Basic Research (Ibn Ata'Allah)

Contact a Zahra Publications Center

Inner Secrets of the Path
Sayyid Haydar Amuli

The outer law is my word, the spiritual path my actions, and the inner reality my inner states—saying of the Prophet Muhammad.

Sayyid Haydar Amuli was a 14th Century spiritual master and scholar, and an interpreter of the Sufi master Ibn Arabi. His Inner Secrets of the Path presents an integrated view of the inner and outer aspects of the principles of Islam.

Following the three levels of meaning outlined by the Prophet, the author examines the nature of unity, justice, prophecy and the next life. He also presents highly symbolic interpretations of the Qur`an. Inner Secrets of the Path is the much awaited first complete English translation of a remarkable work.

Contact a Zahra Publications Center

Reflection of the Awakened (translation of Mirat'l-Arifin)
Attributed to Al-Qunawi

Reflection of the Awakened is a treatise of great importance which sets forth, in a compact and systematic manner, the central concern of the mystical dimension of Islam. Some attribute it to Sadraddin al-Qunawi, and others regard it as a work of Imam Husayn. Whether actually written by Imam Husayn or not, one needs to inquire into all the aspects of the question whether it really belongs to the school of the people of the house of the Prophet.

Mirat'l-Arifin itself contains the explicit reference to its theme -- tahqiq fatiha'l-kitab (inquiry into the Opening of the Book). The inquiry starts with the reference to the well-known formulation: what is in the entire Qur`an is in its Opening. What is elaborated in the Qur`an is epitomized in the Opening (fatiha). The Opening is in fact a summation (ijmal), and hence the Point under the letter, ba, is the final symbol of the epitome of all knowledge. To call the Opening of the Book as the Source of the Book is to define the latter after the principle of summation and totality. The Mirat'l-Arifin revolutionizes the concept of 'kitab' (book) by saying that this world is in fact two-fold, the world of command (amr) and the world of creation (khalq), and each is a book from the books of God; and for each is fatiha. In other words, for each there is an 'umm'l-kitab' of each realm, but Man, as we are told, is a comprehensive book among the books of God, and a 'barzakh' for both the Divine and the Cosmic Realities. Hence, to know both the worlds is to know Man. Self-knowledge of all things of all places and all times, for Man is the summation of all things; and within man is the secret (sirr) of His Lord -- "whoever knows his self knows His Lord".

Contact a Zahra Publications Center

The Lantern of the Path
Imam Ja'far Al-Sadiq

Imam Ja’far Al-Sadiq was the founder of the Ja’fari School of Islamic Law and a renowned scholar of his age. He lived in Arabia in the eight century.

The Lantern of the Path comprises ninety-nine chapters. Each one is a threshold to the next, guiding the reader through the broad spectrum of ageless wisdom, like a lantern along the path of reality. The author illuminates the inner meanings of outer practices which range from practical everyday acts of behavior, to the practices of worship, morals and ethics, and the pillars of religion. Practical and profound, this concise volume is a useful guide for those who wish to cultivate their inner being.

Contact a Zahra Publications Center

The Wisdom of Ibn Ata'Allah
Translated and Commentary by
Shaykh Fadhlalla Haeri

Shaykh Abu Al-Fadhl Ahmed Ibn Muhammad Ibn Abdul Karim, known as Ibn Ata'Allah al-Iskandari is one of the great enlightened Sufi Masters of North Africa, who had influenced many generations after him along this path. Ibn Ata'Allah was an acknowledged 'Alim and Imam of Shari'ah and the most influential man of Light and gnosis of his day. He came under the transformative light of Abu Al-Abbas al-Mursi, who had passed on to him the richest treasures of Shadhili teachings including much of the tradition of the founder of this Tariqa, Abu al-Hassan al-Shadhili.

His spiritual legacy is encapsulated in the dense form of the Hikam, which is renowned as one of the most important Sufi texts, and certainly the earliest of Shadhili texts. Although the Hikam is his principal work, he authored several others, the most notable being Miftah al-Falah wa Misbah al-Arwah (The Key to Salvation and the Lantern of Spirits), a treatise on the courtesies and manner of invocation as a means of arrival at gnosis.

These aphorisms of Ibn Ata'Allah reveal the breadth and depth of an enlightened being who reflects tawhid (divine unity) and is connected to the path of transformation through worship.

Review excerpts from this book

Contact a Zahra Publications Center