Gifts for the Seeker QP

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Gifts for the Seeker : New,
' Ithaf i's sa'il '
[A5] Paperback - 84 pages,
by Imam Abdullah ibn Alawi al-Haddad [d.1132h],
Transl. by Mostafa al-Badawi,
Published by Quilliam Press.

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Description :

This book answers many of the questions often asked by seekers of inward illumination.

    *** What are the real implications of the doctrine of divine unity?
    *** How can proper concentration be achieved during spiritual exercises?
    *** When should one avoid participating in Sufi gatherings?
    *** What is the relationship between the tongue, the mind, and the heart?
    *** How is one to understand visions received in sleep?

The work also includes the author’s commentary on a poem on inner wayfaring which speaks of the most exalted stations of the path and goes on to explain a number of paradoxes of the Way, such as the reason as why the saints usually refuse to deploy their miraculous powers, preferring to concentrate on self-scrutiny and the compassionate guidance of others. These points are illustrated with references to the famous mystical poems of Ibn al-Farid and Abu Madyan.

About The Author :

Imam Abd Allah ibn Alawi al-Haddad was born in 1634 CE (1044 Hijri). He lived his entire life in the town of Tarim in Yemen’s Valley of Hadramawt and died there in 1720 CE (1132 Hijri). In Islamic history, he was considered one of the great Sufi sages. He was an adherent to the Ashari Sunni Creed of Faith (Aqidah), while in Islamic jurisprudence (Fiqh), he was a Shafi'i.

In spite of being a major source of reference among the Sunni Muslims (especially among Sufis), only recently have his books began to receive attention and publication in the English-speaking world. Their appeal lies in the concise way in which the essential pillars of Islamic belief, practice, and spirituality have been streamlined and explained efficiently enough to the modern reader. Examples of such works are The Book of Assistance, The Lives of Man, and Knowledge and Wisdom.

About The Translator :

Dr Mohammad Mustafa Badawi was born in Alexandria (Egypt) in 1925 and obtained a BA from Alexandria University and Ph.D. from London University. He is a Fellow of St. Anthony’s College, Oxford, and former Professor of Modern Arabic Literature and Director of Middle Eastern Studies Center at Oxford. He served for many years as editor-in-chief or member of editorial boards of international journals of Middle Eastern studies.

Professor Badawi published some 30 books, editions and translations, and numerous scholarly articles and reviews in Arabic and English.

Table of Contents :

---Translators Introduction,
---Gifts for the Seeker - Being Some Answered Questions,
------Prologue.

The [1st] Response : On the meanings of La ilaha illa' Llah,

------(a). Introduction to the Science of Unification,
------(b). The exoteric meaning of La ilaha illa' Llah,
------(c). Polytheism (shirk),
------(d). On Unification (tawhid),
------(e). La ilaha illa' Llah as a formula of dhikr.

The [2nd] Response : On presence with God,

The [3rd] Response : Some further explications,
------(a). Tasbih and Hamd,
------(b). Ascribing power and ability,
------(c). Remorse, and seeking forgiveness,
------(d). A distinction between subtle gradations of sins.

The [4th] Response : On whom we perceive ourselves as receiving from,

The [5th] Response :
------(a). Reciting Sura al-Waqi'a,
------(b). A word of caution,

The [6th] Response : On Audition,

The [7th] Response : On some of Imam al-Ghazali's precepts,
------(a). Knowing a thing is distinct from knowing that one knows it,
------(b). Knowledge brings to fruition spiritual states, and states bring to fruition spiritual stations,
------(c). It is insufficient, in performing an act of obedience to God, to know that it is one,
------(d). On involuntary thoughts (khawatir),
------(e). On the relationship between the tongue, the mind, and the heart,
------(f ). On the difference between jealousy for God, and envy.

The [8th] Response : On dream-visions.

Afterword : The Ode of Abu Bakr al-'Aydarus,
Includes commentary.

---Notes,
---Index.

''Those who strive, do so for themselves ;
for God is solely Independant of the Worlds.'' [29:6].