Kashf ul Mahjoob( کشفُ المحجوب) is the oldest and most revered Persian work of the 5th Century by Hazrat Sayyid Ali bin Usman Hajveri on Sufism. It contains the full doctrines and practices of Sufism. This book was originally written in Farsi, but it has been translated into many other languages. More than a dozen translations are available in Urdu alone.
Hazrat Sayyid Ali bin Usman Hajveri(حضرت سید علی بن عثمان ہجویری) is a highly revered Sufi saint of Pakistan, sometimes called Data Ganj Bakhsh. He stayed in Lahore for 34 years without ever considering returning. In recognition of his service to them at the cost of his time, energy, comfort, and every temporal possession he owned, the people called him Data Ganj Bakhsh.
Kashf Ul Mahjoob Book Summary
Kashf al-Mahjub’ was the first work ever written in Persian to discuss Islamic philosophy and Tasawwuf (Islamic Sufism).
The main objective of creating this book is to teach Muslims the true teachings of the Quran and Sunnah. Several mystical controversies and current opinions are clarified as he presents his experiences. The Persian flavor of the book is actually part of Ali Hujwiri’s identity as Data Ganj Baksh, also known as Data Hujwiri to his followers.
This book was penned in reply to a request presented to Data Sahib by a student of spirituality. Because Data Sahib found his request sincere, he wrote this book in extensive detail. Hence, doubts can be removed and questions can be answered in detail. This reason is presented in detail by Data Sahib himself in the opening of the book.
Kashful Mahjoob that: “One who does not have a Murshid (spiritual guide) will find a Murshid by the blessings of reading this book.”
This book also holds a high status among some if not all the Sufi saints’ works, such as Sultan al-Auliya Shaykh Nizam al-Din Auliya who is one of the most famous saints of all time.
Conclusion
Kashf-ul-Mahjoob by Ali Hujwiri is the earliest seminal Persian work on Sufism, laying out its core doctrines and practices. Composed in response to a student’s request, it succeeds in comprehensively elucidating complex spiritual matters.
Hujwiri examines Sufi ideals, ethics and stages of spiritual development through the lens of teachings from the Quran and Hadith. Kashf-ul-Mahjoob stands out for its immense scholarly value as the first authoritative treatise on Islamic mysticism in the Persian language.
Revered by saints like Nizamuddin Auliya, it continues to hold an exalted status in Islamic spiritual literature. Hujwiri’s magnum opus remains an indispensable guidebook for understanding the foundations of Sufi philosophy.
