Ibn Abbad of Ronda: Letters on the Sufi Path
translation and introduction by John Renard, S.J.
preface by Annemarie Schimmel
Paulist Press, 1986
238 pgs
ISBN 0-8091-2730-X

Ibn Abbad of Ronda was one of the early members of the Shadhiliyyah order founded in the Maghrib. Long admired in that part of the world, he was not discovered by non-Muslim sources until Miguel Asín Palacios introduced the Sufi teacher as a "forerunner of Saint John of the Cross" in 1933.

The Classics of Western Spirituality's volume on Ibn Abbad of Ronda presents translations and notes to sixteen letters from the shaykh to a number of different correspondents. Despite his placement in history- he lived and died in 14th century Morocco - we have been left with two fairly complete collections of letters (54 letters in all), most of which were written to explain the fundamentals of Sufi spirituality to "individuals who were struggling with specific personal problems." The volume's short preface was written by Annemarie Schimmel; it is followed by a quite thorough introduction by John Renard, S.J., who also did the translation of the letters.

This work's utility to secondary school teachers and students is twofold. The letters themselves are written simply, with straightforward messages. Each is preceded by a few lines of introduction explaining the reason for its composition and its primary contents. Letter 2, for example, treats "the causes of sins and vices that characterize a man with a highly developed spiritual life." Occasionally more than one issue is addressed: letter 8 is "a letter concerning the actions and spiritual states required of a penitent if he is to be confirmed in the station of repentance. Other useful items are also included."

One such letter of multiple purpose is letter 6, where one of the topics is "the question of Pilgrimage and its legal requirements in relation to individuals and circumstances." This item is one of many that illustrate the importance, for Ibn Abbad, of the interior life as an essential component of, but never a substitute for, exoteric practices. Pilgrimage is not of the greatest value unless it is completed under certain conditions. Among these conditions are a disposition "toward the kind of activities needed in struggling against the lower self, purification of the heart, vigilance over one's thoughts being mindful of other matters relating to exalted states and noble stations, and being firmly grounded in the need for interior purification from the major sins of a rebellious heart." Indeed, for men who are lacking in such purification and cleansing, or who do not consider them necessary, "it would be sinful to make the Pilgrimage."

Some letters deal with more mundane issues; letter 11, for example, concerns "a teacher's acceptance of stipends in the instruction of children" (although this topic may not be considered mundane by many of us for whom RSiSS came into existence). Here too, however, Ibn Abbad's real concern is interior edification, because he suggests how one "might ward off scruples associated with that activity."

Letter 14 is emblematic of Ibn Abbad's thought, in my opinion. Here again the concern is with inner growth, as the author reponds to "a man whose anxiety over his means of livelihood is hindering him from achieving his ultimate goal." He tells the man, "You must understand that the assorted trials, anxieties, and hardships that befall you in this world are paths to abundant benefits and the means to lofty goals. Only people of high ideals and clear, totally pure hearts know the value of these things. Therefore, let your joy in the midst of things you hate surpass the delight you experience from the things you love."

These letters thus serve as easily-read passages of introduction to many of the Sufi virtues. In her preface, Schimmel describes Ibn Abbad as "a quiet friend in whom we can trust, a friend who does not press his ideas on us but rather waits until we come and listen to him and thus slowly understand his deep responsibility for the spritual wellbeing of his readers" (p. xiv). In some cases, the letters may even be read as inspirational reading.

Renard's introduction to this volume is a second asset to its usefulness. His presentation of the main concepts with which his subject deals is lucid and helpful. Moreover, Renard has included items like the entirety of al-Shadhili's famous "Litany of the Sea," because the litany was so important to Ibn Abbad (who recommends it in Letter 13). I also found his almost twenty pages of historical introduction to general Sufism, to Sufism in the Maghrib, and to the Shadhiliyyah order, to be a wonderful summary.

Ibn Abbad, as a "quiet friend," has lots to offer in many ways.

review ©2000 by David Streight and RSiSS
Oregon Episcopal School

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