My reading choice of late have been on personal and spiritual topics. I have a feelign this will be my latest fad. I remember I liked reading books on aqidah and akhlaq back in secondary school such as Mauizatul Mukminin and Sifat 20, some of the books I read twice or even three times over for lack of other books to read (well OK, I confess to have also read Fathi Yakan’s Mengapa Saya Menganut Agama Islam? at this time as well). As I got out of school, I delved into popular science (especially cosmology), spurred by reading Unified Theory of Existence and participating in Hypography Forum. In America, as I got more into the on-campus intellectual activities, my interest shifted into the social sciences, first of which was political science, then sociology and eventually anthropology. At the same time I was also keen on history, which became my fad until this summer.
So going back to what I said, my latest fad right now is on adab, mysticism and psychology. These topics have been somewhat of a serious preoccupation of mine for many years, but not until I returned from my summer ‘uzlah’ have I gained renewed interest in this. Much of my past years’ vigor in pursuing my intellectual curiosities have not taken me far. I am reminded of the hadith, “Whoever increases in knowledge and does not increase in guidance, only increases in distance from God.” I feel a clear sense of direction now as to my destination in the distant future despite present uncertainties. There are intellectual questions I had pursued in the past that in fact were delusions of the dunya.
Here I want to list down a few books I’ve flipped through the past weeks for my own record as well as to inform all my stalkers out there (there’s not many, but I know there are a few of you hehe):
- Knowledge of God in Classical Sufism – This is an anthology of select chapters from the works of various classical sufi authors including al-Qushayri, al-Ghazali and Suhrawardi. The chapters selected concern thoughts on the meaning of ma’rifat and ‘ilm.
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The Niche of Light (Mishkat al-Anwar) – Al-Ghazali’s treatise on the Qur’anic verse of light. The syllogisms are a bit convoluted but I plan to exert full effort to penetrate the depth of al-Ghazali’s thought here the next time I give it a read.
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The Beginning of Guidance (Bidayat al-Hidayah) – Another of Al-Ghazali’s popular works, which I consider absolutely essential for any aspiring scholar or activist to read. Very direct, practical and hands-on advice to us all. I say to you all, read this book, over and over and over and over. Again and again and again. Make sure you plant it deep inside, or you will be in sorrow for eternity.
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Sufi Essays – By Seyyed Hossein Nasr. An enjoyable book to read. Note that if you search in my older posts, I have some negative comments on him.
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The Ring of the Dove – Of Ibn Hazm’s. Must admit, I was surprised Ibn Hazm authored such a book. The translator, the famous orientalist AJ Arberry, inserts a subtitle “On the art and practise of Arab love”. If in addition to him that I consider also Ibn Arabi, I am realizing that the literalists of Andalusia are really of a different breed…
fad tu apa? ada maksud ke?