Historic Publication of Nahj al Balaghah Outstanding Critical Edition & English Translation by Shehzadi Dr Tahera Bensab
17 April 2024
We are pleased to announce the historic publication of the superb critical edition and annotated English translation of Nahjul Balāghah, the celebrated compendium of orations, letters, and sayings of Maulana ʿAlī ibn Abī Ṭālib SA, by Yaqutato Da’watil Haqq Shehzadi Dr Bazat Tahera Baisaheba Qutbuddin. This publication is the fruit of decades of tireless research and intense dedication. It is now available for free download online from the publisher’s website at the link at the top of this page.
Shehzadi Dr. Tahera bensab has dedicated this publication to Syedna Khuzaima Qutbuddin RA and Syedna Taher Fakhruddin TUS. May Allah Ta'ala grant Afzalul-Jaza to Shehzadi Tahera Bensab for this historic khidmat of Amirul Mumineen SA, his Dai and Dawat.
Nahj al-Balāghah (lit. The Way of Eloquence), compiled by al-Sharīf al-Raḍī (d. 406/1015), is a masterpiece of Arabic literature and Islamic wisdom studied and memorized avidly and continually for over a thousand years. Showcasing Amirul Mumineen’ SA life and travails in his own words, it also transcribes his profound reflections on piety and virtue, and on just and compassionate governance.
Eldest daughter of 53rd Dai al-Mutlaq Syedna Khuzaima Qutbuddin RA and sister of 54th Dai al-Mutlaq Syedna Taher Fakhruddin TUS, Shehzadi Dr Bazat Tahera Baisaheba is presently AlBabtain Laudian Professor of Arabic at the University of Oxford. She was Professor of Arabic Literature for twenty years at the University of Chicago during which time she has published numerous articles and books and is considered a global authority on Arabic language and literature. In 2021 she won the prestigious Sheikh Zayed Book Award, the Arab world’s equivalent to the Nobel prize.
Shehzadi Dr. Bazat-Tahera Bensaheba has dedicated herself and her work to the khidmat of Dawat-ul-Haqq and Duat Kiram. With the raza mubarak of Syedna Mohammed Burhanuddin RA and under the guidance and tarbiyat of Syedna Khuzaima Qutbuddin RA, Shehzadi Dr. Bazat-Tahera Bensaheba pursued her PhD at Harvard University and flourished in the academic world. Her earlier publications have been dedicated to Syedna Taher Saifuddin RA and Syedna Mohammed Burhanuddin RA respectively.
With the dua mubarak of Syedna Taher Fakhruddin, Shehzadi Tahera Bensaheb continues to delve deep into the khidmat of Dawat al-Haqq as she works on various research projects and publishes and teaches about the wisdom of our Mawali-Kiram. You can download Tahera Bensab’s published articles and excerpts from her published books from her Academia.edu page. You can learn more about her current academic activities at her Oxford University faculty page.
Photo credit: Ken Bennett
