City of Tahta, Sohag
Abu Al Qasim ibn Abd Al Azeez Tahtawy. His tomb is at the mosque known as the ancient mosque. From his grandchildren is Rifat Rai Al Tahtawy who was essential in the late scholastic revival in Egypt. Abu Al Qasim Al Tahtawy has many statements exhibiting his rich experience on his path to God. One of them is:
“Witnessing the Divine is the lifting of the veils between the servant and the Lord. So he is shown via the purity of his heart that which was invisible in the unseen world. He then sees the greatness of God and his spiritual state changes in such a way that confusion sets in until the confusion progresses to clarity and his vision is one of sharp and true focus of truth.
At this point he sees one instance God’s transcendence and the next his beauty. In one instance he sees his own eternal nature and the next his ephemeral nature. In one instance he experiences expansion the next contraction etc. He has has shed the characteristics of man and has at the same time all the traits of a servant. He feels the transience of existence and doesn’t witness anything except God’s greatness.”
He died in the year 1183 AH.