Shahab al-Din Abu Hafs Umar al-Suhrawardi ( – 1234) was a Persian

Sufi Sufism ( or ) is a mysticism, mystic body of religious practice found within Islam which is characterized by a focus on Islamic Tazkiyah, purification, spirituality, ritualism, and Asceticism#Islam, asceticism. Practitioners of Sufism are r ...

and nephew of

Abu al-Najib Suhrawardi Abū al-Najīb Abd al-Qahhar Suhrawardī () (1097–1168) was a Sunni Persian people, PersianQamar al-Huda, ''Shahab al-Din Suhrawardi'', ed. Josef W. Meri, Jere L. Bacharach, Medieval Islamic Civilization: L-Z, Vol. 2. . pp 775-776: "Shahab al-D ...

. He expanded the Sufi order of

Suhrawardiyya The Suhrawardi order (, ) is a tariqa, Sufi order founded by Abu al-Najib Suhrawardi, Abu ’l-Nad̲j̲īb Suhrawardī (died 1168). Lacking a centralised structure, it eventually divided into various branches. The order was especially prominent i ...

that had been created by his uncle

, and is the person responsible for officially formalizing the order. Suhrawardi is the author of the ''ʿAwārif al-Maʿārif'', which is recognized as a masterpiece work in

Tasawwuf Sufism ( or ) is a mysticism, mystic body of religious practice found within Islam which is characterized by a focus on Islamic Tazkiyah, purification, spirituality, ritualism, and Asceticism#Islam, asceticism. Practitioners of Sufism are r ...

Life

Suhrawardi traced his lineage back to

Abu Bakr Abd Allah ibn Abi Quhafa (23 August 634), better known by his ''Kunya (Arabic), kunya'' Abu Bakr, was a senior Sahaba, companion, the closest friend, and father-in-law of Muhammad. He served as the first caliph of the Rashidun Caliphate, ruli ...

, the first Caliph. From an early age onwards, Suhrawardi studied Islamic jurisprudence, law, logic, theology, Quranic studies and Hadith studies.Medieval Islamic Civilization: An Encyclopedia (2006), p. 775 Suhrawardi quickly excelled in his studies and mastered, at an early age, the

Shafi'i The Shafi'i school or Shafi'i Madhhab () or Shafi'i is one of the four major schools of fiqh (Islamic jurisprudence), belonging to the Ahl al-Hadith tradition within Sunni Islam. It was founded by the Muslim scholar, jurist, and traditionis ...

and

Hanbali The Hanbali school or Hanbalism is one of the four major schools of Islamic jurisprudence, belonging to the Ahl al-Hadith tradition within Sunni Islam. It is named after and based on the teachings of the 9th-century scholar, jurist and tradit ...

madhabs. Suhrawardi was eventually designated as ''Shaykh al-Islam'' by Caliph

al-Nasir Abū al-ʿAbbās Aḥmad ibn al-Hasan al-Mustaḍīʾ (), better known by his al-Nāṣir li-Dīn Allāh (; 6 August 1158 – 5 October 1225) or simply as al-Nasir, was the Abbasid caliph in Baghdad from 1180 until his death. His literally can m ...

under the

Abbasids The Abbasid Caliphate or Abbasid Empire (; ) was the third caliphate to succeed the Islamic prophet Muhammad. It was founded by a dynasty descended from Muhammad's uncle, Abbas ibn Abd al-Muttalib (566–653 CE), from whom the dynasty takes i ...

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").Medieval Islamic Civilization: An Encyclopedia (2006), p. 776 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 Octagon Press was a cross-cultural publishing house based in London, UK. It was founded in 1960 by Sufism, Sufi teacher, Idries Shah to establish the historical and cultural context for his ideas. The company ceased trading in 2014. Descriptio ...

in 1980.

Gallery

File:مرقد ومقبرة الشيخ عمر السهروردي في بغداد.jpg, Umar Al Suhrawardi's tomb in Baghdad 1912 File:الباب الوسطاني قرب مرقد الشيخ عمر السهروردي.jpg, Umar Al Suhrawardi's tomb in Baghdad 1912

References

Sources

* * Ohlander, Erik, ''Sufism in an Age of Transition: Umar al-Suhrawardi and the Rise of the Islamic Mystical Brotherhood'' (Leiden, Brill, 2008) (Islamic History and Civilization, 71). * Huda, Qamar-ul, ''Striving for Divine Union: Spiritual Exercises for Suhrawardī Sūfīs'' (Psychology Press, 2003) * Iranian Sufis 1140s births 1234 deaths 13th-century Iranian people 13th-century people from the Abbasid Caliphate 12th-century Iranian people Sunni Sufis Supporters of Ibn Arabi Founders of Sufi orders Iranian people of Arab descent Suhrawardy family Banu Taym {{Iran-academic-bio-stub

Life

The ʿAwārif al-Maʿārif

Gallery

See also

References

Sources