Ibn Khaldun on Sufism: Remedy for the Questioner in Search of Answers

DESCRIPTION:

In his best-selling Darkest England, Idries Shah asserts that the English hail from a little-known place called ‘Hathaby’, but their roots go back much farther, perhaps to the distant Asian realm of Sakasina. Once a nomadic tribe of warriors, the English fled westward, bringing with them epic tales, traditions, and an Oriental way of thought. Shah charts the genius of the English in adopting and adapting ‘almost anything spiritual, moral or material’ for their own use – a faculty that has transformed them from warrior nomads into successful diplomats, businessmen, thinkers and scientists.

Can the seeker after Truth wholly depend on the guidance found in books on Sufism or are the oral teachings of a spiritual master necessary? This was a heated debate in fourteenth-century Andalusia that extended beyond the confines of Sufi circles. Ibn Khaldūn ventured into this debate with a treatise that is as relevant today as it was then. Ibn Khaldūn on Sufism: Remedy for the Questioner in Search of Answers is the first ever translation into English of Shifā’ al-Sā’il li-Tahdhīb al-Masā’il.
Though Ibn Khaldūn is renowned for the Muqaddima and the ʿIbar—which are considered milestones in the fields of medieval sociology and the philosophy of history—little is known about his religious and spiritual life. In her introduction to Ibn Khaldūn on Sufism, Dr Yumna Ozer seeks to restore Ibn Khaldūn and his work to the context from which his theories arose, both in intellectual and religious terms; she also draws a vivid painting of Sufism in the fourteenth century and rethinks Ibn Khaldūn’s relationship with Sufism. The translation itself addresses the dichotomies or synergies between religious law and the Sufi path, the roles played by jurists, and that played by Sufis, and the particular position of the Sufi shaykh or spiritual master.

Shifa al-Sa’il li-Tahdhib al-Masa’il

DETAILS:

ISBN: ​9781911141280
AUTHOR: Ibn Khaldun (Author), Yumna Ozer (Translator)
LANGUAGE: English
BINDING: Paperback
PAGES: 172 Pages
DIMENSIONS: 6 x 0.6 x 9.25 inches
PUBLISHER: Islamic Texts Society

ABOUT THE AUTHOR:

Ibn Khaldūn (d. 808/1406), the celebrated social theorist and historian, is renowned for the Muqaddima and the ʿIbar, which are considered milestones in the fields of medieval sociology and the philosophy of history.
The translator, Dr Yumna Ozer, gained a PhD in Islamic Studies from Indiana University and is an independent scholar specialising in Sufism.