Qaysari Introduction Libre

8/10/2019 Qaysari Introduction Libre

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Translators Introduction

Muy al-Dn Ibn Arab (d. 638/1240), one of the most inuentialgures of Islamic mysticism, is also recognized as the greatest spiritualmaster. His inuence in the development of Susm is largely due to thearticulation of mystical concepts and insights and the elaboration ofcomplex spiritual disciplines often only alluded to by the Qurn and

hadth. Aside from his profound intellectual achievements, however, thehonoric title, the greatest master (al-Shaykh al-Akbar) is on account ofhis unparalleled spiritual station, which has been ascertained throughthe accounts of various Su masters throughout history, having beenconrmed on the basis of their own gnostic perception.

One of Ibn Arabs most inuential works is Fu al-ikam, which hereports to have received by the Prophet Muammad through a vision.

For this reason, as well as the fact that it is considered the quintessenceof his thought, it is the subject of over one hundred commentaries. Heexpounds in it various mystical doctrines as epitomized by a series ofprophets beginning with Adam and ending with Muammad.


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Introduction

doctrine, which he expands in Futt al-Makkyya, Qayars Muqad-dimacan be read as a summary of the Fuitself.

Qayar writes in a separate introduction to the Futhat without

comprehending all of theessential topics of gnosticism, it is not possibleto understand the original text of the Fu. It is in light of this approachthat he wrote the Muqaddima, which contains what he considers to bethe fundamental issues in gnosticism, such as Being, the divine names,prophethood, unveiling, and the human being.

In recent times, Sayyid Jall al-Dn shtiyn has written a compre-hensive commentary on the Muqaddima, treating it as an independent

work and establishing it as a primary source for mystical doctrines.shtiyns commentary is a philosophical exposition of the school ofIbn Arab, in which he often incorporates the views of the other majorIslamic philosophical schools: Peripaticism, Illuminationism, and theTranscendent Wisdom of Mull adra. In this way, shtiyns Shar-imuqaddima-yi Qayar bar fu al-ikam,serves as an excellent sourcebookfor mystical doctrines within the larger context of Islamic philosophy.

ddal-Qayar

Sharaf al-Dn Dd al-Qayar was born in the central Anatoliantown of Kayseri (Qayaryya), around 660/1260 and died in 751/1350.He was a disciple of Abd al-Razzq Kshn (d. 736/1335) in Kshn,

with whom he studied Fu al-ikam, and who was at the same timehis spiritual preceptor on the path (arqa).3Although there is no entryonQayar in Abd al-Ramn Jms hagiographyNafat al-uns, Zaynal-Dn Muammad Abd al-Raf al-Mnaw (d.1031/1621) mentionshim in his Irghm awliyal-shaytn bi dhikr manqib awliy al-Ramnas follows:

[Dd al-Qayar was] the scholar given to religiousdevotion, the ascetic Su (al-lim al-bid)who used topartake in spiritual struggle (al-zhid al-f al-mujhid).

3 Zarrnkb, A. Donbl-ye dar tassawuf-e irn, 132.


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Foundations of Islamic Mysticism

He studied the religious disciplines in his hometownand then went to Egypt and studied the three religiousdisciplines with the scholars versed in them. He

studied intensely and became accomplished in theintellectual disciplines (wa baraa fl-funn al-aqlyya).Then he occupied himself with Susm, excelling inand mastering it and devoting himself to writingabout it. He commented upon the Fuand attachedan introduction to it in which he nely explains theprinciples ofSusm. Sulan Orkhn b. Uthmn [OrhanGz] built a religious school for him in the town of Iznik,

which was the rst one built in the Ottoman Empire.He died in the eight century [ah].4

Qayars Introduction to his commentary on the Fis of par-ticular importance in the study of mysticism both because of hisclear and lucid style as well as his mastery of the ideas of Ibn Arab.shtiyn writes in the his introduction, We have compared Qayars

commentary with those of other commentators, and found Qayarsto be the best in many respects, even if Kshns is more profound.5Similarly, just as it can be said that Qnaws style of exposition of IbnArabs ideas was more organized and clear than that of the masterhimself, given the abstruse nature of Ibn Arabs voluminous writings,Qayars commentary is erudite, yet accessible. Furthermore, shtiynmaintains that the Muqaddima is the best of Qayars writings.6Forthis reason, Qayars commentary and introduction has become an

instructional text studied in the classical learning centers as well as

4 Zayn al-Dn Muammad Abd al-Raf al-Mnaw,Irghm awliyal-shaytn bi dhikrmanqib awliy al-Ramn (al-abaqt al-ughr), ed. Muammad Adib al-Jdir, v. 4(Beirut, 1999), 284; cf Mohammad Rustom, Dd Qayar: Notes on his Life, Inuenceand Reections on the Muammadan Reality,Journal of the Ibn Arab Society, V.XXXVIII (2005), 52.5 shtiyn, Shar-i muqaddima-yi Qayar bar fu al-ikam, 56.6 Other works by Qayar include a commentary on Ibn Fris mystic poem, several

treatises compiled by Jall al-Dn shtiyn entitled Rasil-i Qayar, Taqiq m al-ayt, Kashf asrr al-ulm, Nihyat al-bayn diryat al-zamn, Insh al-dawir, Rislat ilm al-aqiq, Rislat a ba asrr Tawlt al-Qurn lil-Kshn, and his owncommentary of the Fu called Mala khu al-kilam shar mani fu al-ikam.See Shar al-Qayar ala tiyat ibn al-Fridh, (Beirut, Dr al-Kutub al-Ilmyya: 2004).


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Introduction

in private circles.Numerous scholars attest to Qayars mastery of Ibn Arabs

doctrine and consider him to be a great scholar of this discipline. This

is on account of both his ability to communicate philosophical andmystical doctrines as well as the fact that he was himself an accom-plished gnostic, which may be considered one of the most importantqualications for the exposition of a mystical treatise. In the openingparagraph of the Muqaddima, Qayaracknowledges to be the recipi-ent of gnostic visions. He also relates that he studied the Fu withKshn with others among his students when he became the objectof divine assistance. He mentions,

I was singled out amongst my companions to havereceived knowledge and perceive meanings withoutprior reection and learning.

Since gnosticism is fundamentally a practical discipline, and thegnostics foremost concern is spiritual wayfaring, it can be said that it

appears as a theoretical discipline only as an elaboration of the vision-ary experience and as a mode of communication to others.Though not to discount the important function of theoretical

gnosticism in establishing the correct understanding of metaphysicalprinciples, it can be argued that these principles are derived for themost part from gnostic perception, and not discursive reasoning, evenif they appear in the form of philosophical arguments.

Qayars exposition simply brings to light the experience of the

gnostics in the language of the philosophers. It is an attempt to reconciletheir experiences in the terminology and world-view of the philoso-phersgiven that philosophy is the closest discipline to mysticismandis not an attempt to arrive at the truth solely by means of the intellect.

For this reason, it is necessary to establish Qayar, rst and fore-most as a gnostic, and secondarily as an original thinker or philosopherin order to lend credence to his exposition of the Fu. Were it not for

his stature as an accomplished gnostic, it would not have been possibleto present a credible commentary on a text whose very source is gnosis.

outlIneoFthemuQaddIma


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The Muqaddimais divided into twelve sections, each addressing an

important topic in the eld of Susm. A brief outline of the originaltext is as follows:

The rst chapter, as Qayar mentions, furnishes philosophicalproofs for divine unity and other issues readily found in works oftheology and philosophy. This is mainly to establish the philosophicalfoundations of divine unity according to the Sus and to bring to lightsome dierences from the other schools.

The second chapter comprises of a discussion of the divisions ofthe names and attributes including positive andprivative, the names ofMajesty and Beauty, the Keys of the Unseen and the dierence betweenthe names of the Essence, attributes and acts. Furthermore, conceptsrelating to the divine names, their engendering, the universal andparticular, their dominion, governance, and their relationship withother names will be discussed.

The third chapter contains an exposition of the Immutable Ar-chetypes and other divine realities such as contingent quiddities thatare manifestations of the divine names. This chapter investigates theappearance of various levels of manifestation and the presence of thedivine Essence in everything. In the commentary there is a discussionof Gods knowledge and its relation to the created world.

The fourth chapter is a discussion of substance and accident accord-ing to the gnostics. Substance is dened as the Essence and accidentsare dened as the divine names and attributes.

The ve divine planes of existence or presences are discussedin the fth chapter along with an introduction to the concept of thePerfect Human (al-insn al-kmil), which is the fth plane. The com-mentary will discuss the concept of the Perfect Human,as well as theconcepts of the First Intellect and the descending degrees of creation.

The sixth chapter discusses the properties of the Imaginal World

(al-lam al-mithl).The levels of unveiling are introduced as well as theterms Throne, Footstool, seven heavens, earths and angels.

The seventh chapter discusses the various degrees of unveiling

and the dierence between unveiling and revelation.


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increasingly popular and surprisingly accessible, given that only ageneration ago they would have been studied only in private sessionsfor initiates on the mystical path.

During my time as a student in Qum, I had the good fortune ofstudying the Muqaddimawith Shaykh Akram al-Mjid, the preeminentsage and gnostic. As a scholar he is erudite, articulate, astutely analyti-cal, integrative in all of his teaching and extremely prolic as a writerand thinker. He is imbued with the highest ethical qualities, possessinggravity of bearing, graciousness and humility.

In addition, I have benetted immensely from Professor Hamid

Algar, to whom I am profoundly indebted for my academic trainingand moral edication over the years and for persistently guiding methroughout the translation and commentary.

In my commentary I have relied on my notes from the lectures oftheMuqaddimadelivered by Shaykh al-Mjid and Ayatullah Jawd mul,and from the text of Sayyid Jall al-Dn shtiyn, which exhaustivelyexplores major themes in mystical thought, providing lucid explana-tion of dicult passages and a general framework for the organiza-tion of ideas. The rationale for choosing these three scholars as myprimary sources is that they exemplify the contemporary expositionof a theoretical Su text in Islamic learning centers today. Each scholarfrom whom I have beneted possesses a unique expository style anda particular mode of transmission. I have attempted to coalesce eachof their styles and incorporate some of their views in my commentary.

The study also turns to other exponents of this tradition, namely,

Sayyid aydar mul, Najm al-Dn al-Rz, Mull adr, and akmTirmidh, employing both Arabic and Persian sources as well as studiesin English.

shtiyns commentary compares the views of the other schoolsof philosophy, using Qayars text as a point of departure to expositmany doctrinal issues in Shism. Jawd mul, an eminent philosopherand Qurnic exegete, approaches the text discursively, emphasizing

the philosophical nuances of Ibn Arabs metaphysics, as evidencedin the audio recordings of his lectures.

Shaykh al-Mjid, alongside his intellectual approach, emphasizesthe practical dimension of gnosticism, or spiritual wayfaring. The


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Introduction

simplest articulation of the spiritual way is self-knowledge throughcontemplation, remembrance, and purication of the soul. Once theheart is awakened, its inward faculties are then able to perceive spiritual

meanings through reading the divine signs. Thereafter, those signs,which are essentially divine manifestations, intensify and one movesfrom reading the signs in existence and in the self, to embodying thedivine names rooted in everything. When the spiritual nature over-

comes corporeal nature, the intellect illuminated by the lamp-niche ofprophecy, guides the human being, stage after stage, in the degrees ofthe soul, so that the heart is adorned with virtuous attibutes, reects

divine perfections and becomes aware of divine mysteries. In the nalstage, the spirit becomes immersed in the ocean of divine unity, movedby the divine hand and in harmony with the divine will, returning toits Lord and having fullled its purpose in every realm.

The present work introduces the rst English translation of thisindispensable text in the study of mysticism, drawing attention tosome of the most fundamental ontological and epistemological issuesin Islamic thought. I hope to convey as faithfully as possible the erudi-tion of past and present masters who have inherited and contributedto an enduring tradition.

What follows is a parallel English-Arabic edition of QayarsMuqa-ddima. The Arabic text corresponds with asanzda muls editedmanuscript of Qayars Shar Fu al ikam, published in Qom, Iran,1378 H. A detailed commentary of each chapter follows in the secondsection with selective coverage of important ideas that Qayardiscusses.


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anexcerptoFJallal-dnshtIynsIntroductIontomuQaddImmaQayar

The subject of mysticism (irfn)8is the most sublime of all thedisciplines for which the divine philosophers have given the follow-ing reasons: The nobility and value of any discipline is in proportionto its comprehensiveness. Any discipline that sets the foundation andprinciples of another discipline is considered more valuable and noblerthan the latter, since the subject of the lesser discipline is based on the

principles and arguments set forth in the higher discipline. That is whyphilosophy, which discusses the very nature of existence, is considereda more noble discipline than mathematics, which discusses quantities,which areessential accidents of existence. Similarly, the science of musicis considered dependent and subsidiary to the science of mathematics.

Qayar denes the subject, principles, and issues of mysticismas such, The subject of this discipline is the unitary Essence, eternalqualities, and everlasting attributes. It is the discipline that discusses

the emergence of multiplicity from the unitary Essence of God, andits return to the Essence. Furthermore, it discusses the manifestationof the divine names, the methodology of wayfaring of the people ofGod, their practices and disciplines, the outcome of their eorts, andthe result of their actions. Thus, it can be said that the subject of thisdiscipline is God, Almighty, and His relation with His creation.

The principles of this discipline consist of the divine names and

attributes. They can be divided into three types, names of the Essence,names of the attributes and names of the acts. The names of the Essenceare those that refer to the Essence of God since their governance iscomprehensive, such that other names are subsumed under them. Forexample, the Attributes of Life, Knowledge, Power, Will, Light, Oneness,Necessity, etc., fall under this category.

7 shtiyn, Shar-i muqaddima-yi Qayar bar fu al-ikam,99.8 A term derived from the Arabic marifa, which denotes, deep understanding oresoteric knowledge. The usage is common in the Sh mystical tradition, perhapsto disassociate with some of the Su orders of dubious legitimacy.


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The reason for their being considered the names of the Essence isdue to their being one with the Essence in the sense that other names, aswell as the creation are not taken into consideration when contemplat-

ing them. They refer to the Degree of Singularity (al-aadyya), whichexcludes any kind of multiplicity, and do not take into considerationtheir referents.

Some of the names of the Essence possess entication (al-taayyun),but are witnessed from behind a veil for the virtuous. While the fore-most of the wayfarers and perfect gnostics witness them from withoutany veils whatsoever. Some names of the Essence are not entied andhidden in the Unseen, as mentioned by the Prophet (p), O Allah, I ask

you by the names by which You have named Yourself, and revealedin the Book, and taught to the those among Your servants, or havereserved for Yourself in the knowledge of the Unseen.

As mentioned before, the worth and nobility of any discipline isin accordance with its comprehensiveness. Another criterion for theclassication of the disciplines is in light of the subject that is studied.Since the subject of medicine is the human body the worth and nobil-

ity of the science of medicine is in accordance with the worth of thehuman body.Whereas, since the discipline of mysticism studies the existence of

God, His names and attributes and the perfection of the human being,naturally it ranks as the foremost in nobility and importance. It maybe argued that the subject of theology is also the existence of God, Hisnames and His acts, the origin and the resurrection of man, why hasit not been placed as the foremost discipline?

The answer is that mysticism not only studies the existence of Godand Hisattributes, but also the method by which thewayfarer acquiresperfection through attainment to God, which is the very purpose ofknowledge and the highest aim for man.

Mysticism is not only a theoretical discipline but also a spiritualway that describes the very path the wayfarer must take for his perfec-tion, which lies in servitude and devotion to God.


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Authors Introduction

In the Name of GodMost Beneficent, Most Merciful

All Praise be to Allah, who specied the Archetypes with the ancient,Most Holy Eusion, determining them through His knowledge in theUnseen of His Essence, completing them by sprinkling upon them thelight of manifestation. He graced and manifested them from the hidingplace of the Unseen and the abode of non-being through the Keys of

the treasuries of bounty and generosity. He bestowed and grantedeach one of them what their capacity allowed. Thus, He brought intoexistence the possible entities and decreed their manifestation in theraiment of the divine names, arranging them through His wisdom,perfecting and establishing them. So glory be to Him who manifestedto His Essence by His Essence. He brought forth Adam, appointedhim vicegerent over the manifestation of His names, characterized

by the world. He summarized and concealed in him every reality sothat he would be the form of His comprehensive name, the Gloried,the Generous, the bearer of the secrets of the Most-knowledgeable,disclosing Himself by it, so he would come to know.

Blessings upon the one who is the Greatest Name, who speaksfrom the station of, I am the master of the children of Adam, whowas sent with the message to the best of nations; and, upon his progeny,

his chosen companions from among the Arab and the non-Arab, thosewho lifted the curtains of darkness through their lights; and their in-heritors from among the perfected saints, the wayfarers to the path,those having awareness of Truth by way of mysteries and wisdom.


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Authors Introduction

Thereafter, the weak servant, Dd bin Muammad bin Muammadal-Rm al-Qayar says: Allah gave me success in both worlds when Heunveiled for me the lights of His secrets, lifted the curtain from the vision

of my heart, aided me with divine assurance and the communicationof His symbols and granted everlasting success by the bestowal of Histreasures. Providence allowed me to be at the service of the perfectedmaster, authority, sage and mentor, unique in his time, unparalleled inhis era, the pride of the gnostics, the apple of the eye of the monothe-ists, the light of veriers, the epitome of the creed, truth and religion,Abd al-Razzq Jaml al-Dn abl-Ghanim al-Qsnmay Allah sustain

those who benet from his blessed breaths, illuminate the hearts ofhis students and companions through gnosis of Him.A group of brethren were busy in attaining perfection, seeking

the secrets of the Possessor of Majesty and Beauty when he [Kshn]began the exposition of Fu al-ikam,which was given by the Prophet,peace and blessings upon him, to the perfected Shaykh, the reviver ofthe creed and truthmay Allah be pleased with him.

The Real had enlightened me of meanings possessing brilliantluminosity and inspired me of signicances containing lofty myster-ies. He showed me in my inner secret the bearer of good tidings whowould inform me to my gnosis of this book. I was singled out amongmy companions to have received knowledge and acquire meaningswithout prior reection and learning. It was assistance from Allah, theGenerous, and a grace from the merciful Lord because He is armsby His support whomever He wills from among His servants, forging

success in the mystery of his origin and return.Since the knowledge of these mysteries are dependent on the

knowledge of the tenets and principles that are agreed upon by theexponents of this group, I set out to explain its chapters and elucidateits principles that are built on the principle of Oneness, to which thispath is attributed. One whom God has granted success and blessedwith understanding may know most of the principles of this discipline.

Thus, I have explained them in twelve chapters.


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Qaysari Introduction Libre