The Risalah

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The Risalah : New,
Principles of Sufism -
[A5+] Paperback - 573 pages,
by Imam Abu' l Qasim al-Qushayri [d.465h],
Transl. by Rabia Harris,
Edited by Laleh Bakhtiar,
Part of the Great Books in the Islamic World.

Description :

Al-Risalah Al-Qushayriyyah, The Risalah : Principles of Sufism. Possibly the most complete translation of Imam al-Qushayri's, rahmatullahi ta'ala 'alayhi, famous work on ilm al-tasawwuf.

Despite many deeply esoteric passages, Imam al-Qushayri’s work remains a typical sample of “moderate” Sufi literature due to its author’s overriding desire to achieve a delicate balance between the mystical, esoteric aspects of the Scripture and his deep respect for its letter, or, in the Sufi parlance, between the shari'a and the haqiqa.

Although in his works Imam al-Qushayri addressed a wide variety of subjects, his fame rests primarily on this Risalah on Sufism – probably the most popular Sufi manual ever. Written in 437/1045, it has served as a primary text-book for many generations of Sufis down to the present and is considered to be essential reading for any serious Muslim mystic. Al-Qushayri’s Risalah carries a clear apologetic message – to portray Sufism as a legitimate and respectable Islamic “science” in complete harmony with the letter and spirit of Islamic Law, the shari'ah.

The author is careful to differentiate between the genuine Sufi's and their imitators, whose irresponsible escapades and statements, in his view, have tainted its image in the eyes of outsiders, especially authoritative Sunni scholars. Throughout his book, Imam al-Qushayri consistently seeks to cleanse Sufism of what he perceives as “unbecoming” beliefs and practices, to expose its unscrupulous imitators, and to instruct its followers in the exemplary ways of the movement’s founding fathers. At the same time, he does not try to conceal from his readers disagreements among Sufi masters over various doctrinal and practical issues

Imam Abu'l Qasim al-Qushayri, may Allah be pleased with him. Shaykh al-Qushayri, may Allah be pleased with him, was born in 986 CE in the province of Khurasan, the richest centre of eastern Islamic civilisation. He was the student of the leading sufi scholar of the time; Shaykh Abu `Ali al-Daqqaq, may Allah be pleased with him. Shaykh al-Qushayri, was a muhaddith [master of aHadith] who transmitted hadith to pupils by the thousands in Naysabur, where he debated with the Mu`tazila until he was forced to flee to Makkah to protect his life.

He was also a mufassir who wrote a complete commentary of the Qur'an entitled Lata'if al-isharat bi tafsir al-Qur'an (The subtleties and allusions in the commentary of the Qur'an).