The Book of ascension to the essential truths of Sufism = Miʻrāj al-tashawwuf ilā ḥaqāʼiq al-taṣawwuf : a lexicon of Sufic terminology

by Ahmad ibn Ajiba

Other authorsMohamed Fouad Aresmouk (Translator), Michael Abdurrahman Fitzgerald (Translator)
Paperback, 2011

Publication

Imprint: Louisville, KY : Fons Vitae, 2011. Context: Originally written in Arabic in 1793, then revised by the author in 1806. Responsibility: Ahmad ibn 'Ajiba; translated from the Arabic and annotated by Mohamed Fouad Aresmouk and Michael Abdurrahman Fitzgerald. OCLC Number: 796215044. Physical: Text : 1 volume : xxix, 147, 61 pages ; 23 cm. Features: Includes appendices, bibliography, indexes, 61 pages of root text in Arabic.

Call number

GT-I-S / Ajiba

Barcode

BK-07907

ISBN

9781891785849

CSS Library Notes

Named Work: Miʻrāj al-tashawwuf ilá ḥaqāʼiq al-taṣawwuf : The Book of Ascension to the Essential Truths of Sufism .

Description: 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 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.

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

FY2018 /

Physical description

xxix, 147, 61 p.; 23 cm

Description

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 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.

Language

Original language

Arabic
Page: 0.2231 seconds