Sea Without Shore: A Manual of the Sufi Path 1590080661, 9781590080665

Citation preview

SEA WITHOUT SHORE : A Manual sia ce Pa

NUHHAMIMKELLER

—t*~s

Sea Without Shore is a practical manual for those travelling the path of Sufism or Islamic mysticism, which strives,

in Junayd’s words, “to separate the Beginninglessly Eternal from that which originates in time,” in a word,

to be with the Divine without any relation. The book opens with narratives

of Sufis met by the author in Syria, Jordan, and Turkey whose

women tion to.Allah;

tho truly believe;

lives exemplified the knowledge and practice of the Sufi path. The second part is a complete handbook of the method and rule of the Shadhili order of Sufism, transmitted to the author by his spiritual mentor, Sheikh ‘Abd al-Rahman al-Shaghouri—from

expend in charity; fast; And men and e parts wholly chaste;

devotions, dhikr or ‘invocation, and metaphysical doctrine, to how a Sufi lives, marries, and earns a living

or all ofthem

in the modern world. A third part treats wider theological questions such as other faiths and mysticisms, universalism and the

finality of Islam, the promise of God to Jews and Christians, evolution and

religion, and divine Wisdom and

Justice in the face of human suffering. The book provides an indelible portrait of a vibrant mystical tradition spanning seven and a half centuries of endeavor to know the Divine without any other.

oted in adoration; in word and deed;

teadfast in patience; ed in dread and awe;

who remember th: ness and wage

SEA WITHOUT

SHORE

ee v

He is the First and Last the Outwardly Manifest and the Inwardly Hidden And He well knows every single thing KORAN 57:3

SEA WITHOUT

SHORE

A Manual of the Sufi Path

Nu Ha Mim KELLER

SUNNA# BOOKS

© MMX!I

Nuh Ha Mim Keller

Published by SUNNA ® BOOKS P.O. BOX AMMAN

183479

I111%,; JORDAN

WWW.SUNNABOOKS.COM [email protected]

All rights reserved. Aside from fair use, meaning a few pages or less for nonprofit educational purposes, review, or scholarly citation, no part ofthis publication or tts calligraphy or ornamentation may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, online, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or

otherwise, without the prior permission of the Copyright owner. ISBN 978-905 7-23-190-3 cloth The Arabic calligraphy and initial English capitals were produced for this volume by the contemporary lraqi master Muthanna al-Obaydi. The book was designed by the author and set by Sohail Nakhooda in 10.7 Linotype. Janson Text. The Arabic is set in Lotus. It is printed on Munken Premium White paper ofarchival quality and acid-free. ‘Trade orders

In the United Kingdom and Europe [email protected]

In the United States and Canada AMANA

PUBLICATIONS

10710 TUCKER STREET BELTSVILLE, MARYLAND 20705-2223, U.S.A. TEL: (301) 595-5777 FAX: (301) 595-5888 WWW.AMANA=PUBLICATIONS.COM [email protected] In Australia, New Zealand, Asia, and Africa [email protected]

Other inquiries and orders [email protected] Printed and bound in Great Britain

by TF International in Cornwall

CONTENTS Preface Abbreviations

: PART

1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

The The The The The

ONE:

MEN

OF THE

PATH

Sheikh Faqih Neighborhood Imam Friend Last Ottoman PART

TWO:

6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11.

Knowing the Path Method Faith Wirds The Hadra Works of the Heart

12.

Life, Work, and Wealth

THE

WAY

13. Pastimes 14. Marriage and Family 15. Company

16. The Shadhili Rule PART

17. 18. 19. 20. 21.

THREE:

BEARINGS

Faiths and Mysticisms Universalism People of the Book Evolution Suffering APPENDICES

A. Resources B. Works Cited C. Glossary Section Index

Sulyect Index

Digitized by the Internet Archive in 2023 with funding from Kahle/Austin Foundation

https://archive.org/details/seawithoutshoremO000nuhh

In the Name ofAllah, Most Merciful and Compassionate

PREFACE Tuts work is an approach to the Creator of man, who describes Himself as “closer to him than the very veins of the jugular” (Koran 50:16). The book has three parts. The first describes men I met and knew in the path. All were fonts of guidance whom God had blessed with His greatest gift: experiencing the incomparable Oneness of the Divine. I begin with them lest such men be thought to no longer exist, but also because they themselves had been taught by men who travelled the way before them, and regarded any other Sufi path as the pride that precedes a fall. The second part sets forth the rule of the Shadhili Order, the way of my sheikh and others mentioned in this volume, because it is a Sufi method that is tried and true. As a contemporary manual, some things are specific to our times, but most will never change as long as there is any path. A third part contains answers to theological questions of our day that travellers may need. The Arabic terms are glossed where they first appear in the present work or defined in a glossary in the back. A few proper Arabic names have been spelled as they are by their owners or as colloquially pronounced. ‘The text is uncluttered with reference notation for most brief maxims and poetry of the Sufis, whose instruction remains even today mainly spoken. Documentation is rather confined to texts cited as evidence, whether Koran, hadith, or written authorities, and consists of a parenthesized

shortened title of the work, followed by a bracketed number locating it in the Works Cited, then the quotation’s volume and page number, or if a hadith, its number and authenticity rating using one of the abbreviations given on the following page. May our Almighty Master grant us the supreme grace of His Divine Presence in this world and the next: “Nor is that difficult for Allah” (Koran 35:17). vil

ABBREVIATIONS

[» eee

a weak (da‘if) hadith

| ae

died

a; Meee edited by TR a figuratively c; Sele a well-authenticated (hasan) hadith in itself HG ...... a well-authenticated (hasan) hadith in view of

Ce nec n.d. ...... n.p. ...... piesa.

corroboratory versions literally no publication date given no publication place given plural

S00.

a rigorously authenticated (sahih) hadith

in itself SGia a rigorously authenticated (sahih) hadith in view of corroboratory versions sing. ..... singular ay aes translated by vols. ..... volumes

Vili

PART

ONE

Men of the Path

—

—-

_-

7

~

aes

&.

AGDHT =

=a

-a 4 ...

18

-

5b

ition

«Cea

>

VlanyuNS

plolinile.

ai

vias. Son) a!

~~

a

gird ye0g

_ a

ak

.

CHAPTER

ONE

THE SHEIKH 4g]| HEIKH

‘Abd al-Rahman al-Shaghouri left this world

in the summer of 2004 in Damascus, after a lifetime of serving Islam and Muslims and the spiritual path. ses

@

say

Pe.

_—

Pe

oe

2

a

al,

-

:

¥

——

—

ie

.

4

:

_ é

2

——

=

‘

S

=

:

oe

>

:

a

ot)

Aetin=, >»

-

J

Se

—

‘

Gee

A

te oe GR OCa® Hibs

thea

7

e

Ge

SD

eal

=—4

=

a

%

&

&éePoeayan

¢

Dar tate ay Ore actress 260

te

_poeyru

=

a ee

es

amiee Gata,

Powe

te

=

Po

Dig

a

>

;

Fy

*

4

af

OS

MAAN

as PTea@@

@y

aa)

4A,

7)

DGS

Cel Fg der -

'S aie

_

Sa

ii

eo