Iqadh al-Himam is Ahmad ibn Ajiba’s commentary on Ibn Ata’illah’s Hikam. While the full English translation by Aisha Bewley remains unpublished, draft copies attributed to her circulate online, though they lack the introduction by the Shaykh in the original text. However, Aisha Bewley’s professionally translated Four Gems of Tasawwuf, published by Diwan Press, includes the extensive introduction missing in those drafts.
Four Gems of Tasawwuf of Ahmad ibn Ajiba (trans. Aisha Bewley)
Ahmad ibn Ajiba states:
We have written two separate introductions to this book: the first outlining the definition of tasawwuf, its subject matter, its founder, its name, its sources, its legal ruling, understanding its parameters, its degree of excellence, its relationship to other sciences, and its benefits; and the second detailing the biography of its author, Shaykh Ibn ‘Ata’allah al-Iskandari, mentioning some of his virtues and noble characteristics.
This note aims at including the introduction here because a very good formal introduction and definition into what is tasawwuf is given by the Shaykh. That is the main subject matter of this note. It is a further extension into 10 Principles of Tasawwuf which is a summary of the main principles of tasawwuf by Shaykh Muhammad al-Yaqoubi, which is summarized from the introduction to the Iqadh al-Himam. Thus, this note seeks to add more detail between the two.
The first introduction is regarding the science of tasawwuf. The contents of this introduction is as follows:
- Definition
- Subject matter
- Founder
- Name
- Sources
- Legal Ruling
- Understanding its parameters
- Degree of Excellence
- Relationship to Other Sciences
- Benefits
1. Definition
Imam Al-Junayd said:
[Tasawwuf] is that the Real makes you die to yourself and live by Him.
He also said:
It is that you are with Allah without attachment.
It is said that it is adopting every exalted characteristic and relinquishing every base characteristic; that it is noble character appearing at a noble time among noble people; that it is that you own nothing and nothing owns you; and that it is abandoning the self to Allah so that it wants whatever He wills. It is also said that tasawwuf is based on three qualities: holding to poverty and loss, spending on and showing preference to others, and abandoning management and choice; that it is having all hope in Reality and no hope from creation; that it is dhikr through gathering, ecstasy through listening, and acting through following; that it is refusing to budge from the door of the Beloved even if He shuts you out.
It is further said that it is the purity of proximity after the turbidity of remoteness; that it is sitting with Allah without worry; and that it is being protected from the sight of created existence.
Abu Hamza al-Baghdadi said:
The sign of the true Sufi is that he is poor after being wealthy, lowly after being mighty, and obscure after being well-known. The sign of the false Sufi is that he is wealthy after being poor, mighty after being lowly and well-known after being obscure.
Al-Hasan ibn Mansur said:
The Sufi is alone in the Essence: no one accepts him and he accepts no one.” It is said that the Sufi is like the earth – all kinds of ugly things are thrown onto it but only beautiful things emerge from it, and both good and evil people tread upon it; and that there is nothing uglier under the sun than an avaricious Sufi.
Ash-Shibli said:
The Sufi is cut off from creation, connected to the Real, as is indicated by the words of the Almighty, ‘I have chosen you for Myself.’ (20:41)
He also said:
The Sufis are children in the lap of the Real.
It is said that a Sufi is someone whom the earth does not carry nor the sky cover over, meaning that he is not encompassed by created existence.
Shaykh Ahmad Zarruq said
Tasawwuf has been defined, delineated, and explained in about two thousand different ways. The basis of all of them, however, is true sincerity in turning to Allah Almighty. They are simply facets of this, and Allah knows best.
He also said:
The fact that there is such great disagreement about the One Reality simply indicates how difficult it is to grasp its entirety. As all the different definitions derive from a single source, which contains within its compass everything that has been said about it, then the expression used is according to what has been grasped of it. Thus all the statements about it are actually a matter of detail rather than substance, each person expressing that which corresponds to his degree of knowledge, action, state, tasting and so forth. That is the source of the differences found within tasawwuf and that is why, when Abu Nu‘aym wrote about most of the people he deals with in his Hilya, he added a saying of theirs appropriate to their particular state. It is said that that is the nature of tasawwuf – it means that everyone with a portion of true sincerity in turning to Allah has a portion of tasawwuf and that everyone’s tasawwuf only consists in their true sincerity in turning to Allah, so understand that.
He also said:
A rule when it comes to sincere turning to Allah is that its precondition is that it must be done in a way which is pleasing to Allah Almighty and with means that are pleasing to Him. Anything which has a precondition is not valid without that precondition being fulfilled. Since ‘He is not pleased with thanklessness (kufr) in His slaves’ (38:7), it is necessary to make one’s faith true, ‘and if you are thankful, He will be pleased with you’. So acting according to Islam is essential. And because of this there can be no tasawwuf except with correct fiqh since the outward judgements of Allah Almighty can only be known through it. In the same way there can be no fiqh without tasawwuf since there can be no action without sincere turning to Allah. And neither of these are possible without faith since the validity of both of them is dependent on it. So they must be combined together due to their essential mutual dependence in law, just as spirits are inseparable from bodies – the spirit only knows existence through the body and the body only knows existence through the spirit, the one completes the other.
Imam Malik said:
If someone practices tasawwuf without fiqh, he is a heretic (zindiq); if someone practices fiqh without tasawwuf, he is a deviant (fasiq); and if someone combines the two then he achieves realisation.
The heresy of the first lies in his denial of personal responsibility by absolute attribution of all his actions to Allah (jabr), thereby denying Divine wisdom (hikma) and rulings. The deviancy of the second lies in the fact that his knowledge is devoid of the quality of sincere-turning-to-Allah, which is the very thing that stops people disobeying Him, and is devoid of that sincerity which is a precondition for all action. And the realisation of the third lies in his embodiment of the reality (haqiqa) due to the absoluteness of his adherence to the Real. Therefore, recognise and understand that there can be no true reality (haqiqa) except through absolute adherence to the Real, and that no human being may achieve perfection except through the embodiment of that.
2. Subject Matter
The subject matter of tasawwuf is the Sublime Essence itself since it seeks to know it either through evidential proof or through direct witnessing and vision, the former applying to those who are on the path and the latter to those who have arrived. It is also said that its subject matter is the self (nafs), heart (qalb) and spirit (ruh) since it seeks their purification and refinement. There is no great difference between this definition and the first since “he who knows himself knows his Lord.”
3. Founder
The founder of this science was the Prophet (peace be upon him), taught to him by Allah through Divine revelation and direct inspiration. The first thing brought down by Jibril was the shari‘a. When that was established, he then brought down the Reality (haqiqa), giving it to some people but not all.
The first to speak about it openly was Sayyiduna ‘Ali, may Allah ennoble his face. Then Hasan al-Basri, whose mother Khayra was the client of Umm Salama, the wife of the Prophet (peace be upon him), and whose father was the client of Zayd ibn Thabit, took it from him. When Hasan al-Basri died in 110 AH, Habib al-‘Ajami took it on, and then Abu Sulayman Dawud at-Ta‘i took it from him. When he died in 160 AH, Abu Mahfuz Ma‘ruf ibn Fayruz al-Karkhi took it on, and then Abu-l-Hasan Sari ibn Maghlis as-Saqati took it from him. Then when he died in 251 AH, the baton was passed on to the Imam of this tariqa and the one who made the signs of the Reality manifest, Abu-l-Qasim Muhammad ibn al-Junayd al-Khazzaz.
Imam al-Junayd’s family came from Nihawand although he himself grew up in Iraq. He studied fiqh with Abu Thawr and gave fatwa according to his school, even though he spent a lot of time in the company of Imam ash-Shafi‘i. He then kept the company of his uncle, as-Saqati, and that of Abu-l-Harith al-Muhasibi and others. Imam al-Junayd’s words and deep insights are preserved in many books. He died, may Allah be pleased with him, in 297 AH and the location of his tomb in Baghdad is well-known and much-visited. The knowledge of tasawwuf then spread through his companions and continued on from them and will remain ever-present until as long as the deen lasts.
In an alternative chain, the knowledge was passed on from Sayyiduna ‘Ali to the first of the qutbs, his son al-Hasan; and then from him to Abu Muhammad Jabir; then to the qutb, al-Ghazwani; then to the qutb, Fath as-Sa‘ud; then to the qutb, Sa‘d; then to the qutb, Sa‘id; then to the qutb, Sidi Ahmad al-Marwani; then to Ibrahim al-Basri; then to Zaynu’d-din al-Qazwini; then to the qutb, Shamsu’d-din; then to the qutb, Taju’d-din; then to the qutb, Nuru’d-din Abu-l-Hasan; then to the qutb, Fakhru’d-din; then to the qutb, Taqiyyu’d-din al-Fuqayr; then to the qutb, Sidi ‘Abdu-r-Rahman al-Madani; then to the great qutb, Moulay ‘Abdu-s-Salam ibn Mashish; then to the famous qutb, Abu-l-Hasan ash-Shadhili; then to his successor, Abu-l-‘Abbas al-Mursi; then to the great gnostic, Sidi Ahmad ibn ‘Ata’allah; then to the great gnostic, Sidi Dawud al-Bakhili; then to the gnostic, Sidi Muhammad, the Sea of Purity; then to his son, the gnostic, Sidi ‘Ali ibn Wafa; then to the famous wali, Sidi Yahya al-Qadiri; then to the famous wali, Ahmad ibn ‘Uqba al-Hadrami; then to the great wali, Sidi Ahmad Zarruq; then to Sidi Ibrahim Afham; then to Sidi ‘Ali as-Sanhaji, known as ad-Dawwar; then to the great gnostic, Sidi ‘Abdu-r-Rahman al-Majdhub; then to the famous wali, Sidi Yusuf al-Fasi; then to the gnostic, Ahmad ibn ‘Abdullah; then to the gnostic, al-‘Arabi ibn ‘Abdullah; then to the great gnostic, Sidi ‘Ali ibn ‘Abdu-r-Rahman al-‘Amrani al-Hasani, [known as Sidi ‘Ali al-Jamal]; then to the famous gnostic, the shaykh of shaykhs, Sidi Moulay al-‘Arabi ad-Darqawi al-Hasani; then to the perfect realised gnostic, our Shaykh, Sidi Muhammad ibn Ahmad al-Buzidi al-Hasani; and finally to the slave of his Lord and the least of His slaves, Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn ‘Ajiba al-Hasani, and from him many others have taken.
All favour belongs to Allah, the High, the Great.
4. Name
The name of this science is tasawwuf although there is some disagreement about the etymology of this name. There are five main positions:
Iqadh al-Himam, Ahmad Ibn Ajiba
The first is that it is derived from sufa (a tuft of wool) because, with Allah, the Sufi is like a tuft of wool at the mercy of the wind, having no say in the direction of his own movement.
The second is that it is derived from sufa (the hair of the back of the neck) because of its softness. So the Sufi is hidden and soft like that hair.
The third is that it is derived from sifa (attribute), since the Sufi embodies praiseworthy attributes and casts off blameworthy ones.
The fourth is that it is derived from safa’ (purity). This derivation is considered the soundest, and for this reason Abu-l-Fath al-Busti said in a verse of poetry:
People disagree about the word “Sufi”,
Ignorantly supposing it to come from wool (suf).
I give this name to no one but a pure (safi) young man,
Who is purified (sufi) until Sufi becomes his name.The fifth is that it is derived from the Suffa (verandah) of the Mosque of the Prophet, which was where the people of the Suffa lived. This is because the Sufi adopts the same characteristics as those attributed to them by Allah in the Qur’an, when He says about them: “Restrain yourself patiently with those who call on their Lord morning and evening, desiring His face.” (18:28) And, as Shaykh Zarruq maintained, this quality of theirs is the source of every derivation.
5. Sources
Its sources are the Book, the Sunna, the Divine inspirations of the righteous and the Divine openings of the gnostics. Certain elements from the science of fiqh have also been included because of the pressing need of the science of tasawwuf for them. Al-Ghazali codified these sources in the Ihya’ in four places: the Book of Worship, the Book of Everyday Practice, the Book of Things Leading to Destruction, and the Book of Things Leading to Salvation. However, apart from those things connected to obligatory acts of worship, these elements are not a precondition [of tasawwuf], rather they help make it complete. Allah Almighty knows best.
6. Legal Ruling
Al-Ghazali said about its legal ruling:
Four Gems of Tasawwuf, Aisha Bewley
It is an individual obligation for every Muslim (fard ‘ayn) since, apart from the Prophets, peace be upon them, no one’s heart is free of sickness or defect.
Imam Ash-Shadhili said:
Anyone who does not immerse himself in this science of ours dies persisting in grave wrong action without being aware of it.
And since it is an individual obligation, it becomes obligatory to travel to someone from whom this matter may be taken, someone who knows how to convey it and is recognized as a dispenser of the medicine of the heart, even if doing that involves disobeying one’s parents, as is attested to by several scholars including al-Bilali, as-Sanusi, and others.
Shaykh as-Sanusi said in the commentary of al-Juzayri:
The self when it overpowers you is like an enemy when he attacks you: just as you must fight and seek help against your enemy, even if that entails disobedience to your parents, so too must you fight and seek help against your own self.
How apt are the words of the poet:
I stake my soul on Your love, sail the currents of Your ocean,
Climb steep crags for Your passion, drink even poison from Your cup.
I spurn all who would stop me, my ear is deaf to detractors;
Quit my folks for Your pleasure.
7. Understanding its Parameters
Understanding its parameters involves knowledge of its technical terms and the words which are used by the People of Sufism, such as ikhlas (sincerity), sidq (truthfulness), tawakkul (reliance), zuhd (doing-without), wara’ (scrupulousness), rida’ (contentment), taslim (submission), mahabba (love), fana’ (annihilation), baqa’ (going on); and such as dhat (Divine Essence), sifat (Divine Attributes), qudra (Divine Power), hikma (Divine Wisdom), ruhaniyya (spirituality), and bashariyya (mortality); and such as the real nature of hal (spiritual state), warid (spiritual inspiration), maqam (spiritual station), and other such terms.
At the beginning of his Risala, al-Qushayri gives a clear explanation of these terms, and I have also written a book containing the true definition of one hundred Sufi terms, entitled Mi’raj at-Tashawwuf ila Haqai’q at-Tasawwuf. Anyone who wants to understand the language of the People [of tasawwuf] should read this.
The truth about the technical terms of this science is that they refer to those matters which a wayfarer must study during the course of his journey [to Allah] so that he may understand them and act by them. For instance, it is necessary to know that ikhlas (sincerity) is a precondition for any action, that zuhd (doing without, abstemiousness) is a pillar of the Path, that khalwa (retreat) and samt (silence) are required elements of the path, and other similar matters. These are the technical terms of this science and they must be fully grasped before it is possible to begin to know or act by them. Allah Almighty knows best.
8. Degrees of Excellence
As was mentioned earlier, the subject matter of tasawwuf is the Divine Essence, which is by definition that which is most excellent. It follow, therefore, that the science of it is also by definition of the most excellent, since its beginning revolves around fear of Allah, its middle around behaviour towards Allah, and it end around direct knowledge of Allah and attachment to Him alone.
That is why al-Junayd said:
If I knew anything under the sky nobler than this science about which we speak, I would have done everything to pursue it.
Shaykh as-Sagalli says in his book, Anwar al-Qulub fi'l-Ilm al-Mawhub:
Anyone who believes in this science is among the elite; anyone who understands it is among the elite of the elite; and anyone who gives expression to it and discourses on it is an inexhaustible ocean and an unreachable star.
Someone else said:
If you see someone who has had belief in this Path opened to him, congratulate him; if you see someone who has had understanding of it opened to him, envy him; and if you see someone who has had articulation of it opened to him, honor him greatly; but if you see someone who criticizes it, shun him and flee from him as you would from a lion. There is no science that cannot be dispensed with it at some time or another, except tasawwuf. There is never a single moment when it can be done without.
9. Relationship to Other Sciences
In terms of its relationship to other sciences, tasawwuf encompasses them all, and indeed is a precondition for them, since there can be no knowledge or action without sincere turning to Allah. In this way, ikhlas (sincerity) is a precondition for all sciences. This is with respect to their legal soundness, repayment, and reward. As for their outward form, however, although they appear to exist independently of tasawwuf, they are in fact deficient or inadequate without it.
That is why as-Suyuti said:
The relationship between tasawwuf and other sciences is like the relationship between rhetoric and grammar; in other words, it perfects and adorns them.
Shaykh Zarruq said:
The relationship of tasawwuf to the deen is that of the spirit to the body since tasawwuf is the [indispensable] station of ihsan which the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, explained to Jibril, as being ‘to worship Allah as if you saw Him, for if you do not see Him He sees you.’ Since tasawwuf is nothing if not what is expressed in these words. For the nub of tasawwuf is muraqaba (watchfulness) after mushahada (witnessing), or mushahada (witnessing) after muraqaba (watchfulness), otherwise, it can have no existence and no trace of its existence can become manifest, so understand.
Perhaps when he says, “muraqaba (watchfulness) after mushahada (witnessing)”, he is referring to baqa’ (going on) by means of seeing all created existence by Allah.
10. Benefits
The main benefits of tasawwuf are refining the heart and gaining direct knowledge of the Knower of the Unseen. Or you could say that its benefits are bringing about generosity in the self, peace in the heart, and good conduct towards every creature.
Know that the knowledge which we have been talking about is not a matter of rattling off words; rather it is a matter of dhawq (tasting) and wijdan (ecstatic experience). It cannot be acquired from books, only from the people of tasting. It cannot be obtained by talk or tale, but only by serving men of Allah and keeping company with the people of perfection. Allah only grants success to those He grants success through their keeping the company of someone to whom He has granted success. Success is only by Allah.