The Principles of Sufism - Qawaid Al-Tasawwuf

The Principles of Ṣūfism (Qawāʿid al-Taṣawwuf) is a scholarly annotated translation of the celebrated classical work by Aḥmad Zarrūq (d. 899 AH / 1493 CE), one of the foremost jurist-mystics of the Maghrib.

Zarrūq's treatise presents 217 concise principles (qawāʿid) articulating the authentic foundations of Ṣūfism within the framework of Qurʾān, Sunnah, and the Mālikī legal tradition. Far from presenting spirituality as detached from law, the work affirms the essential unity of fiqh, ʿaqīdah, and iḥsān.

The translation is accompanied by a substantial academic introduction examining:

• • The historical and intellectual context of North African Ṣūfism
  • The life and legacy of Aḥmad Zarrūq
  • The development of ṭarīqahs in the Maghrib
  • The literary structure and methodology of the Qawāʿid

Zarrūq's principles address:

• • The purification of the heart
  • The relationship between knowledge and action
  • The necessity of adherence to jurisprudence
  • The dangers of false spiritual claims
  • Respect for scholars and saints
  • Proper transmission of spiritual knowledge

The work proceeds systematically through sixteen sections, culminating in an epilogue and scholarly appendices.

This volume is particularly suitable for students of Islamic spirituality, graduate programs in Islamic studies, and institutional libraries concerned with classical Sufi thought and its juridical foundations.