Hidayatul Azkiya is a didactic Arabic poem authored by the great Indian scholar, Shaykh Zayn

al-Din Mabari (d. 1521), on the science of tasawwuf, or Islamic spirituality and suluk, or
spiritual wayfaring. It remains the most widely studied work of tasawwuf in the authors
homeland of Kerala, and is also a standard textbook in religious schools in Indonesia, reflecting
the close links that once existed between Kerala and the Malay archipelago. The work is
mentioned in the Serat Centhini, a royally commissioned, twelve volume compilation of
Javanese lore and culture, published in 1814, as one of three texts of Sufism studied in Java.1
Many scholars have written commentaries on Hidayatul Azkiya down the centuries. The
first was written by his son, Shaykh Abdul Aziz (d. 1587), called Maslak al-Atqiya. In his
introduction to his commentary, Shaykh Abdal Aziz noted that books on spiritual wayfaring
(suluk) are many, well-known, and widespread; but due to their large size, few benefited from
them except those of high determinationand having found the qasida Hidayatul Azkiya to be
among the most beneficial of books for spiritual wayfarers (Salikin) and those seeking guidance,
due to the abundance of its benefits and richness of knowledge, despite its small size and
concisenessand having seen some of our peers busying themselves with its study, eager to
uncover its meaningsI resolved to write a commentary on it to explain its words and perfect
its benefits.2
Initially, Abdul Aziz writes, he penned a short commentary on his fathers poem, but then
it occurred to him to add selections from the writings of the great scholars, to adorn this book
and delight the eyes of the intelligentso you will see in it gardens of beauty and illuminating
beneficial points from the Ihya Ulumiddin and other works.3
Nearly three centuries later, Sayyid Bakri bin Muhammad Shatta al-Dimyati (d. 1893),
an Egyptian scholar resident in Makkah, wrote a commentary entitled Kifayatul Atqiya; his
contemporary Imam Nawawi al-Bantani (d. 1897), an Indonesian scholar also resident in
Makkah, wrote a commentary entitled Salalim al-Fudala, which is commonly printed in the
margins of Sayyid Bakris longer work. It is these two commentaries which are most widespread,
and are part of the curriculum of most pesantrens (Islamic boarding schools) in Java.
The present translation of Hidayatul Adhkiya includes the entirety of Sayyid Bakris
commentary, with the exception of his analysis of the grammatical aspects of the poem (which
are clearly demarcated from the rest of his commentary in the Arabic original). I have
supplemented this text with relevant selections from the Maslak al-Atqiya. It is worth noting that
in many cases Shaykh Abdul Aziz abridges and occasionally rewords his cited material
(particularly from the Ihya) rather than presenting it verbatim. While these selections have been
abridged (due to the grammatical commentary and lengthy side discussions they contain), neither
the wording nor the content of the selections presented have been altered.

1 The other two being the Ihya Ulum al-din of Imam al Ghazali and the Insan al-Kamil of Shaykh Abd
al-Karim Jili
2 Maslak al-Atqiya wa Manhaj al-Atqiya, by Abdul Aziz al-Malibari, and published by
Bayrt : Kitb - Nshirn, in 2014; page 43.
3 Ibid: 44.

A close reading of both commentaries reveals that Sayyid Bakris text is heavily indebted
to Abdul Azizs work; indeed it could be said that Kifayatul Atqiya is a largely an abridgment of
Maslak al-Atqiya. Sayyid al-Bakris original contributions include selections from the work of
later scholars such as Imam al-Haddad and Imam Sharani, expositions on the merits of sending
blessings on Rasulullah and of the tahlil, additional hadith proof-texts, and a beautiful
supplication at the end of his work. To maintain the integrity of Sayyid Bakris work I have
clearly distinguished the selections from Maslak al-Atqiya.
Finally I have included some material from Imam al-Bantanis commentary in the
footnotes of the translation.
Its my hope that this translation of the Hidayatul Azkiya and its commentaries can
provide English readers with some of the benefits and insights it has provided seekers from many
parts of the world for centuries.

Author of the Text: Makhdum I4

Today the state of Kerala is home to one of the largest concentrations of Muslims in
India. Over a fifth of its people are Muslims. Islam spread peacefully in Kerala through the
influence of Arab traders and merchants, who visited the southern coasts of India since the
earliest days of Islam.
Despite their numbers the Muslims of Kerala have never held political power in their
homeland, living instead under local Hindu rajas. Thus they tended to look to their shaykhs and
scholars, rather than a state or dynasty, as figures of unity and leadership. The author of our text,
Shaykh Zayn al-din, was the first of a long lineage of suchs shaykhs. This lineage, whose
members bore the title of Makhdum (the one served), constituted the center of religious life for
Keralas Muslims for much of their history.
Zayn-al-Dins surname Mabari, refers to the south Coromandel Coast, on the east
coast of India in what is now the state of Tamil Nadu. Arab traders and navigators had settled
along this coast as early as the eighth century; an international textile trade linking south India to
the Indonesian archipelago made this region prominent and by the fifteenth century a chain of
Muslim trading towns could be found along the Tamil coast.
Zayn al-din was born on 12 th Shaban 871 AH (1466) in the city of Cochin. He came from
a family of scholars and teachers of Islam; they moved to Kerala when Zayn-al-din was young,
to provide religious guidance for the local Muslims. As in the Tamil lands, flourishing Muslim
settlements, nourished by international trade, existed on the west coast of India in far greater
numbers than in Zayn al-dins place of birth (due to the greater volume and value of the Malabar
spice trade). As in the Tamil lands, the Hindu rulers of Malabar, honored their Muslim subjects
due to the commercial prosperity they brought to the kingdom.

4 Much of this biographical information, particularly relating to the Shaykhs

teachers and books, is found in the opening chapter of Maslak al-Atqiya.

As a young man, Zayn-al-Din pursued his studies of the Islamic sciences in Ponnani,
Calicut and Chaliyam (all in modern-day Kerala) under a variety of teachers. In particular he
studied
fiqh, hadith, and the Kafi on inheritance with Shaykh Ahmad bin Shihab al-din bin
Uthman bin Abu al-Khul al-Yamani,
fiqh and usul with Qadi Fakhr al-Din Abu Bakr bin Qadi Ramadan al-Shaliyani, the Qadi
of Calicut and an expert in the science of balagha,
and received ijazas in hadith, fiqh and tafsir from Qadi Abd al-Rahman al-Awsi al-Misri,
who was a student of Shaykh al-Islam Zakariyya al-Ansari.
In 1519 he called on the Muslims of Ponnani to fund the building of a great mosque
where all of the Muslims of the city could gather for Friday prayers. The mosque, like most
mosques of Kerala built before the twentieth century, was built on the architectural form of local
Hindu and Jain temples.
This mosque, which included accomodations for visiting scholars and students from
outside the city, became a center of Islamic education. Shaykh Zayn al-din introduced the
practice of 'vilakkiruthal' (sitting by the lamp), in which the most advanced students were
allowed to sit near the brass lamp in the middle of the prayer hall, receiving instruction from the
Makhdum himself. These students instructed less senior students, who in turn taught new
entrants. Those who successfully completed their training received the title of Musliyar, and
became judges, preachers and imams. Oaths had to be made before the Makhdum before the title
was awarded. Upon the oath, Makdhum would confer a garment (the coat and cap of Musliyar)
and an authorization (ijaza) to teach the Islamic sciences.
During the lifetime of Shaykh Zayn al-din, and in succeeding generations, Ponnani
became known as the Makkah of Malabar, and a major center of Islamic learning in the eastern
Indian Ocean; students from Sumatra, Java, Ceylon and Tamil Nadu travelled to Ponnani to
study with the Makhdums. This is legacy is visible today in the almost universal use of certain
texts authored by the Makhdums (particularly Shaykh Zayn al-din and his grandson, Shaykh
Zayn al-din II) in Southeast Asia. The primacy of the Makhdum dynasty in the religious life of
Kerala is reflected in the fact that the Zamorin, the Hindu ruler of Kerala, would traditionally
send ceremonial robes upon the installment of a new Makhdum.
Shaykh Zayn al-din himself authored a number of books on nearly every branch of
Islamic learning. They include
Murshid al-Tullab ila al-Karim al-Wahab- a book of admonition and guidance, the
greatest of his works in size and knowledge
Siraj al-Qulub- a book of admonition and guidance
Tuhfatul Ahibba- a book of Prophetic invocations and supplications, abridged by leaving
out the chains of transmission
Irshad Qasidin- an abridgement of Imam al-Ghazali Minhajul Abidin.
Shub al-Iman- a translation of a Persian work of the same name by Sayyid Nur al-Din Iji
on the seventy seven branches of faith)
Kifayatul Faraidh- a work on inheritance (abridgment of the Kafi on inheritance by
Fardhi)
Shafa min Shifa (an abridgement of Qadi Iyads celebrated Shifa on the rights of the

Prophet)
He also wrote commentaries on works such as the Qafiyah of Ibn Hajib (in Arabic
grammar), the Alfiyah of Imam Malik (in Arabic grammar), the Tuhfa of Ibn Wardi (in Arabic
grammar) and the Irshad of Ibn Muqri (in Shafi fiqh), as well as a work of stories of the
prophets, including relevant admonitions and hadith, and a text on the life of Rasulullah.
According to his son, Shaykh Abdul Aziz, he would compose books when the need arose and
would not devote much time to editing or embellishing them, so that they could be circulated
quickly according to the need.
He also authored a number of poems, including a qasida based on the kitab al-Baraka of
Wassabi, the recitation of which is said to erase poverty and brings blessing (baraka), as well as
the Manqus Mawlid, an extended poem celebrating the birthday of the Holy Prophet; to this
day, it is the most popular such text in Kerala. He also wrote many letters to local kings, both in
verse and prose, urging armed struggle against the Portuguese forces which were invading
Kerala during the sixteenth century.
He was a shaykh of the Chishti tariqa, having been initiated by Shaykh Farid al-din bin
Izz al-din al-Ajudahani, who invested him with the khirqa (cloak) and audible invocation
according to the Qadiri method, and handed over to him the responsibility of training and
guiding disciples, and investing them with the khirqa and the invocation. He was also invested
with silent and audible invocation according to the Shattari tariqa, and given the authority to
transmit it to others, by Shaykh Thabit bin Ayn ibn Mahmud al-Zahidi.
Shaykh Abdul Aziz describes him as a possessor of great generosity, and favors
expended on the elite and the commonality, concerned with the affairs of seekers of knowledge,
affectionate to the needy, a lover of the poor, the righteous and the servants, abundant in
invocations, prayers and devotionsconcerned for creation, a spreader of knowledge, a deflecter
of innovation and evil, a helper of the wronged; how many evils he removed and Prophetic
customs he revived! Many took benefit from him and uncountable numbers embraced Islam at
his hands; he would honor them greatly and insist that others do the same.5
He died on the 17th of Shaban 928 (1521), and is buried at the Juma Masjid in Ponnani.
Shaykh Zayn al-dins son, Shaykh Abdul Aziz, succeeded his father as the second
Makhdum of Ponnani; he personally led Muslim forces against the Portuguese in battle of
Chaliyam in 1571 AD. In addition to authoring Maslak al Atqiya, he completed his fathers
commentary on the Alfiyyah of Imam al-Malik. He died in 1587 and was buried near his father in
Ponnani.
He was succeeded by his nephew, Shaykh Zayn ul-din II, the grandson of Makhdum, who
studied in Makkah for a decade, being a pupil of famed Shafi scholar, Imam ibn Hajar alHaytami. He is most famous for his work Tuhfatul Mujahidin, which he submitted to Ali Adil
Shah of Bijapur (1557-1580) in 1583. Although primarily a call to arms against the Portuguese
invaders, it includes a history of Kerala, the genesis of the local Muslim community, and
describes the customs and politics of the people of Kerala. In addition, he authored a major,
textbook of Shafi fiqh, entitled Fath al-Muin, which (along with its commentary by Sayyid
Bakri, entitled Ianatu Talibin) is a standard textbook and work of reference in all countries where
the Shafi madhab is practiced.
5 (Abdul Aziz al-Malibari: 48).

Although the international repute of Ponnani declined by the end of the seventeeth
century, as a result of the Portuguese onslaught which broke Muslim economic power in Kerala,
and subsequent European dominance of trade in the Indian Ocean, Ponnani remained the
foremost center of Islamic education in Kerala until the first decades of the twentieth century;
with the rise of educational reform in the 1920s, scholars of Kerala were increasingly trained in
universities with standardized curriculums, combining western and Islamic styles of education.
The mosque-college of Ponnani, although now a shadow of its former self, retains its aura of
sanctity and still issues ijazas to those desiring a traditional grounding in the Islamic sciences.
Hidayatul Azkiya and its Major Themes
Shaykh Abdul Aziz noted that his fathers poem drew from the following works
1)
2)
3)
4)
5)
6)
7)
8)

Ihya Ulum al-din of Imam al Ghazali

Bidaya al-Hidaya by Imam al Ghazali
Fatihah al-Ulum by Imam al-Ghazali
Awarif Maarif by Shaykh Shihab al-din al-Suhrawardi
Tibyan fi adab hamalatil Quran by Imam al-Nawawi
Risala al-Qudsiyya by Shaykh Zainuddin al-Khawafi
Kibrit al-Ahmar of Shaykh Abdallah bin Abu Bakr al-Aydarus
Maarij al-Hidaya by Shaykh Ali bin Abi Bakr (the brother of Shaykh al-Aydarus)

The last two works reflect the particular importance of the Ba Alawi sayyids of Hadramaut in the
Muslim communities of the Indian Ocean. Shaykh Abdul Aziz writes that the main inspiration of
his fathers poem was the the work of Shaykh al-Khawafi (d. 1435), a Khurasani scholar and
Sufi who died in Herat and founded a branch of the Suhrawardi order, which became popular in
Anatolia.
Regarding the composition of the poem, Shaykh Abdul Aziz writes that he found a
manuscript in his fathers own handwriting, which read Know o my brothers that I was once
saddened and unsure of what sciences to devote myself to: with fiqh and the like, or with
tasawwuf, such as the Awarif and other such books. So I saw in my sleep on the night 24 Sha'ban
914 A. H., a speaker who said Tasawuf is the best choice, for one who swims in a river, if he
wants to traverse from one shore to the other, will must begin from the direction from which the
water flows (i.e. upstream) and continue until he reaches his goal. He does not swim directly
across, for if he does he will not achieve his goal but he will end up further downstream. So I
understood from this that it is tasawuf that conveys one directly to his goal. Makhdum
understood from this that only occupying oneself with tasawwuf and not fiqh or any of the other
sciences, that will bring someone directly to his goal.6
After his dream Makhdum composed this poem.

6 Ibid: 45

Shaykh Zayn al-Din begins the poem by emphasizing of the foundational nature of
takwa- cautiously guarding oneself from anything which could cause harm to ones religion,
which he describes as the pivot of all happiness. The opposite of takwa is the following of ones
whims and lusts without restraint, which Makdhum identifies as the foundation of all evil in
human life.
He then lays out the spiritual path in three stages: sharia, tariqa and haqiqa. The sharia
refers to the divinely revealed commands and prohibititions. The tariqa refers to the servants
active, lifelong effort and struggle, by adhering strictly to this code of conduct, to overcome his
lower self and attain his Lords nearness. The haqiqa refers to the fruit of this effort, whereby the
Lord bestows spiritual gifts of illumination and insight into hidden realities upon His servant
who has completed his spiritual journey.
While the sharia is obligatory on all Muslims, the tariqa is to take ones practice to a
higher level. One may remain inwardly static in the sphere of the sharia, simply observing its
rules and prohibitions, just as one may (to use Makhdums parable) board a ship and remain near
the shore. By contrast, the tariqa however requires continuous movement and travel across the
sea with the hope of attaining the pearl of the haqiqa, which is only found in the depths of the
sea.

The remainder of the poem, comprising the bulk of Makhdums work, describes the
second of these two stages, the tariqa- the actual process of traversing the path to divine
nearness.
He describes the tariqah in terms of 9 counsels (wasaya) which are:
Repentance (Tawba)
Contentment with Suffiency (Qanaah)
Abstinence (Zuhd)
Seeking Knowledge (Ilm)
Following the Prophetic example and etiquette (sunnah wal adab)
Isolation (or Keeping only Good Company) (Uzlah)
Reliance on Allah (Tawakkal)
Purity of Intention (Ikhlas)
Guarding ones Time (Hifzul Awqat)
Shaykh Zayn al-din elaborates on this final counsel to include a method of
scheduling ones day (based closely upon the Awarif of Imam Suhrawardi and the
Tartib al-Awrad of Imam al-Ghazali), so that it includes devotional practices such
as the recitation of the Quran, night prayers, invocation of Allah, and
contemplation; he also includes a number of etiquette (adab) one should observe
regularly in ones daily life such as eating sparingly and sleeping in a state of
ritual purity.

The devotional practice he spends the most attention is studying and teaching
(which comprises almost a third of the entire poem).
At the end of the poem, he describes the fruits of spiritual path- mushahadah (divine witnessing)
and marifa (experiential knowledge of the divine), and praises the exalted rank of those who
have attained these heights after their long, rugged journey.
Shaykh Abdul Aziz beautifully summarizes the essential themes of Hidayatul Azkiya in the
opening lines of his commentary and is thus an ideal starting point before we proceed to the
poem.
All praise is due to Allah, who guides whomsoever He wills of his slaves to the
fulfillment of His commands and avoidance of His prohibitions, and adorns whomsoever
He shows kindness among them with the garment of voluntary acts of devotion and
etiquette- which are means to His companionship and pleasure- and honors whomsoever
He ennobles among them with abstinence (zuhd), contentment (qanaah), and the leaving
of desires and customary habits, and distinguishes whomsoever He loves among them
with the unveiling of the secrets of His majestic names and the realities of His pure
attributes. And may blessings and peace be upon our master Muhammad, the imam of the
godfearing and guide of creation to the firm religion and upon his family who attained
felicity and safety, and his companions who ascended the peaks of takwa, certainty and
faith.
Know o brother, may Allah grant you and us tawfiq to attain His pleasure, that there is no
salvation (khalaS), for a slave except by constant practice of takwa, inwardly and
outwardly, and consistence upon obedience in his moments, and following the Chosen
One, peace and blessings be upon him, in all of his states.
And the Sufis are the most avid of people in seeking all of this and the most abundant of
them in their share of it. For when Allah made them aware of the preciousness and
magnitude of the hereafter, and the lowliness and paltriness of the world, they left sins
and lusts, forgotten and neglected and rushed upon takwa high and lofty. They strove to
erase their blameworthy traits and to adopt the tremendous character of the Prophet, may
peace and blessings be upon him, turning away from wealth, rank and children and
fleeing from attachments and distractions, emptying their hearts of all but Him, and
expending all of their time in His remembrance. By this, their hearts became exposed to
the downpour of the raindrops of mercy, the manifestation of the lights of wisdom, the
dawning of the secrets of the Malakut, and the unveiling of realities of divinity. They
attained the most noble of goals and achieved nearness to the Knower of the secrets and
hidden things.
So it is a right upon the seeker of goodness to be guided by them, and adopt those
concerns which concerned them, such as struggle against the lower self, and to schedule
their time with acts of goodness, so that no moment of their lives pass in futility7

7 Ibid: 41

[BEGINNING OF TRANSLATION]
All praise is due to Allah, who singles out His chosen servants with tawfiq bestowing upon them
honor and glory, erasing from their hearts the darkness of alienation and of love for all but Him,
and granting them forbearance, knowledge and purity from all murkiness. And may His blessings
and peace be upon the one whom He graced with the crown of dignity, and by whose existence
He illuminated every region of the universe, our master Muhammad, the promoter of obedience
to the All-Generous, the All Forgiving, and the demoter of the following of whims, the lower
self, Satan and every harmful thing. And may His peace and blessings also be upon his family,
those pure leaders, and his companions, perfected and righteous- peace and blessings by means
of which we attain every goal and aspiration, along with the forgiveness of our sins, and those of
our loved ones, and those of the dwellers of the cities and the countryside.
Says the seeker of knowledge in Masjid al-Haram, a servant abundant in sins and flaws, hoping
for forgiveness from his Lord, the Bestower of gifts, Abu Bakr bin al-Marhum Muhammad
Shatta, may Allah be gentle with him and all the Muslims: one of the brothers (may Allah set
right his state and mine) requested that I pen a light commentary on the poem Hidayatul Adhkiya
ila Tariqil Awliya (Guidance of the Intelligent to the Path of the Saints), by the knower of Allah,
Shaykh Zainuddin ibn Shaykh Ali ibn Shaykh Ahmad (hereafter Makhdum) 8, Mabari of
origin, and Shafi by madhab, may Allah have mercy on him, and sustain us by his madad,
comprising an exposition of its meanings and grammar. So I answered him despite being
unworthy, in hopes that I may be included in the ranks of the worthy, as the poet said:
Imitate them if you are not like them/ indeed imitation of the worthy (al-rijal) is felicity.
I have named it Kifayatul Atqiya wa Minhaj Asfiya (Sufficiency of the Pious and the Path of the
Pure). Know, O you who have stumbled upon this work,that my task consists only of collecting
and presenting the words of the scholars deeply rooted in knowledge and the righteous knowers
of Allah. When I refer to the commentator, I mean the son of Makhdum, whose commentary is
entitled Maslak Atqiya wa Manhaj Asfiya (The Way of the Pious and the Path of the Pure). My
hope is that whoever finds an error in my work will correct it after careful study, and not judge
me harshly, as it has been said that few authors are free of slips and few books free of error,
particularly in this age with its many cares and griefs. May Allah reward the one who said
Open the door of excuses for him if he errs in meaning
And accept the best interpretation when it is presented.
And I ask Allah the Tremendous, seeking intercession through His noble Prophet to grant me and
my loved ones the good fortune (tawfiq) to attain His pleasure, and to extend over them and
myself the mantle of His generosity, and to cause benefit by it, as He did through the original,
and to make my effort therein purely for His noble countenance, and a cause of success before
Him, in the gardens of bliss. And now I proceed to the work at hand, seeking support from the
King, the One worthy of worship. Makhdum says, may Allah have mercy on him and benefit us
by him:
8 In his translation, Sayyid Bakri refers to Shaykh Zayn al-din as the poet (al-Nazhim); for the sake of
clarity, I refer to him by his title, Makhdum.

In the Name of Allah, the Beneficent, the Merciful

Know, may Allah have mercy upon you, that it is proper for a commentator to begin with an
explanation of the basmala (i.e. the phrase Bismillah- In the Name of Allah) and the relevant
discipline, as a way of fulfilling the right both of the basmala, and of the subject at hand.
The subject of this poem is tasawwuf, we will speak of its definition and subject matter, and then
follow this with a discussion of the basmala.
As for the definition, tasawwuf is a knowledge by which the states of the soul, including its
praiseworthy and blameworthy traits, are known.
As for its subject matter, it is the human soul, in relation to its being exposed to various states.
As for its goal, it is achieving a heart which is adorned with direct vision of the Forgiving King,
and emptied from all other than Him.
As for its applicability, it is an individual obligation on every legally responsible person; just as it
is necessary for such a person to study what will correct ones outward practice of religious
duties, it is necessary to study that which will reform ones soul.
As for its merit, it is above all other sciences in relation to its goal; in relation to the other
sciences it is the root, while the rest are its branches; its relation to inward is like the relation of
fiqh to the outward.
As for those who systematized it as a science, they are the Imams of insight and direct
knowledge of their Lord.
As for its sources, they are the words of Allah, His messenger (the master of lineage of Adnan,
may Allahs peace and blessings be upon him), and the possessors of certainty and gnosis (irfan).
AA: In his Munqidh min ad-Dhalal, Imam al Ghazali defines the science of tasawwuf as
traversing the stages of the lower self and ridding it of its foul and ugly traits of character, and
then adorning the heart with fine, praiseworthy traits of character, until one ones heart is
emptied of all besides Allah and adorned with His remembrance. As this is the highest of goals
and noblest of aspirations, many of the greatest scholars turned to the knowledge and practice of
tasawwuf after having occupied themselves with the outward sciences. And how fine are the
words of Shaykh Imam Abi Abbas bin Arif al-Sanhaji who said If Allah wishes to prepare a
servant for leadership and eminence, He busies him in his days of heedlessness with the outward
sciences- Quranic recitation, Arabic, fiqh, hadith and the like; then He inspires him to seek the
science of spiritual stations and states. Only then is he truly fit for assuming leadership and
eminence, and worthy of being a source of guidance for others.
And Shaykh Abdallah bin Asad al-Yafii said in verse
My era passed and the era ebbed away
While my longing was for noble knowledge
And the days were nought but few
Then my heart inclined towards tasawwuf
And whoever doesnt find his way towards it in his lifetime
Dies without recognizing or loving Salmas beauty