Shaykh Amin Ala ad-Din an-Naqshbandi Khalidi Uthmani, The Author of Sufism:A Wayfarer’sGuide to the Naqshbandi Way.

Shaykh Amin Ala ad-Din an-Naqshbandi Khalidi Uthmani, The Author of Sufism:A Wayfarer’sGuide to the Naqshbandi Way.

Shaykh Amin, son of Shaykh Ala ad-Din and grandson of Shaykh Umar Diya ad-Din, was born on 21 December 1931 in Biyara, Iraqi Kurdistan. For most of his early childhood years he attended a madrasa in Biyara with prominent teachers such as Shaykh Abdul Karim Mudarris. In 1961 the Iraqi Kurdish revolution forced Shaykh Amin and many other Naqshbandi families to leave Biyara and migrate to Iran. He settled in Kermanshah, Iran where he resumed his secondary studies. Then he attended Tehran University and graduated with a B.A in Arabic and Persian languages and literature to subsequently work for radio stations in Kermanshah, Sanandaj, and Tehran. In 1979 shortly after Iranian revolution Shaykh Amin and family returned back to Iraqi Kurdistan where he began working for the Ministry of Religious Affairs as a senior consultant. During his time, he compiled and published his poetry in addition to other numerous commentaries and literary work. He authored “What is Sufism?” in Kurdish which was translated in Arabic by Dr. Muhammad Sharif Ahmad. In his preface Dr. Sharif writes” Shaykh Amin is a Sufi man of culture, suckled from the breast of Sufism, whose upbringing flowed from its crystal-clear fountain. He experienced material and spiritual beauty in the mountains of the Kurdish region of Iraq and its intellectual and spiritual school in Biyara. He is a talented poet, whose writing exhibits charm, sweetness, and subtle refinement.” Shaykh Amin passed away on 9 April 1990 survived by his wife and five children. Shaykh Muhammad Masum Naqshbandi (RA) was the Religious Advisor and Spiritual Guide of the Naqshbandiya Foundation for Islamic Education(NFIE) and advised NFIE to fund translation and publication of Arabic Text “ Ma huwa ‘t-Tasawwuf wa-ma hiya at-tariqat an-Naqshbandiyya”.Muhtar Holland translated it into English “ Sufism: A Wayfarer’s Guide to the Naqshbandi Way” and it was published by Fons Vitae with a preface by Shaykh Masum and forwards by Shaykh Abd al-Karim Mudarris, Mufti of Iraq, Arthur Buehler, Professor of Islamic Studies, University of Victoria at Wellington, NZ and Abdal Hakim Murad (T.J Winter), Shaykh  Zayed Lecturer, Islamic Studies, Faculty of Divinity, University of Cambridge.

Shaykh Masum was Shaykh Amin’s cousin and grandson of Shaykh Umar Diya ad=Din. He began his education in Biyara ,studying also in Mahabad, Iran before finishing his studies with renown scholar Shaykh Abd al Karim Mudarris in 1947.He received permission to teach the Qadri and Naqshbandi practices from his uncle Shaykh Ala’ad-Din. He stayed in Iran until the 1979 revolution when he moved to Iraq ,finally settling in the United States in 1991. Shaykh Masum passed away on eighth of January; his body was laid to rest in Biyara’s Naqshbandi Khanqah. Shaykh Masum ends his preface with” May Allah bless us with hearts that can pray with sincerity and reflect the divine light.May we have eyes whose gaze on this world will remind us of Allah.I pray to Allah to bless us with the ability to practice the teachings of Islam in our daily life with excellence. Ameen

Source: Sufism: A wayfarer’s Guide to the Naqshbandi Way
Amazon:https://www.amazon.com/Sufism-Wayfarers-Guide-Naqshbandi-Way/dp/1891785834
Fons Vitae:https://fonsvitae.com/product/sufisma-wayfarers-guide-to-the-naqshbandi-way/

An invaluably thorough manual of Khalidi-naqshbandi spiritual method, this text highlights the depths of the islamic revelation in its most authentic form.

 — T. J. Winter, Cambridge University

A Wayfarer’s Guide is an important step forward on the understanding of the naqsh- bandi-Khalidi lineage, especially in the way that the shariah of islam is harmonized with its inner dimension, in the effectiveness of naqshbandi contemplative practices, and the resulting transformations. an unusual synthesis of the naqshbandi teaching written in a clear language and a very didactic approach, amin `ala al-din al-naqsh- bandi’s book is a worthwhile exposition of sufism written by a prominent shaykh of a famous sufi family in the Kurdish area of iraq.

 — Thierry Zarcone, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Paris

It is much to be welcomed that this concise introduction to sufism, as understood by the Khalidi branch of the naqshbandi order, is now available in a clear and straightfor- ward english, in addition to the Kurdish original and arabic and Persian translations. Particularly useful are the definitions of the technical terms of sufism. recommended as an antidote to the psuedo-sufi literature now proliferating on the market.

 — Hamid Algar, University of California, Berkeley