Uddat al-Murid al-Sadiq
- Author died
- 899 AH
- Editions
- Dar Ibn Hazm
Uddat al-Murid al-Sadiq (The Provision of the Sincere Disciple) is a treatise on Sufism and legal-spiritual reform by the Maliki jurist and Sufi scholar Abu al-Abbas Ahmad Zarruq (846–899 AH / 1442–1493 CE) .
Title and Composition
The work is known in full as Uddat al-Murid al-Sadiq min Asbab al-Maqt fi Bayan al-Tariq al-Qasid wa-Dhikr Hawadith al-Waqt (and in some records Umdat al-Murid al-Sadiq...) . Zarruq completed the fair copy of the manuscript on 22 Sha'ban 886 AH .
The text is closely related to several of Zarruq's other treatises that treat similar subjects with minor variations in arrangement or abridgment, such as al-Nush al-Anfa' and al-Bida' wa-l-Hawadith . In the manuscript tradition across Morocco, Tunisia, Tripoli, and Spain, copies appear under several variant titles, including al-Radd 'ala Ahl al-Bida', Jami' al-Fawa'id wa-l-Manafi', and Jannat al-Muridin .
Purpose and Scope
Zarruq composed the work to critique and refute blameworthy innovations and ungrounded practices introduced into Sufism by various orders and claimants, seeking to restore spiritual practice to conformity with the Qur'an and Sunnah . The treatise reflects his integration of Maliki jurisprudence and spiritual discipline, addressing errors that caused people to misunderstand Sufism as superstition .
He categorized the primary causes of deviant practices among Sufi claimants into three main factors:
- Deficiencies in faith and lack of reverence for the sacred law .
- Ignorance of legal rulings coupled with the belief that inward spiritual truth (haqiqah) contradicts outer sacred law (shari'ah), which he characterized as a precursor to heresy (zandaqah) .
- Desire for leadership, public prominence, and pride in spiritual lineages and followings .
Structure and Method
The book is organized into an introduction and one hundred chapters (with additional chapters found in certain manuscript copies) . In addition to addressing theological and ritual innovations, the chapters examine proper spiritual etiquette, legal boundaries, and guidelines for both spiritual guides and disciples, including discussions on gatherings and listening to auditions (sama') .
Zarruq adopted a reformist rather than polemical tone. He requested that copyists place an opening declaration at the head of every transcription stating that his goal was not to slander individuals or expose personal faults, but to provide an aid and warning for those seeking genuine spiritual rectitude .
Editions
The work was edited by al-Sadiq ibn Abd al-Rahman al-Ghiryani based on manuscript witnesses—including copies preserved at the General Library in Rabat and the National Library of Tunisia—and published in a single volume by Dar Ibn Hazm in 1427 AH / 2006 CE .
Answer updated