Forwarded from Gems of al-Andalus (Riyad Ramo)
Ramadan in al-Andalus Part 2
Giving out charity was widely practiced in al-Andalus by the common Andalusian and the Muslim rulers. Charity would be handed out especially during the end of Ramadan and times of hardship such as during a famine.
Ibn Hayyan mentioned in his famous book on Andalusian history, al-Muqtabis fi Tarikh al-Andalus, that the Caliph Hakam II led a ceremony of one of these distributions of charity in which slaves went around with open bags full of money giving out to people.
Giving out charity was widely practiced in al-Andalus by the common Andalusian and the Muslim rulers. Charity would be handed out especially during the end of Ramadan and times of hardship such as during a famine.
Ibn Hayyan mentioned in his famous book on Andalusian history, al-Muqtabis fi Tarikh al-Andalus, that the Caliph Hakam II led a ceremony of one of these distributions of charity in which slaves went around with open bags full of money giving out to people.
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The Lost Book of Imam Abu Bakr Ibn al-Arabi
The renowned historian and muhqiq, Said Arab, states in his book Ma'a al-Qadi Abi Bakr Ibn al-Arabi, published by Dar al-Gharb al-Islami, while discussing Ibn al-Arabi’s contributions to Quranic tafsir, that one of his greatest lost works was:
Anwar al-Fajr fi Majalis al-Dhikr
Imam Ibn al-Arabi is said to have composed this monumental work over twenty years. It reportedly extended to eighty volumes, each containing around one thousand pages. He dictated it during his public teaching sessions in gatherings of reminders and when preaching. Whenever he completed a section of tafsir, his students would save it and would then be spread among the people.
In this work, Imam Ibn al-Arabi gave tafsir extensively. Giving great detail on many of its discussions and themes.
The renowned historian and muhqiq, Said Arab, states in his book Ma'a al-Qadi Abi Bakr Ibn al-Arabi, published by Dar al-Gharb al-Islami, while discussing Ibn al-Arabi’s contributions to Quranic tafsir, that one of his greatest lost works was:
Anwar al-Fajr fi Majalis al-Dhikr
Imam Ibn al-Arabi is said to have composed this monumental work over twenty years. It reportedly extended to eighty volumes, each containing around one thousand pages. He dictated it during his public teaching sessions in gatherings of reminders and when preaching. Whenever he completed a section of tafsir, his students would save it and would then be spread among the people.
In this work, Imam Ibn al-Arabi gave tafsir extensively. Giving great detail on many of its discussions and themes.
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For example, it is reported that:
He dictated 180 sessions on the verse: alhakumu al-takathur (102:1).
Among the themes he discussed at length were the qualities and miracles of the Prophet ﷺ, which he reportedly counted as reaching one thousand miracles.
The work is said to have remained in Moroccan libraries until the early 8th century AH. A shaykh named Yusuf al-Hazzam reported seeing it in the library of the great Marinid Sultan Abu Inan in Marrakesh, where he had been tasked with organizing the royal book collection. He counted its volumes and found them to be eighty in number.
The Imam of tasawwuf Abu al-Abbas al-Sumai, in his Akhbar Ibn Yaza, stated that the book had already been lost during the lifetime of Imam Abu Bakr Ibn al-Arabi. This opinion was later followed by Imam Ahmad Ibn Ajiba in his extensive commentary on Surat al-Fatiha.
Surprisingly, Muhammad Zahid al-Kawthari wrote in his Maqalat:
“It is said to exist in our lands (Turkey), but despite prolonged searching, I was unable to find it.”
He dictated 180 sessions on the verse: alhakumu al-takathur (102:1).
Among the themes he discussed at length were the qualities and miracles of the Prophet ﷺ, which he reportedly counted as reaching one thousand miracles.
The work is said to have remained in Moroccan libraries until the early 8th century AH. A shaykh named Yusuf al-Hazzam reported seeing it in the library of the great Marinid Sultan Abu Inan in Marrakesh, where he had been tasked with organizing the royal book collection. He counted its volumes and found them to be eighty in number.
The Imam of tasawwuf Abu al-Abbas al-Sumai, in his Akhbar Ibn Yaza, stated that the book had already been lost during the lifetime of Imam Abu Bakr Ibn al-Arabi. This opinion was later followed by Imam Ahmad Ibn Ajiba in his extensive commentary on Surat al-Fatiha.
Surprisingly, Muhammad Zahid al-Kawthari wrote in his Maqalat:
“It is said to exist in our lands (Turkey), but despite prolonged searching, I was unable to find it.”
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The Andalusian Gardens — Rabat 🌿
Hidden inside the old fortress (Kasbah) in Rabat, the Andalusian Gardens is one of those places that almost feels outside of time.
At first glance, it feels like something straight out of al-Andalus, but it was actually laid out in the early 1900s during the French Protectorate. It was designed in an Andalusian style, with the same kind of geometric walkways, fountains, and citrus trees you find in Spain.
Hidden inside the old fortress (Kasbah) in Rabat, the Andalusian Gardens is one of those places that almost feels outside of time.
At first glance, it feels like something straight out of al-Andalus, but it was actually laid out in the early 1900s during the French Protectorate. It was designed in an Andalusian style, with the same kind of geometric walkways, fountains, and citrus trees you find in Spain.
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I had the opportunity to visit the Andalusian Gardens inside the old fortress in Rabat. It was designed in the early 1900s in an Andalusian style. With the same kind of geometric walkways, fountains, and citrus trees you find in Spain.
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For the Andalusians who carried the school of Mālik not as a set of rules, but as an identity — a way of being Muslim rooted in the city of the Prophet ﷺ.
This book traces that inheritance. What it looked like in its golden hour. What time eroded. What survived. And what those of us who carry Andalusian blood — or Andalusian love — are responsible for passing on.
It is a book for the student who wants to understand why the Mālikī school thinks the way it does. For the seeker who has felt the weight of a tradition placed in their hands. For everyone who has ever looked West at sunset and felt something they could not name.
Available in English and Portuguese.
— Sufyān al-Andalusī
DM Shaykh Sufyan to get access to his new book at his Instagram!
https://www.instagram.com/sufyan_al_andalusi/
This book traces that inheritance. What it looked like in its golden hour. What time eroded. What survived. And what those of us who carry Andalusian blood — or Andalusian love — are responsible for passing on.
It is a book for the student who wants to understand why the Mālikī school thinks the way it does. For the seeker who has felt the weight of a tradition placed in their hands. For everyone who has ever looked West at sunset and felt something they could not name.
Available in English and Portuguese.
— Sufyān al-Andalusī
DM Shaykh Sufyan to get access to his new book at his Instagram!
https://www.instagram.com/sufyan_al_andalusi/
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Some pictures of my trip to the National Archaeological Museum in Madrid, Spain back in November 2025.
Lots of artifacts of Andalusian history and Spain in general.
Lots of artifacts of Andalusian history and Spain in general.
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