Al-Qushayri-s-Epistle-on-Sufism 2.pdf

7/27/2019 Al-Qushayri-s-Epistle-on-Sufism 2.pdf

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A man asked Dhu l-Nun al-Misri: When will seclusion become right for me?

He answered: When you are able to seclude yourself from your own self!

Ibn al-Mubarak45 was asked about the cure of the heart. He answered: [It is] to

avoid mixing with people! It is said that when God wants to take his servantfrom the ignominy of disobedience to the glory of obedience, He graces him with

the intimacy of solitude, enriches him with contentment, and allows him to see

his faults. Whoever has been given all this, has been given the best of the two

worlds!

Fear of God (taqwa)

God Most High said: Surely the noblest among you in the sight of God is themost Godfearing of you.46 Abu l-Hasan Ali b. Ahmad b. Abdan informed us:

Ahmad b. Ubayd al-Saffar informed us: Muhammad b. al-Fadl b. Jabir informed

us: Abd al-Ala al-Qurashi47 related to us: Yaqub al-Ammi told us on the

authority of Layth, on the authority of Mujahid, on the authority of Abu

Said al-Khudri, who said that a man came to the Prophet may God bless

and greet him and said: O Prophet of God, advise me! He answered: Hold

onto fear of God, for it is the quintessence of all good! Perform jihad; it is the

monasticism//173 of the Muslim! Practice the remembrance of God, for it is alight for you!

Ali b. Ahmad b. Abdan said: Ahmad b. Ubayd said: Abbas b. al-Fadl

al-Asqati related to us: Ahmad b. Yunus related to us: Abu Hurmuz Nafi

b. Hurmuz related to us: I heard Anas [b. Malik] say that someone asked [the

Prophet]: Prophet of God, who are the family of Muhammad? He answered:

Everyone who fears God!

Fear of God is the quintessence of all good things. The True Reality of fear

of God consists of protecting oneself from Gods punishment through obedienceto Him. It is said: So-and-so protected himself with his shield. The root of fear

of God is to protect oneself from associating anything or anyone with God; this

is to be followed by protecting oneself from acts of disobedience and offenses;

this is followed by protecting oneself from dubious things; this is followed by

protecting oneself from unnecessary things.

I heard the master Abu Ali al-Daqqaq may God have mercy on him

say: For each of these divisions there is a special chapter. Some [scholars]

have interpreted the Quranic phrase [O believers,] fear God as He should be

feared48 as meaning that God is to be obeyed and not disobeyed, remembered

and not forgotten, thanked and not unrequited.

I heard Shaykh Abu Abd al-Rahman al-Sulami say: I heard Ahmad b. Ali

b. Jafar say: I heard Ahmad b. Asim say: I heard Sahl b. Abdallah say: There

ABU L-QASIM AL-QUSHAYRI 125

45 An early Muslim ascetic and fighter for religion, who died in 181/797. See IM, pp. 2122.

46 Q. 49:13.

47 In another reading al-Narsi.48 Q. 3:102; 3:97 according to Arberrys translation.

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is no helper but God, no guide but the Messenger of God, no provisions but fear

of God, no deed but one that is graced by patience [in worship].

I heard Abu Bakr al-Razi say: I heard al-Kattani say: This world is

apportioned according to affliction and the next according to fear of God. I alsoheard him [al-Sulami] say: I heard Abu Bakr al-Razi say: I heard al-Jurayri say:

No one who has not appointed fear of God as an arbiter between himself

and God will ever attain unveiling and contemplation [of divine mysteries].

Al-Nasrabadhi said: Fear of God means that the servant of God fears everything

except God may He be great and exalted! Sahl [al-Tustari] said: Whoever desires

to achieve perfection in fear of God must abandon all sins. Al-Nasrabadhi said:

He who practices fear of God aspires to separate himself from this world,

because God glory to Him said: The next world is better for those who areGodfearing. Will you not understand?49 A Sufi said: When someones fear of

God is perfect, God makes turning away from this world easy for him.

Abu Abdallah al-Rudhbari said: Fear of God is to shun anything that

distances you from God.//174 Dhu l-Nun said: The Godfearing person is

one who does not defile his exterior with acts of opposition [to Gods will] nor

his interior with diversions [from God] and occupies the station of complete

agreement with God.

I heard Muhammad b. al-Husayn may God have mercy on him say:

I heard Abu l-Husayn al-Farisi say: I heard Ibn Ata say: Fear of God has

two sides: outward and inward. Its outward side is the observance of [Gods]

boundaries. Its inward side is [pure] intention and sincerity.

Dhu l-Nun [al-Misri] said:

There is no living except with men whose hearts long for fear of God and

Whose repose is in the remembrance [of Gods name]

[Their] contentment is in the spirit of certainty and its sweetnessAs the nursing infant is content with [its mothers] lap.

They say that a mans fear of God is evident in three things: full trust in God

with respect to what has not been granted to him; full satisfaction with what has

been granted to him; and full patience with respect to what has eluded him. Talq

b. Habib said: Fear of God is to act in obedience to God, illuminated by His

light, and to fear His punishment.

I heard Shaykh Abu Abd al-Rahman al-Sulami say: I heard Muhammadal-Farra relate from Abu Hafs the following saying: Fear of God can only be

achieved by [eating] that which is lawful. There is no other way. I also heard

him say; I heard Abu Bakr al-Razi say: I heard Abu l-Husayn al-Zanjani

say: He whose capital is fear of God gains a profit that tongues are unable to

describe. Al-Wasiti said: Fear of God is to be wary of ones fear of God,

meaning to take no notice of it.

126 AL-QUSHAYRIS EPISTLE ON SUFISM

49 Q. 6:32.


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The one who fears God [should be] like Ibn Sirin.50 Once he bought forty

jars of butter. His servant found a [dead] mouse in one of them. Ibn Sirin asked

him: What jar did you find it in?51 The servant said that he did not remember,

whereupon Ibn Sirin dumped all of the jars onto the ground. Or one shouldbe like Abu Yazid [al-Bistami], who once purchased a measure of saffron in

Hamadan.52 A little of it was left over and when he returned to Bistam53 he found

two ants in it. He then returned to Hamadan and laid down these two ants.

It is related that Abu Hanifa54 used to avoid sitting in the shade of his

neighbors tree. He would explain this [behavior] by referring to a report from

the Prophet that says: Any loan that brings interest is usury. It is told that Abu

Yazid was washing his robe in the desert [outside the city] with a companion

of his. The companion said to him: Lets hang our robes on the wall of thisvineyard. Abu Yazid responded: No, one cannot drive a nail into other peoples

wall. The companion said: Lets hang them on this tree. He answered: No,

for they may break the branches. Then lets spread them out on the grass!

No, responded Abu Yazid. No, the grass is fodder for the animals. We cannot

block them off from it! He turned his back to the sun, with his robe on his back,

and waited until one side was dry. He then turned it around and waited until the

other side was dry.//175

It is told that once Abu Yazid went to the congregational mosque and drove

his staff into the ground. It fell upon the staff of an old man next to it and

knocked it down. The old man had to lean over in order to pick up his staff. Abu

Yazid followed the old man to his house and asked for his forgiveness. He said:

The reason for your leaning over was my negligence in driving my staff into the

ground, for this caused you to do so.

Once Utba al-Ghulam was seen breaking into a sweat in wintertime. When

asked why, he responded: This is the place where I disobeyed my Lord! Onbeing asked for an explanation, he said: I scraped off a chunk of clay from this

wall and had a guest of mine cleanse his hands with it. However, I neglected to

ask the owner of the wall for permission.

Ibrahim b. Adham said: Once I was spending the night in the desert near

Jerusalem. After some time two angels descended. One of them asked the other:

Who is this? He answered: Ibrahim b. Adham. That is the one whom God

glory to Him lowered by one degree! Why? inquired the other angel.

Because he bought some dates in Basra and one of the dates belonging tothe grocer fell in among his dates and he did not return it to its owner. Ibrahim


50 An early Muslim scholar who was renowned for his piety and scrupulousness. He died in

110/728.

51 According to the sharia, any food that came in contact with a dead animal was considered

impure.

52 A city in Iran.

53 His native city.54 A renowned jurist, who founded a school of law named after him. He died in150/767.


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continued: I returned to Basra and purchased dates from that man, and [while

doing this] dropped one date into his dates. I then returned to Jerusalem and

spent the night in the desert [again]. After some time, I saw two angels descend

from the sky. One said to the other: Who is here? He answered: Ibrahim b.Adham. He then added: His rank is raised.

It is said that fear of God has several degrees: the common people shun

associating anything with God (shirk); the elect shun sins; the prophets shun

attributing acts [to anyone other than Him] in other words, their fear comes to

them from Him and is [directed] to Him.

The Commander of the Faithful, Ali may God be pleased with him said:

The most noble of mankind in this world are the generous and the best of

mankind in the Hereafter are those who fear God.Ali b. Ahmad al-Ahwazi informed us: Abu l-Husayn al-Basri informed us:

Bishr b. Musa informed us: Muhammad b. Abdallah b. al-Mubarak related to

us on the authority of Yahya b. Ayyub, on the authority of Ubaydallah b. Zuhr,

on the authority of Ali b. Yazid, on the authority of al-Qasim, on the authority

of Abu Umama from the Prophet may Gods peace and blessing be upon him

that he said: If someone has looked at the beauty of a woman and lowered

his sight with the first look, God will make for him an act of worship whose

sweetness will reside in his heart [forever].

I heard Muhammad b. al-Husayn say: I heard Abu l-Abbas Muhammad b.

al-Husayn say: I heard Muhammad b. Abdallah al-Farghani say: Once al-Junayd

was sitting with Ruwaym [b. Ahmad], al-Jurayri, and Ibn Ata [al-Adami].55//176

Al-Junayd said: One cannot be saved unless one is sincere in taking refuge with

God, for God Most High said: And to the three who were left behind, until the

earth, for all its breadth, became narrow for them. 56 Ruwaym may God have

mercy upon him said: One cannot be saved unless one is sincere in the fear ofGod, for God Most High said: But God shall deliver those who were Godfearing

to their security. Al-Jurayri said: One cannot be saved unless one keeps

trust, for God Most High said: Those who fulfill Gods covenant and break not

the compact. 57 Ibn Ata said: One cannot be saved unless one has become

ashamed of oneself in truth, for God Most High said: Does not he know that

God sees [everything]? 58

The master and imam59 said: One can be saved only by divine order and

decree, for God Most High said: As for those unto whom the ample reward has

128 AL-QUSHAYRIS EPISTLE ON SUFISM

55 They were members of al-Junayds inner circle; the last named was also a partisan of al-Hallaj.

56 Q. 9:118; according to most exegetes, this verse refers to three Companions of the Prophet,

who refused to participate in his military campaign. Later on they repented and were tormented

by the feeling of uncertainty as to their status in the eyes of God namely, whether He had

pardoned them.

57 Q. 13:20.

58 Q. 96:4.59 That is, al-Qushayri.


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gone forth from us, [they shall be kept far from it60].61 He also said: One can

be saved only by pre-determined choice [of God], for God Most High said: We

chose them and guided them to a straight path.62

Scrupulousness (wara )

Abu l-Husayn63 Abd al-Rahman b. Ibrahim b. Muhammad b. Yahya al-

Muzakki informed us: Muhammad b. Dawud b. Sulayman al-Zahid informed

us: Muhammad b. al-Hasan b. Qutayba informed us: Ahmad b. Abu Tahir

al-Khurasani told us: Yahya b. al-Ayzar said: Muhammad b. Yusuf al-Firyabi

told us on the authority of Sufyan on the authority of al-Ajlah on the authority

of Abdallah b. Burayda on the authority of Abu l-Aswad al-Duali on theauthority of Abu Dharr that the Messenger of God may Gods blessing and

peace be upon him said: One of the best features of a mans Islam is his giving

up that which does not concern him.

The imam and master [al-Qushayri] may God be pleased with him said:

Scrupulousness is giving up dubious things. Likewise, Ibrahim b. Adham

said: Scrupulousness is giving up whatever is dubious and whatever does not

concern you, which means giving up that which is superfluous.//177

Abu Bakr al-Siddiq64

may God be pleased with him said: We used toabandon seventy kinds of permitted things out of fear of stepping into only one

thing that is forbidden. The Prophet may Gods peace and blessing be upon

him told Abu Hurayra: Be scrupulous and you will be among Gods greatest

servants!

I heard Shaykh Abu Abd al-Rahman al-Sulami say: I heard Abu l-Abbas

al-Baghdadi say: I heard Jafar b. Muhammad say: I heard al-Junayd say: I heard

al-Sari [al-Saqati] say: The most scrupulous men of their times were: Hudhayfa

b. al-Marashi,65 Yusuf b. Asbat, Ibrahim b. Adham and Sulayman al-Khawwas.They stuck to scrupulousness under any circumstances, and when acquisition of

that which is lawful became difficult to them, they took recourse in the absolute

minimum. I also heard him [al-Sulami] say: I heard Abu l-Qasim al-Dimashqi

say: I heard al-Shibli say: Scrupulousness is to refrain from everything other

than God Most High. I also heard him [al-Sulami] say: Abu Jafar al-Razi

informed us: al-Abbas b. Hamza told us: Ahmad b. Abi l-Hawari told us: Ishaq

b. Khalaf told us: To be scrupulous in speech is harder than being scrupulous

in [dealing] with gold and silver. Likewise, to abstain from worldly authority

(riasa) is harder than to abstain from gold and silver, since one expends them

freely in ones quest for worldly authority.


60 That is, the hellfire.

61 Q. 21:101.

62 Q. 6:87.

63 An alternative reading has Abu l-Hasan.

64 The first successor of the prophet Muhammad (caliph), who died in 11/634.65 According to an alternative reading, al-Murtaish.

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Al-Qushayri-s-Epistle-on-Sufism 2.pdf