White Thread Press

The Book Of Wisdoms [Kitab al-Hikam with Ikmal al-Shiyam]

A Collection of Sufi Aphorisms with a Commentary

£16.99

The Book Of Wisdoms [Kitab al-Hikam with Ikmal al-Shiyam]

A Collection of Sufi Aphorisms with a Commentary

Muslim religious life not only consists of belief in orthodox tenets of faith and a determined effort to follow the Sacred Law, it also requires one to scale the heights of the spiritual path. The Kitab al-Hikam of Shaykh Ibn ‘Ata’illah al-Iskandari is the inspiring explanation of the soul’s journey through this life, as determined through the Qur’an and Sunna. Along with his treatises and intimate discourses (munajat), the substantive feature of the work is the author’s 264 spiritual aphorisms (hikam)­—concise, comprehensive and sublime sayings on self purification (tazkiya), and guidelines to help strengthen the relationship between humans and their Lord. These aphorisms, which have never failed to inspire, are presented in this edition according to the systematic arrangement of the great Indian scholar Shaykh ‘Ali Muttaqi (d. 975/1567), together with the indispensable commentary of the twentieth-century sage Shaykh ‘Abdullah Gangohi.

£16.99

Muslim religious life not only consists of belief in orthodox tenets of faith and a determined effort to follow the Sacred Law, it also requires one to scale the heights of the spiritual path. The Kitab al-Hikam of Shaykh Ibn ‘Ata’illah al-Iskandari is the inspiring explanation of the soul’s journey through this life, as determined through the Qur’an and Sunna. Along with his treatises and intimate discourses (munajat), the substantive feature of the work is the author’s 264 spiritual aphorisms (hikam)­—concise, comprehensive and sublime sayings on self purification (tazkiya), and guidelines to help strengthen the relationship between humans and their Lord. These aphorisms, which have never failed to inspire, are presented in this edition according to the systematic arrangement of the great Indian scholar Shaykh ‘Ali Muttaqi (d. 975/1567), together with the indispensable commentary of the twentieth-century sage Shaykh ‘Abdullah Gangohi.

“Sometimes you encounter works which just make you re-evaluate your whole connection to Allah Most High. They make you realise the faqr (poverty) of your affair, and your distance from that which you thought you were close. Glorified is Allah. The Kitab al-Hikam is one such text. It has been serving wayfarers throughout the ages, in their quest to know their Most Majestic Lord.”

Gavin N. Picken, Ph.D.

American University of Sharjah, UAE

“The style of the commentary reflects the intimate teachings communicated from Master to disciple; and brings the inner meanings of the Qur’an and the Sunna to life for readers on all levels of comprehension and faith traditions.”

Kenneth L. Honerkamp

University of Georgia, USA

“Enhancing one’s love for the Divine by reforming the inner and outer self is an obligation for everyone, and is the purpose of sufism. . . and this book is the fragrant essence of sufism.”

Mawlana Khayr Muhammad Jalandhari

Late founder of
Khayr al-Madaris, Multan, Pakistan

“[The] commentary Ikmal al-Shiyam is an invaluable addition to our understanding of Ibn ‘Ata’illah’s thought, as well as an aid to those who seek better to apply his wisdom to their daily lives.”

Nancy Roberts

Translator of Ibn ‘Ata’illah’s Kitab al-Lata’if (The Subtle Blessings)

“Using the late Professor Victor Danner’s translation, Booso has matched the elegance of the language in ­Danner’s translation with his editing of Gangohi’s Ikmal al-Shiyam. A welcome addition to the field of Islam and Sufism.”

Mary Ann Danner Fadae

Widow of ­Victor Danner and translator of Ibn ‘Ata’illah’s Miftah al-Falah (The Key to Salvation)

“Commentary literature on the Kitab al-Hikam has been acknowledged as a genre that has been almost overlooked by both translators and scholars and The Book of Wisdoms makes a good step towards rectifying this situation.”

Benjamin G Cook

University of Tasmania, Australia

Shaykh Ibn ‘Ata’illah al-Iskandari

Shaykh Ibn ‘Ata’illah al-Iskandari (d. 709/1309) lived in Egypt during the reign of the Mamluks. Originally from Alexandria, he moved to Cairo, where his professional life involved teaching Sacred Law in various institutions including the Al-Azhar Mosque. He also led a concurrent existence as a Master for disciples of Islamic spirituality. The Hikam is his principal work, one that has attracted universal approval from his own time up to the present day.

Shaykh ‘Abdullah Gangohi

Shaykh ‘Abdullah Gangohi (d. 1329/1921) was a teacher in various seminaries in the Indian Sub-Continent, during an era of great academic and spiritual achievement in the region. His main area of expertise was Arabic language, and some of his works have become part of the core syllabus in ­numerous seminaries. He took the spiritual path from the famous hadith scholar and sufi master Mawlana Khalil Ahmad Saharanpuri (d. 1346/1927), who instructed him to write this commentary and eventually made him a master of the path in his own right.

Victor Danner

Victor Danner (d. 1410/1990) was an American academic noted for his beautiful translation of the Hikam. He taught various subjects, including Arabic Language, Classical Arabic Literature, and Sufism, at Indiana University.

Weight 0.82 kg
Dimensions 23.8 × 16 × 3.1 cm
Book Author

,

Dimensions

6" x 9"

Format

ISBN

978-1-933764-05-4

Pages

378

Pub. Date

June 2014

Customer Reviews

Based on 21 reviews
100%
(21)
0%
(0)
0%
(0)
0%
(0)
0%
(0)
G
GREGORY REILLY

(The Book Of Wisdoms [Kitab al-Hikam with Ikmal al-Shiyam]

Y
Yusupha Leigh

A masterpiece

R
Riaz Chutoo
Food for thought

Well written book, very engaging, suitable for most.
I bought the book as I was going through the lecture Series by Mufti Abdur Rahman. Highly recommend going through lecture series on zamzam Academy. Excellent accompaniment to lecture series, and reference there after.

A
Anonymous
Thought provoking

I have just started reading this wonderful book and found it to be quite comforting as I move through each chapter - there’s a focus on the inner self and a mind shift to how a believer should view things which the reader can find solace in. I personally wouldn’t recommend this book for a light reader as it might be too dense to fully appreciate. This book requires time to ponder over each of the aphorisms to really appreciate what the author is saying.

A
Anonymous
Light and shadows

We need more of this guidance to help us move from the shadows towards the light... An excellent guide where we are all in need of a reminder no matter how long we have been traversing...

N
Nabil Hussayn
A good buy

Some couple of months ago, I chanced on the publications of WT press and after going through through the catalogues, I bought priceless pearls in two books. I will endeavor to make the books a source of sadaqa by referring others to purchase. May bless bless your work and may His guidance be on us and you all at WT press.

A
Arif Nadat
High quality publication

A great book to compliment Mufti Abdur-Raman's discourse (available at ZamZam academy) on the subject.

A
Ahmed Desai
The Book of Wisdoms

Alhumdulillah.
Another brilliant book that is filled with immense wisdom. Really puts things into perspective, and helps break the ego. Highly recommended.

R
RB

Just started Reading the book . The dtarting is eye catching Alhamdullillah. The elaboration on Arabic Ayat is inyeresting and something one can apply to their day to day life

M
May Hassan
Beautiful Words of Wisdom

This book is beautifully compiled. The layout, translations and clarification make it a very simple and appealing read. It is a collection that I hope my children will benefit from inshallah and give them more spiritual guidance and light

Scroll to Top
0

Your Cart is Empty

0