I am immensely honoured by the publication of our edition and translation of Shaikh ‘Abd al-Qadir al-Jilani’s “Revelations of the Unseen” (Futuh al-ghayb). This work, a collaboration with my beloved wife, has been five years in the making.
We edited the book using three manuscripts. We also compared the Arabic text with three published Arabic editions.
We decided to present the book in a different form to offer the reader a new way to benefit from it. Instead of publishing the text as arranged in the manuscripts and published editions, we categorised it into themes, dedicating a chapter to each subject. This categorisation emulates the methodology followed in the earliest books of Sufism, such as “al-Luma’ fi al-tasawwuf” by Abu Nasr al-Sarraj al-Tusi (d. 378/988) and “al-Risala al-qushayriyya” by Abu al-Qasim al-Qushayri (d. 465/1073). This method of classification facilitates the study of Shaikh ‘Abd al-Qadir’s sayings on various subjects.
We selected themes that accurately reflect the book’s contents and highlight concepts of importance in Sufism, in particular, and Islam, in general. The result was the categorisation of the book into forty chapters. We arranged the chapters so that the subjects most closely related follow each other.
For easy reference for the reader, we also added three appendices. In Appendix A, we collected all the Qudsi and Prophetic hadiths quoted in the book. We listed one of the early hadith sources in which each hadith is mentioned. Appendix B explains the technical terms and concepts mentioned in the book. We recommend reading it before starting the book. A translation glossary is given in Appendix C. Readers who know Arabic will find it useful to review this appendix before reading the book.
Further information about the book, including sample material, is available on the book page on the publisher’s website.
The book is available in paperback, hardcover, Kindle, and audio editions through Amazon and other online retailers. It will become available through more outlets over time. You can purchase your copy from Amazon by clicking on this link.
This is the table of contents of the book:
Editors’ Preface
Author’s Biography
Author’s Introduction
1 Spiritual States of the Prophet Muḥammad
2 A Spiritual State of Shaikh ʿAbd al-Qādir
3 Visionary Dreams of Shaikh ʿAbd al-Qādir
4 Walīs and Badals
5 Spiritual States of Sufis
6 States of the Believer
7 Infallibility and Protection
8 Spiritual Ascendance
9 Takwīn and Supernatural Feats
10 Unveiling and Witnessing
11 The Conduct of Nearness to Allah
12 The Seeker and the Sought
13 One’s State in Tongue and Heart
14 Devotees in the Market
15 Polytheism
16 Occupation with the Lord of Means
17 Following the Qur’an and the Sunna
18 Obligatory, Sunna, and Supererogatory Acts
19 The Struggle Against the Self
20 Annihilation
21 Submission
22 Tawḥīd
23 Gratitude
24 The Abandonment of Worldly Fortunes
25 Supplication: Answered in the World and Rewarded in the Hereafter
26 Favour and Affliction
27 The Inevitability of Affliction and the Necessity of Patience
28 Poverty
29 Good and Evil
30 Forsaking the World
31 Seeking the Hereafter
32 Renunciation
33 Paradise Between Mercy and Deeds
34 Pious Restraint and Resolve
35 Patience
36 Contentment and Satisfaction
37 Envy
38 Vigilance and Heedlessness
39 Counsel
40 Supplements
A Ḥadīths
B Technical Glossary
C Translation Glossary
References
