The Seekers Regalia: A Primer on the Etiquette of Seeking Sacred Knowledge
The Seeker's Regalia is an abridged translation of Hilyat Talib Al-Ilm by Bakr Abu Zayd
Dear Becoming the Alpha Muslim reader,
People have been DM'ing me, asking how they can support BTAM. Some said I should sell branded t-shirts and other swag. I could do that. It’s super easy to sell merch these days.
But I want to give you something of real value.
There's a pdf I used to give away on my site called "The Seeker's Regalia." It's an abridged translation of the book Hilyat Talib Al-Ilm by sheikh Bakr Abu Zayd.
The subject of the book is Adab Talab Al-Ilm, or the etiquette of seeking knowledge. Ostensibly, this applies to Sacred Knowledge. However, it can broadly apply to any kind of knowledge.
Much of the information in the book is essential self-improvement for all Muslims in general. This is obvious, since learning one's religion is an obligation.
The means to achieve an obligation are necessarily obligations
You can't get this pdf on my website anymore. I decided to archive it because I only wanted to promote one free offer (my 5-day email mini-course.)
Recently, a long-time reader emailed me asking where he could find the book:
"If I may ask, did you remove the seeker's regalia from your site? And if so why? I think that book could benefit a lot of people because the original translation isn't that good."
He's right. The original translation is written in awkward "Islamospeak."
Islamospeak is the kind of hyper-literal, looks-like-English-but-really-isn't translation of Arabic we all know and hate. It's the type of translation you get when translators aren't proficient in English idiom and turns of phrase.
Let me give you an example:
Qurrat Ayni translates literally to "the coolness of my eyes." It makes sense in Arabic because of Arab culture. The equivalent concept in English is "the apple of my eye."
So instead of saying, "she was the coolness of my eyes," you should say, "she was the apple of my eye."
Now, I can understand the need for accuracy when translating religious texts. Because people make important decisions on how to practice their faith based on translations.
However, we need to strike a balance between literal translation and conveying the meaning of what's being said.
I started working on the Seeker's Regalia several years ago. My teacher asked me to help him summarize the original translation for a class he was teaching on the etiquette of seeking knowledge.
Let me tell you, this was no easy task. I must have spent weeks trying to capture the essence of translation in simple English. In some cases, the translator's English was so weird, I had to go back to the original Arabic and re-translate.
By the time I finished...
Over 90% of the translation was written in my own words
It wasn't a summary of a translation. It was an original work in-and-of-itself. An abridged translation of original work.
Even the name, "The Seeker's Regalia" is a reflection of the care I've taken with the words chosen to represent the author's intent.
The first "edition" has been reviewed and edited twice. Once by my teacher who commissioned it. And a second time by another teacher, before I made it available on Becoming The Alpha Muslim. It's been polished to a high sheen.
I'm very proud of The Seeker's Regalia. After my wife and children, this book is my best contribution to the Muslim Ummah to date.
Now, I want to share (or reshare) it with you. I'm making the Seeker's Regalia available for purchase to readers of Becoming the Alpha Muslim.
At this point, your brain may be about to burst with curiosity. Since I've hyped the book so much, it's only fair I tell you what's in it.
The Seeker's Regalia has 6 chapters. Each chapter takes you on a journey through the stages of seeking knowledge. It starts with correcting your inner state and ends with a warning on nullifying what you've learned and applied.
Regalia are the distinctive clothing and ornaments worn during special occasions and formal events. They are usually by the aristocracy, military leaders, and government officials.
Like a nobleman wears special items of clothing to signify his rank and status...
The seeker of Sacred Knowledge adorns himself
...by applying the wisdom of this book to his mind, body, relationships, and environment.
Together, the lessons in this book make up the "Regalia." And it encompasses far more than appearance. It covers every aspect of the Seeker’s life and conduct.
Here's the thing:
I can easily set the price for this book at whatever number I want.
$99... $49... $29... $19...
Heck, the amount of time I spent putting this together? Hours and hours and hours of translating, summarizing, editing, formatting, and designing. And it ain't just the quality of the work. It's the quality of the wisdom being presented.
All these factors make The Seeker’s Regalia easily worth a crapton more than $99. To me at least!
But...
I've decided to let you pay what you want
That's right. YOU get to choose the price.
You can own a copy of The Seeker's Regalia for as little as $9.
If $9 is all you can afford to pay, go for it. I want you to have this book and I don't want money to be a barrier.
If you think the book is way more valuable than what I'm asking, you can choose to pay more.
$20... $50... $100 or more... It’s up to you.
If you want to be SUPER GENEROUS and support Becoming the Alpha Muslim in a BIG WAY, that's cool too. And I'd be very grateful.
How to get your copy of The Seeker's Regalia
To the right of you (or at the bottom of this page on mobile) you'll see a box where you can enter how much you want to pay.
Enter your price and tap the "I want this!" button
On the next page, enter your regular details and tap "Pay" (you can pay via credit card, PayPal, or Google Pay, whichever is most convenient.)
And you're all done!
You can instantly access your copy of the Seeker's Regalia. Gumroad will also email you a copy of your receipt and a link to download the book.
To read The Seeker's Regalia you can
Download the pdf to your device
Send it to your Kindle
View in your Gumroad Library web or mobile app
NOTE:
If you have any questions about the book, or you have any difficulty completing your purchase send me a DM on Twitter @alphamuslim or email nabeel [at] becomingthealphamuslim [dot] com.
Here's what you'll get: