Ibn 'Abbad of Ronda: Letters on the Sufi Path

Translated by John Renard, S.J.

Paperback, 238 pages

9780809127306

In late twelfth-century Morocco the major Sufi Orders, which played a crucial role in the social and religious lives of that Moslem country, entered a period of decline, marked by formalism, a loss of inner motivation, and a growing factionalism.

In response there arose a renewal movement that emphasized a fresh, vigorous spirituality that allowed its adherents to pursue the inner life in the context of ordinary daily affairs. As one of the leaders of the Shadhiliyyah movement, Ibn Abbad taught a path to God that blended the esoteric Süff traditions of the past with the popular lay movements of the time.

Writing from the small Moroccan town of Sale to friends in the capital city of Fez, Ibn Abbad composed numerous letters of spiritual direction that spoke to the concrete problems of his devotees. A selection of these letters, written between 1365 and 1375, is included here.