The Book of Illumination including Sign of Success on the Spiritual Path : English translation of Kitab al-Tanwir fi Isqat al-Tadbir (Ibn Ata’ Allah Al-Iskandari)
Description
ISBN: 1887752625
Author: Ibn Ata’ Allah Al-Iskandari; Dr. Scott Kugle (translator)
Publisher: Fons Vitae (March 2005)
Pages: 440 Binding: Paperback
Description from the publisher:
The Book of Illumination is a translation of al-Tanwir fi Isqat al-Tadbir, a Sufi text composed by the Muslim saint and jurist, Ibn Ata'illah al-Iskandari. The text is about avoiding the anxieties associated with rational calculation, hoarding wealth, and exercising self-interest. It consists of ethical commentary on the Qur'an, traditions of the Prophet Muhammad, and examples of North African Sufi masters. The author meant it to be an ethical introduction to Sufi mysticism, a first stepping-stone for aspirants who would experience spiritual intimacy with God within the framework of Islamic ethics and law.
While revealing important characteristics of North African Islamic thought, The Book of Illumination also addresses the concerns of contemporary audiences. The text offers deep insight into topics crucial to many people who are exploring "spirituality" in the age of late capitalism with its consumer-driven economics and endless production of new desires and proliferation of choices. Though thoroughly medieval in its subtle elaboration on the richness of scripture and its belief in the efficacy of sainthood, The Illumination is also uniquely contemporary in its piercing critique of selfish desire and rational calculation. The argument of this thirteenth century Muslim author articulates an "Islamic work ethic" that challenges many sociological assumptions of Max Weber while simultaneously dissecting many assumptions of our contemporary consumerist culture whose triumph Weber had announced with such ambivalence.
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What happens if you stop taking care of yourself? Will anyone else step in to take care of you? This Sufi text by the renowned Shadhili master, Ibn Ata'illah al-Iskandari, asks and answers this basic existential question about the way we live our lives. In Kitab al-Tanwir fi Isqat al-Tadbir, Ibn Ata'illah proposes that if you desist from selfish calculation to secure your own welfare, then you invite Allah to step in and take care of you, materially as well as spiritually. That seems simple enough, but the text reveals the profound depth of this proposition. It weaves together creative Qur'anic interpretation and explanation of rare teachings from the Prophet Muhammad's traditions with the Sufi master's own poetry, parables, and stories of past Shadhili masters.
The Book of Illumination has been the basic training manual for Sufis in North Africa, and serves as an indispensible introduction to Ibn Ata'illah's more advanced writings, such as his Sufi Aphorisms (Kitab al-Hikam). In this age of conspicuous consumption and capitalist greed, a translation of the Book of Illumination has special value. It upholds the spiritual value of work while urging readers to simplify their reliance on material means and question their obsession with possessing and craving. It argues for a spirituality of living in the world without relying on the world, a spirituality that is more relevant now than ever.
Description 2 --
"This superb translation of a classic work of Islamic spirituality is sure to transform hearts and shape intellects. Scott Kugle has done a masterful job of rendering this text into a highly accurate and readable language. Students of all spiritual traditions will find sustenance here." – Omid Safi, Professor of Islamic Studies, Colgate
"A unique, lucid, and at times lyrical translation of a long-awaited foundational work of Sufism. Kugle’s non-gendered approach will stimulate an important and lively discussion of the place of theology in the understanding of Islamic texts." – Vincent J. Cornell, Ph.D., Professor of History, Director, King Fahd Center for Middle East and Islamic Studies, Chair of Religious Studies, University of Arkansas
Regarding the methodology of overcoming self-preoccupation and fear for ones sustenance, it is hard to imagine that we, of today, could "literally" sit as disciples in the presence of a spiritual giant though he lived nearly 1000 years ago, and hear a saint of such magnitude as Ibn ‘Ata’ Allah carefully recount the enlightening counsels of his own masters (Abul Hasan al-Shadhili, the "Axial Saint" of the 12th century and Shaykh al-Mursi who continued the lineage) as well as renown Sufis such as Abdul Qadir Jilani and Abu Madyan.
Quoting al-Jilani, the Shaykh says, "My brothers and sisters, I did not arrive in union with God by staying awake all night in worship, by staying aware all day fasting, or by staying engrossed learning knowledge! Rather, I arrived at union with God by generosity and humility and letting my breast be at peace." He adds, a Sufi master has said, "How do you expect to enter into God's presence when something behind you is dragging you back…" Then Ibn ‘Ata’ Allah goes on to present ways in which the "whole heart" is realized fully in one's life and how we shift our attention away from being overly self-preoccupied and endlessly absorbed in self-directed calculation into a state of utter trust.
About the Author
Shaykh Ahmad Ibn 'Ata' Allah Al-Iskandari, one of the greatest spiritual masters of the thirteenth century, was both a Muhaddith and a Maliki jurist whose works became basic training manuals for aspirants across North Africa. A student of al-Mursi, he was the second to succeed Imam Abul-Hasan, the founder of the Shadhili Order, which continues to this day. His work made an inestimable contribution to elucidating the principles and practices of Sufism.
Scott Kugle is a professor at Swarthmore College.