Sufis, Shaykhs & Scholars 

• 'Sadr al-Ulema' Sayyad Ghulam Jilani Meruthi
• The Ulama of Farangi Mahall and Islamic Culture in South Asia
• The Life, Personality and Writings of al-Junayd
• Sufi Saints
• The Throne Carrier of God : The Life, Thought of Ala ad-Dawla Simnani 
  
• Abd al-Ghani al-Nabulusi - Islam and the Enlightenment
• The Ulama in Contemporary Islam - Custodians of Change
• The Sufi Saints of the Indian Sub-Continent
• Shaykh Mustafa al-Alawi on 'The Unique Name' & on 'The Treasury of Truths' of Ibn al-Habib
• A Learned Society in a Period of Transition : The Sunni 'Ulama of 11th Century Baghdad
• Irshad : Wisdom of a Sufi Master - Sheikh Muzaffer Ozak al-Jerrahi
• The Bequest : al-Wasiyya

 A Brilliant Scholar of Islam:  
 Sadr al-Ulema, Hadrat Sayyad Ghulam Jilani Meruthi 'alayhir rahman

Paperback : 152 pgs  Compiled by Muhammad Kalim Qadri & Dr.Abdul Naim Aziz   Idara Tarweej-o-Isha'at

Without a doubt Ulemas and Mashaikhs are the favoured devotees of Allah subhanahu wa ta'ala! Sadr al-Ulema, Imam an-Nahv, Hadrat Allama Sayyad Ghulam Jilani Meruthi rahmatullahi 'alayhi was a favoured devotee of Allah subhanahu wa Ta'ala. He was a shining star in the sky of wisdom, excellence, spirituality and sainthood. He dedicated his entire life, in emphasising Divine Knowledge and raised awareness for Tawheed and Risalat, while kindling the flame of prophetic love in the hearts of Muslims.

Sadr al-Ulema was born on the 11th of Ramadan 1317 A.H in Aligarh. He was the son of Mawlana Sayyad Ghulam Fakr al-Din Shah, who was the son of Allama Sayyad Sakhawat Hussain Fakhri Sulaymani Radi Allahu ta'ala anhum. Sadr al-Ulema was a student of Sadr al-Afaazil Sayyad Naim al-Din Muradabadi, of Sadrus Shari'ah, Allama Amjad Ali Aazmi Allah be pleased with them, his dastar-e-fazilat was performed by Hujjatul Islam Hamid Raza Khan Allah be pleased with him who was also another one of his teachers. Sadr al-Ulema was bayt (disciple) of AlaHadrat 'Ashrafi miya' Sayyad Shah Ali Hussain Rahmatullahi 'alayhi.  

This book contains a brief biography, and 40 testimonials from the contemporaries, of Sadr al-Ulema, from throughout the Muslim World.

Recommended Reading! 
 
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 The Ulama of Farangi Mahall and Islamic Culture in South Asia    
 Hardback - 267 pages

 
The learned and holy men of Farangi Mahall were the consolidators in India of the rationalist traditions of Islamic scholarship derived from Iran. These were encapsulated in a renowned and widely-used syllabus, which they created and which became the dominant system of Indian Islamic education from the 18th century. By the 20th century these scholarly traditions, which represented a confident and flexible Islamic understanding, which many felt, had the capacity to preserve Islam even while selectively adopting social, cultural and technological changes from the West.  

Between 1780 and 1820 these traditions were arguably poised to bring forth some form of Islamic enlightenment. But over the course of the nineteenth century they were overcome by the twin forces of Islamic reformism and Western education. 

This book, written over the past twenty years, is the first full length treatment in English of this important body of Islamic scholars, teachers and leaders. Based in large part on their writings, records and private papers, it addresses a variety of issues; the establishment of specific traditions of scholarship and mysticism in eighteenth century Awadh; the place of these tradtions in Perso-Islamic culture from the seventeenth to the twentiethcenturies; the traditions and values of the Farangi Mahall family; and the attempts of Muslim intellectuals to respond to the challenges presented by British rule and Western Culture. The work of the Farangi Mahallis is also placed in the context of an Islamic world system based on shared systems of formal and spiritual knowledge.

This book is addressed to all who are seriously interested in the religious and intellectual history of India, and to students of Islam. 
 

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The Life, Personality and Writings of al-Junayd  
 Paperback - 276 pages (English/Arabic)                            Edited by Dr. Ali Hassan Abdel-Kader

 
Synopsis
Imam al-Junayd al-Baghdadi (d. 910) Allah be pleased with him was one of the most significant figures of the formative period of Islamic mystical thought and practice in the third to ninth century at the Abbasid capital, Baghdad. He was seen as playing the key role in establishing the 'sober' school of tasawwuf (Sufism) which was to become dominant later.  

In Part I Dr Abdel-Kader reviews al-Junayd's Allah be pleased with him life and the milieu in which he lived, and lists his works.  

Part II is concerned with his doctrines, including that of Oblivion (fana'), and also discusses the extent to which he was influenced by the theories of Plotinus.  

Part III consists of the edition and translation of the small body of surviving works, known collectively as the Rasa'il.

 
The Final 63 pages are in Arabic. 
 
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Sufi Saints  (Encyclopaedic Survey of Islamic Culture) - Edited by Mohammed Taher  
Hardback - 276 pages

"Our attempt in bringing out this Encyclopaedic Survey of Islamic Culture is to collect the material on Islamic Culture under various themes viz, society, economy, institutions, law, religion, revival, reform, literature, architecture, sciences, philosophy, warfare, modernism and personalities, and present a handy source for study and research.

"Unique in its focus on the Islamic world and worldview, this Encyclopaedic Survey of Islamic Culture is an invaluable source for all the concerned. This work will present Islam in its true sense--without splitting the material and the spiritual--presenting Islam as it is, as a way which unites the two poles." (jacket)

 
Contents : Preface, 1. Imam Musa Al-Kazim and Sufi Tradition (Hamid Algar), 2. Abu' l Hasan Al-Shadhili's (Ahzab Awad M.Al-Jemaey), 3. Shaikh Nizam-ud-din Auliya (R N Das), 4. Syed Muhammad Al-Husaini Gesudaraz (Motasim A Azad), 5. the Contemporaries of Mawlana Muhammad Sadiq Kashmiri (Dr. Muhammad Saleem Akhtar), 6. Life and Works of Sayyid Ali Hamadani (agha Hussain Hamadani), 7. Shaykh Diya Al-din Nakhshabi his Life and Persian Works (Sajidullah Tafhimi), 8.. Hadrat Sayyid Jalal Mir Surkh Bukhari of Uch Sharif (Mir Hasan Ali), 9. Tomb of sharaf Un-Nisa Begum Known as Sarvwala Maqbara at Lahore (Masood ul-Hasan khokhar), 10. Hadrat Nizamuddin Aulia (M. Hafiz Syed), 11. The Life and Mission of Shaykh Ahmad Sirhindi (M.Abdul Haq Ansari), 12. Baba Farid Ganj-I Shankar and his Mystical Philosophy (Mohd. Noor Nabi), 13. Islamic Influence on Later Saints, 14. Islamic Impact on Sixteenth Century Saints, 15. Ibrahim Ibn Adham (Russel Jones), 16. Sarmad : His Life and Quatrains (B A Hashmi).

 
 
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The Throne Carrier of God : The Life & Thought of Ala ad-Dawla Simnani  
Paperback - 255 pages 

This book constitutes a comprehensive investigation of the life and teachings of one of the most famous Sufis of the Iranian world. Shaykh Ala ad-Dawla Simnani Allah be pleased with him [d.737h] spent his early life as a courtier at the Ilkhanid Mongol court and was a cherished companion of the emperor Arghun. After a mystical experience on the battlefield, he turned his back on a life of luxury and became a Sufi. He advanced rapidly in his spiritual quest and soon became one of the most influential Sufi masters in Iran.

Working primarily from the most reliable Arabic and Persian manuscripts of Simnani's writings, the author has analised  Simnani's thinking to show the overall coherence of his world-view and to demonstrate the importance of his ideas to the development of Islamic mysticism. Along with this analysis, the author provides a detailed account of Simnani's life and times, as well as a systematic description of Simnani's instructions for Sufi practioners of all levels.

 
"It is an investigation of the life and teachings of one of the most famous and influential Sufis of Iran. The most interesting parts for me are the outlines of Simnani's cosmology and psychology, topics that have been only touched upon by earlier writers. The biographical sections are of great interest given the rare detail that is available in the sources." -- William C. Chittick, State University of New York at Stony Brook 

Shaykh Ala ad-Dawla Simnani is believed to have been influential upon his student Makhdoom Sayyad Ashraf Jahangir Simnani Allah be pleased with him [d.807h], who is the Founder of the Ashrafiyya Silsila, and whose descendents (Khanwada-e-Ashrafiya) carry the spiritual torch of Ashraf in all corners of the globe today.

 
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Abd al-Ghani al-Nabulusi : Islam and the Enlightenment  
Hardback  - 162 pages                                                                                        Samer Akkach

Shaykh 'Abd al-Ghani al-Nabulusi [1641-1731CE] Allah be pleased with him of Damascus was a key figure of the Islamic enlightenment. Often characterised solely as a Sufi saint, his thought and teachings were of a much wider remit. A contemporary of many major thinkers, scientists, poets, and philosophers of the European Enlightenment, his life and works offer a new perspective on the roots of modernity  
in the Arab World. 

Through fresh readings of his biographical sources and a large body of mostly unpublished works, the author examines Shaykh al-Nabulusi's life and thought, exploring his contribution to the intellectual development of Islam and to the debate over its relationship with science.  

An unrivalled biography of a key figure in the history of Islam, this fascinating book also offers an invaluable comparision of how rationalism operated in Enlightenment Europe and the Islamic World.

 
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The Ulama in Contemporary Islam -  Custodians of Change  
 Paperback - 312 pages                                                                  Muhammad Qasim Zaman

From the cleric-led Iranian revolution to the rise of the Taliban in Afghanistan, many people have been surprised by what they see as the modern reemergence of an antimodern phenomenon. This book helps account for the increasingly visible public role of traditionally educated Muslim religious scholars (the `ulama) across contemporary Muslim societies. Muhammad Qasim Zaman describes the transformations the centuries-old culture and tradition of the `ulama have undergone in the modern era--transformations that underlie the new religious and political activism of these scholars. In doing so, it provides a new foundation for the comparative study of Islam, politics, and religious change in the contemporary world.

While focusing primarily on Pakistan, Zaman takes a broad approach that considers the Taliban and the `ulama of Iran, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, India, and the southern Philippines. He shows how their religious and political discourses have evolved in often unexpected but mutually reinforcing ways to redefine and enlarge the roles the `ulama play in society. Their discourses are informed by a longstanding religious tradition, of which they see themselves as the custodians. But these discourses are equally shaped by--and contribute in significant ways to--contemporary debates in the Muslim public sphere.

This book offers the first sustained comparative perspective on the `ulama and their increasingly crucial religious and political activism. It shows how issues of religious authority are debated in contemporary Islam, how Islamic law and tradition are continuously negotiated in a rapidly changing world, and how the `ulama both react to and shape larger Islamic social trends. Introducing previously unexamined facets of religious and political thought in modern Islam, it clarifies the complex processes of religious change unfolding in the contemporary Muslim world and goes a long way toward explaining their vast social and political ramifications.

Muhammad Qasim Zaman is Robert H. Niehaus '77 Professor of Near Eastern Studies and Religion at Princeton University. He is the author of Religion and Politics under the Early Abbasids and the editor, with Robert W. Hefner, of Schooling Islam: The Culture and Politics of Modern Muslim Education (Princeton).

Reviews:

''Muhammad Qasim Zaman's book de-stereotypes the ulama, expecially the view that they are inflexible in their attitudes, generally resistant to social changes, and as a consequence, become redundant.'' --Mohammad Talib, Journal of Islamic Studies

"A detailed, carefully researched monographic study. . . . Among other things, it demonstrates that the received image of Muslim clerics . . . as passive, unworldly reactionaries bound to an atemporal, socially withdrawn Islam is thoroughly misconceived. In many places, by now perhaps most, they are seen as members of vanguard groups in the renovation of traditional Islamic society and belief."--Clifford Geertz, The New York Review of Books

''Muhammad Qasim Zaman [writes] . . . with a magisterial command of both the internal discourses the ulama use among themselves and the dynamics of national and international developments. In addition, he builds his arguments with an extraordinarily rich mix of relevant examples, rarely seen and well referenced documentation, plus discerning support from other researchers, theorists, and commentators. . . . Zaman offers what amounts to a new working definition of the ulama that locates them not at the edge but at the center of discussions charting the course of Islam in the next century."--Patrick Gaffney, American Historical Review

"This book, a shining example of thorough and deliberate scholarship, forces us to re-evaluate commonly held misperceptions of the religious class and madrasa education more generally. . . . With this unique volume, Qasim Zaman has finally provided something long missing in the field of Islamic studies: a comprehensive analysis of contemporary ulama as dynamic interpreters and producers of religious knowledge--and an analysis of the absolutely highest quality at that." --Peter Mandaville, International Sociology

 
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Mir Saiyid Ali Hamadani and the Kubraviya Sufi Order in Kashmir  
 
Hardback: [20 +155] Total 175 pages.    by Surayia Gull (Naqati) Foreward by Akhtar ul-Wasey

 
Contents: Foreword. Preface. Introduction. 1. Various Sufi Silsilas in Kashmir—a general survey. 2. Saiyid Ali Hamadani and his impact. 3. Development and salient features of Kubraviya Sufi order. 4. Some prominent Sufis of Kubraviya order and their contribution. 5. Conclusion. Glossary. Appendices. Bibliography. Index.

"Kashmir has attracted the attention of the world over the ages primarily for the scenic beauty that nature has been generous to bestow upon it. The music of its springs and rivers, the serenity of its lakes and mountains, the rich variety of colour and taste that its flowers and fruits offer has made it the sinecure of the men of taste. No less interesting and absorbing has been its culture known as Kashmiriat that represents its unique capacity to harmonise diversity of human thought and experience. This is the gift of not only the natural propensity of its people to peaceful existence.

This culture has been moulded by the Sufi tradition of Muslim mystics. Advent of Islam in Kashmir owes itself to Saiyid Abdul Rehman Sharifuddin Suhrawardi May Allah be pleased with him. The most influential of the Sufis was Saiyid Ali Shah Hamadani May Allah be pleased with him. His follower Sheikh Nooruddin Rishi is the most revered saint in Kashmir and is known as Alamdar-e-Kashmir (the standard-bearer of Kashmir).

This book gives an account of the various Sufi orders that have found followers in Kashmir as well as elsewhere. Attention has been given to Shaykh Noor al-Din, but the main focus of course is on Saiyid Ali Shah Hamadani who carried the Sufi tradition to the masses because of which he has come to be known as ''Amir-e-Kabir, Shah-e-Hamadan and Ali Sani''. The reader will find here a detailed account of his life and thought.

The book will be found interesting not only for scholars of religious traditions but all those who seek to understand the people of Kashmir. The Kashmiris may find it a mirror of their intellectual and spiritual life." (Jacket)

 
 
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The Sufi Saints of the Indian Sub-Continent       by Zahural Hassan Sharib
Hardback - 428 pages

Synopsis:   "This book - The Sufi Saints of the Indian Subcontinent - is a short biographical sketch of sufiya'-e-kiram (the generous mystics) of the Indian subcontinent. 

If we want falaah wa behbood (success and well-being) here, in this faani (perishable) world and in the aakhirat (the next world, life after death) which isbaqa'e-davam(everlastingness), the teachings of these sufis will be very useful because these saints have left a lasting legacy that will guide the people today and in future."

Contents: Preface. 1. Hazrat Khawaja Moin-ud-din Hasan Chishti. 2. Hazrat Khwaja Qutb-ud-din Bakhtyar Kaki. 3. Hazrat Khwaja Fakhr-ud-din Abul-Khair. 4. Hazrat Qazi Hamid-ud-din of Nagore. 5. Hazrat Sufi Hamid-ud-din of Nagore. 6. Hazrat Shaikh Badr-ud-din Ghaznavi. 7. Hazrat Shaikh Najib-ud-din Mutawakkil. 8. Hazrat Khwaja Nizam-ud-din Auliya. 9. Hazrat Syed Ala-ud-din Ahmad Sabir. 10. Hazrat Shaikh Sharf-ud-din Ahmad of Munir. 11. Hazrat Shaikh Sharf-ud-din Bu Ali Qalandar. 12. Hazrat Khwaja Husam-ud-din Soqta. 13. Hazrat Nasir-ud-din Mahmud Chiragh of Delhi. 14. Hazrat Shams-ud-din Turk of Panipat. 15. Hazrat Amir Khusrau. 16. Hazrat Maulana Fakhr-ud-din Marozi. 17. Hazrat Maulana Ala-ud-din Nili. 18. Hazrat Shaikh Burhan-ud-din Gharib. 19. Hazrat Maulana Shams-ud-din Mohammed Yahya. 20. Hazrat Qazi Mohi-ud-din of Kashan. 21. Hazrat Khwaja Amir Hasan. 22. Hazrat Shaikh Sadr-ud-din Tabib-e-Dilha. 23. Hazrat Khwaja Zia-ud-din Nakhshabi. 24. Hazrat Shaikh Kamal-ud-din. 25. Hazrat Shaikh Jalal-ud-din of Panipat. 26. Hazrat Shaikh Nur-ul-Haq Wad-din. 27. Hazrat Shaikh Fath-ul-lah. 28. Hazrat Khwaja Syed Mohammed Gesoo Daraz. 29. Hazrat Shaikh Ahmad Abd-ul-Haq. 30. Hazrat Syed Badi-ud-din Qutb-e-Madar. 31. Hazrat Qutb-e-' Alam. 32. Hazrat Shaikh Abul-Fatah of Jaunpur. 33. Hazrat Shaikh Mohammed Arif. 34. Hazrat Shaikh Mohammed. 35.Hazrat Syed Abd-ul-Malik. 36. Hazrat Shaikh Sarang. 37. Hazrat Shah Meena. 38. Hazrat  Shaikh Ahmad Khatto. 39. Hazrat Mir Syed Ashraf Jahangir Simnani. 40. Hazrat Syed Shah Buddhan. 41. Hazrat Shaikh Abdullah Shattari. 42. Hazrat Shaikh Darvesh Mohammed. 43. Hazrat Shaikh Husam-ud-din of Manakpur. 44. Hazrat Khwaja Husain of Nagore. 45. Hazrat Shaikh Sa'd-ud-din of Khairabad. 46. Hazrat Sama-ud-din Suhrawardi. 47. Hazrat Shaikh Ahmad Mujad Shebani. 48. Hazrat Khwaja Khanu. 49. Hazrat Maulana Shah Jamali. 50. Hazrat Shaikh abd-ul-Quddus. 51. Hazrat Shah Abd-ur-Razzaq Jhungana. 52. Hazrat Shaikh Hamza. 53. Hazrat Shaikh Aman. 54. Hazrat Shah Abd-ur-Rahman Janbaz Qalandar. 55. Hazrat Shaikh Salim Chishti. 56. Hazrat Shaikh Jalal-ud-din Mahmud. 57. Hazrat Khwaja Baqi Billah. 58. Hazrat Ahmad Mujaddid Alif Sani. 59. Hazrat Shaikh Abu. Sa'id. 60. Hazrat Shah Abd-ul-Haq. 61. Hazrat Shaikh Mohammed Sadiq. 62. Hazrat Syed Shah Amir Abul-Ila. 63. Hazrat Sarmad. 64. Hazrat Mir Syed Mohammed. 65. Hazrat Syed Dost Mohammed. 66. Hazrat Shaikh Dawood. 67. Hazrat Shah Abul-Ma'ale. 68. Hazrat Mohammed Sa'id Miran Shah Bhika. 69. Hazrat Shah Mohammed Farhad. 70. Hazrat Syed Nur Mohammed. 71. Hazrat Shaikh Kalim-ul-lah of Shahjahanabad. 72. Hazrat Shah Nizam-ud-din of Aurangabad. 73. Hazrat Mohammed Sallim. 74. Hazrat Shah Wali-ul-lah. 75. Hazrat Mirza Jane-Janan Mazhar Shaheed. 76. Hazrat Maulana Mohammed Fakhr-ud-din. 77. Hazrat Shah Abul-Barkat. 78. Hazrat Syed Mohammed Azam. 79. Hazrat Shah Abd-ul-Aziz. 80. Hazrat Hafiz Musa. 81. Hazrat Shah Niyaz Ahmad. 82. Hazrat Shah Mohammed Afaq. 83. Hazrat Shah Abu Sa'id. 84. Hazrat Hafiz Syed Mohammed Husain. 85. Hazrat Shah Nasir-ud-din. 86. Hazrat Syed Mohammed Ghous Ali Shah. 87. Hazrat Maulana Shah Fazle Rahman. 88. Hazrat Maulana Syed Waris Ali Shah. 89. Hazrat Syed Malik Mohammed Alam. 90. Hazrat Qazi Abd-ur-Rahim Shah. 91. Hazrat Nawab Gudri Shah Baba. 92. Hazrat Data Ganj Bakhsh. 93. Hazrat Shah Mohammed Yusuf Gurdezi. 94. Hazrat Shaikh Jalal-ud-din. 95. Hazrat Baba Farid-ud-din Mas'ud Ganj-e-Shakar. 96. Hazrat Baha-ud-din Zakariya. 97. Hazrat Shaikh Badr-ud-din Sulaiman. 98. Hazrat Shaikh Sadr-ud-din Arif. 99. Hazrat Shaikh Rukn-ud-din Abul-Fath. 100. Hazrat Syed Jalal-ud-din Surq Bukhara. 101. Hazrat Makhdoom Jahanian-e-Jahan Gasht. 102. Hazrat Maulana Badr-ud-din Ishaq. 103. Hazrat Shaikh Jamal-ud-din Ahmad. 104. Hazrat Lal Shehbaz Qalandar. 105. Hazrat Qutb-ud-din Munawwar. 106. Hazrat Syed Sadr-ud-din Raja Qattal. 107. Hazrat Syed Kabir-ud-din Hasan. 108. Hazrat Makhdoom Shaikh Mohammed. 109. Hazrat  Makhdoom Shaikh Abd-ul-Qadir. 110. Hazrat Shaikh Dawood. 111. Hazrat Miyan Mir. 112. Hazrat Madhu Lal Husain. 113. Hazrat Shah Abul-Ma'ali. 114. Hazrat Sultan Bahu. 115. Hazrat Bulleh Shah. 116. Hazrat Shah Abd-ul-Latif. 117. Hazrat Shaikh Dawood Jhani Wal. 118. Hazrat Shah Bilawal. 119. Hazrat Shah Kamal. 120. Hazrat Shah Jamal. 121. Hazrat Shah Chiragh. 122. Hazrat Shah Abu Ishaq. 123. Hazrat Dargahi Shah. 124. Hazrat Khwaja Nur Mohammed. 125. Hazrat Abdullah Shah Qadiri. 126. Hazrat Khwaja Shah Mohammed Sulaiman. ---  Glossary.   Bibliography. 

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The Unique Name & The Treasury of Truths of Shaykh Muhammad ibn-al-Habib 
 Paperback - 63 pages                                             by Shaykh Mustafa Ahmad al-Alawi                                                    

Section about the permissibility of 'Loud Dhikr' taken from opening page:

''Praise belongs to Allah and it is sufficient, and peace on His chosen slaves.

From the slave of his Lord, Ahmad ibn Mustafa al-'Alawi al-Mustaghanami.

Peace be upon you and the mercy of Allah and His blessings.

As for our subject, esteemed brother, I recall the discussion between us during your short visit when I saw you angered at your brothers the 'Alawiyun, as it seemed to me then, not for any wrong they do but just because they are infatuated with having the solitary name on their tongues, and that is their saying ALLAH.

It seemed to you that this requires reproof - we might even say punishment. And this, because they are committed to dhikr of that Name, with cause or without cause. It is the same for them in a dilemma or without one, in a situation not demanding invocation, so that when one of them knocks on the door he says, 'Allah,' and when he stands up he says, 'Allah,' and when he sits down he says 'Allah,' and so on.

You are of the opinion that it is improper to use this name as a dhikr, it not being a form of structured speech according to you - based on what grammarians stipulate as the necessities of grammatical construction in their definition of informative speech. There is no point in my answering you unless it is with the object of seeking mutual understanding and investigating whether what they do is right and proper, and whether it is permissible or not. I present you with this note that through it there may be healing for the breasts and cure for the hearts.

As for your stand on what grammarians lay down as the necessities of grammatical construction in what is considered speech, it is correct, except that the fact escapes you that in this decision of theirs the grammarians are concerned with discursive speech and are far from applying their definition to dhikrs and what distinguishes them from the point of view of lawfulness or unlawfulness, and then what results from that of rewards and the like. If you asked them in their day or this, they would certainly reply, "What we decide is merely a technical term on which we rely in our practice and there is no dispute in a technical term." You must be aware of the fact that the language of the grammarians is not the same as that of the scholars of kalam, and theirs is not the same as that of the fuqaha, nor theirs in turn that of the scholars of hadith and so on, for every group has its technical terms. For us, it follows from this that grammarians are simply concerned with defining informative speech, and are not concerned with distinguishing between legitimate and illegitimate dhikrs. In other words, what grammarians stipulate as the requirements of grammatical construction is particularly for someone who intends to communicate with someone else by his speech. As for someone who does dhikr, he only intends to benefit himself and establish the meaning of that noble Name in his heart through his dhikr, or a purpose of a similar nature.

 
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A Learned Society in a Period of Transition :       
The Sunni 'Ulama of 11th Century Baghdad

 Paperback - 246 pages                            ( Suny Series)                              by Daphana Ephrat

 
Addresses the social significance of orthodox Islam during the medieval period in Baghdad. 

This book develops a new approach to the process of institutionalisation and its social significance by focusing on Baghdad during the Sunni revival. Ephrat asserts that the Sunni revival was a period during which the fluid society of the "learned," the 'ulama', emerged as a more defined and exclusive group. By unveiling the world of learning beyond its legal and organisational structures, this book explains how the Baghdadi 'ulama' constructed their social bonds and identities.

REVIEWS : "The nuanced but careful way in which this book uses biographical sources allows a great advance in our understanding of social history during the time covered." --- Roy P. Mottahedeh, Harvard University 
 
"Ephrat's arguments that madrasas were not particularly important in the formation and solidarity of legal systems, that social networks and shared values were more important for that, and that there is no evidence that madrasas trained bureaucrats or had an established curriculum are revisionist and will be controversial (in the best sense)." --- Michael G. Morony, University of California at Los Angeles

 
Table Of Contents:

Acknowledgments A Note in the Transliteration, Periodization, and Dates List of Abbreviations List of Illustrations Maps Introduction The Framework of Inquiry Institutionalization and Social Change The 'Ulama' and the Problem of Self-Presentation A Note on the Sources 1. The City The Coming of the Turks The Appearance of the Madrasa 2. Formation The Baghdadi 'Ulama' and Worldwide Scholarly Networks From Journey to Schools 3. Learning Travel and Worldwide Scholarly Connections Patterns and Frameworks of Study 4. Forms of Social Affiliation The Halqa  The Madhhab 5. Mechanisims of Inclusion and Exclusion Membership Entry to the Ranks of the'Ulama' Founding a School: Career Options Career Patterns Accession to Teaching Positions 6. Place and Role in the Public Sphere The Religious Elite and the Ruling Authorities The Madhahib as Social Solidarity Groups Pious and Charismatic Leaders Conclusion Appendices Appendix A: Scholarly Families of 11th-Century Baghdad Appendix B: Professors in the Madrasas of Baghdad (459/1066-559/1163) Appendix C: Qadis and Khatibs of Baghdad (409/1018-549/1154) Notes Bibliography Index of Proper Names General Index

 

 
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IRSHAD : WISDOM OF A SUFI MASTER   
Hardback - 725+pages                                                     Shaykh Muzaffer Ozak al-Jerrahi

IRSHAD: WISDOM OF A SUFI MASTER
By Sheikh Muzaffer Ozak
Preface by Seyyed Hossein Nasr
Introduction by al-Hajj Muhtar Holland

The Irshad is regarded by many as the most important work in Islamic spirituality for our time and a testament to the fact that Sufism is a living tradition. The work charts the Sufi spiritual path and disciplinethrough discourse and dialogue, story and prayer, scriptural commentary and spontaneous mystical teachings in worship and action.

The Irshad addresses not only Sufis, but all those who are attracted to the spiritual life and the truths that ultimately constitute the very fiber and substance of the human soul.

 

Inspiration

''Well, you have kept the fast and learned what it means to go hungry. Now leave your fire unlit for a day and find out what it is like for those who have no heat in their homes! Go without shoes some day; tread barefoot in the snow and ice to find out how it is for those who always go barefoot through the mud and slush! Leave your windows open one day and see what it is like to live in a house without them! Go out in the street without your coat some cold winters day, just to see how it is for those who have no coats at all! As long as your stomach is full, you will know nothing about the condition of the starving; as long as your house is warm, you will not understand the actions of those who live without heat; as long as your own feet are well shod, as long as you have thick clothes to wear, you will have no idea of the state of those who go barefoot and unclad. Satisfy the hungry, so that Paradise may love you. Clothe the naked, so that you may not be bare on the coming day of Resurrection, when all the rest are naked. Become aware of the condition of all those paupers and orphans, for your own wife may become a pauper and your own children orphans. The wheel of fate turns. None of us knows what is to be : what great wealth may be doomed to extinction or how many, now despised, may rise to heights of dignity and honour." ---Extract from the book - page 233

 
Shaykh Muzaffer Ozak (1916 -1985CE) was the head shaykh of the Halveti-Jerrahi order of Dervishes, a traditional muslim Sufi order (tariqa) from Istanbul (Turkey). In western countries he is well known because of his visits to Europe and the United States of America where he celebrated public dhikrs (Remembrance of God; in Turkish "zikrullah") with his dervishes. He is also well known in Turkey for his "ilahis," religious Sufi hymns. The Nur Ashki Jerrahi Sufi Order in New York City is named for him.

 
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The Bequest : al-Wasiyya       by: al-Shaykh Abd al-Mahmud al-Hafyan of Tabat  Paperback - 84 pages                                      Transated by Uthman Sayyid Ahmad Ismail al-Bili

About this book : A great Sufi leader, an accomplished Maliki scholar, a poet and an erudite, spirited writer, the late al-Shaykh Abd al-Mahmud al-Hafyan of Tabat (1919–1973), author of The Bequest (Al-Wasiyya), left a great legacy of scholarly works in all fields of the traditional Islamic sciences. Yet although his contributions to the science of the sharia are outstanding, it is his contributions in the field of haqiqa that most highly rank him amongst the most distinguished of Sufi Muslims.

Sharia for Sufi Muslims is the base of their belief, laws and practice. Haqiqa is the essence, the fundamental truth that leads, through worship, devotion and the love and fear of Allah, to the knowledge and recognition of the Divine, Allah. It paves the way to harmonious living in this world and to eternal bliss in Paradise. Thus to describe Sufism simply as mysticism and Sufis only as mystics is to deny both their base and their legitimacy. The haqiqa of the Sufi Muslim cannot exist without the Qur’an and the Sunna (Prophetic traditions).

This translation of the Wasiyya, The Bequest, is but an approximation of the deep yet elegantly and lucidly stated meanings of the sharia and the haqiqa of Islam. It addresses not only the followers of the Samaniyya Order, or even all Muslims, but all men and women, young and old, who care to listen to the advice of a noble spirit and a great Sufi Muslim, whose influence transcends his time and place.

The author al-Shaykh Abd al-Mahmud al-Hafyan (The Bare-footed) bin al-shaykh Abd al-Qadir al-Jayli bin al-Ustadh al-Shayk Abd al-Mahmud al shaykh Nur al-Dayim bin (The Great Qutb al-Shaykh Ahmad al-Tayyib bin al-Shaykh al-Bashir was born in 1919 in the town Tabat Gezira, in Central Sudan.

 
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