The Essence of Sufism - New,
[A5] Paperback - 91 pages,
by Shaykh Abu Bakr al-Mulla,
Edited & Annotated by Shaykh Yahya ibn Muhammad al-Mulla,
*Translated into English by Amjad Mahmood.
Published by Heritage Press, UK.



Back in Stock April 2021



Description :

Sufism, or tasawwuf, has been the classical name given to the Islamic discipline of purifying the heart of its spiritual maladies. The Qur’an has warned :


      '' A Day [of Judgement] in which neither wealth nor children shall be of
        any benefit [to anyone], except one who comes to Allah with a sound
        heart. '' (26:88–9).


The masters of Sufism speak of there being two thousand definitions of Sufism; however, the most inclusive of them was provided by their supreme authority, al-Junayd, may Allah be pleased with him, :


        ‘Sufism is to adopt every lofty character trait and renounce every base
         character trait.’


This short treatise was penned by Shaykh Ab? Bakr al-Mull? (d. 1270 AH), a traditional scholar from a learned family from al-Ahsa’i, in modern-day Saudi Arabia, wherein he elaborates on the foundations of this discipline. These principles are contextualised through Qur’anic verses, hadiths and axial aphorisms from leading Sufi masters of the past. Although brief, the manual is full of profound and moving wisdom that every Muslim should be characterised by.






Table of Contents :


---Transliteration Table,
---Translator's Introduction,
---Author's Biography : Shaykh Abu Bakr al-Mulla,
------His birth,
------His Upbringing,
------His Shaykhs,
------His Teaching,
------His Qualities,
------His Abstinence and Contentment,
------His Daily Routine,
------His Works,
------His Passing Away,
---Editor's Biography : Shaykh Yahya ibn Muhammad al-Mulla,
---Shaykh 'Abd-Allah ibn Abi Bakr al-Mulla's Introduction.


The Primary Text (Al-Matn),
---The Essence of Sufism (Matn),

The Primary Text with Commentary (Al-Matn wa al-Sharh),
---The Essence of Sufism (Sharh),
---Sufism (tasawwuf),
---Vigilance of Allah Most High (muraqabah),
---How to attain the rank of vigilance,
---The sign of following one's whim,
---The best state for the slave,
---Forsaking prohibitions takes precedence over supererogatory acts of devotion,
---Self-abasement,
-------Statements from the Sufi masters on self-abasement,
---Humility before Allah Most High,
-------Statements from the Sufi masters on humility,
-------The most astonishing account of humility,
---Satisfaction with the lowert self is the root of all evil,
-------Statements of self criticism from pre-eminent Sufi masters,
---Four methods for diagnosing the diseases of the self,
---Submission and contentment with the divine decree,
-------Important note,
---Leaving what does not concern one,
---The three principles :
-------1. Contentment with divine destiny (al-qada wa al-qadr)
-------2. You are a fettered slave,
-------3. The temporality of this world and the eternality of the Afterlife,
---Be in this world as if you are a stranger or a wayfarer,
---Building and decorating one's home in the Afterlife,

---Concluding remarks.






Sufism - Homepage.
 

*Contains extensive footnotes.
Another excellent Heritage Press print.