Revelations of the Unseen : A Collection of Seventy-Eight Discourses (English Translation of "Futuh al-Ghaib") (Shaikh Abd Al-Qadir Jilani)

ISBN: 1882216016
Author: Shaikh Abd Al-Qadir Jilani; Muhtar Holland (translator)
Publisher: Al-Baz Publishing (2007) 3rd Edition
Pages: 195 Binding: Paperback

Description from the publisher:

The talks contained in Revelations of the Unseen, short and to the point, are among the most beautiful oratory the world has ever known. Our translations of this and other of the Shakhs works surviving in manuscript form in Oriental collections around the world are intended to make them more widely available and accessible to Muslims and non-Muslims alike.

This is probably the best known of Shaikh 'Abd al-Qadir's works as therehave been previous translations of it in both English and German. Theseare 78 discourses [majalis] that cover a wide range of topics of greatimportance to the spiritual traveler and are listed in their entirety below:

The Seventy-eight Discourses

1 On the essential tasks of every true believer2 On sharing good advice3 On being tried and tested4 On spiritual death5 On the nature of this world, detachment from which is strongly advised6 On passing beyond the creation7 On removing the cares of the heart [qalb]8 On drawing near to Allah9 On disclosure and contemplation10 On the self and its states11 On carnal appetite12 On the prohibition of love of wealth13 On submission to Allah's command14 On following the practice of Allah's own15 On fear and hope16 On trust and its stages17 On how the contact [wusul] with Allah is attained18 On not complaining19 On promises20 On the saying of the Prophet (Allah bless him and give him peace): "Leaveanything that makes you doubtful and stick to what arouses no misgivings inyou."21 On addressing Iblis the accursed22 On the testing of the believer's faith23 On contentment with one's lot from Allah24 On cleaving to Allah's door25 On the tree of faith26 On not unveiling one's face27 On good and evil as two fruits28 On the classification of the seeker's state29 On the saying of the Prophet (Allah Bless him and give him peace):"Poverty is on the verge of slipping into unbelief."30 On not saying "What shall I do and how?"31 On hatred for Allah's sake32 On not sharing one's love of Allah33 On the four types of men34 On not resenting Allah35 On pious caution [al-wara']36 On the explanation of this world and the hereafter, and what one must do inthem both37 On censure of envy38 On honesty [sidq] and sincerity [nisah]39 On dissension, concord and hypocrisy [nifaq]40 On when the aspirant truly belongs in the company of spiritual people41 Illustrating the nature of annihilation [fana']42 On the two conditions of the self [nafs]43 On censure of asking from any but Allah44 On the reason for non-response to the supplication of one who knows Allah[al-'arif bi'llah]45 On blessings and trials46 On the Sacred Tradition: "When someone is too busy remembering Me"47 On closeness to Allah48 On what the believer must attend to49 On censure of sleep50 On how to treat the servant's remoteness from Allah;explanation of how to achieve closeness to Him51 On abstinence52 On the reason for the trials borne by certain believers53 On the commandment to seek contentment with Allah and annihilation [fana']in Him54 On those who wish to attain to the contact [wusul] with Allah, an explanation ofthe nature of that contact55 On giving up life's pleasures56 On the servant's becoming extinct [fana'] to creatures, passions, the self, thewill and desires57 On not contesting destiny, and the commandment to keep oneself contenttherewith58 On looking away from all other directions, and seeking the direction of Allah'sfavor59 On cheerful acceptance of misfortune, and being grateful for blessings60 On the beginning and the end61 On pausing before taking any action until its permissibility is clear62 On love, the beloved, and what is required in respect of both63 On a kind of inner knowledge [ma'rifa]64 On death without life, and life without death65 On the prohibition of resenting Allah for deferring response to supplication66 On the commandment to make supplication, and the prohibition of omitting it67 On struggle with the self, and description of its nature68 On the words of Allah (Exalted is He): "Every day He is about somebusiness."69 On the commandment to ask Allah for forgiveness, protection from sin, helptoward success, contentment and patience70 On gratitude and acknowledgment of shortcomings71 On the seeker and the sought72 On those who are attracted to what they see in the market and those who viewit with patient restraint73 On a party of saints whom Allah makes aware of the faults of others74 On how the intelligent person should prove to himself the Uniqueness of Allah75 On spiritual culture [tasawwuf] and what it is based on76 On advice77 On staying with Allah and becoming extinct to creatures78 On the people devoted to spiritual struggle and self-examination and themasters of resolve; explanation of their virtues

Cover artby Rohana Filippi

"Wa 'inda-hu mafatihu'l-ghaibi"

"And with Him are thekeys of the unseen[ghaib]"Qur'an 6:59