Nuzhat Ul Majalis In English
For a long time, this masterpiece was only available in Arabic, Urdu, and Persian. However, with the growth of English-speaking Muslims and seekers of knowledge, several translations and adaptations have emerged.
Title: Nuzhat Ul Majalis (The Promenade of the Assemblies)
Original Author: Sheikh Abd al-Rahman al-Sufi (often attributed to or compiled from classical Persian & Arabic sources)
Genre: Sufi literature, Ethical instruction, Hagiography, Anthology of parables
To understand the book, one must understand its compiler: Shams al-Din Abd al-Rahman bin Abd al-Salam al-Safuri (died 1489 CE / 894 AH). Nuzhat Ul Majalis In English
Al-Safuri was a distinguished Shafi'i jurist, a Hadith scholar, and a prominent Sufi of the Qadiri order. He hailed from Safur, a village near Baghdad, but his intellectual and spiritual journey took him across the Islamic world, eventually settling in Jerusalem (al-Quds), where he taught and wrote.
His epitaphs – al-Shafi’i (showing his school of law) and al-Sufi (showing his spiritual path) – indicate a scholar who refused the false dichotomy between exoteric law (fiqh) and esoteric spirituality (tasawwuf). He lived at a time when Muslim societies craved accessible, heart-softening literature. His most famous student, Jalal al-Din al-Suyuti (one of Islam's most prolific scholars), praised him highly and transmitted many of his works. For a long time, this masterpiece was only
Al-Safuri's motivation was simple: to create a manual for preachers (wu’az) that was authentic, engaging, and spiritually uplifting. He wanted to counter the spread of weak or fabricated stories (anecdotes that sometimes polluted popular sermons) by offering a reliable, verified collection.
In pre-modern Islamic societies, people did not have TV or the internet. Knowledge was transmitted through majalis (sitting circles) in mosques, khanqahs (Sufi lodges), or homes. To understand the book, one must understand its
This book was designed to be read aloud. When a scholar or a pious person would read a chapter of Nuzhat ul Majalis:
Thus, the book became a “delight” — not a shallow entertainment, but a deep joy that purifies the heart. It transformed gatherings from idle gossip into sessions of spiritual elevation.