Abu Talib al-Makki

Abu Talib al-Makki (d. 386 AH / 996 CE) was a Sufi ascetic, preacher, and theologian, best known for his foundational manual of early Sufism, Qut al-qulub (The Nourishment of Hearts) Wafayat al-Ayan+1.

Origin and Asceticism

His full name was Muhammad ibn Ali ibn Atiyyah al-Harithi Wafayat al-Ayan+1. He was of non-Arab origin from the mountainous region of al-Jabal, but he was raised in Mecca and resided there, acquiring the nisba al-Makki Wafayat al-Ayan+1.

Al-Makki was noted for severe ascetic practices and spiritual strivings. He practiced prolonged fasting and abstained from ordinary food for long intervals, reportedly subsisting on wild permissible grasses until his skin turned green Wafayat al-Ayan+1.

Studies and Doctrinal Affiliation

Al-Makki transmitted hadith from several scholars, including Abu Bakr al-Ajurri, Abu Bakr ibn Khallad al-Nasibi, Muhammad ibn Abd al-Hamid al-San'ani, Ahmad ibn Dahhak al-Zahid, Ali ibn Ahmad al-Massisi, and Muhammad ibn Ahmad al-Mufid Siyar Aalam al-Nubala.

He travelled to Basra following the death of the theologian Abu al-Hasan Ibn Salim, where he embraced the doctrinal teachings of the Salimiyyah school Wafayat al-Ayan+1.

Preaching in Baghdad and Controversies

Al-Makki later relocated to Baghdad, where he began preaching in the congregational mosque Wafayat al-Ayan+1. Large crowds gathered to hear his sermons, but he generated significant controversy when he made confusing and objectionable statements during a public session Wafayat al-Ayan+1. He was specifically reported to have said: "Nothing is more harmful to creation than the Creator" Wafayat al-Ayan+1. In response, listeners accused him of introducing heretical innovations (bid'ah) and boycotted him, prompting him to cease public preaching entirely Wafayat al-Ayan+1.

He also faced criticism over his stance on spiritual audition (sama'). When the ascetic Abd al-Samad visited him to reproach him for deeming audition permissible, al-Makki recited verses in defense of night vigils, causing Abd al-Samad to depart in anger Mirat al-Zaman fi Tawarik…+1.

Scholarly Reception

Scholars evaluated al-Makki with a combination of personal praise and critical appraisal of his writings. Ahmad ibn Muhammad al-Atiqi described him as a righteous man devoted to rigorous worship, though he noted that in his book Qut al-qulub, al-Makki included hadiths that had no authentic basis Mirat al-Zaman fi Tawarik…+1. Al-Khatib al-Baghdadi remarked that Qut al-qulub was composed in the idiom of the Sufis and contained objectionable and unseemly discussions regarding the divine attributes Tarikh Baghdad. He was also credited with treatises on divine unity (tawhid) Wafayat al-Ayan+1.

Among those who transmitted from him were Muhammad ibn al-Muzaffar al-Khayyat, Abd al-Aziz ibn Ali al-Azaji, and Abu al-Qasim ibn Bishran Mirat al-Zaman fi Tawarik…+1.

Death

Al-Makki died in Baghdad in Jumada al-Akhirah 386 AH, with one report specifying the sixth day of the month Wafayat al-Ayan+1.

Abu al-Qasim ibn Bishran related that he attended al-Makki on his deathbed and asked for his counsel. Al-Makki instructed him to hold his hand during his final moments, saying that if he gripped Ibn Bishran's hand firmly, it would signify that his life had ended well, and he asked that sugar and almonds be scattered over his funeral procession in celebration. When death arrived, al-Makki squeezed his hand tightly, and Ibn Bishran fulfilled his request during the funeral Mirat al-Zaman fi Tawarik…+1.

Al-Makki was buried on the eastern side of Baghdad in the Malikiyyah cemetery, near the Rusafah mosque, where his grave became a well-known site of visitation Wafayat al-Ayan+1.