TheChaptersofMaryandTaHacenteronthekeyfiguresofIslam’stwosistermonotheisms,Mary,motherofChrist,andMoses.Ibn’Ajiba’scommentariesonthesetwosurahsgivereaderaccessnotonlytothetraditionalIslamicviewofthesepropheticfigures,butalsoonmetaphorsandsymbolstobefoundintheirstoriesthatcanofusetoanyonefollowinganinnerpathtoGod.TheChapterofMary,inparticular,givesreadersaccesstothestoryofChristthroughtheperspectiveofthewomanwhowaschosentobearhim.TheImmenseOceanfromwhichthisisanexcerpt,isaprimeexampleofwritingfromtheNorthAfricanSufictradition.Al-Bahral-Madid,fromwhichthistranslationisanexcerpt,istheonlytraditionalQuraniccommentaryinexistencewhichgivesbothexotericexegesisandmystical“spiritualallusion“foreachverseoftheSacredBook.Sincethecompletionofitspublicationin2002,theArabicversionofal-Bahral-Madid,whichexistedonlyinmanuscriptformbeforeasmallexcerptwasprintedinthe1950s,hassoldoutthreeeditions.ThisisatestimonybothtoitspopularityandtoarevivalofinterestinSuficthoughtthroughouttheMuslimworld.
