Journey to the Lord of Power : A Sufi Manual on Retreat   by Ibn al-Arabi
   Paperback - 116 pages 

Journey to the Lord of Power is the first English translation of Shaykh Ibn al-'Arabi's 'alayhir rahman twelfth-century text dealing with spiritual ascent.

Written in answer to the questions of a friend, this illuminating guide describes the evolutionary path of our higher spiritual aspirations - the quest for the ultimate reality, the journey toward God. It is chiefly concerned with spiritual retreat, an advanced and potentially dangerous Sufi practice that aims at the attainment of the Presence of God through absolute abandonment of the world. Realising the imagination's deceptive power, Ibn al-'Arabi 'alayhir rahman warns that this form of retreat should not be undertaken except at the order of a sheikh or by one who has mastered the self. Each stage of the journey is accompanied by a temptation which can be overcome only by an unshakable desire for God.

Ibn 'Arabi 'alayhir rahman explains each step of the ascent leading toward human perfection. In this perilous voyage of self-discovery, the reader will encounter the Realms of the mineral, vegetable, and animal worlds, eventually reaching the Gardens and the Throne of Mercy. The traveler of the Sufi mystic path is called upon to cleanse his or her heart in order to safely reach the final destination - the Lord of Power. 

Our Price £10.99                    INCLUSIVE OF UK DELIVERY

  
 Divine Sayings : The Mishkat al-Anwar (The Niche of Lights) of Ibn Arabi
 Paperback - 204 pages 

Apart from the Qur'an al-karim, the most treasured sayings in the Islamic tradition are those of Muhammad himself, which form the Hadith, and none more so than the sayings of God transmitted by the Prophet Muhammad Allah Shower His Mercy & Blessings upon him, known as hadith qudsi ("sacred sayings").

 
Ibn 'Arabi’s Divine Sayings is one of the most important and influential early collections of hadith qudsi. It comprises 101 sayings, drawn from the oral tradition as well as written collections.

 
These Divine Sayings are universal in nature, expounding the divine root of all goodness and beauty, and can be appreciated by people from any background. Recurring themes include our utter dependence upon God, and His readiness to forgive and embrace those who truly turn to Him. This book is a most wonderful gift.

Divine Sayings is a critical edition and translation of the full Arabic text, with notes, compiled from the best early manuscripts. 
 
Our Price £18.95                      INCLUSIVE OF UK DELIVERY

 
Quest for the Red Sulphur : The Life of Ibn 'Arabi

Paperback - 347 pages                                                                        Back in Stock - March 2012

Quest for the Red Sulphur: The Life of Ibn Arabi is undoubtedly a landmark in Ibn Arabi studies. Until the publication of this book, anyone who wanted to learn about the life of Ibn Arabi May Allah be pleased with him has had little choice of material to work from. This major study by Claude Addas is based on a detailed analysis of a whole range of Ibn Arabi’s own writings as well as a vast amount of secondary literature in both Arabic and Persian. The result is the first-ever attempt to reconstruct what proves to have been a double itinerary: on the one hand, the journey that took Ibn Arabi from his native Andalusia to Damascus - and on the other hand, the ‘Night Journey’ which carried him along the paths of asceticism and prayer to the ultimate stage of revelation of his mystic quest.

‘I read it like a novel, a novel written in captivating style and with a seeming infinite love for its hero - a novel distinguished by its meticulous care for details and full of trustworthy information taken from manuscripts and printed sources...It is more than a translation: with the author’s help some additions have been made, some points clarified.’ 
Annemarie Schimmel (Journal of Islamic Studies)

‘The first serious biography of the most influential figure in the history of Islamic mysticism. It is based on an enormous amount of documentary evidence...In his voluminous writings Ibn `Arabi recounted his visionary experiences, his journeys, real and imaginary, and his meetings with other mystics, both alive and dead.’ TLS

 
Our Price £21.95                      INCLUSIVE OF UK DELIVERY

  
 
 The Reflective Heart -
 Discovering Spiritual Intelligence in ibn 'Arabi's Meccan Illuminations

Paperback - 424 pages                                                                 by James Winston Morris

For centuries Ibn 'Arabi May Allah be pleased with him has been considered the "Greatest Master" of Islamic spiritual teaching, but Western readers have only recently had access to his greatest writings. This introduction to Ibn 'Arabi's Meccan Illuminations highlights the mysticism and realization of Sufi spiritual life, providing an intellectually penetrating look without requiring specialized knowledge. The development of several key themes and modes of reflection in Ibn 'Arabi's spiritual teachings are explored as are the gradually unfolding meanings that distinguish this important classical text of Sufi practice.

The Reflective Heart is about the ways we gradually discover the deeper significance of all the familiar elements of our everyday life-not just those memorable moments we ordinarily view as "spiritual". Spiritual intelligence-the illuminating interplay of our uniquely individual experience, reflection, and practice-is at the heart of every world religious tradition, and Ibn 'Arabi is renowned for his ability to communicate the unfolding dimensions of this fundamental human task. His Meccan Illuminations provide a powerful spiritual mirror for each reader's own experiences, while highlighting those larger perspectives that ultimately give meaning and direction to our life.

In The Reflective Heart, James Morris provides numerous keys for those who would like to open up their hearts to the vast panorama of spiritual instruction provided by al-Shaykh al-Akbar, "the Greatest Master." No other book demonstrates so clearly the universality of Ibn Arabi's concerns and their contemporary applicability. A must-read for every serious seeker. --William Chittick, SUNY
 
In this compelling and insightful book, James Morris takes us to the spiritual core of the Islamic tradition, as we come to see the heart as the meeting ground between the Divine and that which is most human in all of us. Here the heart reveals itself as a dynamic & transformative faculty, where the discovery of one's own true self is wed to the intimate knowing of God.--Omid Safi, Colgate University 
 
No one surpasses James Morris in his ability to make the most sublime and esoteric subjects intelligible and practicable. Among the many gifts of this book is that it highlights for our own time the urgent need for spiritual discernment. --Kabir Helminski, Threshold Foundation

  
Our Price £20.99                    INCLUSIVE OF UK DELIVERY

 

Ibn al-Arabi - The Bezels of Wisdom     (Classics in Spirituality Series)

Paperback - 302 pages

"Classics in a classic collection...clearly a must for all libraries, from the university to the small town, and for all readers interested in spirituality..." Religious Studies Review 

Ibn Al’ Arabi: The Bezels of Wisdom .... 
translation and introduction by R.W.J. Austin, preface by Titus Burckardt - "It is from God, so hear!  
     And to God do you return!  
When you hear what 
     I bring, learn!  
Then with understanding see 
     The details in the whole 
And also see them as part of the whole. 
Then give it to those  
        Who seek it, and stint not. 
This is the mercy that 
Encompasses you; so extend it.              

Ibn Al-'Arabi, [1165-1240] -  Called by Muslims "the greatest Master," (Shaykh al-Akbar). Ibn Al-'Arabi May Allah be pleased with him was a Sufi, born in twelfth-century Spain. The Bezels of Wisdom was written during the author's later years and was intended to be a synthesis of his spiritual doctrine.

Bezel means a setting in which a gem, engraved with one's name, is set to make a seal ring. The setting in which Ibn Al-'Arabi May Allah be pleased with him has placed his spiritual wisdom are the lives of the Prophets. It was in Damascus that he had the vision that prompted him to write this book. He describes it in his preface: "I saw the Apostle of God in a visitation…He had in his hand a book and he said to me, 'This is the book of the bezels of Wisdom; take it and bring it to men that they might benefit from it.'

"The book portrays the wisdom of love through Abraham, of the unseen through Job, of light through Joseph, of intimacy through Elias and so on. Ibn Al-'Arabi May Allah be pleased with him invites us in these pages to explore the inner spiritual meanings of the Qur'an, its heartfelt meanings. In one of his poems he stated, ... "Love is the creed I hold : wherever turns His camels, Love is still my creed and faith."

 
Our Price £17.95                      INCLUSIVE OF UK DELIVERY

 Ibn 'Arabi - TREE OF BEING :  An Ode to a Perfect Man  
 Paperback - 255 pages                            Interpreted by Shaykh Tosun Bayrak al-Jerrahi Helveti

The Tree of Being (Shajarat al-Kawn) is a treatise written by Ibn Arabi (1165-1240), one of the greatest figures in both Islamic and universal mysticism. He wrote close to five hundred books and manuscripts. Many of them are short, but some, like Fusus al Hikam and Futuhat al Makkiyah, are books of many volumes. Ibn Arabi knew and influenced the great men of his time, Ibn Rushd (Averroes), Jalaluddin Rumi, Suhrawardi (Allah be pleased with them), and others. His influence spread beyond the Islamic world and entered medieval Europe. Asin Palacios and Salverda di Grave have pointed out that Dante in the Divina Comedia derived from Ibn Arabi the great design of Hell and Paradise and also the image of the beautified young woman as guide to the Divine.The Tree of Being is an inspired description of the cosmos and the perfect man as microcosm, expressed in beautiful metaphysical and poetic imagery. Ibn Arabi's devotion to the Prophet Muhammad May Allah bless him and grant him peace as the perfect man provides instruction in Islam for the ones who are interested in learning the essence of this religion.

The book has five sections. First is the translator's introduction including a biography of Ibn Arabi and a discussion of his approach to Sufism. Second is an interpretation of Ibn Arabi's Tree of Being, a commentary on the mystical elements of the Qur'an and Islam. Third is Ibn 'Arabi's description of the character and actions of the Prophet Muhammad May Allah bless him and grant him peace. The fourth section is his listing of the two hundred names and attributes of the Beloved Prophet May Allah bless him and grant him peace.

 
Our Price £12.95                    INCLUSIVE OF UK DELIVERY

THE SELF DISCLOSURE OF GOD : Principles of Ibn al Arabi's Cosmology 

 Large Paperback [xl + 483] Total 523 pages          ( Suny Press )                        William C. Chittick

The Self Disclosure of God offers the most detailed presentation to date in any Western language of the basic teachings of Islams greatest mystical philosopher and theologian. It represents a major step forward in making available to the Western reading public the enormous riches of Islamic teachings in the fields of cosmology, mystical philosophy, theology, and spirituality.

''Chittick has refined his way of translating Ibn al-Arabis terminology to a high degree of perfection.'' --- Gerhard Bowering, Yale University.

 
The Self-Disclosure of God continues the authors investigations
of the world view of Ibn al-Arabi, the greatest theoretician of Sufism and the seal of the Muhammadan saints. The book is divided into three parts, dealing with the relation between God and the cosmos, the structure of the cosmos, and the nature of the human soul. A long introduction orients the reader and discusses a few of the difficulties faced by Ibn al-Arabis interpreters. Like Chitticks earlier work, The Sufi Path of Knowledge, this book is based primarily on Ibn al-Arabis monumental work, al-Futuhat al-makkiyya The Meccan Openings. More than one hundred complete chapters and subsections are translated, not to mention shorter passages that help put the longer discussions in context. There are detailed indices of sources, Koranic verses and hadiths. The books index of technical terminology will be an indispensable reference for all those wishing to delve more deeply into the use of language in Islamic thought in general and Sufism in particular.

''This is the type of work that many will refer to as a tour de force. Among its other accomplishments, it represents a painstaking reading, translation, and analysis of a major Muslim Arab thinker of notoriously intimidating erudition and subtlety. Best of all, it is clear and comprehensible, without sacrificing sophistication and precision.'' --- R. Kevin Lacey, State University of New York, Binghamton. 

William C. Chittick is Professor of Comparative Studies at State University of New York, Stony Brook. He has published numerous books, among them, Imaginal Worlds: Ibn al-Arabi and the Problem of Religious Diversity; Faith and Practice of Islam: Three Thirteenth-Century Sufi Texts; The Sufi Path of Knowledge: Ibn al-Arabis Metaphysics of Imagination; The Sufi Path of Love: The Spiritual Teachings of Rumi.

 
Our Price £19.95                  INCLUSIVE OF UK DELIVERY

IMAGINAL WORLDS - Ibn al-Arabi & the Problems of Religious Diversity 
 Paperback - 215 pages                                 ( Suny Press )                        William C. Chittick

In this book Chittick explains Ibn al-Arabi's concept of human perfection, his World of Imagination, and his teachings on why God's wisdom demands diversity of religious expression. He then suggests how these teachings can be employed to conceptualize the study of world religions in a contemporary context.

"Imaginal Worlds is an excellent summary and a solid interpretation of Ibn al-Arabi's teachings." -- Gerhard Bowering, Yale University
 
Ibn al-Arabi, known as the "Greatest Master,"is the most influential Muslim thinker of the past 600 years. This book is an introduction to his thought concerning the ultimate destiny of human beings, God and the cosmos, and the reasons for religious diversity. It summarises many of Ibn al-Arabi's teachings in a simple manner. The ideas discussed are explained in detail. 

The book is divided into three parts. In the first part Chittick explains Ibn al-Arabi's concept of human perfection; in the second part he looks at various implications of the World of Imagination; and in the third part he exposes Ibn al-Arabi's teachings on why God's wisdom demands diversity of religious expression, and he suggests how these teachings can be employed to conceptualize the study of world religions in a contemporary context.

William C. Chittick is Associate Professor at the State University of New York at Stony Brook. He is the author of Faith and Practice of Islam; A Shi'ite Anthology; The Sufi Path of Knowledge: Ibn al- Arabi's Metaphysics of Imagination; and The Sufi Path of Love: The Spiritual Teachings of Rumi; all published by SUNY Press.

 
Our Price £13.95                    INCLUSIVE OF UK DELIVERY

ALONE WITH THE ALONE : Creative Imagination in the Sufism of Ibn Arabi
 Paperback - 426 pages                                                                     Translated by Henry Corbin

"Henry Corbin's works are the best guide to the visionary tradition.... Corbin, like Scholem and Jonas, is remembered as a scholar of genius. He was uniquely equipped not only to recover Iranian Sufism for the West, but also to defend the principal Western traditions of esoteric spirituality."---From the introduction by Harold Bloom

Ibn 'Arabi (1165-1240) was one of the great mystics of all time. Through the richness of his personal experience and the constructive power of his intellect, he made a unique contribution to Shi'ite Sufism?? In this book, which features a powerful new preface by Harold Bloom, Henry Corbin brings us to the very core of this movement with a penetrating analysis of Ibn 'Arabi's life and doctrines.

Corbin begins with a kind of spiritual topography of the twelfth century, emphasizing the differences between exoteric and esoteric forms of Islam. He also relates Islamic mysticism to mystical thought in the West. The remainder of the book is devoted to two complementary essays: on "Sympathy and Theosophy" and "Creative Imagination and Creative Prayer." A section of notes and appendices includes original translations of numerous Sufi treatises.

Harold Bloom's preface links Sufi mysticism with Shakespeare's visionary dramas and high tragedies, such as The Tempest and Hamlet. These works, he writes, intermix the empirical world with a transcendent element. Bloom shows us that this Shakespearean cosmos is analogous to Corbin's "Imaginal Realm" of the Sufis, the place of soul or souls.

 
Our Price £16.95                 INCLUSIVE OF UK DELIVERY

 AQIDA - Aqida Ahl-al-Islam - The Belief of Shaykh al Akbar Muhiy ud-Din al-Arabi
  Booklet - 56 pages                                                         by Shaykh Gibril Fouad al-Haddad

 
Introduction : This book is very important as it deals with the question of aqaa'id (beliefs), the very foundation of Deen al-Islam. The importance of Aqaa'id cannot be more than emphasised in this day and age, especially from the ever threatening emergence of corrupt sects that want to destroy the pure and pristine belief system of Islam and replace them with one that is totally alienated from the beliefs of the Earliest Period under the glorious leadership of Sayyadina wa Mawlana Rasulullah Salla Allahu ta'ala 'alayhi wa Sallam and his Ashaab.


Inside the book: '' The name of Ibn al-Arabi May Allah be pleased with him remains associated with controversy because of those who criticised him severely for the work attributed to him under the title Fusus al-Hikam (The Precious Stones of Wisdom). The attribution of this work in its present form to Ibn Arabi is undoubtedly incorrect as the Fusus contradicts some of the most basic tenets of Islam expounded by Ibn Arabi himself in his authentic works, such as the Finality of Prophethood, the primacy of Prophets over non-Prophets, the abrogation of all religious creeds other than Islam, .... etc ''

 
OUT OF STOCK                  

Futuhat Al-Makkiyya : On the Mysteries of the Pilgrimage  
 Paperback - 358 pages     (Meccan Revelations)              by Muhy al-Din ibn al-Arabi

''Great Books of the Islamic World''

Translated by Aisha Bewley, Edited by Laleh Bakhtyar

 
The master of Islamic spirituality describes the Mysteries of the sacred Pilgrimage to the holy city of Makkah, whilst at the same time relates the divine law from every perspective.

The luminous writings of Muhy'uddin Ibn al-Arabi May Allah be pleased with him weave a vast mystic theology emerging from his own consummate spiritual realisation. Because of the advanced nature of his teachings he has been known for 800 years as the Shaykh al-Akbar, or the Greatest Master. Even in recent years however, access to Ibn Arabi has been difficult and translation daunting. Previously only short extracts of this text were available in English.  

 
'' Ibn al-'Arabi's magnum opus, al-Futūhāt al-Makkiyya, 'The Meccan Openings', is known at least by name to all students of Sufism. In spite of its importance for Islamic thought in general, and Ibn al-'Arabi in particular, few scholars have taken advantage of its enormous riches because of the numerous difficulties connected with reading and understanding the text'' --- Professor William Chittick 

Aisha Bewley: Aisha Abdurrahman at Tarjumana Bewley is one today’s most prolific translators of classical Arabic work into English. Aisha Bewley not only understands Arabic but she is also aware of the basic meanings and nature of teachings and history of Islam. Her knowledge is born of experience and direct transmission, not merely academic theory and learning by rote. For more than twenty-five years she has been concerned with making the contents of many classical works in Arabic more Accessible to English-speaking readers for the first time, including Ash-Shifa of Qadi “Iyad. 
 
Our Price £23.95                   INCLUSIVE OF UK DELIVERY

Futuhat Al-Makkiyya : On the Mysteries of Purification & Formal Prayer  
 Paperback - 729 pages     (Meccan Revelations)           by Muhy al-Din ibn al-Arabi  

''Great Books of the Islamic World''

Translated by Aisha Bewley, Edited by Laleh Bakhtyar

Translated from Chapters 68 and 69 of the Futuhat al Makkiyya by Aisha Bewley. 'Shaykh al Akbar' - Ibn al Arabi (may Allah be pleased with him) delves into the mysteries of the Islamic practices of Purification and the Formal Prayer. In exhaustive detail (over 700 pages) the shaykh explains possible issues that may arise from the point of view of the divine law as well. 

'' Ibn al-'Arabi's magnum opus, al-Futūhāt al-Makkiyya, 'The Meccan Openings', is known at least by name to all students of Sufism. In spite of its importance for Islamic thought in general, and Ibn al-'Arabi in particular, few scholars have taken advantage of its enormous riches because of the numerous difficulties connected with reading and understanding the text'' --- Professor William Chittick 
  

Aisha Bewley: Aisha Abdurrahman at Tarjumana Bewley is one today’s most prolific translators of classical Arabic work into English. Aisha Bewley not only understands Arabic but she is also aware of the basic meanings and nature of teachings and history of Islam. Her knowledge is born of experience and direct transmission, not merely academic theory and learning by rote. For more than twenty-five years she has been concerned with making the contents of many classical works in Arabic more Accessible to English-speaking readers for the first time, including Ash-Shifa of Qadi “Iyad.   
Our Price £37.95                INCLUSIVE OF UK DELIVERY

Futuhat Al-Makkiyya : On the Mysteries of Fasting  
 Paperback - 274 pages     (Meccan Revelations)           by Muhy al-Din ibn al-Arabi 

''Great Books of the Islamic World''

 Translated by Aisha Bewley, Edited by Laleh Bakhtyar

 Translated from Chapters 71 of the colossal Futuhat al Makkiyya by  Aisha Bewley. 'Shaykh al Akbar' - Ibn al Arabi (may Allah be pleased
 with him) relates the '' Mysteries of Fasting'' from the gnostic (irfani)
 perspective while at the same time explaining the divine law in every
 detail.
  

 '' Ibn al-'Arabi's magnum opus, al-Futūhāt al-Makkiyya, 'The Meccan
 Openings', is known at least by name to all students of Sufism. In
 spite of its importance for Islamic thought in general, and Ibn al-'Arabi
 in particular, few scholars have taken advantage of its enormous riches
 because of the numerous difficulties connected with reading and
 understanding the text'' --- Professor William Chittick  

Aisha Bewley: Aisha Abdurrahman at Tarjumana Bewley is one today’s most prolific translators of classical Arabic work into English. Aisha Bewley not only understands Arabic but she is also aware of the basic meanings and nature of teachings and history of Islam. Her knowledge is born of experience and direct transmission, not merely academic theory and learning by rote. For more than twenty-five years she has been concerned with making the contents of many classical works in Arabic more Accessible to English-speaking readers for the first time, including Ash-Shifa of Qadi “Iyad.  
 
Our Price £19.95               INCLUSIVE OF UK DELIVERY

Futuhat Al-Makkiyya : On the Mysteries of Purifying the Alms  
 Paperback - 284 pages     (Meccan Revelations)           by Muhy al-Din ibn al-Arabi  

''Great Books of the Islamic World''

 Translated by Aisha Bewley, Edited by Laleh Bakhtyar

 
Translated from Chapter 70 of the Futuhat al-Makkiyya by Aisha Bewley. Shaykh Ibn al-Arabi may Allah be pleased with him explains the Mysteries of the Islamic practice of the Purifying Alms (zakaah) in a way no other scholar every has. He opens up doors of intuition to the astute reader.

 '' Ibn al-'Arabi's magnum opus, al-Futūhāt al-Makkiyya, 'The Meccan
 Openings', is known at least by name to all students of Sufism. In
 spite of its importance for Islamic thought in general, and Ibn al-'Arabi
 in particular, few scholars have taken advantage of its enormous
 riches because of the numerous difficulties connected with reading and understanding the text'' --- Professor William Chittick 

Aisha Bewley: Aisha Abdurrahman at Tarjumana Bewley is one today’s most prolific translators of classical Arabic work into English. Aisha Bewley not only understands Arabic but she is also aware of the basic meanings and nature of teachings and history of Islam. Her knowledge is born of experience and direct transmission, not merely academic theory and learning by rote. For more than twenty-five years she has been concerned with making the contents of many classical works in Arabic more Accessible to English-speaking readers for the first time, including Ash-Shifa of Qadi “Iyad.

 
Our Price £23.95                 INCLUSIVE OF UK DELIVERY

Futuhat Al-Makkiyya : The Mysteries of Bearing Witness to the Oneness of God and the Prophet of Muhammad Salla Allahu ta'ala 'alayhi wa Sallam  
 Paperback - pages     (Meccan Revelations)     by Muhy al-Din ibn al-Arabi  

''Great Books of the Islamic World''

Translated by Aisha Bewley, Edited by Laleh Bakhtyar

This book is translation of several chapters of Ibn al-Arabi's Futuhat al-Makkiyyya, the Mysteries of bearing Witness to the Oneness of God and Prophethood of Muhammad Salla Allahbu ta'ala 'alayhi wa Sallam, which is the first pillar of Islam.  

'' Ibn al-'Arabi's magnum opus, al-Futūhāt al-Makkiyya, 'The Meccan Openings', is known at least by name to all students of Sufism. In spite of its importance for Islamic thought in general, and Ibn al-'Arabi in particular, few scholars have taken advantage of its enormous riches because of the numerous difficulties connected with reading and understanding the text'' --- Professor William Chittick 
  

Aisha Bewley: Aisha Abdurrahman at Tarjumana Bewley is one today’s most prolific translators of classical Arabic work into English. Aisha Bewley not only understands Arabic but she is also aware of the basic meanings and nature of teachings and history of Islam. Her knowledge is born of experience and direct transmission, not merely academic theory and learning by rote. For more than twenty-five years she has been concerned with making the contents of many classical works in Arabic more Accessible to English-speaking readers for the first time, including Ash-Shifa of Qadi “Iyad.   
Our Price £24.95                   INCLUSIVE OF UK DELIVERY        

Ibn al-Arabi - Divine Governance of the Human Kingdom 

Paperback - 302 pages

Including What the Seeker Needs & The One Alone

by Ibn ‘Arabi

Interpreted by: Shaykh Tosun Bayrak al-Jerrahi al-Halveti

Contained in this volume is his powerful but little-known work, Divine Governance of the Human Kingdom, rendered into English for the first time. In a particularly startling way, the text uses metaphors from worldly politics to illuminate details of the spiritual search. 

Ibn ‘Arabi, May Allah be pleased with him, the twelfth-century Spanish mystic, is considered by many the greatest master of Sufism. His large body of writings includes; The Meccan Revelations (in 560 chapters) and The Bezels of Wisdom (exploring aspects of understanding through the lives of the Prophets of Islam).

--------

"The book is divided into twenty-one chapters. Each section contains instructions for achieving unity, the Lord’s gift to humankind. They show how to keep order within the divine order while improving ourselves; how to guide our lives in the right way; how to protect His kingdom, which is the human being, from oblivion; how to rule it in the way that it is meant to be ruled, by the soul that the Lord has placed in it as His deputy.

This book is a fountain that both high and low will be able to quench their thirst by drinking from it. For those who are able to see beneath the evident, there are signs that, if followed, will lead to the Source. For those who see the surface, there are things plain as could be."

Shaykh Tosun Bayrak al-Jerrahi, working from Ottoman Turkish texts of Ibn ‘Arabi’s works, has rendered this and two shorter texts, What the Seeker Needs and The One Alone, into modern English. In an Epilogue, Shaykh Tosun restates Ibn ‘Arabi’s teachings on Sufi practice and the strict duties binding a disciple to his master.

Review : 
"Shaykh Tosun’s book offers an easy-to-understand interpretation of three mystical treatises by the celebrated twelfth-to-thirteenth century Sufi master Ibn ‘Arabi. The largest al-tadbirat, is a fascinating treatise on the divine design and management of the world, and the central role the human model plays in the creative and governing process. 

The other two are kitab kunh ma la budda minhu lil-murid (trans. “What the Seeker Needs”), a brief guide for those wanting to follow the Sufi path, and kitab al-ahadiyyah (translated as “The One Alone”), an esoteric essay on transcendental unity.

 The book also offers a modest introduction to the life of Ibn ‘Arabi. Inspired by Ibn ‘Arabi’s teachings, Shaykh Tosun writes with great passion and devotion to the extent of blurring the line between his own words and those of Ibn ‘Arabi.

The book is useful to students of Islamic mysticism, especially those who are searching for spiritual insights and mystical teachings."

Our Price £17.99                INCLUSIVE OF UK DELIVERY

Seal of the Saints - Prophethood & Sainthood In the Doctrine of Ibn ‘Arabi

Paperback - 192 pages                                                           by Michael Chodkiewicz       

In recent years a number of important studies have helped acquaint the Western reader with Ibn Arabi’s metaphysics and this process is now greatly enhanced by the present volume in which Michael Chodkiewicz explores for the first time, the Master’s ‘hagiology’ or teaching on sainthood. 

Founded on a careful analysis of the relevant texts, Chodkiewicz’s work examines this essential aspect of Ibn Arabi’s doctrine of sainthood, defining the nature and function of sainthood, while also specifying the criteria for a typology of saints based on the notion of prophetic inheritance. 

The book concludes with a detailed description of the two phases of the initiatory journey, the ascent to God, followed by the descent to created beings which, once accomplished, makes a saint the necessary mediator between Heaven and Earth.

Reviews:

‘This is by far the best available explanation of the central importance of sanctity for understanding both the practical and the theoretical teachings of Sufism.’ --- William Chittick

‘An extraordinarily good book about an extremely difficult thinker...Chodkiewicz not only knows the texts remarkably well, but also avoids and rejects certain errors of perspective common among other scholars.’ --- TLS

-----

 This book was originally written in French by Michel Chodkiewicz under the title Le Sceau des Saints and was published in 1986. It is the most important book on the concept of sainthood in the writings of Ibn al-‘Arabi. Chodkiewicz begins the book with a brief survey of the history of Ibn al-‘Arabi studies in Western scholarship and then devotes a good deal of time to discussing the idea of sainthood in Islam before Ibn al-‘Arabi. Here he shows how devotion to the saints in classical Islam was not simply a manifestation of popular piety. On the contrary, it seems to have been a natural consequence of Islamic practice.  

Michel Chodkiewicz’s depth of knowledge on the subject matter is particularly noteworthy. Bringing over forty years of knowledge of the works of Ibn al-‘Arabi to this study, he draws on the many texts written by the Shaykh and presents his ideas in as coherent a fashion as possible. But he also takes into account what members of the school of Ibn al-‘Arabi had to say about their masters’ ideas, how thinkers in the later Islamic tradition responded to his notion of the Seal of Muhammadan Saints, as well as the severe criticisms leveled against Ibn al-‘Arabi and members of his school by, for example, Ibn al-Taymiyyah.

Chodkiewicz does an especially good job in this book of showing how the Haqiqah Muhammadiyyah (The Muhammadan Reality) is at once the beginning of all sainthood in Islam and the end, as it were, and how this reality is percolated throughout the generation of Prophets and Messengers sent by God. His discussion of how the cosmic hierarchy, with the Qutb, Awtad, Imams, Hawariyun etc. (who are all Afrad at the same time) are a physical “Refraction” of the Muhammadan light (Nur Muhammadi) was particularly appreciated; and especially how he was able to tie this in with the fact that the many generations of saints who belong to similar cosmic hierarchies are themselves in turn reflections of the refractions of Muhammadan light. The vast spiritual anthropology of the Sufi cosmic landscape is often overwhelming and this book certainly makes it much easier to understand the basic ideas upon which these complex hierarchies are based. At the same time, although it does seem like not enough was said about the connection between the Insan al-Kamil (the Perfect Man) and the role of the Qutb and the Seal of Muhammadan Sainthood, Chodkiewicz did successfully manage to explain how it is that there could be other people after Ibn al-‘Arabi who also claimed to be Seals of Sainthood without fundamentally challenging the Shaykh’s exclusive claim to being the Seal of Muhammadan Sainthood.

Our Price £19.99                    INCLUSIVE OF UK DELIVERY