This short doctrinal epistle was written in 1917 by Shaykh Ahmad al-‘Alâwî (1874–1934), a spiritual master from Mostaganem, Algeria, founder of the Sufi path that bears his name, the ‘Alâwiyya ṭarîqa, and a major figure in the renewal of North African Sufism around the beginning of the twentieth century. Known both for his command of the religious sciences and for the depth of his spiritual teaching, Shaykh al-‘Alâwî left a substantial body of writings, of which this brief but remarkably dense epistle is a notable example.
The work takes the form of a letter in reply to another eminent master of his time, Shaykh Muhammad ibn al-Habîb ibn as-Siddîq al-Fâsî, who had asked Shaykh al-‘Alâwî to explain a formula of Salāt upon the Prophet that Allah had caused to ‘flow upon his tongue.’ While observing the conventions of traditional spiritual correspondence, the Shaykh’s reply unfolds into a doctrinally rich commentary on the very nature of Salāt upon the Prophet, the distinction between Salāt and Salām, the doctrine of the Muhammadan Light (an-Nûr al-Muhammadî), and the station of the Seal of Prophecy (Khâtam al-nubuwwa).
The principal themes of classical Sufi metaphysics are found here: the different meanings of Salāt according to whether it proceeds from Allah or His creatures, and according to the spiritual rank of its recipient; the relationship between theophany (tajallî) and veiling (hijâb); the doctrine of the Verse of Light and its niche (mishkât); and the question of rank among prophets and saints.
Its dense, allusive style is characteristic of epistles addressed to disciples already advanced on the path rather than to readers unfamiliar with Sufism. This makes the text demanding, but especially significant for those interested in Sufi doctrine.
In response to this difficulty, the present edition was designed to offer two levels of reading in a single volume. The first contains the complete translation of Shaykh Ahmad al-‘Alâwî’s text, preserving its doctrinal vocabulary, quotations, and references. It enables readers familiar with Sufism—and those wishing to encounter the text in its full density—to read the epistle without abridgment.
The companion document, entitled A Simplified and Annotated Version, does not replace the translation and does not claim to be a new translation from Arabic. It follows the progression of the epistle in more direct language, explains Sufi terms as they arise, recasts the most difficult metaphysical passages, and draws attention to points that might confuse readers unfamiliar with the subject. Readers may begin with the complete epistle, consult the guided version first, or move between the two according to their needs.
It is worth noting that an earlier and shorter treatment of similar questions appears in Shaykh Ahmad al-‘Alâwî’s well-known work The Sacred Gifts (al-Minah al-Qudûsiyya), written in 1907, ten years before this epistle. The agreement between that passage and the text studied here reveals a remarkable continuity in his thought and spiritual understanding over the years. In an effort to gather, preserve, and transmit the Shaykh’s writings as faithfully as possible, we reproduce that passage below.
Translator’s note: To avoid the ambiguity of the expression ‘God’s prayer’ (Salāt Allah), we retain the Arabic term Salāt when it is attributed to Allah or used as a doctrinal concept. The word prayer is reserved for passages where it truly denotes the servant’s invocation or the ritual prayer. Likewise, we retain Salām when it functions as a doctrinal term, especially when it denotes the security, protection, and stability granted by Allah, rather than translating it simply as peace, greeting, or salutation, which might suggest another meaning. The Shaykh himself draws these distinctions, associating divine Salāt with theophany (tajallî) and with the grace and nearness granted to the servant.
The following passage is taken from The Sacred Gifts (al-Minah al-Qudûsiyya), written in 1907:
“For the people of the Path (the Sufis), Salāt means theophany—that is, divine self-disclosure (tajallî). This takes place only for His prophets and the elect among His saints, except through dependence and affiliation, for it is an exalted station attained only by the chosen among the people of spiritual knowledge.
“For the people of the Path (the Sufis), Salāt means theophany—that is, divine self-disclosure (tajallî). This takes place only for His prophets and the elect among His saints, except through dependence and affiliation, for it is an exalted station attained only by the chosen among the people of spiritual knowledge.
When Salāt is understood as theophany (tajallî), this is its meaning when it proceeds from Allah. When it proceeds from the servant, however, it means invocation or supplication. Thus, when you say, ‘O Allah, bestow Your Salāt upon Muhammad and his family,’ it is as though you were saying, ‘O Allah, disclose Yourself to Muhammad and his family.’
One of the righteous used to say: ‘There is a moment for me in which none but my Lord can find a place beside me.’
In short, the divine Salāt bestowed upon His servants represents the utmost degree of His loving care for them and the utmost degree of their nearness to Him. When one of them attains it, he thereby attains everything. Through it, Allah brings His saints out of the confinement of their own ego and leads them to the contemplation of their Lord. This is indicated by His words—blessed and exalted is He: "It is He who bestows His Salāt upon you, while His angels invoke on your behalf, to bring you out of darkness into light."[1] That is, to bring you out of the darkness of the created world into the light of the Creator; or, again, out of confinement in all that is other than Him into the vast expanse of spiritual secrets.
This is why it is said that the Prophet benefits from the invocations of Salāt made on his behalf. Indeed he does benefit from them; and the gardens of Paradise and their adornments were opened to him only through it: "On that Day some faces will be radiant, gazing upon their Lord."[2]
Such is the meaning of Salāt, and Allah knows best.
As for the Salām bestowed by Allah upon His servants, it means security, protection, and stability.
When Allah—blessed and exalted is He—wishes to safeguard those upon whom He bestows His Salāt, together with those who benefit through them from that protection, He causes Salām to follow Salāt. Their fear then subsides, their journey becomes upright, their outward being remains with created things, while their inward being remains with the Real. They thus unite two opposites and know the requirements proper to both stations. These are the inheritors of the prophets.
This noble station is what their expressions of intoxication (sukr), sobriety (sahw), annihilation (fanâ’), subsistence (baqâ’), and other terms of their spiritual vocabulary refer to.
Intoxication symbolically denotes the divine Salāt bestowed upon them, while Salām denotes the sobriety that follows their absorption in the contemplation of their Lord.
Ultimately, the divine Salāt bestowed upon those He loves is a symbolic expression of arrival in the Divine Presence, just as the curse that strikes His enemies expresses distance and separation.” (End of quotation.)
[1] Sūrat al-Aḥzāb, 33 :43.
[2] Sūrat al-Qiyāma, 75 :22–23.
[1] Sūrat al-Aḥzāb, 33 :43.
[2] Sūrat al-Qiyāma, 75 :22–23.
Derwîsh Al-Alâwî
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