Sufi Saint of the Twentieth Century: Shaikh Ahmad Al-'Alawi, His Spiritual Heritage & Legacy Book

It is difficult to imagine the entire range of benefits someone could attain from a book like this. It would depend entirely on the reasons for approaching the book, but it could serve many different goals. As a person who longs to move deeper into knowledge of Sufism and its empirical practices, I found myself tending to look for areas where I found resonance in my own experience. However, it also served as a wonderful illustration of the practices of Sufi orders. In that sense the title can be a bit misleading. While it does focus on the life of Sheikh Al-Alawi, the true focus is on the way that his life became one with THE One, which ultimately makes it a story of divinity manifested through a true saint, and how that saint's life served as an illustration of the practices of the way.

What the book then becomes is a picture of life around a Sufi order. Lings immerses us in the impact the Sheikh and the order had on everyone who came into its orbit. He begins with the observations of an agnostic doctor who had come to treat the Sheikh, continues with a brief introduction to Sufism, then incorporates statements from disciples of the Sheikh. The first part concludes with descriptions of the Sheikh's own progression in the order.

The second part is entirely focused on doctrine, and Lings is a master at tying the specific into the universal as is the pattern of the Qur'an and Islam. The Qur'an and Sunnah were the foremost guides in Sheikh Al-Alawi's life, and through those sources the Sheikh begins with the central doctrine of Oneness of Being. From there, Lings moves us through the Sheikh's doctrine on the symbolism of the Arabic alphabet to the deep rich meaning behind ritual purification and Islamic prayer (Salat) to doctrine around gnosis, the three worlds and the great peace. An outstanding picture of the Sufi path and one that Seyyed Hossein Nasr and others consider as essential reading in Sufism.