Ranks Of The Divine Seekers

This is an unabridged, annotated, English-Arabic face-to-face translation of the great Damascene savant and saint Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyya’s (d. 751/1350) masterpiece, Madārij al-Sālikīn by Ovamir Anjum. This work on Islamic psychology aimed to rejuvenate Sufism’s Qurʾanic foundations.

This is an unabridged, annotated, English-Arabic face-to-face translation of the great Damascene savant and saint Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyya’s (d. 751/1350) masterpiece, Madārij al-Sālikīn by Ovamir Anjum. This work on Islamic psychology aimed to rejuvenate Sufism’s Qurʾanic foundations.

While in the West 'the Caliphate" evokes overwhelmingly negative images, throughout Islamic history it has been regarded as the ideal Islamic polity. In the wake of the "Arab Spring" and the removal of long-standing dictators in the Middle East, in which the dominant discourse appears to be one of the compatibility of Islam and democracy, reviving the Caliphate has continued to exercise the minds of its opponents and advocates. Reza Pankhurst's book contributes to our understanding of Islam in politics, the path of Islamic revival across the last century and how the popularity of the Caliphate in Muslim discourse waned and later re-emerged. Beginning with the abolition of the Caliphate, the ideas and discourse of the Muslim Brotherhood, Hizb ut-Tahrir, al-Qaeda and other smaller groups are then examined. A comparative analysis highlights the core commonalities as well as differences between the various movements and individuals, and suggests that as movements struggle to re-establish a polity which expresses the unity of the ummah (or global Islamic community), the Caliphate has alternatively been ignored, had its significance minimised or denied, reclaimed and promoted as a theory and symbol in different ways, yet still serves as a political ideal for many.

In this book the Promised Messiah, on whom be peace, discusses the philosophy of divine revelation, the three categories of people who claim to receive revelation, and the distinction of the truthful from the false. He then establishes his truthfulness by documenting over 200 Signs, including the fulfillment of prophecies made by the Holy Prophet Muhammad, may peace and blessings of Allah be upon him, other men of God, earlier scriptures, and his own revelations spanning over twenty-five years. The author cites numerous examples of his enemies who publicly predicted his downfall and demise, only to become the very victims of their own prophecies. God, however, protected him against every assault, while continuously reassuring him of His promise to bless his Community—a promise which continues to bear the seal and testimony of history. The author also appeals to the followers of different faiths to read this book cover to cover to appreciate and accept this evidence as proof that God is One and the Holy Prophet Muhammad is the Messenger of God, and that he is the Promised Messiah raised to unite humanity under the banner of Islam.

This is an unabridged, annotated, translation of the great Damascene savant and saint Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyya's (d. 751/1350) Madārij al-Sālikīn. Conceived as a critical commentary on an earlier Sufi classic by the great Hanbalite scholar Abū Ismāʿīl of Herat, Madārij aims to rejuvenate Sufism's Qur'anic foundations. The original work was a key text for the Sufi initiates, composed in terse, rhyming prose as a master's instruction to the aspiring seeker on the path to God, in a journey of a hundred stations whose ultimate purpose was to be lost to one's self (fanā') and subsist (baqā') in God. The translator, Ovamir (ʿUwaymir) Anjum, provides an extensive introduction and annotation to this English-Arabic face-to-face presentation of this masterpiece of Islamic psychology.

The excerpts from the book for quick awareness: 1. Those who love God but do not practise a religion are better than you if you follow a religion and yet are deprived of Gods love. 2. Love relates to the heart. The word, Allah, when synchronised within heartbeats, reaches all veins and arteries through the blood and revives the souls. Then the souls, engulfed by Gods name, Allah, enter Gods love. 3. All names given to God in all languages are worthy of respect. However, Gods original name is Allah, which is a word from the Suryani language. The creatures of empyrean speak this language. The angels call upon God with the name of Allah. Allah is attached with the faith declaration motto of every prophet. 4. Any person who, with all the sincerity of heart, is in search for God, on land or in the sea, is worthy of respect. 5. Many Adams were sent in different regions of the world simultaneously. All Adams were moulded from the clay in this world, for except the last Adam who was moulded from the clay in paradise, and is buried in the Arab region. The angels did not prostrate to any other Adam for except Adam Safi Allah. And Iblis (the Devil) developed enmity for the progeny of Adam Safi Allah only. 6. There are seven different sub-spirits in the human skeleton, and each relates to a different realm, a different paradise, and different functions in the human body. If these sub-spirits are empowered with Gods light (Noor), they may appear in human form in many places simultaneously. They may reach the esoteric gatherings of the saints and the prophets, speak with God, and even see God in person also. 7. There are two different types of religions for all humans: the religion for the body, which expires when the body does, and the religion for the soul, which existed even in the primordial timethat is Gods love. And only this religion elevates humans. 8. Ishq (Rapturous Love) of Allah is above all other religions, and seeing Allah is above all forms of worship. 9. Information on how human beings, animals, plants, and stones were brought into existence, and why something is prohibited or permissible. 10. Who pre-existed the Amr Kun (the command Be) of the souls and the angels? Which dog will enter the paradise in form of Qatmir? The souls of which individuals had already affirmed the declaration of faith in the primordial time? The secret of which man is not mentioned in this book?

God is great—for your mental, physical, and spiritual health. Based on new evidence culled from brain-scan studies, a wide-reaching survey of people’s religious and spiritual experiences, and the authors’ analyses of adult drawings of God, neuroscientist Andrew Newberg and therapist Mark Robert Waldman offer the following breakthrough discoveries: • Not only do prayer and spiritual practice reduce stress, but just twelve minutes of meditation per day may slow down the aging process. • Contemplating a loving God rather than a punitive God reduces anxiety and depression and increases feelings of security, compassion, and love. • Fundamentalism, in and of itself, can be personally beneficial, but the prejudice generated by extreme beliefs can permanently damage your brain. • Intense prayer and meditation permanently change numerous structures and functions in the brain, altering your values and the way you perceive reality. Both a revelatory work of modern science and a practical guide for readers to enhance their physical and emotional health, How God Changes Your Brain is a first-of-a-kind book about faith that is as credible as it is inspiring.

This study reassesses the influence and philosophy of Ibn Taymiyya, one of the greatest medieval Islamic theologians.