author
‘Ali ibn ‘Usman Hujviri
An 11th-century Persian Sufi master, this writer is best known for Kashf al-Mahjub, widely regarded as the earliest surviving Persian treatise on Sufism. His life and teaching left a lasting mark on the spiritual history of South Asia, where he is also remembered as Data Ganj Bakhsh.
1 Audiobook
The Kashf al-mahjúb: The oldest Persian treatise on Súfiism
by ‘Ali ibn ‘Usman Hujviri
About the author
Born around 1009 in Ghazni, in present-day Afghanistan, Abu al-Hasan Ali ibn Uthman al-Jullabi al-Hujwiri was a Muslim scholar, mystic, and teacher of the Ghaznavid era. Modern reference works describe him as a major early Sufi figure, and his full name is usually given in the form Ali al-Hujwiri or al-Hujwiri.
He is most famous for Kashf al-Mahjub (“Unveiling of the Veiled”), a landmark work that is often described as the earliest surviving treatise on Sufism written in Persian. The book brings together spiritual guidance, explanations of Sufi ideas and practices, and portraits of earlier saints, making it important both as devotional writing and as a historical source.
Al-Hujwiri is especially revered in Lahore, where his shrine became a major center of devotion and where he is widely known by the honorific Data Ganj Bakhsh. He is remembered not only as an author, but also as a teacher whose influence helped shape the spread and understanding of Islamic spirituality in South Asia.