Ibn Khaldun On Sufism: Remedy For The Questioner In Search Of Answers
By YUMNA OZER

Can the seeker after Truth wholly depend on the
guidance found in books on Sufism or are the oral teachings of a spiritual
master necessary? This was a heated debate in fourteenth century Andalusia that
extended beyond the confines of Sufi circles. Ibn Khaldun (d. 808/1406), the
celebrated fourteenth century social theorist and historian, ventured into this
debate with a treatise that is as relevant today as it was then. Ibn Khaldun on
Sufism: Remedy for the Questioner in Search of Answers is the first ever
translation into English of this treatise-Shifa al-Sa il li-Tahdhib al-Masa il.
Though Ibn Khaldun is renowned for his seminal works, the Muqaddima and the
Thar, which are considered milestones in the fields of medieval sociology and
the philosophy of history, little is known about his religious and spiritual
life. In her introduction to Ibn Khaldun on Sufism, Dr Yumna Özer seeks to
restore Ibn Khaldun and his work to the context from which his theories arose,
both in intellectual and religious terms; she also draws a vivid painting of
Sufism in the fourteenth century and rethinks Ibn Khaldun s relationship with
Sufism. The translation itself addresses the dichotomies or synergies between
religious law and the Sufi path, the roles played by jurists, and that played
by Sufis, and the particular position of the Sufi shaykh or spiritual master.
Ibn Khaldun on Sufism: Remedy for the Questioner in Search of Answers provides
a rare glimpse into the world of the fourteenth century legists and Sufis and
into Ibn Khaldun s own spiritual life and thought.