There are many books in English which present Sufi doctrine, but few which can be used as practical travel guides along the path. The aptly-named Book of Assistance is in widespread use today among Sufi teachers in Arabia, Indonesia and East Africa. Presented here in the readable translation of Dr. Badawi, this manual of devotions, prayers and practical ethics will be invaluable to all who love the Prophet and the Sufi way. Read more

Gifts for the Seeker answers many of the questions asked by seekers of inward illumination, such as: What are the real implications of the doctrine of divine unity? How can proper concentration be achieved during spiritual exercises? When should one avoid participating in Sufi gatherings? What is the relationship between the tongue, the mind, and the heart? How is one to understand visions received in sleep? In addition, Imam al-Haddad addresses the nature of the stations of the Sufi path such as extinction and subsistence. Read more

Based on the Qu’ran and Hadith, in the fascinating book The Lives of Man: a Guide to the Human States, Imam al-Haddad explains that every human being passes through several lives: before conception, life in the world, life in the grave, the Resurrection, and finally, the Garden or the Fire. A complete Muslim must be aware of each of these if he is to be sufficiently prepared for eternal life. Read more

The Counsels of Religion, the author’s largest work, was declared by Imam al-Haddad to be easy, clear, intelligible to the reader possessed of understanding, and sufficient. When it was said to Imam al-Haddad that “this book is nothing but the Ihya (The Revival of the Religious Sciences, Ghazali’s famous magnum opus) in condensed form”, he said, “It is as you say.” Read more

The Sublime Treasures contains Imam Al-Haddad’s answers to letters he received posing questions on easily confusing and subtle Sufi matters, presented in Imam Haddad’s inimitable style of succinct clarity.  There are questions pertaining exclusively to Sufism, such as those concerning the Pole of Time, and questions regarding the worlds of the Mulk, Malakut, Jabarut, and Lahut. There are also more general questions concerning the degrees of the Garden and its gates, the merits and courtesies of poverty and wealth, and many more. Read more

Sufi Sage of Arabia, a biography of the Sufi master Imam Abdallah al-Haddad by scholar and translator Mostafa al-Badawi takes readers into the world and spiritual life of 17th and early 18th-century Yemen. The life of this great spiritual master is recounted, from his early attraction to Sufi poetry to his rise as a Sufi master and his Hajj journey to Mecca. The book is interspersed with his spiritual teachings, including his take on the nine stages of certainty, the stages of gnosis, and supernatural events. Sufi practitioners will come to a deeper understanding of this timeless and enduring tradition with this fascinating record of a seminal Sufi master’s life and death. Read More

The Complete Summons is unique in that Imam al-Haddad is the first scholar to have divided mankind into eight main categories according to the kind of summons to God (da’wa) they need, and then detailed the rights and duties of each category. The categories include the scholars, the devotees, the rulers, the merchants, and more. The book ends with brief counsels of advice and exhortation to the members of each category. Read More