Tabaqat Al-Shadhiliyyah Al-Kubra – Biographies of Prominent Shadhilis

Title: Tabaqat Al-Shadhiliyyah Al-Kubra – Biographies of Prominent Shadhilis
Author: shaykh Muhammad b. Qasim Al-Kuhin/ Mohsin Abbas (Editor)/ Translators Abu Salif Ahmad 'Ali al-'Adanî (Illustrator)/ Khalid Williams (Illustrator)
ISBN: 978-1909460102
Publisher: Visions of Reality Bosoks (UK)

This is a collection of biographies of prominent masters of the Tariqa Shadhiliyya. The Tariqa is also associated with considerable scholarly erudition in the traditional Islamic fields of learning, with large numbers of scholars being its adherents, resulting in extensive contribution to Islamic literature in general but literature concerned with Ihsan or Sufism and its practice in particular.
Nearly one hundred of the leading Awliya Allah – Friends of Allah, over the last eight centuries are listed showing countless karamaat – miracles that Allah manifested through their hands. This is an important work as the Shadhili Tariqa is spearheading the revival of traditional Islamic teachings in the Muslim communities in the West.
This is a translation of Al-Kuhin’s famous ‘Tabaqat Al-Shadhiliyya Al-Kubra’ a collection of biographies of prominent Shadhili Masters.
The Quran tells us of a category of people for whom ‘there is no fear and nothing to grieve’, these people the friends of Allah – the Awliya Allah (Surah Yunus: 62-63), are the inheritors of the Prophets (peace be upon them all). Through them humanity has benefited for centuries.
The Sufi Tariqas developed along the same lines as the madhabs (Schools of Fiqh) and represent the science of Ihsan in traditional Islamic teachings of Ahl al-Sunnah wal Jamah. Of these Tariqas, one of the greatest in the world of Islam is the Tariqa Shadhiliyya based on the teachings of, and named after Abul Hasan al-Shadhili.
Abul Hasan al-Shadhili, who was born in the tribe of Ghumara in Morocco to a sharif family descended from the Prophet’s grandson al-Hasan. The teachings of Abul Hasan al-Shadhili stress the importance of spiritual purification, the perfection of moral character, and the adoption of pietistic etiquette (adab). There is an emphasis on adherence to the Shariah, lifelong learning and gratitude to Allah the Almighty, due to which the Tariqa Shadhiliyya is also known as the Tariqa of gratitude (shukr).
The Tariqa is also associated with considerable scholarly erudition in the traditional Islamic fields of learning, with large numbers of scholars being its adherents, resulting in extensive contribution to Islamic literature in general but literature concerned with Sufi theory and practice in particular.
The Sufis in general and the Shadhilis especially have absolute dedication and devotion to the Prophet ﷺ, something that this book shows in detail for example in the entry on Sayyidi Abu’l-Abbas al-Mursi we find:

He would say: ‘For forty years I have not been veiled from the Messenger of Allah r even for the blinking of an eye, and had that occurred I would not have counted myself from the Muslims.’

Also in the book regarding Sidi Ali al-Jamal Imrani (d. 1194 AH) we find the following:

He was always able to see the Prophet ﷺ whether he was asleep or awake, and said, ‘Whenever the Messenger of Allah ﷺ comes to my mind, I find him in front of me along with the Ten [Companions] Promised Paradise – physically present, not only spiritually. We speak with them and learn knowledge and action directly from the source of knowledge and action, may Allah bless him and give him peace.’ His student Mawlay al-Arabi al-Darqawi said about him, ‘By Allah, our shaykh Mawlay Ali al-Jamal was even more engrossed in the being of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ than Abu al-Abbas al-Mursi.’
This book is further enhanced by including biographies from Al-Kattani’s ‘Salwat al-Anfas’ as well as some internet based reference points.