Classics of Muslim Spirituality
The Qur'an Kareem, kutub (books) of Hadith Shareef and their translations have for long been generally available in Toronto. Now, the classics of Muslim spirituality written by mashayikh (spiritual masters) in the original as well as their translations, are gaining popularity, and are generally available in all Muslim bookstores. For the sake of brevity, I will mention just one classic each of some of the mashayikh to gain baraka (blessings).Among the more ancient classics are:
Hilyatul Awliya wa Tabaqaatul Asfiya (The Adornment of the Saints and the Ranks of the Spiritual Elite), of Imam Abu Nu'aym al-Isfahani;
Al-Risala fi 'Ilm al-Tasawwuf (The Treatise About Knowledge Of The Sufi Lifestyle), of Imam Abu'l Qasim al-Qushayri;
Kashf al-Mahjub (The Unveiling of the Mystery), of Hadrat Data Ganj Baksh Ali al-Hujwiri;
Ihya' 'Ulum al-Deen (The Revival of the Religious Sciences), of Hujjatul Islam Imam Abu Hamid Muhammad al-Ghazali;
Ghunyat al-Talibeen (Wealth For Spiritual Seekers), of Gauth ul A'zam Muhyuddin Shaykh 'AbdulQadir Jilani,
Awarif al-Ma'arif (The Gifts of Gnoses), of Imam Shihabuddin Suhrawardi;
Azkaar (Supplications), of Muhyuddin Imam Yahya bin Sharaf an-Nawawi;
Hizb ul A'zam (The Great Supplication), of Hadrat Mulla 'Ali Al-Qaari;
Mathnawi (Rhyming Couplets), of Mawlana Jalaluddin Rumi;
Champay Dhee Bootee (The Jasmine Plant), of Sultan Bahu;
Mawlid un Nabi Sallallahu 'alaihi wa Sallam, of Imam as-Sayyid Ja'far al-Barzanji
Risalatul Mu'awanah (The Book of Assistance), of Sayyidi wa Imami Mawlana 'Abdallah bin 'Alawi al-Haddad;
may Allah Sub'hanahu wa Ta'ala be pleased with them all, Aameen.
Among some of the more recent classics are:
Simtud Durar (A Necklace of Pearls), of Sayyidunal Imam 'Ali bin Muhammad al-Habshi;
Mukhul Ibadah (The Essence of Worship), anonymous;
Fuyudhaatur Rabbaniyyah (Overflowing Abundance From The Lord), of al-Hajj Isma'il ibn As-Sayyid Muhammad Sa'eed al-Qadiri;
Hadaaiqi Bakhshish (Gardens of Gifts), of A'la Hadrat Imam Ahmad Raza Khan;
Jawhar un Nafees (Precious Jewellery) of Shaykh Uways ibn Muhammad;
Majmu'ah Mushtamilah (A Comprehensive Compilation), of Shaykh AbdulRahman bin Ahmad al-Zayla'iyy;
Daleelil 'Ibaad Ilaa Sabil ir Rashad (Proof For People On The Right Path), of Shaykh al-Haaj Sufi;
Irshad (Spiritual Guidance) of Shaykh Muzaffar Ozak al-Jerrahi;
Anwaar ul Muhammadiyyah (The Muhammadan Lights) of Imam Yusuf ibn Isma'il an-Nabhaani;
Zikr-e-Habib (The Remembrance of the Beloved Prophet, Sallallahu 'alaihi wa Sallam), of Mawlana 'Abdul 'Aleem Siddiqi;
Faizaane Sunnat (The Blessings of the Beloved Prophet's Lifestyle), of Mawlana Muhammad Ilyas Attaar Qadiri;
The Most Beautiful Names, of Shaykh Tosun Bayrak al-Jerrahi al-Halveti;
Abwaab ul-Faraj (Doors of Comfort) of Imam Muhammad bin 'Alawi al-Maliki al-Hasani;
Qutuf u'r Rabi' Fee Qasaid Mad'h Taahaa'sh Shafi' (The Harvest of Rabi' al-Awwal in the Eulogies of Taahaa The Intercessor), of Al-'Allamah Ustadh Muhammad Shareef Sa'eed al-Beidh;
Ad-Durrul Munaddad Fee Seerati Sayyidina Muhammad (A String of Pearls in the Life-History of Our Master Muhammad), of Shaykh Muhammad 'Abdallah Shaddad bin 'Umar Baa 'Umar;
Nahjul Burda Fee Mad'h Khairil Anaam (Following the Burda in Praising The Best of Mankind), of Shaykh Hasan Muhammad 'Abdallah Shaddad bin 'Umar Baa 'Umar; and
Miftah ul Jannah (The Key To Paradise), of Sayyidi wa Imami al-Habib Ahmad Mash-hur bin Taha al-Haddad;
may Allah Sub'hanahu wa Ta'ala be pleased with them all and make us benefit from them, Aameen.
Of the classics just mentioned, the most widely read among both Muslims and non-Muslims in the U.S is the Mathnawi (Rhyming Couplets) of Mawlana Jalaluddin Rumi, while the fastest selling book among the Muslims of U.K is Miftahul Jannah (The Key to Paradise) of Sayyidunal Imam al-Habib Ahmad Mash-hur bin Taha al- Haddad, Naf'an Allahu Bih.
The University of Toronto library houses most of these and many more in almost one whole floor of stacks and stacks of books on Islam. When you reference these, you are convinced once and for all that since the time of Rasulullah Sallallahu 'alaihi wa Sallam, the sufi tradition in the Ahl us Sunnah wal Jama'ah has been the dominant tradition among Muslims. Various minor sects have come up as in all religions but they have been short-lived. The nur (spiritual light) generated by the love of the noble Prophet Muhammad-e-'Arabi Sallallahu 'alaihi wa Sallam automaticallay hands the torch of Islam to the sufis and their disciples to carry, and to spread Islam in all the corners of the globe.
As a result of the general availability of classics of Muslim spirituality, a spiritually-laden vocabulary is gaining ascendancy. Words and phrases like adab (spiritual courtesy and etiquette), mureed (spiritual seeker), muhibb (loving disciple), Huququllah (rights of Allah Ta'ala on us), huququl 'ibaad (the rights of servants of Allah on us), tazkiyatun nafs (purification of the ego/self), tasfiyatul qalb (cleansing of the heart), ikhlas (sincerity), ihsan (spiritual excellence), ilham (inspiration), fee Hubbirrasul (for the love of the Holy Prophet), fana Fillah (annihilation of one's ego for the sake of Allah), 'ainil haqeeqa (the eye of the heart that sees spiritual realities), tazkiratul awliya (narrations about sufi saints), 'arifeen (knowers by direct illumination), siddiqeen (true saints), tawakkul (total reliance on Allah), Ridhallah (for the Pleasure of Allah), and husnul khatimah (felicitous end) are beginning to be understood and appreciated.
The Qur'an Kareem, kutub (books) of Hadith Shareef and their translations have for long been generally available in Toronto. Now, the classics of Muslim spirituality written by mashayikh (spiritual masters) in the original as well as their translations, are gaining popularity, and are generally available in all Muslim bookstores. For the sake of brevity, I will mention just one classic each of some of the mashayikh to gain baraka (blessings).Among the more ancient classics are:
Hilyatul Awliya wa Tabaqaatul Asfiya (The Adornment of the Saints and the Ranks of the Spiritual Elite), of Imam Abu Nu'aym al-Isfahani;
Al-Risala fi 'Ilm al-Tasawwuf (The Treatise About Knowledge Of The Sufi Lifestyle), of Imam Abu'l Qasim al-Qushayri;
Kashf al-Mahjub (The Unveiling of the Mystery), of Hadrat Data Ganj Baksh Ali al-Hujwiri;
Ihya' 'Ulum al-Deen (The Revival of the Religious Sciences), of Hujjatul Islam Imam Abu Hamid Muhammad al-Ghazali;
Ghunyat al-Talibeen (Wealth For Spiritual Seekers), of Gauth ul A'zam Muhyuddin Shaykh 'AbdulQadir Jilani,
Awarif al-Ma'arif (The Gifts of Gnoses), of Imam Shihabuddin Suhrawardi;
Azkaar (Supplications), of Muhyuddin Imam Yahya bin Sharaf an-Nawawi;
Hizb ul A'zam (The Great Supplication), of Hadrat Mulla 'Ali Al-Qaari;
Mathnawi (Rhyming Couplets), of Mawlana Jalaluddin Rumi;
Champay Dhee Bootee (The Jasmine Plant), of Sultan Bahu;
Mawlid un Nabi Sallallahu 'alaihi wa Sallam, of Imam as-Sayyid Ja'far al-Barzanji
Risalatul Mu'awanah (The Book of Assistance), of Sayyidi wa Imami Mawlana 'Abdallah bin 'Alawi al-Haddad;
may Allah Sub'hanahu wa Ta'ala be pleased with them all, Aameen.
Among some of the more recent classics are:
Simtud Durar (A Necklace of Pearls), of Sayyidunal Imam 'Ali bin Muhammad al-Habshi;
Mukhul Ibadah (The Essence of Worship), anonymous;
Fuyudhaatur Rabbaniyyah (Overflowing Abundance From The Lord), of al-Hajj Isma'il ibn As-Sayyid Muhammad Sa'eed al-Qadiri;
Hadaaiqi Bakhshish (Gardens of Gifts), of A'la Hadrat Imam Ahmad Raza Khan;
Jawhar un Nafees (Precious Jewellery) of Shaykh Uways ibn Muhammad;
Majmu'ah Mushtamilah (A Comprehensive Compilation), of Shaykh AbdulRahman bin Ahmad al-Zayla'iyy;
Daleelil 'Ibaad Ilaa Sabil ir Rashad (Proof For People On The Right Path), of Shaykh al-Haaj Sufi;
Irshad (Spiritual Guidance) of Shaykh Muzaffar Ozak al-Jerrahi;
Anwaar ul Muhammadiyyah (The Muhammadan Lights) of Imam Yusuf ibn Isma'il an-Nabhaani;
Zikr-e-Habib (The Remembrance of the Beloved Prophet, Sallallahu 'alaihi wa Sallam), of Mawlana 'Abdul 'Aleem Siddiqi;
Faizaane Sunnat (The Blessings of the Beloved Prophet's Lifestyle), of Mawlana Muhammad Ilyas Attaar Qadiri;
The Most Beautiful Names, of Shaykh Tosun Bayrak al-Jerrahi al-Halveti;
Abwaab ul-Faraj (Doors of Comfort) of Imam Muhammad bin 'Alawi al-Maliki al-Hasani;
Qutuf u'r Rabi' Fee Qasaid Mad'h Taahaa'sh Shafi' (The Harvest of Rabi' al-Awwal in the Eulogies of Taahaa The Intercessor), of Al-'Allamah Ustadh Muhammad Shareef Sa'eed al-Beidh;
Ad-Durrul Munaddad Fee Seerati Sayyidina Muhammad (A String of Pearls in the Life-History of Our Master Muhammad), of Shaykh Muhammad 'Abdallah Shaddad bin 'Umar Baa 'Umar;
Nahjul Burda Fee Mad'h Khairil Anaam (Following the Burda in Praising The Best of Mankind), of Shaykh Hasan Muhammad 'Abdallah Shaddad bin 'Umar Baa 'Umar; and
Miftah ul Jannah (The Key To Paradise), of Sayyidi wa Imami al-Habib Ahmad Mash-hur bin Taha al-Haddad;
may Allah Sub'hanahu wa Ta'ala be pleased with them all and make us benefit from them, Aameen.
Of the classics just mentioned, the most widely read among both Muslims and non-Muslims in the U.S is the Mathnawi (Rhyming Couplets) of Mawlana Jalaluddin Rumi, while the fastest selling book among the Muslims of U.K is Miftahul Jannah (The Key to Paradise) of Sayyidunal Imam al-Habib Ahmad Mash-hur bin Taha al- Haddad, Naf'an Allahu Bih.
The University of Toronto library houses most of these and many more in almost one whole floor of stacks and stacks of books on Islam. When you reference these, you are convinced once and for all that since the time of Rasulullah Sallallahu 'alaihi wa Sallam, the sufi tradition in the Ahl us Sunnah wal Jama'ah has been the dominant tradition among Muslims. Various minor sects have come up as in all religions but they have been short-lived. The nur (spiritual light) generated by the love of the noble Prophet Muhammad-e-'Arabi Sallallahu 'alaihi wa Sallam automaticallay hands the torch of Islam to the sufis and their disciples to carry, and to spread Islam in all the corners of the globe.
As a result of the general availability of classics of Muslim spirituality, a spiritually-laden vocabulary is gaining ascendancy. Words and phrases like adab (spiritual courtesy and etiquette), mureed (spiritual seeker), muhibb (loving disciple), Huququllah (rights of Allah Ta'ala on us), huququl 'ibaad (the rights of servants of Allah on us), tazkiyatun nafs (purification of the ego/self), tasfiyatul qalb (cleansing of the heart), ikhlas (sincerity), ihsan (spiritual excellence), ilham (inspiration), fee Hubbirrasul (for the love of the Holy Prophet), fana Fillah (annihilation of one's ego for the sake of Allah), 'ainil haqeeqa (the eye of the heart that sees spiritual realities), tazkiratul awliya (narrations about sufi saints), 'arifeen (knowers by direct illumination), siddiqeen (true saints), tawakkul (total reliance on Allah), Ridhallah (for the Pleasure of Allah), and husnul khatimah (felicitous end) are beginning to be understood and appreciated.
No comments:
Post a Comment