Statement: Translation and Transliteration of Kitāb al-Zuhd

Ismail Hashim Abubakar

A Doctoral Candidate
Mohammed V University, Rabat – Morocco &
An Academic Staff at
Federal University, Gusau – Nigeria
(abuarqam89@gmail.com)
Background/Overview

This fresh project proposes to undertake a translation and transliteration into English of Kitāb al-
Zuhd, a collection of poetry composed by Ali Ibn al-Husain known as Zain al-Ābidīn (d. 95 A.H),
one of the grandsons of the Prophet Muhammad. He was known to be a prestigiously mystical
figure; he ran an extremely cautious life, avoiding worldly glitters and investing his life pressure
in preaching and imparting Islamic knowledge. He was also an acclaimed and powerful orator.

Kitāb al-Zuhd dwells on an important theme that has come to occupy a valuable place in Islamic
tradition, which showcases another visible dimension of how the advent of Islam had impacted
upon the Arab poetry. The dominantly illiterate Arab society was, both before and after the
coming of Islam, distinguished with its reliance on poetry as basic medium for communication
and database for documentation of events and valuable facts, as an alternative for the yet
unconsolidated writing culture. During the pre-Islamic Arabia poetry was characterized with
themes related to display of pride in genealogical prestige, ethnic competition and tribal
supremacy but also romance and expression of erotic feelings. The trend was drastically
affected after the advent of Islamic faith which necessitated some review and adaptation of
moral codes, culminating in a shift in poetry toward advocating religious themes. Moreover,
more significant shifts or rather remarkable additions to poetry witnessed by the emergence of
Islam and particularly with the documentation of religious sciences; this was rooted in the
versification of many Islamic subjects which chiefly simplified their memorization and
appreciation by audience.

Kitāb al-Zuhd (the book of asceticism) falls within this thematic category, but it focuses on
spirituality and lifestyle embodied in Sufism, an aspect of the Islamic religion that evolved as
personal path of piety and devotion, and it grew from strength to strength to become a distinct
spiritual tradition that millions of Muslims subscribed to. Kitāb al-Zuhd is a collection of Arabic
poetry that contains two hundred and ninety four verses (based on the edition available with
me) which are arranged serially according to Arabic alphabet, such that each stanza in the poem
ends with same letters (rhyme). The collection presents useful admonitions by advocating the
adoption of an austere lifestyle just as it deeply preaches against clutching onto the world, using
a very strong and aesthetically and stylistically rich language. The most compelling quality of the
poetry is its power in the employment of imagery and quick ignition of imagination. The
collection forms part of the curriculum of informal traditional schools and study circles that are

1
widespread in West Africa, especially the Hausaland (Nigeria, Niger Republic and other parts of
the world).

Objectives and Contribution of the Project

While a considerable of classical Arabic works has been translated into English, only a few
poetry Arabic works have been translated into English. In fact, an eclectic survey reveals that
despite its mystic and literary quality, Kitāb al-Zuhd has not yet been rendered into English, at
least to the knowledge of the present translator. Thus, the translation bears many prospects
such as to extend the frontier of knowledge by adding to the literature of translation in general
and poetry translation, in particular with specific references to the Arabic language.

The main objective of the translation of Kitāb al-Zuhd is to extend the scope of its readership to
English audience, particularly as I intend to transliterate the verses for easy digestion by readers
with no Arabic literacy. This complements the continuous interest of people without inherent
Islamic background particularly the western and English-speaking world in knowing more about
the complex sources of religious motivations and convictions of different strands of Islam,
Sufism being one of the most notable areas. Other objectives of the project include:

1_Tackling the phenomenon of “untranslability” of poetry as projected in some translation

theories by practically showcasing ways to relatively overcome such difficulty.

2_To correspondingly expose restrictions and limitations of poetry translation.

3_To lay bare the ways of engaging poetry in languages other than the source ones as shall be
demonstrated in the English translation of Kitāb al-Zuhd.

4_To bring out the hidden treasure of mystical knowledge contained in the collection for the
appreciation of the wider audience.

Proposed Date of Completion: January 30, 2024.

2
 ‫‪Sample: the Arabic Text, Transliteration and Translation‬‬

‫‪ .1‬كتاب فٌه أشعار تجلً‬

‫عن الذهن الصدي رسوخ شٌن‬

‫‪ .2‬وإن سنى مواعظه ٌزٌل‬

‫عن القلب المغفل كل رٌن‬

‫‪ٌ .3‬والً قولها نسقا ووعظا‬

‫وإنذارا بنظم كاللجٌن‬

‫‪ .4‬وتهدٌدا وتمثٌال وزجرا‬

‫وتذكٌرا علً بن الحسٌن‬

‫‪ .5‬تبارك ذو العال والكبرٌاء‬

‫توحد بالكمال وبالسناء‬

‫‪ .6‬تنزه عن شرٌك أو فناء‬

‫‪3‬‬
 ‫تفرد بالجالل وبالبقاء‬

‫طرا‬
‫‪ .7‬وسوى الموت بٌن الخلق ّ‬

‫فقٌرا أو غنٌا ذا الثراء‬

‫‪ .8‬تقٌا عابدا بل أو شقٌا‬

‫فكلهم رهائن للفناء‬

‫‪ .9‬أال إن الركون على غرور‬

‫إلى لهو النساء مع الغناء‬

‫وحب رئاسة وهوى وأمن‬ ‫‪.01‬‬

‫إلى دار الفناء من العناء‬

‫‪4‬‬
Transliteration and Translation

1. Kitābun fīhi ash'ārun tujallī

An al-dhihn al-sadīyi rusūkha shaini.

(This is) a book of poetry that casts

Stains of filth off a rusty conscience.

2. Wa inna sanā mawā'izihī yuzīlu

An al-qalb al-mugaffali kulla raini.

And indeed the brightness of its admonitions removes

From the unconscious heart every blotch.

3. Yuwāli qaulahā nasaqan wa wa'azan

Wa indhāran binazmin ka al-lujyani.

Serialized is its utterance in coherence and admonition

And versified warning like silver.

4. Wa tahdīdan wa tamthīlan wa zajran

Wa tadhkīran 'Alī Bin al-Husain.

And a threat, illustration, reprimand

And a reminder composed by 'Alī Bin al-Husain.

5. Tabāraka Dhū al-'ulā wa al-kibriyā'i

5
Tawahhada bi al-kamāli wa bi al-sanā'i.

Blessed is He the bearer of highness and majesty

He is alone in perfection and elevation.

6. Tanazzaha an sharīkin au fanā'in

Tafarrada bi al-jalāli wa bi al-baqā'i.

He is free from (having a) partner or perishing

He is singular in eminence and eternity.

6. Wa sawwā al-mawta bain al-khalqi turran

Faqīran aw ganīyan dhā al-tharā'i.

He made death common to all creatures

Be it a poor man or rich – the possessor of wealth.

7. Taqīyan ābidan bal aw shaqīyan

Fakulluhumū rahā'inu li al-fanā'i.

Be it pious – a devout worshipper or someone condemned

Each of them will be susceptible to perishing.

8. Alā inn al-rukūna alā gurūrin

Ilā lahw al-nisā'i ma' al-ginā'i.

Alas! Indeed reclining on deception

6
Toward having fun with women and entertainment

9. Wa hubbi ri'āsatin wa hawan wa amnin

Ilā dār al-fanā'i min al-'anā'i.

And love of leadership, self-desire and feeling of contentment

From being fatigued in the terminating life.

10. Wa dunyānā wa in milnā ilaihā

Wa laddha binā al-ma'ākilu fī al-inā'i.

If we resort to this life of ours

Whereby foods in containers taste sweet for us.

Copyright Status: the collection is a classical work and is not restricted by copyright. Thus, it is

published in local presses and circulated without an indication of copyright.

7
 Resume of Ismail Hashim Abubakar
While serving as an academic staff in the Department of Islamic Studies at Federal University Gusau in Nigeria, Ismail
Hashim Abubakar is at the completion stage of his doctoral program at Mohammed V University, Rabat in the
Kingdom of Morocco. Ismail received both his B.A in 2014 (with upper second class) and M.A in 2018 (with distinction)
in Islamic Studies from Bayero University Kano in Nigeria as well as a Postgraduate Diploma in Translation 2017 (with
distinction) from the same institution. Ismail memorized the Glorious Qur’an in 2004 at Darul Arkam College, Kano
where he had his primary and secondary education. He taught at a few schools, worked for almost a decade at
Pyramid Radio, a federally owned station and had presented programs in Arabic, English and Hausa. He later worked
at the Nigeria’s Office of the International Institute of Islamic Thought (IIIT) in Kano before joining the services of
Federal University Gusau. Moreover, Ismail had been the founder and principal tutor of Kano English Club (KEC), a
centre for teaching the English language in Nigeria. Ismail is a certified translator and a member of Nigerian Institute
of Translators and Interpreters (NITI), and has to his credit translated several titles as shown below. He served as a
simultaneous interpreter during an international conference at Bayero University Kano in 2018. Ismail has attended
several conferences both within and outside Nigeria such as South Africa, Kenya, Liberia and Morocco where he
presented an avalanche of papers. He has also published dozens of articles, book chapters, review essays and
columns in reputable domestic and international journals and newspapers. In his early thirties, Ismail is happily
married with three children.

Key Academic Works

A. Journal Articles

1. Abubakar, Ismail Hashim. “Qira’at and their Effect on Al-Ahkam Al-Shar’iyyah”, in Al-Burhan Journal
of Qur’an and Sunnah (JQSS), Vol. 1, No. 2 (June 2018), International Islamic University Malaysia. Available
on https://journals.iium.edu.my/al-burhan/index.php/al-burhan/article/view/107.
2. Abubakar, Ismail Hashim. “Islam and Political Engagement in Northern Nigeria: The Ulama and
2015-2019 Election”, in Al-Manhaj Journal of Multidisciplinary Research, Volume 3, No 1, September 2019,
Islamic University of Maldives. Accessible online via https://www.ium.edu.mv/wp-
content/uploads/2020/07/manhaj-2019-v3.pdf.
3. Abubakar, Ismail Hashim. “Towards an Islamic Conception of History: A Model for Integration”, in
Islamic University Multidisciplinary Journal, Vol. 6 (5), 2019, Islamic University In Uganda. Accessible online
via https://www.iuiu.ac.ug/iumj/ArticleDetails.aspx?jid=12&did=162.
4. Abubakar, Ismail Hashim. “Kannywood and the Perception of Possessiveness (Kishi) in Islamic
Marital Discourse: Reflections from the Hausa Film Namijin Kishi”, in Zaria Journal of Communication, Vol. 4
No. 2, (September 2019), Department of Mass Communication, Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria – Nigeria.
5. Abubakar, Ismail Hashim & Nura Sani. “A Comparative Analysis on al-Maghili’s Tajuddin and
Abdullahi Bin Fodio’s Diya’ al-Hukkam”, in Taguwa Multidisciplinary Journal of Humanities, Volume 10, No 1,
(July 2019), Umaru Musa Yar’adua University, Katsina.
6. Abubakar, Ismail Hashim. “Reviving the Spirit of Scholarship in Islamic Universities: Reflections
from the Life of Some Early Muslim Scholars” in Alsun Journal of Humanities, Vol. II, No. 1 (December 2019),
Al-Qalam University, Katsina, Nigeria. Also published in the proceedings of International Conference on
Internalization of Islamic Higher Education Institutions Toward Global Competitiveness”, Semarang,
Indonesia – September, 2018, Paper No. B-51. Available on
http://jurnal.unissula.ac.id/index.php/bksptis/article/view/3610.
7. Abubakar, Ismail Hashim. “The Concept of Corruption, its Multidimensional Forms and Islamic
Approach towards its Fight” in Al-Yaqeen Journal of Islamic Studies, Vol. 1, No. 1 (December 2020), Federal
University, Dutsinma, Nigeria.
8. Abubakar, Ismail Hashim. “Least Publicized Scholarly Voices: Shaykh Ahmad Adam Mahmud (b.
1973/1974), a Sufi Scholar in Contemporary Northern Nigeria” (forthcoming) in the 2019 Issue of Annual
Review of Islam in Africa (ARIA), University of Cape Town. Available on
https://humanities.uct.ac.za/contemporary-islam/publications-annual-review-islam-africa-overview/2019.
B. Book Reviews
1. Abubakar, Ismail Hashim. “A Review of Left of Boom: How A Young CIA Case Officer Penetrated the Taliban
and al-Qaeda”, in the International Journal of World Peace, Vol. XXXVI No. 2 June 2019, USA. Available on
https://ijwp.org/annual-indexes/volume-xxxvi-2019/.
2. Abubakar, Ismail Hashim. “Islamic Thought in Africa: The Collected Works of Afa Ajura (1910-2004) and the
Impact of Ajuraism on Northern Ghana (by Alhaji Yusuf Salihu Ajura, translated by Zakyi Ibrahim)”: New

8
 Haven: Yale University Press, 2021. 248 pages. American Journal of Islam and Society, 39(1-2), 2022, 162–
172. https://doi.org/10.35632/ajis.v39i1-2.3090.
C. Book Chapters
Abubakar, Ismail Hashim. “Muslim Jurists’ Opinions on Drama and Documentary”, a book chapter to appear in Media
and Islam (2020) published by the International Institute of Islamic Thought.

D. Conference Proceedings and Seminar Presentations

1. Abubakar, Ismail Hashim. “An Assessment of the Role of Informal Islamic Orthodox Teaching
Centres in Preserving Hausa Classical Lexicons”, a paper published in the proceedings of International
Conference on Role Arts in Development, BUK (2016).
2. Abubakar, Ismail Hashim. “Dramatizing Islamic History: Legality and Evaluations”, a paper
presented at a Seminar organized by the International Institute of Islamic Thought (IIIT), held at BUK,
Nigeria, May 2016.
3. Abubakar, Ismail Hashim. “Paradoxical Advocacy of Piety and Deviance: A Socio-religious Analysis
of Selected Songs of Mamman Shata”, in the proceedings of International Conference on Alhaji (Dr.)
Mamman Shata Katsina with the theme: “The Life and Philosophy of Mamman Shata” organized by the
nd th
Centre for Research in Nigerian Languages, Translation and Folklore, BUK, held from 2 to 4 of September,
2018.
E. Translated Works

1. Translation of Twenty Maqamat from Maqamat al-Hariri, (Arabic to English) (unpublished).

2. The Paradox of Karbala Tragedy, an English Translation of Me Ya Faru a Karbala (published).
3. Destiny Prevails: A Gateway into the Early History of Islam Prof. Mansur (a translation from Hausa to
English) published by the IIIT, available online
https://bit.ly/33aEvSz?fbclid=IwAR0Rj6UZP52W0hsYrBOtExoly6VjVsz4jF9Had9PzY99X7HXQOvhpJGvhbI.
4. Guiding the Learner to the Way of Learning: An English Translation of Ta’lim al-Muta’allim Tarik-al-Ta’allum;
2015 (unpublished).
5. Ladubban Da’wah, 2019 (a translation from Arabic to Hausa of Hisham Talib’s Mithaq al-Sharaf al-Da’wi,
International Institute of Islamic Thought, Nigeria Office.
6. “Requirements of Curricula Development of Qur'anic and Islamic Schools for Countering Terrorist Activities
of Boko Haram in Nigeria: Realities, Challenges and Solutions”, a translated conference paper.
7. “The Position of Muslim Scholars on Violent Conflicts and Transgression”, a translated conference paper.
8. “Shaykh Ja’far Mahmud Adam and His Position on Boko Haram”, a translated conference paper.
9. The Translation of Muqaddimat al-Izziyyah from Arabic to English (unpublished).
F. Newspaper Columns
1. “Corruption galore at Abuja-Kaduna train station”, Guardian Newspaper, December 03, 2020; available on
https://guardian.ng/opinion/corruption-galore-at-abuja-kaduna-train-stations/.
2. “Much ado on interfaith in northern Nigeria – Part 1”, Guardian Newspaper, April 19, 2022; available on
https://guardian.ng/opinion/much-ado-on-interfaith-in-northern-nigeria/.
3. “Much ado on interfaith in northern Nigeria – Part 2”, Guardian Newspaper, April 20, 2022; available on
https://guardian.ng/opinion/much-ado-on-interfaith-in-northern-nigeria-part-2/.
4. “Hon. Adamu Adamu, please do something on BEA scholarship”, The Daily Reality Newspaper, July 10, 2021;
available on https://dailyrealityng.com/2021/07/10/hon-adamu-adamu-please-do-something-on-bea-scholarship-for-
nigerian-students-in-morocco/.
5. “Tinubu and the dilemma of the 2023 presidency”, The Daily Reality Newspaper, January 25, 2022; available on
https://dailyrealityng.com/2022/01/25/tinubu-and-the-dilemma-of-the-2023-presidency/.
6. “2023 Elections, Muslim-Muslim Victory: A case on Nigerian Muslims’ numerical supremacy”, The Daily Reality
Newspaper, March 08, 2023.
6. “Re-Bishop Kukah’s attack against Islam”, News on Time, June 22, 2020; available on
https://newsontimecomng.wordpress.com/2020/06/22/re-bishop-kukahs-attack-against-islam/.
G Unpublished Manuscripts
1. A Gateway to English Grammar – Book 1.
2. A Gateway to English Grammar – Book 2.
3. Linguistics
4. Visualizing Paradise on the Screen of Qur’anic Verses.
5. Sectarianism, Secularism and Muslim-Christian Relations in Post-Colonial Northern Nigeria.