ibn ajba

119

and judge [q] Ab Bakr Muammad Arcas Campoy, Notas sobre el Muntajab
b. Abdallh b. s b. Ab Zamann [d. al-Akm de Ibn Ab Zamann (m. 399/1008).
Ediciones, manuscritos, estructura y fuentes,
428/1036]); Ul al-sunna (The founda- in Mohamed Meouak and Cristina de la
tions of the sunna); ayt al-qulb (The Puente (eds.), Vivir de tal suerte. Homenaje a Juan
life of hearts, a work on asceticism); Antonio Souto Lasala (Crdoba 2014), 4764.
Ikhtiar shar Ibn Muzayn lil-Muwaa (A
Mara Arcas Campoy
compendium of Ibn Muzayns commen-
tary on the Muwaa); Mushtamil f ul
al-wathiq (A comprehensive treatise on
the basic principles of documents) . He Ibn Ajba
also wrote several poems.
Ab l-Abbs Amad b. Muammad
b. al-Mahd b. Ajba al-asan, called
Bibliography Ibn Ajba (b. 17467, d. 1809) was a
Sources Moroccan f of the mystical Darqw
al-abb, Bughyat al-multamis f trkh rijl ahl f order, which appeared in Morocco in
al-Andalus, ed. Francisco Codera and Julin the late twelfth-early thirteenth/late eigh-
Ribera (Madrid 18845), 778; al-Dhahab, teenth century and whose posthumous
al-Ibar f khabar man ghabar, ed. Fud Sayyid
(Kuwait 1961), 3:61; al-umayd, Jadhwat al- eponym is Mulay al-Arab al-Darqw
muqtabis, ed. Muammad b. Thwt al-anj (d. 1823, a reformer, pole of his age, and
(Cairo 1952), 56; Ibn al-Abbr, Takmilat shaykh in the Shdhil tradition, which was
al-ila, ed. Francisco Codera (Madrid 1887), founded by the Moroccan Ab l-asan
5:12; Ibn al-Fara, Tarkh ulam al-Andalus,
ed. Francisco Codera (Madrid 18912), 7: al-Shdhil, d. 656/1258, and is well
192 and 8:80; Ibn Farn, Dbj al-mudh- established in North Africa and the cen-
hab f marifat ayn ulam al-madhhab, ed. tral Middle East).
Muammad al-Amad Ab l-Nr (Cairo Ibn Ajba was born to a sharf family in
1972), 1:446; 2:2324; Ibn al-Khab, Amal
al-alm f man byia qabl al-itilm min mulk the Anjra tribe, which inhabits the area
al-Islam, ed. Evariste Levi-Provenal, part II, from Tangiers to Tetuan, along the Medi-
Histoire de lEspagne musulmane (Beirut 1956), terranean coast of Morocco. As a child, he
52; Ibn al-Khab, al-Ia f akhbr Gharna, developed a love of knowledge and devo-
ed. Muammad Abdallh Inn (Cairo
19737), 1:412413; 3:7231, 172' al-Q tional observance, memorising the Qurn
l-Iy, al-Ilm il marifat ul al-riwya and studying subjects ranging from Clas-
wa-taqyd al-sam, ed. Amad aqr (Cairo sical Arabic grammar to religious ethics,
1970), 250; al-Q l-Iy, Tartb al-madrik poetry, Qurnic recitation, and tafsr
wa-taqrb al-maslik, ed. Amad Bakr (Beirut
1968), 3:6724; al-Maqqar, Naf al-b, ed. (Qurnic exegesis).
Isn Abbs (Beirut 1968), 3:554. When he reached the age of eighteen,
he left home and undertook what he
Studies calls the study of exoteric knowledge
Mara Arcas Campoy, Ibn Ab Zamann y su
obra jurdica, Cuadernos de Historia del Islam 11 (alab al-ilm al-hir) in Qar al-Kabr (in
(1984), 87101; Mara Arcas Campoy, Los northern Morocco), under the supervision
Ban Ab Zamann. Una familia de juristas, of Muammad al-Samll for two years.
Miscelnea de Estudios rabes y Hebricos 4041 Then he studied in Tetuan with the muft
(19912), 1120; Mara Arcas Campoy, Ibn
Ab Zamanayn/Zamann, in Jorge Lirola Abd al-Karm b. al-Qurrsh (d. 1783) and
and Jos Miguel Puerta (eds.), Biblioteca de other tutors. He finally went to Fez, where
al-Andalus (Almera 2012), 1:75761; Mara he earned teaching licenses (ijza) from
120 ibn ajba

such scholars as Muammad al-Tawd b.
Sda (d. 1795).
In his thirties, he discovered a book that
would affect him for life, a famous collection
of f aphorisms entitled al-ikam
(Wisdom), written by the Shdhil shaykh
Ibn Aallh al-Iskandar (d. 709/1309). (d. 1896) (al-Kattn, 2:855). The many
He then decided to devote himself to the
f path he discovered through this and
similar works of Islamic spirituality. To
pursue the f path, he became a dis-
ciple of Muammad al-Bzid (d. 1814), a
direct pupil of al-Arab al-Darqw.
In 1794 Ibn Ajba joined the Darqw
f order, of which he became one of
the most distinguished representatives in
northern Morocco. He made a dramatic
break with his past life, renounced all hon-
ours and possessions, donned the patched
garment (muraqqaa), and became a men-
dicant. His new life displeased the local
authorities, who feared that his example
would affect students of the Islamic sci-
ences in Tetuan. He was charged with rep-
rehensible innovation (bida) and jailed for
several days in Tetuan, together with some
disciples (Michon, Le soufi marocain, 507).
After what he called, in his autobiog-
raphy (Fahrasa), the time of trial, he
became a spiritual guide to disciples of
his f order and founded several zawy
(f lodges, pl. of Ar. zwiya) in the north-
ern villages of Jbla.
At the same time, he began to write
numerous treatises and revealed a great
pedagogic ability.
Ibn Ajba spent his entire life in and
around Tetuan and died of the plague in
1809. His tomb still dominates the hamlet
of Zammj (twenty kilometres southeast
of Tangiers) and is the focal point of an
annual mawsim (pilgrimage, lit., season,
period) on 14 September (the mawsim is
scheduled on the Gregorian calendar),
often including various rituals and cel-
ebrated by the the Darqw-Ajbiyya,
the f branch he founded. The direct
successor of Ibn Ajba was Ab l-asan
Al al-Laghmsh, who educated the last
child of his shaykh, Abd al-Qdir b. Ajba
descendants of Ibn Ajba have main-
tained, until today, some zawy founded
by their ancestor.
Ibn Ajba wrote about forty works,
including Fahrasa, his autobiography.
For a detailed chronological list, see
Michons Le soufi marocain (901), which
provides interesting information concern-
ing the intellectual centre that Tetuan
had become by the beginning of the late
twelfth-early thirteenth/late eighteenth
century. His large tafsr, al-Bar al-madd
(The immense ocean), did not receive
the attention it deserves until the begin-
ning of the twenty-first century. Ibn
Ajba quotes often the tafsr, called Laif
al-ishrt (Subtleties of the allusions),
by the major Central Asian scholar, f
manualist, and hagiographer al-Qushayr
(d. 465/1072), and Aris al-bayn (The
brides of elucidation) by Rzbihn
Baql (d. 606/1209), but al-Bar al-madd
is an independent and original work,
not merely a collage of eleven centuries
of hermeneutic heritage. For Ibn Ajba,
tafsr is the noblest of sciences, because
it is the place where elevated thought
and profound understanding can be
expressed.... It is exoteric for whoever is
exoteric and esoteric for whoever is eso-
teric.... Indeed, the esoteric knowledge is
beyond rational understanding (al-Bar
al-madd, 1:49).
His writings are marked by a constant
concern for balancing shara, or exoteric
knowledge, and aqqa (lit., truth, reality),
or esoteric knowledge. He writes:
ibn ajba 121
The science of fism is the foremost of the (reli-
gious) sciences and both the goal and heart of the
shara. And how could it be otherwise, when it is
the exposition (tafsr) of the station of excellence
(maqm al-isn), the station of direct perception
and vision, in the same way that theology (ilm
al-kalm) is the exposition of the station of faith
(mn), and jurisprudence (fiqh) is the exposition
of the station of surrender (islm), all of which
are contained in the adth of Gabriel. (Mirj al-
tashawwuf, 9)
He tried to show how the various parts
of the Prophets legacy are transmitted by
diverse routes, including fism:
The scholar has inherited the Prophets sayings,
on condition that he is sincere and truthful.
The worshipper has inherited the Prophets
actions. The f has inherited everything from
the Prophet. In the beginning, the f takes what
is necessary for him from the outward knowledge
of the Prophet. He plunges to its depth and then
moves to action in the most perfect states. He has
also inherited the behaviour that the Prophet used
to apply to his inward self: detachment, scrupu-
lousness, fear and hope, patience, forbearance,
generosity, courage, contentment, humility, reli-
ance upon God, love, gnosis, and so on. (al-Futt
al-ilhiyya f l-mabith al-aliyya, 59, trans. in Basic
research, 534)
In line with the heavy emphasis placed
by fs on the role of the Prophet in the
initiatory journey, Ibn Ajba emphasises
the centrality of the spiritual master as
a direct inheritor of the Prophet. In this
connection, he reports this personal dia-
logue with the Prophet:
One day, during a long dream, I saw the Prophet
in his holy Mosque. He said to me: You are the
faqh (jurisprudent) Ibn Ajba. Yes, I am your
servant Amad b. Ajba. The Prophet said to
me: You are my child, in truth! Do not doubt
it! (Fahrasa, 17)
Moreover, Ibn Ajba, in Two treatises on
the oneness of existence (37), considers the
spiritual reality of the Prophet (aqqa
muammadiyya) as the seed of existence
(badhrat al-wujd). The notion of aqqa
muammadiyya (Muammadan Reality), so
important to Ibn Ajba, was investigated
by Nr al-Dn Ns al-Faqh (4558).
Bibliography
Published works of Ibn Ajba
al-Anwr al-qudsiyya f Shar al-qada al-hamzi-
yya lil-Bsr, ed. Abd al-Salm al-Imrn
al-Khlid, Beirut 2010; al-Bar al-madd
f Tafsr al-Qurn al-majd, ed. Umar
Amad al-Rw, Cairo 2002, partial trans.,
Mohamed Fouad Aresmouk and Michael
Abdurrahman Fitzgerald, A thirteenth/
eighteenth century Quranic commentary on the
chapters of The all-merciful, The event,
and Iron from The immense ocean. Al-bar
al-madd, Louisville 2009; al-Fahrasa, ed.
Abd al-amd li amdn, Cairo 1990,
trans. Jean-Louis Michon, Lautobiographie du
soufi marocain Amad Ibn Ajba, Milan 19822,
trans. David Streight, The autobiography of
the Moroccan Sufi Ibn Ajiba, Louisville 1999;
al-Futt al-ilhiyya f l-mabith al-aliyya, ed.
Muammad Abd al-Ramn al-Uways,
Damascus 1998, trans., Abdalkhabir al-
Munawwarah, The basic research, Capetown
1998; al-Futt al-qudsiyya f shar al-Muqad-
imma al-ajurrmiyya, in Silsilt nrniyya farda,
ed. Abd al-Salm al-Imrn al-Khlid
(Casablanca 1997), 4:7182; q al-himam
f shar al-ikam, ed.im al-Kiyl, Beirut
1996; al-Jawhir al-Ajba, Beirut 2004 (six
small treatises collected by Abd al-Salm
al-Imrn al-Khlid); Mirj al-tashawwuf il
aqiq al-Taawwuf, Casablanca 1997, trans.
Jean-Louis Michon, Lascension du regard
vers les ralits du soufisme, Paris 2011, trans.
Mohamed Fouad Aresmouk and Michael
Abdurrahman Fitzgerald, The book of ascension
to the essential truths of Sufism, Louisville 2011;
al-Niyyt al-lit, ed. al-ayyib Ibn Ajba,
Tangiers 2005; Shar Khamriyya Ibn al-Fri,
in Silsilt nrniyya farda, ed. Abd al-Salm
al-Imrn al-Khlid (Casablanca 1997),
2:5099; Shar Tiyya al-Bzd f l-khamra
al-azaliyya, ed. al-Thbit Ibn Sulaymn
Abd al-Br, Casablanca 1998; Shar alt
Ibn Arab al-tim, in Silsilt nrniyya farda,
ed. Abd al-Salm al-Imrn al-Khlid
(Casablanca 1997), 1:418; Shar alt
al-qub Ibn Mashsh, in Silsilt nrniyya farda,
ed. Abd al-Salm al-Imrn al-Khlid
(Casablanca 1997), 1:340; Tafsr al-Ftia
al-kabr, ed.im al-Kiyl, Beirut 2006;
Taqydn f wadat al-wujd, ed. and trans.
Jean-Louis Michon, Deux traits sur lunicit de
lexistence, Marrakech 1998, trans. Jean-Louis
Michon and David Streight, Ibn Ajiba. Two
treatises on the oneness of existence, Cambridge
122 ibn al-dawdr
2010; al-Umda f shar al-Burda, ed. Abd
al-Salm al-Imrn al-Khlid, Beirut 2011. class, sons of the Mamlks with no for-
Studies
al-Kattn, Fahras al-fahris, Beirut 1982; Jean-
Louis Michon, Le soufi marocain Amad Ibn
Ajba et son mirj, Paris 1973, 1990; Jean-
Louis Michon, Un tmoignage contempo-
rain sur le shaykh al-Darqw (17371823),
Arabica 39/3 (1992), 38592; asan Azzz,
al-Shaykh Amad b. Ajba wa-minhjuhu f
l-tafsr, 2 vols., Rabat 2001; Nr al-Dn Ns
al-Faqh, Amad b. Ajba, shir al-Taawwuf
al-maghrib, Fez 2005; Ruggero Vimercati
Sanseverino, Commentaire coranique,
enseignement initiatique et renouveau soufi
dans la Darqwiyya. Le Bar al-madd f
tafsr al-Qurn al-majd dAmad Ibn Ajba
(m. 1223/1809), SI 107/2 (2012), 20934.
Tayeb Chouiref
Ibn al-Dawdr
Ab Bakr b. Abdallh b. Aybak
al-Dawdr, called Ibn al-Dawdr (fl. Archologisches Institut in Cairo, the
eighth/fourteenth century), was an Egyp-
tian historian. Of Qpchaq Turkic origin,
his grandfather Izz al-Dn once held the
position of dawdr (keeper of the royal
inkwell, i.e., head of the chancery) at the
Ayybid court (r. 564650/11691252).
His father, Jaml al-Dn (d. 713/1311),
was a grand amr serving the Mamlk
Qalwnid sultans (r. 678709/1279
1310). Virtually nothing is known about
his life. From his writings, it appears that
he lived in Cairo in 709/130910, when
he began to write his chronicle, and was
active in 736/13356, when he completed
it. A low-ranking army officer, he accom-
panied his father, then in the service
of al-Malik al-Nir (third reign, 709
41/131041), on several combat missions
and for countless social-political events. His
eyewitness accounts and his fathers memo-
ries related to him in person are among the
most valuable materials of his narrative.
Ibn al-Dawdr belonged to a unique
mal education who nevertheless made
significant contributions to the cultural
production of the time. His motivations
in writing his two chronicles, both uni-
versal histories, are obscure. The better
known, with the general title Kanz al-durar
wa-jmi al-ghurar (Treasure trove. A col-
lection of the finest [historical accounts]),
consists of nine volumes, each of which
bears a title beginning with the word durr/
durra (pearl) and sheds light on a specific
period. It is considered one of the most
significant Mamlk sources on account
of its contents that often diverge from, or
are absent from, other chronicles. Highly
original are volumes 8 and 9, which
cover the period of the authors lifetime,
with many eyewitness accounts, personal
observations, and gossip and anecdotes.
Under the auspices of the Deutsches
project of editing and publishing the
full text, Die Chronik des Ibn ad-Dawdr
(Cairo, Beirut, and Wiesbaden 196094),
is nearly complete, save for volume 2 (the
Prophet) and volume 4 (the Umayyads).
The published volumes are: 1) al-Durra
al-uly f akhbr bad al-duny, ed. Bernd
Radtke (Creation); 3) al-Durr al-thmin
f akhbr Sayyid al-Mursaln wa-l-khulaf
al-rshidn, ed. Muammad al-Sad Jaml
al-Dn (early Islam); 5) al-Durra al-saniyya
f akhbr al-dawla al-Abbsiyya, ed. Doro-
thea Krawulsky (Abbsids); 6) al-Durra
al-muiyya f akhbr al-dawla al-Fimiyya,
ed. al al-Dn al-Munajjid (Fimids);
7) al-Durr al-malb f akhbr mulk Ban
Ayyb, ed. Sad Abd al-Fatt shr
(Ayybids); 8) al-Durra al-zakiyya f akhbr
al-dawla al-Turkiyya, ed. Ulrich Haarmann
(early Mamlks); 9) al-Durr al-fkhir f srat
al-Malik al-Nir, ed. Hans Roemer (Malik
al-Nir). There is a shorter version, Durar