Sheikh Ahmad-e Jami

Sheikh Ahmad-e Jami
Sheikh Ahmad-e Jami
Born	1048; Namaq, Kuhsorkh County, Iran
Died	1141 (aged 93); Torbat-e Jam, Khorasan Province, Iran
Occupation	Sufi writer
Genre	Shariah
Notable works	Seraj al Sāerin,; Konuz al Hekma
Website
	ahmad-e-jam.com

Ahmad Ibn Abolhasan Jāmi-e Nāmaqi-e Torshizi (Persian: احمد ابن ابوالحسن جامی نامقی ترشیزی) (born Namagh (now Kashmar), Persia, 1048 – died Torbat-e Jam, 1141) better known as Sheikh Ahhmad-e Jami or Sheikh Ahmad-i Jami or Sheikh Ahmad-e jam or Sheikh-e Jam or simply Ahmad-e Jam was a Sufi, Sufi writer, mystic and poet. His mazar (tomb) is located in Torbat-e Jam.

Poetry

Although his main field was writing Books, he also composed great poems during his life. A sample of his poetry is:

چون تیشه مباش و جمله زی خود متراش
چون رنده ز کار خویش بی بهره مباش
تعلــیم ز اره گیر در امــر معاش
چیزی سوی خود میکش و چیزی می پاش

Don't be like axe and don't offend anyone
Don't be useless like a plane
Just be like a saw in your life
Do something for yourself and something for others

Works

Although the title of his books are in Arabic, all of them are written in Persian. They are about shariah and theology, with some of his most important books being:

Meftāh al Najāt (Arabic: مفتاح النجاة) – "The key of Redemption"
Konuz al Hekma (Arabic: کنوز الحکمة) – "The Treasure of Wisdom"
Seraj al Sāerin (Arabic: سراج السائرین) – "The Lamp of Pilgrims"

Death

After his death in 1141 the people of Ma'dabad (Persian: معدآباد) (now Torbat-e Jam) buried him in the gate of the city and made a tomb for him in order that the people could come and use the mystical powers of the Sheikh after his death.

Impact

He had a great influence on Jami, who chose his penname according to Sheikh Ahmad Jami's name (which is Jami).^[1]

Footnotes

^ Rahekamal Website Archived 17 May 2008 at the Wayback Machine

References

The Colossal Elephant and His Spiritual Feats: The Life and Legendary Vita of Shaykh Ahmad-e Jâm. Co-authored and translated by Franklin Lewis and Heshmat Moayyad (Costa Mesa: Mazda, 2004) [1]
Sheikh Ahmad Jami Biography in Ahmad-e-Jam Website
Jami Article in Aftab Website
Ahamd-e Jam Entry in Loghatnaameh Website Dehkhoda Encyclopedia