Fifteen Letters (Khamsata 'Ashara Maktuban)

Description

This book consists of fifteen letters by Shaikh 'Abd Al-Qadir Al-Jilani. Articulated in a sublime mystical language, the letters describe spiritual experiences that are attained through striving against one's base desires and committed devotion to Allah. They are written in a peculiar style whereby each sentence or group of sentences is followed by a related Qur'anic text, which is often a part of a verse. The text is effectively a Sufi experiential interpretation of the quoted Qur'anic verses. This peculiar style of the systematic pairing of mystical words of the Shaikh with a Qur'anic verse has produced an immensely beautiful text with a highly poetic tone. This translation of the book is based on three manuscripts. The first is in King Saud University in Saudi Arabia, the second is in the Bodleian Library at Oxford University, UK, and the third is kept in the Special Collections Library at Michigan University, USA. These memorable writings of a great master include: - Fifteen letters by Shaikh 'Abd Al-Qadir Al-Jilani - A mystical interpretation of Qur'anic verses - Beautifully articulated experiential spiritual advice Review: The intellectual dimension is illustrated by how he outlined his methodology for translating and adding commentaries to a highly - Fatoohi’s recent book on “Fifteen Letters” is another remarkable display of both scholarship and spiritual insight. The intellectual dimension is illustrated by how he outlined his methodology for translating and adding commentaries to a highly esoteric manuscript originally written in the Persian language by one of the greatest Sufi teacher Abd al-Qadir al-Jilani. There were four manuscripts of this book that were later translated and copied into Arabic located in different sites, but only three were available for use by Dr Fatoohi. After reading Fatoohi’s introduction on these manuscripts, and before I got into the content of this book, I reviewed Bart Ehrman’s (2005) fascinating book “Misquoting Jesus” which outlines the dangers of how scribes, through copying mistakes and deliberate alterations, had shaped today’s Bible. Being well aware of the dangers of such a book project, in his introduction, Fatoohi clearly outlines how he approached the synthesizing and analyzing of the three manuscripts that had variations between them, along with copying errors within their content that he identified. I did appreciate the painstaking steps he took to bring forth the gems of wisdom and truth contained in this very small book. I would strongly recommend, however, before reading this latest book by Shaikh Al-Jilani, that the reader reads his earlier book “Purification of the mind,” also translated by Fatoohi and Al-Dargazelli (2008). The Shaikh earlier work outlines the path to drawing nearer to “The True One” through the process of battling the “lower self” (the true meaning of Jihad in the Qur’an, versus the distorted view portrayed in popular media and misguided extremists (also see Fatoohi, 2009). Since Shaikh Al-Jilani has made that journey himself by striving against his lower self, he has attained, as he noted in this earlier book: “…what no eye has ever seen, no ear has ever heard, and has never occurred to any human being.” (Purification of the Mind, page 145). The titles of the chapters of that work cover all the basic life issues such as love, trust, fear, patience and may other topics. The new book, however, “Fifteen Letters” combines his teachings with verses from the Qur’an to gain a beautiful blending and poetic writings. This latest book goes beyond what “no ear has ever heard” to the esoteric “so you may hear with the ear of our heart.” I would also end by saying that Fatoohi’s commentaries for me were also a must read along with this remarkable little book. Review: great read - Great book filled with the pearls of spiritual truth. Take your time And truly reflect upon each letter, meditate on the reality of his words, and contemplate upon the reality of the spiritual wisdom contained within each page of this book. Do so, and I guarantee you will not be disappointed. This book, like many of the other books attributed to Al-Jilani is sure to raise your spiritual consciousness to a higher state and polish the mirror of your heart. All Praise is due to Allah, peace and blessings on Al-Jilani for guiding us on the Path towards Allah.