Spiritual Insights: The Threaded Pearls and Other Ba-Alawi Treatises

Spiritual Insights presents five classic treatises from the illustrious tradition of the Ba-Alawi Sayyids, scholars and spiritual masters of Hadramawt in southern Yemen, expertly translated with full commentaries. The various aspects and levels of the Alawi’s teaching activity are reflected in this selection. The Threaded Pearls describes their methodology, combining approaches of Imams al-Ghazali and al-Shadhili. Insights for the Brethren explains the bases of religion as the Four Circles: Islam, Iman, Ihsan, and Irfan. Unveiling the Truth answers questions about the legitimacy of certain actions and sayings. Prayer of the Drawn-Near discusses knowledge gained through direct, experiential witnessing. The Seven Stages of a Human Being explains the correspondences between sensory and unseen realms and hierarchical levels of existence. The treatises are authored by Habib Muhammad Ibn Husayn al-Habashi, Habib Abd al-Rahman Balfaqih, Habib al-Hasan Ibn Salih al-Bahr al-Jufri, and Habib Ahmad Ibn Zayn al-Habashi.