwartedbecause it is directed to created things; himma does not know frustration or despair because it is directed to Allah, who is omnipotent and all-generous,even if His intimate and subtle knowledge of us entails that He gives when it isbest, not when merely when we wish. Shahwa or “desire” is an ingrate,whether satisfied or unsatisfied; while himma is gratitude itself.

To benefit from changes in life, spiritual travellers must be with Allah, not their own story line. When a young woman marries, for example, she suddenlyfinds herself not only with another ego in the house to live with, but within ashort space, that the comparative ease and calm of her younger days havebeen swept away by the sheer work needed to keep up and think of everything in a real home. When she has her first baby, she must manage for another life even more dependent on her personal sacrifices. By the second,third, or fourth child, her days and nights belong almost entirely to others.Whether she has a spiritual path or not, such a mother can seldom resist aglance at the past, when there were more prayers, more meanings, more

spiritual company, and more serenity. When Allah opens her understanding,she will see that she is engaged in one of the highest forms of worship, that of



producing new believers who love and worship Allah. She is effectivelyworshipping Allah for as many lifetimes she has children, for the reward of every spiritual work her children do will be hers, without this diminishinganything of their own rewards: every ablution, every prayer, every Ramadan,every hajj, and even the works her children will in turn pass on to their

offspring, and, so on till the end of time. Even if her children do not turn out asshe wishes, she shall be requited in paradise forever according to her intention in raising them, which was that they should be godly.

Aside from the tremendous reward, within the path itself it is noticeable thatmany of those who benefit most from the khalwa or “solitary retreat of dhikr”are women who have raised children. With only a little daily dhikr and worshipover the years, but much toil and sacrifice for others, they surpass many ayounger person who has had more free time, effort, and “spiritual works.”What they find is greater because their state with Allah is greater; namely, theawe, hope, and love of the Divine they have realized by years of sincerity to

Him.

To summarize, the traveller who is grateful to Allah for everything cannot beveiled from Allah by anything, whether living in the world or doing without it,and it is such a person who most benefits from the spiritual path. Abu Yazidal-Bustami was once asked, “Can the servant reach Him in a single moment?”and he replied, “He can, though he is returned with profit and benefit in themeasure of his journey.” By Nuh Ha Mim Keller [1] Muslim, 4.2052: 2664.

Hikma #3: Ambition and Destiny

The mightiest ambitions cannot breach the walls of destiny

The Sufi way exists to know the incommensurability of the Divine. To do sothe self must relinquish its position as the greatest thing in existence. Belief inthe inevitability of destiny anticipates this in principle before one realizes it inthe fullness of one’s path.

The context of this maxim is personal transformation from spiritual hypocrisyto spiritual sincerity. Masters of the path are unanimous that to accomplish thechange the aspirant must have high ambition (himma ‘aliyya), but it must be

sublimated so that it becomes second nature; practiced and not thoughtabout; there, but never looked at or depended upon.

Our own will is one of the plainest components of consciousness, and thedesire to ascend to the Divine in a moment is probably native to every heartthat has ever set out for Him. But the distance of the path lies precisely inrealizing the ontological relation between our own contingent being and thenecessary being of Allah, and if reaching God were subject to our will, it wouldnot be subject to His, which is the opposite of illumination. The spiritual waymust purify the traveller, by its very turns and length, of the illusion of being“master of his fate and captain of his soul,” in order to allow him to directly

experience the divine omnipotence. Allah says in a hadith qudsi,

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“Man offends Me: he reviles Time, though I am Time; the command is in Myhand, I turn over the nights and days.”[1]

The celebrated mystic Abu Madyan described the hand of destiny in his firstencounter with his own master by saying:

I was an orphan in Andalusia, and my brothers made me herd their flocks.When I would see someone at prayer or reciting the Qur’an, I admired himand went up to him, finding a sadness within me that I didn’t know any Qur’anor how to pray. My resolve grew to run away, so I could learn how to reciteand to pray. I fled, but my brother caught up with me with a stabbing spear inhis hand, and said, “By God, if you don’t come back I’ll kill you.”

So I went back and stayed a while, the decision to flee by night growing withinme. I set out one night by another route, and my brother found me after daybreak. He raised his sword and said, “By God, I’m going to kill you to

relieve myself of you,” and he brought it down on me, but I parried it with astick I had in my hand, which the sword shattered against and flew intopieces. When he saw this, he said, “Brother, go wherever you will.”

I went to the sea, crossed to Tangiers, then went to Ceuta, working as a handfor some fishermen. I proceeded to Marrakesh, which I entered, and joinedthe Andalusian soldiery, who used to eat my rations and only give me a little. Iwas told, “If you want to devote time to religion, you should go to Fez.” So Iset out for Fez, and stayed in its great mosque, learning ablution and theprayer, and sitting at the circles of the jurists and preachers, though withoutretaining anything of their words, until I sat with a sheikh who words stayed inmy heart. Asking who he was, I was told he was Abul Hasan ibn Hirzihim. Itold him that I could not remember anything besides what I heard from himalone, and he said to me: “Those others speak from the tips of their tongues,so their words reach no further than the ears. I intend Allah by my words,which because they come from the heart, go into hearts.”

I later heard people speak of the miracles of Abu Ya‘za, so I went with a groupwho were going to visit him. When we reached Mount Ayrojan, we dropped inon Abu Ya‘za, who received everyone cordially except me. When he servedfood, he stopped me from eating any, and I drew apart into a corner of the

courtyard. Every time he brought food and I stood up, he would drive meaway.

I remained thus for three days, exhausted by hunger and reduced tohumiliation. When three days had passed, Abu Ya‘za rose from his place, andI went over to it and rubbed my face in it. When I lifted my head I looked, and Icould see nothing at all. I had gone blind, and I wept the whole night.

Sighs and sobs mean little to one like me,

There is nothing for them but the Beloved as doctor;

The lover’s best cast lies in submitting abjectly,





When the One who calls him refuses to answer.

When morning came, he called me saying, “Come here, O Andalusian.” So Idrew near him and he wiped his hand over my eyes, and I could see, thenwiped his hand over my heart, and said to those present, “This one shall be

very great,” or words to that effect.[2]

Tribulation is never gratuitous. Allah teaches us through things that go as wewant and things that go otherwise, the latter often proving the lessons bestlearned; whether in patience, in relying on God, in realizing what love is, or inappreciating hard won attainments that might otherwise be taken for granted.The Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) said, “Whomever Allahwants well for, He somewhat afflicts,”[3] and said, “Patience is a tremendouslight,”[4] showing that God may well illumine the traveller by unexpectedadversity, obstacles, and trouble—since for a heart directed towards Allah,pruning often means growth. Imam Ghazali touches on this when relating the

problem of prayer and destiny to the more general question of the divinewisdom in human affliction:

If it be wondered what benefit there is in supplication (du‘a) if destiny isinevitable, one should realize that destiny includes averting affliction byprayer, that supplication is but a means of turning aside tribulation anddrawing the divine mercy, just as a shield is a means of deflecting arrows, andwater a means of bringing forth herbage from the earth. As a shield turnsaside arrows and they each offset the other, so too supplication and afflictioneach compensate the other. It is not a condition for believing in the destiny of Allah Most High that one go unarmed, for Allah has said, “Take dueprecaution” (Qur’an 4:71); or that one should not water land after seeding,saying, “If previously destined the crop will grow, and if not previouslydestined it will not.” Rather, the conjoining of causes and effects is theprimordial destiny (al-qada’ al-awwal) that was accomplished “in the twinklingof an eye or even faster” (Qur’an 16:77), while the graduated and apportionedarrangement of detailed effects from detailed causes is of the divineordainment (qadar)—He who has ordained good having ordained it throughcauses, and He who has ordained harm having ordained causes for itsprevention. There is no contradiction in these matters for someone whoseunderstanding is illumined.

Moreover, supplication has the benefit we have previously noted for remembrance (dhikr) of Allah in general: that it brings about presence of heartwith Allah, which is the highest point of all acts of worship, for which reasonthe Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) has said, “Supplication isthe very marrow of worship,”[5] and most people’s hearts do not turn toremembrance of Allah Mighty and Majestic unless a need presses or calamityimpends, for man “when evil touches him, is great in supplication” (Qur’an41:51).

Need makes one supplicate, and supplication returns the heart to Allah Mighty

and Majestic through earnest entreaty and humbleness, which brings aboutthe remembrance of God, the noblest form of worship. This is why afflictions












are given to “the prophets (upon whom be peace), then the saints (Allah bewell pleased with them), then those most like them, then those next most likethem,”[6] for it returns the heart through neediness and petition to Allah Mightyand Majestic, and prevents forgetting Him. As for freedom from need, itusually produces hubris, for “verily man transgresses, when he sees himself

beholden to none” (Qur’an 96:7).[7]

Bukhari relates in his Sahih that when Sa‘d Ibn Abi Waqqas before a battleseemed to see for a moment the superiority of his own courage and wealth tothat of others, the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) said, “Areany of you given victory or sustenance except through the weakest of you?”[8] reminding us that personal talents and assets are but part of the larger tapestry of things destined. Otherwise, how often life shows us that a fool maysucceed where a wise man fails, and there is no absolute correlation betweenambition and success, talent and riches, intelligence and power.

To summarize, the Sufi path is something of a coincidence of opposites. TheIllimitable Freedom of the One is known only through the ‘ubudiyya or “absolute slavehood” of the self. To travel the path, one must lighten oneself of the stage properties of one’s own heroic drama, and if not for theknowledge of irrevocable destiny, the journey might only increase the self inrenown and redoubtableness. The above aphorism reminds us that thespiritual way, like every other reality in existence, is not accomplished byhuman ambition, but by Allah alone. By Nuh Ha Mim Keller

[1] Bukhari, Sahih al-Bukhari. Cairo: 1313/1895, 6.166: 4826.[2] Tadili, al-Tashawwuf ila rijal al-Tasawwuf. Ribat: 1418/1997, 320–21.[3] Bukhari, 7.149: 5645.[4] Muslim, Sahih Muslim. Cairo: 1376/1956, 1.203: 223.

[5] Tirmidhi, Sunan al-Tirmidhi. Cairo: n.d., 5.456: 3371. This hadith is weak,though that which follows it in Tirmidhi’s Sunan has the wording “Supplicationis worship itself,” and is well and rigorously authenticated (hasan sahih)(Tirmidhi, 5.456: 3372), the latter meaning, according to Nawawi, that it haschains of transmission that are both (Tadrib al-rawi fi sharh Taqrib al-Nawawi ,Beirut:1386/1966, 1.161).

[6] Mus‘ab ibn Sa‘d related that his father said, “I asked, ‘O Messenger of Allah, which of men is greatest in affliction?’ and he said, ‘The prophets, thenthose most like them, then those next most like them. A man is tried in themeasure of his religion: if his religion is firm, his trial is great; while if there isslackness in his religion, he is tried commensurably to his religion. Tribulationstays with a servant until it leaves him walking on the earth without a singlemistake.” Tirmidhi said this was well and rigorously authenticated (Tirmidhi,4.601–2: 2397).

[7] Ihya’ ‘ulum al-din, Cairo: 1347/1929, 1.298.[8] Bukhari, 4.44: 2896.


































APHORISM 4 :

Relieve yourself of planning: what Another has already done for you donot do yourself.

THE UNIVERSE and all it contains are the deed of a single Doer. If planningis not to veil the spiritual traveller, he must be aware of this tawhid, the DivineReality behind the world of forms. To know it is to walk in light and not to is towalk in darkness. As a Sufi once told me: “Sit with those of this world, and youbecome a speck in its sea. Sit with those of Allah, and the world becomes aspeck in your sea.” Mawlay al-‘Arabi al-Darqawi wrote in a letter to a disciple:

A certain person who was against us said to me [hypocritically] one day in thepresence of some of the brethren (Allah be well pleased with them), “You areour lords and masters.” I told him: “I won’t hear this from you or another, or anyone else, unless Allah is my Lord and Master. As for when my ego is mylord and master, I won’t hear it or accept it.” And I said: “The moment at whichAllah Most Glorious is my Lord and Master, then am I the lord and master of all existence despite itself, willing or unwilling. And the moment at which myego is my lord and master, all existence is my lord and master despite myself,willing or unwilling. It is contemptuous towards me, disparages me, humiliatesme, overrides me, ignores me, dismisses me, and does whatever else itwishes with me. So how should we care about your praise or blame, or that of anyone else? It is baseless.” 1

Regardless of who appears to be in control, Allah is Master of reality, andknowing this facilitates everything, inwardly and outwardly, while “planning”without this knowledge is mere floundering. The heart of the person who mustbe in control—of his present, past, and future—is without the tawakkul or “trust in Allah” that is essential to living one’s faith in a real world. The“planning” one should relieve oneself of is that which makes one prey to theDevil, whom Allah tells us “has no power over those who truly believe, andplace their whole trust in their Lord” (Qur’an 16:99). Hearts without trust in

God have to listen to a lot of advertisements from hell.

When I took the path in the early 1980 s from Sheikh ‘Abd al-Rahman al-Shaghouri, he seemed so old and frail that I kept wondering, “What if hepasses away before I finish my spiritual journey?” At every illness—and hehad a few—my heart would feel a chill, and I would hear misgivings andsuggestions, grounded, as most infernal thoughts are, in some points of fact.

I had arrived in Jordan more than seven years after the death of SheikhMuhammad Sa‘id al-Kurdi, the last great spiritual guide there. Many disciples Imet and talked to had only known him for four years, some for only two years,

before he died. Since the days of Sheikh al-‘Alawi of Algeria at the first of thecentury, the sheikhs of our tariqa had used the khalwa or solitary retreat to



train disciples. One of the main reasons I sought out Sheikh ‘Abd al-Rahmanin Damascus was that Sheikh al-Kurdi had not authorized anyone else in it.

In the course of my first year with the sheikh, I asked about the khalwa, andhe explained that his and Sheikh al- Kurdi’s sheikh, Muhammad al-Hashimi,

had used the rooms in the Qalbaqjiyya Zawiya near the Nuriyya Mosque inthe Old City. At present, he told me—in the wake of a massacre of scores of ‘Alawite cadets in Aleppo imputed to the Ikhwan Muslimin (MuslimBrotherhood), and the government’s own massacre of thousands of citizens inHama—the ‘Alawite regime had sent its security forces to clean up the OldCity around the Hamidiyya, a warren of resistance. The police had entered thezawiya and placed red wax seals upon almost every door in the place, under the direst threats for breaking them. The khalwa was effectively closed.

Around the same time, at a moment when Syrian troops were massed on thenorthern borders of Jordan for its allegedly giving asylum to members of the

Ikhwan, one of our brothers in Jordan decided to give a mawlid celebration of the Prophet’s birthday (Allah bless him and give him peace). He phoned thesheikh in Damascus, inviting him down by saying, “The brothers (al-ikhwan)would love to see you.” The call was overheard by security in Damascus, andthe infelicitous word resulted in repeated interrogations for the sheikh and finalcancellation of his passport. For the next seven years he could not come toJordan.

As the khalwa receded into the distance, my thoughts went on and on aboutthe sheikh’s condition and age. I put my fears before him one afternoon, andhe looked at me levelly and said, “Sidi, if I didn’t think I could finish with you, Iwouldn’t have begun.” Eventually, other rooms were found in Damascus for the khalwa , and ultimately the sheikh did pass on—but more than twodecades later. Looking back, I realized that Allah had been teaching mesomething about tawakkul: that too much desire for control puts one under theDevil’s control; and that planning does not benefit the traveller when itconcerns the warid, or “that which is from God,” but only when it concerns thewird, or “that which is from one to God,” one’s spiritual works.

The wird includes not only one’s five daily prayers, dhikr, fasting, night vigilprayer (tahajjud), going to the mosque, and being with those who uplift one—

all of which are praiseworthy to plan—but indeed anything that is intended for Allah, whether learning Sacred Knowledge to worship, saving money for hajj,raising funds for disaster relief, supporting oneself and family by honest work,or even the food, sleep, and exercise needed to fulfill the rights of Allah,others, or oneself that are incumbent upon one. Accomplishing all of these ispraiseworthy, and to plan and carry them out for the sake of Allah benefits thespiritual traveller. Planning is blameworthy when it concerns the warid or thatwhich is from Allah, such as mystical experiences, spiritual stations, andtawfiq or “divinely given success” in anything, worldly or unworldly. AbulHasan al-Shadhili once said:

A friend and I took to a cave, seeking to reach Allah, and we would say,“Tomorrow we shall be illumined, or the day after tomorrow.” A man passed



by who inspired awe, and we said, “Who are you?” and he replied, “The slaveof the King (‘Abd al-Malik),” and we realized he was one of the saints of Allah.He said: “How is someone who says, ‘Tomorrow I shall be illumined, or theday after tomorrow’?—Neither sainthood nor success! O self, why not worshipAllah for the sake of Allah?”We then understood from whence we had been

taken, and we repented and asked Allah’s forgiveness; and then illuminationcame. 2

One must strive to do works for Allah with true sincerity, while the fruits of these works are sent by Allah, and one should free the heart of turning tothem and looking at them, because they are “what Another has already donefor you,” and hence a matter of trust in God (tawakkul). As Mustafa al-‘Arusionce said: “The one with real trust is he who sees Allah in the outward formsof causes and effects, doing and choosing everything that those veiled fromHim ascribe to them. He thus consigns the matter to Him in charge of thematter, and is well pleased with Him to rely on.” 3

APHORISM 5 :Your striving for what is ensured to you and neglect of what is sought from you show the blindness of your spiritual insight.

he journey to the Real described in these aphorisms is the path of wilaya or “friendship with Allah.” To travel it, the wali or friend must realize that Allah ishis wali, his all powerful patron and helping friend, who says:

Allah is the protecting friend (wali) of those who believe, bringing them out of darknesses into the light (Qur’an 2 :257).

This is “what is ensured” to the disciple in the mystic path, and is what Allahhas destined for him from beginningless eternity, and what he must know andbe absolutely certain of. The friend (wali) of Allah must know the favor of Allahand not place his hope in anything besides. The Prophet (Allah bless him andgive him peace) said:

Allah Most High says: “I shall be to My servant as he thinks I shall be. I amwith him when he makes remembrance (dhikr) of Me. If he remembers Me tohimself, I remember him to Myself, and if he mentions Me to an assembly, Imention him to an assembly better than they. If he draws nearer to Me by aspan, I draw nearer to him by a cubit, and if he draws nearer to Me by a cubit,I draw nearer to him by a fathom. If he comes to Me walking, I come to himrunning.” 4

The sign that God wants one is that one wants God; just as the sign of Hisdrawing nearer to one is that one is drawing nearer to Him. Abu Bakr al-Warraq used to forbid his disciples to journey or travel, saying, “The key to

every spiritual blessing is patience in the place where you first aspire, untilyou truly desire. When you truly desire, the beginnings of blessedness have



appeared in you.” To become such a person, the disciple must spend all hehas, like a runner who does not catch his second wind until he has used uphis first. True desire (irada) to do “what is sought” from one is the mark of thekind of person Allah calls My servant in the above hadith.

Desire means taking a serious look at oneself, turning one’s back on whatAllah detests, and walking away from it. Speaking badly of someone absent,for example, which Allah has likened to “eating the flesh of one’s deadbrother” (Qur’an 49 :12)—no matter how witty, chic, or entertaining in the eyesof friends—is hated by God. Imam Nawawi tells us, moreover, that “just as it isunlawful to speak of a person’s failings to someone else, so too it is unlawful(haram) to speak to oneself of them and think badly of him.” How many of one’s thoughts are about others’ failings? If one takes a step forward in thespiritual path with dhikr and prayer , and two steps backward by slanderingothers, how soon will one reach the goal? Desire means adding these up.

Desire also means loving what God loves, and He loves a heart alive with Hisremembrance. The Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace) has said,“Truly, this world and all it contains are accursed, except for the remembrance(dhikr) of Allah, that which He loves, and someone who has SacredKnowledge or someone learning it.” For Sufis dhikr is the main stanchion of the spiritual path, its way, aim, and method. Ibn al-‘Arabi advises:

Be diligent in the remembrance of Allah, secretly and openly, to yourselvesand with others, for Allah has said, “Remember Me and I will remember you” (Qur’an 2 :152), making remembrance from Allah the consequence of remembrance from the servant. 8

Dhikr has tremendous power. Those who travel to the hajj, for example, andconstantly make the dhikr that is sunna in motion, at rest, and in all the rites,find their whole reality changed. Few ever forget the hajj, but for those able tocontinue in their certitude after they return home, it is an axial experience. Inthis sense the spiritual path is a permanent pilgrimage. All of these mattersare sought from the traveller.

To summarize, desire means change, first by takhliya or “ridding oneself ” of the acts, motives, and states unacceptable to Allah; then tahliya or “adorning

oneself ” with good traits such as sincerity (ikhlas), trust (tawakkul),remembrance of Allah, and finally the ma‘rifa or knowledge of the Divine withwhich Allah remembers the person of dhikr who perseveres in these. To relyon one’s own efforts to bring about what Allah has already decided is “your striving for what is ensured to you,” while not to change oneself is the “neglectof what is sought from you.” Both are blindness in the way of wilaya. By NuhHa Mim Keller

NOTES1 Rasa’il Mawlay al-‘Arabi al-Darqawi. Abu Dhabi : 1420/1999 . 98.2 Ibn ‘Ata’ Illah. Lata’if al-minan fi manaqib Abi al-‘Abbas al-Mursi wa

shaykhihi Abi al-Hasan. Cairo : 1406/1986. 101.3 Nata’ij al-afkar, Cairo : 1290/1873, I. 61–62.



4 Sahih al-Bukhari. Cairo : 1313 /1895. 9.147–48: 7405.5 ‘Arusi, Nata’ij al-afkar, I .166.6 Al-Adhkar . Beirut: 1425/2005. 555.7 A well-authenticated (hasan) hadith related in Sunan al-Tirmidhi.Beirut : n.d. 4.561: 2322.

8 A l-Futuhat al-Makkiyya. Cairo :1329/1911. 4.446.

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