Knowing Allah through knowing yourself

The purpose of our existence is to know Allah through submitting to Him in complete humility and servitude. So, how can this phenomenal purpose of our very existence be attained? A famous Islamic tradition concisely and profoundly provides an answer, stating, ‘He who recognizes himself, has indeed recognized his Lord’.

This brief treatise by the famous polymath scholar of Egypt, Imām Jalāl al-Dīn ‘Abd al-Raḥmān al-Suyūṭī, examines and explores the meanings of this statement from various aspects, and now it is being presented here in the English Language, in this era of materialism, hedonism and prevailing turmoil, to reawaken lost souls and reacquaint confused beings with the purpose of their lives.

The problem is indeed substantial but, as this treatise contends, the solution could be simpler than we initially realize. A mere shift in focus towards inward reflection and self-contemplation can be the master key to unlocking a person’s innate inclination towards the Divine.