Gifts for the seeker

This book answers many of the questions often asked by seekers of inward illumination.

• What are the real implications of the doctrine of divine unity? 
• How can proper concentration be achieved during spiritual exercises?  
• When should one avoid participating in Sufi gatherings?  
• What is the relationship between the tongue, the mind, and the heart?  
• How is one to understand visions received in sleep?  

The work also includes the author’s commentary on a poem on inner wayfaring which speaks of the most exalted stations of the path and goes on to explain a number of paradoxes of the Way, such as the reason as why the saints usually refuse to deploy their miraculous powers, preferring to concentrate on self-scrutiny and the compassionate guidance of others.  These points are illustrated with references to the famous mystical poems of Ibn al-Farid and Abu Madyan.

About The Author

Imam Abdallah Ibn-Alawi Al-Haddad lived in Tarim in the Hadramaut Valley between Yemen and Oman, and is widely held to have been the 'renewer' of twelfth  Islamic century. He was a noted authority on the Shafi'i school of jurisprudence, and a writer on devotional matters, both in poetry and prose. His works have been translated into many languages.

Imam al-Haddad died in 1132 A.H. having spent his life bringing people to their Lord through his oral and written teaching, and his exemplary life. He was buried in a simple grave in the cemetery at Tarim.