Du’a or supplication has a multifunctional role within the individual’s soteriological development. One key function of du’a is the development and refinement of the individual’s etiquette (adab) in their approach to, and relationship with, Allah. This initially manifests in an understanding of the individual’s dependence on Allah and their relationship with the Divine name the Provider (al-Razzaq). As this relationship deepens, the individual begins to manifest and develop their sense of slavehood (ubudiyyah). This, in turn, as the individual develops soteriologically, changes the relationship between the slave (abd) and their Lord (rubb) such that the du’a becomes a means of intimate discourse (munajat).

The following is the abstract for my PhD thesis. The full thesis can be downloaded from the University of Tasmania Open Access Repository. This thesis addresses the problem of how to interpret Islamic writers without imposing generic frameworks of later and partly Western derivation. It questions the overuse of the category “Sufism” which has sometimes … Continue reading Understanding Sufism: Contextualising the Content →

This was written upon the request of White Thread Press for the recent publication of The Book of Wisdoms. The Book of Wisdoms is a gathering point for a multifaceted approach to the Kitab al-Hikam, a traditional and much loved Sufi text. It draws together, in English, Ibn ‘Ata’ Allah’s Kitab al-Hikam, in al-Muttaqi arrangement, with Gangohi’s … Continue reading The Book of Wisdoms →

786   My Murshid, F. A. Ali ElSenossi, has requested that I summarise the work translated by Muhammad Alamgir, Muhammad in the Vedas and the Puranas[1]. Rather than give a sequential account of this work, the material relating to the Vedas, the Puranas, and the Mahabharata have been grouped together. The reason for this approach … Continue reading Muhammad in the Vedas and the Puranas →

Besides being known as the subtle centres of the heart, the lata’if are also referred to as the senses of spiritual perception. The physical heart is the centre of the physical body connecting to all areas of the body through the blood. Similarly, the spiritual organ is the centre of the human being. Thus, the heart can be understood as the centre of our spiritual awareness. Just as the human has five physical senses to access and understand the material world, so too does the spiritual centre have five senses.