The Fragrant Scent : New

The Fragrant Scent - New,
On the Knowledge of Motivating Thoughts
and Other Such Gems - 
al-‘Arf al-‘atir fi ma’rifat al-khawatir
wa-ghayriha min al-jawahir,
*[A5] Paperback - 172 pages,
by Shaykh 'Abdul Rahman al-'Aydarus,
Translated by Mokrane Guezzou,
by Islamic Texts Society, Cambridge.

 

Description :


The Fragrant Scent is the first English translation of the work of the great eighteenth-century scholar Sayyid Abu al-Marahim ‘Abd al-Rahman b. Mustafa b. Shaykh al-‘Aydarus, may Allah have mercy upon him. The book is a meditation on the fleeting thoughts that pass through the mind of the spiritual wayfarer, and the author’s aim is to provide guidance for those on the spiritual path.



The author describes his treatise as a commentary on Shaykh Suhrawardi’s, may Allah be pleased with him, famous Sufi work, ‘Awarif al-ma’arif, and he draws on a rich selection of authoritative sources to answer key questions about the wayfarer’s experiences, including the Qur’an, the hadith, Imam al-Ghazali, Shaykh ‘Abd al-Qadir al-Jilani and Shaykh Abu Madyan, may Allah sanctify their secret. This concise, yet wide-ranging treatise covers topics such as the different types of passing thoughts and their causes, knowledge of the soul and finding the perfect spiritual guide, as well as the necessity of retreat and practicing one’s knowledge.




Shaykh al-‘Aydarus was a follower of the Ba ‘Alawi tariqa, a famous Sufi order from Hadhramaut in southern Yemen, known for its piety and careful observance of the Shari'a. The Fragrant Scent reflects the Ba ‘Alawi order’s emphasis on maintaining a balance between the inner and outer worlds, making the work an accessible entry point to understanding the profound spiritual insights and everyday practice of Ba ‘Alawi Sufism.



Born in Tarim in southern Yemen, Abu al-Marahim was a descendant of the Prophet Muhammad, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, through Sayyadina ‘Ali and Sayyadina Husayn, may Allah be pleased with them. He studied the traditional legal and religious sciences with renowned scholars in Yemen, the Hijaz, India and Egypt, where he died in 1192 AH/1778 C.E. He attracted many students in the course of his travels, including ‘Abd al-Rahman al-Jabarti and al-Murtada al-Zabidi. He is the author of more than 60 works in Arabic, including the present treatise, al-‘Arf al-‘atir fi ma’rifat al-khawatir wa-ghayriha min al-jawahir.






Table of Contents :


---Foreword,
---Editor's Introduction,
------'Abd al-Rahman b. Mustafa al-'Aydarus,
------The Fragrant Scent,
------The Translation.


The Fragrant Scent :

---[1]. Introduction,
------The Qur'an has an Outward and an Inward Meaning,

---[2]. On Motivating Thoughts,
------The Importance of Knowing Motivating Thoughts,
------Reasons for the Misconceptions Concerning Motivating Thoughts,
------Knowledge of the Soul,
------The Greatest Defects of the Ego,
------The Perfected Ones and the Defects of the Ego,
------The Ego is the Greatest Enemy,
------How to Slay the Ego,
------The Cause of Love of the Ego,
------The Difference between the Ego's Misgivings and Satan's Whisperings,
------Spiritual Insights are more general than Motivating Thoughts,
------The Perfected and the Unperfected Ones on the Spiritual Path,
------The Obfuscations of the Ego and How to Differentiate them,
------The Heart's quiet Capitulation to the Ego,
------The Directions from Whence Motivating Thoughts arrive,
------The Impact of the Light of Remembrance on Satan,
------The Manner of the Derivation of Motivating Thoughts,
------The Effect of the Angel's Inspiration and Satan's Whispering,
------Summoning good Motivating Thoughts and Warding Off their Opposites,
------What is meant by the Heart?
------The Difference between Human and Animal Spirits,
------The Importance paid to the Soul  by the Prophet, salla Allahu 'alayhi wa Sallam,
------The Reasons for not being Harmed by Hunger or Lack of Sleep,
------The Reflection of the Lights of the Spirit on the Heart and Soul,
------Faith in Divine Power,
------The Secret of the Power of Continual Fasting,
------The Human Spirit.

---[3]. On Spiritual Wayfarers and Spiritual Guides,
------The Four Categories of Spiritual Wayfarers,
------Spiritual Wayfarers who are Qualified for the Office of Spiritual Guidance,
------The Most Perfect Station in the Office of Spiritual Guidance,
------The State of the Besought Beloved,
------Elaboration of the States of the Spiritual Wayfarer,
------The Absolute Spiritual Guide,
------The Form of the Perfect Office of Spiritual Guidance,
------The Necessity of Keeping the Company of Spiritual Masters,
------The Highest Discipline of the Soul,
------The States of the Spiritual Master with the Seeker.

---[4]. On Remembrance,
------Each Form of Remembrance has a Particular Illumination,
------Healing the Indisposition of the Invoker's Temperament,
------The Manner of the Crystallisation of the Qur'an in the Heart,
------The Secrets and Wonders of Prayer,
------The State of the One in Whose Heart Remembrance and the Qur'an have Crystallised,
------Clear Unveiling,
--------A Note of Waning,
------The Sign of Unadulterated Sweetness,
------The States of the Gnostics,
------The Heat of Remembrance,
---------Remembrance is a Sultan,
------The Form of Remembrance that combines All Special Properties,
------The States of Ecstacy.

---[5]. On Retreat,
------The Types of Sincere Wayfarers in Entering Retreat,
------The Conditions for a Perfect Spiritual Retreat,
------The Harms of Mixing with People,
------The Perfected Spiritual Guide and Retreat,
------The Necessity of Spiritual Retreat,
------A Caution about Claims Concerning the Well-being of the Heart,
------Poverty and Returning to God during Retreat,
------Languor and How to Deal with it,
------The Conduct of the Perfected One in the State of Languor,
------The Retreat of the Masters of Insight,
------Satan is a Highway Robber.

---[6]. On the Manners of the Disciple,
------The Wisdom of Performing Acts that Break the Norms of Nature,
------On the Manners of the Disciple,
------The Interlacing of Spiritual States and Stations,
------The Perfection of the Wayfarer's Spiritual Station,
------The Path to Finding the Perfected Spiritual Guide,
------The Counsels of Shaykh Ahmad b. Musa al-Musharri,
------That which is Feared by the Spiritual Wayfarer,
------Disclosure by Way of Actions,
------Extinction,
------The Station of Extinction,
------The Causes of the Dread of Those who Have Knowledge,
------Renunciation and God-Fearingness are Keys to the Spiritual Path,
------Knowledges and Understandings of the Qur'an,
------The Degrees of Knowledge and Gnosis,
------The Tremendous Works of the Masters of Hearts,
------The Preference for the Knowledge of God over Mere Knowledge,
------The Merit of Spiritual Struggles,
------The Binding of Causes to Effects,
------The Categories of God's Actions,
------The Necessity of Practising One's Knowledge,
------The Light of the Knowledge of God Most High.


---Bibliography,
---Index.

*Dimensions : 23.4 x 15.5cm.