The supplications and litanies of Shaykh Ibn al-¿Arab¿ are not only poetically beautiful, but they also have a transformative power. These prayers have been a means to healing, enlightenment, and divine empowerment for thousands of seekers for hundreds of years. For the first time in almost a millennium the prayers before you have been allowed to breathe in the English language.
Shaykh Müy¿dd¿n Ibn al-¿Arab¿ was born in present day Murcia, Spain in 1165/560. At a young age, he experienced many visions that set him on the path of wal¿ya (sainthood). After accompanying the prominent scholars and sages of Southern Iberia and North Africa, he migrated eastward where he visited the celebrated centers of Islam at the time, including Mecca, Medina, Cairo, Baghdad, Hebron and Anatolia. He finally settled in Damascus where he transitioned in 1240/638. He is considered one of the most prolific Muslim thinkers, with about 250 books, most auspiciously al-Fut¿¿¿t al-Makkiyya (Meccan Openings) and Fü¿¿ al-¿ikam (Bezels of Wisdom).
"Shaykh Müy¿dd¿n Ibn al-¿Arab¿ (God have mercy on his soul), affectionally known by those who value his vast spiritual and intellectual legacy as the Greatest Spiritual Master (al-Shaykh al-Akbar), is among the most effective and influential sages, guides, and teachers sent to humanity to transmit and explain the five dimensions of a holistic and healing Islam: law (shar¿¿a), spiritual journeying (¿ar¿qa), metaphysical reality (¿aq¿qa), divine knowledge (märifa), and Absolute Truth (¿aqq)."
- Imam Adeyinka Muhammad Mendes
"This book represents a humble attempt by a lover of the awliy¿¿ and Shaykh al-Akbar specifically to express his love for his guide(s), by compiling, transliterating, and translating the celestial litanies of khatm al-wal¿ya al-müammadiyyah (the seal of Muhammadan sainthood), a lofty spiritual rank that was granted to Shaykh al-Akbar during his life."
- Dr. Ali Hussain
