The Pure Intention: On Knowledge of the Unique Name

by Ibn ʻAta' Allah al-Iskandari, Khalid Williams (Translation)

The Pure On Knowledge of the Unique Name is the first ever translation into English of a seminal work from the Sufi tradition. This title focuses on the Divine Name Allah and the virtues and transformative power of its invocation. Written by the renowned Sufi master Ibn Ata Allah al-Iskandari in the twelfth century the work is divided into two parts. Part One looks at the Name of Allah, its letters and their meanings. While in Part Two the author turns to the more practical question of the role of invocation, both in general and of the Name Allah specifically. Ibn Ata Allah discusses the virtue of invocation and establishes that it is the supreme act of worship.

Genres: Islam

96 pages, Paperback

Published May 1, 2018

About the author

Tāj al-Dīn Abū'l-Faḍl Aḥmad ibn Muḥammad ibn ʿAbd al-Karīm ibn Abd al-Rahman ibn Abdullah ibn Ahmad ibn Isa ibn Hussein ibn ʿAṭā Allāh al-Judhami al-Iskandarī al-Shādhilī (1260-1309) was an Egyptian Malikite jurist, muhaddith and the third murshid (spiritual "guide" or "master") of the Shadhili Sufi order.

Born in Alexandria, he lived and died in Cairo. He was responsible for systematizing the order's doctrines and recording the biographies of its founder, Sidi Abu-l-Hassan ash-Shadhili, and his successor, Sidi Abu al-Abbas al-Mursi. Ibn 'Ata Allah was the author of the first systematic treatise on dhikr, titled The Key to Salvation: A Sufi Manual of Invocation (Miftah al-Falah) and his compilation of aphorisms (hikam) helped to make the group very popular. Commentaries on the hikam have been made by some of the most famous of the Shadhili order such as Ibn Abbad al-Rundi, Sheikh Ahmed Zarruq founder of the Zarruqiyya Sufi order and Ahmad ibn Ajiba. The wide circulation of his written works led to the spread of the Shadhili order in North Africa, where the order's founder had been rejected in earlier attempts. The Wafai Sufi order was also derived from his works. He died in 1309 while in Cairo.

Reviews

[Fatima · Rating 5 out of 5]

A poet said, “Blessed be Him whose servant I am proud to be. Glory be to Him, glory be to Him, and may He be praised. There is no dominion but His—mighty is He, the First in His authority and the Last.”

A book I can read again and again. It is the kind of book that speaks to the heart more than the intellect, and stays with you long after you’ve closed it. It’s very short, but the wisdom in it is deep and lasting.

May Allah bless His beloved servant Ibn ʿAta’illah al-Iskandari.

[Emesa · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reading Islam: The Covenants Fulfilled is much more beneficial in my opinion