The Book of Ascension to the Essential Truths of Sufism (Mi'raj al-tashawwuf ila haqa'iq al-tasawwuf) A Lexicon of Sufic Terminology

by 'Ajiba, Ahmad ibn; Aresmouk, Mohamed Fouad; Fitzgerald, Michael Abdurrahman

• ISBN13: 9781891785849
• ISBN10: 1891785842
• Edition: Bilingual
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2012-01-01
• Publisher: Fons Vitae

Summary

Written by 18th-century Moroccan scholar and mystic Ahmad ibn ‘Ajiba, this book defines Sufic terminology. Based on four published Arabic editions of the Mi‘raj and two manuscript versions, this translation is supplemented by excerpts from some of Ibn ‘Ajiba's other works, which offer insights about the essential notions of Sufism: repentance, integrity, love, patience, gratitude, and the Eternal Wine. A comprehensive compilation, this edition bilingual edition--Arabic and English--celebrates Ahmad ibn ‘Ajiba's belief that coming to know and reflect upon these notions could be, in itself, a sort of ascending meditative journey.

Author Biography

Ahmad ibn 'Ajiba was an 18th-century Moroccan saint in the Darqawa Sufi Sunni Islamic lineage. Mohamed Fouad Aresmouk is the author of al-Rashad fi zabdati al-Awrad and an instructor of Arabic at the Center for Language and Culture in Marrakech. Michael Abdurrahman Fitzgerald is the director of the Center for Language and Culture and the author of several books, including Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyya on the Invocation of God. He and Mohamed Fouad Aresmouk are cotranslators of The Immense Ocean.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments	p. xiii
Introduction	p. xv
The Translation: Mi'raj al-tashawwuf ila haqa'iq al-tasawwuf [Author's Introduction]	p. 1
Sufism (tasawwuf)	p. 2
Repentance (tawba)	p. 3
Conversion (inaba)	p. 4
Fear (khawf)	p. 4
Hope (raja')	p. 5
Patience (sabr)	p. 5
Gratitude (shukr)	p. 6
Scrupulousness (wara')	p. 6
Detachment (zuhd)	p. 7
Dependence on God (tawakkul)	p. 8
Contentment and submission (rida wa taslim)	p. 8
Vigilance (muraqaba)	p. 9
Self-reckoning and setting conditions (muhasaba wa musharata)	p. 9
Love (mahabba)	p. 10
Contemplative vision and essential vision (mushahada wa mu'ayana)	p. 11
Gnosis (ma'rifa)	p. 11
Piety (taqwa)	p. 12
Integrity (istiqama)	p. 12
Purity of intention (ikhlas)	p. 13
Sincerity (sidq)	p. 13
Serenity (tuma'nina)	p. 14
Longing and ardor (shawq wa ishtiyaq)	p. 15
Jealousy (ghayra)	p. 15
Magnanimity (futuwwa)	p. 16
Will (irada)	p. 17
The aspirant (al-murid)	p. 17
Spiritual combat (mujahada)	p. 17
Sanctity (wilaya)	p. 18
Freedom (hurriyya)	p. 19
Servanthood ('ubudiyya)	p. 20
Satisfaction (qana'a)	p. 20
Well-being ('afiya)	p. 21
Certainty (yaqin)	p. 22
The knowledge of certainty, the eye of certainty, and the truth of certainty ('ilm al-yaqin, 'ayn al-yaqin, wa haqq al-yaqin)	p. 23
Benefaction (ni'ma)	p. 23
Intuition (firasa)	p. 24
Character (khuluq)	p. 26
Munificence, generosity, and altruism (jud, sakha', wa ithar)	p. 26
Spiritual poverty (faqr)	p. 27
Remembrance (dhikr)	p. 29
The moment (al-waqt)	p. 29
State and station (hal wa maqam)	p. 30
Contraction and expansion (qabd wa bast)	p. 32
Passing thoughts and intimate impressions (khawatir wa waridat)	p. 32
The ego, the spirit, and the innermost being (al-nafs, al-ruh, wa-l-sirr)	p. 34
Help, support, protection, guidance, direction, and firmness of purpose (nasr, ta'yid, 'isma, hidaya, rushd, wa tasdid)	p. 36
Wisdom (hikma)	p. 37
The intellect (al-'aql)	p. 38
The affirmation of divine unity (tawhid)	p. 40
The affirmation of God's uniqueness (tafrid)	p. 41
Supreme unity, unicity, singularity, unity, and exclusivity (ahadiyya, ihad, fardaniyya, wahdaniyya, wa infirad)	p. 42
The sublime essence (al-dhat al-'aliyya)	p. 42
The dark cloud (al-'ama)	p. 42
Effacement and subsistence (fana' wa baqa')	p. 43
Power and wisdom (qudra wa hikma)	p. 45
Separation and unification (farq wa jam')	p. 46
The sensory and the intelligible (al-hiss wa-l-ma'na)	p. 47
The domain, the dominions, and the omnipotence (al-mulk, al-malakut, wa-l-jabarut)	p. 48
Human nature, divine nature, and the realm of infinite mercy (nasut, lahut, wa-l-rahamut)	p. 49
Seeking ecstasy, ecstatic emotion, the ecstatic encounter, and pure ecstasy (tawajud, wajd, wijdan wa wujud)	p. 50
Taste, drinking, drunkenness, and sobriety (dhawq, shurb, sukr, wa sahw)	p. 52
Erasure and affirmation (mahw wa ithbat)	p. 53
Covering and illumination (sitr wa tajalli)	p. 54
Being present, discovery, and the intimate meeting (muhadara, mukashafa, wa-l-musamara)	p. 55
Glimmers, flashes, and dawnings (lawa'ih, lawami', wa tawali')	p. 56
Surprises and attacks (bawadih wa hujam)	p. 57
Change and stability (talwin wa tamkin)	p. 58
Nearness and distance (qurb wa bu'd)	p. 59
The law, the way, and the truth (al-shari'a, al-tariqa, wa-l-haqiqa)	p. 60
The essence and the attributes (al-dhat wa-l-sifat)	p. 61
Lights and secrets (anwar wa asrar)	p. 63
Consciences and innermost secrets (dama'ir wa sara'ir)	p. 64
Breath (nafas)	p. 64
Meditation and introspection (fikra wa nazra)	p. 66
Witness (shahid)	p. 67
The wine, the cup, and drinking (al-khamra, al-ka's, wa shurb)	p. 67
The aspirant, the needy one, the person of blame, the one brought near (al-murid, al-faqir, al-mulamati, wa-l-muqarrab)	p. 69
Devotees, ascetics, and gnostics ('ubbad, zuhhad, wa 'arifun)	p. 70
The virtuous, the saints, the substitutes, the front rank, the nobles, the stakes, and the pole (al-salihun, al-awliya', al-budala', al-nuqaba', al-nujaba', al-awtad, wa-l-qutb)	p. 70
The Station of Tawba	p. 79
Correspondences	p. 86
The Sufi and the Four Elements	p. 86
Repentance	p. 87
Patience	p. 90
Gratitude	p. 90
Scrupulousness	p. 91
Detachment	p. 92
Love	p. 93
Gnosis	p. 95
Integrity	p. 95
Longing and Ardor	p. 96
Servanthood and Freedom	p. 98
The Degrees of Certainty	p. 98
Remembrance	p. 100
Contraction and Expansion	p. 103
Passing Thoughts and Intimate Impressions	p. 105
The Two Oceans	p. 106
Illumination	p. 108
Nearness and Distance	p. 108
The Wine, the Cup, and Drinking	p. 110
Transformation and Stability	p. 113
Biographical Listings	p. 115
Bibliography	p. 125
Index of Qur'anic Verses Cited	p. 133
Index of Hadith Cited	p. 136
General Index	p. 139
The Arabic Text of Mi'raj al-tashawwuf ila haqa'iq al-tasawwuf	p. 149
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