الرحلةThe Journey

ابن عطاء الله السكندري

Ibn 'Ata'illah (RH)

Ibn 'Ata'illah al-Iskandari

Also known as: Ibn Athaillah

c. 658–709 AH · c. 1260–1309 CE

Sufism & Theology Maliki Sufism Fiqh

Author of al-Hikam, the beloved book of Sufi aphorisms.

Ibn 'Ata'illah was a Maliki jurist of Alexandria who was at first suspicious of Sufism. After meeting Abu al-'Abbas al-Mursi he became his disciple and later the third master of the Shadhili order. He taught in Cairo, including at al-Azhar, and publicly debated Ibn Taymiyyah.

His al-Hikam al-'Ata'iyyah, a collection of short, profound sayings on reliance on Allah and the purification of the heart, is one of the most commented-on books in Sufism. It is widely studied in the Malay world as Kitab al-Hikam. His Lata'if al-Minan records the lives of al-Shadhili and al-Mursi.

Open on the map →

Life journey

  1. c. 1260 CE Alexandria (al-Iskandariyyah) الإسكندرية
  2. 1290 CE Cairo (al-Qahira) القاهرة
    Died 1309 CE · 709 AH
    Taught at al-Azhar and in Cairo's colleges; the year he moved is approximate.

Key works

  • al-Hikam al-'Ata'iyyah الحكم العطائية
    The Aphorisms
    Short sayings on reliance on Allah and the heart.

Places in their life

The Mosque of Abu al-'Abbas al-Mursi, Alexandria
The Mosque of Abu al-'Abbas al-Mursi, Alexandria
Photo: Jerrye & Roy Klotz, MD, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
The courtyard of al-Azhar, Cairo
The courtyard of al-Azhar, Cairo
Photo: CumaliOnal, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Sources

  • Ibn Hajar al-'Asqalani, al-Durar al-Kaminah
  • Victor Danner, Ibn 'Ata'illah's Sufi Aphorisms (1973), introduction
Draft, awaiting scholarly review.
Birth year approximate.