Publisher Description

This is the first English translation of works attributed to Abu Madyan, a seminal figure of Sufism in Muslim Spain and North Africa. The Arabic text accompanying the English translation also represents the first scholarly edition of these works in the original language. The variety of Abu Madyans oeuvre, which includes doctrinal treatises, aphorisms, and poetical works in the ode, qasida, style, provides a unique opportunity for students of Arabic and Sufism, as well as the interested layman, to experience several of the most important genres of religious writing in the Islamic Middle Period. The Arabic texts have been extensively vocalised in order to aid the student. The work as a whole is well-suited for use as a reader for advanced level classes in the Arabic language. In addition, notes have been provided in the English translation. The Arabic parallel text, set by DecoType, Amsterdam, marks the debut of a new form of calligraphic typesetting in the classical Nashk style, combining state-of-the-art computer technology with unique faithfulness to the great calligraphic tradition of the Islamic world.

Author Biography

Author Information: Abu Madyan Shu`ayb al-Ansari (d. 1198) was a poet, teacher and Sufi mystic, called `Shaykh of Shaykhs' and `the Nurturer', "al-Ghawth", by his contemporaries. Abu Madyan was the most influential Sufi of the formative period of mysticism in North Africa and had a profound influence on the eventual Qadiri and Shadhili Sufi traditions.---Translator Information: Vincent J. Cornell is Asa Griggs Candler Professor of Middle East and Islamic Studies and MESAS Chair at Emory University, Atlanta, USA. He specialises in Islamic Studies and Sufism and has published numerous articles on Islamic thought and the history of North Africa.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements---Introduction---The Texts and their Translations---I. The Supplication for Forgiveness ("al-Istighfar")---II. The Blessed Creed ("al-Aqida al-Mubaraka")---III. "Bidayat al-Murid" (Basic Principles of the Sufi Path)---IV. "Uns al-Wahid wa Nuzhat al-Murid" (The Intimacy of the Recluse and Pastime of the Seeker)---V. The Qasida in "Ra"---VI. The Qasida in "Nun"---VII. Qasida in "Mim"---VIII. Qasida in "Ra"---IX. Qasida in "Ba"---X. Qasida in "Lam"---XI. Qasida in "Lam"---XII. Qasida in "Ra"---XIII. Verses---Appendix I: The Ode in "Nun" by Ali ibn Isma`il ibn Hirzihim---Appendix II: A Treatise on Sufism by Abu Ya`za Yalannur ibn Maymun ad-Dukkali---Index

Long Description

This is the first English translation of works attributed to Abu Madyan, a seminal figure of Sufism in Muslim Spain and North Africa. The Arabic text accompanying the English translation also represents the first scholarly edition of these works in the original language. The variety of Abu Madyan's oeuvre, which includes doctrinal treatises, aphorisms, and poetical works in the ode, 'qasida', style, provides a unique opportunity for students of Arabic and Sufism, as well as the interested layman, to experience several of the most important genres of religious writing in the Islamic Middle Period. The Arabic texts have been extensively vocalised in order to aid the student. The work as a whole is well-suited for use as a reader for advanced level classes in the Arabic language. In addition, notes have been provided in the English translation. The Arabic parallel text, set by DecoType, Amsterdam, marks the debut of a new form of calligraphic typesetting in the classical Nashk style, combining state-of-the-art computer technology with unique faithfulness to the great calligraphic tradition of the Islamic world.

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