The Subtle Blessings in the Saintly Lives

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The Subtle Blessings -in the Saintly Lives
of Abu al-Abbas al-Mursi &
His Master Abu al-Hasan al-Shadhili,
[The Founders of the Shadhiliya],
Kitab Lata'if al-Minan
*[A5+] Large Paperback - 464 pages,
by Ibn 'Ata' Allah al-Iskandari [d.709h],
Translated from Arabic,
with Preface & Notes by Nancy Roberts.

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Description :

Kitab Lata'if al-Minan fi Manaqib Abi 'l-Abbas al-Mursi wa Shaykhihi Abi 'l-Hasan, ("Subtle Graces") by Ibn Ata 'Allah, may Allah have mercy upon him, (d. 709 AH) might be described as a tribute by the author to the two great shaykhs who molded his spiritual life and vision, namely, Abu al-Hasan al-Shadhili (d. 656 AH) and Abi al-'Abbas al-Mursi (d. 686 AH), the latter of whom Ibn 'Ata' Allah describes as "our Master and Companion, the pole of gnostics, the signpost of the rightly guided, the supreme apologist for Sufism, the travelers' guide, the rescuer of the perishing…he who speaks by the light of his flawless spiritual insight into [people's] secret thoughts…he who unveils the suns of knowledge after they have set and the secrets of subtle intimations after they have departed, he who has arrived in God and who assists others in doing the same."

Filled with anecdotes illustrating the shaykhs' spiritual gifts and insights, Lata'if al-Minan is Ibn 'Ata' Allah's attempt to convey to his readers not only the beauty and inspiration of these men's lives and their utter devotion to God, but to help his readers themselves to enter into this same life of devotion and to experience its inimitable blessings.

For anyone desiring a vivid, lively exposition of the Sufi path as embodied in the lives of God's friends, the saints, together with their expositions of the prophetic traditions and Qur'anic passages which stayed their feet along the path, explanations of the divine realities, mystical stations and related enigmas, as well as specific phrases of divine remembrance (dhikr) which Abu al-'Abbas used for himself and his disciples, Lata'if al-Minan offers a delightful excursion through this inviting, albeit arduous, realm of body and spirit.

This deeply personal reminiscence of one man's growth in Islamic mysticism is a tribute to the two great shaykhs who molded his spiritual life and vision. Filled with anecdotes illustrating the shaykhs' spiritual gifts and insights, the text not only conveys the beauty and inspiration of these men's lives and their utter devotion to God, but also helps readers to enter this same life of devotion and experience its inimitable blessings. Sufi interpretations of Qur'anic passages and traditional Sufi spiritual litanies are included.

Abu al-Fadl Ibn 'Ata' allah al-Iskandari (d.709), may Allah be pleased with him, was born in Alexandria, Egypt. He was one of the great Sufi Imams who was also known as a muhaddith, preacher, and Maliki jurist. He is the author of 'al-Hikam' (Aphorisms), 'Miftah al-falah' (The Key to Success), 'al-Qasd al-mujarrad fi ma'rifat al-ism al-mufrad' (The pure goal concerning knowledge of the Unique Name), amongst others.

This pious and extraordinary contemplative figure left behind a spiritual legacy no less impressive than those of his own beloved Shaykh, and the eminent founder Shaykh Abu'l-Hasan ash-Shadhili, May Allah be pleased with him. All the biographers refer to Ibn 'Ata illah with illustrious titles and reverence and mention how marvellously he spoke and how uplifting his words were. In spite of the fact that he followed the Maliki madhbab, the Shafi'is laid claim to him, most probably because some of his earlier teachers had been Shafi'i scholars, not to mention some of his students.

Table of Contents :

---Translators Preface,
---Introduction,
---An Interlude on the Theme of Saints' Miracles,

---Chapter [I],
------An Introduction to the Shaykh,

---Chapter [II],
------On the Shaykhs' Testimony that he was heir to the station of sainthood,

---Chapter [III]
------On his Spiritual States and Strivings and Disciples, (mukashafat),

---Chapter [IV]
------On his Knowledge, Renunciation and Abstinence,

---Chapter [V]
------On Verses from the Book of God, exalted be He,

---Chapter [VI]
------On Propehtic hadiths he interpreted based upon Sufi Teachings, (tasawwuf),

---Chapter [VII]
------On his Explanations of Difficult to understand Statements by Knowers of the Truth,

---Chapter [VIII]
------On his Thoughts Concerning Spiritual Realities and Stations,

---Chapter [IX]
------On the Poetry which he Recited, & was Recited in his Presence,

---Chapter [X]
------On his dhikr, and the Supplication with which he Concluded his Lectures, and the hizb which he Arranged for those who were Receipients of his Knowledge,

---Conclusion,
---Notes,
---Appendix,
---Index.