The Path of Muhammad: A Book on Islamic Morals & Ethics by Imam Birgivi (Spiritual Classics) - Softcover

Bayrak, Shaykh Tosun

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0941532682 ISBN 13: 9780941532686

Publisher: World Wisdom, 2005

Synopsis

In our day, which is characterized by a great misunderstanding of Islam, this work outlines the ideal of an Islamic society at the time of the Prophet Muhammad.

About this title

About the Author

Imam Birgivi was an Ottoman Muslim scholar and moralist who lived during the height of the Ottoman Empire, in the 16th century of the common era. Muhammad ibn Pir Ali, later called Birgivi, was born in Balikesir, Turkey, in 1522. In young manhood Muhammad was sent to Istanbul, the capital, to study theology under Ahizade Mehmed Efendi. After the completion of his education, he taught in various schools. During this time he became a dervish, attaching himself to a Sufi master of the order of Bayramiyyah. After briefly serving in a government position, Imam Birgivi abandoned all worldly concerns, dedicated his life to God, and became an ascetic. But his Sufi master, who appreciated both the virtue and the knowledge of his student, directed him to become a teacher of religion, religious jurisprudence, and morals, and to write books as well. Shortly, through his teaching and the writing of twenty-seven books, Muhammad ibn Pir Ali (now called by the title and name of Imam Birgivi) became very famous. Imam Birgivi fought against the distortion of Islamic teachings for the benefit of the ruling classes. He continued to live in the small distant town of Birgiv until he died of a plague in 1573, at the age of fifty-one.

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

Chapter 1: This is our last will and testament, and supplication to the seekers of Truth: In the name of God, the Merciful and the Compassionate: All thanks, praise, and glory be to God, who has brought us, the faithful, to Islam to submission to Him and who has given us His Beloved, Hadrat Muhammad, may God s peace and blessings be upon him, as our prophet, guide, and example, intercessor of our wrongs and His mercy upon the world, and who made us one nation, one family under him. May our Lord s mercy, His angels prayers for our deliverance, and the prayers and praise of His true servants be upon all the Prophets and Messengers and their blessed companions. And may God forgive this humblest of His servants, and my parents, and my children, and my brothers and sisters in Islam who are in desperate need of His mercy and the forgiveness of our sins. We have attempted, for our own deliverance and for those whom we love, to gather the little we know and to write in your language, so that you understand it, our Last Will and Testament. May it remind you of your own departure from this world, and help in your salvation. ON ALLAH (MAY HE BE GLORIFIED AND EXALTED) First, I beseech all Muslims to believe, say, and confirm this with their hearts: there is no god but God worthy and deserving to be worshiped, obeyed, and loved. He has no partner, nor is anything like Him. He eats not, drinks not, sleeps not, begets not, nor is He begotten. He does not have a wife, son, or daughter. He exists neither in a place nor at a time. He is neither on earth nor in heaven, on your right or your left, under or above. He has no shape or form or color, nor face, hands or feet. He fears not, hurts not, is saddened not, changes not, and is free of all defects. He is other than all we know or can imagine. He has no age. He was before always, and will be after the after, forever. He is self-existent, and does not depend on anything. His essence is only His. It is unknown to anyone but He, and is constant. He has priority over everything. He created all from nothing and can turn all into nothing. Nothing has the power to resist Him, and there is no difficulty for Him. For Him to create seven heavens and seven earths is the same as creating a fly. No one can influence, dominate, or judge Him, and He governs all and everything. He needs no one, and all are in need of Him. No good or harm can come to Him from anywhere or anyone, even if all the faithless kept faith with Him or if all the sinners became obedient. All the worship directed to Him, from the beginning of time until the end, confers no benefit upon Him. If no one ever believed in Him, it would not harm Him at all. He is One, Only, and Unique. He is Ever-Living, All-Knowing, Aware of all that is in heaven and earth, whether it is observed by or hidden from humanity. He has the accounting of all the leaves on the trees, the number of wheat kernels, and the grains of sand. Nothing is unknown to Him.! He knows the parts of every whole, and the past, present, and future of every existence. He knows what you do, what you say, think, and feel, what you show and what you hide. He knows all that is visible and invisible, what there is and what is yet to come. He cannot be mistaken, nor miss or forget anything that He knows. His knowledge existed before there was anything to know: it is uncreated, like Him.

Edition details

• Publisher: World Wisdom
• Publication date: 2005
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0941532682
• ISBN 13: 9780941532686
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 368