لطائف اشرفی کے بنیادی مباحث ِتصوف

Lataif-e-Ashrafi's basic discussions of Sufism

Abstract

Sultan Ashraf Jahangir Samnani (808 AH - 866 AH), the crown prince of the four-hundred-year-old kingdom of Khurasan, who was awarded the titles of Qudwat-ul-Kubra, Mahbub-e-Yazdani, Ghous-ul-Alam, Jahangir, Ohad-ud-Din and Tariq-e-Sultanat. His father Syed Sultan Ibrahim was the King as well as a high-ranking scholar and the perfect saint of his time. On the death of his father the royal crown was placed on his head. He was 17 years old at that time. Despite all the preoccupations of the empire, his interest in spirituality continued to grow until he left the kingdom and visited India, Iran, Rome, Iraq, Turkey, Damascus, etc.

His works, namely "Lataif-e-Ashrafi" (compiled by: Maulana Nizamuddin Yemeni) are a mirror of his practical life and a comprehensive curriculum of Sufism for the followers of Tariqat (Spirituality). In it, the terms Sufism, need of Shaykh, austerity and struggle, happiness and misery, true love, soul, heart, body, meditation, observation, unity of existence and many others has been well discussed. This is the reason why Lataif-e-Ashrafi has a prominent place in the books of Sufism. Most of the Sufis after the 8^th century Hijri have presented Lataif-e-Ashrafi as a reference in their books.

This article presents an introductory study of the basic discussions of Sufism in Latif-e-Ashrafi.