Shihab al-Din 'Umar al-Suhrawardi

Shahab al-Din Abu Hafs Umar Suhrawardi (c.1145 – 1234) was a Persian[1][2] Sufi and nephew of Abu al-Najib Suhrawardi. He expanded the Sufi order of Suhrawardiyya that had been created by his uncle Abu al-Najib Suhrawardi, and is the person responsible for officially formalizing the order.[3] Suhrawardi is the author of the ʿAwārif al-Maʿārif, which is recognized as a masterpiece work in Tasawwuf.

Shahāb al-Din Abu Hafs Umar Suhrawardi
Manuscript of Suhrawardi's Kitab 'auwarf al-ma'arf. Copy created in Cairo, dated 30 March-29 April 1362
TitleShaykh al-Islam
Personal
Bornc.1145
Died1234 (aged c. 89)
ReligionIslam, Sunni
DenominationSunni
Notable work(s)Awarif al-Maarif
Other namesShahabudin, Shahabuddin, Soharwardi, al-Suhrawardi, Soharwardy, Shahab ad-Din
OrderSuhrawardi Sufi Order
Senior posting
Period in office12th-13th century
PostShaykh al-Islam of the Abbasīd Caliphate

Life

Suhrawardi traces his lineage back to Abu Bakr, the first Caliph. From an early age onwards, Suhrawardi studied Islamic jurisprudence, law, logic, theology, Quranic studies and Hadith studies.[3] Suhrawardi quickly excelled in his studies and mastered, at an early age, the Shafi'i and Hanbali madhabs.[3] Suhrawardi was eventually designated as Shaykh al-Islam by Caliph al-Nasir under the Abbasids.[3]

The ʿAwārif al-Maʿārif

Suhrawardi wrote the ʿAwārif al-Maʿārif (translated as "Benefits of Intimate Knowledge", or other as "The Knowledge of the Spiritually Learned").[4][5] The ʿAwārif al-Maʿārif quickly became one of the most popular books on Sufism throughout the Muslim world. This book was allegedly translated into English by Henry Wilberforce-Clarke and published as "A Dervish Textbook" in 1891, although the Persian text which was the basis for this translation is likely to have been misattributed. It was reprinted by Octagon Press in 1980.

See also

References

  1. Medieval Islamic Civilization: An Encyclopedia. New York: Routledge. 2006. p. 775. ISBN 0415966906. Retrieved 2015-03-19.
  2. John Renard, "Historical dictionary of Sufism ", Rowman & Littlefield, 2005. pg xxviii. excerpt: "Abu 'n-Najib 'Abd al-Qahir as-Suhrawardi, Persian shaykh and author, and scholar who thought Ahmad al-Ghazali, Najm al-Din Kubra and Abu Hafs 'Umar as-Suhrawardi
  3. Medieval Islamic Civilization: An Encyclopedia (2006), p. 775
  4. Kars, Aydogan (2020-11-17). "An Earlier Copy of al-Suhrawardī's ʿAwārif al-Maʿārif and Its Scribe, Abū Ṭāhir al-Ḥanafī". Religions. 11 (11): 613. doi:10.3390/rel11110613. ISSN 2077-1444.
  5. Medieval Islamic Civilization: An Encyclopedia (2006), p. 776

Sources


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