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HEYTHROP COLLEGE

UNIVERSITY OF LONDON

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End-of-Year Essay/Undergraduate Dissertation/Psychology

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Student ID Number 080414 Degree/Diploma Title ABRAHAMIC RELIGIONS - B.A. (HONS)

Year of Degree 1 � 2 � 3 Deferred Assessment? Yes � No � Deadline: *Specific Learning Difficulty including Dyslexia? Yes � *A learning difficulty that you have notified to the College and needs to be taken into account for marking purposes

Module Code AR306 Module Title Spirituality and Mysticism in the Abrahamic Faiths Essay/Dissertation/ Project Title

Hasidism and Sufism: Spirituality in Judaism and Islam

Word Count 4387

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2

Arabic Characters

’ ء

ṭ ط

ẓ ظ b ب

‘ ع t ت

gh غ th ث

f ف j ج

q ق ḥ ح

k ک kh خ

l ل d د

m م dh ذ

n ن r ر

h ه z ز

w و s س

y ی sh ش

ṣ ص

ḍ ض

Long Vowels

ā ا

a ۔

u ۔ ū و

i ۔ ī ي

Hasidism and Sūfism: Spirituality in Judaism and Islam

List of Transliterations

Short Vowels

3

Hasidism and Sufism: Spirituality in Judaism and Islam

Introduction

In an era when media and politics over-shadow relations between Muslims and

Jews, maybe there is a solution – spirituality. I will initiate by defining Ṣūfism and

Ḥasidism, alongside the definition process I will analyse and contrast between

the two. Thereafter, I will focus my attention on the Pīr (sheikh) / Tsaddik and

murīd / ḥasidim, and examine their centrality in both spiritualities using Arabic,

Persian and Urdu poetry. I will examine the notion of the Tsaddik through four

channels as approached by Rachel Elior. I will conclude by briefly analysing

individuals, Abraham Maimonides and Baṣīr, who in the medieval period were

inclined towards Islamic mysticism - taṣawwuf. And alongside the medieval, I will

also look at similar examples in the contemporary modern period – Pīr Ināyat

Khan and Rabbi Zalman Shalomi.

Defining Ṣūfism and Ḥasidism

Jonathan Brown and Martin Lings simply explain Sūfism as: the ‘the art of

knocking’ on the door of the divine.1 Brown further quotes a famous Sūfi saint

Abū Bakr al-Shiblī as describing Sufism as, ‘comforting the heart with the fan of

purity, clothing the mind with the cloak of faithfulness, acquiring generosity and

rejoicing in meeting God’.2 Pīr Dhul-Fiqār of the Naqshbandī ṭarīqat (order)

illustrates how one is to acquire taṣawwuf, he quotes Hasan al-Basrī, ‘hum ne

taṣawwuf qīl wa qāl se nahī balke tark-e-lazzāt se sīkhā’ – we acquired taṣawwuf

not through argumentation and debate, but by casting aside materialistic and

worldly desires.3 Junaid al-Baghdādī once said in a poem:

۔ و لزم طریق المصطفی الصوفی من لبس الصوف علی الصفی

1 Brown, J. A. C. (2009). Hadith: Muhammad’s Legacy in the Medieval and Modern World. (p.

184). 2 ibid. 3 Ahmad, Z. F. (2003). Majālis-e-Faqīr (مجالس فقير), Vol. 1. (p. 196)

4

4و جعل الدنیا علی العفا ۔ و ا کلب الکوفی احسن من الصوفی

A Sūfī is he: who dons al-ṣuf (woollen clothing) with the purity of heart

who holds firmly to the ṭarīq (path) of the ‘chosen one’

(Muḥammad) 5

who leaves behind and transcends the world

if not, then a kūfī 6 dog is superior to the ṣufī.

I believe Ṣūfism is very similar to Ḥasidism in the way that it initiated and

transformed into diverse number of ṭuruq (pl. of ṭarīqh – paths). For instance the

chishti ṭarīqa, despite claiming silsila to the Prophet, is named after the place in

contemporary Afghanistan called Chisht, and similar reasons for other ṭarīqas.

However, when defining and analysing Ḥasidism, Rachel Elior presents four

factors that umbrella all the ḥasidic groups: (1) A relationship to the Ba’al Shem

Tov; (2) Tsadik and community; (3) Being and nothingness; and (4) The ḥasidic

congregation.7

I will focus my attention on the second and fourth points. It is evident that if the

tsadik is viewed so highly, then the master and founder of this spiritual path is

bound to be central. The second notion, Tsadik and community, will be dealt with

in depth and throughout the essay. But, in simple words Elior assesses, ‘The

tsadik links the terrestrial world of his followers with the supernal worldsy the link

between the tsadik and his followers is intimate, based on charismatic leadership

of the community in a spirit of holiness. All members are of the community are

equal in their relationship to the tsadik, which fosters a strong sense of

brotherhood’.8 The third, being (Yesh) and nothingness (Ayin)’ is a ḥasidic idea

of the unity and meeting of opposites. Elior elaborates as, ‘this two-way process

takes place continuously from the ayin to the yesh and from the yesh to the ayin:

4 ibid. 5 In all instances of a Muslim’s speech and traditional writings the phrase ‘Peace Be Upon Him

(PBUH)’ ( B عليہ و سلمصلی ) is followed by the name of the Prophet, but in this article I intend the

phrase, hence on the understanding that it is intended and assumed no disrespect is intended. 6 Kūfī refers to the resident of Kūfa 7 Elior, R. (2008). The Mystical Origins of Hasidism. (pp. 2-4) 8 ibid., (p. 2)

5

every limited element strives to expand, to divest itself of corporeality, and to

return to its abstract source, and every abstract element strives to contract, to

clothe itself, and to be revealed in its limited expression’.9 This notion is similar

to Muhammad Iqbal’s idea of the Prophet Muhammad and his ascent to the

source, he believes, ‘Muhammad of Arabia ascended the highest Heaven and

returned. I swear by God that if I had reached that point, I should never have

returned’.10 Finally, the ‘ḥasidic congregation’ is similar to the second notion, but

I view it as a result of the powerful bond between the tsadik and the follower. As

Elior stresses that there was a relation from both channels, tsadik was the sole

channel of divine mercy and sustenance for his followersy[on the other hand]

the tsadik also depended on the recognition and support of his followers’.11 In

the ṣūfism of the sub-continent, the masters at times stress the importance of

murāqaba (meditation) of the master despite it being repudiated by the ulema’.

Similar to this is the incident of Junaid al-Baghdādī and his murīds who claimed

to have walked on water by calling the name of their master, Oh Junaid instead

of Oh Allah: and once they said, ‘Oh Allah’ they began to sink. Interestingly,

Junaid explained, “You are trying to reach Allah and yet you haven’t even

reached Junaid!”.12 However it is ‘tales’ of these kind that the wahhābī and

orthodox Islamic mind is forced to reject ṣūfism, and at times in its entirety.

The Pīr (master) and the murīd (follower) | The Tsaddik and the Hasidim

I believe, in both spiritual paths within Judaism and Islam, the relationship

between the master and follower is central. The utmost significance in this

relation is the deeper and real experience of the holy letters: in ṣufism the sheikh

is seen as someone who has attained a higher status; he has survived

9 Elior, R. (No date). Chapter: ‘The Infinity of Meaning embedded in the Sacred Text’, p. 39.

Accessed online [08.05.2011]: http://members.ngfp.org/Courses/Elior/EliorNave_Mil-Ch2.pdf 10 Iqbal, M. (2008). The Reconstruction of Religious Thought in Islam. (p. 124) – Iqbal, here has

quoted a mystic from Gangoh, pointing towards the difference between the experience between

the Prophet and a mystic. 11 Elior, R. (2008). The Mystical Origins of Hasidism. (p. 3) 12 Naqshbandi, A. Three Tales of Sufi Wisdom.

Accessed online [09.05.2011]: http://www.chowk.com/Views/Three-Tales-Of-Sufi-Wisdom

6

temptation and reached the maqām (station) where he now stands. However,

now he must pass his experience of reaching that maqām to his murīds and the

silsila of the previous sheikhs must continue till the Last Day. I will later look at

the difference between the ‘master’ in ṣūfism and ḥasidism – the silsila. The

sheikh in ṣufism provides the murīd with esoteric knowledge, which is believed by

the ṣufī to be such ‘ilm ladunnī that cannot be acquired through extensive study.

The story of Rūmī’s conversion to ṣufism is an interesting one, in which a

contrast between ‘ilm al-kasabī (acquired knowledge) and ‘ilm-e-ladunnī / kashf

(spiritual esoteric knowledge) is given:

‘One day Mawlana Rumi was sitting with his students and disciples near a pond

which was in the middle of his garden giving them a lesson in one of the Islamic

‘intellectual sciences’. The Mawlana was surrounded by a large pile of

handwritten books and scrolls and was teaching from them when suddenly a

strange fellow approached him and, smiling, pointed to the pile of books and

asked, “What is this?”

Taking the man to be a wandering dervish and illiterate, Rumi smiled and said,

“This is something which you do not know!” [exoteric knowledge].

Still smiling, the dervish picked up the pile of books and threw them into the

pond. Rumi was horrified and cried out, “You ignorant fellow! What have you

done? You have ruined all my precious books!”

The dervish continued to smile and, nonchalantly approaching the pond and

putting his hand into the water, retrieved all the books. Amazingly, all the books

instantly became dry and as good as new!

Astonished at this charismatic miracle Rumi cried out, “What is this?”

“This is something which you do not know!” [referring here to esoteric

knowledge]. answered Shams of Tabriz.13

Subsequent to Jalāl al-Dīn Rūmī’s struggles through the maqāmāt (stations) he

said what is now quoted by ṣūfī’s throughout the ṭarīqa in Persian:

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13 Accessed online [07.05.2011]: http://www.chowk.com/Views/Three-Tales-Of-Sufi-Wisdom also

in Urdu: Rūmī, J. (2009). Ḥikāyāt-e-Rūmī ( ������� � ). Trans. by Sufi Asif Mahmood.

14 Rūmī, J. (2009). Ḥikāyāt-e-Rūmī (� �������). Trans. by Sufi Asif Mahmood. (p. 21)

7

Mevlawī could never have become the Maula (Master) of Rūm,

till he became the slave 15 of Shams Tabrez

However, even for the famous jurist of Islam, al-Shāfi’ī, the acquiring of exoteric

knowledge depended upon a spiritual state of taqwā and tark al-ma’āṣī. Imām al-

Shāfi’ī once complained to his teacher regarding his weakness in memory and

expressed this incident in a poem:

ک المعاصیفاوصانی الی تر ۔ شکوت الی وکیع سوء حفظی

و نور هللا یعطی لعاصی ۔ فان العلم نور من ا ھی16

“I complained to [my teacher / my sheikh] Waqī’ regarding the weakness of my memory.

He prescribed for me the abstinence from sins. For indeed al-‘ilm [sacred knowledge] is

a nūr (light) from my Lord. And the light of Allah is not given to a sinner”.

Interestingly, when Thānwī was asked the definition of a ṣūfī, he replied with

determination, � � �!�� "#$ ‘ālim bā ‘amal’ - ‘A scholar, who implements his

knowledge’.17 Hence, it is bringing to life the letters of the sacred texts and

becoming the embodiment of the sacred knowledge that is the spiritual aim of

Islamic spirituality. Iqbal expresses this notion in his poem, of how a mu’min

(believer) is not the one who merely recites the sacred text, but is in reality the

sacred text.

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F�3�)�G 15 Slave here refers to murīd (follower).

16 Thānwī, A. A. (1425H) . Tuḥfa al-‘Ulemā’ H�%�I*�J���KL� �M�*�N��OPQ�1�RS�T UVW*�X - (p. 41)

17 ibid., (p. 159)

18 Iqbal, M. ḍarb-e-kalīm (Y�Z[): The Rod of Moses. Accessed online [08.05.2011]:

http://www.allamaiqbal.com/

(search under prose works, ḍarb-e-kalīm.)

8

With Gabriel trusted and steadfast

this clay-born man has kinship close

a dwelling in some land or clime

for himself Muslim never chose.

This secret yet none has grasped

that a mu’min by appearance is a reciter [of the Qur’an],

But in reality he is the Qur’an.19

There is a similar approach to the Pīr of Ḥasidism, and his relation to his ḥasidim.

As the rabbi of Rizhyn once said,

“Just as the holy letters of the alphabet are voiceless without the vowel signs,

and the vowel signs cannot stand without the letters, so zaddikim and ḥasidim

are bound up with one another. The zaddikim are the letters and the ḥasidim

who journey to them are the vowel signs. The ḥasidim need the zaddik, but he

has just as much need of them. Through them he can be uplifted. Because of

them he can sink – God forbid! They carry his voice, they sow his work in the

worldy’20

But, the reason for the ḥasidim’s need to go to the tsaddik I believe is similar to

the ṣūfī idea, of reaching the ultimate source, the reality of God and the tsaddik is

the intermediary for that. Rabbi Mordecai elaborated the need for the ḥasidim to

come to the tsaddikim, which is homogeneous to the ṣūfī idea of transferring

‘ishq (Love) from ‘fānī’ (the mortal) to ‘bāqī’ (the immortal). He once said, “people

go to the tsaddikim for many different reasons. One goes to the tsaddik to learn

how to pray with fear and love; another to acquire strength to study the Torah for

its own sake. Still another goes because he wants to mount to a higher rung of

spiritual life, and so on. But none of these things should be the true purpose of

going, for each of them can be attained, and then it is no longer necessary to toil

for it. The only, the true purpose, should be to seek the reality of God. No

bounds are set to this, and it has no end’.21

Rābi’ah Baṣriyyah, a famous female ṣūfī of her era, emotionally expressed the

very notion:

“O my Lord, if I worship you from fear of hell, burn me in hell.

19 ibid., (search under prose works, translation of ḍarb-e-kalīm) 20

Buber, M. (1991). Tales of the Hasidim. (p. 54) 21 ibid., (p. 164)

9

If I worship you in hope of Paradise, bar me from its gates.

But if I worship you for yourself alone,

grant me then the beauty of your Face”.22

However, I believe, the most significant contrasting difference between the

tsaddik and the pīr is the silsila (the chain of narrators), which the Ṣūfis believe

leads back to the Prophet himself. An idea which, I believe is influenced by

principles of ḥadīth tradition likewise shi’ite belief of connecting the imams to the

genealogy of the Prophet. But at times these silsilas seem to be problematic

when one finds unauthentic sources in the chain of transmission. For instance,

when figures like Khidr 23 are mentioned in the chain they become dubious. I

present an example of a silsila of my own ṣūfī lineage, where one could see how

the methodology used in ṣufism are assumed to be taught down the ages from

the Messenger himself, but alongside that I will point towards a problem within

the silsila:

Hazrat Mufti Moosa Badat Khalifah of > Hazrat Mufti Mahmood Hasan Gangohi (died

1417 AH) > Shaikhul Hadith Maulana Zakaria Kandhelvi (died 1402 AH) > Hazrat

Maulana Khalil Ahmed Saharanpuri (died 1346 AH) > Qutbul Alam Maulana Rashid

Ahmed Gangohi (died 1323 AH) > [y]24 Khwaajah Fuzail bin Ayaaz (died187 AH) >

Khwaajah Abdul Waahid bin Zaid (died176 AH) > Hazrat Hasan al-Basri (died110 AH)

> AMMERUL MU’MINEEN SAYYIDINA HAZRAT ALI radiyallahu anhu (died 40 AH) >

SAYYIDINA MUHAMMAD RASULULLAH [The Messenger of Allah] Sallallahu alaihi

wasallam (died 11 AH). 25

22 Rābi’ah Baṣri’s (717-801) Ṣūfism. [Accessed online 27.04.2011]:

http://www.poetry-chaikhana.com/R/RabiaBasriAl/OmyLordifIwo.htm 23 There are a multitude of interpretations as to who Khiḍr. Encyclopaedia of the Qur’an (vol. 3)

states that Al-Zamakhsharī asserts that Khiḍr lived from the time of Dhū l-Qarnayn to that of

Moses; Sayyid Qub sets that tradition aside, calling him only “the righteous servant.” However,

some ṣūfī tradtions believe that Khiḍr is still alive and witnessed by some mashā’ikh. 24 I have removed 32 mashā’ikh from the silsila, which could be traced from footnote No. 25

25 Silsila taken from: Badāt, M (2003). Nisbat wa Iḥsān aur A’māl - e - Qalbiyyah \]� ^�_!^`a� �bc*�� *�4d*� �efg

Also available online from the English Translation:

Badāt, M (2006). An Introduction to the Science of Tasawwuf: A Translation of Nisbat wa Iḥsān

aur A’māl - e - Qalbiyyah \]� �_!^`a� �bc*�� *�4d*� �ef by Khalil Ahmed Kazi.

Accessed online [29.04.2011]:

http://www.islamrocks.com/Islamic-Books/shajarah-spiritualtree.shtml

10

Here the silsila ends at the Prophet through his cousin Ali: the ṣūfīs from the

chishtī ṭarīqa claim that their teachings and methods have been acquired through

the time which lead back to the Prophet. So henceforth there is a spiritual

connection between the pīr and the murīd, which is acquired directly from the

Prophet through this chain. However, towards the end of the silsila we have the

famous Hasan al-Basrī acquiring his ṣūfī teachings from the Prophet’s cousin Ali,

but it is still debated whether Hasan al-Basri had actually met Ali and heard from

him let alone acquired the complete ṣūfī ṭarīqat.

Within ṣufism there still lies the question of learning from the ‘other’ master,

whom one has not pledged an allegiance (bai’at) to. Thanwi, interestingly

explains this in his ṣūfī exegesis of the Qur’an:

hi�jk ذين يؤمنون بما أنزل إليhخرة ھم يوقنون وٱلoك وما أنزل من قبلك وبٱ �l�mn*�:�o�� p�q�2r�@�s�t*

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26 ۔(�

‘those who believe in the revelation sent down to you [Muhammad], and in what

was sent before you, those who have firm faith in the hereafter’ (Qur’an 1:4). It

will be deduced [from this verse] that belief will be on all mashā’ikh ahl al-ḥaq

(the masters of the true path) just as i’tiqād (belief) with one’s own master,

however ittibā’ (following the ṣūfī path) is only of one’s own sheikh. Just as the

identical command regarding the following of Prophets. It is evident from this

exegesis that the ṣūfī’s, despite their silsilas, have resorted to deducing uṣūl

(principles) of taṣawwuf from interpretations of the Qur’an.

The Tsaddik

Rachel Elior has systematically explained the role of the Tsaddik in Hasidism

through four notions; (1) Charisma; (2) Mutual devotion and responsibility; (3)

Embodiment of the divine dialectic; and (4) linking the divine and the material.

Elior explains the notion of Charisma, ‘The Tsadik derives his authority from the

26 Thānwī, A. A. (1424H). Bayān al-Qur’ān ( رفع الشکوک اردو ترجمہ مساءل السلوک من ک�م ملک : بيان القران

(p. 4) .(الملوک وجوه المثانی مع توجيہ الکلمات والمعانی

11

charisma of divine election, a sense of divinely inspired mission and a

consciousness of revelation through immediate contact with higher worlds. 27

The ṣūfī sheikh, in this notion, is one with the Tsaddik, but as elaborated earlier

the difference between both in this context would be the silsila, which is believed

to reach back to the Prophet himself. However, there is a distinction between the

function of the ulemā’ and the ṣufī masters, similar to that of the tzaddikim and

the normative rabbis. However, it is clear that both do merge, so there will

certainly be ‘ulemā who are also ṣūfī masters, and this I believe to be the

normative practice now in the Muslim world. For instance the madrasa (Islamic

Seminary) of Bury is famously known for its ṣufī influence on traditional subjects

and methodology. Sūfī mystic-jurists of the sub-continent, such as Mufti Taqī

‘Uthmānī, call for a merging of the sciences of taṣawwuf and fiqh. However, at

times it is felt that ṣufism begins to influence jurisprudence and vice versa. But

this is then rebuked by jurists by differentiating the status of taqwā ( تقوی) and

fatwā ( فتوی).

Elior further explains the notion of ‘Mutual devotion and responsibility’, The

relationship between the tsaddik and his Hasidim is based on an all-embracing

nexus of spiritual brotherhood and social responsibility’. 28 This relationship is

termed hitkasherut vehitkalelut (affiliation and absorption), it could be seen as the

two wheels of the same cycle, as they both need each other for this spiritual

movement on a difficult path. ‘Embodiment of the divine dialectic’, Elior

elaborates as, the tsaddik embodies the dialectical tension between

transcendence and sublimation, the process of emanation from nothingness so

as to bring abundance into the world. He moves between different states of

consciousness so as to confront both divine nothingness and physical being.29

This notion I believe is quite unique to Hasidism.

Lastly the idea of ‘Linking the divine and the material’, Elior understands as, the

tsaddik devotes himself simultaneously to God and to the world. In an

attempt to reunite the divine element in the material world with its source in the 27 Elior, R. (2008). The Mystical Origins of Hasidism. (p. 130) 28 ibid. 29 ibid.

12

heavenly world, he strives to elevate the mundane; at the same time he attempts

to draw down the divine abundance from on high for the benefit of the world’.30

This idea is similar to Rūmī’s dervish, when he circles in the ṣūfī dance, with one

hand up towards the divine and the other lowered towards the world: it is where

he takes from the divine and distributes to the world. Further to this point at the

death of Umar ibn Abd al-Azīz (Umar II), the Byzantine emperor exclaimed, ‘If a

man subsequent to Jesus Christ had the miracle to bring people back from the

dead, it would have been Umar ibn Abd al-Azīz. I dislike the monk, who escapes

from the world and resides in his abode of worship. That monk amazes me, who

kept the material world beneath his feet and even then lived a life of an ascetic’

[referring here to Umar II].31

It is interesting to note all the similarities in the tales; poetry; purposes and above

all the belief in One God; and a belief system that leads back to Prophet

Abraham: surely there must be some inclination of both towards the other.

Recently, when the ‘kosher’ phone came into the market designed for the needs

of the Hasidim, the Muslim was the first to say, ‘right, I am certainly buying that

for my child’.32 And delightful is what Dr Jonathan Gorsky believes, that despite

differences in theology, the Abrahamic faiths come together in spirituality.33 In

the medieval period there are many examples of Jews, who were inclined

towards ṣufism such as Abraham Maimonides who once said,

"Thou art aware of the ways of the ancient saints of Israel, which are not or but

little practiced among our contemporaries, that have now become the practice of

the Sufis of Islam, on account of the iniquities of Israel." 34

Goiten has written an article ‘A Jewish Addict to Sufism’ focusing on a Jewish

Sūfī Baṣīr, and a letter from his wife to the Rabbi urging the Jewish community to

30

ibid.

31 Sajjad, Z. A. and Shahabi, I. A (1991). Tārīkh-e-Millet \������� ��fg Vol. 1. (p. 668)

32 Article ‘Is that cell phone Kosher’ on BBC. Accessed online [10.05.2011]:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/7636021.stm 33 Lecture at Heythrop College. 34 Accessed online [10.05.2011]:

http://www.tomblock.com/11shalom/article_jewishsufi.php#_edn3

13

bring him back from the mountain.35 Similarly Pīr Ināyat Khān has also confirmed

the idea of Abraham Maimonides by giving form to an innovative ṭarīqa called the

‘Ināyatī-Maimūnī ṭarīqat’, and also once stated,

“The Sufi is an Israelite, especially in his study and mastery of the different

names of God. The miraculous powers of Moses can also be found in the lives of

the Sufis both past and present. In fact the Sufi is the master of the Hebrew

mysticism; the divine voice heard by Moses on Mount Sinai in the past is audible

to many a Sufi today”.36

Also in contemporary times Rabbi Zalman Schachter-Shalomi too has spent time

in the Zāwiya with Sūfī masters in the ‘Holy Land’. From an article by Rabbi

Zalman he explains how the Sufī master began discussing whether it was kosher

for a non-Muslim to do dhikr. Rabbi Zalman recalls the incident when asked by

the Sūfiīs:

"Why don't you go with your own people?"

I said, "I davened this morning with my own people."... and I'd like to be able to

say dhikr with you."

"Are you a Muslim?"

I say, "La. Ana Mu'min." I'm a believer. I'm not a Muslim, I'm a believer.

"What do you believe in?"

And I say, "Ash-hadu." I bear witness. "La illaha ill Allah al-ahad." There is no G-d

but G-d, and that G-d is one.

y [subsequent to being asked what sharī’ah he follows]

"Then why not follow the Shariya of Islam?"

I say, "Because it is not fitting, it isn't 'Adab [respectful],' it's not fitting for a son to

go in paths different than his father. So I come from the banī Yitzhak and banī

Yakub and not from the banī Ismail, and so I have to follow the Shariya of my

parents."

"What about Ṭarīqat?"

So we were talking about the higher levels of the Sufi. I said, "With that, I'm with

you at one."

35 Goitein, S. D. (1953). ‘A Jewish Addict to Sufism: In the Time of the Nagid David II

Maimonides’. The Jewish Quarterly Review, (pp. 37-49) 36 Cited from article, ‘Inayati-Maimuni Tariqat of Sufi Hasidim | The Desert Fellowship of the

Message’

Accessed online [10.05.2011]:

http://www.zimbio.com/Judaism/articles/144/Inayati+Maimuni+Tariqat+Sufi+Hasidim+Desert

14

Then somebody gives a kick on the side and says, "Ask him! Ask him! What

about rasuliyat [prophethood]?" What has he got to say about Muhammed? Ah,

they got me, ah!

So I say, "Ash-hadu." I bear witness. "La illaha il Allah, wa Muhammed rasul

Allah." There is no G-d but Allah. And Muhammed is His messenger.

So they say to me, "Then you're a Muslim!"

And I say, "La. Ana Yahudi." No, I'm a Jew.

"Then how could you say, how could you say such a thing?"

So I said, "Allow me to go back with you in your history. There was Ismail

[Ishmael], the son of Ibrahim ha-lililai, Abraham the friend of G-d. Ismail - his

children - Ismail still had the Tawḥīd - the knowledge of the oneness of G-d, but

his children fell into the dark ages, into the jāhiliyya, into the unknowing. And so,

they had lost their way to the oneness of G-d. So, Ya rahim, Ya rahman, the

merciful, the compassionate, sent out a messenger to the children of Ismail to

bring them back to Tawḥīd - to the oneness . I believe that he was a true

messenger."

The Imam said, "I don't want to talk anymore. I want to say dhikr with this man!"

And they brought in the drums, and we start to say dhikr.37

It seems that at the end of this essay one possibly could conclude that there is

light at the end of the tunnel when relations between Judaism and Islam are

approached through spirituality and mysticism. I initiated by defining the two

spiritualities and in the process compared and contrasted the two through diverse

tales and poems. I then analysed, what I believed to be the most significant

aspect of Ṣūfism and Ḥasidism, the role of the Sheikh and Tsaddik. I found that

the outlook of both notions very similar, but the only real difference was the silsila

in Sūfism. I thereafter analysed medieval and the continuation up to the modern

period of a merge between both spiritualities within Judaism and Islam.

37 For full article refer to:

‘Reb Zalman Among the Sufis’. Transcribed by Reuven Goldfarb with the assistance of Eliyahu

(Khaled) McLean.

Excerpt from an audio tape of the Farbrengen with Rabbis Zalman Schachter-Shalomi at the

Hillel Foundation, Berkeley, California, March 19, 1994. Rabbi Schachter-Shalomi is speaking.

Accessed online [18.04.2011]: http://www.sufi-tariqah.de/tarchiv/rebzalman.html

15

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dim+Desert