Pure Gold from the Words of Sayyidi 'Abd al-'Aziz al-Dabbagh, -
Al-Dhahab al-Ibriz min Kalam Sayyidi 'Abd al-'Aziz al-Dabbagh,
[A4-] Hardback - 1016 pages,
Published by E.J. Brill.
by Ahmad b. al-Mubarak al-Lamaṭi
A Translation with Notes and an Outline by: John O'Kane & Bernd Radtke
Description :
Around 1720 in Fez Ahmad b. al-Mubarak al-Lamaṭi,
may Allah have mercy upon him, a religious scholar, wrote
down the words and teachings of the Sufi master 'Abd al-'Aziz al-Dabbagh,
may Allah have mercy upon him.
Al-Dabbagh shunned religious studies but, having reached illumination and met
with the Prophet Muhammad,
may Allah bless him and grant him peace, he was able to explain any obscurities in the Qurʾan,
hadiths and sayings of earlier Sufis.
The resulting book, known as the
Ibriz, describes how al-Dabbagh attained illumination and access to the
Prophet,
may Allah bless him and grant him peace, as well as his teachings about the Council of the godly that regulates
the world, relations between master and disciple, the
… read
moredarkness in men’s bodies, Adam’s creation, Barzakh,
Paradise and Hell, and much more besides.
This ‘encyclopaedia’ of Sufism with
its many teaching stories and illustrations provides a window onto social life
and religious ideas in Fez a generation or so before powerful outside forces
began to play a role in the radical transformation of Morocco.Biographical noteJohn O'Kane, B.A. (1963) in Classics, Princeton University, is an independent scholar. His translations include The Secrets of God's Mystical Oneness (Mazda, 1992), Fritz Meier, Essays on Islamic Piety and Mysticism (Brill, 1999) and The Feats of the Knowers of God (
Manaqeb al-‘arefin) by Shams al-Dīn Aḥmad-e Aflākī (Brill, 2002).
Bernd Radtke (born 1944) has taught at the universities of Basel, Bergen (Norway) and Utrecht. His field of specialization is Islamic cultural and intellectual history (Geistesgeschichte), in particular Islamic mysticism.
Review :
[...] a treasure trove of information..This
translation will undoubtedly expand scholarly awareness of this little-read but
influential book, which reflects a still understudied period in the development
of Sufi thought and practice.---Valerie J. Hoffman, Islamic Africa,
2010.
**As with all E.J.Brill's Academic books,
this is a scholarly publication, released after years of research and
printed to a very high specification. The high price is the Recommended
Retail Price set by the publishers. Madani Propagation are the leading EJ Brill (Islamic Books) distributer of this much sought after work.