Sidi Ahmad Zarruq’s Commentary on Shaykh al-Shadhili’s Hizb al-Bahr

Sidi Ahmad Zarruq’s Commentary on Shaykh al-Shadhili’s Hizb al-Bahr, Khalid Williams (tr.)

This English translation presents, for the first time, the illuminating commentary of Sidi Aḥmad Zarrūq—renowned jurist, spiritual guide, and reformer of the Sufi path—on Ḥizb al-Baḥr (“The Litany of the Sea”), the celebrated supplication composed by Imām Abū’l-Ḥasan al-Shādhilī.

Far more than a line-by-line explanation, Zarrūq’s commentary is a spiritual roadmap that unpacks the theological, spiritual, and devotional dimensions of the ḥizb. He reveals the inner meanings of its invocations, the spiritual states it seeks to awaken, and the conditions of presence and reliance it demands from the one who recites it. Through his insights, the Ḥizb al-Baḥr emerges not merely as a protective supplication—but as a living embodiment of tawḥīd, surrender, and trust in God.

Rendered into English with clarity and reverence, this translation brings one of the great treasures of the Shādhilī tradition within reach of today’s seekers. Whether read devotionally or studied as a manual of spiritual refinement, The Ocean of Protection offers guidance for the heart in every storm.

Hizb al-Bahr (Litany of the Sea), a unique litany made of Quranic verses and supplications, is a powerful invocation read by multitudes throughout the Muslim world, it was taught by the Prophet s.a.w. to Sidi Abul Hasan al-Shadhili - the renowned Wali’Allah (“Friend of Allah”) whilst travelling to Hajj.

On the litany, the Shaykh Abul Hassan al-Shadhili said, “By Allah, I did not utter it except as it came from the Holy Prophet, from whose instruction I learned it. ‘Guard it; the Holy Prophet s.a.w said to me, ‘for it contains the greatest name of Allah. It is not recited in any place without security reigning there. If it had been with the inhabitants of Baghdad, the Tatars would not have taken the city.”

“Whoever recites it every day at sunrise, Allah hears his prayer, relieves his distress, raises his standing among people, expands his breast with knowledge of divine oneness, facilitates his concerns, lifts his hardship, keeps from him the evil of man and jinn, and protects him from the harm of mishaps of the night and day.” 

This is Ahmad Zarruq’s classic work in explaining this invocation.

Contents

Introduction - Part 1
The reality of litanies and their purpose, rules, and related matters

Introduction - Part 2
The requirements for composing a litany and using it, and the proper intention of the one who composes it and the one who uses it, and the ruling of this and matters adjacent to it

Introduction - Part 3
Why this litany is called the 'Litany of the Sea', why it was composed, how it should be used, the rulings of travel by sea and the special qualities of the sea

Conclusion - Part 1
Concerning the issue of belief, criticism and imitation

Conclusion - Part 2
The valid areas of imitation, what it brings, and its ruling

Conclusion - Part 3
How conduct should be imitated

ADDENDUM
Some important matters that people following the spiritual path require, whether they be in the world of isolation or the world of means

Hardback
ISBN: 9781909460027
Weight: 450g