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Abu-Madyan Al-Ghawth
أبو مَديَن الغَوث
Abu-Madyan Shuayb Ibn Al-Hussein Al-Ansari (b. 509 AH / 1115-16 AD; d. 594 AH / 1197 AD
A poet, teacher and Sufi mystic: called Sheikh of Sheikhs, Imam of the Ascetics and the Pious, Lord of the Gnostics, Exemplar of the Seekers, and The Aid or The Succor [Al-Ghawth]. He was one of the most influential Sufis of North Africa, and had a profound influence on the Qadiriya and Shadhuli [Shazleyya] Sufi tariqas.
Abu-Madyan was born in Cantillana, Seville, in Muslim Spain. The future Sheikh was orphaned early in life and suffered cruel treatment and exploitation at the hands of his elder brothers.
Abu-Madyan's own account of the often difficult, formative period of his intellectual development is available via the Sheikh's autobiographical comments in Kitab Al-tashawwuf ila rijal at-tasawwuf:
  • I was an orphan in Al-Andalus. My brothers made me a shepherd for their flocks, but whenever I saw someone praying or reciting [the Qur'an], it pleased me. I would come near to him and found a sadness in my soul because I had not memorized anything from the Qur'an and did not know how to pray. So I resolved to run away in order to learn how to read and pray.
  • I ran away, but my brother caught up with me, spear in hand, and said, 'By God, if you do not return I will kill you!' So I returned and remained for a short time. Then I strengthened my resolve to flee by night. I slipped away at night and took another road, but my brother again caught up with me after sunrise. He drew his sword and said, 'By God, I will kill you and be rid of you!' When he raised his sword in order to strike me, I fended off with a piece of wood that was in my hand and his sword broke and flew into pieces. When he saw this he said to me, 'go wherever you wish'.
On his way, he met a Sheikh, who told him: 'Return to the city, for God is not [properly] worshipped except with knowledge.' He drifted for several years in Maghreb, and finally, someone told him, 'If you want to devote yourself to religion, go to the city of Fez (Fas).' There he joined the Ghazalian tradition of Sufism and spent a number of years studying the works of Al-Ghazali, Al-Muhasibi, and Al-Qushayri
After spending many years learning from the most famous Sufis of Morocco and being introduced to the Qadiriya at the hand of Imam Abdel-Qadir Al-Jilani (d. 563/1148), he had assimilating all of the major traditions of Moroccan mysticism. Abu-Madyan settled in the Algerian city of Bijaya, where he founded his own centre for Sufi instruction, Rabitat az-Zayyat (Hermitage of the Oil Seller).
No other Sheikh in this period had a more electric spiritual and intellectual formation than did Abu-Madyan. He stands as the axial figure of early Maghribi Sufism, as proven by the popularity of his written works and the large number of his disciples.
Abu-Madyan's widespread prominence and social engagement did not sit well with the authorities, who viewed his activities with suspicion. Due to accusations by his enemies, the caliph Al-Mansur summoned the aged Sufi master for questioning. It was on this forced journey to Marrakech in 594/1179 that Abu-Madyan died in the western Algerian city of Telmecen. His tomb became a major stop on the overland pilgrimage route from Morocco. The ornate mosque of Bu-Madyan stands as one of the finest examples of Hispano-Maghribi architecture in the Maghreb.
Abu-Madyan's way followed a "middle path" between the sacred and the profane: a spiritual method in which all aspects of person's life (outer (dhahir) and inner (batin), public and private, worldly and spiritual) complemented each other as a part of a single reality. If Sufism is the essence of Islam, and if Islam is a way of life, then outer practice, (acts ['amal]), must complement, and not oppose, inner knowledge (['ilm]). Giving too much weight to either outer practice or inner knowledge might upset the balance required for spiritual growth.
Like Al-Muhasibi, Abu-Madyan saw the ego ([nafs]) as the main obstacle to self-awareness. Because the nafs thrives on desire, the most effective weapon against it is hunger. An important component of the practice of his way to systematically practice hunger was repeated and prolonged fasting.
Abu-Madyan advocated attaining complete quiescence ([khumul]), which meant the cessation of all-ego motivated thoughts and desires, so that the heart would open itself up to divine inspirations: "The heart has no more than one aspect at a time, such that when it is occupied with a certain thing, it is veiled from another. Take care that you are not attracted to anything but God, lest He deprives you of the delights of intimate converse [munajat] with Him."
For Abu-Madyan, a [mureed]'s spiritual progress could never be separated from his social responsibility: "Sufism is not the [mere] observance of rules, nor does it consist of degrees or stages. Instead, Sufism consists of personal integrity, generosity of spirit, the emulation of what has been revealed, knowledge of the [Divine] Message, and adhering to the way of the prophets. He who deviates from these sources finds himself grazing in the gardens of Satan, submerged in the ocean of lusts, and wandering in the darkness of ignorance."
A Sufi on the path of Abu-Madyan is no withdrawn ascetic, lost in the contemplation of God while ignoring the injustices that beset the Muslim community. Instead the Sufi is a full participant in social life, who uses discipline and detachment from the world to maintain a constant vigilance over oneself and becomes an example for his neighbors: "The true Sufi must be neither jealous, egotistical, nor arrogant with his knowledge nor miserly with his money. Rather, he must act as a guide: not confused, but merciful of heart and companionate with all of creation. He is an ascetic: everything is equal to him, whether it be praise or blame, receiving or giving, acceptance or rejection, wealth or poverty. He is neither joyful about what comes to him nor sad about what has been lost".
Abu-Madyan left many successors. Among the most noted was Abu-Abdullah Ibn Harazem, who was the initial mentor and Sufi teacher of Abul Hassan Al-Shadhuli [Shazli], the figurehead of the Shadhuli [Shazleyya] Sufi tariqa.
Abu-Madyan was also renowned for comprising poetic odes on various aspects of Sufi doctrine. Several of his most famous odes are regarded as literary master pieces. Ibn Ata'Illah AsSakandary wrote a small manuscript ("The Address to Success in the Manners on the Way" [unwan al-tawfeeq fi aadaab al-tareeq]) dedicated to explaining his most renowned poem (the "R" poem of behavious [al-qaseeda al-ra'iyya fil selook]). In this site, we present the first English translation of the "Askings for Forgiveness" or the "M" poem [meemeyya], and the "say Allah" poem.
 

Abu Madyan Al-Ghawth Askings for Forgiveness

إِستِغْفَارَات  أبُو مَدْيَن الغَوث
One of the best ever written in asking The Lord for forgiveness. Abu-Madyan divided the poem to several sections, where in each of five sections of several verses each he asks The Lord for forgiveness in a different way. The first verse is for asking for prayers upon and praising the prophet. The following 4 verses (2-5) he asks for forgiveness by praising The Lord by His Glorious Descriptions. The next 11 verses (6-16) he asks for forgiveness for some of what he sees as having been wron. The next 3 verses (17-19) he states how long or the length of the duration he asks for forgiveness (he uses different expressions to express that he is asking for forgiveness forever). The next 8 verses (20-27) he states how much he asks for forgiveness, and the verses indicate that he asks for forgiveness uncountably. The next 3 verses (28-30) he asks for forgiveness again by praising The Lord. The next verse (31) he asks for forgiveness multiples of all that he has already did. The last verse (32) he closes by asking for prayers upon and praising the prophet.
And may The Lord send His prayers upon the selected one from Mudar
the best of mankind, of whoever cried and who ever smiled		 ثُمَّ الصَّلاَةُ عَلَى الُمخْتَارِ مِنْ مُضَرٍ
خَيْرِ البَرِيَّةِ مِنْ بَاكٍ وَمُبْتَسِمِ
[Astaghfirullah] (I ask forgiveness from The Lord), who runs ships in the darknesses
on currents and waves that clash in turmoil		 أَسْتَغْفِرُ اللهَ مُجْرِ الفُلْكِ فِي الظُّلَمِ
عَلَى عُبَابٍ مِنَ التِّيَارِ مُلْتَطِمِ
[Astaghfirullah] (I ask forgiveness from The Lord), The Deliverer of whoever seeks refuge with HIm
if he is inflicted by harm or by pain		 أَسْتَغْفِرُ اللهَ مُنْجِي المُسْتَجِيرِ بِهِ
إِذَا أَلَمَّ بِهِ ضُرّاً مِنَ الأَلَمِ
[Astaghfirullah] (I ask forgiveness from The Lord), The Forgiver of sin for whoever
comes to Him broken, in humiliation and regret		 أَسْتَغْفِرُ اللهَ غَفَّارَ الذُّنُوبِ لِمَنْ
بِالاِنْكِسَارِ أَتَى وَالذُّلِّ وَالنَّدَمِ
[Astaghfirullah] (I ask forgiveness from The Lord), The Concealer of flaws for
those with faults, and their Savior from malice		 أَسْتَغْفِرُ اللهَ سَتَّارَ العُيوبِ عَلَى
أَهْلِ العُيُوبِ وَمُنْجِيهِم مِنَ النَّقَمِ
[Astaghfirullah] (I ask forgiveness from The Lord), for whatever I say and for my character
and for my bad affairs and for my shape and for my traits		 أَسْتَغْفِرُ اللهَ مِن نُطْقِي وَمْنِ خُلُقِي
وَشِينِ شَأْنِي وَمِنْ شَكْلِي وَمِن شِيَمِى
[Astaghfirullah] (I ask forgiveness from The Lord) for my hidden secret and for my apparent
and for the changing of my heart and for my smiling		 أَسْتَغْفِرُ اللهَ مِنْ سِرِّى وَمِنْ عَلَنِي
وَمِنْ تَقَلُّبِ قَلْبِي وَابْتِسَامِ فَمِي
[Astaghfirullah] (I ask forgiveness from The Lord) for my hearing and for my sight
and for my conscience and for my thoughts and for my talk		 أَسْتَغْفِرُ اللهَ مِنْ سَمْعِي وَمِنْ بَصَرِي
وَمِنْ ضَمِيرِي وَمِنْ فَكْرِي وَمِنْ كَلَمِي
[Astaghfirullah] (I ask forgiveness from The Lord) for my crimes and for my slips
and for my major sins and for my small faults		 أَسْتَغْفِرُ اللهَ مِنْ جُرْمِي وَمِنْ زَلَلِي
وَمِنْ كَبَائِرِ آثامى وَمِنْ لَمَمِي
[Astaghfirullah] (I ask forgiveness from The Lord) for what my hand committed
of errors, and for wherever my foot set		 أَسْتَغْفِرُ اللهَ مِمَّا قَدْ جَنَتْهُ يَدِي
مِنَ الخَطَايَا وَما قَدَّمْتُ بِالقَدَمِ
[Astaghfirullah] (I ask forgiveness from The Lord) for whatever I have not yet earned
with my hand, and whatever I have earned since I came of age		 أَسْتَغْفِرُ اللهَ مِمَّا لَمْ تَكُنْ كَسَبَتْ
كَفِّي وَمَا اكْتَسَبْتُ فِي مَبْلَغِ الحُلُمِ
[Astaghfirullah] (I ask forgiveness from The Lord) for my character and for my traits
and for the changing of my states during times of sickness		 أَسْتَغْفِرُ اللهَ مِنْ طَبْعِي وَمِنْ طََبَعِي
وَمِنْ تَحَوُّلِ حَالى حَالَة السَّقَمِ
[Astaghfirullah] (I ask forgiveness from The Lord) for my saying "me" and "with me"
and "for me" and "mine" and for my suspicions and for my swearing		 أَسْتَغْفِرُ اللهَ مِنْ قَوْلِي أَنَا وَمَنْ مَعِي
وَلِي وَعِنْدِي وَمِنْ ظَنِّي وَمِنْ قَسَمِ
[Astaghfirullah] (I ask forgiveness from The Lord) for whatever I don't know
and for whatever I knew and for whatever my pen wrote		 أَسْتَغْفِرُ اللهَ مِمَّا لَسْتُ أَعْلَمُهُ
وَمَا عَلْمِتُ وَمَا حَرَفْتُ بِالقَلَمِ
[Astaghfirullah] (I ask forgiveness from The Lord) for my sleep and for my slumber
and for my wakefulness, and as long as I live I will hold fast to Him		 أَسْتَغْفِرُ اللهَ مِنْ نَوْمِي وَمِنْ سِنَتِي
وَيَقْظَتِي وَبِهِ مَا عِشْتُ مُعْتَصِمِ
[Astaghfirullah] (I ask forgiveness from The Lord) for all that happened in my youth
and from living till the age of greying and senility		 أَسْتَغْفِرُ اللهَ مِمَّا كَانَ فِي صِغَرِي
مِنَ الخِلاَفِ لِعُمْرِ الشِّيبِ وَالهَرَمِ
[Astaghfirullah] (I ask forgiveness from The Lord) as long as winds blow
and as long as clouds pour upon houses, and upon hills and reefs		 أَسْتَغْفِرُ اللهَ مَا هَبَّتْ يَمَانِيَّةٌ
وَسَحَّتِ السُّحُبُ فِي الأَطَام وَالأكَمِ
[Astaghfirullah] (I ask forgiveness from The Lord) as long as pilgrims tread to
sites that were honored with their locals and the Kaaba [Haram]		 أَسْتَغْفِرُ اللهَ مَا سَارَ الحَجِيجُ إِلَى
مَعَالِمَ شُرِّفَتْ بِالحِلِّ وَالحَرَمِ
[Astaghfirullah] (I ask forgiveness from The Lord) as long as morning dawns
and as long as birds sing tunes in the trees and the branches		 أَسْتَغْفِرُ اللهَ مَا لاَحَ الصَّبَاحُ وَمَا
تَغَنَّتِ الطَّيْرُ فِي الأَغْصَانِ بِالنَّغَمِ
[Astaghfirullah] (I ask forgiveness from The Lord) as plenty as the count of letters
in [zikr] and what it contains of signs and of wisdom [Hikam]		 أَسْتَغْفِرُ اللهَ تِعْدَادَ الحُرُوفِ وَمَا
فِي الذِّكْرِ مِنْ آيَةٍ تُتْلَى وَمْنِ حِكَمِ
[Astaghfirullah] (I ask forgiveness from The Lord) as plenty as the count of pests and what
is in the horizon of worlds and in the earth of signs		 أَسْتَغْفِرُ اللهَ تِعْدَادَ الهَوَامِ وَمَا
فِي الأُفُقِ مِنْ عَالَمٍ وَاَلأرْضِ مِنْ عَلِمِ
[Astaghfirullah] (I ask forgiveness from The Lord) as plenty as the count of plants and whatever
the sea contains of bounties and the land contains of livestock		 أَسْتَغْفِرُ اللهَ تِعْدَادَ النَّبَاتِ وَمَا
فِي البَحْرِ مِنْ نِّعْمَةٍ وَالبَرِّ مِنْ نَعَمِ
[Astaghfirullah] (I ask forgiveness from The Lord) as plenty as the winds and what
they blow upon of sustenance and of people		 أَسْتَغْفِرُ اللهَ تِعْدَادَ الرِّيَاحَ وَمَا
تَجْرِي عَلَيْهِ مِنَ الأَقْوَاتِ والنَّسَمِ
[Astaghfirullah] (I ask forgiveness from The Lord) as plenty as the count of planets
in the crown of darkness, whether crying or concealed		 أَسْتَغْفِرُ اللهَ تِعْدَادَ الكوَاكِبَ فِي
تَاجِ الغَيَاهِبِ مِنْ بَاكٍ وَمُكْتَتِم
[Astaghfirullah] (I ask forgiveness from The Lord) as plenty as the count of sands
and what falls upon the lower world of rains		 أَسْتَغْفِرُ اللهَ تِعْدَادَ الرِّمَالِ وَمَا
يَنْهَلُّ فِي عَالَمِ الدُّنْيَا مِنَ الدِّيَمِ
[Astaghfirullah] (I ask forgiveness from The Lord) as plenty as the number of creatures
of humans and of djinn and of Arabs and of non-Arabs		 أَسْتَغْفِرُ اللهَ تِعْدَادَ الخَلاَئِقِ مِنْ
إِنْسٍ وَجِنٍّ وَمِنْ عُرْبٍ وَمِنْ عَجَمِ
[Astaghfirullah] (I ask forgiveness from The Lord) as plenty as the number of thoughts in
the minds of the those who possess intelligence and knowledge and wisdom		 أَسْتَغْفِرُ اللهَ تِعْدَادَ الخَوَاطِرِ فِي
بُذورِ أُولِي النُّهَى وَالعِلْمِ وَالحِكَمِ
[Astaghfirullah] (I ask forgiveness from The Lord), dignified is The Lord, our Creator
(Who created us) from among the creatures, and The Reviver of the decayed bones		 أَسْتَغْفِرُ اللهَ جَلَّ اللهُ خَالِقُنَا
مِنَ البَرَايَا وَمُحْيِ الأَعْظُمِ الرِّمَمِ
[Astaghfirullah] (I ask forgiveness from The Lord), dignified is The Lord, our Provider
The Bestower, The Benefactor, The Munificent, The One described as being Generous		 أَسْتَغْفِرُ اللهَ جَلَّ اللهُ رَازِقُنَا
المُنْعِمُ المُفضِلُ المَوْصُوفُ بِالكَرَمِ
[Astaghfirullah] (I ask forgiveness from The Lord), dignified is The Lord, our Resurrector,
form a day that will be crowded with kingdoms and with nations		 أَسْتَغْفِرُ اللهَ جَلَّ اللهُ بَاعِثُنَا
مِنْ يَوْمٍ مُزْدَحَمِ الأَمْلاَكِ وَالأُمَمِ
[Astaghfirullah] (I ask forgiveness from The Lord), multiplied multiple times as plenty
as what I stated of types and oaths		 أَسْتَغْفِرُ اللهَ أَضْعَافاً مُضَاعَفَةً
مِمَّا ذَكَرْتُ مِنَ الأَجْنَاسِ وَالقَسَمِ
And may The Lord send His prayers upon the selected one from Mudar
the best of mankind, of whoever cried and who ever smiled		 ثُمَّ الصَّلاَةُ عَلَى المُخْتَارِ مِنْ مُضَرٍ
خَيْرِ البَرِيَّةِ مِنْ بَاكٍ وَمُبْتَسِمِ

Say Allah: By Abu Madyan Al-Ghawth
الله قل: من شعر  أبُو مَدْيَن الغَوث
Say Allah! and leave existence and all it contains

if your aspiration is to reach completeness

 اللهَ قُلْ وذَرِ الْوُجُودَ وَمَا حَوى

إِنْ كُنْتَ مُرْتاداً بُلُوغَ كَمَالِ
For everything other than Allah, if you verify its truth

is nothingness, in its detail and in its totality and summation

 فَالْكُلُّ دُونَ اللهِ إِنْ حَقَّقْتَهُ

عَدَمٌ عَلَى التَّفْصِيلِ وَالإِجْمَالِ
And know that you, and all the worlds

if it were not for Him, would have been eliminated, fading and disappearing

 وَاعْلَمْ بِأَنَّكَ وَالْعَوَالِمَ كُلَّهَا

لَوْلاَهُ فِي مَحْوٍ وَفِي اضْمِحْلاَلِ
He who does not exist because of himself by cause of himself

then his existence without Him is utter impossibility

 مَنْ لاَ وُجُودَ لِذَاتِهِ مِنْ ذَاتِهِ

فَوُجُودُهُ لَوْلاَهُ عَيْنُ مُحَالِ
The gnostics [aarifeen] faded and did not witness

anything except The Supreme in Greatness, The Majestic, The Most Exalted

 فَالْعارِفُونَ فَنُوا وَلَمَّا يَشْهَدُوا

شَيْئاً سِوى الْمُتَكَبِّر الْمُتَعَالِ
and they saw everything else other than Him in its truth as perishing

either immediately, in the past, and in the future to come

 وَرَأَوْا سِوَاهُ عَلى الْحَقِيقَةِ هَالِكاً

فِي الْحَالِ وَالْمَاضِي وَالْإسْتِقْبَالِ
So glimpse with your mind or with your sight: do you see

anything other than an act from among the acts?

 فَالْمَحْ بِعَقْلِكَ أَوْ بِطَرْفِكَ هَلْ تَرى

شَيْئاً سِوى فِعْلٍ مِنَ الْأَفْعَالِ
And look at the height of existence and at its base

with a sight that you support by reasoning and interpretation,

 وَانْظُرْ إِلى عُلْوِ الْوُجُودِ وَسُفْلِهِ

نَظَراً تُؤَيِّدُهُ بِالْإِسْتِدْلاَلِ
you find everything pointing towards His Majesty

with what it displays by its status or by its words

 تَجِدِ الْجَمِيعَ يُشِيرُ نَحْوَ جَلاَلِهِ

بِلِسَانِ حَالٍ أَوْ لِسَانِ مَقَالِ
while He is holding everything from its top to

its bottom, and creating them, without a similar or an equal

 هُوَ مُمْسِكُ الْأَشْيَاءِ مِنْ عُلْوٍ إلى

سُفْلٍ وَمُبْدِعُهَا بِغَيْرِ مِثَالِ
And then prayers upon the selected one, Sayyidina
Mohammed, the best of whoever fulfilled and whoever pledged		 ثم الصلاة على المختار سيدنا       
محمد خير من أوفى ومن نذرا 
[Fuqara] is the plural of [faqir]. (Literally [faqir] means poor, but in Sufism it refers to whoever is poor