Ibn Abbad al-Rundi (1333–1390) was one of the leading Sufi theologian

Theology

Theology is the systematic and rational study of religion and its influences and of the nature of religious truths, or the learned profession acquired by completing specialized training in religious studies, usually at a university or school of divinity or seminary.-Definition:Augustine of Hippo...

s of his time who was born in Ronda

Ronda

Ronda is a city in Spanish province of Málaga. It is located about West from the city of Málaga, within the autonomous community of Andalusia. Its population is approximately 35,000 inhabitants.-History:...

. Attracted to Morocco

Morocco

Morocco , officially the Kingdom of Morocco , is a country located in North Africa. It has a population of more than 32 million and an area of 710,850 km², and also primarily administers the disputed region of the Western Sahara...

 by the famous madrasah

Madrasah

Madrasah is the Arabic word for any type of educational institution, whether secular or religious...

s, Ibn Abbad emigrated there at an early age. He spent most of his life in Morocco

Morocco

Morocco , officially the Kingdom of Morocco , is a country located in North Africa. It has a population of more than 32 million and an area of 710,850 km², and also primarily administers the disputed region of the Western Sahara...

 and was buried in Bab al-Futuh (south-eastern gate) cemetery in Fes

Fes

Fes or Fez is the second largest city of Morocco, after Casablanca, with a population of approximately 1 million . It is the capital of the Fès-Boulemane region....

.

Influence

Ibn Abbad has been suggested as a key influence on and precursor to St. John of the Cross, in particular his account of the dark night of the soul

Dark Night of the Soul

Dark Night of the Soul is a treatise by Saint John of the Cross containing a commentary explaining his poem of the same name.-Poem and treatise by Saint John of the Cross:...

, in the work of Miguel Asín Palacios.