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The Way of Abu Madyan

Abu Madyan(Auth.) · Vincent Cornell (Trans.)
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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.
 

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Translator
Vincent Cornell
Description

About The Book

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 Nashkstyle, combining state-of-the-art computer technology with unique faithfulness to the great calligraphic tradition of the Islamic world.

Content:

  • Introduction
  • The World of Maghrebi Sufism in the Twelfth Century AD
  • The Career of Abu Madyan
  • Abu Madyan and Sufism
  • The Texts and their Translations
  • The Supplication for Forgiveness.
  • The Blessed Creed.
  • Basic Principles of the Sufi Path.
  • The Intimacy of the Recluse and Pastime of the Seeker.
  • 5-12. Numerous Qasidas

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.

About the Contributor(s)

About the author

Abu Madyan: Abu Madyan (1126-1198), rahimahullah, full name Abu Madyan Shu'ayb ibn al-Hussein al-Ansari and also known as Sidi Bou-Mediene, was one of the most influential Sufi masters produced by Andalusia. He was born in Cantillana, a town approximately 35 km from Seville, into a modest family. In his youth he worked as a weaver and later relocated to Marrakech, where he joined the military before his deepening thirst for religious and spiritual knowledge turned him toward the Qur'an and Islamic learning. Driven by an intense desire for spiritual truth, he undertook extensive travels to Kufa, Makka, Damascus, Turkistan, and India, encountering Sufi shaykhs at each stage of his journey. He returned to the Maghrib as a teacher and propagator of Sufism, becoming so influential that he came to be regarded as the forerunner of mysticism in the region. His greatest works include Ilahi Nama and Manteq al-Tayr (attributed to him in tradition). His sayings and teachings are preserved in The Way of Abu Madyan, published by the Islamic Texts Society.

About the translator

Vincent Cornell: Vincent Cornell is an American scholar of Islam whose research focuses on Sufism and Islamic philosophy. Between 2000 and 2006 he held the position of Professor of History and Director of the King Fahd Centre for Middle East and Islamic Studies at the University of Arkansas. In 2006 he moved to Emory University in Atlanta, where he became a Professor of History. Cornell also served as an academic advisor to the award-winning PBS documentary Muhammad: Legacy of a Prophet (2002), produced by Unity Productions Foundation. As a Muslim scholar who describes himself as a "critical traditionalist," Cornell has engaged publicly with questions of Islamic practice in the modern world, emphasizing the importance of contextual interpretation and the rich deliberative traditions within Islamic intellectual history. His translation of The Way of Abu Madyan for the Islamic Texts Society reflects his expertise in classical Sufi texts and the Islamic scholarly tradition of the Maghrib.

Specifications
EAN 13 / ISBN 9780946621354
Publisher Islamic Texts Society
Author Abu Madyan
Pages 190
Translator Vincent Cornell
Year Published 1996
Size W-6.1 in | H-9.2 in | D-0.7 in
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