THE BOOK OF APHORISMS

Abii al-Fadl Ibn ‘Atifilléh al-Iskandari (d. 709) was a Sufi, jurist, scholar of Hadith and preacher. He had the best teachers in all branches of traditional sciences and became known as a great master of Islamic law of the Miiliki school. Initially he was not so drawn to the Sufi path, preferring to concentrate his energies on jurisprudence. Yet, in spite of his early antipathies, he did become a disciple of Shaykh Abfi al-‘Abbés al-Mursi. Ibn ‘Atifillaih was the second successor of Abfi al-Hasan al-Shédhili, and was the first to spread the Shédhiliyyah teachings in writing. His other works include MiftdI_1 al-Faldl; (The Key to Success), al-Qasd al-Mujarradfi Ma‘r1fi1h al-Ism al-Mufmd (The Pure Goal Concerning Knowledge of the Unique Name), Tdj al-‘Arfls al-Hdwi li Tahdhib al-Nu_fz’1s (The Bride’s Crown Containing the Discipline of Souls), and ‘Unwdn al-Tawfiqfl Adrib al-Tariq (The Sign of Success Concerning the Discipline of the Path).