Ibn 'Ata Allah
Encyclopedia
Ahmad ibn Muhammad Ibn 'Ata Allah al-Iskandari (died 1309), the third sheikh of the Shadhili
Sufi order was born and grew up in Alexandria
, lived and died in Cairo
. He was responsible for systematizing the order's doctrines and recording the biographies of its founder, Sidi Abu-l-Hassan ash-Shadhili
, and his successor, Sidi Abu al-Abbas al-Mursi
. Ibn 'Ata Allah was the author of the first systematic treatise on dhikr
, titled The Key to Salvation: A Sufi Manual of Invocation (Miftah al-Falah) and his compilation of aphorisms (hikam) helped to make the group very popular. Commentaries on the hikam have been made by some of the most famous of the Shadhili
order such as Ibn Abbad al-Rundi
, Sheikh Ahmed Zarruq
founder of the Zarruqiyya Sufi order and Ahmad ibn Ajiba. The wide circulation of his written works led to the spread of the Shadhili order in North Africa
, where the order's founder had been rejected in earlier attempts. The Wafai Sufi order was also derived from his works. He died in 1309 while in Cairo
.
Shadhili
The Shadhili Tariqa is a Sufi order of Sunni Islam founded by Abul Hasan Ali ash-Shadhili. Followers of the Shadhiliya are known as Shadhilis....
Sufi order was born and grew up in Alexandria
Alexandria
Alexandria is the second-largest city of Egypt, with a population of 4.1 million, extending about along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea in the north central part of the country; it is also the largest city lying directly on the Mediterranean coast. It is Egypt's largest seaport, serving...
, lived and died in Cairo
Cairo
Cairo , is the capital of Egypt and the largest city in the Arab world and Africa, and the 16th largest metropolitan area in the world. Nicknamed "The City of a Thousand Minarets" for its preponderance of Islamic architecture, Cairo has long been a centre of the region's political and cultural life...
. He was responsible for systematizing the order's doctrines and recording the biographies of its founder, Sidi Abu-l-Hassan ash-Shadhili
Abu-l-Hassan ash-Shadhili
-Biography:He was born in a royal family of a business man in Berber Ghomara, near Ceuta in the north of Morocco in 1196. He studied in Fes. He set out across North Africa and into the Levant in the hope of finding the great living saint of his time . He started his journey in search of wisdom via...
, and his successor, Sidi Abu al-Abbas al-Mursi
Al-Mursi Abu'l-'Abbas
Al-Mursi Abu'l-'Abbas is a Sufi saint from Al-Andalus who later in his life moved to Alexandria in Egypt. His complete name is Shahab al-Din Abu'l-'Abbas Ahmad ibn 'Umar ibn Mohammad al-Ansari al-Mursi....
. Ibn 'Ata Allah was the author of the first systematic treatise on dhikr
Dhikr
Dhikr , plural ; ), is an Islamic devotional act, typically involving the repetition of the Names of God, supplications or formulas taken from hadith texts and verses of the Qur'an. Dhikr is usually done individually, but in some Sufi orders it is instituted as a ceremonial activity...
, titled The Key to Salvation: A Sufi Manual of Invocation (Miftah al-Falah) and his compilation of aphorisms (hikam) helped to make the group very popular. Commentaries on the hikam have been made by some of the most famous of the Shadhili
Shadhili
The Shadhili Tariqa is a Sufi order of Sunni Islam founded by Abul Hasan Ali ash-Shadhili. Followers of the Shadhiliya are known as Shadhilis....
order such as Ibn Abbad al-Rundi
Ibn Abbad al-Rundi
Ibn Abbad al-Rundi was one of the leading Sufi theologians of his time who was born in Ronda. Attracted to Morocco by the famous madrasahs, Ibn Abbad emigrated there at an early age...
, Sheikh Ahmed Zarruq
Ahmad Zarruq
Ahmed Zarruq was a Shadhili Sufi Sheikh and founder of the Zarruqiyye branch of the Shadhili Sufi order...
founder of the Zarruqiyya Sufi order and Ahmad ibn Ajiba. The wide circulation of his written works led to the spread of the Shadhili order in North Africa
North Africa
North Africa or Northern Africa is the northernmost region of the African continent, linked by the Sahara to Sub-Saharan Africa. Geopolitically, the United Nations definition of Northern Africa includes eight countries or territories; Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Morocco, South Sudan, Sudan, Tunisia, and...
, where the order's founder had been rejected in earlier attempts. The Wafai Sufi order was also derived from his works. He died in 1309 while in Cairo
Cairo
Cairo , is the capital of Egypt and the largest city in the Arab world and Africa, and the 16th largest metropolitan area in the world. Nicknamed "The City of a Thousand Minarets" for its preponderance of Islamic architecture, Cairo has long been a centre of the region's political and cultural life...
.
External links
- The Key to Salvation: A Sufi Manual of Invocation (Miftah al-Falah) chosen excerpt here Translated by Mary Ann Koury Danner
- The Key to Salvation chapter available here by Ayesha Bewley.
- Hikam (maxims or aphorisms), partially translated here by Ayesha Bewley. English by Ibn Abbad.