About The Book

"O slave of God! It is not fitting to accuse a charitable One. Nor to dispute with a powerful One. Nor to challenge a conquering One. Nor to object to a wise One. Nor to carry worry with a kind One."

This profound book is so overflowing with wisdom it amazes the mind. The unparalleled author, Shaykh ibn Ata-illah Al-Sakandari, may Allah be pleased with him, delivered another masterpiece with this work, where not a page fails to enrich, inform and delight. His digestible style of simple language, Quran, hadith, stories and parables will take the reader on a journey of the heart and mind, not returning except changed and illuminated for the better.

Of particular interest to the modern reader, in a world that seems to become more depressing with every year, is that this work fills one with hope, enthusiasm and faith. Such is the result when one trusts in God, relying on His management of affairs and knows God to be kind, wise and full of care for His creation.

For any seeker of God, for anyone burdened with worries and grief, Shaykh ibn Ata-illah extends his warm hand and deep knowledge, inviting you to take consolation in the managing of God, not your own managing, in the planning of God, not your own planning, and in the purposes of God, not your own purposes.

This completely new translation hopes to present an accessible yet true to the original rendition of this great treasure of the Islamic, tassawuf tradition. A special forward on the life and works of Shaykh ibn Ata-illah has been provided by Dr Abu Bakr Sirajuddin Cook.

About Sheikh Ibn Ata Allah al-Iskandari

Ahmad ibn Muhammad Ibn ‘Ata‘ Allah al-Iskandari (died 1309) was a Malikite jurist, muhaddith and the third murshid (spiritual "guide" or "master") of the Shadhili Sufi order. He was born in Alexandria and taught at both the al-Azhar Mosque and the Mansuriyyah madrasa in Cairo. He was responsible for systematizing Shadhili doctrines and recording the biographies of the order's founder, Abu-l-Hassan ash-Shadhili, and his successor, Abu al-Abbas al-Mursi.

He is credited with having authored the first systematic treatise on dhikr, The Key to Salvation (Miftah al-Falah), but is mostly known for his compilation of aphorisms, the Hikam al-‘Ata‘iyya. Commentaries on the Hikam have been made by some of the most famous masters of the Shadhili order such as Ibn Abbad al-Rundi, Ahmad Zarruq, and Ahmad ibn Ajiba as well as non-Shadhilis like the Islamic law Professor Sa'id Ramadan al-Bouti.

The wide circulation of Ibn ‘Ata‘ Allah's 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.