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**UitEz0Qo** · 12-08-2009, 09:08 PM

OK it's a really interesting book. I bought it because Mufti Kamaluddin mentioned it in one of his talks. It's around 300 pages I couldn't put it down finished it in 2 days.

He speaks a lot about the Mujaddid Alf Thani (RA)'s view on ecstasy and utterances in the state of ecstasy. Really interesting. If you read the whole book with all his notes at the back you will learn a lot about early Sufis too.

He discusses the difference between Ibn al-Arabi (RA)'s wahdatul wujood and Mujaddid (RA)'s wahdatu-shuhood. Shah Waliyullah (RA) comes about 100 years after Mujaddid Alf Thani (RA) and he speaks briefly about how he attempts to reconcile between wujoodi and shuhoodi understandings. He disagrees quite bluntly with Shah Waliyullah (RA) and ibn al-Arabi (RA) in favour of Mujaddid Alf Thaani. He also speaks about how one of Mawlana Jani Jaanaan's Khalifah refutes Shah Waliyullah (RA)'s attempt to reconcile between the two.

In the end of the first part he finishes with ibn Taymiyyah (RA)'s view on tasawwuf and says it is very similar to the Naqshbandi-Mujaddidi practices. He shows that ibn Taymiyyah (RA) praises sufis who would not entertain ecstatic states like Abdul Qadir al Jilani, Junayd al-Baghdadi (RA) etc.

The second part of the book is all translations of parts of the Maktoobaat.

Anyway I wouldn't say it's a book of the Naqshbandi-Mujaddidi's, its more an academic work but not overly academic in that you can actually read it and understand it.

The author studied in Indian universities and also did an MA in Harvard. If I remember correctly he was born in the 1930s so if he's still alive he'll be pretty old.

Jazak Allahu khayran for that review! It does sound quite interesting. Do you know if any of the UK based online bookstores stock the book? I have only been able to find it on US based shops, like on this one:

http://www.onlineislamicstore.com/b4920.html

Edit:

I found it on Amazon.co.uk: http://tinyurl.com/yz9dlme

and there was this review of it too:

"This is without doubt one of the most comprehensive studies of a Sufi you are likely to find. The subject of the book Ahmed Sirihindi is perhaps one of the most important Sufis in recent centuries. It was from him that most of the major Naqshibandi orders derive from in India and Pakistan and also the Khalidi Naqshibandi order that spread to almost all the Turkish speaking countries, the Balkans and the Arab Middle East.

The book not only gives an extensive biography of Shaykh Ahmed Sirihindi (His teachers, where he studied etc) But also covers some of the thorny issues relating to Sufism (Such as Wahdat al Wajud (oneness of being) and ibn Qayyum and ibn Taymiyya two Islamic scholars who have been most famous for being known opponents of Sufism. The author Ansari points out that not only were they not opponents of Sufism (But rather only certain aspects of Sufism that they disapproved of) But they were also in fact Sufis themselves of the Qadiri Sufi order (A Sufi order with strong links to the Hanbali School of thought to which ibn Qayyum and ibn Taymiyya belonged.

The book also provides the reader with a large translation of Sirihindis most famous book the Maktubat. A book that is still very well read and studied amongst Sufis in Turkey.

A highly recommended book to anyone with an interest not only in Indian Subcontinent Sufism but also in the Sufi reform movements that took place in the 18th and 19th Centuries across the Middle East and Africa and also the modern Sufi orders of today."

12-08-2009, 09:08 PM	#8
UitEz0Qo Join Date Oct 2005 Posts 325 Senior Member	OK it's a really interesting book. I bought it because Mufti Kamaluddin mentioned it in one of his talks. It's around 300 pages I couldn't put it down finished it in 2 days. He speaks a lot about the Mujaddid Alf Thani (RA)'s view on ecstasy and utterances in the state of ecstasy. Really interesting. If you read the whole book with all his notes at the back you will learn a lot about early Sufis too. He discusses the difference between Ibn al-Arabi (RA)'s wahdatul wujood and Mujaddid (RA)'s wahdatu-shuhood. Shah Waliyullah (RA) comes about 100 years after Mujaddid Alf Thani (RA) and he speaks briefly about how he attempts to reconcile between wujoodi and shuhoodi understandings. He disagrees quite bluntly with Shah Waliyullah (RA) and ibn al-Arabi (RA) in favour of Mujaddid Alf Thaani. He also speaks about how one of Mawlana Jani Jaanaan's Khalifah refutes Shah Waliyullah (RA)'s attempt to reconcile between the two. In the end of the first part he finishes with ibn Taymiyyah (RA)'s view on tasawwuf and says it is very similar to the Naqshbandi-Mujaddidi practices. He shows that ibn Taymiyyah (RA) praises sufis who would not entertain ecstatic states like Abdul Qadir al Jilani, Junayd al-Baghdadi (RA) etc. The second part of the book is all translations of parts of the Maktoobaat. Anyway I wouldn't say it's a book of the Naqshbandi-Mujaddidi's, its more an academic work but not overly academic in that you can actually read it and understand it. The author studied in Indian universities and also did an MA in Harvard. If I remember correctly he was born in the 1930s so if he's still alive he'll be pretty old. Jazak Allahu khayran for that review! It does sound quite interesting. Do you know if any of the UK based online bookstores stock the book? I have only been able to find it on US based shops, like on this one: http://www.onlineislamicstore.com/b4920.html Edit: I found it on Amazon.co.uk: http://tinyurl.com/yz9dlme and there was this review of it too: "This is without doubt one of the most comprehensive studies of a Sufi you are likely to find. The subject of the book Ahmed Sirihindi is perhaps one of the most important Sufis in recent centuries. It was from him that most of the major Naqshibandi orders derive from in India and Pakistan and also the Khalidi Naqshibandi order that spread to almost all the Turkish speaking countries, the Balkans and the Arab Middle East. The book not only gives an extensive biography of Shaykh Ahmed Sirihindi (His teachers, where he studied etc) But also covers some of the thorny issues relating to Sufism (Such as Wahdat al Wajud (oneness of being) and ibn Qayyum and ibn Taymiyya two Islamic scholars who have been most famous for being known opponents of Sufism. The author Ansari points out that not only were they not opponents of Sufism (But rather only certain aspects of Sufism that they disapproved of) But they were also in fact Sufis themselves of the Qadiri Sufi order (A Sufi order with strong links to the Hanbali School of thought to which ibn Qayyum and ibn Taymiyya belonged. The book also provides the reader with a large translation of Sirihindis most famous book the Maktubat. A book that is still very well read and studied amongst Sufis in Turkey. A highly recommended book to anyone with an interest not only in Indian Subcontinent Sufism but also in the Sufi reform movements that took place in the 18th and 19th Centuries across the Middle East and Africa and also the modern Sufi orders of today."
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