This paper was delivered at the 4th International Sufi Conference, Chittagong, Bangladesh, 2014. SufiConference2014 Ibn ‘Ata’ Allah is renown, amongst other things, for being the earliest prose writers of the Shadhiliyya. Amongst his works that are currently available is the Lata’if al-minan, the earliest known account of the founder of the Shadhiliyya Order, Abu’l Hassan … Continue reading A Saint in Society – Responses to Ibn ‘Ata’ Allah’s view of the Founder of the Shadhiliyya Order →

This article originally appeared in The Journal of Islamic Philosophy, Vol. 8 (2012). An earlier version of this article, under the title “Ibn Sab’in – A Man Accused,” appeared in The Treasure: Australia’s Sufi Magazine, no. 27 (2010), pp. 14 – 18. A PDF of the article can be found here: CookSab’in2012 Amongst the various images of Ibn Sab’in (c. 614/1217-668/1270), most … Continue reading Ibn Sab’in and Islamic Orthodoxy: A Reassessment →

This article originally appeared in The Treasure: Australia’s Sufi Magazine, no. 26 (2009), pp. 29 – 37. “After Buddha was dead, his shadow was still shown for centuries in a cave — a tremendous, gruesome shadow. God is dead; but given the way of men, there may still be caves for thousands of years in which … Continue reading Nietzsche and the Science of Prophethood →

This article originally appeared in The Treasure: Australia’s Sufi Magazine, no. 31 (2012), pp. 9 – 16. Over the past 700 years the teachings of Shaykh Ibn ‘Ata’ Allah have been repeatedly studied, commented on, reiterated, and have spread to the point where they are available across the globe, having been translated into almost every major language. … Continue reading The Relevance and the Beauty of the Teaching of Shaykh Ibn ‘Ata’ Allah →