al-Mawaqif wa-l-Mukhatabat

Summary

Al-Mawaqif wa-l-Mukhatabat ("The Stations and the Addresses") is a Sufi book by Muhammad ibn Abd al-Jabbar al-Niffari ¹. The description here comes from Mostafa Mahmoud's Ra'aytu Allah, which quotes and explains passages from it.

The nature of the book

According to Mostafa Mahmoud, the book is "a collection of scraps" that al-Niffari left at his death and his followers gathered, containing "a number of lofty religious insights", speaking of the spirit, the body and the self, and explaining tawhid, Islam and the Qur'an ¹. He holds that it is a book "for the elite of the elite" who love contemplation, not for general readers who read for passing pleasure ².

The form

Its passages run in forms such as "my Lord said to me", "my Lord stayed me before Him and said" and "my Lord addressed me", hence its name: the Stations (mawaqif) and the Addresses (mukhatabat) ¹. Mostafa Mahmoud opens his selections with a chapter on tawhid cast in the form "O servant" ³.

For young visitors

This is a book of short sayings written by a Sufi, which his students gathered into one book after he died ¹.

Notes for researchers

No critical edition of the book itself is used here; everything on this page is Mostafa Mahmoud's description.
Its commentaries include one by Afif al-Din al-Tilimsani, according to his record in the museum.

al-Mawaqif wa-l-Mukhatabat

At a glance

Summary

The nature of the book

The form

Notes for researchers

Connections

People and things also explored

Sources

Words

Muhammad ibn Abd al-Jabbar al-Niffari