Ibn 'Ata Allah

Ibn Ata Allah al-Iskandari
Born	658 AH / 1259 CE
Died	709 AH / 1310 CE
Era	Medieval
Region	Alexandria
Religion	Islam
Denomination	Sunni Sufi
Jurisprudence	Maliki
Creed	Ashari

Tag al-Din Abu'l Fadl Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn 'Abd al-Karim ibn Ata Allah al-Iskandari al-Shazili was an Egyptian Malikite jurist, muhaddith and the third murshid (spiritual "guide" or "master") of the Shadhili Sufi order. He was born in Alexandria and taught at both the al-Azhar Mosque and the Mansuriyyah madrasa in Cairo. He was responsible for systematizing Shadhili doctrines and recording the biographies of the order's founder, Abu-l-Hassan ash-Shadhili, and his successor, Abu al-Abbas al-Mursi. He is credited with having authored the first systematic treatise on dhikr, The Key to Salvation (Miftah al-Falah), but is mostly known for his compilation of aphorisms, the Hikam al-‘Ata‘iyya. Commentaries on the Hikam have been made by some of the most famous masters of the Shadhili order such as Ibn Abbad al-Rundi, Ahmad Zarruq and Ahmad ibn Ajiba as well as non-Shadhilis like the Islamic law Professor Sa'id Ramadan al-Bouti. The wide circulation of Ibn ‘Ata‘ Allah's written works led to the spread of the Shadhili order in North Africa, where the order's founder had been rejected in earlier attempts. The Wafai Sufi order was also derived from his works. He died in 1309 while in Cairo.

Ibn ‘Ata‘ Allah was one of those who confronted the controversial theologian Ibn Taymiyya, who was jailed several times for his views on religious issues and for his excesses in attacking the Sufis. His confrontations with Ibn Taymiyya saw Ibn 'Ata Allah leading a procession of some 200 Sufis against Ibn Taymiyya as well as confronting him on issues.

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