The Book of Ascension to the Essential Truths of Sufism
DESCRIPTION:
The Book of Ascension to the Essential Truths of Sufism is a lexicon of Sufic terminology compiled by the Moroccan scholar and mystic, Aḥmad ibn ‘Ajiba. It was first begun around the time he entered the Darqawi Order at the hand of its founder, in 1208/1793, and then re-written twelve to thirteen years later after he himself had travelled the Path and became one of its teachers.
The final work, dated 1220/1806 contains 143 Sufic terms for which Ibn Ajiba gives succinct but profound definitions, usually including what the term means for someone at the beginning, middle, and end of the spiritual journey.
The main text is enriched by twenty more passages from other works by the same author as well as by the complete text of al-Miraj in vowelled Arabic text, extensive notes, and indices of persons, terms, Quranic verses, and ḥadith mentioned.
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.
DETAILS:
ISBN: 9781891785849
AUTHOR: Ahmad ibn Ajiba
TRANSLATOR: Mohamed Fouad Aresmouk & Michael Abdurrahman Fitzgerald
LANGUAGE: Arabic & English (Bilingual)
BINDING: Paperback
PAGES: 256 pages
DIMENSIONS: 23 x 15 CM
PUBLISHER: Fons Vitae
ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
Ahmad ibn 'Ajiba was an 18th-century Moroccan saint in the Darqawi 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.
