The Poem of the Way

by Ibn Al-Farid, A.J. Arberry (Translator)

The Poem of the Sufi Way, or Nazm al-suluk, is a poem by the Sufi mystic and scholar Shayk Umar ibn al-Farid. An exact date of the poem's writing is unknown as Umar ibn al-Farid (1181–1235 ad) is said to have written this text during the course of many years. Widely remarked as Umar ibn al-Farid's most famous work, the poem itself is one of the longest pieces of Sufi literature to date, and is still held in high regard by modern Sufi practitioners. It is 760 verses long. It is often referred to as al-Ta'iyya al-kubra (the Greater Poem Rhyming in T) to differentiate it from a shorter ode that also rhymes in t. The title can also be translated to “the Poem of Progress”.

Genres: Poetry

99 pages, Unknown Binding

Published January 1, 1200

About the author

The poetry of Shaykh Umar Ibn al-Farid is considered by many to be the pinnacle of Arabic mystical verse (Rumi, probably the best known in the West of the great Sufi poets, wrote primarily in Persian, not Arabic.) Ibn al-Farid's two masterpieces are The Wine Ode, a beautiful meditation on the "wine" of divine bliss, and "The Poem of the Sufi Way", a profound exploration of spiritual experience along the Sufi Path and perhaps the longest mystical poem composed in Arabic. Both poems have inspired in-depth spiritual commentaries throughout the centuries, and they are still reverently memorized by Sufis and other devout Muslims today.

He was born in Cairo to parents from Hama in Syria, lived for some time in Mecca, and died in Cairo. His poetry is entirely Sufic and he was esteemed as the greatest mystic poet of the Arabs. Some of his poems are said to have been written in ecstasies.

Every Friday, Cairenes gather at his tomb to listen to readings of his poems. Ibn al-Farid is referred to as sultan al-ashiqin, "the sultan of lovers".

Reviews

[Hamaad · Rating 5 out of 5]

Take a single time
For thy consideration —no long while―

وفي الزّمَنِ الفرْدِ اعتَبِرْ تلقَ كلّ ما
بدا لكَ لا في مُدّةِ مُسْتَطِيلَة

And thou shalt find all that appears to thee
And whatsoever thou dost contemplate

وكُلُّ الذي شاهدْتُهُ فِعْلُ واحِدٍ
بمُفْرَدِهِ لكن بحُجْبِ الأكِنّة

The act of one alone, but in the veils
Of occultation wrapt: when he removes
إذا ما أزال السِّترَ لم ترَ غيرَهُ
ولم يَبْقَ بالاشكالِ إشكالُ ريبة

The curtain, thou beholdest none but him,
And in the shapes confusion no more reigns.

وحَقّقتُ عند الكشف أنّ بنورهِ اهْ
تَدَيْتُ إلى أفعالِهِ بالدُّجُنّة