The Book Of Wisdoms [Kitab al-Hikam]

The Book of Wisdoms [Kitāb al-Ḥikam with Ikmāl al-Shiyām] - A Collection of Sufi Aphorisms with Commentary

Muslim religious life encompasses not only adherence to orthodox beliefs and diligent observance of the Sharī‘ah, but also the pursuit of spiritual refinement-attaining the states of the heart prescribed by the Islamic revelation.

The Kitāb al-Ḥikam of Shaykh Ibn ʿAṭā’illāh al-Iskandarī (d. 1309) is a renowned and widely respected guide to the journey of Islamic spirituality, commonly referred to as “the Path” or “the Way,” with the Qur’ān and Sunnah as the ultimate arbiters of its principles. While the work includes treatises and supplications, its essence lies in a collection of 264 spiritual aphorisms, which form the core of this edition. The aphorisms are presented according to the arrangement of the eminent Indian scholar Shaykh ʿAlī al-Muttaqī (d. 1567), accompanied by a commentary from the twentieth-century sage Shaykh ʿAbdullāh Gangohī.

Shaykh Ibn ʿAṭā’illāh lived in Egypt during the Mamlūk era. Originally from Alexandria, he later moved to Cairo, where he taught the Sacred Law in various institutions, including al-Azhar Mosque. Simultaneously, he served as a spiritual guide, mentoring disciples along the Path. The Ḥikam is his principal work, widely revered from his own time to the present.

Shaykh ʿAbdullāh Gangohī (d. 1921) taught in numerous Islamic schools across the Indian subcontinent during a period of significant academic and spiritual achievement. An expert in the Arabic language, many of his works are incorporated into the core curriculum of Islamic studies. He received spiritual guidance from the renowned ḥadīth scholar and Sufi Master Shaykh Khalīl Aḥmad Sahāranpūrī, who authorized him as a Master of the Path in his own right.