"Ahmad Zarruq, a 15th-century North African Sufi, turned his considerable intellect towards integrating theology, Islamic law and the spiritual path. His model of a jurisprudentially-grounded Sufism is as relevant today as when he presented it to a mediaeval audience, using an aphoristic style tailored to his educated readership. The current growth of puritanical movements in the Islamic world makes Zarruq's Foundations of Sufism a must-read for scholars, educators and those seeking to reconcile various interpretations of the faith. The author of this fresh translation, an Arabic and Classical Sufism scholar, consulted newly-discovered manuscripts in preparing his critical edition of this seminal work"--
This fresh translation and in-depth analysis of Ahmad Zarruq’s Foundations of Sufism draws upon recently-discovered manuscripts, presenting the mediaeval scholar’s innovative thesis that theology, Islamic law and the spiritual path are not at odds with each other, but mutually complementary.
Acknowledgements
Transliteration Table
1 Introduction
2 An Introduction to Zarrūq’s Life
1 Zarrūq’s Early Education
2 Zarrūq’s Eastward Journey for Higher Education
3 Zarrūq’s Intellectual and Spiritual Impact
3 Foundations of Sufism: Introduction to the Qawāʿid al-Taṣawwuf
1 Manuscripts of the Qawāʿid al-Taṣawwuf
2 Published Editions
3 Commentaries on the Qawāʿid
4 Summary of the Qawāʿid al-Taṣawwuf
4 Foundations of Sufism: An Annotated Translation of Qawāʿid al-Taṣawwuf
Appendix: Additional Principles
Bibliography
Index
Ghulam Shams-ur-Rehman, Ph.D. (2010), University of Exeter, is Professor of Interfaith Studies at Allama Iqbal Open University, Islamabad. His research focuses on Sufism, Quranic exegesis, and socio-religious patterns in modern Afghanistan. He has published articles in IPRI Journal and Islamic Studies.
