The Wisdom of the Hikam

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The Wisdom of the Hikam : New,
[A5+] Paperback - 375 pages,
Propositions from the Hikam,
of Ibn Ata'illah Iskandari [d.709h],
amplified by Shaykh Ahmad Ibn Ajiba's [d.1224h],
Commentary on them in Iqadh al-Himam,
Compiled by Abdalhaqq Bewley.

Description :

Propositions from the Hikam of Ibn Ata'illah al-Iskanderi amplified by Ibn 'Ajiba's commentary on them in Iqadh al-Himam.

The Hikam of Shaykh Ahmad Ibn Ata'illah al-Iskanderi is rightly celebrated as one of the foundational texts of Islamic spirituality. Throughout the centuries since it was written, it has been a continual source of inspiration, spiritual nourishment and teaching to countless travellers on the path of inner knowledge. Indeed many of its maxims are still quoted on a daily basis throughout the world.

It has given rise to many commentaries but certainly one of the most outstanding of them is Iqadh al-Himam by Shaykh Ahmad ibn 'Ajiba. In it he plumbs the depths of the wisdom inherent in the original propositions, uncovering the layers of meaning each contains and its profoundest and subtlest implications for those seeking knowledge of themselves and their Lord.

The result is a complete Instruction Manual for the spiritual path and, while this present volume is not a complete translation of either the Hikam or Iqadh al-Himam, it is certainly sufficient to give the reader genuine access to a great part of the knowledge and wisdom contained in both works.

Abu al-Fadl Ibn 'Ata' allah al-Iskandari (d.709), may Allah be pleased with him.

Ibn Ata' illah al-Iskandari, rahmatullahi ta'ala 'alayhi, 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.

Shaykh Ahmad ibn ‘Ajiba :

Ahmad ibn ‘Ajiba al-Shadhili, al-Hasani, may Allah have mercy upon him, (1747–1809) was an 18th-century Moroccan Shaykh in the Darqawa Sufi order. He was born of a Hasani sharif family in the Anjra tribe that ranges from Tangiers to Tetouan along the Mediterranean coast of Morocco. As a child he developed a love of knowledge, memorising the Qur’an and studying subjects ranging from Classical Arabic grammar, religious ethics, poetry, Qur’anic recitation and tafsir.

When he reached the age of eighteen he left home and studied in Qasr al-Kabir under the supervision of Sidi Muhammad as-Susi as-Samlali. It was here that he was introduced to studies in the sciences, art, philosophy, law and Qur’anic exegesis in depth. He went to Fes to study with Ibn Suda, Bennani, and al-Warzazi, and joined the new Darqawiyya in 1208 AH (1793), of which he was the representative in the northern part of the Jbala region. He spent his entire life in and around Tetouan, and died of the plague in 1224 AH (1809). He is the author of a considerable number of works and a Fahrasa which provides interesting information concerning the intellectual center that Tetouan had become by the beginning of the 19th century.

More Ibn Ata'Allah al-Iskandari Books,
Other works of Ibn Ajiba.

More Shadhiliyya Books,
More books on Sufism (tasawwuf).