A Sublime Way

The Middle East has suffered significant intellectual and moral damage….it is a source of great reassurance to see that the authentic and indigenous spirituality of the Holy Cities has survived…and is now attracting many of the younger people who are seeking a merciful and authentic alternative to the fundamentalist project. This book is a very welcome indication of that timely change.

This is a book that I believe, Allah Willing, would please the souls of the noble scholar, al-Sayyid Muhammad b. ʿAlawī al-Mālikī, and that of his forefathers, for it shows how united the scholars of Makka were in their Sufism. Indeed, it’s a very good explanation of the different facets of the path of Sufism, the way of the scholars of Makka – Ṭarīqa ʿUlamā Makka – who came from around the globe and engaged with each other in such a beautiful way in Makka. May Allah bless the authors for their efforts, and may He allow us to benefit.

… this book about our shaykhs, the scholars and nobles of the honoured city of Makka; and on their ṭarīqa on the path of self-purification (tazkiya), inner excellence (iḥsān) and the path (sayr) to Allah Most High… I found therein much benefit, and majestic usefulness…it is rich in meaning and abundant in spiritual and intellectual benefit. It will be especially of benefit to one seeking a succinct yet rich in-depth book.

Praise be to Allah ﷻ Who has assembled a beautiful group for the writing of this book. They have collected the Makkan teachings in spiritual calling to Allah, and prophetic teachings by way of al-Sayyid Muhammad b. ʿAlawī al-Mālikī, may Allah ﷻ have mercy on him. May Allah ﷻ bless the brethren, the virtuous shaykhs, the judicious Shaykh Seraj Hendricks, the noble Ustādh, Dr. H.A. Hellyer and Shaykh Ahmad Hendricks.

Simply put, this is one of the best roads to Mecca: a simple yet authoritative Sufi guide in English transmitting the teachings of the great sage of our age from the Holy City of Makka, Shaykh al-Sayyid Muhammad b. ʿAlawī al-Mālikī (d. 2004). This Meccan tradition represents one of the true inheritors of the Ghazālīan legacy in the modern age as reflected throughout the pages of this guide, and inflected through the timeless lessons of Imam al-Ghazālī (d. 1111) in balancing gratitude (shukr) and wayfaring (mujahada), and indeed, theory and practice. May Allah ennoble the sage, the transmitters and those who benefit from it!

A Sublime Way provides rare and valuable insights in the English language on traversing the spiritual path laid out by one of the most prominent Muslim sages of the late twentieth century, Sayyid Muhammad b. ʿAlawī al-Mālikī, who inherited and transmitted the scholarship of Makka.

The most important aspect of this book, in my opinion, is the presentation of major universal concepts in Sufism (taṣawwuf) …although all these universal concepts were elaborated within a specific spiritual path, but the message is universal. Therefore, it benefits both the traveller (sālik) as well as the general reader.

Dr. Hellyer, Shaykh Seraj and Shaykh Ahmad Hendricks are to be commended for their work in making the methods and understandings of those who take on the path of many of the sages of Makka accessible to a Western audience. This book is highly recommended for those interested in Sufi philosophies of spiritual ascent and their influence on spiritual networks on a global level.

It was a pleasure reading this book. It is a remarkable “tract of practical Sufism” (to use the words of Shaykh Seraj in the preface). It provides a depth of historical tradition in synthesis with contemporary modern articulation of what is involved in following the Sufi path. The presentation of the diverse dimensions of Sufi practice provides important insights into how diversity is shaped by tawḥīd unity.

This important book is a welcome addition to contemporary, Muslim-authored works on Sufism, a genre that offers a much-needed insiders’ look at the history, practices, and–most critically–the continuing relevance of the time-honoured traditions of Sufism for today’s Muslim communities. Too often Sufism, especially when presented in academic works on Islam, comes across as an esoteric mysticism, best suited for a bygone age. This book remedies that approach by demonstrating the dynamism of Sufism–how it is both rooted in the Islamic tradition but is also practiced, developed, and refined by scholars and worshipers living in modern times and addressing the concerns of modern Muslim communities…it is my belief that the continuing relevance of the Sufi way, particularly the way of the ʿulamā, lies in its ability to speak to the heart of the believer and illuminate the foundations of faith in an increasingly bewildering world.