Writing good words

Bismillah.

Credit must be given when and where it is due.

I got encouraged to be constant in writing again when I read a biography of Sidi Ahmed Zarruq. I knew before this that great masters like Sheikh Muhyiddin Ibn Arabi, for example, could finish writing a massive kitab within days. But what was written about Sidi Ahmed Zarruq had truly motivated a novice like me.

Biography of Ahmed Zarruq (courtesy of Amal Press):

"Scholar, jurist, influential spiritual teacher and a prolific writer. Al-Kuhin remarks, 'it was calculated that from the time of his birth till death, he wrote half a page a day.' Among the most important of the Sufi writings are Zarruq's collected commentaries on Ibn 'Ata` Allah's Hikam; his commentaries on al-Shadhili's Hizb al-Bahr and al-Jazuli's Dala'il al-Khayrat; his discourse on innovation in Sufism, 'Uddat al-Murid; his personal litany, al-Wazifah; a commentary on al-Bukhari's Sahih and Qawa'id al-Tasawwuf (The Principles of Sufism which is his most famous work)."

Sidi Ahmed Zarruq (1442 – 1493) was a Shadhili Sufi Sheikh, a contemporary of Muhammad al-Jazuli who wrote the influential salawat book Dala'il al-Khayrat which I have just begun to amal bi-iznillah.

O son, we must write and we must write good words.

Allah said in the Qur'an Surah Ibrahim verse 24-25 that "a goodly word is like a goodly tree, whose root is firmly fixed and its branches reach to the sky. Giving its fruits at all times by the leave of its Lord, and Allah sets forth parables for mankind in order that they may remember."

A dear companion of mine had written some good words to honor Sheikh Ahmad al-Alawi and when I saw such a ripe fruit from his garden called 'Inspirations and Creative Thoughts', I picked. By the grace of Allah, that fruit became the asbab (cause) for me to set up this space for you. So let us be thankful to each and everyone whose goodly words we derive benefit from.

Honoring the prolific writer Sidi Ahmed Zarruq, I now intend to make it a habit to write half a page a day (InshaAllah) and I hope you'll pick up this good habit too.