Virani Gnosis

7/23/2019 Virani Gnosis

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e

ason

nd

I

nsp

irati

on

in

Islam

d

rt

ed

by TODD

L W

SON

RE

A SON

ND INSPIR

TION

IN IS L

M

THEOLOGY

P H I L

OSOPH

Y

ND

M YSTIC ISM I N

MUSLIM

THOUG

HT

ssays in

Honour ofH erma

nn Landolt

dited

by

TODD

LAWSON

I B Tauris ublishers

LO N D O N • N EW Y

ORK

in association w

ith

The Institute

of Jsmaili Studies

LONDO

N

www.shafiquevirani.org

Shafique N. Virani, “Symphony of Gnosis: A Self-Definition of the Ismaili Ginān Tradition,”

in Reason and Inspiration in Islam: Theology, Philosophy and Mysticism in Muslim Thought,

ed. Todd Lawson, London: I.B. Tauris, 2005: 503-521.

http://www.shafiquevirani.org/











t iAffQtf >

:of. VUV\Nl

But,

the gin

ns tell us,

de

;

pitebe-ing

t.

bl•S. 001mc1

.

upnn entenng

his bewitching

world. the so1.1l deluded into forgetti ne its primordia) rovf'n:m; :mc1 the gnosis

¥.-th ~ · h i it was e n t r

. ~ ~ t e d

The

n . : . h : ~ n t m ? of he

eorporei. world, l u b b ~

1 1 ~ ~ : : what

ol

(s,'uudh sl:ay Arri) by

th..:

giniins, intoK.ielter:

.:hesouJ

~ n d dri,oes

m

the heart.'l Wh:bt people reFCnt of dr inking v.oioe made from snpes.

they

h

:nc

nCJ inh

llli tioJJS

abOYt

quafflr.g

the

::-·

en

rno>re

de

struc-tive

wint

of

S:.\

t:m.

Th us

deluded. glnan h

:avlng

been driVt:n

< ~ r . t h c

~ o u l l 0 c

. ; Q ~ " U c i o l : . s n e S 3 of U

l o f t y s t ~ h 1 s l . i k

a mig:bty

lio:J whost

lifel

ong

associa

tiiJn

with a l:etd

v{

o a t

has

nu.de

it

forget its owrl n"tnrP.

.

a t.(ocu..tum with

th

e ph}'Sie:al world makes the suul

f.,ll in.to 3 6tate o ignorwce

and

g l ) i s h ~ ~ : ~ u s e of wht

dl

the d.ivtne Beloved Is

lost.

1

1 The fall from gnos:is

is ('t)rj'l

r:tr

P.

d to a. profound slumber from wnicll t:u

h ~ c : d

so

ub

must

sri$1e

. Only c o n t ~ r n r l l ' nf

the

gin

n$ <'an

awaken them

f

rom

th

is sleep by

re

kindling in

thm

a longin for

tht

g·oosis with

...,

.hi

r.h

they

h

ad

been n d o w ~ d JC

Repeatedly. :he pni1t3 fr<:Y ai)

u.pon

tbe \::elieven M t

to

l o u a k ~

the wdent

pn.,.uik

g iTC:Il

while in thewomb.

16

1"1rT

Oj \\l·Din bewails

thesoul

s (ailure to fu.KU

thb promi

se: ;u

:

4.l

t\ C il mvre

dif>mal

refw.al

to

the gi:lins, which would

mak.e

J n : n : a ~ m b c r tbc

gn

<:'$

l$

t i ' . whie:. it was

once

: n t ~ t e d

Speak: nol

to

tt:O:St

wb.o

wn

er

in the ·:mx

nbe

t 1cy

W.•c

h) tl•e

Guid

e.

lftheyre,oice not iu the ginan.s. ful lll no>t tb.dr

C Q v t willl t

hc:

G

uidi:',

What is tt:e pOint o:

h ~ 1 r

e ~ i n e n c e

Thl)t•gk WP MvP. o m p l ~ a i in

the dtapason ofsourxh and modts.

Thf" will not hten

11

Wh

en.

the

loh.

:s of he

~ l)l)t t r . ~

e n M i ~ t

he

mul is

a ~ t

u'rtC) choos

an < .

tt.e bith of

he

b

elievus

spins l ike a

potter

's wbe-tl lt

A t e , · ~

within

d

eepert

rece-;sc'

oi

tha ;oul rE$ide; Great

Cnostk

(btl(fti

glnii,.,f

). a

rt"fl«tion

of

the Guide, room whom a d ivine e n - c b : m t i n ; m e l < l y r ~ t o n a t c n within tbe hcact.

yct

h o s t

lofty

statu

r.:main'i ·.mkncwr.

to

th t hecdlcss

.l9

U

ha

~ o u l

heen; t

he

ct1JI

of the Creot Grxnti<. itc:tpcr:cn:es

a.

r,os1alg.io. Ancllo

ng$

for the P nAn it once

? 0 ~ $ ( . $ : 1 C whi

l-e

in the womb. Hc>

·N

TCr, having cmcrscd from i

ts fe

r'mer t hode, it

..:ow

VJ.l

ly rcil/lcquaillt itself widl that gn0$i1

by

\ubmitting itsdf to the True Guide.

withvut wltCJ

m tlu: r . t t . . b t : I ' . J U ~ OI.I .W of

l V H l f t C t

..

au ue v cr

l•e

.:.t

·

ossC'\1 .....

hi

a ..:harmi

Di

allegory, a glna.n comp-ares the situatlcm of the ddudc:tlliQUJ:r; to

1 g:c·

up

cf

binh

wbose ca?-acity for bas

beto .;n

atche.:i away tnt 1

a.p sc:t

by

the n l ~ e s nc·n-reaU1y.

i.e.

the illusory worl

d.

T11

m a n l f i -

t \ ~ r t < : l l i t ; u il$:

nf t

A.nd

tlle bird$

... en

t

thert to

sit.

One bird, seeing the o thers.

became

.:-uri<1us

A.n:l

b;cat.uc

dthh

,

h<

t

oo

bc:.:l .tllc

c·

ntangld.

T il : ruit u(

lil•et i

l.iou

will

only b< obtained

so6

Wl:.en y.:>u b e < o ~ n e

:a

disciple

of

he

You o

nly

C$.;cpe from th :$

01-ge f:u t

e:ttr:apsyou

1 ) 0 .1

ful

fil

your <CV.:nant

w.th

the True

u i d ~ .

T his iUusiuu will

be

t r ~ c d thkl ha.?lcuwa.'ldcril'16""'iU eea'e

I f 'O'J go a.nd en<PJ:l'C' o the u . . ~ t : C:uidc: abou.t n . o ~ i . ~ ~

The

wor

ld is

a manif

est

n . : : a l i

t y . l l

is nothing more th;,n

a.n

illu$ion,

i r ~ s e

lint 1U

d ~ h g h

are

cc:.st

as a net In which

t.uman

~ m c cutar:gicd.

Th< d·

Iuri

ne r J , y ~ c

existence atttaet human being$, j

u:ll

as tht: U

el

ka c

ies

pbced

in

2

nEt by a u n l ~ t t r a ; : m p e . : i n g birds. DtSPlte

:h

e soul's birthright

of gn.osis. t i . G ~ g : a r its higher lc.nowlede:e bft:tu.(l;e it becomes tasdnated

by

the

go.therins of souls th:t.: have l r ~ " ~ Y wen caugl\1.

c..i

i

nan is

forgotten as tile

wul

a s ~ s

to fly

ond alights

in

the midd:.e oftht tr1p.

In

order

tc es

:.apc

frem

this

ensnare:ncn1

tt e

so

ul

mu.st

lullil its

v ~ : r w:th

l:u Tfue Guide. Its m•stcr is the Lord of P.es11rrec;tion, not di

ct9h'S:

o.t

s l l i o n : > . rr tl1c

SV

l.ll ~ i S h C to

fly once

asa.in, to ~ c o p e from ~ s e and to

be

released from

i l l u ~ i o u ,

il tnust

recch·e

6-c True

Cu

id

e's

giniin

Andanlt

The True Guide and

n o ~ b

O

ffa- eTerythiog-

hnrf:t,

and c ) ; ~

- lo the Guide

So h ~ t

b-i'

gno.s:i.s and throush

h t > r ~

will

tfT1'Uiia nothing but gnom.»

Absolute o.nd utttr submi{.Si

on to th0

Pe

rf

« t

GuidE murshid k

iimH). according

to the giniins. is the (lnly

r e c o u r ~

for the soul plunged in isnorance and dark

nc:M.'J

Gn

os-i:s is

n o b t A i n s b l ~ without him.t• Though o n ~ may l:ave studied. all

(u

.l

tl ttu

Luud

·ICS of

lcam.iJ

l

g.

art and s

d:n<

e,

the

path be found wit.lout

the Gul

cl

e.

In a capth·aung£exl cast as

a

oolloquy w e e n

th

e r : . i l bmai i .•P'ir : l o u ~ \

t.ahir

aJ.

Din,

and

the rEoowned yogic

mute

r.

Kini?i. the

fir

: h

astts.es

KanJpa.

fo

r

ta

iling

to reoog

niit t

he

lsmaili imam

as

the

tiuide of the AVJ:

t.

a( Jpa is raugil t to

teek out lr.

um

, df'SCribP.O ~ thf M.-

n

n: (gind11

p u r u . ~ h and

l d :

0 :uoatic. wheo rou t ~ n c o u n t e r the Guide

He

sha

ll revelll to

:to

o m y G t n i ~

Aft :

(o

ur mi$@'ivings will be

i s p c U ~

C e r t a i n ~ ' • a lo t.u uuuot flourid: ,..ith<'l1 water

...

U

,.h< . :ymbol

Um

in the

'C:x .

~ r i J c i n a . b e ~ ? k t \ d lotu3 tlowtr (kamd{l. "'·ith

:h whitt' ~ U t b . . bloo) if

lS

ill vi] : and putrid sw•mp . Despite its .sord:d

:

labl

tat. it ls

the

ep

i

pha

ny

of pur

ity

a.od

uosuU

i

ed bt:a

uL ,

maj

l:'.s

th

:

a

l}y

r i . s abovt

tl:e muriqrqtJa@mire. It refusts tO feed on

tht

repJJ islve bog

a.nd

lnnead awaits the

no

uri.shm

P.

nt

f c r y ~ a

< e a r

ra·n

fron

the tle

a,

·en$.

The

g:nosti:·s

i r a J I J I . S

107















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