Ba 'Alawiya

Details:  Gifts for the Seeker,
*[A5] Glossy Paperback - 84 pages, [Revised Edition]
by Imam Abdallah ibn 'Alawi al-Haddad,
Translated from the Arabic by Mostafa al-Badawi.
Published by Fons Vitae, USA.


 

Description :

Gifts for the Seeker - Ithaf i's sa'il : Revised addition. This important 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 (Awliya-Allah) 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.





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].

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*Dimensions :  21.5 x 13.5 cm.