Revealed Grace: The Juristic Sufism of Ahmad Sirhindi (1564-1624)
About The Book
Ahmad Sirhindi (d. 1624 in northern India), the most important sufi of the 16th century, is the founder-figure of the renowned Naqshbandi-Mujaddidi sufi lineage. His principal teachings are contained in his 1263-page Collected Letters, which are written mostly in Persian.
There are few other sufi texts on a pan-Islamic level that have had and continue to have such a lasting impact on Muslims in the eastern Islamic world. Buehler’s translation is the first time that entire letters of Sirhindi’s Collected Letters have been translated into English.
Now the English-speaking world has access to the spiritual experiences and contemplative practices of a great sufi, whose spiritual descendants make the Naqshbandiyya-Mujaddidiyya one of the most influential sufi lineages in the contemporary world.
Table of Contents
Dedication vi
Translator’s Preface: Disclaimers and Confessions ix
Introduction 1
Chapter One: Shariat, Sunnat, and Jurists 63
The basics of faith: Letter 2.67 63
Shariat: Letter 2.46 81
The seven levels of the sunnat: Letter 2.54 90
Islam and other religious communities: Letter 2.55 97
Is there a place beyond the shariat? Letter 1.172 105
Differences between sufis and jurists: Letter 3.39 108
Similarities between sufis and jurists: Letter 3.32 109
Chapter two: Contemplative experience 115
One of Sirhindi’s early contemplative experiences: Letter 1.11 115
Sirhindi’s further contemplative development: Letter 1.13 124
Types of certainty and stations on the sufi path: Letter 1.18 126
Sirhindi’s culminating contemplative experience: Letter 1.290 135
Realizing unity with God: Letter 1.291 159
Chapter three: aspects of the Sufi path 169
Getting beyond the ego-self : Letter 1.52 169
Encouraging a youth to the sufi path: Letter 1.73 172
The expanse of the heart: Letter 3.45 178
Shadows versus the Essence: Letter 2.42 180
The sufi path: Letter 2.71 195
Reprimanding a beginner: Letter 2.77 197
Types of seekers on the path: Letter 1.292 201
The end is included in the beginning: Letter 1.200 208
Evaluating spiritual rank: Letter 1.293 212
Those who think they are further along than they are: Letter 1.220 218
Naqshbandi Cosmology: Letter 1.257 224
Sirhindi interpreting verses of Sharafuddin Maneri: Letter 3.33 227
Chapter four: Sufi treatise 1: letter 1.260 233
Chapter five: Sufi treatise 2: letter 1.287 266
Selected Bibliography 301
Index 310
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Description
About The Book
Ahmad Sirhindi (d. 1624 in northern India), the most important sufi of the 16th century, is the founder-figure of the renowned Naqshbandi-Mujaddidi sufi lineage. His principal teachings are contained in his 1263-page Collected Letters, which are written mostly in Persian.
There are few other sufi texts on a pan-Islamic level that have had and continue to have such a lasting impact on Muslims in the eastern Islamic world. Buehler’s translation is the first time that entire letters of Sirhindi’s Collected Letters have been translated into English.
Now the English-speaking world has access to the spiritual experiences and contemplative practices of a great sufi, whose spiritual descendants make the Naqshbandiyya-Mujaddidiyya one of the most influential sufi lineages in the contemporary world.
Table of Contents
Dedication vi
Translator’s Preface: Disclaimers and Confessions ix
Introduction 1
Chapter One: Shariat, Sunnat, and Jurists 63
The basics of faith: Letter 2.67 63
Shariat: Letter 2.46 81
The seven levels of the sunnat: Letter 2.54 90
Islam and other religious communities: Letter 2.55 97
Is there a place beyond the shariat? Letter 1.172 105
Differences between sufis and jurists: Letter 3.39 108
Similarities between sufis and jurists: Letter 3.32 109
Chapter two: Contemplative experience 115
One of Sirhindi’s early contemplative experiences: Letter 1.11 115
Sirhindi’s further contemplative development: Letter 1.13 124
Types of certainty and stations on the sufi path: Letter 1.18 126
Sirhindi’s culminating contemplative experience: Letter 1.290 135
Realizing unity with God: Letter 1.291 159
Chapter three: aspects of the Sufi path 169
Getting beyond the ego-self : Letter 1.52 169
Encouraging a youth to the sufi path: Letter 1.73 172
The expanse of the heart: Letter 3.45 178
Shadows versus the Essence: Letter 2.42 180
The sufi path: Letter 2.71 195
Reprimanding a beginner: Letter 2.77 197
Types of seekers on the path: Letter 1.292 201
The end is included in the beginning: Letter 1.200 208
Evaluating spiritual rank: Letter 1.293 212
Those who think they are further along than they are: Letter 1.220 218
Naqshbandi Cosmology: Letter 1.257 224
Sirhindi interpreting verses of Sharafuddin Maneri: Letter 3.33 227
Chapter four: Sufi treatise 1: letter 1.260 233
Chapter five: Sufi treatise 2: letter 1.287 266
Selected Bibliography 301
Index 310
