| Summary: | "The Sufi commentary on the Qur'ān by ʻAbd al-Razzāq al-Kāshānī ('Ta'wīlāt al-Qur'ān') - long believed to have been written by Muḥyī al-Dīn Ibn ʻArabi (d. 1240) - is one of the masterpieces of Sufi exegesis. It is a complete commentary on the Qur'ān, commenting on every chapter but not on every verse. 'A Sufi Commentary on the Qur'ān' is the first translation into English of this seminal work. Though little is known about the life of ʻAbd al-Razzāq al-Kāshānī (d. between 1329-35), it is accepted that he studied under Mu'ayyid al-Dīn al-Jandī, who himself had studied with Ṣadr al-Dīn Qūnawī, the stepson of Ibn ʻArabī and leading exponent of Akbarian doctrine. Despite the paucity of information on his life, Kāshānī is recognised for the significant contribution he made to the school of Ibn ʻArabī ; his influence and legacy lie in his systemisation of the ideas and thoughts of Ibn ʻArabī. The central theme of Kāshānī's commentary on the Qur'ān is gnosis or direct experiential knowledge of God : the seeker of the Divine is to engage in dedicated spiritual exertion in conformity with the Sacred Law until the heart becomes illuminated. The 'Ta'wīlāt al-Qur'ān' has been translated in two volumes : Volume I includes the commentary from the first Chapter, The Opening (al-Fātiḥa), until the eighteenth Chapter, The Cave (al-Kahf) ; while Volume II includes the commentary from Chapter nineteen, Mary (Maryam), to the end of the Qur'ān."--taken from back cover.
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