Four Pillars of Spiritual Transformation: The Adornment of the Spiriutally Transformed (Hilyat al-abdal)

thank you, all good

A thin little book, but it is a " Must read " for those on the path.

This is a beautiful short treaties about the four cardinal pillars of the path of purification. Ibn Arabi does them simple justice, and in that is the strength of this book. These really are pillars of the Path so fundamental that no detailed explanation should be needed.

The whole universe is inside of you, if you only dare to look. The four pillars keep you grounded so you can start to reach for the wisdom that resides within you and each and every one of us. This short book is a gem and helps you to connect with your heart. Ibn Arabi knows his stuff.

There is a reason why Ibn Arabi is referred to as the Greatest Shaykh. Whether one is a Shi'ite or a Sunni, one cannot help but notice the wisdom that flows from every page he writes. This particular treatise is very brief-- about 15 pages or so once you get past the translator's introduction, appendices etc. In the treatise, Ibn Arabi discusses his 4 pillars of knowledge-- silence, seclusion, hunger and vigilance-- and in a short space discusses how one uses these to move the soul in a particular direction. As with all of the Shaykh al-Akbar's works, his brevity most certainly does not entail a lack of detail. His writing works on a great number of levels and requires a tremendous amount of reflection in order for the reader to fully benefit from it. Well worth the read.