A Journey to God: Reflections on the Hikam of Ibn Ataillah

by Jasser Auda

The ultimate yearning of the human soul is to return to its Lord in a state where He is pleased with His servant and the Servant is pleased with his Master. This book offers a unique insights to prepare you for the journey to God through the wisdom of the great spiritual master Ibn Ata'illah al-Iskandari as expounded in his masterpiece al-Hikam.

Genres: Islam, Religion, Spirituality

119 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 15, 2012

About the author

Professor Jasser Auda is a founding member and Head of the Dawah Committee at the International Union of Muslim Scholars, a member of the European Council for Fatwa and Research, and teaches and supervises research on Maqasid Al-Shariah at the Faculty of Islamic Studies in Doha. He has a PhD in the Philosophy of Islamic law from the University of Wales, UK, and a PhD in systems analysis from the University of Waterloo, Canada, and a M.Jur. thesis on the Maqasid/purposes of the Shariah from the Islamic American University. Early in his life, he had studied Fiqh, Usul, hadith, Sunnah, and memorized the Quran in the halaqas of the Azhar Mosque in Cairo. He was previously a founding Director of the Maqasid Center in the Philosophy of Islamic Law in London, a founding Deputy Director of the Center for Islamic Legislation and Ethics in Doha, and a professor in the Faculty of Law, Alexandria University, Egypt, Islamic Fiqh Academy of India, American University in Sharjah, University of Waterloo, Canada. He lectured on Islam and its law and ethics in dozens of universities and institutes around the world, and wrote a number of books, some of which were translated to fifteen languages.

Reviews

[Abu Kamdar · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautifully written primer on orthodox spirituality, a must-read for every believer.

[Umaymah · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book touched my core. it's an analysis of the Hikam of Ibn Ata'illah. It's divided in to 28 steps with an analysis of each of the steps as a Muslim journied closer to God. I benefitted so much from it hence the slow and deliberate reading. It's certainly spiritual prescription to rejuvenate ones faith and certainty in Allah. It deserves to be reread ever so often to keep its lessons fresh in the mind and soul

[Ikram Noor · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book offers critical reflections upon the essence of becoming a Muslim, in its truest sense.

The pages are short, but the content is compact. The words used by the author are concise and precise.

The author’s elaboration is so grounded where we can really relate to them with our struggles in the modern life.

[Kelley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Short but so valueable. This book is made up of short chapters, each detailing a step which the believer can take to draw closer to Allah. It's easy to read but each point is so heavy that it may take awhile to ponder each step. Each one of these chapters would be an excellent khutbah or halaqa topic. I brought the book to a halaqa for converts and think it would make a great give for new or returning Muslims as it's a good spiritual guide - a how to for after you get the basics down. It turns Islam-Iman-Ihsan into actionable steps.

This is the second book I've read by Auda, and I think he's going to be another author/translator like Adil Salahi who is an instant read for me. They both approach traditional wisdom from a modern approach and their commentaries are so useful for bringing Islam into audiences in the 21st century.

[Fatima Zahra · Rating 4 out of 5]

سفر أيما سفر...

[Sarah El Massaoudi · Rating 5 out of 5]

So simple yet profound.

This book is filled with great reminders about what it means to be a conscious, active, and sincere Muslim. Spiritually uplifting!

[Haliza Ali · Rating 4 out of 5]

Easy to understand. Short and sweet. Good book with good reminder for myself.

[Husni Magz · Rating 4 out of 5]

Buku yang akan mengantarkan dirimu pada puncak spiritualitas dan kedekatan dengan Allah.

[Syamimi Fatin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Contain words of wisdom (hikam) that form into step- by- step spiritual journey to Allah, supported by Quran verse. A good read! 👍🏻

[Syikin Sam · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great book. Not many books that I reread often but this is one of them. The book is thin, beautifully written, thus making it for an easy read. But it is succinctly written that each chapter is packed with info and lessons, that can be (or maybe should be) incorporated into life, making it a book that is worthwhile to read slowly. It has its use in every stages of your life. After all the title of the book is A Journey to God. :)

[Abeer Arain · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is very, very good, yet I'm giving it four stars because English language is not the copyright of English-speaking people. It is OKAY to use Islamic words in the English language; the most important words are Allah, Ansar, Hajj, and so on.
I don't know why we have a low self-esteem attitude as Muslim authors, and we end up using Biblical words for the Prophets of Allah. The Prophets mentioned in the Bible are different from the ones defined in the Qur'an. For example, Job in the Bible curses God, whereas Ayub (a) is a paragon of patience and is praised by Allah Almighty in the Qur'an.
Scholars say we should never translate the names of the Prophets or Allah (as God) into English.

[Silverprince · Rating 5 out of 5]

Truly enlightening. Dr. (or Prof?) Jasser Auda writes in a tone which is both elegant and firm. The style of this book is very much straight to the point. One revering lesson I pray will stick with me: rely on God for repentance as He is The Most Merciful. This is the first lesson out of 29 or so lessons.

I appreciate the selection of hadiths and "Hikam" (words of wisdom) of Ibn Ata the author chose and neatly inserts them in paragraphs. This book is a smart book for smart people; its reflections are heavy, and one must search deep into one's relationship with God to benefit from the lessons.

May Allah SWT have mercy on us all, and may He grant us the strength to be ever so obedient to Him, amin.

[Hariz S. H. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Alternatif Syarah Hikam yang sangat straightforward untuk dibaca berbanding syarah hikam yang lain.

Maka, ia sesuai untuk mereka yang tiada asas tasawuf, atau sebagai buku foundation untuk aktivis, golongan profesional yang tiada asas ilmu jiwa.

Namun, untuk mereka yang ingin benar-benar merasai kelazatan Hikam, saya saran syarah Said Hawa, guru beliau, satu hikmah sahaja, boleh buat kita merenung lama, namun adakalanya perlu guru (murshid) serta asas yang kukuh dalam tasawuf dan tarikat.

Pujian yang tinggi untuk penulis kerana dapat membawa naratif yang sangat mudah untuk dihadam, yang dapat dibaca oleh lebih ramai dari kalangan umum.

[Sarah El Massaoudi · Rating 5 out of 5]

In straightforward language and lots of repetition, this book lays out the 28 steps of the Journey to God. It's such a simple yet profound book. Even though you could easily rush through it, it feels like you shouldn't. It's a book that makes you reflect on your own life, character, and your place in the journey to God. It makes you set goals for yourself and invites you to revisit the steps to reevaluate your progress after some time. It's spiritually uplifting and filled with gems. And even though there is nothing new or groundbreaking in it, it's the simple reminders that make it such a powerful read.

[Muhammad Fakhruddin]

Seperti tajuknya, mungkin sahaja buku ini satu permulaan atau sentuhan awal kepada saya untuk mendalami kitab Hikam Ibn Ata'illah. Masih belum berjumpa kesempatan untuk mendalami kitab yang dimaksudkan daripada guru-guru yang ada.

[Zulhilmi Zakaria · Rating 5 out of 5]

Semoga Allah s.w.t melimpahi barakah kehidupan kepada Syaikh Jasser Auda dan merahmati Syaikh Ibn Ata'illah dengan Kemurahan dan Kasih Sayang-Nya.

Buku yang ringkas berkenaan "the science of the heart." Amat sesuai untuk semua golongan usia dalam kalangan muslimin.

[Najoa Bouzidi · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was an amazing reminder; I loved it! I highly highly recommend it; the only reason I didn't give it a 5 stars is because it needs to be revised and re-released because it has some typos. It's truly a helpful, light read, and it helps me understand how u ought to approach God.

[أغيد · Rating 1 out of 5]

الكتاب هو تجميع لوقفات دعوية في صلاة التراويح من الدكتور جاسر عودة
غير موقف بنظري في نقلها لكتاب

[Rasha Soliman · Rating 4 out of 5]

الكتاب يتناول شرح الحكم العطائية بطريقة سهلة و بسيطة
..و كذلك يحمل تطبيقات عملية للحكم العطائية
يستحق القراءة و التطبيق ..

[Fatma Hozayen · Rating 5 out of 5]

خطة محكمة لتصحيح مسار العلاقة مع الله ❤️
الحكم العطائية رائعة و بتعالج كل المشاكل اللي بتواجهنا في علاقتنا بربنا
بسيط و في الصميم و فيه منه مترجم بالعربي
I highly recommend it

[Zakiah Humaira · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reading the original Al Hikam was tough for me. Having this book simplifying the wisdoms taught by Ibn Ata’illah, helped me understand and hopefully live the lessons. Easy to read. Worth the read!