A Sublime Way: The Sufi Path of the Sages of Makka

About the authors

Seraj Hendricks: Shaykh Seraj Hassan Hendricks rahimahullah (d. July 9, 2020) was a South African Islamic scholar of international standing and a designated khalifa of the great scholar of Makka, Shaykh al-Sayyid Muhammad ibn 'Alawi al-Maliki (d. 2004). He studied the Islamic intellectual tradition for more than a decade in Makka, specializing in fiqh and usul al-fiqh at the Faculty of Shari'a of Umm al-Qura University, from which he graduated with a BA (Hons) in 1992. He later received an MA cum laude from the University of South Africa (UNISA) for his dissertation titled "Tasawwuf (Sufism) - Its Role and Impact on the Culture of Cape Islam." He served as Resident Shaykh of Azzawia Institute in Cape Town alongside his brother Shaykh Ahmad Hendricks, as head of the Muslim Judicial Council's Fatwa Committee (often referred to as the Mufti of Cape Town), as lecturer in fiqh at the Islamic College of Southern Africa (ICOSA), as lecturer in the Study of Islam at the University of Johannesburg, and as Dean of the Madina Institute in South Africa. He also held the Maqasid Chair for Graduate Studies at the International Peace University of South Africa. He was listed consecutively in the Muslim 500 from 2009 to 2020. He passed away on July 9, 2020 in Cape Town, due to complications from COVID-19.

H.A. Hellyer: Dr. H.A. Hellyer hafidhahullah is a British scholar and geopolitical analyst specializing in security studies, political economy, history, and belief. He was raised between London, Cairo, and Abu Dhabi. He received degrees in law and international political economy from the University of Sheffield and earned his doctorate from the University of Warwick. He is Senior Associate Fellow at the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI) in London and at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace in Washington, D.C. His career has included affiliations with the Brookings Institution, Harvard University, the American University in Cairo (where he served as visiting professor of law), Cambridge University, Harvard Kennedy School, the University of Warwick, the University of Technology Malaysia, and the Centre for Advanced Studies on Islam, Science and Civilisation (CASIS). He is listed annually among the 500 Most Influential Muslims. His books include Muslims of Europe: The 'Other' Europeans (Edinburgh University Press) and A Revolution Undone: Egypt's Road Beyond Revolt (Oxford University Press). He is co-author of A Sublime Way: The Sufi Path of the Sages of Makka alongside Shaykh Seraj Hendricks and Shaykh Ahmad Hendricks.

Ahmad Hendricks: Shaykh Ahmad Hendricks is a South African Islamic scholar who has served as co-Resident Shaykh at Azzawia Institute in Cape Town alongside his brother, the late Shaykh Seraj Hassan Hendricks rahimahullah. Together they constituted the scholarly leadership of the Azzawia Institute, a center for Islamic learning associated with the Cape Malay Muslim community. He is co-author of A Sublime Way: The Sufi Path of the Sages of Makka (Fons Vitae), which transmits the teachings and spiritual path of Shaykh al-Sayyid Muhammad ibn 'Alawi al-Maliki (d. 2004) - the distinguished scholar of Makka - and describes the Tariqa 'Ulama Makka and its engagement with the Muslim community of South Africa.