Selections from the Diwan of Sh. Salih

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Selections from the Diwan
of Shaykh Salih al-Ja'fari :
Volume 1, Bilingual Edition,
[A5] Paperback - 230 pages,
by Shaykh Salih al-Ja'fari,
Transl. by Ahmad Ali al-Adani,
Published by IGPublications.

Description :

The illustrious Imam and erudite scholar of al-Azhar, Shaykh Salih al-Ja'fari, may Allah be pleased with him, authored an extraordinary amount of poetry on many subjects. The Shaykh's poems comprise twelve volumes, which grouped according to their subject matter, ranging from the remembrance and glorification of Allah, advice for the one traversing the spiritual path to Allah, exalting the excellence of the Beloved ﷺ and the Ahl al-Bayt, and the virtues of the Path’s litanies and Salawat.

This book contains selected poems from the first of those twelve volumes. These selections focus on the relationship between the shaykh and murid, as well as the virtues of the spiritual path. These poems were specifically selected by Shaykh Muhammad Salih al-Ja'fari, the grandson of Shaykh Salih al-Ja'fari, rahmatullahi ta'ala 'alayhi. The core of these selected poems, just as in the shaykh’s poetry overall, are from the genre of what is known as madih (praise poetry), in praise of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ and the Ahl al-Bayt.

Regarding the methodology of his father, Shaykh 'Abd-al-Ghani al-Ja'fari, rahimahullah, said the following :

"This door of spiritual openings, which our Shaykh traveled, is a clear opening, and whoever traverses it will arrive, and whoever arrives will be connected, and whoever is connected will see and witness, and whoever has witnessed, has intimate discourse, and becomes acquainted, and whoever becomes acquainted, is guided to the 'Muḥammadan Reality,' thus he multiplies love by love. As he ﷺ has said: 'A man is with the one he loves.'"

These poems are truly transformative, both for the one who recites them and the one who listens, and represent acceptance and invitation to the presence of the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, and his household.

This bilingual edition contains the original fully-vowelized Arabic text with an easy-to-read English translation directly following each line, and has been designed for use in regular gatherings of remembrance.

About the Author :

Shaykh as-Sayyid Salih al-Maliki al-Jafari, rahmatullahi ta'ala 'alayhi, was a gnostic of the tariqa of Sayyid Ahmad ibn Idris, radi Allahu ta'ala anhu. He was born [1328h] and raised in the city of Dongola, Sudan in a very pious and Islamic upbringing. The family are descended from Hadrat Imam Husayn, radi Allahu ta'ala anhu. Shaykh Salih memorised the Qur'an at an early age and excelled in it. He went onto study in Egypt under many shaykhs, eventually becoming an Imam and teacher at Al-Azhar University, Cairo. He passed away in 1399h and was laid to rest in the vicinity of Al-Azhar.

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