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Faith Practice Piety:

An Excerpt from theMaktubat-i Imam-i Rabbani

Original: The Great Mujaddid AhmadSirhindi

Translation and Annotation: Irshad Alam

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Published by:Aklima AkterSufi Peace Mission4A Gulshan AvenueGulshan 2Dhaka 1212Bangladesh

web:www.sufipeace.orgwww.meetup.com/Berkeley-Sufi-Center

email:www.sufipeace.org/feedback

©2010 Irshad Alam. All rights reserved.

ISBN: 984-70239-0000-6

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Reviews

Sufi Irshad Alam has produced an interesting and chal-lenging translation of a part of theMaktubat-i Imam-iRabbani. In coming to grips with the difficulties ofhis version, the reader may gain access to some of themeanings of Imam-i Rabbani.

Prof. Hamid Algar, Professor of Islamic Studies and Persian,University of California at Berkeley

I congratulate you for this successful translation fromtheMaktubat.

Sufi Shaykh Prof. Dr. Muhammad Masood Ahmed, Editor of12-volume encyclopedia (Urdu) and author of three books andnu-merous articles on Imam Rabbani

I found the passages which I checked translated accu-rately.

Prof. Yohanan Friedmann Author ofShaykh Ahmad Sirhindi:An Outline of His Thought and a Study of His Image in the Eyesof Posterity, Professor, Institute of Asian and African Studies, TheHebrew University, Jerusalem, Israel

the translation is quite good and judicious

Prof. Sajjad H. Rizvi Lecturer in Islamic Studies, Institute ofArab and Islamic Studies, University of Exeter, United Kingdom

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marvelous

Prof. Alan Abdul-Haqq Godlas, Professor of Religion, Univer-sity of Georgia

Irshad Alam’s scholarly translation of Sirhindi’s epis-tle and his commentary on it is a valuable source forany serious student of sufism. But it is of special valuefor any follower of the Naqshbandi tariqa, as it out-lines some of the fundamental qualities of this path,and the esoteric science by which the Naqshbandi mas-ters guide their disciples.

Llewellyn Vaughan-Lee, Naqshbandi sheikh and author, www.goldensufi.org

Sufi Irshad Alam has produced a remarkable, fascinat-ing and challenging translation of a part of theMaktubat-i Imam-i Rabbani. In translating from Persian to En-glish Sufi Irshad Alam has overcome the difficultiesof this great task and has enabled the reader to gainapproach to some of the meanings of Imam-i Rab-bani. Sufi Irshad Alam needs to be commended for hismeticulous and painstaking translation that producedthis book. This book gives insights into the originalwork done by the Great Mujaddid Ahmad Sirhindi.This book is concise and up to the point covering alot of material that is unknown to ordinary Muslims,as well as scholars.

Prof. Ibrahim B. Syed, Ph.D., Islamic Research Foundation In-ternational, Inc., www.irfi.org

This is a long awaited important work in the history ofSufism which should be of interest to disciples of theMujaddid as well as others.

Laleh Bakhtiar, Ph. D. Author, Translator and Editor of numer-ous Sufi and Islamic books, Kazi Publications Inc., www.kazi.org

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Acknowledgements

In the beginning, I acknowledge the great debt that I have to my sufishaykh. It is he who taught me the inner meanings and interpreta-tions of theMaktubat-i Imam-i Rabbani.

To sufi shaykh Shah Muti Aftabi, who has been a great teacherto me, although I never met him in person. I learned the text oftheMaktubatby studying the Persian original side by side with hisamazingly accurate Bengali translation.

To all my teachers in the Arabic and Persian languages Dr. JohnHayes, Sonia Shiri, Noha Radwan, Mavash Hariri and others.

To Dr. Giv Nassiri for reading most of this manuscript of thisbook and diligently comparing with the original Persian andwritingan introduction.

To Prof. Hamid Algar, Sufi Shaykh Prof. Muhammad MasoodAhmed, Prof. Yohanan Friedmann, Prof. Sajjad H. Rizvi for verify-ing a few random parts of this book and writing reviews.

To Dr. Nazeer Ahmed, Rashid Patch, Grandmaster James Harkins,Nasr Ullah, Sheikh Nur al-Jerrahi for giving me encouragement.

To Valerie Turner for editing and Sukomal Modak and his broth-ers Satyajit and Souren for typesetting the book in LaTex.

And to my parents, for funding almost all the expenses behindthis book. And to Russell Bates, Semnani Foundation, and othersfor making grants that paid for a part.

May they all be drenched by the energy and blessings emanatingfrom the Mujaddid.

Irshad Alam

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Dedication

I am dedicating this book to my parents whohave nurtured me with love and care. Abba!Amma! I love you!

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Message from My Sufi Shaykh

I’m delighted to hear of the publication of the bookFaithPractice Pietythat contains annotated translations fromthe Maktubat-i Imam-i Rabbani. Irshad has been dili-gently learning the Maktubat and the sufi path of theMujaddidi-Naqshbandi tariqa under my guidance for thelast twenty years. I have also granted Irshad a permissionor ijaza to teach this tariqa as my deputy. May Allahgrant him success in transmitting both the verbal mes-sage and the spiritual transmission of this exalted tariqa.Amin!

Muhammad Mamunur RashidKompong Sam, Cambodia

About My Sufi Shaykh

My sufi guide Muhammad Mamunur Rashid is a livingsaint who is a teacher of the Naqshbandi-Mujaddidi sufitariqa and the Grandshaykh or head of its Pure Mujaddidibranch. Originally from Bangladesh, he has relocated toCambodia following divine inspiration. He is now ab-sorbed in his mission to spread Universal Sufi Islam toIndo-China, China, Europe and the rest of the world.

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CONTENTS

Reviews i

Acknowledgments iii

Dedication iv

Message from My Sufi Shaykh v

About My Sufi Shaykh v

Contents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1

1 PREFACES 7Verification of the Translation . . . . . . . 7Foreword by the Translator . . . . . . . . 11

Confirming the Accuracy: . . . . . . 14Suggestions on the Annotations: . . . 15

A Note on Technical Terms and Translation . 15

2 LIFE OF THE MUJADDID 17Birth and Family . . . . . . . . . . . . 17Prophecies on the Mujaddid. . . . . . . . 18First Stage in Education . . . . . . . . . 20Life in Agra . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20Return to Sirhind . . . . . . . . . . . . 22Initial Sufi Training . . . . . . . . . . . 22Khwaja Baqibillah’s Mission to India . . . . 24The Meeting with Khwaja Baqibillah . . . . 27

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2 CONTENTS

The Exalted Ranks of the Great Mujaddid . . 29The Birth of the Mujaddidi tariqa . . . . . 32The Parting from This World . . . . . . . 39Writings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40

I 43

3 Preamble: Ode to Khwaja Baqibillah 45Sufi Technical Terms . . . . . . . . . . 47Insertion of the End in the Beginning . . . . 51Monist Ontologies . . . . . . . . . . . 56Reviewing the Monist Ontologies . . . . . 57Naqshbandi Science is Sublime . . . . . . 61

II 67

4 The Creed 69Faith–The Sunni Creed . . . . . . . . . 69Existence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70A Review of Basic Concepts in Ontology . . 74Uniqueness . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77Knowledge: The Chrono–Epistemology . . . 79Speech and Time . . . . . . . . . . . . 95The Act and Time . . . . . . . . . . . 99Incomparability . . . . . . . . . . . . 103Similarity is Merely Allegorical . . . . . . 107Allegorical Verses may Not Be Interpreted . . 109Rejection of Unificationism. . . . . . . . 111Changelessness . . . . . . . . . . . . 113Self-Sufficientness . . . . . . . . . . . 115Perfection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 117The Maturudi School . . . . . . . . . . 122Eternalness and Beginninglessness . . . . . 123

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CONTENTS 3

All-Powerfulness and the philosophers . . . 124Taqlid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 132Ibn Arabi andWahdat-i Wujud . . . . . . 135Bringing-into-Existence . . . . . . . . . 139Worldly Occasions and Their Effectivities . . 139God Desires and Creates Both Good and Evil. 145Eternal Bliss and Damnation . . . . . . . 150The Vision . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 154Dispatch of the Prophets is Mercy . . . . . 157Intellects and Revelation . . . . . . . . . 160Prescriptions of the Sharia Are Blessings . . 166Revelation is True . . . . . . . . . . . 169Punishment in the Grave . . . . . . . . . 170God May Judge or He May Forgive . . . . 171The Day of Resurrection . . . . . . . . . 172The Reckoning, the Scale, the Bridge . . . . 174Paradise and Hell Are Eternal . . . . . . . 175Angels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 179The Ulama is “More” Correct . . . . . . . 181Faith and Holding Enmity . . . . . . . . 183Shias Wrongly Defame the Companions. . . 184God’s “Personal” Enmity with Faithlessness . 187The Faithless Will Not Receive Mercy . . . 187All the Faithful Will Be Saved. . . . . . . 190Increase or Decrease of Faith . . . . . . . 197The Greatness of Imam Abu Hanifa . . . . 201Miracles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 206Well-instructed Caliphs: Superiorities. . . . 207The Companions: Their Disputes . . . . . 215

III 219

5 Practice 221Practice. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 221

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4 CONTENTS

Ablution . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 222Prayer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 222Comments: The Purpose of Sufism . . . . . 226

IV 231

6 Piety: The Purpose of the Tariqa 233The Purpose of Sufism. . . . . . . . . . 233Naqshbandi tariqa Clings to the Sunna . . . 236Loud Zikr . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 237Songs, Dances, Ecstasies, Raptures . . . . . 241Singing: Advice to his Pir’s Sons . . . . . 248Mawluds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 249Inventing New Practices in the tariqa . . . . 251

V 255

7 Rules of the Tariqa 257Mujaddid Learns the Naqshbandi Tariqa. . . 257Naqshbandi Tariqa Is the Best . . . . . . . 258How to Do Naqshbandi Zikr . . . . . . . 258Loud Zikr Is Forbidden . . . . . . . . . 260Loud Zikr Violates the Sunna . . . . . . . 264Ban on Loud Zikr Is Permanent . . . . . . 267Loud Zikr Is Not A Strict Practice . . . . . 271Loud Zikr Is A Deviant Practice . . . . . . 274Deviations In the Tariqa Must Be Opposed . . 274

Index 277

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CHAPTER

1PREFACES

Verification of the TranslationProfessor Giv Nassiri compared this transla-tion with the Persian original word-for-wordand wrote this review. He taught Persian lan-guage and literature at the University of Cali-fornia from 1991 to 1996. Since 1996 he hastaught courses on Islam as an adjunct profes-sor at the Graduate Theological Union andPacific School of Religion in Berkeley.

I have reviewed Mr. Irshad Alam’s translation of themaktub or epistle 1.266 [Volume I, maktub #no. 266] ofImam-i Rabbani Ahmad Sirhindi’sMaktubat[his mag-nus opus that is his collected letters] that is in this book.I have checked it word-for- word in its entirety for ac-curacy in translation from Persian to English. Mr. Ir-shad Alam is a sufi of the Mujaddidi-Naqshbandi tariqaof Imam-i Rabbani Sirhindi.

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8 CHAPTER 1. PREFACES

To the best of my knowledge this is the only transla-tion of an entire long maktub ofMaktubat-i Imam-i Rab-bani translated directly from Persian to English.

The only other direct translation is one by ProfessorMuhammad Abdul Haq Ansari in his work,Sufism andShariah. There he has translated a selection of passagesof the Maktubat. Another work of translation into En-glish is by Suleyman Hilmi Isik that is contained in hisbook The Endless Blisspublished by Hakikat Kitabeviin Turkey–in fact, I was informed that Shaykh Isik hadtranslated the PersianMaktubatinto Turkish and his dis-ciples re-translated part of that work into English.However,the quality of that English translation is such that it’s un-intelligible to the native English readers. For that rea-son I have not attempted to compare it with sufi Irshad’spresent translation.

From strictly a translation point of view, I believethis work can be characterized as one in which devotionand care to the accuracy of the message of Imam-i Rab-bani,Imam of sufi Irshad’s tariqa Mujaddidi-Naqshbandi,has led him to strike a distinctively fine and effective bal-ance between being literal and interpretive in his transla-tion.By so doing, I believe, he has succeeded in provid-ing accuracy and accessibility.

Before I further describe the quality of this workof translation, I would like to point out that on a veryfew occasions this balance between literal and interpre-tive sways in favor of one or the other. But this is quiterare and when the text tends toward the literal, there isproof of sufi Irshad’s care for accuracy and his fresh lookat the complexities of the classical Persian language, andwhen the text tends toward the interpretive, his approachis to make the inherent difficulties of the text accessibleto a wider readership.

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VERIFICATION OF THE TRANSLATION 9

In an effort to clarify and make accessible the diffi-cult passages, at times the translation becomes interpre-tive rather than literal; this does not in any way dimin-ish its devotion to conveying Sirhindi’s message literallyand accurately. The rare use of interpretive translation isan exception, not a rule, and that does not diminish thework’s inspired and accurate translation of the sufi con-tent.

On the other hand his effort to maintain a balancebetween the literal and the interpretive approaches onrare occasions also appears toward the literal, where themaster’s language is colloquial and idiomatic. Sufi Ir-shad’s literal translation of such rare phrases is remark-able, given the amazing fact that he has had no formalPersian language training and that his meticulous andpainstaking effort at an accurate translation is due to hisdevotion to the Mujaddid, Imam of Irshad Alam’s sufitariqa.

An important and valuable characteristic of sufi Ir-shad’s translation is its meticulous attention to the trans-lation of technical sufi terminology. Use of accurate En-glish terminology for specific sufi terms is paramount ina successful and beneficial translation of such primarymanuscripts and sufi Irshad has achieved this task withaccuracy.

In addition to accurately conveying Sirhindi’s terseand measured use of sufi terminology and concepts, sufiIrshad, possibly because of his discipleship with his mas-ter, Imam-i Rabbani, has conveyed the meanings of suchterminology effectively and consistently.

Sufi Irshad’s translation also benefits from more re-cent standardization and refinement of Islamic terminol-ogy in English, whereas ten to fifteen years ago therewere wide variations in the translations of the same terms

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10 CHAPTER 1. PREFACES

and concepts. He appears to meticulously follow Profes-sor Chittick’s accurate and informed translation of tech-nical terms of Islamic disciplines.

As I mentioned above, sufi Irshad resolves ambigui-ties of certain Persian sentences in theMaktubatthroughan interpretive translation. The reader, while attempt-ing to decipher the interpretation of such complex dis-cussions would gain insight into sufi terminology andconcepts. At times what appeared to me as too literala translation of a colloquial Persian term turned out tobe a particular usage attributed to the Great MujaddidImam-i Rabbani, members of his eponymous tariqa theMujaddidi, and some other sufis. For instance, in to-day’s Persian usage “tavajjuh kardan” simply means “topay attention or accept.” So, I was initially quite sur-prised to find sufi Irshad’s translation into “to give a face-turning.”This is apparently a particular sufi practice ex-pressed in that context by Imam-i Rabbani. His use of theterm refers to a sufi guide’s practice of concentrating onthe inner state of a disciple and by so doing also riddingthe disciple of any turbidity of the heart of discernment.

By way of conclusion, I must say that there are anumber of advantages inherent in this translation, whichmakes it a valuable work for those serious about a sin-cere understanding of Imam-i Rabbani’s writings. Myendorsement relates only to the quality of the translationof the maktub at hand, maktub 1.266- I’ve not reviewedsufi Irshad’s commentaries or opinions or the translationsfrom the other maktubs. Other reviewers may reviewthose.

Giv NassiriAdjunct Professor of Islamic StudiesGraduate Theological Union, Berkeley, CAPh. D. Islamic and Persian Studies, Univer-

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FOREWORD BY THE TRANSLATOR 11

sity of California at Berkeley, 2002.

Doctorate in Islamic studies obtained underthe supervision of Prof. Hamid AlgarPh.D. exam in Persian under the supervisionof the late Professor Muhammad Ja‘far Mahjub

Foreword by the TranslatorThank you for your review of my book. It is primarilythe annotated translation ofmaktubor epistle 1.266 (i.e.,Volume I, maktub no.# 266) of theMaktubat-i Imam-iRabbanifrom the original Persian (mixed with Arabic.).I’ve also translated sections from many other maktubs inorder to explain the original maktub. I am publishingthis edition primarily for the reviewers. Based on yourfeedback, I shall prepare the next edition for the public.So I would like to request your help in my endeavor.

The translation of makub 1.266, which is most ofthis book, has been completely reviewed and comparedword-by-word with the original Persian by Professor GivNassiri Ph. D., of the Graduate Theological Union in,-Berkeley, California. While none of the errors that hefound were significant in terms of accuracy, I have ac-cepted some of the suggestions that he made, in my questto make this a perfect translation. Most of his sugges-tions reflect differences of opinion between us rather thanerrors or inaccuracies in the translation.

Professor Nassiri is an Iranian scholar of Islam andsufism who, although born a Shia, has rejected Shiismand converted to mainstream Sunnism. He had startedon the Mujaddidi-Naqshbandi sufi tariqa, taking his firstbayat from a shaykh in Turkey; he has now taken hissecond bayat from our tariqa. May the flow offaydhand

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12 CHAPTER 1. PREFACES

barakathat he is receiving from the Great Mujaddid viaour tariqa permeate this work!

I’m offering this book to you with the greatest hu-mility. I’m not at all an academic scholar; I’m only a sufiand it’s akaramat, “miracle” of the Mujaddid performedthrough my sufi teacher Grand shaykh Muhammad Ma-munur Rashid,-that I’ve been able to translate this fromthe original languages without really “knowing” them;i.e., I know very little Persian and Arabic, so little thatI can’t honestly claim that I “know” them– I can neitherspeak nor write in them and; I can only read them withthe help of dictionaries. Still I have made this transla-tion from the Persian original, with the exception of afew lines that were not intelligible in the manuscript, andmost of these have been identified in the footnotes. Ifyou compare this translation with the original Persian,you will also come to the conclusion that it is indeed avery accurate translation.

It’s not just a scholarly work–it’s also a inspired sufiwork, guided by the energy or faydh of the Mujaddid thatI receive by the mediation of my shaykh. So my shaykh’sinterpretation permeates this work.

In my translation, I’ve tried to be as literal as pos-sible; I’ve taken an interpretive meaning only when theliteral meaning is unintelligible. At the same time, I’vebeen extremely cautious so that I do not distort the Mu-jaddid. I’ve also broken up the Mujaddid’s extremelylong and convoluted sentences into smaller sentences forthe sake of clarity. However, the poems are usually inter-pretive.

As an example of my translation style, I would pointto the paragraph on section “Can Intellects Guide UsWithout Revelation” that starts with the sentence, “Thereare some premises that the [sufi] masters hold as ax-

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FOREWORD BY THE TRANSLATOR 13

iomatic truths.” If we look at the original Persian textcontained in the footnote below, we see that it’s untrans-latable “literally,” if by that term we mean word-for-word.And if you try, it would come out as meaningless gibber-ish. So I had to break up that sentence into many smallersentences. Yet I conveyed exactly what the Mujaddidsaid, nothing more and nothing less (though in a moreunderstandable format).

Yes! On the first look, it may seem as if I’m only“interpreting” the original text, that it’s not a “literal”translation. When Dr. Giv Nassiri was reviewing it, hehad the same initial impression In fact, he commented onthe first sentence of that very paragraph, “Have you madeit up as an explanation? I don’t see anything like that inthe [original Persian] text.” So I pointed to the wordsmuqaddamat-i musallama, which appeared later in thatlong convoluted Persian original sentence. I had to cre-ate a whole sentence to convey the meaning of that pair ofwords. So while sometimes it may seem that I’ve takenan interpretive approach, in fact I’m conveying the exactmeaning of the original text. My translation is “more” inone sense- it is far more understandable; though I havenever changed the message of the Mujaddid. After mak-ing the complete review, even Dr. Nassiri agreed. Hesaid, “At the first glance, it seemed that you were inter-preting the text in many places. But now I know thatyou’re really sticking to the text.”

In the worldly measures, this translation is accu-rate because what I lacked in language skills, I over-compensated for with sheer hard work and religious devotion-this translation project is not just a “project” for me, in-stead, as a devout disciple of the Mujaddidi tariqa, I seeit as a means to my salvation in the hereafter. In my firstreading of the maktubs that I’ve translated, I understood

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14 CHAPTER 1. PREFACES

nothing. But I diligently checked the meaning of everyword in the dictionary and reference books, compared itwith the Bengali translation, and finally deciphered themeaning and arrived at my translation. When I finished,I could read the Persian text, understand everything, andexplain it to others.

Of immense help has been the superb Bengali trans-lation of theMaktubatauthored by sufi shaykh Shah Muham-mad Muti Ahmad Aftabi of Bangladesh, which he trans-lated from the original Persian. He learned theMaktubatfrom his father and shaykh Shah Muhammad Aftabuz-zaman who in turn learned it from his shaykh, HazratBarkat Ali Shah Bezwari of Kolkata, India. He was alsoa great saint and the Mujaddid guided him in his workspiritually. He completed this work over the span of eigh-teen years; whenever he could not understand somethingproperly, he sat down inmuraqaba(passive meditation)and found his answer throughilham, (inspiration.). Sohis translation has been an amazingly accurate work.

While I referred to the Bengali translation, I trans-lated from the original Persian and my translation is notat all a re-translation from the Bengali translation. TheBengali translation was useful in helping me to under-stand theMaktubat. I have also diligently checked mytranslation with the Bengali translation and that has ver-ified that my finished translation is indeed accurate.

You may want to send me feedback by emails or byletter after reviewing this book, according to the follow-ing terms.

Confirming the Accuracy:

I’ve translated it from the bookMaktubat-i Imam-i Rab-baniedited by Nur Ahmad Amritsari published by Mak-

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A NOTE ON TECHNICAL TERMS AND TRANSLATION15

taba’ Ahmadiya’ Mujaddidiya’ in Quetta, Pakistan in 1999.My translation is indexed to that original book.

I have also used theIntikhab-i Maktubat-i ShaykhAhmad SirhindIedited by the eminent scholar Fazlur Rah-man and published by the Iqbal Academy in Lahore, Pak-istan. If you need a copy, you may contact them and theymay send scholars complimentary copies.

Suggestions on the Annotations:

I’ll appreciate any suggestions on the annotation and ex-planation section. If you have any information on thesources of the poems and quotations, I would appreciateyour help. You may contact me via email through thefeedback button atwww.sufipeace.org.

I am grateful for positive, constructive criticism andI will appreciate all that you can offer, in an effort tomake the next edition of the book better. Thank you inadvance!

Irshad AlamBerkeley, California and Dhaka, BangladeshEmail: [email protected]: www.sufipeace.org

A Note on Technical Terms and TranslationPlease note that I have followed Professor William Chittick’sscheme of translation. Except for a few instances wherethere were good reasons to do so (e.g., contingent in-stead of possible), I have consistently followed Chittick’stranslations for the technical words that he introduces inhis monumental translation of Ibn Arabi,The Sufi Path

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16 CHAPTER 1. PREFACES

of Knowledge1 (abbreviated SPK), and revised in its se-quel, The Self-Disclosure of God2 (abbreviated SDG). Iwould suggest that readers refer to the SPK for the mean-ings of the technical terms, but also refer to the appendixin the SDG where he notes the changes he made in thesecond book. I have consistently used the newer termsfor the translated technical words. Alternatively, youmay use the “Index of Technical Terms” in SDG only,but then you may want to refer to the SPK for the defini-tions of the technical terms.

The Mujaddid follows the general system of IbnArabi. Although in many cases the Mujaddid holds verydifferent opinions; still Chittick’s translations of Ibn Arabi’sterms can correctly translate those terms in almost all ofthose cases. If you are not well versed in the fundamen-tal concepts of Ibn Arabi, you may want to read this bookalongside Chittick’sSufi Path of Knowledge, in which heexplains them.

1William Chittick, The Sufi Path of Knowledge, (Albany, NY: State Uni-versity of New York Press, 1989).

2William Chittick, The Self-Disclosure of God, (Albany, NY: State Uni-versity of New York Press, 1998).

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CHAPTER

2LIFE OF THE MUJADDID

Birth and Family

The Great Mujaddid Ahmad Sirhindi was born in the cityof Sirhind in East Punjab, India, at midnight on a Fri-day night,1 14th Shawwal 971 hijri / 1564 CE.2 His fullname was Badr al-Din Abu al-Barakat al Faruqi.3 He isknown better by two of his titles,Mujaddid-i-Alfithani(Mujaddid or Renewer of the Second Thousand Years)andImam-i Rabbani(Leader sent by the Lord).

The Mujaddid’s father was Hazrat Shaykh ‘Abd al-Ahad Faruqi who was an eminent scholar of his timesand a sufi Shaykh or teacher. Shaykh Abd al-Ahad wasan initiate and caliph in both the Chishtisilsila or lineagein which his preceptor was Shaykh Rukn al-Din, son of

1Friday night in the traditional Muslim calendar is Thursdaynight in themodern western calender because a Muslim day starts at the previous day’ssunset.Halat-i Mashaikh, Tazkirah-i Imam Rabbaniboth say at midnight.

2All dates in this biography are from the unpublished article“Imam-iRabbani” by Professor Hamid Algar.

3Fazlur Rahman,Intikhab-i Maktubat-i Shaykh Ahmad Sirhindi, p. 73.

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18 Life of the Mujaddid

the celebrated ‘Abd al-Quddus Gangohi (d. 943/1537),and of the Qadri, and the author of a number of mono-graphs on sufism, especially onwahdat al-wujud.

The Mujaddid was a descendent of Caliph UmarFaruq with eighteen generations in-between, i.e., he wasa nineteenth- generation descendant. This the reason theGreat Mujaddid is sometimes called Ahmad Faruqi. In-deed, the Mujaddid was quite proud of his Faruqi lineage,as evidenced by a few of his writings in theMaktubat.However, his more common surname is “Sirhindi” thatcomes from the town of his birth.

According to the Mujaddidi tradition, this holy childwas born circumcised (just as the Prophet Muhammad,(salam) was born). He did not cry like other children andhe never dirtied his clothes.4

Prophecies on the MujaddidThe Prophet Muhammad himself prophesied on the ad-vent of the Mujaddid. In a hadith report narrated byImam Suyuti, the Prophet spoke thus,

At the head of the 11th century hijri, Allahwill send a man who is a dazzling light. Hisname will be the same as mine. He will emergebetween the reigns of two unjust rulers. Throughhis intercession, countless people will be saved.

This saying indirectly confirms the Mujaddidi belief thatthe Mujaddid is the greatest saint after the companionsand before Imam Mahdi. The greatest enemies of Godare the ones whom the Prophet specifically identified to

4Ihsan, Abul Fayz Kamaluddin Muhammad,Rawdatul Qayyumiya, Ben-gali translation, p. 70

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PROPHECIES ON THE MUJADDID 19

be the enemies of God, e.g., Abu Jahl, Pharaoh, and oth-ers. Similarly, the greatest friend of God is the one iden-tified by the Prophet as well.

Shaykh Abdul Ahad once had a dream,

The entire world is engulfed in a deep dark-ness. Pigs, monkeys, and bears are attackingand killing people. At that time, a ball of lightemerged from his breast. In that ball of light,there is a throne and a man of light was sittingthere. All the oppressors, transgressors, apos-tates are being slaughtered before him as sac-rificial animals. And someone is proclaimingin a thunderous voice,

“Say! Truth has been established and false-hood has been destroyed.”(Koran 17,80)

Hazrat Abdul Ahad went to Shaykh Shah Kamal Kaithalifor the interpretation of that dream. Hazrat Kaithali in-terpreted,

You’ll have a son! All unfaithfulness, poly-theism, heresy, apostasy, and deviation fromthe prophetic way, darkness, and corrupt customs-they all will die on his emergence. The blessedtradition of Prophet Muhammad will be re-newed.

When he was an infant, he became very sick; andthose around him had little hope that he would live. Atthat time, the Qadri sufi saint Shah Kamal Kaithali ar-rived at Sirhind. His father took the infant Mujaddid toShah Kamal for his prayers and blessings. Hazrat ShahKamal was exceedingly delighted to see the holy child!He consoled his father Shaykh Abdul Ahad, “Have noworry! Instead, have inner peace. Because your son will

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20 Life of the Mujaddid

have a long life and he’ll be a great scholar anda’rif ,knower of Allah!”

Out of his love and affection, Shah Kamal put hisblessed tongue into the mouth of the Mujaddid and hesuckled on that tongue for a long time. Hazrat Shah Ka-mal exclaimed, “This infant just attained the completekamalat, perfection in the Qadri tariqa!”

First Stage in EducationThe Mujaddid received his early education at home fromhis father and other scholars of Sirhind. He also memo-rized the Koran at an early age.

Then he went to Sialkot and studied under a numberof eminent scholars. He learned hadith literature fromYa‘qub Sarfi Kashmiri and logic from Mawlana KamalKashmiri. From Mawlana Qadi Bahlul Badakshani, helearned and attained the Ijazat or certificate to teach ad-vanced texts of Koranic exegesis ortafsir (Wahidi andothers) and hadith iterature (Mishkat, Bukhari, Tirmidhi,Jami ‘l-Saghir of Suyuti and others) After completingthis stage of his formal education in just three years,at the exceptionally early age of seventeen, he returnedhome to Sirhind.

Life in AgraSome three years later, he came to the court of the MughalEmperor Akbar at Agra, possibly aided by an introduc-tion from his teacher Shaykh Ya‘qub. There he came toknow the two brothers Faydi (d. 1004/ 1595) and Abu’lFadl (d. 1011/ 1602). The Mujaddid helped Faydi withcomposing hisSawati’ ‘l-ilham- a commentary on theQur’an written entirely with dotless letters.

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LIFE IN AGRA 21

The Mujaddid’s dealings with Abu’l-Fadl were farless harmonious. He felt that Abu’l-Fadl was so devotedto rational philosophy that he cast doubt on the needfor prophecy. So the Mujaddid attempted to correct thistendency by referring him Ghazali’sal-Munqidh min al-Dalal. Their disagreement culminated in a bitter publicdebate in which Abu’l-Fadl is said to have abused gener-ally respected scholars of Sunni Islam.

It was during his stay at Agra that Sirhindi wrote hisfirst work, an Arabic monograph titledIthbat an-Nubuwwa.That book was designed to reassert the necessity of be-lief in prophethood as a corollary to belief in God, in theface of the skepticism fostered by Akbar’s syncretic cult,thedin-iilahi. That book’s preface tells us of the debateShaykh Ahmad had had with “a man [Abu ‘l-Fadl] whostudied the science offalsafa... and led people astray, aswell as straying himself, with respect to prophethood andits attachment to a given person” (Ithbat an-Nubuwwa,pp. 11–13).5

The monograph named Ta’yid-i Ahl-i Sunnat (alsoknown as Radd-i Rawafidhor Kava’if-iShi’a) is also re-lated to the circumstances of the time. That book demol-ishes the Shia arguments and upholds the doctrines of themainstream Sunnis. Written some time after 995/1587,this denunciation of Shi’ism was inspired by the sectar-ian polemics being exchanged between the Shii ulama ofIran and their Sunni counterparts in Transoxiana; Sirhindiendorsed thefatwa of the Bukharan scholars that con-demned Shi’is askafir. This monograph also presagedthe strong hostility to Shi’ism that Shaykh Ahmad laterbequeathed to the line of Naqshbandi tradition descendedfrom him, partly as a result of his exaltation of Abu Bakras the fountainhead of Naqshbani “sobriety.”

5Quoted by Dr Hamid Algar in “Imam-i Rabbani”, an unpublishedpaper

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22 Life of the Mujaddid

Return to SirhindEventually, the Mujaddid left Agra to return to Sirhind.Precisely when he left Agra is unknown. It was his fatherwho had come to Agra to fetch him and so he left withhis father. On the way, he stopped in Thaneswar to marrythe daughter of Shaykh Sultan, a local nobleman.

Having returned to Sirhind, the Mujaddid now startedthe sufi textual dimension of his education. He studiedwith his father. It may be noted that his father ShaykhAbdul Ahad was a firm believer inwahdatul wujud. Heused to say, “Whatever is seen is the One; only the head-ings are different.”6 He was also the author of a numberof monographs onwahdatul wujud. And the young Mu-jaddid initially assimilated this with great enthusiasm.

With his father, the Mujaddid studied the fundamen-tal texts such as Ta‘arruf of a Kalabadhi (d. 390/1000),the ‘Awarif al-Ma‘arif of Shihabuddin Suhrawardi andtheFusus al-Hikamof Ibn Arabi (d. 638/1240).

It may be in this period that the Mujaddid wrotehis monographMa‘arif-i Ladunniyaor it may even havebeen in the early period of his discipleship with KhwajaBaqibillah. That book indicates that he thoroughly stud-ied Ibn Arabi in this period. He may have studied IbnArabi before, but perhaps not in such great depth. Thescholar Fazlur Rahman places its time of writing muchearlier but I believe that he has made a mistake.

Initial Sufi TrainingAt home, the Mujaddid learned the Sabri branch of theChishti tariqa from his father. He also learned the Qadritariqa from him as well. In the Mujaddidi tradition, it is

6Nure Sirhind, p. 22.

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INITIAL SUFI TRAINING 23

said that he had already attained perfection in the Qadritariqa in his infancy from Shah Kamal Kaithali, so at thistime he really learned only the outward rules and meth-ods of the Qadri tariqa from his father.

The Mujaddid also attained thenisbat-i fardiyat, the“transmission of solitariness” (fardiyat) from his father,7

which he had in turn acquired from Shah Kamal Kaithali.

He also attained perfection and the rank of a deputyor khilafat in the Kubrawi and Suhrawardi8 tariqas fromMawlana Ya‘qub Sarfi. However, some scholars believethat it was his father who taught him the Suhrawarditariqa.9 Many other sufi Shaykhs taught him and so heattained perfection and was given the rand of a deputy(khilafat) in fifteen tariqas.

The Shadhili tariqa may be included there as well.Because the prayer,du’a-i hizbul bahar, is a wazifaorlitany of the Mujaddidi tariqa10 and that indicates that theMujaddid may have been a shaykh of that Shadhili tariqaas well. Later he learned the Naqshbandi tariqa (the six-teenth) and he established the Mujaddidi tariqa(the sev-enteenth). So it is said that he had attained perfection inseventeen tariqas altogether.

7Mabda’ va Ma‘ad, Minha 18Halat-i Mashaikh, p. 14.9Rawdatul Qayyumiya

10Although I have not found any documentary evidence supporting it,I feel that the Mujaddid attained perfection in the Shadhilitariqa and theShadhili transmission is contained in the Mujaddidi tariqa. I feel it becausethe Shadhili litany Hizb al-Bahr is a litany in this tariqa aswell. Now inthe Mujaddidi tariqa, this is not a everyday litany as in the Shadhili tariqa,but instead it may be done on occasion with the shaykh’s permission. MyShaykh says that according to the tariqa rules, the permission to recite thislitany may be granted only to the missionaries of this tariqato realize suc-cess in their mission. However, Professor Algar told me thatmany tariqasrecite thehizb al-bahralthough they may not have any initiatic connectionto the Shadhili tariqa.

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24 Life of the Mujaddid

Khwaja Baqibillah’s Mission to IndiaIn the meantime, Khwaja Baqibillah embarked on hisjourney to India. According to the Mujaddidi tradition,his mission was to transmit the Naqshbandi nisbat to thesaint who will be the Mujaddid of the second millen-nium hijri. It was his teacher Shaykh Khwajegi Amkangiwho had entrusted him with this mission, however it wasKhwaja Bahauddin Naqshband who had given him thismission originally.

Once, Khwaja Baqibillah was visiting the shrine ofKhwaja Naqshband. He told Khwaja Baqibillah,

Soon a perfect vicegerent of the prophet willbe born in India. Such a great friend has neverbeen born after the honorable companions.He is center of attention of all the friends.They all are trying to bring him into their ownsilsilas (lineages) in the hope that their silsilaswould spread all over the world via him andwould last until the end of the world. Thelight of his good-guidance-giving would il-luminate all that is from the heavens to theearth and until the end of the world. I fer-vently aspire that he would take up my silsilaand I expect that my hope would be fulfilledby the grace of God. So you should go toIndia and meet that friend. Let it not happenthat someone else would recruit him into theirown silsila before you. The transmission thatthe prophet granted Hazrat Abubakr, it hasreached me as an object left in trust and I havetransmitted that to my caliphs. Currently, thistransmission is in the hands of the greatestcaliph of my silsila Khwajegi Amkangi. So

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KHWAJA BAQIBILLAH’S MISSION TO INDIA 25

you should first go to Khwajegi Amkangi andattain this transmission and then go to Indiaand transmit it to that man. Then that objectleft in trust would reach its true recipient.

In accordance with this instruction of Khwaja Naqsh-band, Khwaja Baqibillah started his journey to KhwajegiAmkangi. Khwaja Naqshband also informed KhwajegiAmkangi through a dream. On the way, Khwaja Baqi-billah had a dream where Khwajegi Amkangi told him,“Son! I am waiting for you.” When he finally arrived,Khwajegi Amkangi spent three days with him in seclu-sion and told him, “By the grace of Allah, the purpose forwhich Khwaja Naqshband sent you here, your nutruring,that is now complete. Now take this transmission and goto India, a great task is waiting for you there.”

11

After he had been his shaykh for a long time, it wasKhwaja Baqibillah (qaf) who told Hazrat Mujaddid:

Once Hazrat Mawlana Khwajegi Amkangi(qaf)instructed me, “Go to India! You’ll propagatethis tariqa there!” I raised objections, as Icould not find any sign of competence in me.So my shaykh asked me doistikhara[prayersto receive guidance from God through dreamsor inspirations] and I did so.

At night, I had a dream, “I saw a parrot. Ithought in my dream that if this parrot comesand sits on my hand then it would be a sign

11Muhammad Ihsan,Rawdatul Qayyumiawhere he draws reference toKhwaja Hashim Kashmi,Barakatul Ahmadiya, I referred to the Bengalitranslation by Mahbubur Rahman,Raojatul Kaiumiyah, Khulna: Al-HakimProkashoni, Khulna, Bangladesh, 2004. pp. 82-3)

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26 Life of the Mujaddid

that my journey to India would be a success.And as soon as I had this idea in my mind, theparrot flew to me and sat on my hand. I putmy saliva in its beak. In return, it put sweetsaliva in my mouth.”

When I had woken up in the morning, I de-scribed that dream to Khwajegi Amkangi. Heinterpreted, “Parrot is the symbol for India.12

You’ll go and nurture a great saint there. Inreturn, he’ll also give you spiritual nourish-ment. Indeed, he’ll enlighten the whole world.”

When I reached Sirhind on the way, I had adream in which someone told me, “You arenow near aqutb, pole.” He also showed methe face of that pole. In the morning, I vis-ited all the saints of Sirhind but none had theface that I saw in that dream. Then I decidedthat the pole in my dream would emerge inthe future. Then when you came to me, I rec-ognized that face in you and found that capa-bility in you.

Another day I dreamt, “I’m lighting up a hugelamp. That lamp is burning brighter and brighterevery moment. And that lamp is in turn light-ing up hundreds and hundreds of new lamps.And all those new lamps are also growingbrighter and brighter every moment. WhenI reached the outskirts of Sirhind, I saw thatthousands and thousands of lamps are burn-ing in Sirhind.” Through this dream also, I

12In olden times, India was known for its parrots. Even theMasnaviofMawlana Rumi has stories about the parrots of India.

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THE MEETING WITH KHWAJA BAQIBILLAH 27

believe that I received Allah’s sign towardsyou.

The exchange of saliva and sugar between KhwajaBaqibillah and the parrot later proved to be true. TheMujaddid learned all themaqamatstations, of the knowl-edge of the Naqshbandi tariqa from Khwaja Baqibillah,which explained why Khwaja Baqibillah in the dreamput his saliva in the beak of the parrot. Afterwards, HazratMujaddid received advanced stations, maqamat from Al-lah above and beyond all that was in the old Naqshbanditariqa. And he taught those to Khwaja Baqibillah. Thatexplained why the parrot in the dream put sugar into themouth of Khwaja Baqibillah.

The Meeting with Khwaja BaqibillahWhen his father died in 1007/1597, Shaykh Ahmad leftSirhind with the intention of performing the hajj. Hisroute took him to Delhi where he had a decisive encounterwith the Naqshbandi saint Khwaja ‘Abd al-Baqi (com-monly known as Baqi Billah; d.1012/1603).

In Delhi, the Mujaddid stayed with his intimate friendMawlana Hasan Kashmiri who took him to Hazrat Khwaja.When he looked at the Mujaddid then known as ShaykhAhmad, Khwaja Baqibillah instantaneously recognizedShaykh Ahmad to be that parrot of his dream. He knewthat Shaykh Ahmad is that fortunate man who is the right-ful heir to this exalted transmission, who is that uniquerepresentative of the Blessed Prophet (salam), who is thatauspicious man for whom he had come to India. It wasagainst Khwaja Baqibillah’s nature to show interest tosomeone to make him his disciple. But Shaykh Ahmadbecame an exception to that rule. He requested ShaykhAhmad, “Please be my guest in my khankah for a few

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28 Life of the Mujaddid

days.”

Shaykh Ahmad promised to stay there for a week.But his state, hal changed in a few days. Hazrat Khwaja’sjadhdhba affected him powerfully. He requested HazratKhwaja to accept him as a disciple.

Normally Khwaja Baqibillah was very selective aboutaccepting new disciples. Indeed, he always madeis-tikhara prayers, seeking divine signs indicating whetheror not he should accept that disciple. But Shaykh Ahmadbecame an exception. The Khwaja immediately gavehim bayat, initiation and gave him the first lesson, zikrin the subtle center qalb, heart. Immediately, his heartwas filled with Naqshbandi nur, light. Shaykh Ahmadwondered,

Wondrous creation are the Naqshbandi saintsThey radiate light in a unique mannerThey give away the fragrance of love to thosewho don’t even seekCan you find a more generous one anywherein the world? Where will you find someonewho cares as much?As much care as the Naqshbandis give

Baqi Billah was much impressed with his new discipleconcerning whom he wrote to one of his devotees,

A person from Sirhind by the name of ShaykhAhmad, highly knowledgeable and observant,has spent a few days with me ... it seems thathe may become a sun illuminating the world.

Shaykh Ahmad attained perfection, kamalat in the Naqsh-bandi tariqa. Khwaja Baqibillah granted him khilafat,deputyship andijazat, mandate to teach as a shaykh. Then

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THE EXALTED RANKS OF THE GREAT MUJADDID 29

he returned to Sirhind, accompanied by a few other dis-ciples of Baqi Billah. There a near permanent state ofecstasy (istighraq) caused him to retreat into seclusion,much to the disappointment of his companions from Delhi.But once the ecstasy subsided, he began correspondingwith Baqi Billah in a series of letters that were at the ori-gin of his collected correspondence (theMaktubatcon-tains a total of twenty-six letters addressed to Baqi Bil-lah). After an absence of one year, Shaykh Ahmad paida return visit to his preceptor in Delhi, and with somereluctance (that he showed as a symbol of humility) ac-cepted to train some disciples on his behalf. Thereafterhe communicated with Baqi Billah by letter, with the ex-ception of a final visit in 1012/1613; on the occasion ofthis meeting, the master honored him by walking somedistance to welcome him and he entrusted him with thespiritual training of his sons.

The Exalted Ranks of the Great MujaddidIt’s a Mujaddidi belief that the Mujaddid was not only thegreatestwaliAllahever, but he more than that. Indeed, allthe kamalat of all theawliya of the Muhammadan com-munity (after the companions and before Imam Mahdi)were added together and given to him!

When non-sufis write on the Mujaddid, they stresshis struggle with the Emperors Akbar, Jahangir, and theircourtiers-because that is something that they can under-stand. But from the sufi perspective, it is his sufi dimen-sion, e.g. the energy and the blessings that he radiates(faydh va barakat), that is more important.

This excerpt that describes a high rank of the Mu-jaddid i.e. the guardianship (qayyumiyat). Hazrat Mu-jaddid wrote,

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30 Life of the Mujaddid

Once after thedhuhrprayer, I was in medita-tion,muraqabaand someone was reciting theKoran. Suddenly I noticed a heavenly robehovering over me. An idea came upon mymind that this “robe of guardianship” (qaiyu-miyat) is all the creation. And I have beengraced with this robe as I am the heir to theLast Prophet (salam) and I faithfully followhim. Then the Merciful Prophet (salam) ap-peared and tied a turban on my head by hisown blessed hands; and congratulated me onmy elevation to the rank of the quardian (qaiyum).

What is a Qaiyum? About that, the Mujaddid’s sonKhwaja Muhammad Ma‘thum wrote,

Qaiyum is the khalifa or deputy of Allah (SWT)in this world.. All the poles (qutb, aqtab) andthe substitutes (badal, abdal) are in his cir-cle of shadow. The pegs (watad, awtad) arewithin the boundaries of the perfection of theQaiyum. All the people in the entire worldlook towards him to fulfill their wishes anddesires. He is the qibla of attention for theentire world. The whole world exists becauseof his holy person (dhat).

He further explained,

The habit of Allah (SWT) is such that once-in-a-while after many ages, by His own Grace,the Haqq (SWT) grants some knower, ’arif,a portion from His own priceless Person andmakes him His deputy and caliph as thei.e.,qaiyum. It is through the intermediation ofhim [the Qaiyum] that the entire cosmos issustained.

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THE EXALTED RANKS OF THE GREAT MUJADDID 31

Indeed, as the Mujaddid explained in theMaktubat, Al-lah granted three more his descendants the rank of Qaiyum,Guardian. And the rank of Qaiyumiyat is above all theawliya and just below the rank of the companions of theGenerous Prophet (salam). And all the Qaiyums havebeen created from residue of the dough of which theProphet Muhammad was made. Indeed, the Mujaddidhimself declared, “I was created from the residue of thedough of which was made Prophet Muhammad, the Belovedof God (salam).” /footnoteHalat-i Mashaikh-i Naqshbandiya-Mujaddidiya, volume 2, pp.27-28

These firstqayyumwas the great mujaddid AhmadSirhindi and the second was his son Khwaja MuhammadMa‘sum. The thirdqayyumwas his son Khwaja Hujjatul-lah Naqshband and the fourth was his grandson KhwajaMuhammad Zubair.

This story is narrated in theRawdatul Qaiyyumiaabout his elevation to the rank of the Mujaddid alfithanior reformer of the second millenium Hijri.

It was hijri 1010 year, the 10th of the Islamicmonth of Rabiul Awwal, Friday night break-ing into dawn. Shaykh Ahmad was sitting inhis room alone. It was then that the ProphetMuhammad (salam) came there. Along withhim came all the other prophets (salam), count-less angels and friends of Allah. By his ownholy pair of hands, the Merciful Prophet puta resplendent robe on him and told, “ShaykhAhmad! As a symbol of your being a Mu-jaddid, I’m putting this magnificent robe onyou. From now on, you’ll be known as theMujaddid-i Alfi Thani, “the Mujaddid of thesecond millenium.” All the responsibility formy community (ummat) in both worldly mat-

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32 Life of the Mujaddid

ters and religious matters, is assigned to you.13

Usually prophets receive the position of prophets atthe age of forty. Hazrat Mujaddid had just reached fortyand it was at that age that , he received the position of theMujaddid of the Second Thousand Years.

The Birth of the Mujaddidi tariqaThe following story is well-known in the Mujaddidi tra-dition. It is quoted in the primary hagiographies of theMujaddid by his caliphs Badruddin Sirhindi and HashimKashmi and the secondary textRawdatul Qayyumiya.

14

Once, the Great Succor Muhyiuddin AbdulQadir Jilani was absorbed inmuraqabah, med-itation in a forest. Suddenly, a light camedown from the heavens and that light lightedup the whole world. The Great Succor wasinformed that after five hundred years, whenpolytheism and deviation from the propheticway would spread throughout the world,; atrue friend [of Allah] would emerge. He woulddemolish all polytheism and deviations andwould resurrect the Muhammadan religion.His companionship would be alchemical [i.e.,it would transform base metal into gold.]. Andhis sons and caliphs would serve the religiongreatly.

13Rawdatul Qayyumia, pp. 99-100, 10414Hazratu ’l-Qudswritten by the Mujaddid’s devoted disciple and caliph

Hazrat Badruddin Sirhindi andZubdatu ’l-Maqamatby Hazrat HashimKashmi and from which it has been quoted in the traditional hagiographiestheRawdatu ’l-Qayyumia’and theHalat-i Masha’ikh-i Naqshbandiya Mu-jaddidiya

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THE BIRTH OF THE MUJADDIDI TARIQA 33

Then the Great Succor selected akhirqa, (acloak with spiritual significance in the sufitradition) filled it up with his perfections andgave it to his son Tajuddin Abdur Razzaq andsaid, “When that great man will emerge, thengive him this khirqa. That khirqa was trans-ferred generation-to-generation and finally reachedthe hands of his descendant and Caliph ShahSikander Kaithali. He once had a dream, “Ac-cording to the instruction of the Great Succor,give that khirqa to the Great Mujaddid Ah-mad Sirhindi.” But Shah Sikander was reluc-tant to part with this family heirloom.

So what ultimately happened is that once, HazratMujaddid was meditating inmuraqabaor sufimeditation; at that time, some one came andplaced a emphkhirqa, an initiatic cloak signi-fying spiritual maturity and khilafat, onto theshoulders of the Mujaddid. That person wasHazrat Shah Sikander, grandson of the sufisaint Shah Kamal Kaithali.

Hazrat Mujaddid opened his eyes and seeingHazrat Sikander, stood up and embraced himwith humility and courtesy. Hazrat Sikan-der said, “This khirqa originally belonged tomy ancestor, Hazrat Abdul Qadir Jilani. Mygrandfather had told me on his deathbed, ‘Keepit for now! Whomever I’ll ask you to give itto, give it to him!’ Indeed, this khirqa hasbeen passed down in my family from genera-tion to generation in the same way. Now mysaintly grandfather has appeared in my dreamseveral times and asked me to give it to you.

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34 Life of the Mujaddid

But I didn’t as I felt pain at the thought ofgiving this family heirloom away. Finally,I’ve been severely warned that if I don’t com-ply then my sufi transmission would be takenaway as a punishment. That’s why, I’ve fi-nally come to you.”

Hazrat Mujaddid wore that khirqa and retiredto privacy. Then this idea floated on his mind,“The practice of the sufi shaykhs is that whenthey present their khirqa to someone, he be-comes their deputy or ‘caliph.’ Or they givethe khirqa as a first step, and make him theircaliph at the second stage.” Hazrat Mujaddidnarrated, “As soon as this idea came upon mymind, [all the saints in my Qadri silsila start-ing from the founder] Hazrat Abdul Qadir Ji-lani to Hazrat Shah Kamal Kaithali appearedand illuminated me with the lights of theirnisbat.”

Then the Mujaddid thought, “I’ve been nur-tured by the the Naqshbandis! Still such athing happened!” He narrated, “In the meantime, all the saints in my Naqshbandi silsilafrom Hazrat Khwaja Abdul Khaliq Gujdawanito Hazrat Khwaja BaqIbillah, appeared andasked, ‘Shaykh Ahmad attained his own per-fection as well as the ability to bring others toperfection, (kamal va takmil,) via our tariqa.So how is he related to your tariqa?’ Thesaints of the Qadri tariqa replied, ‘He receivedthe first taste of the sweet from us.”’

By that, they alluded to an incident in HazratMujaddid’s childhood. Once, when the child

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THE BIRTH OF THE MUJADDIDI TARIQA 35

Mujaddid had become very sick, his fathertook him to Shah Kamal Kaithali, who wasa saint of the Qadri tariqa. The saint had puthis tongue into the mouth of the newborn andit started to suck on his tongue. And ShahKamal exclaimed, “This infant just attainedthe complete kamalat, perfection in the Qadritariqa!”

In the meantime, the masters of the Chishtitariqa came and claimed the Mujaddid for theirown. They reasoned, “His ancestors were ser-vants of our tariqa.”

The masters of the Kubrawi, Suhrawardi, andmany other tariqas came as well. Each ofthem argued, “The Mujaddid was a caliph inmy tariqa before he was [even a disciple] ] forthe Naqshbandis.”

The masters of all the other tariqas also ap-peared. They all wanted the Mujaddid to servetheir tariqas.

Hazrat Mujaddid’s Caliph Hazrat BadruddinSirhindi quoted the Mujaddid in his book theHoly Hazrats [Hazratul Quds] “At that timesuch a great number of spirits of the saintscame to Sirhind that they thronged all the build-ings, streets, and open spaces of the city. Thesaints were disputing among themselves sostrongly that from dawn it continued until thetime ofdhuhr, the noon prayer.”

It was at that time that the spirit of the viceroyfor both worlds, the prophet Muhammad (salam)

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36 Life of the Mujaddid

came and resolved the dispute with love andcompassion for everyone. He stated, “All ofyou! You may transmit the perfections of yourtransmissions totally to the Mujaddid of theSecond Thousand Years. He is the caliph ofall of you. You will all receive equal rewardsfrom his good deeds. However, the Naqsh-bandi tariqa originates from Hazrat Abu Bakr,the most exalted man after the prophets. Andit strictly clings to the sunna and assiduouslycasts off deviations. And so that tariqa is mostappropriate for the special service of renewaland revival of Islam that he will render.”

So the dispute was finally resolved! As perthe prophet’s instruction, every imam of ev-ery tariqa transmitted all the perfections ofhis own tariqa to the Mujaddid. Added tothat were the perfections and transmissionsunique to the Mujaddid of the Second Thou-sand Years. Also added were the unique per-fections granted by the Prophet (salam). Alsoadded were the perfections unique to the Mu-jaddid, namely, the perfections of the Guardian,the Imam, the Treasury of Mercy and all oth-ers [Qaiyum, Imam,Khazinatu ’l-Rahmat] Asa result, a new tariqa was born.

Due to his extreme adab, courtesy, the Mujaddid stillcalled this new Naqshbandi tariqa. However, within afew generations, this tariqa was named Naqshbandi-Mujaddidior Mujaddidi for short. And this tariqa has two imams orfounders, Hazrat Bahauddin Naqshband being the firstimam and Hazrat Mujaddid being the second but moreimportant imam. Although this tariqa can be called “new”

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THE BIRTH OF THE MUJADDIDI TARIQA 37

in the sense that it is “more” than the old Naqshbanditariqa, it’s not new in the sense that it is “different.” Thebase of this tariqa is still the old Naqshbandi tariqa. If theold Naqshbandi tariqa can be likened to a building, thenit can be said that the Mujaddid renovated the building byadding more floors to it. That is the way he interpreted itin theMaktubat.

It should be noted that the old Naqshbandi tariqasoon died out, as all the Naqshbandis adopted this moreenergized version of the tariqa. With the exception of afew archaic Naqshbandis in Chinese Turkistan, the oldtariqa has ceased to exist;15 instead, their followers havetaken bayat from a Mujaddidi shaykh. If you look at theirshajara, lineage tree you’ll find Hazrat Mujaddid there.

This tariqa may be called Mujaddidi-Naqshbandi in-stead of what it’s called traditionally, which is Naqshbandi-Mujaddidi. The reason is that if you call it Naqshbandi-Mujaddidi, people often shorten it by calling it Naqsh-bandi and that is very misleading. Now Hazrat Mujad-did could call it Naqshbandi because that was adab forhim. But now since so many great masters of our tariqahave adopted and agreed to the new name, it may be lackof adab for us to call it by the old name, because thatwould not showing the proper respect to the Mujaddid,the pre-eminent saint in the Naqshbandi-Mujaddidi sil-sila, indeed the closest person to Allah after the prophetsand before Imam Mahdi.

Who is the prophet of Islam? Is he Prophet Muham-mad or Prophet Abraham? The Koran says that HazratAbraham was the first Muslim and ours is the same re-ligion as his. Now can we claim that Prophet Abra-ham is more important than Prophet Muhammad? Would

15Source: Hamid Algar, the premier academic researcher on this tariqa inthe West.

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38 Life of the Mujaddid

that not be a lack of adab for us? The relationship ofHazrat Naqshband and Hazrat Mujaddid can be com-pared to the relationship between Hazrat Abraham andHazrat Muhammad. Yes! Prophet Muhammad showsgreat respect to Prophet Abaraham; but that does notmean that Prophet Abraham is superior to Prophet Muham-mad. Instead, it only means that the Prophet had a greatdeal of adab. Similarly, the fact that the Mujaddid showsa lot of respect to Hazrat Bahauddin Naqshband in theMaktubatonly confirms the perfection of his adab. Is-lam should be referred to as “Muhammadan” as opposedto “Abrahamic;” although both are true. Similarly, thistariqa should be referred to as Mujaddidi as opposed toNaqshbandi, although both are true.

Another reason why this tariqa should be called Mu-jaddidi instead of Naqshbandi is that the system oflata’ifor the subtle center system for these two tariqas are alsoslightly different. Thelatifa or subtle center callednafsis located near the navel in the archaic Naqshbandi tariqa,but Hazrat Mujaddid changed that location to the centerof the forehead for the Mujaddidi tariqa.

Also, the number ofmaqamat, i.e., the stations ofspiritual enlightenment, are also vastly increased in theMujaddidi tariqa. Now most shaykhs never ascend tosuch sublime stations, so they do not even know aboutthese.

Since the Mujaddidi tariqa is so much superior, allthe Naqshbandis today, even those from Bukhara or Samarkand,(with the exception of those archaic Naqshbandis in Chi-nese Turkestan) have adopted the Mujaddidi tariqa in-stead. If you look at their lineage tree or shajara, youwill see Hazrat Mujaddid there.

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THE PARTING FROM THIS WORLD 39

The Parting from This WorldAfter a life of great service to Allah as well as His belovedhumanity, the Great Mujaddid left this world to meet hisMaker at the age of sixty-three, the same age at whichour beloved Prophet (salam) left his earthly life. It wasthe early dawn of Tuesday, the 28th or the 29th of Sa-far) 16 in 1034 AH/1624 CE.Inna liLlahi wa inna ‘alaihiraji‘un! Verily we are from Allah and verily we will re-turn to Him! His shrine has become a place of universalpilgrimage for Muslims, Sikhs, Hindus-people of all reli-gions go there to pay their homage and drink that fragrantelixir wafting upward from his grave.

This is the translation of a Persian poem on the graveof the Great Mujaddid:

by Abdul Ghani Dihlawi

O the sacred soil of the grave! [You ooze thefragrance of] ambergris and musk!

Has become intoxicated by your [maddening]aroma, the entire universe!

[God] the Cupbearer has nurtured you withsuch fragrant essence! As a result, the peopleof the world!

Sane when they come to you, they leave asdrunks!

That mystery of paradise is your secret! [Suchthat] the people on the surface of the earth!

16Due to disagreement on when the moon of Safar was sighted, there isdispute on the lunar date of death

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40 Life of the Mujaddid

[Having breathed] one breath from [that fra-grance from] you, blast off into a heavenlyorbit [far above the land of sand and dust!]

Before the Mujaddid, the progress for the friends ofAllah was limited to the level of “friendship,”walayat.Breaking their rank, the Mujaddid progressed to the levelof nubuwat, in the same way that the four well-instructedcaliphs also progressed to the level ofnubuwat.

WritingsThe magnum opus of the Mujaddid is theMaktubat-i-Imam-i-Rabbanithat contains a total of 536 maktubs thathe sent to various people. Among them, twenty six werewritten to his own sufi guide Khwaja Baqibillah. Onehe wrote to the Emperor Jahangir. One he wrote to aHindu named Hari Rama. And the rest were written tohis disciples and devotees including two or three to hiswomen disciples.

The Maktubat was divided into three volumes. Thefirst volume had three hundred and thirteen maktubs afterthe three hundred and thirteen companions who foughtin the battle of Badr. This number is also the number ofmajor prophets (rasul). This volume was called thePearlof Knoledge, Durru ’l-Ma‘rifatand it was compiled byKhwaja Muhammad Jadid Badakshi Talqani. The secondvolume, completed in 1019 hijri, was called theLight ofthe Creation, Nuru ’l-Khala’iqcompiled by Khwaja Ab-dul Hai. The compiler was Khwaja Abdul Hai who wasthe son of the Mujaddid’s Khwaja Chakar Hasari, wrotethat the volume had ninety-nine maktubs as the numberof the attributive names (ism, sifat) of Allah is ninety-nine. In the preface, he also wrote that he had com-pleted it by the instruction of the Mujaddid’s son Khwaja

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WRITINGS 41

Muhammad Ma‘sum. The third volume, theKnowledgeof the Realities, Ma‘rifatul Haqa’iq, was compiled byKhwaja Muhammad Hashim. Originally it had 114 mak-tubs that corresponds to the # number of the chapters ofthe Koran; later 10 more were added. Since the Mujad-did died after those ten maktubs, they were added insteadof creating a new volume.

Additionally, the Mujaddid also wrote seven mono-graphs,risala on various topics. They are:

1. Ithbat wa Nubuwwa: Why mankind needs propheticrevelation to know God. The Mujaddid wrote it inArabic, the Agra period, c.1585

2. Ta’yyid-i Ahl-i Sunnat:17 Refuting the Shia beliefsand establishing the mainstream Sunnite creed. TheMujaddid wrote it in Persian, also in the Agra pe-riod.

3. Ma‘arif-i Ladunniya: Comments on Ibn Arabi, gen-erally positive but sometimes negative, even sar-castic; exaltedness of the Naqshbandi tariqa. Fa-zlur Rahman puts it in the Agra period but he isobviously wrong; the book talks about Naqshbanditariqa. The Mujaddid wrote it in Persian early inthe Baqibillah period, 1597-1603.

4. Ta‘liqat bar Sharh-i Ruba’iyat: Explains and com-ments on the Quatrains of Khwaja Baqibillah; heshowed it to the Khwaja. The Mujaddid wrote it inthe Baqibillah period in Persian.

5. Mabda’ va Ma’ad: There are 51Minhaor chapterson many topics. The Mujaddid wrote it in the Baqi-billah period, 1597-1603; but I think after God-given Knowledge. It was also written in Persian.

17Also known asKavaif-i ShiahandRadd-i Rawafidh

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42 Life of the Mujaddid

6. Risala-i Tahliliya: Not Reviewed. The Mujaddidwrote it in Arabic.

7. Mukashifat-i ’Ayniya’: Each chapter describes thehal on one of the 29 stations, maqamat on the way-faring, suluk of the Mujaddidi-Naqshbandi tariqa;he showed it to the Khwaja; refers to theMabda.The Mujaddid wrote it in the later Baqibillah pe-riod, 1597-1603 in Persian.

This biography is partly sufi-inspiration taken fromthe Mujaddidi book of hagiographies,Halat-i Masha’ikh-i Naqshbandiya MujaddidiyaandRawdatul Qayyumia,Bengali translations, and partly historical narratives takenfrom Fazlur Rahman, “Chapter 5: Shaikh Ahmad’s Life,”in theIntikhab-i Maktubat-i Shaykh Ahmad Sirhindi, andProfessor Hamid Algar’s unpublished article, “Imam-iRabbani”

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Part I

43

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CHAPTER

3Preamble: Ode to Khwaja Baqibillah

The Mujaddid wrote this maktub to Khwaja Abdullahand Khwaja Ubaidullah , who were the two sons of hissufi teacher Khwaja Baqibillah. Hazrat1 Mujaddid startsthis maktub by showing his respect to Khwaja Baqibil-lah. He first describes the exalted sufi experiential knowl-edge that he gained and he acknowledges the sublimesufi “states” that he experienced via the intermediationof Khwaja Baqibillah. He recounts them as a mark ofcourtesy as he is writing to the sons of Khwaja Baqibil-lah.

Praise, salutations, and conveyance of the in-vitation toward God to the venerable and es-teemed sons of my master! From my headto feet, I am drowned in the beneficence (ih-san) of your great father [Khwaja Baqibillah]

1When used before a personal name, Hazrat (Arabic Hadrat) is an hon-orific title akin to ”Venerable” or ”His Eminence.” It is usedbefore the nameof the prophets as well as other holy men and women in the Islamic tradi-tion in the Indian subcontinent. The Mujaddid also uses ”Hazrat” before thenames and attributes of God, but I omit them to avoid confusion.

45

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46 Preamble: Ode to Khwaja Baqibillah

. From him, I accomplished the lessons Alefand Beh of this tariqa and I learned the lettersof the alphabet of this path. By the blessingof his companionship(suhba)2

I have attained the felicity (dawla) of “inser-tion of the end in the beginning” (indiraj al-nihayat fi’l-bidaya’). I found the felicity of“journeying in the homeland”3 (safar dar watn)as the alms [that he offered me] for servinghim. His noble face-turning (tawajjuh) fortwo and a half months made such an untrain-able4

person like myself [able to] receive the Naqsh-bandi transmission (nisbat); it also grantedme the gift of the elect presence (hudur-i khass)of these great ones. How can I describe theself-disclosures, the manifestations5, the lights,the colors, the “things without color,” and the“things without howness” (tajalliyat, zuhu-rat, anwar, alwan, bi-rangiha, bi-kaifiha) thatsurfaced by his intermediation [in this shortspan of time?] How can I explain them in de-

2companionship, suhba, refers to companionship with a spiritual masterby dint of which energy and blessings flow into the disciple and he attainsspiritual growth

3journeying in the homeland, or safar dar watan is another traditionalsaying in the Naqshbandi tariqa. One meaning is the aspirant’s ”spiritualjourney” within the microcosm of his own being

4untrainable, or na qabil: qabil is term used by Ibn Arabi to mean ”re-ceptacle” of God’s manifestation. Here the Mujaddid is saying, out of hu-mility, that he is incapable of being a ”receptacle” i.e., heis untrainable. SeeWilliam Chittick, The Sufi Path of Knowledge(Albany: State University ofNew York Press, 1989) pp. 91-92, hereafter referred to as SPK

5Self-disclosures, ortajalliyat, and manifestations, orzuhurat, are God’sdisplay of Himself in the created things and their understandings and in-sights. SPK, pp. 91-92

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SUFI TECHNICAL TERMS 47

tail? [A 1.266,105.7-13]6

Face-turning (tawajjuh) is a sufi technical term. Chitticktranslates this as “attentiveness” inThe sufi Path of Knowl-edge; thus he alludes to its standard Persian meaning.But in The Self-Disclosures of God, he translates it as“face-turning,” its literal meaning. The section that fol-lows elucidates the meaning of some of the more impor-tant terms that the Mujaddid uses.

Sufi Technical TermsIt is useful to first define the sufi technical terms: energyor faydh, transmission ornisbat, presence orhudur, face-turning ortawajjuh, companionship orsuhbat, mediationor wasila. These are all interrelated terms; they all referto the experiential supernatural “energy” orfaydhof anysufi system or tariqa. This energy flows in a supernaturalchannel or circuit from master to master in the lineage orsilsila.

Literally, faydhmeans effusion and this is how Chitticktranslates it. In the sufi context, it refers to the supernat-ural “energy” that flows from master to disciple. TheAmerican spiritual community employs the word “en-ergy” to mean this concept in their methods. I am alsousing the word “energy,” as I find it more intuitive.

Literally, nisbat means “relationship.” In the suficontext, it means the spiritual connection, the current offaydh (analogous to a current of electricity) that flowsfrom master to master in the silsila along a supernaturalcircuit up to the disciple. Chittick translates it as “rela-

6[A 1.266, 105.7-13]: A refers to the Amritsari edition of theMaktubat-iImam-i Rabbani, 1.266 refers to the maktub #266 in the volume I, 105 is thepage number, 7-13 means line # 7 to 13

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48 Preamble: Ode to Khwaja Baqibillah

tion” or “relationship,” and that is correct literally, butin-correct in the sufi context. Some others translate it moreaccurately as “connection.” The American spiritual com-munity employs the word “transmission” to mean thisconcept and this is also what I have chosen to use.

The sufi termbayat comes from Arabic word forhouse,bait; it literally means, “the act of becoming apart of the household [or the family].” It refers to “ini-tiation,” the ceremony or process by which one is con-nected to thenisbatof any sufi tariqa. Generally in sufitariqas, one holds the hands of his sufi shaykh and re-cites a pledge. This process connects him to thenisbat.An English translation forbayatmay be “initiation,” butthat word has a negative connotation today because it hasbecome associated with cults; so I sometimes translatebayatby “opening,” meaning the process by which thedoor of energy and blessing opens up to the disciple.

Hudur is literally translated as “presence. ” Thepresence of a master refers to the domain where hisfaydhhas an effect. Usually, it is the strongest near the master.

Tawajjuhis literally translated as “face-turning.” Itmeans, “giving attention” in Persian/Arabic, but it alsohas a sufi technical meaning. The master focuses hisattention toward the disciple when he wants to give a“face-turning” to a disciple. And in this way the disci-ple receives a powerful burst of energy.

So the disciple is affected by “energy” (faydh) frombeing in the “presence” (hudur) of the master. He attainsthat “presence” from being in the “companionship” (suh-bat) of the master. A larger door of energy-transmissionopens up to him when he takes thebayat. Whateverenergy he receives, he receives it via the mediation orwasilaof the master. Once in a while, the master giveshim a “face-turning” ortawajjuhand he receives a pow-

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SUFI TECHNICAL TERMS 49

erful burst of “energy.” When he is successful in attain-ing a “transmission” ornisbatfrom the master, he is con-nected to the continual flow of energy that flows frommaster to master in the “lineage” or silsila an energy thatflows along a supernatural channel.

Indeed, any lineage of any inner discipline can beexplained by the same paradigm of master-to-master meta-physical transmission of energy. Examples include thethe Jewish inner path Kabbalah, the Hindu inner pathYoga, the Japanese inner path Zen, the Chinese innerpaths including their science of energy-cultivation throughbreaths called Chikung and their system of internal mar-tial arts like Taichi.

Arabic term English translation Electromagnetic analogy

Faydh energy electrons, photonsHudur presence electromagnetic fieldSuhbat companionship being so near a magnet that something gets magnetizedBayya bayat clicking the switch on; or physically turning onthe electricityWasila mediation node in a networktawajjuh face-turning pulse of laser, lightning of static electricityNisbat transmission electric current

Table 3.1: Electromagnetic Analogies

The name for the structured method undertaken toreach God issulukor wayfaring i.e. the curriculum foreach sufi tariqa. This is the first meaning ofsuluk. Andjust as the curriculum of an educational institution is di-vided into courses or grade-levels, thesulukor curricu-lum of a tariqa is also divided into stations (maqam, plu-ral maqamat). And thesemaqamatmay be traversed bytwo methods.

The first method is calledsuluk, meaning wayfar-

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50 Preamble: Ode to Khwaja Baqibillah

ing [by the seeker’s own efforts]. By this method, thesufi seeker or student (murid, talib) takes the initiativeto reach God through his own arduous efforts. The sec-ond type isjadhdhba, in which God Himself takes theinitiative and attracts the seeker to Himself by hisjadhd-hba(attraction) of love and the seeker reaches God effort-lessly, by His grace. Therefore, depending on the con-text, sulukmay mean a structured system to reach Godfor a particular tariqa, or one of the two methods that isemployed in those systems.

Arabic English sufi meaning Educational analogy

Wayfaring- structured,through- methodicala-structured- path

suluk(first meaning) curriculum- of Curriculumto-reach- eachGod tariqa

eachMaqam, pl. maqamat station stage grade level

of development

Wayfaring- One of the two methodsby-the- of wayfaring that

suluk(second meaning) seeker’s- involves arduous efforts hard rigorous studiesown-efforts (prayer, zikr, fasting,

etc.)to reach God

The other one of easy studies,attraction the two methods with a superb

jadhdhba from of wayfaring where teacher whoGod one progresses easily, explains

without arduous effort, thingsby the elect grace of God easily

Table 3.2: Terms for learning sufism

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Insertion of the End in the BeginningInsertion of the end in the beginning, orindiraj-i nihayatdar bidayat, is a traditional saying that describes a uniquecharacteristic of the Naqshbandi tariqa. The Mujaddidhimself explains why the method of this tariqa is calledthe “insertion of the end in the beginning.” He wrote,

The shaykhs of the Naqshbandi tariqa (qaf)have chosen to start their journey (sayr) fromthe world of command. And they have fol-lowed that [journey] up by the [journey in]the world of creation and that [journey] takesplace next. That [sequence] is in contrast tothe shaykhs of the rest of the tariqas who be-gin their journeys from the world of creation.And after traversing the world of creation, theyplace their feet into the world of commandand arrive at the station of attraction (jadhd-hba). It is for this reason that the Naqshbanditariqa is the nearest (aqrab) tariqa; and nec-essarily the ends (nihayat) of the others havebeen inserted in their beginning (bidayat).

Can you foresee my rose-gardenHow will it look in the spring?

[A 1.145, 23.4-8]

Now what does the Mujaddid really mean? What isjourneying in the world of command? The usual methodthat most tariqas employ at the beginning level is themethod ofsulukor wayfaring . In that method, the subtlecenter of the soul,latifa-i nafs, is illuminated first and thefour elements, i.e., fire, air, water, and earth elements areilluminated next. These five centers belong to the “worldof creation,” (’alam-i khalq). This world of creation is

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the seat of all evil and corruption. The disciple takesa journey along the stations of the sufi path, employingarduous, difficult practices, initially to cleanse those sub-tle centers and then to progress beyond them–this is themethod ofsulukor wayfaring.

The method ofsuluk is to be contrasted with themethod ofjadhdhba. The Mujaddidi-Naqshbandi tariqaemploys the method ofjadhdhba first–it starts with thecleansing of the subtle center heart,qalb, and then pro-ceeds sequentially to the four other subtle centers of the“world of command” (’alam-i amr). These are the spiritor ruh, the secret heart orsirr, the arcanum orkhafi, andthe super-arcanum orakhfa. The prototypes of these sub-tle centers lie in the world of command that is nearer tothe realm of God and so that world is holy and pure–sothese subtle centers are easier to purify. Also God’s electgrace, asjadhdhba, purifies these centers easily and ef-fortlessly. This is called the method ofjadhdhba.

The subtle centernafsor soul is a thing of the worldof creation; it is the seat of all evil and corruption; so as-pirants need to undertake difficult, arduous practices inorder to purify their souls. And this would take them along time, if they even succeeded at all. After the purifi-cation of thenafs, the aspirants undergo the purificationof the qalib or the “mold,” i.e., the physical body thatconsists of four subtle centers distributed everywhere–they are the four elements: fire, water, air, and earth.Naturally, all these centers of the world of creation takea long time to cleanse. This method of “undertaking dif-ficult, arduous practices on the part of the aspirant” iscalled the method ofsuluk, or wayfaring.

In the alternate method, that is the method ofjad-hdhba, God attracts the aspirant to Himself through Hislove, and the aspirant proceeds to God quickly and eas-

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INSERTION OF THE END IN THE BEGINNING 53

ily without any difficult practices. The five subtle cen-ters of the world of command are cleaned through themethod ofjadhdhba. The prototypes of these subtle cen-ters are in the divinela-makanior spaceless world. Thesubtle centers in the human body are a mere reflection ofthose sublime centers. Naturally, these subtle centers arecleansed quickly and easily without any difficult, ardu-ous practices on the part of the aspirant because they are“essentially” pure.

The usual method of other tariqas had been to cleansethe subtle centers of the world of creation before the sub-tle centers of the world of command. Or undertake theirsuluk before thejadhdhba. Following the usual meth-ods, it takes aspirants many years of arduous practice tocomplete their path. Many people either gave up or diedbefore they reached the end of the path.

Sequence Method World of the Subtle Center Subtle Center

1 wayfaring by the world of creation Soul ornafs2 seeker’s effort, or The four3 suluk elements: fire,4 air, water, earth56 attraction from world of Super-arcanum or

God, orjadhdhba command akhfa7 Arcanum orkhafi8 Secret heart orsirr9 Spirit or ruh10 Heart orqalb

Table 3.3: Sequence in which the ten subtle centers are puri-fied in other tariqas, e.g., Qadri, Chishti, etc.

Note; In the Chishti tariqa, the ten subtle centersexist as ten different steps, while in the Qadri tariqa, thecleansing of the four elements is brought together as one

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step-their seventh step.

Hazrat Bahauddin Naqshband searched for an eas-ier way that would take the aspirants to Allah faster. Sohe begged Allah, “Allah! Give me such a tariqa, whosestudents are not deprived of what they seek—You!” Al-lah finally accepted his supplication and gave him thesystem of God-realization that is the Naqshbandi tariqa.In this tariqa, the seeker’s heart center, latifa al-qalb, ispurified first, in the beginning of the process. The originof the heart center lies in the world of command, whichis the otherworldly realm that is nearer to God. So it isquite pure to begin with. And therefore the heart cen-ter is purified easily. Then the seeker purifies the otherfour lata’if of the world of command and continues on tothe nafs. Since all the lata’if of the world of commandhave already been purified, the seeker already possessesa foundation on which to stand, his nafs is also purifiedquite easily.

Sequence Method World where the subtle Subtle center incenter belongs originally the human body

1 heart orqalb2 spirit or ruh3 Attraction from world of secret heart orsirr4 God orjadhdhba command arcanum orkhafi5 super-arcanum orakhfa

6 world of creation soul ornafs

wayfaring by the the four7-10 seeker’s effort, or elements: fire,

suluk air, water, earth

Table 3.4: Sequence In Which The Ten Subtle Centers ArePurified In The Naqshbandi Tariqa

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INSERTION OF THE END IN THE BEGINNING 55

In the other tariqas, thejadhdhbathat is pure gracefrom God purifies the subtle centers of the world of com-mand aftersuluk, i.e., difficult, arduous effort on the partof the seeker, who works to purify the five subtle centersof the world of creation. But in the Mujaddidi-Naqshbanditariqa, thatjadhdhbacomes at the very beginning of thepath. This is what “insertion of the end in the beginning”means−jadhdhbabeforesuluk, or the cleansing of thesubtle centers of the world of command before the subtlecenters of the world of creation.

Now, does the concept ofindiraj-i nihayat dar bi-dayatmean that the new initiate of the Naqshbandi tariqais at the same level as the adepts in the other tariqas whohave reached their ends? The answer is no, because youcannot compare a new adept with an advanced adept. Butyou can compare a new adept of the Naqshbandi tariqawith a new adept in another tariqa. Then you will see thateven a new adept of the Naqshbandi tariqa has a portionof the gift that the adepts of the other tariqas receive atthe end of their path. Another way to look at it is thatwhile the new Naqshbandi adept may possess illumina-tion of the heart, the strength of his transmission (nisbat)is much weaker than thenisbatof an advanced adept ofthe other tariqas who has also illuminated his heart, butafter years of arduous practice.

Still another way of looking at it is that thejad-hdhbathat the aspirant realizes in the beginning of theMujaddidi-Naqshbandi tariqa is really the shadow (zill)of the realjadhdhbathat he realizes later. However, stillhe has received a taste of it in the beginning of his path.As the Mujaddid explains,

The proposition “insertion of the end in thebeginning” (indiraj-i nihayat dar bidayat) that

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56 Preamble: Ode to Khwaja Baqibillah

proceed from these [Naqshbandi] masters, someshaykhs of the other silsilas (qaf) wonder ifit is really true. They wonder what it reallymeans.

And they do not agree with the propositionthat the beginner on this [Naqshbandi] tariqais a peer of those who have reached the endin the other tariqas. How surprising! Howdid they interpret “insertion of the end in thebeginning” to means that “the beginner of thistariqa will be a peer of those who have reachedthe end in the other tariqas?”

[The masters of the Naqshbandi tariqa,] theyhave not said anything more than “insertionof the end in the beginning.” What they havesaid does not indicate peerage.

Instead, it means that the competent shaykhin this tariqa who has reached the end (muntahi),employs his face-turning and power-of-intervention(tasarruf). And he bestows the taste from histreasures that he had received in his last sta-tion in the path, to the rightly-guided (rashid)beginner. And he puts the salty taste of hisown end into the beginning [of the beginner].So where is the peerage? Where is the roomfor a doubt? [A 2.43, 114.9-14]

Monist OntologiesNow Hazrat Mujaddid eulogizes his teacher by recount-ing the knowledge that he learned from Khwaja Baqi-billah. He says that he came to understand all the finepoints oftawhidor monism and all the fine variations inthat doctrine via Khwaja Baqibillah’s intermediation.

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REVIEWING THE MONIST ONTOLOGIES 57

By the blessing of his exalted face-turning,what subtle point remains within the sciencesof tawhidor monism, [and all its subtle vari-ations e.g.,]ittihad or unificationism,qurbornearnessism,ma’iyat or withnessism,ihataor encompassmentism,sarayanor penetra-tionism, etc. that he did not disclose to me!Or he did not grant me the cognizance of itsreality [i.e., the reality of any subtle point inthose sciences oftawhid]! [A 1.266, 105.12-13]

Reviewing the Monist OntologiesTawhid or monism refers to the doctrine that God is “one”with the cosmos—many variant doctrines are put togetherunder the banner oftawhid.

One of these variants isittihad or unificationism —the doctrine that God is one and the same as the cosmos.Chittick translatesittihad as “unificationism,” and that isits literal meaning. Its technical meaning in sufi ontol-ogy is that God is merged in the cosmos in such a waythat these two cannot be distinguished from one another.This is diametrically opposed to the Islamic doctrine thatcomes from the Koran and the hadith literature, that Godand the creation are distinct and separate.

Yes! If someone twists the Koran and hadith litera-ture to arrive at unificationism, he is indeed an apostate.However, a sufi may “actually” see God merged in thecosmos in his “subjective experience” and in that case heshould be excused. The Mujaddid explains that if somepeople such as many of the sufis followingittihad, lovea person in the extreme, i.e., God, they may not evennotice the shadow. Instead, they see only their beloved

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person and say that only the beloved person exists. Inthat case, they may say that the shadow is “unified with”that beloved person, or that the shadow does not exist atall; only their beloved person exists. As the Mujaddidwrites,

Mansur [Hallaj] who said “Anal Haqq,” meantneither “I’m the Haqq” nor did he mean “I’munified (muttahid) with the Haqq”; for thatwould have made him into an apostate (kufr)who would deserve (mujib) execution. In-stead he meant that “I do not exist and in-stead what [alone] exists is the Haqq (SWT)”In short, the sufis recognize the things [of theworld] as manifestations of the Haqq. (Almighty!All-Holy!) And the locus [of manifestation]of the divine names and attributes. However,that recognition lacks any taint of descent (tanaz-zul) or the suspicion of change or substitution(taghayyur va tabaddul).

It would be useful to explain it with an exam-ple. If someone’s shadow falls somewhere,it cannot be said that that shadow is “uni-fied” with that person. Nor can it be saidthat that person is “identical” (’ayniyyat) withthe shadow. Nor can it be said that that per-son has made a “descent” (tanazzul) and ap-peared as the shadow. Actually, that person isexactly what he was before. (sarafat-i asalat-i khod) And the shadow has appeared withoutany “descent” or change in him whatsoever.

There may be times that some people do notat all see a shadow because they love the [orig-inal person] extremely and the shadow is hid-den from their sight. [As a result] they do

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REVIEWING THE MONIST ONTOLOGIES 59

not see anything else but that person. In sucha situation, they may say that “the shadowis identical to that person.” [However, whatthey really] mean is that “the shadow does notexist and the only thing that exists is that per-son.” [A 2.44, 116-7]

Therefore, if a sufi says that he sees that the cosmosis “unified with” God, he should be excused from thecharge of apostasy.

The Mujaddid discusses more on these monist sci-ences in his bookTa’liqat bar Sharh-i Ruba’iyat

. His essential idea is that these concepts that are inthe Koran e.g.,ihata, qurb, and others, should be treatedasmutashabihator allegorical verses—only God and Hiselect understand their hidden, mysterious meanings.

For example,ihata or encompassmentism, is thedoctrine that God encompasses the cosmos. The Koransays,Take note! Verily He[Allah] encompasses every-thing(Koran 41:54). Many misguided sufis interpret “en-compassment” as a sort of a “physical encompassment,”which is clearly wrong. However, encompassment mayindeed be interpreted in a way so as to conform to thesharia.

Hazrat Khwaja Muhammad Ma‘thum who was theMujaddid’s son and spiritual heir explained it even betterin his bookMaktubat-i Ma’thumiya. It is written therethat in a letter to him, one of his disciples cited the verseTake note! Verily Allah encompasses everything(Koran54:41) and asks him to explain the nature of this encom-passment. In answer, Hazrat Ma’thum writes,

You should know that encompassment has twomeanings. [First,] you may bring encompass-ment down to “encompassment by knowledge”

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(ihata-i ’ilmi ). Some of the “verifiers” [muhaqqiqanor God-realized sufis who have attained thesublime station ofhaqiqatand “verified” thisproposition via their experiential knowledgeattained through unveilings and mystic visions]hold this opinion. This is also in line withwhat the noble Koran says,Verily! Indeed!Allah encompasses everything by His Knowl-edge(Koran 65:12). Therefore there is noreason for you to become bewildered or re-main hesitant to accept it.

[Second,] you may also interpret encompass-ment [literally] as “physical (bi-jism) encom-passment.” Then I would point out that en-compassment and withness (ihata va ma’iyat)of the Haqq (SWT) is not the same as encom-passment of a body by another body (jismbi-jism). [Such literal interpretation] wouldbe incompatiable with divine incomparabilityand holiness (tanzih va taqdis). So this en-compassment should be classified as an alle-gory (mutashabihat). [Then you may believethem] in the same way that you believe in [theallegorical verses of the Koran that talk aboutGod having] hands or a face.

Finally, the second Qayyum, Hazrat Ma’thum concludes,

He (SWT) is “all encompassing (muhit)” and“with us (ba ma)” but we should not be pre-occupied with its nature (kayfiyat).”7

7Khwaja Muhammad Ma‘thum,Maktubat-i Ma‘thumiya, Volume III,maktub #16. I referred to the bookMuntakhabat az Maktubat-i Ma‘thumiya,(Istanbul: Ihlas Vakfi, 1979), p. 248.

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Arabic name English translation Description

Ittihad Unificationism God and the creation are unifiedIhata Encompassmentism God encompasses the entire creationQurb Nearnessism God is near everything in the creationsarayan Penetrationism God penetrates the creation as

fragrance penetrates the rose

Table 3.5: Monist Ontologies

Another ontology is qurb or nearnessism—the doctrinethat God is “near” the cosmos. As Allah says in the Ko-ran, We are nearer to him[man] than [man’s] jugularvein (Koran 50:16). It should also be understood as amutashabihatverse whose meaning is beyond the lim-ited human comprehension that most of us possess.

Now what about the monist ontologies that are notdescribed in the Koran? One example issarayan, or pen-etrationism that is the doctrine that God penetrates thecosmos like fragrance penetrates the rose. The Mujad-did feels that even these verses should be treated as mu-tashabihat.8

If we adopt this Mujaddidi understanding, many ofthese monist ontologies can be brought within Islam.

Naqshbandi Science is SublimeThe science of “oneness in manyness” i.e., “seeing Godin the many forms of the world,” or the science of “many-ness in oneness” i.e., “seeing the many forms of the worldin God” are the most sublime of the sciences that theother sufi masters teach. On the other hand, the sciencesthat Khwaja Baqibillah taught the Mujaddid are far more

8Ahmad Sirhindi,Ta’liqat bar Sharh-i Ruba’iyat, I referred to the un-published translation into Bengali by Mawlana Mominul Haq,2005.

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62 Preamble: Ode to Khwaja Baqibillah

sublime than those false sciences oftawhid or monism;they propose that God is beyond the cosmos.

Witnessing “oneness in manyness” (wahdatdar kathrat) or “manyness in oneness” (kathratdar wahdat) are only the preliminaries andbeginnings (muqaddamat va mubadi) of thisscience [the science of dualism that one re-alizes in this Mujaddidi-Naqshbandi tariqa].In short, where the Naqshbandi transmissionand the elect presence (hudur-i khass) of thesegreat ones [the masters of the Naqshbandi tariqa]are present, there even a name of these [anti-sharia monist] sciences should come to thetongue. Nor even a sign of these [false] wit-nessings or unveilings [that suggest that Godis identical with the cosmos] should be dis-cussed. If someone still does it, then [it meansthat] his gaze is toward the low [levels of knowl-edge.]

Shuhud: Here witnessing orshuhudmeans direct expe-riential knowledge. It is often used synonymously withunveiling, i.e.,kashfor mukashafa;9 another synonym isdhawqor “tasting.”

Now the Mujaddid extols the superiority of the Naqsh-bandi tariqa, as being devoid of false sufi sciences thatcontravene the sharia e.g., the doctrine that God is onewith the cosmos, and because its science is free from theabominable practices of the dancers who conduct deviantsufi practices that contravene the sunna e.g., loud zikr,dancing, singing, etc.

9For more on witnessing (shuhud) and unveiling (kashf, mukashafah),see SPK, pp. 225-228. Note that SPK shows that mushahada is often usedto mean kashf or mukashafah, i.e., ”unveiling” (SPK, p. 277).

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NAQSHBANDI SCIENCE IS SUBLIME 63

The abode of the practices of these great ones[the masters of the Naqshbandi tariqa] is lofty!These [practices] are not at all like [the prac-tices of] the charlatans (zarraqi) [who dis-seminate false sufi sciences that contravenethe sharia] or [the practices of] the dancers[who conduct deviant sufi practices e.g. danc-ing that contravene the sunna]. Since I havereceived such a kind of sublime felicity [asthe transmission of this most high Naqshbanditariqa] from [your father] Hazrat [Baqibillah], then even if I lay my head on the feet ofyour servants of your court, for them to tram-ple upon it for my entire life, still I wouldhave done nothing!

The Mujaddid again engages is some polite hyperbole.He apologizes for not being more attentive to the twosons of his master and he shows his gratitude for his sufibrother Khwaja Husamuddin Ahmad who has been tak-ing care of those two brothers.

What shall I present about my shortcomings?What shall I reveal of my shame? May thegrant good compensation to the Authority ofthe Gnostic Sciences, Khwaja HusamuddinAhmad! 10 On our behalf, he has taken uponhimself the charge of defective ones like us.He has resolved to serve the servants of thisexalted doorstep courageously. And he hasgiven reprieve to us, the ones who have goneastray from the path.

10Khwaja Husamuddin Ahmad was an eminent disciple of Khwaja Baqi-billah, the Mujaddid’s shaykh.

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64 Preamble: Ode to Khwaja Baqibillah

If there were a tongue on every hair on mybody

Still I would not be able to show athousandth of the gratitude that he deserves.

[A 1.266, 105.15-106.3]

Hazrat Mujaddid lays the groundwork for writingthis maktub; he recounts that Khwaja Baqibillah had himstart teaching as a sufi teacher to his two sons, and he hadinstructed him to take care of them.

Three times I have been honored with the fe-licity of kissing the doorstep of his Hazrat[Baqibillah]. The last time, he told me, “Ihave become very weak physically and I don’texpect to live much longer! Do look aftermy children!” Then he brought you beforehim. At that time, you were with your wet-nurse. He instructed me to give you my face-turning. At his instruction, I gave you myface-turning before him. It was such a strongface-turning that clear traces of it were ob-served. Next he instructed me to give a face-turning to your mother. At his instruction,I also gave my face-turning to your motherwhile she was [behind a curtain and] unseen.I hope that by the blessing of giving thoseface-turnings in his [Khwaja Baqibillah’s] pres-ence, they [my face-turnings] will bear manyfruits.

Do not presume that I have forgotten his in-structions or his last wish. His instructionmust be obeyed and his last wish must be ful-filled! Nor am I neglecting them. Certainlynot! Instead I have been waiting for your sug-

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NAQSHBANDI SCIENCE IS SUBLIME 65

gestion and permission. Now I am writinga few lines in the way of advice. [A 1.266,106.3-10]

Trace (athar, pl. athar) is term used by Ibn Arabi torefer to a phenomenon in the cosmos, i.e., the things, theentities, the forms, and so forth. They are the “effects”of God exercising His influence. Chittick translatesatharas “effect” inSPK, but he changes it to “trace” inSDG.He writes that the reason for this was that “effect” hintstoward a cause and effect relationship and that was in-accurate. So “trace,” which lacks that connotation, is amore appropriate word.

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Part II

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CHAPTER

4The Creed

Faith–The Sunni CreedThe Mujaddid begins his lessons on the sharia and theNaqshbandi tariqa, to the two sons of his shaykh by stress-ing the importance of adhering to the creed of the main-stream Sunni community.

May Allah (SWT) make you happy! Now lis-ten with inner awareness! For intelligent peo-ple, the first obligation is to rectify their creedwith the required doctrines of the mainstreamSunni community (ahl-i sunnat va jama‘at)that is the saved sect (praise be to Allah whohas kept me with it) and these doctrines areindeed correct. Now I am clarifying some ofthese doctrines that are somewhat hard to un-derstand. [A 1.266, 106.10-13]

Sunnis–many people these days define Sunni by what theShias conceive to be Sunni, i.e., anyone who is not aShia. Indeed, the Shias hold that the Wahhabis, a non-

69

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70 The Creed

Sunni sect who call themselves Salafis, are the most ex-treme Sunnis because they are strongly against the Shias.On the other hand, what the Mujaddid means by Sunni ishow the Sunni ulama define a Sunni–someone who be-lieves in the Sunni creed. Thus aMutazila or a salafi,although they are not Shia, still are not Sunni becausethey do not believe in the necessary creed of the Sunnis.

These definitions/translations may be adopted:

mainstream Sunni community:ahl-i sunnat va jama‘at

Salafis: this includes all the reformist sects thatbelieve in the four caliphs but do not support therequired tenets of the mainstream Sunni community.

Shia/Mawdudists: Those who denigrate the companions ofProphet Muhammad (including followers of the modernPakistani reformer Mawdudi, who denounces some of thecompanions in his bookKhilafat O Mulqiyatand elsewhere).

Table 4.1: The Sects of Islam today

I have translatedfirqa’ as “sect.” While it is truethat the term sect is somewhat outdated, and has a neg-ative connotation, I prefer it. In addition, it is still beingused by some first-class translators today. For example,Professor R. J. McCarthy uses it in his superb translation,Al-Ghazali’s Path to Sufism.

ExistenceThe Mujaddid proposes that Allah exists by His person(dhat), not by His existence (wujud). By this, he opposestwo groups. First, he opposes Imam Ashari and somesufis including Ibn Arabi,

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who propose that divine existence is identical to Hisperson. Second, he opposes the Muslim philosophers ofthe faylasuf tradition who proposed that God exists byHis attribute of existence that is “additional” to His exis-tence1

While thesefaylasufscalled God the “Necessary Be-ing,” by this they meant “an actual being whose non-existence is not only ‘not a fact’ but an unthinkable ab-surdity.” However, those philosophers also affirmed theattribute of existence of God and that He exists by thisattribute of existence.2

Indeed,Avicenna coined termwajib al-wujud, buthe meant that God only possessed the attribute of exis-tence necessarily. On the other hand, the created thingsmay or may not possess the attribute of existence- if theydo possess that attribute then they exist.

faylasuf tradition Ashari / Ibn Arabi Mujaddid

God’s existence is “additional” to His God’s existence God exists “by” Hisperson i.e. He exists by that attribute of is “identical” person, not by Hisexistence that is additional to His person to His person attribute of existence

Table 4.2: Three Opinions in the Theory of Existence

You should know that Allah (SWT) exists byHis holy person (bi-dhat-i muqaddas-i khodmawjud ast) and everything else exists by Hisbestowal of existence (ijad).[A 1.266, 106.13-14]

1Ahmad Sirhindi,Ma‘arif-i Ladunniya, ma‘rifat 142Fazlur Rahman, p. 4-5. (English section of the book)

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The Mujaddid writes that the ulama of the mainstreamSunni community have proposed that God exists by Hisperson, not by His attribute of existence. He elaborateson this point in his monograph,Mabda’ va Ma‘adandwrites,

How eloquently have the Sunni ulama said,“The existence of the Necessary (SWT) is ad-ditional (za’id) to His (SWT) person (dhat).”

To claim that the existence is identical to theperson or to establish nothing beyond exis-tence is a result of a defect in the considera-tive faculty (nazar).

Shaykh ‘Ala’uddawla [Simnani] has said, “Be-yond the world of existence lies the world ofthe loving Lord (malikul wadud).” [Mabda‘11, 18.1-4]

In theMabda’, he writes even more. The Mujaddid pro-poses that God exists by his “person,dhat”, not by his“existence,wujud”. He writes,

The Necessary Being (SWT) is unique in thatthat He exists by His own person and He neednot depend on His [attribute of] existence inorder to exist. It does not matter whether wemaintain that the divine existence is identicalto the divine person (‘ain-i dhat) or additionalto the person (za’id-i dhat). [Mabda 19, 39]

He also writes,

The Haqq (SWT) exists by (mawjud) by Hisown person (dhat), not by His existence (wu-jud). That is unlike the others things that exist

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EXISTENCE 73

by existences. So He (SWT) does not need toexist by His existence.

And he contrasts it with Ibn Arabi who proposes that thedivine existence is “identical” to the divine person

[Ibn Arabi] has proposed that divine existence“identical (‘in ) to the divine person, not “ad-ditional (za’id)” to it. So God does not needto depend on something else to exist.

Now the Mujaddid comments on this matter.

However, we need solid evidence to provethat the divine existence is identical to theperson. And also we will have to face the op-position of many scholars of the mainstreamSunni community. Because these great mas-ters do not propose that the [divine] existenceis identical [to the divine person]. Insteadthey recognize the [divine] existence to be “ad-ditional (za’id)” to [divine] person.

We should not forget that if we rule on the“additionality of existence (ziyadat-i wujud)”,then it necessitates that the Necessary needsothers. However, if we propose on that He(SWT) exists by His own person and take thisexistence as an “ordinary qualifier (‘ard-i ‘am)”then it appears that the statement of manymu-takallimun(kalam-scholars) of the “people oftruth” is correct. And that objection [to theMujaddid’s proposition] that the opponentsmake on the ground of [God] needing othersvanishes. And the difference between thesetwo propositions becomes clear, i.e., [the propo-sition] that the Necessary (SWT) exists by

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His own person but [the divine attribute of]existence truly cannot enter there and [the propo-sition] that He exists by His own existencebut this existence is established to be identi-cal to His person.

Ibn Arabi Mujaddid

God exists by His own God exists byexistence but this existence His own person notis identical to His person by His existence

Table 4.3: Existence of God: Ibn Arabi versus the Mujaddid

This knowledge is an elect knowledge that Al-lah (SWT) has uniquely granted me. Praise toAllah (SWT) for this [great gift], and saluta-tion and peace to His messenger! [Mabda 18,38-9]

A Review of Basic Concepts in OntologyIn Aristotelian ontology, the first thing that we consideris “substance.” It refers to the things or objects that theontologist is concerned about, e.g., John, Robert, man,tiger, and so on. “Primary substance” is any “individualthing,” e.g., a specific and unique John, Robert, a partic-ular man, a particular tiger, etc. “Secondary substance”is what we get after abstracting one level, e.g., the classcalled man, or the class called tiger, and so on.

Substance is calledjawhar is Arabic that originates.The Arabic wordjawhar comes from Persiangawhar,jewel. It refers to the idea that the substance is the most

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valuable thing, i.e., the primary subject of considerationfor the ontologist.

The Arabic philosophical termmahiya, that literallymeans “what-is-it-ness,” is translated as “essence” - inkeeping with modern English usage. It means the defini-tion of a thing, i.e., the concept that defines a thing intrin-sically or the set of attributes that make a thing what it isnecessarily. It consists of qualities that are intrinsic toit,which are called “essential attributes.” For example, allroses have petals. So the attribute of “having petals” isan essential attribute of rose, and a part of the “essence”of rose.

Aristotle held that essence is more important thanexistence. He reasoned that we ask the question “What isit?” even before we ask “Does it exist?” Muslim philoso-phers who followed Aristotle reasoned along the samelines. Averroes (Ibn Rushd), who lived in medievalSpain, diverged from this trend and affirmed the primacyof existence over essence. Mulla Sadra, the seventeenth-century Muslim Iranian philosopher, broke away fromthat tradition as well. Averroes and Mulla Sadra, theyboth reasoned that only after we know that it exists, dowe even bother to wonder, “What is it?”

Attribute orsifat refers to property of a thing.Sifatmay be an intrinsic part of the thing, i.e., a part of itsessence, in which case it may be called an essential at-tribute. Or it may be an accidental attribute, i.e., some-thing that is not an essential part of the essence but in-stead something accidental or additional to it. In the caseof an accidental attribute, the thing may or may not pos-sess that attribute and even if the thing does not have thatattribute, it is still that thing. For example, a rose may ormay not possess the attribute of being of the color red.Here, the color red is an “accidental attribute” or an “ac-

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cident” of the rose and not a part of the essence of therose. On the other hand, having petals is an “essentialattribute” or part of the essence of the rose.

When we talk about God, the term attribute orsifatrefers to a reified attribute that has external existence.This is not at all like the human conception of attributes.However, God does have other subtler forms of attributesthat lack external existence and are more like human at-tributes in that way. The first level of subtler attribute is“mode” or shan and the second level that is even subtleris “crossing-over” ori‘tibar .

A “particular” or juz‘iya is best defined by definingwhat it is not. It is not an abstraction; it is something thatis concrete. It is also not “multiply-instantiated” ratheritis one-of-a-kind or unique. For example, Socrates is “notan abstraction”; instead he was concrete. Additionally,he was “not multiply-instantiated”; rather he was unique.So Socrates is a “particular.”

A “universal” or kulliya refers to the “universal”essence that is contained in a class, genus, or species ofprimary substances. That is, the universal is somethingthat is not an individual, e.g., the class of beings calledman (as opposed to the particular individual named John).

Most scholars3 translatedhat as ”essence,” espe-cially when it refers to God; but I am using “person.” InIslamic philosophy,dhatmay mean any one of these fourthings: 1) essence ormahiya, 2) existence orwujud, 3)thatness oranniya, or 4) substance orjawhar. Instead ofpreoccupying ourselves with the meaning of these terms,we ought to note that while “essenceor mahiya” is amere concept that does not have external existence,dhatis externally existent. This is one reason that I have cho-

3The philosopher Majid Fakhry also uses ”person.”

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sen to translatedhat of God, Who is necessarily exter-nally existent, with the word “person” rather than “essence.”

UniquenessThe Mujaddid stresses that God is inherently unique; Heis incomparable; He is transcendent.

He (SWT) is beyond the beyond and then be-yond the beyond and the beyond the beyondand still then beyond the beyond. (faHua sub-hanaHu wara’ al-wara’ thumma wara’ al-wara’thumma wara’ al-wara’ thumma wara’ al-wara’).[A 2.1, 3.15]

Like His person, His attributes and acts are also unique,incomparable, and transcendent.

The person, the attributes, and the act of Godare unique. No one can be “truly” associ-ated with Him in any matter—with respect toexistence or with respect to something else.However, we are not concerned with a nomi-nal commonality or a verbal correlation.

Note: Here I am translatingaf‘al as “act” instead of“acts” when it comes in the context of how the Mujad-did means it. While Imam Ashari understands it to meanmultiple acts, the Great Mujaddid understands it to meanone single all-inclusive act. God may have such a nomi-nal comparison but never a true comparison with the cre-ated things.

His attributes and act (like His person) arealso “without what manner” (bi-chuni) and“without how” (bi-cheguneh). They have no

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correlation with the attributes and acts of con-tingent things. [A 1.266, 106.14-17]

The Mujaddid quotes this poem to illustrate it:

What will we say about the name of thisbird?

Who lives in the same nest along with the‘anqa

Before man, it is named the ‘anqa

For my bird, that name is still hidden4

The Mujaddid writes more on the divine incompa-rability in hisMaktubat. There he wrote:

Allah is indeed perfect and exalted (kamalahusubhanahu). However, He (SWT) is also be-yond these two attributes. Indeed, He (SWT)is beyond all the names and attributes (jami‘ilasma’ wa ’l-sifat), beyond all the modes and“crossing overs” (jami‘il shu’un wal i‘tibarat),beyond manifestation and non-manifestation(zuhur wa ’l-butun), beyond “coming out inthe open” and “becoming hidden” (buruz wa’lkumun), beyond self-disclosures and man-ifestations (tajalliyat wa ’l-zuhurat), beyondall that where one arrives and where one ismade to arrive (mawsulin wa mafsulin), be-yond witnessings and unveilings (mushadatwa ’l-mukashafat), beyond all sensory thingsand intelligible things (mahsus wa ’l-ma‘qul),beyond all illusory things and imaginalizedthings (mawhum wa ’l-mutakhayyal), and He

4This poem is quoted in the Fazlur Rahman text but not in the Amritsaritext

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(SWT) is beyond the beyond, then beyond thebeyond and still then beyond the beyond. [A2.1, 3]

In theMabda’ va Ma‘ad, the Mujaddid wrote,

We do not worship a God who comes withinthe compass of witnessing (shuhud), can beseen, or can be known or can be imaginedor conceived. Because that what can be wit-nessed, seen, known, imagined or conceived(mash-hud, mar‘i, ma‘lum, mawhum, mutakhayyul)-that is a crafted and newly-originated (masnu‘va muhdath) thing just like him who witnesses,sees, knows, imagines or conceives [i.e. man].

I am searching for that morselWhich is more than a mouthful

[Mabda 20, 41]

The Mujaddid writes even more on God’s incom-parability with the creation in his monographMabda’va Ma‘ad. There he explains that the Koranic versesthat compare God with the creation are really allegori-cal verses.5 He also explains that we really do not knowwhat those comparisons mean.6

Knowledge: The Chrono–EpistemologyThe Mujaddid offers his unique solution to a quandaryin the science ofkalam, the science that could be mostlikened to the Muslim analogue of theology. We hold thatdivine knowledge never changes but we do see that the

5Mabda’ va Ma‘ad, minha 356Mabda’ va Ma‘ad, minha 60

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information on objects does change with time (as the ob-jects themselves undergo change), so how can this con-tradiction be rationalized?

In answer, the Ashari school of kalam proposes thatwhile God does possess the attribute of knowledge andthat knowledge is indeed timeless, that divine mind pos-sesses one piece of information for each moment, foreach object of knowledge. As a result, for each objectof knowledge, the knowledge, i.e., the sum total or theentire body of information on it does not change; insteadwhat may change is how that knowledge relates to the ob-ject of knowledge. The information on that object maychange to a new and different piece of information as themoment of time changes. Or in their terminology, the di-vine mind’sta‘alluq or attachment with the object shiftsto a newta‘alluq as time changes.7

On the other hand, the Mujaddid proposes a uniquechrono–epistemology- that the divine mind “comes toknow” each object of knowledge for the entire eternityin only a single event. Or in the Mujaddidi terminology,the divine mind has only oneta‘alluq or attachment witheach object for all of eternity.

Note: Is it correct to say God “knows” or “has known?”From the standpoint of God, He may only “know,” sinceHe lives in a timeless realm. So in that context, I am us-ing the term “God knows.” However, from the viewpointof man, “God has known.” Because when He has knownis in our past. So in that context, I am using “God hasknown.”

Note: Ta‘alluq means an attachment, deep connec-tion, or relationship. But this attachment is from a prin-

7This explanation is based upon what I understood from the text; theeminent scholar Fazlur Rahman explains it in the same way in his book theSelected Letters of Shaikh Ahmad Sirhindi, pp. 66-67.

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cipal to the subsidiary; from the prototype to the shadow;from the original to the derivative. In this context, itrefers to the “the connection through which (or roughlythe event when) the divine mind comes to know the in-formation on the objects of divine knowledge.”

Now let’s go back to learn from the Mujaddid.

For example, let’s take the attribute of knowl-edge. It is a divine attribute that is truly eter-nal (qadim) and “indivisible” 8 (basit-i) andit never has any multiplicity in that way [suchthat it could be dissected into constituent partssuch as, knowledge of moment 1, knowledgeof moment 2, and so on]. It is only “subjectively”(bi-i‘tibar ) [in the sight of human beings wholive in time] that it [the divine mind] has mul-tiple ta‘alluq. [A 1.266, 106.17-.18]

It is only subjectively, i.e., in the sight of human be-ings who live in time, that the divine mind has multipleta‘alluq or attachments with an object of His knowledge.That is, it is only subjectively that the divine mind comesto know each object of God’s knowledge on a moment-by-moment basis. In that case, the divine mind has oneattachment orta‘alluq for each moment. For example,human beings see that something happens to that objectin moment 1, the next thing happens in moment 2, andso on. So it seems that what God “comes to know” aboutthat object changing as time progresses. Actually, that in-terpretation is not true, because God is timeless. Instead,what is true is that God comes to know each object ofHis knowledge only once for all eternity and that single

8Indivisible (basit) literally means a ”simple thing”- a philosophical con-cept that refers to a thing so elemental that it cannot be subdivided any fur-ther.

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channel of knowing includes all the information on thatobject for all eternity. That is, God comes to know allthe information on that object, all at once, in that eternaltimeless instant in which the object lives.

For there is only one instance of being un-veiled (inkishaf) that is indivisible (basit)- allthe knowledge from the beginning of eternityto the end of eternity has been unveil in thatsame instance of unveiling. He has knowneverything in their similar and contradictorystates, universally, or particularly (kulliya vajuz’iya) for each specific moment in time- Hehas known all that in that “indivisible” one-in-all (wahid basit) [moment]. [A 1.266, 106.18-20]

Here I am using the past tense to refer to God’s knowl-edge. Yes! God only “knows” as He lives in a realmwhich is the realm of perpetual present. But from thecontext of man, God has “known” because when He cameto know that, that time was in our past.

Above, the Mujaddid affirms that God knows everything-both universals and particulars. That contradicts a groupof faylasufswho proposed that God knows only the uni-versals but not the particulars.

Note: The philosophical term “universal” describesa common attribute that refers to all the members of agroup, e.g., all tigers are brave. A “particular” describesone instance of an attribute, e.g., Ali is brave. So thosedeviant philosophers proposed that while God knows theuniversal: “All men will die one day;” He does not knowthe particular, “The day when Ali will die.”

In that very same moment, he has known Zayd[i.e., John Doe] both as existent and also as

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nonexistent, as an embryo and also as a child,as young and also as old, as alive and also asdead, as standing and also as sitting, as reclin-ing and also as sitting, as laughing and also ascrying, in pleasure and pain, as exalted andalso as ashamed, in the grave (barzakh) and,also on the Day of the Mustering, in Paradiseand also immersed in pleasures.[A 1.266, 107.1-4]

There is no more than oneta‘alluq for all the objects ofGod’s knowledge and that singleta‘alluq attaches all theinformation on the objects of knowledge to divine knowl-edge for all eternity. If there were multiple time-periodsin the domain of God, there could be multipleta‘alluqs.However, there is a single all-inclusive time-period in thetimeless domain of God, and so consequently, there isonly a single all-inclusiveta‘alluq.

Therefore, there is no more than oneta‘alluqin that homestead. [And there is only oneta‘alluq] since a multiplicity in theta‘alluqsrequires a multiplicity in moments and a mul-tiplicity in the peiod of time (azmaneh). [A1.266, 107.4-5]

Yes! In the timeless domain of God, there are no multiplemoments; instead there is only one timeless time-periodthat stretches from the beginning of eternity to the endof eternity. So there are no “manyness” or no multipletime-periods; instead there is only one all-inclusive eter-nal period of time.

However, there is nothing but one-in-all “in-divisible” moment (anun wahidatun basitun)from the beginning of eternity until the end of

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eternity [in the timeless domain of God]. Andthere truly is no multiplicity in time [sincethere is no more than a single eternal mo-ment of time in the timeless domain of God].For time does not flow before Him (SWT)-there is neither any prior nor any posterior.[A1.266, 107.5-7]

Consequently, there is only one single all-inclusive all-encompassing all-spanning ta‘alluq. And that ta‘alluqwill be of an unknown nature from the viewpoint of us,the earthlings who live in time.

Should we, in His mind, establish anyta‘alluqto the objects of God’s Knowledge,9 it will bea singleta‘alluq, which will attach with itselfall the information [to be known for the entireeternity]. Thatta‘alluq would also be “un-known in its howness,”majhul al-kayfiyat, [i.e.,of an unknown nature] And that ta‘alluq canbe qualified asbi-chuni va bi-cheguni, “with-out what manner” and “without how,” just likewith what the attribute of knowledge can bequalified.[A 1.266, 107.7-8]

Naqidanddidd: it is useful to review our logic and definethe terms contradictory,naqid, and contrary,didd. Con-tradictory ornaqidmeans two opposites that cannot bothbe true (so they are mutually exclusive), but at least oneof them must be true (for they are totally exhaustive). Onthe other hand, contrary ordiddmeans two opposites thatare only mutually exclusive. Two contraries both cannotbe true, only one of them may be true; but they are not

9Ma‘lumat (objects of God’s Knowledge) is a term used by Ibn Arabi.Sometimes, Ibn Arabi also uses this term synonymously with the term”nonexistent things” (ma‘dumat). See SPK, p. 11.

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mutually exhaustive and therefore both may be false. So“contradictory” is a subset of “contrary.”

Note thatwahidhas been translated as “one-in-all.”It refers to a “one” that is “all-inclusive,” one that maybecomposed of components. It stands in contrast toahadthat means an absolute or numerical oneness, i.e., “one-in-number.”

The two very similar termsbi-chuniandbi-chegunihave been translated as “without what manner” and “with-out how” respectively.

In the continuation of the interpretation of the mak-tub, the Mujaddid next explains how God knows all theinformation on an object for multiple moments simulta-neously. To explain this, he brings forth an example fromArabic grammar: “When a grammatically educated manknows a word in Arabic, he simultaneously knows all thevariant morphological forms of that original word. So ifa mere mortal can hold many pieces of contradictory in-formation in his mind concurrently, why can’t God?”

By way of an example, we know that an indi-vidual [educated in Arabic grammar] knowsan [Arabic] word in the same moment [in itsvariant morphological forms, e.g., in the formsdenoting] several different parts of speech, sev-eral different tenses, or several different moods.That is, at that same moment, he knows thatword in its noun forms, its verb forms, itspreposition forms, its three-letter forms, itsfour-letter forms, in its fully-declined formsor in its indeclinable forms, in its diptote formsor non-diptote forms, in its triptote forms orits non-triptote forms. Or he may know it[that Arabic word] in its definite forms or in

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its indefinite forms. Or he may know it in itspresent tense forms or in its past tense forms.Or he may know it in its affirmative formsor in its negative forms. So we can believethat the individual, at the same moment, seesall these forms that are in different parts ofspeech and different moods reflected in themirror that is the prototype form. That is, allthese contradictory things may be present atthe same time in the mind of a contingent be-ing [a man who is educated in Arabic gram-mar], or instead in the sight of a contingentbeing[or man]. Then why should that be im-possible even in the mind of the Necessarywhose analogy is most sublime? Allah hasthe highest analogy! So how will be there aconflict? [A 1.266, 107.8-15]

The Mujaddid explains that for an object, while the infor-mation on each particular moment in created earthly timemay be different than the information on another mo-ment, still that information is unique for each moment.And since God’s knowledge includes both the earthlymoment of time as well as the information for that mo-ment of time, there is no conflict. An easy way to visu-alize this may is to imagine that there is a “snapshot” ofthe cosmos for each moment of time. And all these snap-shots are placed before God, who is timeless. So it is notthat God knows the “future”; rather past, present, and fu-ture are all placed before Him, who lives in a timelessmoment that is beyond time. This is much easier to visu-alize when one reads the theory in modern physics thattime is not indivisible, that it is composed of “quanta”i.e., units called Planck time. Then one can easily visu-alize that God, who is above time, has a “snapshot” of

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the cosmos placed before Him for each quanta of time,i.e., Planck time. Ibn Arabi also believed in a “quan-tum theory of time,” he refers to each quanta of time (orPlanck time) asal-zaman al-fard.10 And it seems thatthe Muslim kalam scholars, like the Asharis and thefay-lasufsalso believed in this way.

You should know that although it appears thatthere is a conflict, actually there is not anyconflict. This is because in one and the samemoment, He knows Zayd both as existent andnonexistent; He also knows in that same mo-ment that Zayd came to exist after 1000 AH,that Zayd had been nonexistent before andthat Zayd ceased to exist after 1100 AH. Sothere is actually no conflict [since those eventsoccur in different times.] The same reasoningcan explain the other conflicts [in this sectionon divine knowledge]. So understand! .[A1.266, 107.15-19]{insert object 1–two dia-grams}

The Mujaddid compares and contrasts the three theoriesof time of the three schools: thefaylasufs, the Ashariand the Mujaddidi school. First, the Islamicate philo-sophical tradition or thefaylasuf tradition proposed thatGod lives in time and He learns new things as they oc-cur in time. Second, the Ashari tradition proposes thatwhile God is timeless Himself, Hista‘alluq or “relation-ship with a created thing” may shift to a new relation-ship over earthly time. Third, the Mujaddid proposesthat God’s knowledge is timeless; it does not change overtime. Since God lives in a timeless (la-zamani) domain,he is not subservient to time and instead time is His cre-

10Chittick, William, The Self-Disclosure of God, p. 98.

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ation. There is only a single, “indivisible,” eternal periodof time that may be “called a moment for the lack of abetter word; but it is not even a moment.” As my sufishaykh explained, “In this world, time is ever-flowingand there is really no ‘present’; it is either the past orthe future. We blink our eyes and things either hap-pened before the blink of our eye or will happen after theblink of our eye. On the other hand, in the next world,there is neither past nor future. In that realm, there isonly one, uninterrupted, continuous period of time, it isthe perpetual present.”11 Divine knowledge is time-

Philosophers Asharis Mujaddid

God lives in time and God’s knowledge is God’s knowledge isHe learns new things timeless itself. timeless; it does notas they occur in time. However,the ta‘alluq change over time

or relationship that because He alreadydivine knowledge has knows what happenswith a created thing to any object for eachmay shift to a new moment, from therelationship over beginning of eternityearthly time. For each until the end oftemporal object, eternity.divine knowledgeknows it through oneta‘alluq for momentI, anotherta‘alluq formoment 2, and so on.

Table 4.4: Chrono-epistemologies: A Comparison

less. No part of His knowledge is created in time ornewly originated (hadith.). There are many particularsof God’s all-encompassing knowledge- one particular foreach unique object of knowledge. And divine knowledge

11sufi Shaykh Muhammad Mamunur Rashid, in a discussion with theau-thor in 1998 in his khanqa in Dhaka, Bangladesh

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KNOWLEDGE: THE CHRONO–EPISTEMOLOGY 89

has oneta‘alluq for each unique object of knowledge. Inthat context, divine knowledge has manyta‘alluqs. Thatcontext stands in contrast to the Ashari context. In theAshari context, for each object, God’s knowledge hasone ta‘alluq for each moment of time. So each one ofthese Asharita‘alluqs is newly originated. But the Mu-jaddidi ta‘alluqsare different, they are timeless.

This verification clarifies that although God’sknowledge has manyta‘alluq with various par-ticulars [of that knowledge where each partic-ular refers to the information for a unique mo-ment of time], still knowledge is not taintedby a taint of modification (taghayyur). [A1.266, 107.19-20]

The chrono-epistemology of thefaylasufsis wrong. Theymaintained that God’s knowledge is created in time, nottimeless. God lives in time and He learns new things astime progresses- things that He did not know beforehand,

And even a suspicion of newly-originatedness(huduth) should not be found in that divineattribute [of knowledge]as the philosophers-maintain. [A 1.266, 107.20-108.1]

The Mujaddid proposes that God’s knowledge is primor-dial and none none should even suspect that even a partof that knowledge is originated newly, i.e., God wouldlearn something new that He did not know beforehand.The philosophers of thefaylasuf tradition maintain thatGod lives in time and He comes to learn new informationas time elapses. But the Mujaddid denies that.

The Mujaddid continues,

When things are known one after another youmay conceive a change in the predestination.

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90 The Creed

[A 1.266, 108.1-2]

The Mujaddid explains that when things are known oneafter another sequentially in a linear model of time, wemay conceive a change in predestination or God’s fore-knowledge of future things. That would be a chrono-epistemology wherein God lives in time and comes toknow new information as He traverses through time- justlike human beings do.

However, the chrono-epistemology that follows theMujaddid’s verification is quite different and there liesno possibility of new or modified information.

[On the other hand, in this alternative sce-nario which is a holistic model of time,] all isknown in a single moment so there is no pos-sibility of any modified or newly originatedinformation. [A 1.266, 108.2]

According to the Mujaddidi science, God lives in a time-less domain and so His Knowledge is also timeless. Godcomes to know all and every bit of information encom-passing past, present, and future is in a single primordialmoment so there is no possibility of having any informa-tion that is modified in time.

Verification (tahqiq) refers to the knowledge of thegreat sufis who have “verified” the truth of their knowl-edge through unveiling,kashf, or direct vision or wit-nessing,mushahadat. Epistemologically, this is contrastedwith ijtihad, individual striving for the interpretation ofthe law, and also withtaqlid, following the authority ofthe learned predecessors. In theSelf-Disclosure of God,Chittick introduces a new translation of this term, namely,“realization”; this brings home the meaning oftahqiqmore accurately. But “realization” is a common wordused in a number of non-technical senses. So to avoid

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KNOWLEDGE: THE CHRONO–EPISTEMOLOGY 91

confusion, I employ the word that he used in thesufi Pathof Knowledge, “verification.”

Newly originated (hadith) refers to something wasnot pri-mordially existent i.e. that has been created intime. It is to be contrasted with eternal (qadim). Chitticktranslates it as “temporally originated” in SPK; but hechanges it to “newly-arrived” inSDG. I am using “newlyoriginated” instead.

If we agree to the Mujaddidi chrono-epistemology,the Ashari chrono-epistemology becomes irrelevant. TheAsharis propose their chrono-epistemology so that theycan defend against the arguments of the philosophers,“How can God know several conflicting pieces of infor-mation for the same thing at the same time? Then thereare conflicts. Or how can He learn new knowledge? ThenHis knowledge is not unchanging.” However, in the Mu-jaddidi chrono-epistemology, there is no conflict becauseGod knows both the particular moment of time and theinformation on the object- both pieces of information—for each moment of time in eternity.

So the Mujaddid continues,

That way, there is no need to establish mul-tiple ta‘alluqs for it so that modification andnewly-originatedness (taghayyur va huduth)can be attributed to thoseta‘alluqs insteadof the attribute of knowledge. That is whatsome scholars of the science of kalam pro-pose in order to negate the reservations of thephilosophers. [A 1.266, 108.2-4]

The Mujaddid explains that that way, there is no needto establish the Ashari chrono-epistemology where thereare multipleta‘alluqs for the divine attribute of knowl-edge. In such a case, there would be oneta‘alluq or “at-

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92 The Creed

tachment of coming to know” for each moment, for eachobject of divine knowledge. Ashari scholars of the sci-ence of kalam propose this traditional chrono-epistemologyso that they could defend against the arguments of thefaylasufs. who argued, “How can the Asharis say thatthe divine knowledge becomes modified?” Therefore,in this way, the Asharis would not have to say that thedivine attribute of knowledge itself undergoes modifica-tion. Instead, they could say that it is thoseta‘alluqswhich become modified and are newly originated.

However, employing that Ashari chrono-epistemologyis not really necessary; the Mujaddid’s alternative chrono-epistemology

On the other hand, when man looks at the world,he indeed sees multipleta‘alluq (each ta‘alluq for eachevent of coming to know).

Take note! It is fine if we establish that ob-jects of God’s knowledge [i.e., man] them-selves have multiple ta‘alluq. (Ari! Agar ta‘addud-i ta‘alluqat dar janib-i ma‘lumat ithbat ku-nim gunjaish darad) [A 1.266, 108.4]

Yes! Man indeed may come to know each object ofhis knowledge through multiple channels of coming toknow, one channel for each moment. However, man isnot like God. He is Incomparable! He is timeless! He isbeyond having any similarity with man, with respect totime as in other matters. As the Mujaddid explained,

[God is] not a creature of time because time isHis creation (zamani nist keh zaman makhluq-i Ust).” [A 1.167, 50.9]

And God who is timeless “comes to know” each object“only once” for the single timeless moment in the nec-

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KNOWLEDGE: THE CHRONO–EPISTEMOLOGY 93

essary domain that comprises the entire eternity in thecontingent domain. On the other hand, man as a creatureof time may come to know things through many eventsor channels as he lives in time.

Another interpretation of the hard-to-interpret lineabove may be as follows.

Yes! If we establish multipleta‘alluq [fromdivine knowledge] to the objects of God’s knowl-edge then it would be fine. (Ari! Agar ta‘addud-i ta‘alluqat dar janib-i ma‘lumat ithbat ku-nim gunjaish darad) [A 1.266, 108.4]

This is a scenario where eachta‘alluq comes downto a unique object of God’s knowledge; and since there ismore than one object of God’s knowledge, there is morethan oneta‘alluq. However, please remember that morethan oneta‘alluq from divine knowledge to a certain ob-ject of God’s knowledge is not allowed in a scenario inwhich eachta‘alluq refers to a unique moment of time.This is because there are no multiple moments of time;instead there is only one ”indivisible” moment of timefor God.

The Great Mujaddid describes elsewhere the time-lessness of God, as discussed in the above chrono-epistemology.He wrote, explained above suffices.

You should know that among those contin-gent beings who have realized the station ofnearness (qurb) of the divinity (ilahi) (SWT),those ones who have stepped their feet out-side the circle of contingentness (dai’ira’-iimkan) find the beginningless beginning andthe endless end (azal va abad) unified (mut-tahid) together.

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94 The Creed

While on his stations of ascent (maqamat-i ‘uruj ) on the night of Heavenly Ascension(miraj), Hazrat [Muhammad] the Seal of theMessengers (salam) found Hazrat Jonah inthe belly of the fish. And he found the stormof Hazrat Noah taking place. (salam) And hesaw the people of paradise in the paradise andthe people of hell in hell. He found five hun-dred years [of earthly time] equal to half aday after entering the paradise. [The Prophet]saw a rich companion named Abdur Rahmanibn Auf12 entering paradise late, so HazratProphet asked him the reason for coming lateand he gave news of his own trials and tribu-lations (‘aqibat va mihn) [that he suffered onthe way.] He [the prophet] saw all that in onemoment—there was neither past nor future.

Through the grace of [Prophet Muhammad]the Friend of Allah (sal), I have experiencedsuch “states” [i.e., unveilings and mystic vi-sions] once in a while. [In one those mys-tic visions,] I [the Mujaddid] saw the angelsprostrating before Adam (salam) and at thattime their heads were not raised from the pros-tration. I saw the angels of the [Highest Par-adise] ‘illiyin not performing these prostra-tions, they were not ordered to prostate. Inmy vision, they were absorbed [in seeing that.All these past events as well as] all the hap-penings (ahwal) that will happen in the lastworld, they were all seen in that same [one

12Refers to the hadith report, ”The rich will enter paradise five-hundredyears after the poor.” This is reason this rich companion, Abdur Rahman ibnAuf, is reaching paradise late.

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SPEECH AND TIME 95

single all-inclusive] moment.13

Speech and TimeGod’s speech is one single utterance that is indivisibleand timeless. All the different worldly forms of divin-ity (e.g., the Koran, the Torah, the Gospels, etc.) haveoriginated from that one single indivisible utterance.

God’s speech (kalam) is one indivisible utter-ance (kalam). From the beginning of eternityto the end of eternity, God has spoken withthat one utterance. If it is a command, it hascome from that [same utterance]. If it is aprohibition, it has come from it as well. If it isa notification, it has been derived from it too.If it is an inquiry, it is from the same placetoo. If it is hope, it has acquired existencefrom it too. If it is anticipation, it is from ittoo. All the revealed books and the deliveredscriptures are a page of that indivisible (ba-sit)14 utterance. If it is the Torah, it has beentranscribed from it. If it is the Gospels, it hastaken the sound of words from it. If it is thePsalms of David, it has been copied from it.If it is the Furqan,15 it has been revealed fromit.

By Allah! The divine speech!It is truly one and that is all

Therefore, it is in its descent

13Mabda’ va Ma‘ad, minha 4014basit is a philosophical term that refers to s substance so elemental that

it cannot be subdivided any further15Koran, literally means the criterion

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96 The Creed

that it traced different worldlyforms

[A 1.266, 108.4-10]

The Mujaddid corroborates the above explanation on di-vine speech elsewhere. He writes,

The Haqq (SWT) has spoken with only oneone-in-all (wahid) utterance from the begin-ning of time until the end of time (azal taabad). That utterance cannot be partitionedor subdivided. This is because it is impos-sible for the Almighty to be silent or to bedumb. The surprising matter is that from thebeginning of time until the end of time thereis only one one-in-all moment. It is becausetime does not flow over the Exalted Lord. Clearlywhen it is all within one one-in-all moment,what can take place but an utterance that isone-in-all and indivisible (wahid basit). [Mabda40, 62.1-4]

The Mujaddid now explains the timelessness of divinespeech.

The surprising matter is that from the begin-ning of eternity until the end of eternity, thereis only a moment in that place [which is therealm of God.]Time does not flow over Him(SWT). Within one moment, what can be spo-ken but one one-in-all utterance that cannotbe subdivided (kalam-i wahid-i basit)?

That one one-in-all utterance has become theorigin of so many types of [individual] utter-

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SPEECH AND TIME 97

ances [each] in the context of multipleta‘alluqsor “relationships”.

For example, if it has ata‘alluq of command-ingness (ma‘mur), then a command originates.Or if it has ata‘alluq of prohibitingness (manhi),then it is called a prohibition (nihi). Or if ithas ata‘alluq of news-givingness (ikhbar),then it becomes news. In short, [that Godspeaks on not only the news of the present,but also] the news on the past and the future -that throws people into confusion..

The priority and posteriority of the ‘turner [oftime]’ [God] (dal) indicates the priority andposteriority of the ‘things that are turned [orput in sequence in that linear time]’ (madlul).It is not something hard to understand!It isso because the past and the future are specialqualifiers (sifat-i makhsus’-i dal) with whichthe ‘turner [of time]’ qualifies [or puts intosequence the events in that linear time. AndHe qualifies the events] in that moment thathas been stretched (inbisat) [from a wholisticone-in-all model of time into a linear modelof time stretching from the beginning of eter-nity to the end of eternity.]

And in the view of the ‘things that are turned[sequentially in that linear time] (madlul)’,since that moment [when God speaks] is un-changed and it [that timeless moment] has notbeen stretched out (inbisat) [to create a lineartime as it has been stretched out in the mun-dane, temporal realm], then there is no past

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98 The Creed

or future there [in that timeless moment whenGod speaks.]

The philosophers say, “The essence (mahiya)of a thing may have a distinct and separate(‘alihadeh) [characteristic] with respect to [thatthing’s] external existence (wujud-i khariji).[However, the essence] may not have that [samecharacteristic] with respect to [that thing’s]mental existence (wujud-i dhihni).”

[So we see that] a thing can have contradic-tions it its qualities and inseparable qualifica-tions (tabayin-i sifat va lawajim) with respectto its existence and it-ness (huwiyat).

And we also see that] the ‘turner [of time]’and the “things that are turned [sequentiallyin that linear time]’ are [already] essentiallyseparate from one another (dal va madlul kehfi’l haqiqat az yek digar juda’ and).

Therefore, they are also permitted [to differ intheir qualities and inseparable qualifications]as in the previous [illustration].

What has been told is that it is only a momentfrom the beginning of eternity to the end ofeternity. And that [they have said one mo-ment] is due to the insufficiency of the lan-guage (tangi-i ‘ibarat). Actually, we may noteven say “one moment”. [That time period isso infinitesimally short that] to call it even amoment would be hard.

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THE ACT AND TIME 99

The Act and TimeThe Mujaddid now teaches us about oneness of the act(s)of God.

Likewise, God’s act (fa‘l, af ‘al )is one. AllHis handiwork (masnu‘at) from the beginningof time to the end of time (azal ta abad) hascome to exist by that one act. This Koranicverse points toward that,Our command is nonebut a single glance of the eye(Koran 54:50).Be it the giving of life or the giving of death,it depends on that act. Be it the giving ofpain or the giving of bliss, it depends on thatsame act. Be it the bestowal of existence orthe bestowal of nonexistence, it has grownout of that act. So it is established that thedivine act(s) does not have multiple ta‘alluqor attachments [with the created things]. In-stead, all the created things from the begin-ning of time to the end of time have comeinto existence in their unique times of exis-tence by that oneta‘alluq [or attachment withthe divine act(s)]. Like the divine act, this[single one-in-all]ta‘alluq is ailso “withoutwhat manner” and “without how” (bichun vabichugun.) For “what manner” cannot be ananalogy for that which is “without what man-ner.” None but the royal chariot may carry theroyal tributes! [A 1.266, 108.10-16]

In the same way as it is with divine knowledge, God’s actis also one, indivisible and timeless. All the individualactions of God that we see in the world, they have alloriginated from that one all-including timeless act.

The Mujaddid now comments on the divine act(s).

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Not understanding the [chronological] realityof the act of the Haqq (SWT), Imam AbulHasan Ashari said that [the act(s) of] engen-dering is newly originated; and the [rest ofthe] His (SWT) act(s) are newly originated aswell. He did not understand that these [whathe understands to be the multiple activities ofGod] are really the “traces” (athar) of the be-ginningless one act of the Haqq (SWT), notHis multiple acts [themselves]. [A 1.266, 108.16-18]

Imam Ashari proposed that act(s) of God are newly orig-inated or “created in time” and what appears to be hu-man activity is really the “direct” act(s) of God. On theother hand, Ibn Arabi proposed that the divine act(s) ismore remote and human activity is the self-disclosure ofdivine act(s) instead of being divine act(s) themselves.The Mujaddid goes even one more step in the directionof Ibn Arabi on the remoteness of the divine act(s)—heproposes that the human activities are really the “traces”of the self-disclosure of the act(s) instead of being theself-disclosure of the act(s) “directly.”

That is, the Mujaddid proposes that God acts througha one-in-all timeless all-inclusive act and it is not Goddirectly acting when human beings act, instead those hu-man actions are the “traces” of the timeless one-in-alldivine act. That timeless one-in-all act self-disclose intohuman activities that are multiple in number and createdin time.

The Mujaddid continues his explanstion,

The same explanation answers those sufis [likeIbn Arabi] who propose that the divine actself-discloses [into human activity i.e., they

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THE ACT AND TIME 101

Imam Ashari Ibn Arabi Mujaddid

Many-in-numberand newly

Divine Act(s) originated orcreated in

One-in-all and One-in-all and

time

timeless timeless

Even moreIndirect, indirect,

Human activity Self-disclosure (self-disclosuresDirect, act(s) of

of the Act(s) of the) “traces”God directly

“directly” of the act(s)

Table 4.5: Reality of the Act(s): Ashari, Ibn Arabi, Mujaddid

propose that human acts are “directly” the self-disclosures of divine act(s)]. They see only aone-in-all divine act [reflected] in the mirrorof the activity of the contingent beings [i.e.,man] in that homestead [of human activity].

Actually that self-disclosure [that is humanactivity] is the self-disclosure of the “traces”of the divine act, not the self-disclosure of theact itself. It is because the engendering-act[is not reflected] in the mirrors that are newlyoriginated things. Neither is it manifested inthe loci of manifestations that are contingentthings. It is because the engendering-act isan act of God that is “without what manner,”“without how,” eternal and abiding in divinePerson (bichuni, bichuguni, qadim, qa’im bi-dhat-i U (SWT)).

In the close quarter that is “out-ward form” (sura)How can meaning be contained?

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In the hut of the beggarsWhat business does the sultan have?

[A 1.266, 108.18-109.3]

Ibn Arabi proposes that human activity is the self-disclosure of the divine act(s). The Mujaddid points outIbn Arabi’s error by clarifying that human activity is toogross to be the self-disclosure of the divine act(s) “di-rectly.” The divine act is sublime. And its self-disclosuresare also sublime- too sublime to be “acts of contingentbeings.” Ibn Arabi proposed that the “acts of contingentbeings” are the self-disclosures of the divine act(s) “it-self.” Alternatively, the Mujaddid proposed that it couldnot happen “directly”; instead, the “acts of contingent be-ings” are the self-disclosures of the “traces” of the divineact.

The nature of the self-disclosure.

Ibn Arabi Mujaddid

Direct; Indirect;Human activities are “directly” the Human activities are theself-disclosures of the divine act. self-disclosuresof the

“traces” of the divine act.

Table 4.6: How are human activities self-disclosures of theone-and-all divine act?

So the Mujaddid proposes to modify Ibn Arabi.

I believe that a self-disclosure of the act andattributes cannot be conceived without a self-disclosure of the Person (SWT). For, the actand attributes cannot be detached from the di-vine Person (SWT). Therefore, the self-disclosures

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INCOMPARABILITY 103

of [the acts’ and the attributes’] cannot be con-ceived without the self-disclosure of the Per-son. What are indeed detached from the Per-son (SWT) are the “shadows” (zill, zilal) ofthe act and the “shadows” of the attributes.Therefore, those self-disclosures are the self-disclosures of the “shadows” of the act andthe attributes, not of the act and attributes them-selves. But not everyone’s [e.g., Ibn Arabi’s]understanding can attain this perfection [inknowledge!]This is the bounty of Allah! Hegrants it to whomever He wills! Allah pos-sesses magnificent bounties!(Koran 57:21).[A 1.266, 109.3-.7]

So the Mujaddid alternatively proposes that human ac-tivity is the self-disclosure of the “shadows” of the act(s)and the attributes. He argues that since human acts arenot sublime enough to be the self-disclosures of God’sact(s) “directly,” it can only be so “indirectly” by beingthe “shadows” of His self-disclosure. This is a subtlepoint that Ibn Arabi did not understand when he pro-posed that human activity is the self-disclosure of thedivine act “directly.”

It may be noted that the Mujaddid is saying the hu-man activity is both self-disclosures of the “traces” (athar)of the divine act and the self-disclosure of the “shadows”(zill; plural,zilal, azlal) of the act. They may be equiva-lent.

IncomparabilityThe Mujaddid teaches us on the incomparability of God.

To proceed to the gist of the matter, He (SWT)

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is not incarnated (hulul) into anything. Nordoes anything dwell (hal) in Him. However,He (SWT) encompasses (wasa‘at) everything,is near (qurb) everything and is with (ma‘iyat)everything. However that encompassment, near-ness and withness are not within our defect-prone comprehension. If they were, that wouldnot be appropriate for His all-holy person (janab)[for He is Incomparable!]. He is also beyondthat which He makes known through unveil-ings and witnessings. For the contingent be-ings may not receive anything from the real-ity of His person, attributes, and act except ig-norance and bewilderment. You should bringfaith in the Unseen [Being—that is, God]. [A1.266, 109.7-11]

The Mujaddid says that God is far above what the su-fis may see in their spiritual sight. He believes that thecontingent beings cannot attain anything but ignoranceand bewilderment when they try to understand His per-son, His attributes, or His act. We have to attain faithin God who is not seen, heard, or known. As the Ko-ran says, Those who have faith in the Unseen (Koran2:3). Especially the sufis should take heed of this —since they may often experience many interesting “wit-nessings,” i.e., mystic visions in their wayfaring. Theyshould not take heed of them for that is not God, and it isGod that they seek.16

Now the Mujaddid teaches us about the mystics vi-sions of God that sufis may see.

And everything that you may unveil or wit-

16Indivisible (basit) literally means a ”simple thing,” a philosophical con-cept in which a substance cannot be subdivided into components.

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INCOMPARABILITY 105

ness [in your mystic visions as God,] you shouldobliterate that by bringing them under the scopeof “no” or “la” in the formula of negation, [lailaha]. [A 1.266, 109.11]

That is, when you say there is no “god” (la ilaha), youmay include all those that you unveil or witness in that“god.” Now the Mujaddid quotes a poem to illustrate thatnone may comprehend God.

None may hunt the phoenixSo pick up your trapFor you will find trapped in that trapNothing else but air

Now the Mujaddid quotes a poem from his sufi mentorto illustrate his point.

This stanza from theMasnaviwritten by ourHazrat [Baqibillah] fits here:

[In my journey], the throne of Self-Sufficiency is ever higher [than whatI can attain].Therefore, to me, to think of attain-ing it is not appropriate[A 1.266,109.12-13]

The above poem alludes to the incomprehensiblenature of God. The mind of man cannot comprehendGod, who is incomparable to the creation. He feels un-comfortable by this divine incomparability. So he seekscomfort by creating concrete analogies for God- this iswhy idolaters worship idols. He tries to bring God downinto this world, but actually He is too high, far above thistemporal realm. The Mujaddid illustrates this eternal hu-man mind-set by the above poem by his sufi mentor.

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Elsewhere in theMaktubat, the Mujaddid also writeson divine incomparability. He says that the sufis often seethe created things that arechun(with a manner or howi.e., comprehensible) and mistake them for God, who isbichun(without what manner or incomprehensible).

[O disciple!] There do not find manyness inoneness (kathrat dar wahdat). And do not becontent with “witnessing the [created thingswhich are]chun[with how] instead of hold-ing out for [God who is]bichun[without how]!For what appears in the mirror ofchunis neverbichun; and what appears in manyness is neverthe truly One (wahid haqiqi). [A 1.190, 76.15-17]

On God, the Mujaddid writes,

He [God] is blameless from having a likenessor resemblance (shabh va manand) and ab-solved from being a form or shape (shakl vamithal). Being a father or a son is not possiblefor Him. How will it be possible for Him tohave a peer or model (kafa’at va tamaththul)?Even a taint of unification or incarnation (itti-had va hulul) is considered improper for Hishonor and even a suspicion of “coming outin the open” or “being hidden” (buruz va ku-mun) is considered ugly for His holy person.[A 1.167, 50.11-14]

Note:Kumunmeans to become hidden (pinhan shodan).Buruzmeans to come out to some foreign place (birunamadan) and become clear, evident, and public (ashkarashodan).

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SIMILARITY IS MERELY ALLEGORICAL 107

Technically,kumunmeans [for God] to come down(farvad amadan) and descend (nuzul) to some thing andthus become hidden from His abode.

And, buruzmeans [for God] to incarnate Himselfin the creation and become clear, evident, and publicand thus manifest Himself (zuhur namudan hulul kardehashkara shodan) in the body of something.17

Similarity is Merely AllegoricalWhat does it mean when God says that He is “near” ev-erything, “with” everything and “embraces” everything?God does describe Himself in a limited way in His rev-elation. For example, He states,We are nearer to Himthan his jugular vein(Koran 50:16). So we must bringfaith into that self-description. Still God is Incompara-ble to His creation; His Incomparability transcends HisSimilarity—we do not know what those self-descriptionsreally mean. So while we admit those divine self-descriptions,we admit them only in abi-la kayf (i.e., “without how”manner).

Therefore, let us have faith that He (SWT) en-compasses (muhit) everything, is (qarib) neareverything, and is with (ba) everything. How-ever, we do not know what that encompass-ment, nearness, or withness (ihata va qurb vama“iyat) means. To say that it means cog-nitive encompassment or cognitive nearness,and so forth, is like interpreting (ta’wil ) theallegorical verses and I am against interpret-ing the allegorical verses. [A 1.266, 109.14-16]

17A synonym for the Koran; literally, the ”Distinguisher,” meaning thatwhich distinguishes between good and evil.

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What is the Mujaddidi interpretation of withness (ma‘iyat)?The Mujaddid himself explains it.

Man cannot become the Haqq (SWT), but byHis grace, he is never separated (juda’) fromHim. Whomever he loves, he is with him.”18 Everything has realized the relationshipof “withness” with the Haqq (SWT) [in someway] but this “withness” that grows (nashi’)from that “love” (hubb), is something else.Until [that] “love” is found, no one will un-derstand anything about this withness (ma‘iyat).Just as [that] love has different levels, in thesame way that withness has also different lev-els in the same way.

“This very withness” [i.e., the withness thatcomes from love] is that withness through whichone purifies oneself from reflectedness (zil-liyat) [by realizing a completefana fillah orannihilation in the ultimate prototype (asl) whois Allah]. And this very withness is that with-ness that is the medium through which onemay realize an effacement (idmihlal) in ev-erything [i.e., a state where the sufi effacesall created things from his mind as he has at-tained a complete absorption in Allah orfanafiLlah.]19

This very withness is that withness that takesaway (muzil) man’s servanthood (riqqiyat) [tosomeone other than Allah. Even that, man’s

18Ibn Arabi said that divine act(s) self-disclose into human acts. Pleasesee SPK, 208-209.

19Mohammad Mamunur Rashid, Islami Biswas (SerhindPrakashan,1998), p. 14

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ALLEGORICAL VERSES MAY NOT BE INTERPRETED109

slavehood to Allah also becomes perfect andhe becomes wholly committed to Him, suchthat] the slightest slack in that slavehood dis-appears and vanishes (muzil-i riqqiyat ast vamushabbat-i hurumiyat [ast] dar ‘in ‘abdiyat).

This withness is that withness which silencesI-ness. (anaiyat) Instead, it negates I-ness onthe levels of perfection. [A 3.26, 67.7-12]

Allegorical Verses may Not Be InterpretedI have translatedmutashabihatverses as “allegorical” verses.Many people translatemutashabihatas “ambiguous,” mean-ing “something that has one out of several possible mean-ings.” I believe that “ambiguous” cannot be the correcttranslation of the Mujaddidi meaning of the term “mu-tashabihat.” What the Mujaddid means by the termmu-tashabihatis something much deeper, hidden, and mys-terious. It is really far deeper than even an allegory.However, the second meaning of “allegorical” is “hav-ing hidden spiritual meaning that transcends the literalsense of a sacred text,” and that applies tomutashabihat.And so I am using the word “allegorical” to translate itand the word “categorical” to translatemuhkam. Chittickalso uses this scheme in one of his books.

The Mujaddid is against interpreting the allegoricalverses. He writes that the allegorical verses indeed haveprofound meanings but they are much more than beingmerely ambiguous; instead, they are deep, hidden, andmysterious. Those meanings are revealed to the Prophetand the elect in his community. So anyone else may beable to interpret them. So instead of trying to interpretthose verses, the common people should accept them asthey are, i.e.,bi-la kayf or “howless.”

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The Mujaddid teaches us about allegorical verses inhis monographMabda’ va Ma‘ad. He says,

I have been shown that the terms nearness(qurb), withness (ma‘iyat), and encompass-ment (ihata) of the Haqq (SWT) that are inthe Sagacious Koran are among the “allegor-ical” or mutashabihatwords of the Koran.[The words] hand or face [in the Koran thatrefers to God having hands or a face are ex-amples of such allegories.] The words first(awwal), last (akhir), manifest (zahir), non-manifest (batin) and the likes of them are alsothe same.

So we say that the Haqq (SWT) is “near” us,but we do not know what that nearness means.Similarly, we say [that He is] the First but wedo not know what does that “first” means.The meaning of that nearness and firstnessdoes not come within the bounds of our knowl-edge or understanding (‘ilm va fahm). TheHaqq (SWT) is untainted by those imperfec-tions. And indeed [He is even] higher (bar-tar) than that. And [He is indeed even higherthan] that what we know through our unveil-ings (kashf) and witnessings (mushahida). He(SWT) elevates Himself higher than that andHe is pure from thatas well.

Some sufis have realized the meaning of “near-ness” and “withness” through unveiling. Theyconsider the Haqq (SWT) to be “near us” and“with us” [spatially]. This is not proper! Theyhave stepped into the school ofmujassimaor

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REJECTION OF UNIFICATIONISM 111

Corporealists. And some of the ulama haveinterpreted those terms by allegorical inter-pretation (ta’wil ). For example, by “nearness,”some have meant “cognitive nearness” (qurb-i ‘ilmi ). They have made allegories of that inthe same way that they have made an allegoryof “hand” by “power” (qudrat) and “face” by“person.” (dhat)

True knowledge is before Allah (SWT)! Peacetowards those who follow guidance! [Mabda35, 55-6]20

Rejection of UnificationismThe Mujaddid rejectsittihad or unificationism—the sufiscience that says that God is “unified” (muttahid) withthe cosmos, i.e. God is merged in the cosmos in sucha way that these two cannot be distinguished from oneanother

He (SWT) is not unified with (muttahid) any-thing else. Nor is anything unified with Him.

The Mujaddid then analyzes a sufi saying that apparentlyproposes unificationism and demonstrates that it actuallydoes not do so.

That which people understand to beittihador unificationism from the sayings of somesufis is actually contrary to what they meant.For example, one such saying is “When need-iness is complete, it becomes Allah.Idhatamma ‘l-faqru, fa Hua Allahu.” Although it

20[Mabda35:55-56] means Mabda’ va Ma‘ad, minha or chapter 35, pp.55-56

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seems to propose unificationism, what it re-ally means is that when [the sufi] completesfaqr i.e., poverty or neediness [i.e the sufi re-alizes that he needs Allah for everything ashe has no resource of his own] and [the sufi]realizes sheer nothingness (nisti-i mahd) [be-fore God], then nothing remains but Allah.It does not mean that thefaqir i.e., the needybecomes unified with God (bi-khuda) and be-comes God himself. For that would be apos-tasy and heresy. “The Exalted Lord is fargreater than what the transgressors imagine.ta ‘ala Llahu subhanaHu ‘amma yatawah-hamu al-zalimuna ‘uluwwan kabira.”

Now the Mujaddid explains the mystery of Anal Haqq.

Our Hazrat Khwaja [Baqibillah]

(qaf) has said that “Anal Haqq” does not mean,“I am God”; instead it means, “I am nothingand God [alone] exists.” [A 1.266, 109.16-110.1]

My own shaykh in the sufi path, a living saint in thelineage of the Great Mujaddid, explains the above in agreater detail very eloquently- what Anal Haqq reallymeans is,

I have lost my own existence as I am over-whelmed by the sheerness of God’s existence.Now I do not exist for only God exists. WhenI say “I,” I am not saying it on behalf of my-self. Instead, I am saying it on behalf of God.Now I am just like the “burning bush”21 of

21hadith:Al-mar’u ma‘a man ahabba[Bukhari, Muslim]

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CHANGELESSNESS 113

Hazrat Moses that cried out, “Verily I am Al-lah!” (Koran 20:14, 28:30) That is, I am merelythe announcer here as the “burning bush” hadbeen. Or I am merely the medium throughwhom God speaks, like a loudspeaker is themedium through which the announcer speaks.22

ChangelessnessThe Mujaddid maintains that God experiences no change.

The person, attributes or the act of God donot change or be substituted (taghayyur vatabdil). So exalted is He whose person, at-tributes, and act(s) do not change like the [per-son, attributes and acts of the] engendered thingsthat are newly originated (huduth-i al-akwan)do!

No aspect of God ever changes; neither His person norHis attributes nor His act(s). Change is the lot of “newlyoriginated” things but God is too exalted to undergo change.

The Mujaddid then interprets Ibn Arabi and defendshim against the false charge of contradicting the main-stream Sunni creed on the changelessness of God.

What thewujudi sufis [who follow the IbnArabi doctrine ofwahdatul wujudor existen-tial monism] establish astanazzulat-i khamsa,the five descents, is not a modification or sub-stitution (taghayyur va tandil) in the Neces-sary (dar martaba-i wujub), for that would

22note from Bengali text v. V p. 85 [Mabda35:55-56] meansMabda’ vaMa‘ad, minha or chapter 35, pp. 55-56

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be apostasy and misguidance. Instead, theyhave relegated these descents onto the levelsof “manifestations” of the divine perfection(zuhurat-i kamal-i U). That way a modifica-tion or substitution in the person, attributes orthe act of He (SWT) would not take place. [A1.266, 110.1-5]

Ibn Arabi held that the creation, i.e., the cosmos, em-anates from God in five successive steps. These are em-anations or “descents” calledtanazzulat-i khamsa’.

Level of Name of the descentdescent (emanation) What changes?

1 Cognitive undifferentiated entification,ta‘ayyun-i Ideas in the mind of the necessary‘ilmi jumali

2 Cognitive differentiated entification,ta‘ayyun-i As above‘ilmi tafsili

3 Spiritual entification,ta‘ayyun-i ruhi Shadow of the necessary4 Imaginal entification,ta‘ayyun-i mithali As above5 Corporeous entification,ta‘ayyun-i jasadi As above

Table 4.7: Ibn Arabi’s Five Descents (Emanations) of theNecessary

Yes! If you do interpret that to mean that God Him-self undergoes change, it would be a violation of thecreed of the mainstream Sunnis that says that God ischangeless. However, the Mujaddid interprets that IbnArabi must have meant that the “shadow” of God un-dergoes those emanations, not God Himself who is be-yond change. That is, what does change is the “way thatGod manifests” Himself, not His person itself. So thecharges against Ibn Arabi that he contradicts the main-stream Sunni creed are baseless.

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SELF-SUFFICIENTNESS 115

The Mujaddid seems to argue here in areductioad absurdumsyllogism: Islamic creed says that God ischangeless. So if someone believes that God Himself un-dergoes change, then he must be ruled faithless and mis-guided. So if Ibn Arabi or anyone else interprets the fiveemanations ortanazzulat-i khamsa’ as changes in GodHimself, then he must be ruled an unbeliever. But theMujaddid consistently rules Ibn Arabi to be a great saintof Allah. Therefore, Ibn Arabi could not have meant itas a “change in the Necessary.”

Self-SufficientnessThe Mujaddid states that God is absolutely self-sufficient.He does not need anything from anyone.

He (SWT) is unboundedly self-sufficient (ghaniyy-i mutlaq) in His person, in His attributes, andin His act. He does not need anything in anyrespect. Just as He does not need anything forHis existence, He does not need anything forHis manifestations (zuhurat) either.

The Mujaddid then comments on the Ibn Arabi proposi-tion that God “needs” the created things to manifest Hisperfections

That which is understood from the statementsof some sufis [e.g., Ibn Arabi] is that Allahneeds us to manifest the perfections of Hisnames and attributes. I find it hard to buy aproposition like that! I know that the purposeof the act of creation is that the created thingwould attain perfection, not that His (SWT)holy person would attain perfection. As theKoran says,We have created man and the

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Jinn so that they would worship Me(Koran51:56). [Here I, the Mujaddid, interpret “theywould worship Me” as] “they would knowMe.” Therefore, the purpose behind creat-ing man and Jinn is so that they would attainknowledge (ma‘rifat). That is, the purpose is“their [own]” perfection, not the perfection ofsomething that belongs to the Haqq (SWT).It comes in a hadith report where God speaksin the first person: “I have created the createdthings for knowing.”23 Here too, “knowing”means that the created things may know. Itdoes not mean that God may be known andby this knowing God may attain some per-fection. “Allah (SWT) rises far above this!”[A 1.266, 110.5-.14]

Here the Mujaddid disagrees with Ibn Arabi. He clarifiesthat actually it is the created things that need God to at-tain their own perfections, not the other way round. Asmy sufi shaykh explains,

The purpose behind creating man and Jinn isso that they desire to know God and attainperfection. We know the well-known hadithreport wherein God speaks in the first person,“I was a Hidden Treasure. I wanted to beknown. So I created the creation.”24 WhatGod really means is, “Let the creation cometo know Me and attain their perfections. ” Itis wrong to think that what He meant is, “LetMe, Allah, become known to the creation andgain some perfection in this process.” This is

23hadith: fa-khalaqtu al-khalq li-‘arafa[Mulla ‘Ali Qari ]24hadith: kuntu kandhan makhfiyan. fa-ahbabtu an a‘rafa. fa-khalaqtu

al-khalq li-‘arafa [Ibn Arabi]

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because Allah is self-sufficient. He rises farabove such wrong conceptions.25

How does the Mujaddid jump from “so that they wouldworship me” to “so that they would know me”? My sufishaykh’s companionship taught me the logic behind thisconnection between “worship” and knowing. Yes! Godhas asked man to worship Him. But how will we worshipHim unless we “know” Him?” That may be the Mujad-did’s logic behind interpreting “worshiping” as “know-ing.” The pre-eminent Koranic exegete Ibn Abbas alsointerpreted “worship Allah” as “know Allah” here. Alllater commentators also interpreted it this way followinghis line of interpretation.

PerfectionThe Mujaddid states that God is perfect and he elaborateson that perfection.

Allah is unblemished and exonerated by allattribute of imperfection and all burn-mark ofnewly-originatedness (huduth). He is not abody Himself; nor does He possess a body(jism va jismani nist). He transcends bothspace and time (la-makani va la-zamani).

The Mujaddid’s verification confirms the ulama of themainstream Sunni community. Their ulama says thatGod possesses all the attributes in Himself in a non-entifiedmanner except the eight real attributes,sifat-i haqiqiya,which exist in Him with an additional existence. Thereal attributes are eight according to the Maturidi schoolof kalam, which the Mujaddid follows. The predominant

25Muhammad Mamunur Rashid,Islami Bishwas, p. 16

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Ashari School of kalam has seven, as it leaves out “en-genderingness” from the roll of the real attributes.26

He possesses all the perfect attributes. Amongthese, eight perfect attributes exist in Him withexistence “additional (za’id)” to the existenceof the Person (SWT). They are: (1) livingnessor life , hayat; (2) knowingness or knowl-edge,‘ilm ; (3) powerfulness or power,qudrat;(4) desiringness or desire,irada’; (5) seeing-ness or sight,basr; (6) hearingness,sama‘;(7) speakingness or speech,kalam; and (8)engenderingness,takwin.

Attribute Arabic/Persian name

livingness or life hayatknowingness or knowledge ‘ilmpowerfulness or power qudratdesiringness or desire iradaseeingness or sight basrhearingness samaspeakingness or speech kalamengenderingness takwin

Table 4.8: Eight real attributes [Sifat-i haqiqiya]

Note: In Arabic, these attributes are called by amorphological form which has dual meanings. For ex-ample, the attribute of “being capable of speaking” iscalledkalamand that also means “speech” or that whatis being spoken. So people translate “the attribute ofkalam” as “speech” and that is misleading. Instead, theattribute ofkalammay be translated as the attribute of

26Please see the Mujaddid’s monographMabda’ va Ma‘ad, minha orchapter 41 where he explains the error of the Asharis.

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speakingness. It is true that there is no such word in En-glish called speakingness but the superb sufi translatorWilliam Chittick uses newly coined words in this style.

Confirming the ulama of the mainstream Sunni com-munity, the Mujaddid proposes that the attributes of Godhave an external existence, i.e., they do exist in the “out-side,kharij.” He criticizes the position of Ibn Arabi whodenied the “external” existence of the Attributes27 andwho said that they are merely “relationships” that Godhas with the cosmos and those relationships exist only inthe mind of God which is the abode of His knowledge(‘ilm ).

These attributes do exist [and not merely cog-nitively in the mind of God, but] in the “out-side” (kharij) [i.e. in the real world outsidethe mind of God with a true existence.”] Itis not that they exist with an existence thatis additional to the existence of the Persononly “cognitively” while they are identical tothe Person “externally”- like some sufis [whobelieve inwahdat al-wujud, e.g., Ibn Arabi,Muinuddin Chishti, and many others] con-sider.28 They say:

By the intellect, all are other thanthe attributesBy the verification; all are identicalto Your person

What they mean here is that while they know by the in-tellect, i.e., intellectually from the kalam that attributes

27The Mutazilas and the faylasufs also deny the external existence of theAttributes

28Please see SPK p. 5 for Ibn Arabi’s position

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are disjointed from the person of God, they know fromtheir “verification,” i.e., sufi experiential knowledge, thatthey are the same.

For example, the following sufi poem by Hazrat Muin-uddin Chishti Ajmiri also supports the identity of the per-son of Allah and His attributes.

I don’t see the Attributes separate from thePerson.So wherever I look, I don’t see anything butGod. 29

The Mujaddid says that to reduce the existence of divineattributes from external existence to cognitive existence,as Ibn Arabi does, is really to deny the existence ofthe attributes. There are several deviant sects of Islamwho are recognized to have denied the existence of theattributes, e.g., the Mutazilas, the philosophers, etc.

Even those deviant sects accepted the cognitive ex-istence of the attributes and only denied their external ex-istence. So if someone else [e.g., Ibn Arabi] accepts thecognitive existence of the attributes but denies the exter-nal existence, he is indeed out of the mainstream Sunnicommunity just as those deviant sects are recognized tobe.

It is really denying the attributes (sifat), be-cause even those who deny the attributes (i.e.,the Mutazilas and the Faylsufs) have proposedthat the person and the attributes of God arecognitively “other” and externally “unified.”That is, even they did not deny cognitive oth-erness and they did not propose that what “they

29Sifat va dhat az ham juda nemibinam - Be har che minegaram juzKhuda namibinam[Jehadul Islam editedDiwan-i Muinuddin, p. 154]

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understand” to be knowledge is identical towhat “they understand” to be the person, orpower or desire. They have only proposedthat the Person and the attributes are identicalin the outside. Therefore, until they considerthem “other” with respect to their existencein the outside, they will not break away fromthe group that denies the attributes. As youknow, conceptual otherness is not a true dif-ference! [A 1.266, 110.14-111.3]

It should be stressed that the Mujaddid still did not con-sider Ibn Arabi to be out of the mainstream Sunni com-munity. As a sufi, he knew that Ibn Arabi did not arriveat it from mis-interpretations of the Koran and the hadithbut instead he “verified” that science through his “unveil-ings,” which were erroneous in this case. And errors inunveilings are excusable just as errors in scholastic in-terpretation on the matters of the sharia law (ijtihad) areexcusable.

Ulama of the manifest knowledge: The domain ofknowledge can be divided into two sub-domains. Oneis the manifest knowledge (‘ilm-i zahir), the knowledgeof the Koran, hadith literature and all that can be de-rived from those sources employing logic. The other isthe non-manifest knowledge (‘ilm-i batin) that is expe-riential knowledge derived throughkashf, ilham,dhawq,shuhud, etc. The ulama that deal with the Koran andhadith using logic are the ulama of the manifest knowl-edge. They include jurists (fuqaha), scholars of hadithliterature (muhaddith) exegetes of the Koran (mufassir),and others. They are to be contrasted with the scholarsof the non-manifest knowledge who are the sufi masters.

The ulama of the manifest knowledge say that theattributes exist “externally.” That is, the divine attributes

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are not at all like “human attributes.” For human at-tributes also do not have an external existence, only aconceptual existence. Instead, divine attributes have ahypostasized or reified existence externally, just as thePlatonic archetypes do.

The Mujaddid’s verification agrees with it but inmaktub 1.234 he refines that position by saying that theattributes have only “shadow” existence. He notes thatboth Ibn Arabi and the mainstream Sunni ulama didnot distinguish between the prototype existence and theshadow existence and he believes that it caused the di-vergence of opinion between them.

Note: The references from theMaktubat-i Imam-iRabbaniwill be described as two numbers separated by astop. The first number will be the volume number and thesecond number will be the maktub number. For example,maktub 1.234 refers to maktub 234 in the Volume 1

The Maturudi SchoolThe Mujaddid followed the Maturidi school of kalam asopposed to the Ashari school. He writes on the superior-ity of the Maturidi school,

In a mystic vision, (waqi‘a) Hazrat Prophet(salam) stated, “You are a mujathid of the sci-ence of kalam.” After this incident, I startedto form a distinct opinion in every matter ofkalam. For most of the matters on which thereare differences between the Ashari school andMaturidi school, at the first glance it seemsthat the truth is along the Ashari line. Butwhen it is contemplated with a fine perspicac-ity and a keen gaze (hunur-i firasat va huddat-

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i nazar), then it becomes clear that the truthis along the Maturidi line. I believe that inall the matters of kalam on which there is adispute, the Maturidis are correct.

The truth is that because they perfectly followthe shining Sunna, these [Maturidi] mastershave attained this high honor. Their oppo-sition [in the mainstream Sunni communitywhich is the Asharis] have not been able toattain this as they gave pre-eminence to thephilosophical views. However, both of thesegroups are in the people of truth.

Eternalness and BeginninglessnessThe Mujaddid confirms that God and only God is eter-nal and beginningless. If anyone believes that somethingother than God is also eternal or beginningless, as thephilosophers of thefaylasuf tradition (e.g., Avicenna, al-Farabi, and others) proposed, then he must be ruled to bea faithless person.

He (SWT) is eternal and beginningless (qadimva azali). Nothing else is established to beeternal and beginningless. All the Muslimsare unanimous on this. And they have de-clared as unfaithful whosoever proposes thatsomething other than the Haqq (SWT) is eter-nal or beginningless. It is for this reason thatImam Ghazzali has declared Avicenna, al-Farabi

and everyone else to be faithless who pro-poses that intellects, souls, hyles, or forms(nufus, ‘uqul, haywula, surat) are eternal. Theyalso consider the heavens and everything else

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in the heavens to be also eternal.

And he reconciles a statement of Ibn Arabi on the eter-nity of the spirits to the mainstream Sunni creed.

Our Hazrat Khwaja [Baqibillah] (qaf) has saidthat Shaykh Muhiyuddin Ibn Arabi has pro-posed that the spirits of the “perfect ones”[i.e., friends of Allah who have realized Hisnearness] are eternal.30 This idea shouldbe diverted from its outward meaning [i.e.,it should not be construed to mean that thespirits are co-eternal with God] and insteadshould be taken in its “inner” (ta’wil ) mean-ing [that is, for example, it may be taken tomean that those spirits were the first things tobe created.] In that way, it [this propositionof Ibn Arabi] would not contradict the con-sensus of opinion of the people of religion [inthe proposition that nothing but God is eter-nal]. [A 1.266, 111.3-111.9]

All-Powerfulness and the philosophersThe Mujaddid criticizes the deist doctrines of the “philoso-phers” i.e., the philosophers of thefaylasuftradition, e.g.,Avicenna, al-Farabi, Averrois and others.

The ancient Greek philosophers, Plato, Aristotle,and others originated this lineage of thought and Ploti-nus, who lived in Alexandria, Egypt in the third century

30This proposition of Ibn Arabi is found in theTafsir Ibn ArabiunderSuraDahr, however some scholars belive that that tafsir was actuallywritten byKamaluddin Abdul-Razzaq ibn Abi Ghanaim al-Kashi (d. 736/1336). Someother scholars believe that it was written by Imam Ali ibn Muhammad al-Bagdadi al-Sufi popularly known as al-Khazin (d. 741/1341)

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CE, developed it. Subsequently, philosophers of the Is-lamic tradition, such as Avicenna, al-Farabi, and Aver-roes, added to and refined them to develop thisfaylasuftradition. Thefaylasuf called themselves Peripatetic orAristotelian, many people consider them instead Neo-platonic but really it is a third tradition that synthesizedthe first two and added to them.31

They propose that God lives in time and He createdthe cosmos with a single act that happened only oncein time and then he left all the day-to-day happeningsto natural law that they call the “Active Intellect.” Thatis, they were “deists,” who believed that God is like aclockmaker who has made the mechanism that would runthe clock and then has let the clock run itself. Instead,Muslims (like Christians or Jews) are “theists,” peoplewho believe that God is a personal God who is intimatelyconnected to the day-to-day happenings of the world.

How is it that the Islamic philosophers follow Aris-totle? Is he not a “Western” philosopher? We usuallyconsider “Western” to be synonymous with “European.”So have Muslims borrowed their philosophy from Chris-tians? The answer is that Islamic philosophy is indeedWestern philosophy. In general, if one reads a surveybook on Western philosophy that covers the period be-fore the middle ages, Islamic/Islamicate philosophers areincluded there. In terms of philosophical tradition, philoso-phers divide the world into three regions. First is theWestern realm that includes Europe, North Africa, andWestern Asia to Iran- people there historically follows“Western” philosophy. The second is India and the thirdis China. Although there are differences between Indianand Chinese philosophy, still they share some fundamen-

31That is the view of Fazlur Rahman in theSelected Letters of AhmadSirhindi (Lahore: Iqbal Academy Pakistan, 1984)

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tal characteristics and so they may be loosely groupedtogether as Eastern philosophies.

Western philosophers are dualists- they see the worldas a dichotomy- something is either one or its contrary-e.g., good or evil, white or black, beautiful or ugly, etc.This dualist worldview went to the extreme in Iran, wheretheir “prophets,” e.g., Zoroaster and Mani, even preachedof two gods, one god as the creator of good and the othergod as creator of evil. In another time, this dualism wentto the extreme in northwest Europe—while the Romanssaw nothing wrong with their emperor being the chiefpriest, pontifus maximus; the people of northwest Eu-rope could never successfully integrate church and statetogether.

In contrast, Eastern philosophers, both of the Indiantradition and the Chinese tradition, are monists- they syn-thesize the opposites; to them, good and evil, God andthe creation, existence and nonexistence are not antithe-ses but parts of the same whole. It is true that there aremonist trends even in Western philosophy, e.g., Ibn Arabior Spinoza; yet still this general observation holds. Manypeople today do not understand this and even many pub-lishers and bookstores in the west classify books on Is-lam with books on “Eastern religion,” and group themtogether with Hinduism and Buddhism.

While it is true that Hinduism and Buddhism areindeed Eastern religions, Islam, like its two sister re-ligions, Christianity and Judaism, are not Eastern reli-gions. All three of them are “Western” religions andtheir philosophical traditions are in the mainstream ofthe the Western philosophical tradition. Indeed, modernEurope received its philosophical knowledge, even itsknowledge of ancient Greek philosophy, from the Mus-lims. It is the Muslim philosophers who translated and

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ALL-POWERFULNESS AND THE PHILOSOPHERS127

studied and commented on the books of Plato, Aristo-tle, and others, and kept that tradition alive. Europeanslearned about Aristotle from the Arabic translations ofhis original works, that were then retranslated into Euro-pean languages, as well as the translations of his Muslimcommentators e.g., al-Farabi, Avicenna , Averroes, andothers.

First, the Mujaddid affirms the mainstream Sunnidoctrine that God is all-powerful.

He (SWT) is the all-powerful chooser (qadir-i mukhtar) He is unblemished by even a taintof obligatedness (ijab) and exonerated fromeven a surmise of compelledness (idtirar ).

Then the Mujaddid begins his diatribe against these philoso-phers of thefaylasuf tradition and their deist doctrines.

The unwise (bi-khord) philosophers considerobligatedness (ijab) to be [the epitome of] per-fection. As a result, they have negated freechoice (ikhtiyar) from the Necessary (SWT)and instead, they have established obligated-ness.

These unwise ones consider the Necessary (SWT)to be inoperative (ta‘til )32 and inactive exceptthat one single handiwork (masnu‘) has comefrom Him (who is the creator of the heavensand the earth). They even propose that Hemade that [single handiwork] out of obliga-tion. They relate the [continued] existence ofthe newly originated things (wujud-i hawa-dith) to the “active intellect (‘aql-i fa‘al )”, which

32Inoperativity [ta‘til ]: the doctrine where God has nothing to do.

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has not been even established to exist exceptin their imagination! They have nothing todo with God in their corrupted conception.Finding no other alternative, they turn to theactive intellect in their times of trouble butdo not turn to the Haqq (SWT) since theydo not give Him any ability to intervene inthe [continued] existence of newly originatedthings. They say that it is the active intellectthat brings the newly originated things intoexistence.

These unfortunate ones (bi-dawlatan) in stu-pidity and foolishness (bilahat) [i.e., thefay-lasuf] are in the forefront of all misguidedsects. Even the people without faith pray toGod for help. And supplicate to Him to re-move their misfortunes—unlike these unin-telligent ones (safihan).

The Islamic belief is that God is perfect and so He is be-yond the imperfection of being obligated to do anythingin any way; in contrast, thefaylasuf believe in obliga-tionism. So the Mujaddid says that these philosophersare not wise; they consider God’s being obligated to dowhat He does as a fitting attribute for Him!

To the Mujaddid, thefaylasuftradition philosophersare worse than the other misguided sects of Islam for tworeasons.

These worthless people have two things morein misguidedness and foolishness (bilahat) thanall [the other misguided] sects. First, they donot believe, instead they deny the revealedlaw and they stubbornly resist and hold en-

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ALL-POWERFULNESS AND THE PHILOSOPHERS129

mity to the message of the messengers (ikhtibar-i mursala.) Second, they hierarchically ar-range some corrupted premises and manipu-late some invalid proofs and visions (shawahid)to prove their designs and baseless issues. Inproving their designs, they have become sostupid that they exceed all idiots in their stu-pidity. The zodiac and the planets are perpet-ually unstable and wandering- still they holdthat their movements and positions cause allthat happens. They have shut their eyes be-fore the Creator of the heavens, the giver ofexistence of the planets and their mover andthe director of their affairs and instead con-sider Him far removed from their affairs. Whatunwise ones! What unfortunate ones! [Theonly one] less intelligent (safih) is he whoconsiders them intelligent and wise!

First, they deny the “revealed message” that the prophetsbrought forth. Second, they try to prove their misbegot-ten beliefs via falsehood. He also decries their belief inastrology that suggests that planets control the destiny;instead he suggests that they turn to God who created theplanets in the first place.

The Mujaddid shows his scorn for all the sciencesof the philosophers.

Among their codified and systemic sciencesis geometry that is totally useless. The sum ofthree angles in a triangle is two right angles-what benefit does it have? Those theoremsthat are close to their hearts33- what purposedo they serve? Medicine, astronomy, and ethics

33shakl ‘arusi va mamuni

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are the best of their sciences and even thatthey have stolen from the revealed books ofthe prophets who came before our prophet(salam). They use those extracted fragments[from those divinely-revealed sciences] to spreadtheir own invalid sciences. Imam Ghazzaliclarified it in his bookMunqidh ‘an al-Dalal.34

To the Mujaddid, many of the sciences of thefaylasufare useless. And the ones which are useful (medicine,astronomy, ethics) have their origins in the divine revela-tion.

However, it must be understood from the contextthat the Mujaddid villified geometry as “useless” onlybecause he could not find any practical use for it; and sohe rejected the study of geometry as an end in itself oras a means of God-realization. He found practical usefor some of the other sciences and claimed that those sci-ences have divine origins. If the Mujaddid saw the prac-tical uses for geometry, he would respect that as well. Sothe Mujaddidi view is that no science is worth studyingas an end in itself; instead they should help one eitherin one’s path towards God-realization or in the practicalworld. And the only science one may study for God-realization is the science that is derived from the revealedmessage of the prophets.

The Mujaddid eulogizes the practice oftaqlid, fol-lowing authority of the prophets.

If the followers of godly religions and the prophets(salam) err in their proofs and demonstrations,

34Imam Ghazzali,Munqidh ‘an al-Dalal. This translation is very good,R. J. McCarthy,Al-Ghazali’s Path to Sufism, (Louisville, Kentucky: FonsVitae, 2000.

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ALL-POWERFULNESS AND THE PHILOSOPHERS131

there is no fear. Since the source of theirpractice is following authority (taqlid) of theprophets (salam). They bring proofs and demon-strations to establish their purpose only forthe sake of added strength. Following the au-thority of the prophets is sufficient for them,unlike these unfortunate ones [the philosophers].They leave aside following the authority ofthe prophets and instead rely on their proofsto establish their argument. “[They are] mis-guided [themselves;] therefore they misguide[others, who follow them, as well!]”35

The Mujaddid also expresses his scorn for the philoso-phers’ conceit and their denial of the prophetic method.

When the invitation of Prophet Hazrat Jesus(salam) reached Plato,36

who was the giant among these unfortunatepeople, he responded, “We are a group whohas already been guided! We do not need anymore guidance!” How witless! [Jesus was] aman who could perform feats that are beyondtheir medical science- resurrecting the dead,healing those born blind, and healing the lep-ers! When they saw such a man, they shouldhave understood his [sublime inner] “state!”It is utmost headstrongness and stupidity toanswer without thinking.

35hadith:Dallu fa-adlu [Muslim]36Plato possibly here stands for the typical philosopher withtheir char-

acteristic mind-set the eminent philosopher by the name Plato died longbefore Prophet Jesus. Another possibility is that it might mean Plotinus(Flutinus), the third-century founder of Neoplatonism whoinfluenced theMuslim world so immensely.

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Most of the letters of the wordfalasafahis safah [and that means unintelli-gent]Therefore, the dominant verdict[thatthe philosopher is]“unintelligent”is the majority opinion

The Mujaddid continues to denigrate the philosophersand mentions a book that exposes their errors.

May Allah save us from the darkness of theirill-intentioned beliefs! These days my sonMuhammad Ma‘thum37 has completed thebookJawahir-i Sharh-i Mawaqif. 38 Whilestudying this book, the ugly beliefs of theseunwise people have become clear and manybenefits have come from it.Praise be to Al-lah, who has guided us to toward this. Wewould not have been guided had Allah notguided us! Verily the Messengers from ourLord came with the truth!(Koran 7:43) [A1.266, 111.9-113.3]

TaqlidTaqlid is a fundamental Islamic concept that is very im-portant to the Mujaddid. Literally, the verbqaladameans,“to put a collar on.” It refers to putting a collar on a beastof burden so that he cannot see left or right but moves

37Muhammad Ma‘thum: Third son and the spiritual heir of the Mujaddid38TheJawahirby an unknown author seems to be short version of Ali ibn

Muhammad Jurjani (d. 818/1415),Sharh-i Mawaqif; It is a commentary onthe Mawaqif, the well-known book on kalam and one of the best bookson that subject in Arabic written by Qadi ‘Add al-Din Abdur Rahman ibnAhmad Iji (d. 818/1415.) (this footnote is taken from FazlurRahman text,p. 70)

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TAQLID 133

blindly to wherever his driver directs him. Figurativelyit means “blind conformity” to the Prophet, the Salaf, orthe Pious Predecessors and others worthy of humble im-itation.

The Mujaddid explains the concept of taqlid in de-tail in his monograph Mabda’ va Ma‘ad.

He has an abundant share of the tariqa of thesufis, indeed from the Islamic community (millat-i Islam) who abundantly possess thefitrat, habitof taqlid [following the authority of the pre-decessors] and the innate disposition (jibilla )of imitation (mutaba‘at) [of those worthy ones.].

Here the principal of affairs (madarikar) istaqlid. And thetaqlid of the prophets (salam)elevates one to lofty levels (darajat) and im-itation of the sufis brings one to the great-est station of ascent (ma‘arij) [from where hecan make a high ascent or‘uruj ].

Hazrat Abu Bakr the Truthful (dwad) is greatlyendowed with thisfitrat. [And because of thisfitrat,] without any delay, he rushed to acceptthe felicity of attesting to the prophethood [ofHazrat Muhammad (salam)] and became theleader of the truthful ones (ra’is-i siddiqan).On the other hand, the accursed Abu Jahl hadless receptivity totaqlid and imitation. [Asa result] he was not receptive to that felicityand instead became the leader of the accursedones.

The perfection that a disciple attains is throughthe taqlid of his own pir or guide. A pir’s er-ror is the disciple’s correct method. Because

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of this, Hazrat Abu Bakr (dwad) used to seekout the error of the Prophet (salam) and usedto exclaim, ”How I wish that I could be theerror of Muhammad!”

Hazrat Prophet (salam) said about Hazrat Bi-lal (Allah be satisfied with him!): ”Thesinof Bilal is shin to Allah.” Hazrat Bilal wasa native of Ethiopia [where Arabic was notthe mother-tongue and so] used to [mispro-nounceash-hadu as] as-hadu[pronouncingthe shin] like sin during the prayer call (ad-han)

To God (Mighty! High!) thatas-haduwasash-hadu. Therefore, this Bilal’s error is bet-ter than other’s correct way. Like a poet haswritten:

Overwhelms it when you cry outash-haduBilal’s call as-haduBar ash-hadito khandehZe nidaas-hadiBilal

I have heard from an exalted man (‘aziz) about[this characteristic of] a prayer (dua) that issuggested by the sufi shaykhs, but in whichthe shaykh has made a mistake; and so he re-cites it in the corrupted way. If their follow-ers recite those prayers exactly the same way(bi haman sarafat) [with the same mistake]that the shaykhs used to recite them, then therecitation would be effective (ta’thir ). On theother hand, if they recite them correctly, thenit would no longer be effective.

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IBN ARABI AND WAHDAT-I WUJUD 135

May Allah (SWT) keep us steadfast on im-itating (taqlid) of the prophets and follow-ing (mutaba‘at) His friends (awliya) by Hislove of His beloved [Prophet Muhammad]!(salam) [Mabda 51, 75-76]

Ibn Arabi and Wahdat-i WujudThe Mujaddid says that Ibn Arabi leans toward obliga-tionism (ijab,) the doctrine of thefaylasuftradition philoso-phers. Obligationism says that God has no free will; in-stead whatever He does, He is obligated to do it.

The expressions of Shaykh Muhiyuddin IbnArabi also point toward obligationism [the doc-trine that proposes that God is obliged to dowhatever He does]. His interpretation of “power”is analogous to the interpretation of the philoso-phers. In that interpretation, it is not allowedthat capable ones abandon actions. And he[Ibn Arabi] holds that it is mandatory to act.[And since God is all-powerful, He is obligedto act or to create.]

Please note that the Mujaddid always uses the title “Shaykh”when referring to Ibn Arabi, thereby showing his respectfor Ibn Arabi. And he always uses the traditional term“quddisa sirruh, may his secrets be sanctified” after IbnArabi’s name. That denotes that he considered Ibn Arabito be a great saint.

The Mujaddid expresses his positive opinion of IbnArabi, and considers those statements of Ibn Arabi, thatmade others think that he deviated from Islam as errorsin unveilings; and as such, excusable.

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Amazing thing! That Shaykh Muhiyuddin[Ibn Arabi] appears to be accepted by Godin my [sufi mystic] vision [i.e., unveilings orkashf]! On the other hand, many of his ideasseem to oppose the opinions of the “people oftruth 39 ”!

And those [ideas] seem to be erroneous andincorrect! However, errors in unveiling [thatShaykh Ibn Arabi has for those few of hisideas] are excusable just as errors in striv-ings for interpretation (ijtihad) [in the mattersof the sharia] are not to be blamed. This ismy unique belief about Shaykh Muhyiuddin,“He is among the accepted ones of God but Isee his opinions that oppose [the consensus ofopinion of the ulama of the mainstream Sunnicommunity] to be erroneous and harmful [tothe common people].”

Some sufis criticize (ta‘an) and blame (mala-mat) this shaykh. And consider [all] his ideasto be false (takhtiya). Some other sufis chooseto follow the shaykh blindly and consider allhis ideas correct. And they [attempt to] estab-lish the “truth” (haqiqat) of that [Ibn Arabi’s]science through “[fraudulent] proofs and [de-fective] visions” (dala’il va shawahid).

Those “proofs” (dala’il ) are from the realm of externalknowledge, i.e., from the Koran and the hadith literature.Those two sources are indeed true but they misinterpret

39People of truth (ahl-i haqq): The Mujaddid seems to mean the ulama ofthe mainstream Sunni community (‘ulama-i ahl-i Sunnat val jama‘at) by thisterm. Please note that the mainstream Sunnis exclude deviant sects such asWahhabis or Salafis, and the Mutazilas who may still accept the four caliphs

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that knowledge and are so those proofs are unacceptable.Similarly those “witnessings” (shawahid) are sufi mysticvisions and unveilings that are subject to errors and soare unreliable.

The Mujaddid continues,

However, there is no doubt that both of theseparties have chosen to follow the [two ex-tremes of] excessiveness and deficiency and(ifrat va tafrit) and remain far away from themiddle path. How can I deny the shaykh whois an accepted friend of God only because ofhis errors in unveiling? On the other hand,how can I blindly accept [certain parts of]his science that is far from being correct andthat is contrary to the opinions of the “peo-ple of truth” [i.e., the rightly-guided ulamaof the mainstream Sunni community]? Thetruth lies in the middle. By His grace andgenerosity, Allah the Exalted has endowed mewith that knowledge.

Rejecting extremists: The middle path: Accepting extremists:Ibn Taymiyya and followers The Mujaddid Ibn Arabi’s followers

Rejects all of Ibn Accepts most of Ibn Accepts allArabi’s ideas Arabi ideas; “gently of Ibn Arabi’scompletely criticizes” a few (but ideas blindly

still does not denouncehim, as those areerrors in unveilingsand thus excusable)

Table 4.9: Ibn Arabi: How Do They Consider Him?

It may be noted that many of the ulama of the main-stream Sunnis have also proposed the same opinion on

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Ibn Arabi. Many have also forbidden the common peo-ple to read Ibn Arabi books. Because the common peoplewould take his writings literally, and will not understandits deep hidden meanings and thus would go astray.

Ta‘an is translated as “criticize.” In this context,ta‘an means “gentle criticism”; it is not a type of “harshdenouncement.” And this is how the Mujaddid criticizesIbn Arabi; gently as opposed to harshly.

The Mujaddid reconciles Ibn Arabi’swahdat-i wu-jud

40

with the ontology of the ulama of the mainstreamSunni community,

Take note! In the matter ofwahdat-i wujud,a large group in this sufi community concurswith the Shaykh. Although the Shaykh hashis unique style here, still they are unanimousin the gist of the matter. [On the first look],this matter may appear to contradict the opin-ion of the “people of truth.” Still one may payattention to it, as it deserves the effort for rec-onciliation. By the grace of Allah (SWT), Ihave reconciled this matter in theTa‘liqat barSharh-i Ruba‘iyat, [my monograph whereI comment on the quatrains] of our Hazrat[Baqibillah]. There, I have reconciled thismatter with the opinion of the “people of truth.”And I have relegated the dispute between thetwo schools to terminology. And I have re-solved the mutual misgivings and suppositionsin such a way that no room for any doubt and

40Wahdat-i wujudis the Persian equivalent ofwahdat al-wujudand thisis the term that the Mujaddid uses, as he writes in Persian.

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BRINGING-INTO-EXISTENCE 139

ambiguity to remain. The text [of my mono-graph theTa‘liqat] itself is the proof of thisfor the reader! [A 1.266, 113.3-18]

The Mujaddid’s opinion on Ibn Arabi in the above sec-tion is very important, as many “scholars” (who neverread the Mujaddid in the original Persian or even in anaccurate translation) believe that the Mujaddid’s criti-cism of Ibn Arabi was a “roaring criticism.” Here it isclear that it was only a mild criticism of a small fractionof Ibn Arabi’s views. And the Mujaddid considered eventhose few errors to be “excusable” as they are errors inhis unveilings. And he still viewed Ibn Arabi as a greatsaint.

Bringing-into-ExistenceGod has brought everything into existence. He also sus-tains everything.

You should know that contingent things, allof them- whether they be matters, accidents,bodies, intellects, souls, celestial spheres orelements (jawahir, i‘rad, ajsam, ‘uqul, nu-fus, aflak, ‘anasir)- all are supported by the[power of] bringing-into-existence of the all-powerful chooser (ijad-i qadir-i mukhtar) whohas brought them from their concealment innonexistence into existence. As with their ex-istence, they also need Him (SWT) for theirsustenance. [A 1.266, 113.18-114.1]

Worldly Occasions and Their EffectivitiesBy His wisdom, God has hidden Himself behind the cur-tain of worldly occasions; but wise men see that curtain

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as a proof of His existence.

God has made the existence of the worldlyoccasions (asbab) a curtain for His activityand He has made wisdom as the covering forHis power. No! Instead, He has made worldlyoccasions as the proof of the fixedness of Hisown activity. And He has made wisdom asthe medium for the existence [i.e., applica-tion] of His power.

The Mujaddid continues,

Possessors of sagacity are those whose insighthas been embellished by the kohl of follow-ing the authority of the prophets. They knowthat worldly occasions and mediums need Godfor them to come into existence and to re-main existing. They obtain from Him eventhe slightest degree of their fixedness and abid-ingness [thubut va qiyam]. In actuality, theyare really sheer inanimate things. How willthey bring about “traces” in other inanimatethings like themselves? Or how will they ef-fectuate or originate them?

So there must be an all-powerful Being abovethem who has brought them into existenceand granted them their appropriate perfections.It may be compared to the scenario where in-telligent people see inanimate things [such aspuppets in a puppet show] acting and fromthat they deduce that those things must havean actor or a mover [such as the puppeteer]behind them. They do know that this act isnot possible for it [to do on by itself]. There

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must be an actor above them who has broughtthat act into existence.

So the act of an inanimate thing is not a cur-tain hiding the real actor for the intelligentpeople. On the contrary, when he sees theinanimate thing acting, it points toward thereal actor.

The same argument applies here! Yes!Lessintelligent people may indeed see the act ofan inanimate thing as a curtain for the act ofthe true actor. Since when he sees it acting,he considers the sheer inanimate thing as thepossessor of power and denies the true actor.As God says in the Koran,It misguides manyand guides many(Koran 2:26). This knowl-edge of mine has been learned from the nicheof prophethood. Everyone’s knowledge doesnot reach there!

Wise men attain their wisdom by following the author-ity of the prophets. They know that “worldly occasions”prove the existence of their Creator. Worldly occasionslack any power in and of themselves. So if their Cre-ator did not possess power, how else would worldly oc-casions attain power? Therefore, the fact that worldly oc-casions “apparently” possess power establishes that thereis a Supreme Being that is giving them that power. It islike the puppet that acts in a puppet show, thereby prov-ing that there must be a puppeteer who is controlling thepuppets, and giving them their power to move.

41

41”Worldly occasions” that are beings other than humans may indeed becompared to puppets, but human beings are not mere puppets inthe Mujad-

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There are many benefits of having “worldly occa-sions” as intermediaries. As a proof, the Mujaddid citesthe story of Prophet Jacob in the noble Koran. He re-bukes those who do not see the need for worldly occa-sions. It is via the medium of those worldly occasionsthat God Himself works. Our infinitely wise Lord em-ploys worldly occasions, as He knows that there is wis-dom in it. Such is also the sunna of the prophets.

There are many people who consider the elim-ination of worldly occasions to be perfection.First, they relate everything to the Haqq (SWT)without any intermediary. They do not realizethat you eliminate wisdom when you elimi-nate worldly occasions. There is much ben-efit and wholesomeness in this wisdom [i.e.,worldly occasions].Lord! You have not cre-ated this in vain(Koran 3:191). The prophetsheld that all things proceed from God; how-ever, they still always employed worldly oc-casions as if those were pious deeds. For ex-ample, in the case of Hazrat Jacob, he antici-pated danger and suggested to his sons:Sons!Don’t enter through a single door. Instead,enter through different doors(Koran 12:67).

Yes! Prophet Jacob did employ a “worldly occasion” forhis sons’ safety; he did instruct them to enter throughdifferent doors. He was afraid that someone will lookat them with “evil eyes” and harm them. So to avoidor, or at least to minimize the damage to one son only,he suggested them to enter through different doors. Buteven after employing that occasion, he put his trust and

didi scheme. Indeed, the Mujaddid grants human beings far more freedomthan Ashari does. See the section below entitled ”God the Desirer and Cre-ator of both Good and Evil.”

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WORLDLY OCCASIONS AND THEIR EFFECTIVITIES143

faith in God. And that attitude denotes the perfection ofreliance on Allah. Ignorant people may think that throw-ing up their hands, sitting still without making any effort,and hoping that God will perform a miracle is the apogeeof reliance on Allah. However, that is not what God sug-gests and this is not what His messengers do.

Along with [employing] these considerations(mara‘at) [i.e., worldly occasions, Jacob] rel-egated this matter to the Haqq (SWT) andsaid, I will not be able to protect you fromAllah in any matter. Verily there is no rul-ing except that of Allah. On Him I rely andon Him relies the reliant(Koran 12:67). TheHaqq (SWT) was pleased and He suggestedthat it came from Him and commented aboutHazrat Jacob, Verily he possesses knowledgefor We taught him. However, most men donot know this much(Koran 12:68). In the no-ble Koran, God Himself has also indicated toour prophet to take up intermediaries,DearProphet! Allah and your faithful followerssuffice for you(Koran 8:64).42

The Mujaddid supports the ulama of the mainstream Sunnicommunity by supporting the concept of “effectivity”—the ability of contingent things to effect. Employing thepower to effect of the created things is not a negation ofreliance on God. On the contrary, it is a demonstratationof perfect reliance on God, who is the Creator of that

42While most Koranic exegetes interpret this verse as translated above,a minority interpret it differently, as For you and your faithful followers,Allah is sufficient. Following the majority interpretation, the Mujaddid sug-gests that this verse hints the Prophet to take benefit from his companionsas intermediaries. [IA]

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effectivity. And when He wills, the worldly occasionsbecome effective, and when He does not will it, they donot become effective.

Now what remains is the matter of “effectiv-ities” (ta’thir ) of the worldly occasions. Ithas been narrated that the Haqq (SWT) some-times does create effectivities in the worldlyoccasions and so [in those cases] those things[worldly occasions] do become effective. Andother times, He does not create the effectivi-ties in them. Therefore, inevitably [in thosecases] those things [worldly occasions] do notshow any effect.

It is apprpriate that the Haqq (SWT) createseffectivities in worldly occasions some of thetime and then they become effective. Andsome other times, no effectivity manifests fromthose [worldly occasions]. To deny absolutelythe effectivity of worldly occasions is evidenceof intellectual arrogance. One must admit ef-fectivities. One should also admit that effec-tivities depend on God’s capability of bring-ing things into existence, just as the worldlyoccasions do. This is my opinion on this mat-ter. AllahAllah (SWT) reveals the truth!

From the above, we can conclude that employing worldlyoccasions does not negate reliance on Allah; on the con-trary, it denotes complete reliance on Allah.

This clarifies that employing worldly occa-sions as intermediaries is not contrary to re-liance on Allah- although the “imperfect ones”[who have not realized the true knowledge]

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may think otherwise. On the contrary, theperfection of reliance on Allah lies in em-ploying worldly occasions as intermediaries.Hazrat Jacob (salam) employed worldly oc-casions, left everything to the Haqq (SWT),and then relied on Him. As he [Prophet Ja-cob, (salam)] says in the Koran,I rely on Himand on Him relies the reliant(Koran 12:67.)[A 1.266, 114.1-115.13]

God Desires and Creates Both Good and EvilThe Mujaddid affirms the mainstream Sunni creed thatsays that God creates both good and evil. However, Heis well pleased by good deeds and displeased by evildeeds. This subtle difference between “desiring” and“good-pleasure” is hard to understand- and has given birthto many schisms.

He (SWT) desires both good and evil. AndHe creates both of them. However, He is wellpleased by good [deeds] and displeased byevil [deeds.] There is a subtle difference be-tween desiring (irada) and good pleasure (rida).Out of all the sects of Islam, Haqq (SWT)has given [only] the mainstream Sunni sectguidance on this difference. The rest of thesects have not been given guidance on thisdifference and so they have remained in er-ror. Here, the [misguided sect named] Mu-tazila says that man is the creator of his ownactions. And it [the Mutazila sect] finds thathe [man] brings his own lack of faith or dis-obedience into existence. [A 1.266, 115.13-16]

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The Mujaddid explains and comments on Ibn Arabi’sproposition that good deeds come from God’s name, theGuide, and bad deeds come from His name, the Mis-guider, and therefore, He is obligated to like both goodand evil equally; they both please God in the same way.The Mujaddid rejects this proposition of Ibn Arabi andcomments that this view is similar to Oobligationism, adiscredited heresy.

It is understood from what Shaykh Muhiyud-din [Ibn Arabi] and his followers [who can becompared to another misguided sect]43

imply that faith and wholesome deeds pleasethe name the Guide in the same way that lackof faith and disobedience please the name theMisguider. This proposition contradicts the“people of truth.” And it [this proposition ofIbn Arabi] also is inclined toward obligation-ism [the doctrine that God is obligated to dowhatever He does]; He is obligated to be wellpleased [at all activity] in the same way thatthe sun’s rise and its illumination is pleasingto the sun. [A 1.266, 115.16-19]

My sufi shaykh interprets this section above in the fol-lowing way.

The sun rises and illuminates the solar sys-tem whether it wants to or does not want tois immaterial. Here, its volition is meaning-

43The Mujaddid here equates Ibn Arabi and his followers with a sect.However, it should be noted that he means ”sect” only in an allegoricalsense. For he always considers Ibn Arabi as a great master of the mainstreamSunni community and his views that contradicts the mainstream Sunni com-munity as errors of unveilings and thus excusable.

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less. Ibn Arabi says that those things, e.g.,faith, wholesome deeds, lack of faith, disobe-dience, etc. will please God in the same way.That is, God is obligated to like all the deedsof man, good or bad; He has no choice in thismatter, since all actions of man proceed fromGod Himself [i.e., the good actions proceedfrom His name the Guide,al-Hadi, and thebad actions proceed from His name the Mis-guider,al-Mudill]. 44

The Mujaddid affirms that God is the Creator of all ac-tions, however; He has given man power and desire sothat he himself may choose whether to do a certain ac-tion or not. When he does choose to do it, Allah createsthat act.

Haqq (SWT) has given man [the attributesof] power and desire so that he himself maychoose to perform the action [or not]. Cre-ation of the action relates to Haqq (SWT).And kasbor “earning the merit” [of the actionas the wages of his free choice of perform-ing that action over not performing that ac-tion] relates to man. Such is the habit (‘adat)of Allah (SWT). After man intends to act outan action, Allah’s act of creation attaches it-self (muta‘allaq) to that [intended] action. [A1.266, 115.19-116.2]

And in this method God “creates” that intended action.

The concept ofkasb, which means “acquisition,”or “earning merit,” comes fromkalam, the Muslim reli-gious science used to defend the traditional Islamic be-

44Muhammad Mamunur Rashid,Islami Bishwas, p. 24

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liefs against the argumentations of the philosophers ofthefaylasuftradition and others. In contrast to the Chris-tian science of theology, the only purpose of kalam wasdefensive, i.e. to defend against the arguments of thefaylasufsand others. Imam Ashari, the first person tosystematize the mainstream Sunni kalam, introduced thisconcept to answer this dilemma “God is the creator ofhuman actions. All human acts are actually divine act(s).So how can man be penalized on account of God’s act?Would that not be injustice?” (Please note that reward-ing someone undeservedly is not injustice, it is God’sbounty- punishing someone unjustly is the contentiousissue.) On one extreme, the deviant Jabariya or Compul-sionist sect held that God compels man to do whateverhe does- both good actions and bad actions. This wouldmake God unjust for His punishment of someone in thelast world. On the other extreme, the deviant The Mu-tazila sect held that God granted man absolute freedomin his actions and man is the creator of his own actions,thus God would be unjust in sending someone to hell onaccount of his actions. Thus God becomes less than om-nipotent, thus undeserving of His name all-powerful andnot the Creator of everything, and so undeserving of Hisname All-Creating.

Complusionists Asharis (the dominant Mutazilas(Jabariya) mainstream Sunni school)

Man has no Man has “limited” Man has completefree will free will free will

Table 4.10: Free will of man: A comparison of the three sects

In answer to both, Imam Ashari, the predominantmainstream Sunni scholar of kalam, and his followers

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GOD DESIRES AND CREATES BOTH GOOD AND EVIL149

introduced the concept of acquisition orkasb. They ex-plained that there is a distinction between the creation(khalq) and acquisition (kasb) of an action. While Godcreates all human acts, man acquires his acts from Him.Their viewpoint is summarized in this table. I also con-trast the Ashari theory with the Mutazila theory, to under-stand the former better. As the poet Rumi wrote, “Thingsare known by their contraries!”

Now God has indeed given man both power anddesire, but how much? The official mainstream Sunniteaching is that God has given man “limited free will.”Now what is the extent of this “limited free will? Howis it limited? Imam Ashari has given man a very lim-ited free will and the Mujaddid criticizes this in severalof his maktubs. In contrast, the Mujaddid grants man atruer free will, in line with the Maturudi school of kalamthat he followed. He proposes an ethics in which manis more responsible for his actions than Ashari proposes-he theorizes that while man’s act of choosing is “weaker”than God’s act of choosing, still it is sufficient to dothe act and therefore, it is man who is morally respon-sible for the consequences of all his actions. Yes! Non-human “worldly occasions” may be compared to “pup-pets.” However, human beings are not mere “puppets”with God pulling the strings; they do possess a true “free-dom” in their activity in the stage of the world, althoughit is a stage that God has set up.

When man’s action proceeds from [his own]act of intending and act of choosing (qasdva ikhtiyar), then it is he who deserves thepraise, censure, reward, or punishment (mad-ha va dham va thawab va ‘iqab). It is saidthat man’s act of choosing is “weak” (da’if ).What does “weak” mean here? If it means

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that human act of choosing is “weaker” thanthe divine act of choosing, then it is correct.On the contrary, if it means that human act ofchoosing is not sufficient to do the act thenit is not correct. Verily Allah (SWT) doesnot prescribe for someone an act that is notwithin one’s realm of ability. He wants theeasy act for man, not the difficult act.45 [A1.266, 116.2-6; FR 74.2-20]

Jabariya Asharis Mujaddid Mutazilas(Compulsionists)

Absolutely no “limited” free “More and truer Complete freefree will will free will” will

Table 4.11: Free will of Man: Comparison between the threesects and the Mujaddid

The Mujaddid proposes a “more and truer free will”than the Asharis, but still less than the complete free willthat the Mutazilas propose.

Eternal Bliss and DamnationThe Mujaddid unveilings totally conform with the main-stream Sunni creed—the faithful will enjoy an eternityof bliss and those who are unfaithful to the core, lackingeven a grain of faith, will suffer eternal damnation.

The gist of the section is that meting out aneverlasting recompense for an action of tem-porary duration is the “measuring out” (taqdir)

45The Mujaddid discusses more on predestination in maktub 1.289

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by Haqq. He has decreed everlasting punish-ment to be the proper recompense for lack offaith for a temporary period of time [that isthe earthly life]. And He has decreed ever-lasting bliss to be the proper recompense forfaith lasting for a temporary period of time[that is the earthly life]- such is the “measur-ing out” of the Mighty and Wise. [A 1.266,116.6-8]

The Mujaddid justifies eternal bliss and damnation.He argues that an “eternity” of bliss or pain is the properrecompense for possessing faith in God or not; since Godis so sublime.

By the grace of Allah, we can also under-stand that it is He who is the Lord of all man-ifest and nonmanifest bliss and it is He whobrought the heavens and the earth into exis-tence; and also all the greatness and perfec-tion that there is, all that is established forHim. The recompense for exercising a lackof faith in Him would also be a most severepunishment. And that punishment is eternaldamnation.

Likewise, to have faith in an unseen God whogrants us so much bliss should have a greatrecompense. And to hold Him to be Truewhen the impediments of the [instigating] souland Satan exist should also have a great rec-ompense. Indeed, their recompense shouldbe the greatest recompense. And that recom-pense should be everlasting bliss. So faith isthe cause of being granted that greatest rec-ompense, which is everlasting bliss! That re-

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ally glorifies faith. Or instead, that glorifiesGod who is the object of that faith.

Some shaykhs [e.g., Ibn Arabi] have said thatentrance into paradise truly depends on di-vine bounty. [However, [while I, the Mujad-did, agree to it, I also propose that God] hasmade it appear that it [entrance to paradise]depends on our faith ? and there is a reasonfor Him doing so. And the reason is that wefind the compensation of our own acts to bemore pleasurable. [So, we find paradise morepleasurable when we know that it is the re-sult of us having faith than when we knowthat it is the result of divine bounty. Yes!]I consider that-entrance to paradise dependson faith. [However, faith is merely an in-termediary reason here, not the ultimate rea-son.] And faith is His bounty and gift. [Soultimately, entrance to paradise depends ondivine bounty.] Similarly, entrance into helldepends on faithlessness. And faithlessnessgrows out of the caprices of the instigatingsoul.All the beautiful things that you receiveare from Allah and all the ugly things thatyou receive are from your own selves(Koran4:79). [A 1.266, 116.8-16]

The Mujaddid refutes Ibn Arabi’s proposition onthe eternity on punishement. Ibn Arabi proposes that af-ter suffering hellfire for a long long time, everyone willbe ultimately forgiven and granted paradise. The Mu-jaddid disagrees with that and instead supports the con-sensus of opinion of the ulama of the mainstream Sunnicommunity- that the faithless will suffer eternal damna-

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tion. He says it glorifies God to grant perpetual paradiseonly to those who have faith in Him; and to send thosewho reject Him to everlasting hell. Perpetuity in paradiseor eternal damnation- such a bountiful reward or severepunishment on account of possessing faith in God or not,that only exalts God!

The Mujaddid explains that denial of God is such anenormous sin that eternal damnation is its proper recom-pense. Here he again contradicts Ibn Arabi and supportsthe ulama of the mainstream Sunni community.

You should know the following. You may en-ter paradise only if you possess faith. [Faithis so important that one receives such a greatgift, like the gift of paradise, only if one pos-sesses faith. And the reason behind it] is re-ally to glorify faith; instead to glorify [Godwho is] the object of that faith. It is for thisreason that such an exalted wage is meted out[on account of faith ? it glorifies God whois the object of that faith]. And you will en-ter hell if you lack faith. [Faith is very criti-cal! So critical! So critical that one receivesthe dreadful punishment of eternal damnationfor lacking faith. And the reason behind thatrule] is really to denigrate lack of faith and tovenerate (tabjil) Him [God], in whom is thatlack of faith. It is for this reason that sucha severe and everlasting punishment is metedout. [A 1.266, 116.16-20]

Now the Mujaddid criticizes Ibn Arabi who deniedeternal damnation for the faithless and instead proposedthat finally everyone will enter paradise.

What some shaykhs [e.g., Ibn Arabi and his

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followers] have said on it lacks this subtlety.Also, entrance to hell corresponds to that [lackof faith] and those shaykhs interpretations donot address this either. For entrance into helltruly depends on lack of faith. Allah (SWT)inspires the truth! Such as this! [A 1.266,116.20-117.2]

The VisionIt is an article of faith of the mainstream Sunni commu-nity that the faithful will “see” God in the last world.The Mujaddid’s verification of this vision of Allah agreeswith the mainstream Sunni creed.

The faithful will see the Haqq (SWT) in thelast world in paradise. That vision will be“directionless” (bi-jihat); “howless” (bi-kayf);“without likeness” (bi-shabh) and “withoutanalogy” (bi-mithal). [A 1.266, 117.2-3]

The Mujaddid comments that all Muslim sects ex-cept the mainstream Sunnis deny the vision. Even IbnArabi reduces the vision to a “self-disclosure in the out-ward form.”

This is such a matter that every sect, be itwithin our religion or out of it, denies- exceptthe mainstream Sunnis- they [those outsidethe mainstream Sunni sect e.g., the Mutazi-las] do not permit a vision that is “direction-less” and “without what manner.” Even so,Shaykh Muhiyuddin Ibn Arabi has reducedthis next-worldly vision to a “self-disclosurein the outward form” (tajalli-i suri ) and he

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THE VISION 155

does not permit any self-disclosure except withthis [interpretation, that it is a] type [that isonly in the outward form]. [A 1.266, 117.3-5]

The Mujaddid points out that the vision that the main-stream Sunnis propose and the Mutazilas deny is differ-ent from what Ibn Arabi calls the vision.

The Mutazilas deny the vision since they stress theincomparability (tanzih) of God and deny His similarity(tashbih). In the reductio ad absurdumsyllogism, theyargue in this line, “Since God is incomparable, His vi-sion also must be incomparable. Therefore, the visionmust be ‘directionless’ and ‘without what manner.’ How-ever, we can not ‘see’ something that is ‘directionless’ or‘without what manner.’ Therefore, the vision must be anabsurdity.”

Ibn Arabi says that if the Mutazilas conceived thevision to be some kind of “self-disclosure in the outwardform” like he conceives, they would not have denied it.His conception of the self-disclosure (that he calls self-disclosure in the outward form ortajalli-i suri ) has bothdirection and “how”; so the Mutazilas would not havedenied such a type of self-disclosure.

One day, our Hazrat [Baqibillah] quoted fromthe Shaykh [Ibn Arabi], “If the Mutazilas wouldnot confine this vision to the level oftanzih,i.e., divine incomparability and instead wouldproposetashbih, i.e., divine similarity and wouldrecognize the vision to be this self-disclosure[in the outward form], they would never denythis vision or consider it impossible. That is,their denial is on the point of it [the vision]being directionless and without-how (bi-kayf)

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[that is specific to the level oftanzih]. How-ever, that [self-disclosure] which the Mutazi-las conceive] is not at all like this self-disclosure[in the outward form, which I, Ibn Arabi, con-ceive], as this one has both direction and how.”46

[A 1.266, 117.5-9]

The Mujaddid points out that the “self-disclosure inthe outward form” of Ibn Arabi would not be a vision ofGod at all. And if someone proposes that the vision isa sort of “self-disclosure in the outward form,” then heis really denying that vision altogether and thus denyingthe mainstream Sunni creed.

It should be borne in mind that to drag downthis last-worldly vision to a “self-disclosureas an outward from (tajalli-i suuri)” [a self-disclosure where God appears as a physicalform, which Ibn Arabi proposes] is really todeny this vision. It is because although that[last-worldly] “self-disclosure in the outwardform” is different from this [worldly] “self-disclosure in the outward form,” still it is notthe vision of the Haqq (SWT). [A 1.266, 117.9-11]

The faithful will see Him, lackingany “how”But will neither perceive Him norwill take down an image[of Him]

The poem above illustrates what the nature of thatvision would be. It would be just as the Mujaddid ex-plained in his monographMabda’ va Ma‘ad,

46For more of his writings on the vision, see the Mujaddid’s monographMabda’ va Ma‘ad, Minhas i.e., chapters 20 and 42; and also maktub 3.44

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Tomorrow [on the Day of the Resurrection]all the faithful will see the Haqq (SWT) withtheir [own physical] eyes; but none will beable to perceive Him.Sight would not be ableto perceive Him(Koran 6:103).” [Mabda 42,66.1-.3]

Dispatch of the Prophets is MercyThe Mujaddid discusses the benefit of sending prophetsto mankind.47 To the Mujaddid, prophets are critical inorder to tell us about God and His attributes. While intel-lect is a proof, it is only an incomplete proof. Therefore,the dispatch of the prophets is critical.

The dispatch of the prophets is an act of mercyto the inhabitants of the world. If these greatones were not the intermediaries, then whowould guide lost people like us toward theknowledge of the person and the attributesof the Necessary Existence (SWT)? Or whowould distinguish between the things that pleaseour lord well and the things that do not pleaseHim well? Without the support from the lightof their invitation toward God, our imperfectintellects are far removed from this knowl-edge. And without following these great ones[who are the prophets], our incomplete un-derstandings cannot understand it. Yes! Intel-lect is always a proof but it is an incompleteproof. It has not reached the level of maturity.Dispatch of the prophets is the mature proof.

47The Mujaddid writes more on the same theme-the need for prophets-inhis monographIthbat wa Nubuwwat

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That is why the last-worldly reward and pun-ishment depends on it.

The Mujaddid answers the question, “If one disobeys theprophets, he is subject to punishment in the last world.If the prophets did not warn him, God would not havepunished him. So prophets can be said to be the cause ofhis punishment. So how then, can the dispatch be termedas an act of mercy?”

Question: Since the last-worldly punishmentalways depends on this dispatch [of the prophets],how could one possibly call this dispatch a“mercy to the inhabitants of the world?”

In answer, the Mujaddid first recounts all the nu-merous benefits of the dispatch of the prophets.

Answer: This dispatch is identical to mercy,as it is the worldly occasion, which leads tothe knowledge of the person and the attributesof the Necessary Existence (SWT), and that[knowledge] guarantees felicity, both in thisworld and the next world. By this felicityof dispatch, we attain the cognition of thatwhich is appropriate to the Holy Majesty thatis He (SWT) from that which is inappropri-ate to the Holy Majesty that is He (SWT).Our lame and blind intellect is branded by thebrand of contingentness and newly-originatedness!How will it know which name or attribute or[what is the reality of the] act(s) that is ap-propriate to the Necessary Presence who isnecessarily eternal? So that it [our lame andblind intellect] may know which ones [of thenames, attributes, or act(s)] it should apply to

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Him and which ones it should not? On thecontrary, due to its own imperfection, it [theintellect] often considers perfection as imper-fection; and imagines imperfection as perfec-tion.

I consider [the knowledge of] this distinctionabove all obvious and hidden bliss. He ismost unfortunate who applies inappropriatethings to the Person (SWT); and associates anundeserved thing to His exalted presence. Bythis dispatch, [man can] separate truth fromfalsehood. And he can distinguish right wor-ship from the false [worship]. Through themeans of this dispatch, they [the prophets] in-vite man to the Haqq (SWT), and bring theservants to felicity of the nearness and “ar-rival” to the Master. Through the means ofthis dispatch, one may be informed on how towell please the Master (lofty are His modes!)as it has been mentioned before. And onecan distinguish when one may intervene inthe possession of the Almighty and when onemay not. There are many more benefits ofthis dispatch. So it is now decided that thedispatch of the prophets is a mercy.

He notes that he who disobeys this dispatch has onlyhimself to blame for his punishment, not the dispatch.Therefore, the dispatch is still mercy, as it has numerousbenefits.

So one who obeys the caprices of his insti-gating soul (nafs-i ammarah) is the one whodisparages this dispatch at the instigation ofthe accursed Satan and who does not practice

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in accordance to the message of that dispatch.So why should that dispatch be blamed there?Instead, why should not that [dispatch via theprophets] still [be considered to] be mercy?[A 1.266, 117.11-118.11, FR76.12-11.22]

Intellects and RevelationHere the Mujaddid answers a question that is extremelyrelevant to modern times, as many spiritually-minded peo-ple (“New Agers” in America and elsewhere) ask, “Whydo we need to bother with divine Revelation? Why can’twe just follow our hearts instead?”

First, we need to note that the gods that many ofthese new-agers follow are not even within their heartsbut instead theirnafs-i ammarah, instigating souls. Theydo what they want to do, i.e., what their instigating soulswant to do. But even when some of them (the more spir-itual ones) do follow their hearts, even then they maybe misguided. This is true even for their masters whohave some realization of God, or even sufi masters. Thisis why we need to follow the divinely revealed code ofconduct sent to the prophets for our salvation.

Here, the Mujaddid explains that even the purifiedintellects, even those of their masters who have “realizedGod,” are not free from human frailties. And therefore,even the rulings derived by the purified intellects of thosemasters (let alone the impure intellects of ordinary peo-ple) are not reliable. Only the divine revelation that theprophets receive is free from such errors and so is en-tirely reliable.

Question: The intellect is essentially imper-fect and incomplete in realizing the divine rul-

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ings in itself or by itself. Even then, havingbeen cleansed and purified [i.e., refined andpolished] it [the intellect] does find a correla-tion and conjunction (munasaba va ittisal) inan “other than how” manner [i.e., it finds anunqualified connection] to the level of Neces-saryness (wujub). (SWT) As a result of thatcorrelation and conjunction, why can’t it [theintellect] acquire the divine injunctions fromthere [i.e., from God directly and without theintermediation of any prophet]? Why shouldthere still be a need for a dispatch [by theprophets to mankind] via the angels?

Answer: Although the intellect may createsuch a correlation and conjunction [with God]still theta‘alluq, [the intimate attachment thatcomes down to the intellect] from the “hylo-morphic form” [i.e., the essence of an indi-vidual man who is receiving the knowledge]does not completely disappear or disengage.So the faculty of imagination [that is an in-tegral part of the essence of man] is alwaysholding fast onto it [the intellect]. Illusionsnever leave the screen of its mind. The fac-ulties of anger and appetite are its constantcompanions. The vices of eager desire andcovetousness are its continual confidants. Absent-mindedness and forgetfulness that are charac-teristics of man are squandered on it. Errorsand mistakes that are the lot of mankind donot leave it. Therefore intellect is not depend-able. And the rules derived by it are not wellprotected from the power of imagination andthe intervention of illusion. And they [those

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rules] are not preserved from the taint of for-getfulness and the surmise of error. The caseof the angels is its contrary. They are purefrom these ascriptions and exonerated fromthese vices. Therefore, they are necessarilydependable. And the rules derived by it [themethod of transmission via the angels] arewell guarded from the taint of illusion andimagination and the surmise of forgetfulnessand error.

On the hylomorphic form, Aristotle proposed thatprimary substances, i.e., individual things (e.g., the manKarim or the man Zahir, the thing A or the thing B, etc.)are hylomorphic compounds made of matter poured intothe mold that is the “hylomorphic form” orpikar hayyu-lani. So hylomorphic form means “essence” of a thing.In Ibn Arabi’s ontology that follows that tradition here,the hylomorphic form is the “fixed entity”48 and matteris wujud. Or the hylomorphic form is the “receptacle”or qabil of divinewujud. Or the hylomorphic form is the“essence” while the substance is the outer form, thesura.In this context, hylomorphic form refers to the “essence”of man that includes human frailties like the vices of for-getfulness, error, imagination, etc.

Another question, “It is the God-realized sufi mas-ters who have said sayings like ‘All is He (hama ust),’ ‘Iam the Haqq (anal Haqq),’ ‘I am the Exalted (subhani),’etc. So why aren’t they true?” The Mujaddid clarifiesthat even for those great masters, the messages that theypresume to be from God may be false. First, those mes-sages may have been corrupted during their transmissionto those masters.

48On fixed entities (a‘yan thabita), see SPK p. 89. For a definition of”fixed entity” see SPK, pps. 11-12, pps. 83-86.

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Metallic Individual Individual Outer form Outer formthing thing thing

Mold Hylomorphic Fixed entity Essence Realityform (haqiqa)

Metal Matter Wujud(existenceof God)

Table 4.12: Things and their compositions

There are some premises (like All is He,hamaust, subhani, anal haqq) that the [sufi] mas-ters hold as axiomatic truths (muqaddamat-i musallama.) 49 They have been attainedby the way of illusion and imagination alongwith other things. [So, necessarily] they arefar from the truth. Sometimes I sense thatwhen a science that is [really a body of] spir-itual conjectures (bi-talaqqii ruhani) is spiri-tually received, that science is contaminatedwith some of those false premises. That hap-pens in that interval of time when the sensoryfaculties spiritually take down that science.At that time, some of those false premisesare sometimes unintentionally contaminatedwith that science in a way that those premisescannot be distinguished [from that science]at that critical interval of time [of reception].While in that state [of reception], sometimesthose [false premises] can be distinguished

49muqaddamat-i musallama(premises that [sufi] masters accept gener-ally and hold as axiomatic truths.)Musallamameans premises that are ac-cepted and held as axiomatic truths by the ”experts and the elite,” in thiscontext ”sufi masters,” as opposed to the common people in general

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[from that science that was originally receivedfrom God] and some other times they can-not be distinguished. Therefore, that science[that was originally true and pure] has neces-sarily attained the form of falsehood as it hasbeen contaminated with those false premises.Therefore, none should rely on that [contam-inated] science any longer.

Note: When the Mujaddid wrote it, he directed thisnot only against the misguided sufis and “spirituals,”butalso against thefaylasuftradition philosophers. The mis-guided sufis believed that when they would receive their“enlightenment,” they would attain an arrival (wasl) withGod; and through that relationship, they would establisha correlation with God and receive knowledge from Himdirectly. In the same way, many of thesefaylasuf tra-dition philosophers (Avicenna, al-Farabi, Ibn Bajjah etal) proposed that a elect few may attain enlightenmentthrough the acquisition of knowledge50. And when theenlighted minds of the seekers-of-knowledge will attaintrue enlightenment, those minds will attain “conjunction(ittisal)” with the active intellect. And then those “en-lightened philosophers” will attain knowledge directlyfrom it.

Note: The Mujaddid writes in his monograph theMabda’ va Ma‘ad 51 that initially the heart receives aspiritual knowledge and it is only then that the knowl-edge is transmitted to the sensory faculties. On the otherhand, the sensory organs receive a worldly knowledgefirst and it is only then that knowledge is transmitted to

50Fakhry, Majid,A History of Islamic Philosophy, (New York: ColumbiaUniversity Press, 2004) p. 271

51Ahmad Sirhindi,Mabda’ va Ma‘ad, minha 43; I referred to the Bengalitranslation p. 97

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the heart, which is the repository of conviction. Prob-ably, the Mujaddid means the same thing here that theheart receives this science spiritually and then this sci-ence is transmitted to the sensory organs. He may alsomean that the heart is the repository of the conviction thatthose are false premises and they ‘mix with that sciencewhile that science is being transmitted from the heart tothe sensory organs. Remember that in Islamic sciences,especially in sufi epistemology, the heart,qalb is the or-gan of cognition, not the brain.

Second, the Mujaddid explains that those messagesare corrupt because they have been received in an impureheart. Please note that this argument is applicable in thecase of masters who live their lives outside the sharia.Yes! The Mujaddid says that these “God-realized” mas-ters may indeed receive inspirations, unveilings or per-form miracles! However, one must follow divine revela-tion in order to purify his “heart”- and it is not the “soul,”nafsbut the “heart,”qalb that is the primary organ of re-alizing divine knowledge in the Islamic tradition. He ex-plains that for those masters, it is their “souls” that arepurified but not their “hearts.” They may attain miracu-lous powers and unveilings of the unseen world throughtheir purified souls but since their “hearts” are still im-pure, the messages that they receive there are also impureand are not worthy of reliance.

Or I can say that the cleansing and purifica-tion of the soul depends on practicing thosewholesome deeds that satisfy the Master anddepend on the dispatch—as it has been nar-rated before. Therefore, one may not real-ize the cleansing and purification without thedispatch. The purification that the faithless

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and the corrupt attain52 is the purification ofthe soul only but not the purification of theheart. And the purification of the soul alonedoes not increase anything but misguidance.And it points to nowhere except damage. Theunveilings of some unseen things that comein the hand of the faithless and the corrupt iswhat leads one step by step to ruin. Their re-sult is badness and damages that group.

May Allah (SWT) save us from these calami-ties by our reverence for the “prince of theprophets [Muhammad]” (salam). [A 1.266,118.11-119.11; FR 77.22-79.6]

Prescriptions of the Sharia Are BlessingsThe Mujaddid does not consider the imposition of thedivine commandments on us as a burden; instead, it isa blessing. The Mujaddid notes that some people whoreject the divine law ask the question, “Why did God im-pose a burdensome law on us? Instead, why did he notlet us live like animals, unencumbered by any law?”

It is clear from this verification that the pre-scription of the sharia that is established bythe prophetic method is also a blessing. Itis not what the heretics who reject the shariaconsider.

In Arabic, taklif does mean “prescription” but inPersian, the language of Islamic India,taklif means, “bur-den.” So what in Arabic means “God has prescribed

52Elsewhere in theMaktubat, the Mujaddid writes that although the yogisand Brahmins of India engage in many arduous practices to attain God, theyhave come to naught, as those practices were not in conformity of the sharia

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sharia for man” means in Persian “God has burdenedman with the sharia.”

They mistakenly think that the wordtaklif,“prescription” derives from the wordkulfat,“burden.” And so they think this way but itis irrational. They argue, “Where is the kind-ness of God if He would prescribe difficultdeeds to people and say that if they would dothis difficult prescription then they would besent to paradise and if they do otherwise thenthey would be sent to hell? Why did He pre-scribe these difficult things instead of lettingus eat and sleep and do whatever we like?”

Now the Mujaddid answers why we should followthe divine law. First, the intellect establishes the prescrip-tions of the law as necessary. Those prescriptions are notat all a burden; instead they are expressions of gratitudefor God’s blessings to mankind.

These unfortunate and unwise people do notseem to know that man’s intelligence requirespeople to express gratitude [to God] for theblessings that they receive [from Him]. Theseprescriptions of the sharia are the clarificationof this gratitude. Therefore, intellect estab-lishes “prescription” as necessary.

Second, the Mujaddid explains that the law makesthe world an orderly place.

Furthermore, the order of the world dependson this prescription. If everyone were left tohis own whim, nothing but evil and corrup-tion would appear. Every whimsical person

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would lay his hands on other peoples’ bodiesand properties. And depravity and corruptionwould reign. They would destroy themselvesand they would destroy him [on whom theyhave laid their hands]! May Allah save us! Ifthe prohibition and the ban by the sharia werenot there! Your life lies in just retribution!Possessors of intelligence!(Koran 2:179).

The drunk Ethiopian would vomitin the KaabaIf the cane of the judge were notruling

Third, the Mujaddid argues, “God is our absoluteowner. So whatever He has ordered us to do must bedone without any question. None may question whateverHe does!”

Or I can also say that He (SWT) is the un-bounded possessor and people are His pos-sessions. So whatever ruling that He givesor whatever intervention He does to them areidentical to goodness and wholesomeness. Sothese rulings are devoid of and exonerated fromeven a taint of injustice and corruption.Nonemay question whatever He does!(Koran 21:23).

Who has the courage?(In fear of Him!)

To open up his mouth!Until he has submitted to Him!

If He (SWT) would send everyone to hell anddecree eternal damnation, we may not protest

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against Him. For that would not be a viola-tion of the rights of others. Nor would therebe even a taint of injustice. [This is] unlikeour possessions, which are truly His posses-sions. Every use of that [divine possessionby us] is transgression in itself. That is be-cause [Allah] the Master of the Sharia, hasgiven us those possessions for some whole-some purpose, although in reality, those areHis possessions. Therefore, our violation ofthem [the divine possessions or rights] is per-missible [only] to that extent that God the ab-solute and unbounded owner permits it andremains indifferent to it. [A 1.266, 119.11-120.10; FR 79.6-80.12]

Revelation is TrueThe Revelation that the prophets of God receive is indeedtrue.

What these great ones [the prophets of God](salam) delivered as decrees from God andclarification of the rules, all that is true andconforms to true events.

Yes! The prophets may make errors, but that erroris only temporary. God does not allow them to remain inerror for long. For example, in the Koranic story of theProphet Jonah (Koran 37:139–148), God dispatched himto his people and entrusted him with the obligation ofprophethood. However, he was disheartened by his peo-ple’s adamant refusal to heed the truth. In desperation,he left the area leaving his mission and his people. Godbecame angry at Hazrat Jonah and following the divine

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command, a big fish devoured Hazrat Jonah. He then re-pented and was forgiven by Allah. Another example liesin the Koranic story of Moses, who accidentally killed anEgyptian trying to defend an Israelite (Koran 28:15).

Although they may err in interpreting the rules,still they are not permitted to persist in theirerrors. It is said that soon they would be madeaware of their errors. And when they real-ize that, they would be driven to that whichis correct. So do not count their errors! [A1.266, 120.10-13; FR 79.6-80]

Punishment in the GraveThe punishment of the grave as prophesied by the ProphetMuhammad is indeed true.

The punishment in the grave for the faithlessand for some of the sinners among the faithfulis true. For the truthful reporter (salam) hasreported such. The questioning in the graveof both the faithful and the faithless is alsotrue.

The punishment in the grave is more like the pun-ishment of hell in its intensity.

The grave is the intermediary realm betweenthis world and the next world. In one respect,that punishment [of the grave] can be corre-lated to a punishment of this world, whichis of limited duration. [Because both pun-ishments are of limited duration.] However,in another respect, it [the punishment of thegrave] can be correlated with the punishment

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in the next world, for it is really a punishmentof the next world [in its severity]. The gener-ous verseFire will be presented to them inthe morning and evening(Koran 40:46) wassent down in reference to the punishment inthe grave. Likewise, the “ease” of the gravehas two sides as well [a worldly side in thatthat ease- it is of limited duration and an oth-erworldly side- in that the ease is heavenly].[A 1.266, 120.13-18; FR 80]

God May Judge or He May ForgiveAllah may forgive all the sins of some people and sendthem to paradise directly.

The man whose errors and mistakes Allah for-gives by His perfect generosity and clemency,and does not take account of his sins at all, istruly fortunate. Even if He does take account,God shows him perfect generosity and expi-ates his sins by worldly pain and suffering. Ifany sin is left, God expiates them by the pres-sure of the grave and the sufferings he experi-ences there. Finally, God cleans and purifieshim and then dispatches him to the Plain ofthe Mustering.

Or He may not forgive him at all and punish him inhellfire. However, all the faithful will be finally shownmercy! They will be taken out of hell and granted par-adise!

However, it would also be justice if God doesnot do that and instead takes him on into the

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last world. Woe to those humiliated sinners!However, if those sinners come from the peo-ple of Islam, they will finally be shown mercy.And they will be protected from everlastingpunishment. This is the great grace of Al-lah! By the revered status of the Prince ofthe Prophets [Muhammad] (salam) Please ac-cept our supplication,Lord! Complete ourlights for us and grant us salvation! VerilyYou are powerful over everything!(Koran8:66). By Your love of the Prince of the Mes-sengers! Salutaion and peace be on him, onhis progeny and on them! [A 1.266, 120.18-121.5]

The Day of ResurrectionThe Mujaddid affirms the Day of Resurrection, when allexistence will be initially destroyed and later everyonewill be resurrected. This is contrary to the doctrine ofthefaylasuf tradition philosophers who believed that thecosmos would exist eternally.

The Day of Resurrection is true. That day, allthe heavens, the heavenly bodies, the earth,the mountains, the seas, the animals, the plants,the mines- all will become nonexistent anddestroyed. The heavens will be snuffed out.The stars will be scattered and put to flight.The land and the mountains will be swept awaylike dust. All of these will be brought intononexistence and annihilated at the first blowof the Horn. At the second blow [of the Horn],everyone will be raised from their graves andassembled on the Plain of the Mustering.

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Now the Mujaddid comments on thefaylasuf traditionphilosophers who deny the destruction of the cosmos.The Mujaddid comments that they are denying the defini-tive plain texts (the Koran and the hadith literature) andthe consensus of opinion of the prophets by making thatclaim and therefore even their claim to be Muslim is sus-pect.

The philosophers do not concede that the heav-ens and the heavenly bodies will be broughtto nonexistence. And they do not consider theannihilation and corruption of those things pos-sible. They say that those things are begin-ningless and endless.

The Mujaddid observes the fact that the philosophers ofthe later period of thefaylasuftradition were even bolderin asserting their anti-islamic doctrines. Still they claimedto be Muslim and even practiced the rites of Islam!

Although they say all this, the later ones, outof their own witlessness, claim to be includedin the class of the people of Islam and evenobserve some of the rules of Islam.

He finds it surprising that even many sincere Muslimssupport those philosophers of thefaylasuftradition whenits adherents deny definitive articles of the Islamic faithderived from the Koran and the hadith literature.

It is surprising that some among the peopleof Islam believe these interpretations of theirsto be true. And they consider it wrong tocriticize or condemn them whilst they denydefinitive plain texts [the Koran and the ha-dith literature]. And they contradict the con-sensus of opinion of the prophets (salam).

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The Mujaddid brings his proofs for the destruction of thecosmos from the Koran.

Allah has said,When the sun would be cov-ered and the stars would be made turbid(Ko-ran 81:1–2). And Allah has said,When theheavens will be pierced and they will listento their Lord; that would be the right thingfor them(Koran 84:1–2). And Allah has alsosaid, The heavens will open up and sproutmany doors(Koran 78:19), i.e., the heavenswill be pierced. There are many such evi-dences in the Koran.

In conclusion, he again suspects their claim to be Mus-lims since he believes that the denial of the philosophersof such a fundamental Muslim creed takes them outsidethe boundaries of Islam.

They do not realize that reciting the “verse ofwitnessing” is not sufficient for Islam. Theyare also required to attest to all the necessarydoctrines in the religion. Also, they must beexonerated from faithlessness; [in their hearts]Islam will not form its form until then. Elseall efforts [to get closer to Allah] will be invain! [A 1.266, 121.5-17]

The Reckoning, the Scale, the BridgeThe Mujaddid confirms the mainstream Sunni creed anddeclares the Reckoning, the Scale, and the Bridge to betrue.

The Reckoning (hisab) the Scale (mizan), andthe Bridge (sirat) are true, as the truthful re-

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porter [Prophet Muhammad] (salam) has re-ported.

The Mujaddid explains the critical importance of follow-ing authority ortaqlid of the prophets: The propheticmethod is beyond the intellectual method. Even whendenied by the intellect, we should still believe in divinerevelation derived by the prophetic method.

People ignorant of the prophetic method mayconsider the existence of these things far-fetchedbut that should not even be taken into account.For the prophetic method is beyond the intel-lectual method. To corroborate the true newsof the prophets by the intellectual gaze is, ineffect, to deny the prophetic method. There[in the realm of religion], one “transacts busi-ness” by following authority. They do notknow that the prophetic method is opposedto the intellectual method. Indeed, the intel-lectual method alone may not guide one tothat exalted destination [where one realizesknowledge of God] unless knowledge that camefrom the prophets (taqlid) corroborates that[knowledge that one has attained through theintellectual method.]. Opposition is one thingand not arriving is another thing. One mayoppose after one arrives. [A 1.266, 121.17-122.3; FR 82.7-16]

Paradise and Hell Are EternalThe Mujaddid agrees with the mainstream Sunni creedand affirms that paradise and hell exist; and that they willremain for eternity.

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Paradise and hell indeed exist. After the Reck-oning on the Day of Resurrection, one groupwill be sent to paradise and another groupwill be sent to hell. The reward and punish-ment there will be for eternity without end; itwill never end- as the assured and definitiveplain texts have indicated.

The Mujaddid now comments on Ibn Arabi’s propositionthat the punishment in hell is only temporary- all sinnerswill be finally forgiven. The Mujaddid proves that whileall sinners who possess even a grain of faith will be fi-nally forgiven, still those who are truly unfaithful willsuffer eternal damnation.

In his book theFusus al-Hikam, the author[Ibn Arabi] writes that everyone’s end resultwill be mercy. My Mercy embraces every-thing (Koran 7:156). He establishes that thefaithless will suffer for three ages in the hell.He says that after that, the fire will becomecool and peaceful for them, as it became forHazrat Abraham. He holds that to break di-vine threats [for punishment] is permissible.He says that none among the “people of theheart” [i.e., sufis] agree to eternal damnationfor the faithless. In this matter too, he hasstrayed far from the correct position. He doesnot recognize that the embrace of mercy thatincludes both the faithful and the faithless isonly for this world. In the last world, thefaithless will not even find the smell of mercy.As Allah (SWT) says,Verily none would lackhope from the Spirit [i.e., God] except thefaithless(Koran 12:87). Allah also said,MyMercy embraces everything. So We will or-

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PARADISE AND HELL ARE ETERNAL 177

dain these [good things] for those who vener-ate53 Me, pay zakat and believe in my verses(Koran 7:156). The Shaykh recites the firstverse but does not invoke the second verse.Allah has also said,Verily the mercy of Allahis to the pious(Koran 7:56)

Here is one more verse [that they misinter-pret], Do not think that Allah will break thepromise to his Prophet (Koran 14:47). Thisverse should not mislead one into thinkingthat it points specifically toward the breakingof promises. Maybe God has mentioned onlythe breaking of promises because what Hemeans here includes both helping the prophetsand their prevailing over the faithless. Actu-ally, this verse contains both the promise ofrewards and the threat of punishment- promiseto the prophets and threat to the faithless. Theysay that [rather, misinterpret this verse to mean]that this generous verse negates both the promiseof rewards and the threat of punishment- promiseto the prophets and threat to the faithless. So[actually] this verse proves the Shaykh wrong,not right.

Also, he who threatens punishment and doesnot carry it out is just as much a liar as hewho breaks his promise of reward; he wouldnot be worthy of being God(SWT).

53The Koranic wordkhawf is usually translated as ”fear” but I believethat the word that is more accurate in this context, is ”veneration, awe, rev-erence or adoration” the respect mixed with fear that one experiences beforea mighty and majestic power like God.

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[This is to say] as if He knew from pre-eternitythat “I would not exact eternal damnation onthe disbelievers,” nevertheless- for some ben-eficial consideration contrary to His [pre-eternal]knowledge, He has then said that He wouldnot exact everlasting punishment. To proposesuch a view of God is of utmost abhorrence.

Exalted is your Lord who is the Lord of Ex-altation from with what that they qualify Him[i.e., the evil attributes like being a liar]andpeace be on His emissary(Koran 37:180–181).

For these reasons, this Ibn Arabi proposition should notbe accepted. First, it is only his “unveiling” and an un-veiling may be indeed false. Second, it contradicts theconsensus of opinion of all Muslims.

That the “people of the heart” unanimouslyagree on, that the faithless will not suffer eter-nal damnation, is only an unveiling of the Shaykh[Ibn Arabi]. There is a high possibility thatan unveiling is erroneous. So that unveilingshould not even be counted. This opinion ofhis also contradicts the consensus of opinionof the Muslims [as all Muslim ulama have aconsensus of opinion on the proposition thatthe truly faithless will suffer eternal damna-tion.] [A 122.3-123.2; FR 82.16-84.1]

Ibn Arabi claimed that all the “people of the heart,” i.e.,the sufis who have attained knowledge from God froman inner realization, agree that the faithless will not suf-fer eternal damnation. The Mujaddid points out that evenif that were true, that the entire “spiritual [community]”agree on that, that knowledge is not the incontrovertibly

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ANGELS 179

true knowledge that the prophets receive, instead it isonly an unveiling- derived knowledge that is prone toerror. On the other hand, the ulama say the truly faith-less will indeed suffer eternal damnation. And the ulamaderive their knowledge from the prophetic revelation thatis indeed incontrovertibly true knowledge Therefore, oneshould disregard what Ibn Arabi said and instead believewhat the ulama said which is that the truly faithless willsuffer eternal damnation.

AngelsThe Mujaddid discusses the angels and says,

Angels are servants of God who are preservedfrom sins and protected from errors and for-getfulness. As the Koran says,They do notrebel against the commands of Allah and theydo what has been commanded to them(Koran66:6). They are pure from [the blemish thatis the need of] eating and drinking [which isthe characteristic of the creatures of the lowercorporeal realm]. And they are unattachedand exonerated from a conjugal relationship[that is another characteristic of those lowerbeings].

Angels are neither male nor female. So why did Goduse the masculine gender for them in the Koran? TheMujaddid explains that question here.

God uses masculine personal pronouns for themin the Sagacious Koran (al-Quran al-Hakim)because of the nobility of the male over thefemale. It is in line with God’s using the mas-culine pronoun to refer to Himself.

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Therefore, that should not be construed to mean that theangels are male.

The Mujaddid believes that angels can be prophetsas well.

God has elected a few among them [the an-gels] for Messengerhood, just like He has en-nobled a few humans with this felicity as well.As the Koran says,Allah chooses His Mes-sengers from the angels and humans(Koran22:75).

The Mujaddid affirms that the human prophets areranked higher than even the elect angels who are notprophets.

Most of the ulama among the “people of truth”hold that the elect among humans are supe-rior to the elect among the angels. Imam Ghaz-zali, Imam of the Two Holy Cities,54 and[Ibn Arabi], the author of theMeccan Revela-tions - they both proposed the superiority ofthe elect angels over the elect humans. Whatappears to me is that the friendship that theangels possess is superior to the friendshipthat the humans possess [i.e., the elect an-gels are closer to God than the elect humanbeings]. Nevertheless, prophethood and mes-sengerhood are on an [exalted] rank that theangels may not reach. That rank arises fromthe element of earth that is in the lot of hu-mans only.55

54Imam of the Two Holy Cities (Imam al-Haramayn): ‘Abd al-Malik ibnAbdullah Juwaini (d. 478 / 1085-86

55The Mujaddid writes more about the superiority of elect man over theangels in TheMabda’ va Ma‘ad, Minha i.e., chapter 23

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THE ULAMA IS “MORE” CORRECT 181

The Mujaddid affirms that the prophet is far more exaltedin his rank than the friends of Allah, and this is in agree-ment with the opinion of the majority of the ulama. Herehe contradicts Ibn Arabi who says that the friend,wali isnearer to God than the prophet in his prophetic dimen-sion. (Remember! A prophet is awali too!) It is becausethe focus of the prophet is toward the people while thefocus of the friend is toward God56

It has also been made manifest to me thatthe perfection of friendship has no compar-ison to the perfection of prophethood. Alas!This relationship is like the relationship of adrop of water to the ocean. Therefore, theadornment that comes from prophethood isfar superior to the adornment that comes fromfriendship. So, absolute superiority belongsto the prophets. Angels [who are not prophetsthemselves] are superior to the [human] prophetsonly in certain aspects. What the majority ofthe ulama has said is indeed correct. Praiseis to Allah who has kept me with them! It isclear from this verification that no friend mayreach the rank of any prophet. On the con-trary, the head of that friend will always re-main below the feet of the prophet. [A 1.266,123.2- 16]

The Ulama is “More” CorrectThe Mujaddid finds the ulama to be more “correct” intheir interpretation of religion than the sufis.

56Mabda’ va Ma‘ad, Minha i.e., chapter 57

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You should know that in all the matters wherethe ulama and the sufis differ, when I observeit well then I find truth to lie with the ulama.

And this is because the ulama follow the prophets in theirquest for the truth- they arrive at the truth by extractinginformation from the level of prophethood, i.e., from di-vine revelation that is preserved from error. On the otherhand, the sufis attain their information from the level offriendship, i.e., from the unveilings and witnessings ofthe friends, and this is prone to error. Therefore, the in-formation that the prophets attain through divine revela-tion, wahi, is far more correct than the information thatthe sufis attain through unveiling and inspiration,kashfva ilham. The ulama obtain their information by employ-ing reason to that divine revelation and as a corollary,their information is also more correct than sufi inspira-tions.

Its mystery is that the gaze of the ulama, asthey follow the prophets (salam), penetratesthe perfection of prophethood and its science.On the other hand, the gaze of the sufis is fo-cused on the perfections of friendship and itsscience. Therefore, necessarily, the sciencethat is taken from the niche of prophethoodis more correct and truer than that which hasbeen taken from the level of friendship. Ihave included the verification of some of thisscience in the maktub that I have written tomy rightly guided son on the tariqa.57 Ifyou are not clear, you may refer there [to thatmaktub]. [A 1.266, 123.16-124.6]

57Maktub 1.260 written to Khwaja Muhammad Sadiq.

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FAITH AND HOLDING ENMITY 183

Faith and Holding EnmityThe Mujaddid defines faith as attesting to all the requireddoctrines of Islam. Faith refers to the “attestation by theheart” of all the required and well-known matters of thereligion that has reached us. Verbal attestation is alsoa pillar of the faith but sometimes that may be omitted[under extenuating circumstances, e.g., where it is dan-gerous to admit it].

Faith is the attesting by heart in all [the ar-ticles of the faith that are] required and wellaccepted. It is said that verbal attestation isalso a pillar of the faith that [sometimes] maybe omitted.

While the Mujaddid encourages us to harbor enmity to-ward faithlessness, this must be interpreted in the lightof his times. At that time, ideas that compromised thepurity of Islam were prevalent; indeed, as a result, Islamin India faced an existential threat. The Emperors Akbarand Jahangir synthesized the principles and the practicesof Islam with other religions like Hinduism and Jainismand arrived at a corrupted version of Islam, which is notreally Islam at all. The Mujaddid stresses that there is nojoining the truth with the untruth. And we should holdenmity against all beliefs that go against Islam.

A signpost of this attestation is to proclaimdistance (tabarri) from faithlessness; and todetest lack of faith and all the characteristicand necessary things of faithlessness, e.g., ty-ing religious belts to mark one as an adherentto a different religion, etc. May Allah (SWT)save us [from doing that!]. If someone claimsthis attestation [of faith] but still does not dis-tance himself from faithlessness, then he be-

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184 The Creed

lieves in two religions and so he is brandedwith the burning nametag of apostasy.

Truly, the ruling on him is the ruling of a hyp-ocrite. He is neither with this group, nor ishe with that group(Koran 4:143) . There-fore, in order to realize true faith, there is noalternative to distancing oneself from faith-lessness. The lowest form of that distanceis distance by the heart. The highest formof that distance is distance by both the heartand the body (qalib.) Here distancing onemeans holding enmity (dushmani) against theenemies of the Haqq. That should be donewith the heart only if there is an apprehen-sion that they would harm us. Otherwise, thatshould be done with both the heart and themold when there is no such apprehension.

The Koran says,Prophet! Struggle with thefaithless and the hypocrites and treat themharshly(Koran 9:73). For love for God andlove for the Prophet does not materialize with-out holding enmity against their enemies.

Nearness is not possibleWithout “enmity” [A 1.266, 124.6-11]

Shias Wrongly Defame the CompanionsThe Mujaddid demonstrates that it is wrong to hold en-mity against the companions.

Here it is true that the Shias apply this say-ing [that “being a friend is not possible with-

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SHIAS WRONGLY DEFAME THE COMPANIONS 185

out holding enmity”] to the friendship withthe Prophet’s family. They hold that a pre-condition of that friendship is enmity to the[first] three caliphs [Hazrat Abu Bakr, HazratUmar, and Hazrat Uthman] and the other com-panions [who are outside the Prophet’s fam-ily]. That interpretation is not really correct,as the pre-condition is the “enmity to their en-emies,” not the “unbounded enmity to every-one else” [except the Prophet’s family].

No intelligent person with a sense of justicewould ever allow that the companions of theProphet (salam) would hold enmity againstthe family of the Prophet. Instead, these greatmen spent their properties and even themselvesfor the love of the Prophet; and sacrificed theirexalted rank and leadership. So how can onerelate enmity of the Prophet’s family to them?How it is possible when definitive plain texts(the Koran and the hadith literature) establishthe love of the near ones to that great man;and have made their love [love of the com-panions] as the wage [from us] of their invi-tation [of us] toward God.

As Allah has said, Say:I do not seek anythingfrom you as its wage except support for mynear ones.[I do not seek anything from you,the members of the Muhammadan commu-nity, except support for my family-members,as the wage of the prophetic invitation].Wewill increase the rewards for him who willpractice good deeds(Koran 42:23).

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Therefore, instead of holding enmity against the noblecompanions, you may hold enmity against the enemiesof God! The Mujaddid comments elsewhere58 that whilethe Shias are always calumniating against the compan-ions (who served the prophet) they never vilify his ene-mies, such as Abu Jahl (who was the principal enemy ofthe Prophet).

Now the Mujaddid brings the example of the ProphetAbraham. He became a friend Allah by his enmity to theenemies of Allah. The Mujaddid interprets the saying“Being a friend is not possible without holding enmity”to mean that that enmity is toward the enemies of Al-lah, not toward those who the Shias detest the first threecaliphs and the companions in general.

Prophet Abraham, the friend of the All-Merciful(salam), has attained such greatness that hehas become the trunk of the tree of the prophetsby [virtue of] his enmity to His enemies. It isfor this reason that Allah said, Verily for youthere is a beautiful model[example]in Abra-ham and those who are with him. They toldtheir people “Verily we are enemies to youand those who you worship in lieu of Allah.We reject you. An everlasting enmity and awrathful relationship has begun between youand us until you bring faith in one Allah”(Koran 60:4). I see no other practice as goodas this enmity [to the enemies of God] to real-ize the satisfaction of God. [A 1.266, 124.11-125.4]

58Maktubat-i Imam-i Rabbani

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GOD’S “PERSONAL” ENMITY WITH FAITHLESSNESS187

God’s “Personal” Enmity with FaithlessnessThe Mujaddid explains why the faithless will suffer eter-nal damnation in the last world; it is because His enmitywith faithlessness is personal (i.e., related to His person)while his displeasure with the evil deeds is related to HisAttributes.

I find that the Haqq (SWT) has a personal(dhati) enmity with the faithless and faith-lessness. And the external (afaqi) idols, e.g.,Lat or Uzzah [and other pagan deities] andtheir worshippers are the “personal” enemiesof the Haqq (SWT). Eternal hellfire is the rec-ompense for this abominable act. On the otherhand, the human caprices that are the internal(anfusi) idols of the instigating soul; and allother bad deeds are not like that. For God’senmity and wrathfulness with them is not “per-sonal” wrath. Instead, the wrath [that Godhas with them] relates to [His] attributes. Ifthere is a punishment or rebuke, then it is[imposed as a recompense] for their actions.That is why eternal damnation is not the rec-ompense for such sinful acts. Instead, Hemay forgive them [even without any punish-ment at all] if He so desires. [A 1.266, 125.4-9; FR 87.2-10]

The Faithless Will Not Receive MercyThe Mujaddid confirms the mainstream Sunni creed andestablishes that the truly faithless will not receive divinemercy in the last world; they will suffer eternal damna-tion. This is because God’s enmity with the polytheistsis “personal,” while His enmity with the faithful sinners

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188 The Creed

is “attributive.”

You should know that since it is establishedthat God’s enmity with the faithless and faith-lessness is “personal,” His merciful attributeswould not nullify His “personal” enmity inthe last world. For what relates to the per-son is mightier and higher than what relatesto the attributes. So that what is establishedby the attributes may not replace what is es-tablished by the person (dhat.) In a hadith re-port in which God speaks in the first person,”My Mercy precedes My Wrath.”59 refers toattributive wrath that is the lot of the sinfulfaithful, not the “personal” wrath that is thelot of the polytheists.

Now the Mujaddid verifies how the faithless receive di-vine mercy in this world while God is “personally” angrywith them. He establishes by the Koran that that mercyis really only a mercy in appearance but actually divinewrath.

Question: In your above verification, the faith-less do receive divine mercy in this world. Sohow can the attribute of mercy negate “per-sonal” enmity in this world?

Answer: The mercy that the faithless receivein this world is merely in appearance or out-ward form. Actually, they are divine plansthat take them step-by-step to ruin. As Allahhas said,Do they calculate that the respitethat We are giving them with property andchildren is helping them by taking them to

59hadith:sabaqat rahmata adhabi[Bukhari, Muslim]

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THE FAITHLESS WILL NOT RECEIVE MERCY 189

good? Nay! For they do not understand!(Koran 23:55–56). It also says in the Koran,We will take them step by step[to ruin] in amanner that they would not understand. Ver-ily My scheme is strong(Koran 7:182–183),and that establishes that meaning as well. Sounderstand! [A 1.266, 125.9-19; FR 87.10-88.2]

Now the critical question is, who is truly faithless? Isanyone who does not have a “tribal” affiliation with Is-lam faithless? Let us look in the Mazharian Exegesis,Tafsir al-Mazhari , written by the eminent nineteenth-century Hanafi scholar and Mujaddidi sufi shaykh QaziSanaullah Panipathi. Hazrat Qazi Sanaullah is a highlyacclaimed scholar who is greatly respected in Turkey,the Indian subcontinent, and many other countries thatfollow the Hanafi school. He named this exegesis afterhis sufi shaykh Mirza Mazhar Jan-i Janan Shahid who isfound in almost all Mujaddidi-Naqshbandi silsilas. Henamed this exegesis after his shaykh because it was hisshaykh’s spiritual nurturing that enabled him to realizetrue knowledge. The great scholar says in interpretingthe verse,Verily there are many among the People of theBook who have brought faith in Allah and what We haverevealed unto you and what We have revealed unto them,in the spirit of veneration of Allah; and do not sell Al-lah’s verses at a meager price. For them, there is a greatbounty as their wage with their Lord(Koran 3:199). Ex-plaining this verse, Qazi Sanaullah Panipathi writes thatit was revealed on the occasion of the death of Negus, theKing of Ethiopia [who believed in the Prophet Muham-mad being a messenger from Allah, i.e., Islam, but stillfollowed his Christian practices]. The Prophet prayed thejanazahprayer for him in Medinah. Upon seeing this,

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the hypocrites started to ridicule, “Look! Muhammad isnow praying for a Christian!”60 The exegete explains,“All the People of the Book are not faithless. There aremany among them who have faith. They possess the cor-rect conception of the person and the attributes of Allah.They have faith in the Koran, and in the previously re-vealed heavenly books: the Torah, the Psalms of David,and the Gospels. Before Allah, there is a great prize forthose among the People of the Book who have broughtfaith.” Now according to the exegesis of this eminentscholar, Allah and the Prophet Muhammad (salam) ap-pear to be more generous in expanding the definition of“the faithful” than many “tribal” Muslims.61

All the Faithful Will Be SavedHere the Mujaddid establishes that everyone who pos-sesses even a grain of faith, even if they have committedgrave sins and have been sent to hell, will be finally for-given and allowed to enter paradise.

Question: Eternal damnation in hell is therecompense for lack of faith. However, whatabout that faithful person who observes therites of the faithless and glorifies their cus-toms? The ulama rule him to be an unfaith-ful person and include him among the apos-tates. Most of the Muslims in India are af-flicted with this calamity. So by the juridi-cal proclamation of the ulama (fatwa), they

60The Bengali text of theTafsir al-Mazharisays ”Jew” but that is clearlyan error

61Qadi Sanaullah Panipathi,Tafsir al-Mazhari, I referred to the Ben-gali translation, Kayi Chanaullaha Panipathi, Taphsire Mayhari, (Dhaka:Hakimabada Khankaye Mojaddediya) p. 199

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ALL THE FAITHFUL WILL BE SAVED 191

should be afflicted with endless punishmentin the last world. On the other hand, it comesin sound hadith reports that if someone pos-sesses even a grain of faith in his heart thenhe will be taken out of hell and will not suffereverlasting punishment. What is your verifi-cation of this matter?

The Mujaddid clarifies that while those who are unfaith-ful to their cores will suffer eternal damnation; thosewho possess even a particle of faith (even after practic-ing other religions) will be finally forgiven and grantedparadise.

Answer: If he is “completely unfaithful” (kafir-i mahd), then everlasting punishment is in-deed his lot. (May Allah (SWT) save us fromthat grave predicament!) However, if he haseven a grain of faith left [even] after takingup the customs of the faithless, he will [still]be taken out of hell [after a limited time ofchastisement]. By the blessing of that grainof faith, there is hope that he will be deliveredfrom eternal damnation. And he will be savedfrom permanent imprisonment [in hell].

The Mujaddid verifies that only the punishment of hell-fire may wipe out the sin of faithlessness. That meansthat a person who has committed a sin of faithlessnessand died before repenting, will have to face punishmentin hell for a finite amount of time to expiate for his sin offaithlessness, though he will still be taken out hell aftersome time unless he is completely and totally faithlesswithout even a particle of faith in him.

Once I was visiting a sick man who was on

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the verge of death. When I became aware ofhis “state,” I saw that his heart is very dark.Although I gave him a face-turning to removethat darkness, it failed to do that. After giv-ing him a lot of face-turnings, I realized thatthat darkness arises from his hidden qualityof lack of faith. The origin of that turbidityis his friendship with the faithless and faith-lessness. Numerous face-turnings could notremove that darkness. For only the punish-ment of fire that is the recompense of lack offaith may purify the heart from that darkness.I also realized that if that person has even agrain of faith, then by its blessing he wouldfinally be taken out of hell.

You should pray the funeral prayer,janazah, for evennominal Muslims, i.e., Muslims who profess faith butstill observe the rites of the faithless peoples.

When I witnessed such a state [of merely nom-inal faith] in him, I seriously questioned whetheror not I should pray hisjanazah[funeral prayer].After I had concentrated on this matter, it ap-peared that I should indeed pray hisjanazah.Therefore, you should pray thejanazahforeven such a Muslim who possesses faith butstill observes the rites of the faithless and glo-rifies their holy days. They should not beleft as disbelievers [for the disbelivers to per-form their customs on them]- as the people dothese days. One should harbor the hope thatby the blessing of that [grain of] faith theywould finally be saved from eternal damna-tion.

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ALL THE FAITHFUL WILL BE SAVED 193

There is no forgiveness for the faithless people. If hewere a faithless person in his core, eternal damnationwould be his lot. If he has even a grain of faith in him, hewill suffer only a temporary punishment in hell. How-ever, in any case, the faithless people will indeed be pun-ished.

So now we know that there is no forgivenessor relief for the unfaithful.Verily Allah willnot forgive the polytheists(Koran 4:48). Ifhe is totally unfaithful, endless punishment isthe recompense for his lack of faith. On theother hand, if he has even a grain of faith thena temporary punishment in hell will be hisrecompense. For the rest of the major sins,Allah may forgive or He may punish, as Hechooses. I believe that punishment in hell-be it temporary or eternal is the lot of lack offaith [“itself”] and the “attributes” of lack offaith. Its verification will come soon [in thequestion and answer section below the nextparagraph].

A truly faithful person, even if he has committed majorsins, will never suffer punishment in hell.

Allah may forgive the major sinners [of thosewho possess faith] if they repent. Or He mayforgive [them] through [someone else’s] in-tercession. Or He may forgive by His ownforgiveness and grace. Or He may forgive[them after they suffer] worldly pain and or-deals. Or He may forgive [them after] thehardships and agony of death.

For the rest, I hope that He would deem their

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194 The Creed

punishment in the grave as sufficient punish-ment. Or in addition to that punishment, Hewould complete their punishment by the [painful]circumstances of the Day of Resurrection andthe sufferings of that day. Thus He will notleave any sin that would need the punishmentof hell [to expiate it].

Its proof is the word of Allah,Those whohave brought faith and have not clothed theirfaith by transgression (zulm) they are the onesfor whom there is security.(Koran 6:83) Heretransgression means ascribing a partner to Al-lah. Allah (SWT) is most knowledgable onthe realities of things, all of them.

My sufi shaykh explained that the sins for which even aperson of faith would suffer hellfire (e.g., murder, theft,etc.) are not the sin of faithlessness; they are still closeto the sin of faithlessness.62

Now the Mujaddid verifies his previously mentionedproposition that “punishment in hell- be it temporary oreternal- is the lot of those who lack faith [‘itself’] andthe ‘attributes’ of the lack of faith.” While a sinful faith-ful person may still suffer in hellfire, the Mujaddid es-tablishes that the sins that he commits must possess theattributes of the lack of faith.

Question: What if someone mentions thatpunishment in hell comes as the compensa-tion for many other sinful acts in addition tothe act of lacking faith? For example, theAlmighty has said,Whosoever murders a faith-

62sufi Shaykh Muhammad Mamunur Rashid, in a discussion with theau-thor sometime around 1998 in his khanqa in Dhaka, Bangladesh

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ALL THE FAITHFUL WILL BE SAVED 195

ful person intentionally, he will be in the Gehenna63

(Koran 4:93). It comes in the hadith literaturethat whosoever prays an obligatory prayer latewithout an excuse will suffer punishment inhell for one era. Therefore [it is establishedthat] the punishment in hell is not the out-come for only the people without faith. [There-fore, how can you claim what you claimed afew paragraphs before, that the punishmentin hell- be it temporary or eternal- is the lotof those who lack faith “itself” and the “at-tributes” of that lack of faith.]

Answer: My answer is that “he who murdersintentionally” refers to that murderer who be-lieves that murder is lawful. And the Koranicexegetes have explained that he who consid-ers murder to be lawful is a faithless person.Those sins, for which the punishment of hellhas been decreed, are not devoid of the taintof the attribute of faithlessness. Examplesof such sins are to belittle that sin, to lackcompunction having done that sin, or to holdthe rules and regulations of the sharia in con-tempt.

The Prophet has promised salvation for all his true followers-they will all directly go to paradise. That establishes theverification of the Mujaddid that all the truly faithful willgo to paradise without any punishment in hellfire.

The Prophet says in a hadith report, “I shallintercede for the major sinners of my com-munity.” 64 He says in another place, “My

63Gehenna, also written jahannam is one of the seven hells64hadith:shafa‘ati lahil al-kaba’ir min ummati[Tirmidhi, Abu Dawud]

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community is the community that has beenshown mercy. There is no punishment forthem in the last world”65 and others. Thefollowing Koranic verse clarifies this mean-ing, Those who have brought faith and havenot polluted their faith by transgression, theyare the ones for whom there is security(Ko-ran 6:83).

Now the Mujaddid comments on the case of polytheistswho lacked the mental competence or who have not beenwarned through a prophet. God is just and He cannot beexpected to punish people who lacked the mental compe-tence, e.g., the children of polytheists or insane polythe-ists. God has also promised in the Koran,I will not pun-ish anyone until I have dispatched a Messenger[to warnhim] (Koran 17:15). Therefore, additionally, He cannotbe expected to punish people who have not been warnedthrough a prophet. So He may not punish the polytheistswho lived in the mountains or other inaccessible areasaway from people and the message of the prophets, or thepolytheists who lived in an era without a prophet, and sohave not been warned through a prophet, and other suchgroups.

The situation of the children of the polythe-ists, the [polytheists] who live in mountain-tops [or in other inaccessible areas away frompeople and the message of the prophets] andthe polytheists who lived in an era without aprophet [and so haven not been warned througha prophet]- I have demonstrated them clearlyin the maktub that I have written to my son

65hadith: ummati ummata marhuma, la adhaba laha fi’l akhirati[IbnNajjar, Abdullah ibn Darar]

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Muhammad Said.66 So you may study it there.[A 1.266, 125.19-127.12; FR 88.2-90.12]

In that maktub, the Mujaddid proposes that on the Dayof the Mustering (qiyamat), those two groups of peoplewould be meted out their rewards and punishment andthen destroyed, just as it would be in the case of animals.

Increase or Decrease of FaithThe Mujaddid discusses both Imam Shafi‘i and ImamAbu Hanifa’s positions on the question of whether faithmay remain the same or may vary for a faithful person.He makes an analysis and argues in support of Imam AbuHanifa’s position that faith remains the same amount.

The ulama diverge on [the question of] whetheror not faith can increase or decrease in amount.The Great Imam [Abu Hanifa] the Kufi (dwad)has stated, “Faith neither increases nor de-creases.” On the othet hand, Imam Shafi‘isays, “It increases and decreases.”

Faith’s Increase or Decrease

Imam Abu Hanifa Imam Shafi‘i

Faith is an all or nothing thing; Faith itself may eitherthough its brightness may increase or decreaseincrease or decrease

Table 4.13: Faith’s Increase or Decrease

The Mujaddid agrees that faith may not increase or de-crease; what may do so is the “brightness” of that faith.

66Maktub 1.259

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There is no doubt that faith is the expressionof attestation or certitude by the heart and soan increase or decrease does not apply there.For that which may increase or decrease iswithin the realm of uncertainty. In short, do-ing wholesome deeds brightens that certitudeand doing unwholesome deeds makes that cer-titude turbid. Therefore, an increase or de-crease in faith refers to the “brightness” ofthat certitude, not that certitude itself.

Some people may call this “brightness” to be “more” infaith, and vice versa.

Some call a bright and illuminated certitude“more” compared to a certitude that lacks bright-ness and illumination. Some others do noteven consider a certitude lacking brightnessto be certitude at all; they consider only abright certitude to be certitude and a certitudelacking brightness as imperfect. Some oth-ers have sharp gazes and they see that this in-crease or decrease refers to the “attribute” ofthe certitude, not to the certitude itself. Nec-essarily, they say that certitude itself may notbe “more” or imperfect.

Now the Mujaddid shows through an analogy that thosepeople are more accurate who say that faith may varyonly in the brightness, not in the amount

An analogy for this is two comparable mir-rors that differ in brightness and illumination.And someone observes the brighter mirror thatreflects better and says, “This mirror is ‘more’than the mirror that is less bright and reflects

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less.” Someone else says, “Both the mirrorsare equal; neither one is more or less than theother. Their difference in brightness and re-flectivity refers to the ‘attributes’ of those twomirrors.” Therefore the vision of the secondperson is correct and pierces the reality of thematter. On the other hand, the vision of thefirst person is limited to the surface. It doesnot go from the attribute to the essence of thematter.

Allah raises the levels of those among youwho have brought faith and have been awardedknowledge.(Koran 58:11).

So the Mujaddid says that Imam Abu Hanifa was rightwhen he said that faith neither increases nor decreases.

There are people who oppose Imam Abu Han-ifa’s opinion that faith does not increase ordecrease. However, I have demolished theirarguments by that what I have revealed in thisverification. Faith of the common faithful (thatchanges phases) [and so is less than perfectfaith] cannot be compared to the faith of theprophets (salam) [whose faith is the perfectfaith].

The Mujaddid clarifies that “more” faith means “brighter”faith.

The faith of the prophets that is perfectly brightand illuminated is far more fruitful and pro-ductive that the faith of the common faith-ful that is dark and turbid. They differ intheir levels and so on. The faith of Abu Bakr

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(dwad) weighs more than the faith of all theMuslims added together.67 Here the word “more”should be interpreted in terms of its bright-ness and illumination. And that increase shouldbe relegated to its [the faith’s] perfect attributes.

Now the Mujaddid explains the “increase or decreasein faith” with a paradigm from the humanness of theprophets.

Please note that prophets are equal to the com-mon people in terms of their humanness. Bothin terms of their outer bodies [that are human]and inner essences [that are human as well],both the classes are the same. However, theprophets are ranked higher in excellence interms of their perfect attributes. He who doesnot possess those perfect attributes is out ofthat class. And he is devoid of the unique per-fections and excellences of that class. Evenwith this difference, there is neither an in-crease nor a decrease in their humanness. Sonone may say that they increase or decreasein their humanness. Allah (SWT) inspireswhat is correct!

Some interpret the term “attestation of the faith” by themeaning that is commonly used in logic but the Mujaddiddisagrees.

By the term “attestation of the faith,” somemean attestation as used in the terminologyof the science of logic. That “attestation” in-cludes both surmise and certitude. By thisinterpretation, faith may indeed increase or

67well-known hadith

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THE GREATNESS OF IMAM ABU HANIFA 201

decrease. However, the truth is that what ismeant by the term “attestation” here is certi-tude and obedience of the heart, not its gen-eral (‘am) meaning that includes surmise (zann)with it.

Now the Mujaddid reconciles two seemingly contradic-tory statements of Imam Abu Hanifa and Imam Shafi‘i.

The Great Imam [Abu Hanifa] the Kufi hassaid, “I am truly a person of faith.” On theother hand, Imam Shafi‘i has said, “Allah will-ing, I am a person of faith.” Actually, theydiffer only in manner of speech. The firstschool considers the “faith of the [present]state.” The second school considers [the stateon] the return [of the soul to God on death],which is at the end of all deeds. However, itis better to exclude doubt [i.e., the expression“Allah willing”] here. It is not hidden fromthe just! [A 1.266, 127.12-129.3; FR 90.12-92.8]

The Greatness of Imam Abu HanifaIt may be noted that the Great Mujaddid held the GreatImam in the highest respect. He writes in his monographMabda’ va Ma‘adon the greatness of Imam Abu Hanifa:

How can I write about the lofty stature ofImam Abu Hanifa! (dwad) He was the great-est of these great ones! The Supreme Imam(imam al-‘azam)! The leader of the perfectones! Be it in knowledge, be it in abstinence(wara’) or be it in Godwariness, (taqwa) he

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was greater than all themujatahid imams, 68

more than Shafi‘i, or Malik or Ahmad ibnHanbal.

Imam Shafi‘i said, “Thefuqaha, [the schol-ars of Islamic jurisprudence] all of them arefamily members (‘iyal ) of Abu Hanifa whodepend on him for their living.” (alfuqaha’-ukulluhum ‘iyalu Abi Hanifa.)

It is said that when Imam Shafi‘i used to visitthe mausoleum of Imam Abu Hanifa, then heused to reject his ownijtihad [or interpreta-tions in Islamic practice] and stopped observ-ing his own practice [that contradicted the ijti-had of the Great Imam]. And he used to say,”It embarasses me that in his presence I doanything that is contrary to his decision.” [Atthat time] he used to suspend both recitingSura Fatiha when praying behind a imam andreciting thedu‘a qunutin the fajr prayer. Itwas Shafi‘i who could properly appreciate hisgreatness.

When Hazrat Jesus (salam) will descend [tothe earth] in the future, he will practice ac-cording to the school (madh-hab) of Abu Han-ifa. Khwaja Muhammad Parsa (qaf) wrote intheFusul-i Sitta, ”This very honor (buzurgi)is enough for him that one of the great (‘ulu’l‘azam) prophets will practice according to hisschool. A thousand other honors cannot becompared to this honor.”

68mujatahid imams refers to the four leaders of fiqh, the science of Is-lamic jurisprudence i.e. Abu Hanifa, Shafi’i, Malik, Ahmad ibn Hanbal.They founded four eponymous schools of law

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Our Hazrat Khwaja [Baqibillah] (qaf) said:

”For some time, I used to disagree with theImam [Abu Hanifa] and recite Sura Fatiha[when praying following an imam]. Finally, Isaw the Great Imam in a dream one night.

I saw he came to me clothed in a resplendentrobe and recited a qasida,

This signification is sufficientThat there have been many friendsof God in my school

After that, I stopped reciting Sura Fatiha be-hind the Imam.” [Mabda 28, 49.8-50]

The Mujaddid discusses his insight into the importantmatter in jurisprudence of reciting Sura Fatiha behind animam. The Hanafi school says that the imam’s recitationof Sura Fatiha in the salat is sufficient, so the followersshould remain silent. Shafi‘i school as well as all theother schools say that the followers must also recite SuraFatiha- they draw their decision from a well-known ha-dith, “There is no salat without Sura Fatiha.La salatailla bi-fatihatu’l kitab. [Bukhari, Muslim]” The Mujad-did demonstrates that the decision of the Hanafi school iscorrect here.

For a long time, I had been wishing so that Icould find an acceptable reason in the Hanafischool for reciting Sura Fatiha when pray-ing behind a imam. Because reciting the Ko-ran when following the imam is obligatory(fardh) at all times. So it does not seem intel-ligent to reject real recitation (qirat haqiqi)

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and practice virtual recitation (qirat hukmi).At the same time, it comes in the hadith, “Thereis no salat without Sura Fatiha.”69

However, since I follow the Hanafi school, Idecided not to stop reciting Sura Fatiha. AndI started to count it as a kind of disciplinedtraining and striving (riyadat va mujahida).Because rejecting one school of sharia in fa-vor of another school is a type of rejection(ilhad).

At last, through the grace of following theHanafi school, the Haqq (SWT) revealed thetrue meaning (haqiqat) of not reciting SuraFatiha behind an imam. And through my in-sight (nazar-i basirat), I learned that virtualrecitation is better than real recitation. Be-cause the imam and the followers, they bothmutually agree (ittifaq) to stand together assupplicants (munajat) [in the salat]. As it issaid,For the worshipper in salat supplicatesto his Lord. [lianna al-musalliya yunaji rab-bahu].

In salat, [the followers] make the imam theirspokesman. So whatever speech the imam re-cites during the salat, he recites it on behalf ofthe group. It is like when a group of peopleappears before a magnanimous king to ful-fill a need of theirs and elects a spokesmanamong themselves so that he can request it onbehalf of everyone there. In such a setting, ifsomeone else also talks while the spokesman

69hadith: la salata illa bi-fatihati’l kitab [Bukhari, Muslim]

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THE GREATNESS OF IMAM ABU HANIFA 205

is talking, that would be considered poor man-ners and that could displease the king. There-fore, the virtual speech (takallam-i hukmi) ofthis group through the spokesman is betterthan real speech (takallam-i haqiqi) of thosepeople [individually]. It is analogous to thesituation when the group recites [the Koran](qirat) praying behind an imam — it [every-one reciting individually] would disturb thepeace (shaghab), lack manners and create dis-unity (tafriq).

Many of the matters on which the Hanafi andthe Shafi‘i schools differ are of this type. TheShafi‘i school takes into account the matter’souter and formal aspect (zahir va surat) butthe Hanafi school takes into account its inneressential (batin va haqiqat) aspect.

It was revealed to me that in the divergencesof opinions in kalam, the truth is on the Hanafiside. For example, they recognize God’s [at-tribute of] engenderingness (takwin) as a realattribute (sifat-i haqiqi) while apparently itseems that engenderingness [is not a real at-tribute; instead it] is the result of the attributesof power and will (qudrat va irada). How-ever, we learn via fine consideration and thelight of perspicacity (daqt-i nazar va nur-i fi-rasat) that engenderingness is a distinct andseparate (‘alihadeh) attribute. Other mattersmay be solved through this analogy. In mostof the matters where the jurists diverge (khilafiyat-i fiqhi), the Hanafi school is right. Only in a

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few matters, the Shafi‘is are right. [Mabda28, 47-8]

MiraclesThe Mujaddid establishes the “miracle of the prophets”and “miracle of the friends.” The Mutazilas and a fewother misguided sects deny them.

The karamatsor “miracles of the friends ofAllah” are true. So many instances of the“breaking of habit”70 have taken place by thefriends that they have become a regular habitof theirs. Denying it would be like denyingknowledge that is habitual and self-evident(daruri). 71

The prophets are required to demonstrate to the peoplethat they are prophets. Therefore, prophets must claimthat they are indeed prophets. And they may show mira-cles to the people to prove that they have God-given pow-ers. These are parts of the prophetic call. However, thefriends (awliya) are commanded to keep themselves hid-den. And miracles are not at all a requirement of friend-ship (walayat). The friends preach as a representative(naib), of the prophet and their miracles orkaramatsonlyprove that they sincerely follow their prophet.

[However, while the] “miracles of the prophets”(mu‘jiza) are an integral part (maqrun) of the

70The breaking of habits (khawariq al-‘adah) is an Ibn Arabi term thatmeans miracles; see SPK, p. 99

71In this context,daruri means ”self-evident.” The scholar R. J. McCarthyhas done the same in a similar context. See McCarthy,Al-Ghazali’s Path toSufism, p. 87n31

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invitation of the prophets, the miracles of thefriends are not so. Instead, those [miracles ofthe friends] prove (maqrun) that [those friends]acknowledge and follow the authority of theirprophet. So you should not suspect that thosetwo, the “miracles of the prophets” and the“miracles of the friends,” are false- as the de-niers [materialists who deny supernatural eventslike mu’jiza andkaramat, e.g., the Mutazila]maintain. [A 1.266, 129.3-6]

Well-instructed Caliphs: SuperioritiesThe Mujaddid affirms the mainstream Sunni creed thatsays that the order of superiority of the well-instructedcaliphs, i.e. Abu Bakr, Umar, Uthman and Ali, is in ac-cordance to the order of their caliphates.

The order of superiority among the well-instructed72 caliphs is in accordance to the order of theircaliphates.

He first establishes the superiority of the Caliph Abu Bakrand the Caliph Umar.

The superiority of the Two Shaykhs [HazratAbu Bakr and Hazrat Umar] has been estab-lished by the consensus of opinion of the com-panions and the followers.

Imam Ashari agrees to the superiority of the Two Shaykhs.

72well-instructed (rashidin): Rashidinis usually translated as ”rightly-guided.” However, I offer an alternative I translaterushdas good-instructionandhidayatas good-guidance.Rushdmeans specific good instructions fordoing worldly deeds, whereashidayatrefers to a more ”spiritual” guidanceguidance of the spirit toward God

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Many of the great imams have transmitted itas well. One of them is Imam Shafi‘i. Thegreat Imam Abul Hasan Ashari said, “Verilyto recognize the superior qualities (tafdil) ofAbu Bakr followed by Umar over the rest ofthe community is definitive.”

Imam Dhahabi concurs to it.

Imam Dhahabi73 said, “Many people includ-ing numerous numbers of the Shias have nar-rated from Ali that since the time when hewas the caliph and ruler, ‘Verily Abu Bakrand Umar are the most superior in the com-munity.”’ He [Imam Dhahabi] added that morethan eighty people have narrated it from Ali.”He [Hazrat Ali] had even named many ofthem. Then he [Hazrat Ali] had added, ‘MayAllah punishes the dissenters, therawafid, forthey have shown ignorance!’”

Imam Bukhari confirms by a narration from Hazrat Ali.

Imam Bukhari narrates from Hazrat Ali, “Ver-ily the most excellent man after the Prophetis Abu Bakr, next is Umar and the rest areafter them.” According to the narration, atthat point Hazrat Ali’s son Hazrat Muham-mad ibn Hanafiya had interjected, “Next isyou?” Hazrat Ali then replied [twice for em-phasis,] “I am only an ordinary Muslim! I aman ordinary Muslim!”74

73Imam Dhahabi Imam ‘Abdullah Muhammad ibn Ahmad Dhahabi74Imam Bukhari,Tarikh-i Bukhari, a ”less than sahih” hadith report col-

lection by Imam Bukhari

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Imam Dhahabi also concurs by a narration from HazratAli.

Imam Dhahabi and others have narrated soundreports from Hazrat Ali, “Be forewarned! Ithas reached me that many people elevate meover the two [i.e., Hazrat Abu Bakr and HazratUmar]. And if someone does elevate me overthem, he is a slanderer (muftar). [I will pun-ish] him the same way as [I would punish] aslanderer.

Imam Darriqtani narrates another saying from Hazrat Ali.

It has been narrated inDarruqtani 75 fromHazrat Ali, “Let me find no one who gives mesuperiority to Abu Bakr or Umar. Be fore-warned! I shall whip him just like a slan-derer.”

There has been so many such hadith reports from HazratAli that even many Shias agree on the superiority of theTwo Shaykhs.

So many sayings like this are narrated fromHazrat Ali and from many other companionsthat there is no room for anyone to deny this.It has even reached the point that a prominentShia named Abdur Razzaq76 says, “I hold theTwo Shaykhs as the best. For Ali has giventhem superiority over himself. Else I wouldnot have given them superiority. This sin issufficient [to ruin] me—that I love him but I

75Imam Darruqtani,Sunan-i Darruqtani, a well-known book of hadithcollection

76Abdur Razzaq: A prominent Shia scholar quoted in the classical booktheSiwa‘iq

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act against him.” All these are taken from thebook theSiwa‘iq. 77

Now the Mujaddid establishes the superiority of HazratUthman over Hazrat Ali.

Now what comes is the matter of superiorityof Hazrat Uthman versus Hazrat Ali. Mostof the ulama of the mainstream Sunni com-munity hold the opinion that Hazrat Uthmanis next in excellence to the two shaykhs andthen comes Hazrat Ali. The imams of thefour schools of jurisprudence are agreed onthis. Imam Malik was initially hesitant ongranting superiority to Hazrat Uthman. How-ever, Qadi ‘Ayyad78 reports that Imam Maliklater reversed himself in his position regard-ing the superiority of Hazrat Uthman. AndImam Qurtubi said, “This is true! Allah will-ing!”

The Mujaddid establishes that Imam Abu Hanifa alsosupported the superiority of Hazrat Uthman. He clarifiesa statement of Abu Hanifa that can be interpreted to denythat superiority. That statement may be misconstrued tomean that the Imam only believed that the two later onesonly deserved love; they did not deserve to be consid-ered superior. But the Mujaddid rationalizes that state-ment and demonstrates that the Imam must have agreedto their superiority as well.

From the following statement, it seems thatthe great Imam Abu Hanifa was hesitant on

77Shaykh Shihabuddin Ahmad ibn Hajjar,al-Sawa’iq al-Muhriqa’ al-Radd ‘Ala Ahl al-Bida’

78Qadi ‘Ayyad was an eminent scholar of hadith

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WELL-INSTRUCTED CALIPHS: SUPERIORITIES 211

granting superiority to Hazrat Uthman. Hesaid, “A signpost of being in the mainstreamSunni community is to grant superiority tothe Two Shaykhs and to love the Two LaterOnes.” In consideration, I believe that thisstatement should be applied in a different con-text. Many disputes and conflicts appearedduring the reigns of the Two Later Ones. Andthe hearts of men were turbid. In those cir-cumstances, the great Imam applied the term“love” toward the Two Later Ones. And hemade friendship with them a signpost of thesunna. It is not that he had even a taint ofhesitation [on the superiority of Hazrat Uth-man]. How could he have a hesitation? Forthe books of the Hanafite School are repletewith the statement “the order of superiorityof the caliphs is in accordance of their orderof succession.” In short, the superiority of theTwo Shaykhs isyaqini, certain. However, thesuperiority of Hazrat Uthman lacks that [cer-titude].

The Mujaddid affirms that the Shias indeed possess faithalthough they are deviants.

Therefore, it should be borne in mind thatpeople who deny the superiority of Hazrat Uth-man (or deny the superiority of the Two Shaykhsadditionally) should not be ruled faithless. How-ever, we should consider them to be deviantswho have fallen astray. For the ulama hasdiffered in ruling them faithless. And thereare strong reservations if they are definitivelyunanimous in this [ruling]. Such a denier is,in effect, no different than the worthless Yazid.

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However, they [the ulama] have stopped shortof cursing even him, out of caution [as Yazidmay have repented before dying].

The Mujaddid demonstrates that defaming any of the com-panions is an abominable sin.

The pain that Hazrat Prophet feels on accountof the well-instructed caliphs is the same painthat he feels on account of the two imams.The Prophet said, “By Allah! By Allah! Mycompanions! Do not mistreat them! Whoso-ever will love them, he will love them for hislove for me. And whosoever will hold enmityto them, they will hold that enmity for his en-mity toward me. Whosoever will hurt them,he will hurt me. And whosoever will hurt me,will hurt Allah. And whosoever hurts Allah,Allah will catch him quickly.” 79 For Al-lah said,Verily whosoever hurts Allah or hisProphet, Allah will curse him in this worldand in the next world.(Koran 33:57).

The Mujaddid explains that while it is true that HazratAli has been praised the most in the hadith literature, stillhe is not superior to his three predecessor caliphs.

In hisSharh-i ‘Aqa’id-i Nasafi, Mawlana Saidud-din 80 talks about “justice” on this [order of]superiority. However, what he considers jus-

79Allah! Allah! Fi ashabi! La tattakhuzuhum ghardan min ba‘di. Fa-manahabbahum, fa-bi-hubbi ahabbahum. Wa man abghadahum, fa-bi-bughdiabghadahum. Wa man adhahum, fa-qad adhani! Wa man adhani, fa-qadadhiLlah. Wa man adhiLlah, fa-yushaka an yakhuzuhu.[Tirmidhi]

80Mawlana Sa‘ad al-Din,Sharh-i ‘Aqa’id-i Nasafi[Commentary on theCreed of Nasafi] - it is a commentary on the original book written byMuhammad ibn Abu al-Fadl Burhan Nasafi (d. 791 / 1390)

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tice is far from justice. And the manner inwhich he has overturned this [order of supe-riority] is fruitless. For it is decided by theulama that the subject of superiority is theplentitude of rewards before God.

It is not superiority with respect to praise forexcellences or virtues that the rational thinkersemploy as the criterion [but not the ulama].Instead, it is so because the pious predeces-sors and the followers have transmitted farmore praises for the excellences and virtuesfor Hazrat Ali, the Commander of the Faith-ful, than any other companion. It has evenreached the point that Imam Ahmad has said,“No companion has been praised for his virtuesas much as Ali.” Even then, he himself stillrules toward the superiority of the three caliphs.

Therefore, it is understood that the subject ofsuperiority is something else beyond excel-lences and virtues. Only the witnesses of thetreasury of divine revelation [i.e., the com-panions] have been able to realize it in formor in indication. They are the companions ofthe Prophet.

The author of theSharh-i ‘Aqa’id-i Nasafisaid, “If the subject of superiority is the amountof reward then there is scope for hesitation.”This statement should be rejected because hes-itation would be relevant only then when wecould not have learned it from the author ofthe sharia [Prophet Muhammad] directly orindirectly. If we have indeed known it, why

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hesitate? And if we have not known it, whyrule toward superiority at all?

He who considers everyone as equal and theexcellence of one with respect to another asmeaningless talk is the one who talks mean-inglessly. He is indeed the one who talksmeaninglessly who considers the consensusof opinion of the “people of truth” as mean-ingless talk. Unless misunderstanding the wordfadl, excellence has taken him to suchfudulior meaningless position.

Now the Mujaddid comments on what Ibn Arabi said onthis order of superiority.

The author [Ibn Arabi] writes in theFutuhat-i Makkiya, “The order of their caliphates is inaccordance to the order of their l7ife-spans.”This saying of his does not point toward thembeing equal because the matter of caliphate isone thing and the arguments about superiorityare another thing.

Much of Ibn Arabi’s science is derived from false un-veilings or sufi ecstatic utterances. That portion shouldbe rejected.

Even if we agree that this does point towardthem being equal, even then this saying of hisas well the other similar sayings should beconsidered as ecstatic utterances (shathiyat).And that should not be accepted. Much of his[Ibn Arabi’s] unveiling-derived science (ma‘arif-i kashfi) has strayed away from the scienceof the [mainstream] Sunni community; that

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is far from being correct. So none should fol-low that false [portion of the Ibn Arabi] sci-ence except a person sick in heart or a blindfollower. [A 1.266, 129.6-131.18; FR 92-95]

The Companions: Their DisputesThe Mujaddid confirms the mainstream Sunni creed; heholds that we should love all the companions and holdmalice toward none. The conflict that arose amongstthem arose because of their error in theirijtihad, “striv-ings for interpretations,” not because they were evil inheart. Therefore, their errors should be excused.

The disputes and conflicts that occurred amongthe companions should be held with a purelygood interpretation. They [those disputes] mustbe kept far from caprices and chauvinism. ImamTaftazani had an excessive love for Hazrat Alibut still he said, “The disputes and fights didnot take place on the question of winning thecaliphate. On the contrary, they occurred dueto their errors in theirijtihad, interpretation.”

It is written in the [Koranic exegesis]Hashia’al-Khiyali, 81 “Verily [Hazrat] Muwawiya andthe warring rebels were loyal. They recog-nized Hazrat Ali as the best person of the timeand the rightful candidate to be the Imam.But they had a reservation, as he did not takeretribution from the killers of Hazrat Uthman.He quotes from Hazrat Ali in the [exegesis]Hashiya’-i Qurra’-i Kamal ;82 “Those who

81‘Ali ibn Musa al-Khiyali, Hashia’ al-Khiyali82Kamal al-Din Isma‘il,Hashiya’-i Qurra’-i Kamal

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are fighting us are our brothers. They are nei-ther faithless nor corrupt. For what they aredoing is in accordance to their interpretation(tawil). There is no doubt that errors in in-terpretation,ijtihad, are beyond blame. Andthey are raised above denunciation and con-demnation.

You should remember all the companions fondly,out of deference of the right of their com-panionship to the best of men (salam). Youshould love them for our love for the Prophet.The Prophet said, “Whosoever will love them,he will love them for his love of me; andwhosoever will hold enmity to them will holdthat for his enmity to me.”83 What it meansis the love that relates to me is the same lovethat relates to the companions and the enmitythat relates to me is the same enmity that re-lates to the companions.”

We have no friendship with them who foughtwith Hazrat Ali. Still, they are the compan-ions of the Prophet and we have been com-manded to love them and forbidden to hurt orhate them. So we have no choice but to lovethem all for our love for the prophet (salam).And [we have no choice but] to refrain fromhurting or hating them since that hurt and hateultimately reaches that leader [the Prophet Muham-mad (salam)].

However, we call those who were right as

83hadith: man ahabbahum, fa-bi-hubbi ahabbahum. Wa manabghadahum, fa-bi-bughdi abghadahum.[Tirmidhi]

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those who were right and call those who werewrong as those who were wrong. Hazrat Aliwas on the right path and his opponents wereon the wrong path. To say any more is bab-bling. The verification of this discourse isin detail in the maktub that I have written toKhwaja Muhammad Ashraf.84 If you haveany question, please refer there.. [A 1.266,131.18-132.15; FR 95-96]

84maktub 1.251

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CHAPTER

5Practice

PracticeThe second necessary component of Islam is the practiceof the sharia. So having rectified the sharia, practicingthe practice would be the next step.

After rectifying the creed, you should learnthe rules of the science of jurisprudence (fiqh)[of the sharia]. One should not neglect learn-ing the science of jurisprudence, e.g., what isobligatory orfard, incumbent orwajib, law-ful or halal, unlawful or haram, sunna, suspi-cious ormushtabah, reprehensible ormakruh,etc. It is also required that you practice thatwhich this science establishes. You shoulddetermine which ones are the required prac-tices from the books of jurisprudence. A com-plete attempt to practice good deeds shouldbe observed. Prayer is the foundation of reli-gion. Now I am recounting a summary of itsexcellences and pillars. So listen!

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222 Practice

AblutionThe Mujaddid explains how to make ablution properlysince ablution is the key to prayer.

First, it is important to perform the ablutioncompletely. It is required that you wash eachlimb three times completely and perfectly, sothat the method of the sunna is observed. Whilewiping off the head, the entire head should bedone. You should take care to wipe the earsand the neck well. While cleansing in be-tween the toes, you should wash by the smallfinger of the left hand starting from the smalltoe of the left foot. You should be careful todo it right.

You should not consider taking upmustahabdeeds insignificant. God likesmustahabdeeds;practicingmustahabpleases Him. If you canlearn of one single act that brings God’s sat-isfaction and love in exchange of the entireworld, capture that spoil of war! This ex-change can be compared to an exchange inwhich someone buys some priceless jewelsfor a few pieces of broken earthenware! Oran exchange in which one loses his spirit fora cheap inanimate thing!

PrayerThe Mujaddid now explains how to perform a properprayer, which is the fundamental practice of Islam.

After a perfect purification and a completeablution, you should make the intention for

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the prayer. Prayer is the heavenly ascensionor miraj for the faithful. You should take careto perform the obligatory prayers only in acongregation so that not even the first glorifi-cation ortakbir with the imam is missed. Youshould pray in themustahabtime. 1 And youshould perform the pious deed of reciting thesunna amount of the [Koranic] Recitation.2

You should remain motionless when you bowor prostrate, for most narrations consider itobligatory or incumbent. Stand straight whilestanding so that all the bones return to theirown places. It is necessary to become mo-tionless for a few moments right after stand-ing and you should practice that too. It maybe obligatory, incumbent or sunna- there isa divergence in opinion here. Likewise, youshould stay motionless while sitting betweenthe two prostrations- as while standing.

While bowing or prostrating, you should re-peat the glorifications ortasbih three timesor at most up to seven times or eleven times-there is a divergence of opinion here too. Theimam should repeat the glorifications taking

1The Mujaddid wrote in the Maktubat that the early part of the allottedtime period of prayer should be held to be the mustahab time except that theisha, night prayer, should be delayed in the winter months until one-thirdof the night has passed. However, many ulama also suggest that during thesummer months, the dhuhr prayer should be delayed a little bit as well.

2It is sunna to recite a long chapter (from the beginning of theKoran untilSura Buruj) infajr, the morning prayer; a medium-length chapter (from SuraBuruj until Sura Bayyinah) fordhuhr, the noon prayer,‘asr or late-afternoonprayer, andisha’, the night prayer; and a short chapter (from Sura Bayyinahuntil the end of the Koran) inmaghrib, the sunset prayer in the obligatorycycles, rak‘ats of the prayer.

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224 Practice

into consideration the state of the followers.I am ashamed when an able person prayingalone repeats the least number of glorifica-tions; if he can at all, he should repeat it fiveor seven times.

While prostrating, [the bodily part] that is nearerto the ground should be laid on the groundfirst. Therefore, lay the two knees on the groundfirst. Next, lay down the two hands. Next laydown the nose and then the forehead. Whilelaying down the knees and the hands, lay downthe right limbs first. While raising the head,the bodily part that is nearer to the sky shouldbe raised first. Therefore, first raise your fore-head!

You should “stitch” your gaze on the seat ofprostration. While bowing, you should looktoward your own feet. While prostrating, lookat the tip of the nose. While sitting, you shouldlook toward your two hands or your sides.When instead of being scattered, the gaze willbe focused and “stitched” to the above-mentionedpoints, only then will the prayer be performedwith concentration. And a prayer with humil-ity will be realized- which is what has beennarrated by the Prophet (salam).

It is sunna to keep the fingers spread out whilebowing and to keep them together while pros-trating. Those [acts] have been decreed tobe pious deeds. Closing and opening the fin-gers has a purpose. Observing its benefits, theMaster of the Sharia [Prophet Muhammad]

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has instituted those practices. I see no benefitequal to following the ‘master of the sharia’[Prophet Muhammad] (salam).

All these rules have been written in the booksof jurisprudence in detail and clearly. Myintention behind mentioning them here is sothat you long to practice these according tothe science of jurisprudence. By the grace ofthe Prince of the Messengers [Muhammad],may Allah (SWT) grant us the opportunity torectify our creed in the religion, and you aswell! And then to practice wholesome deedsaccording to the science of the sharia! Maythe most bountiful salutations and the mostperfect peace offerings be on him and all hisprogeny!

If you long to learn the excellences of prayerand find its perfections, then study the threemaktubs3 dispatched in sequence one afteranother. The first maktub has been written tomy son Muhammad Sadiq. The second mak-tub is for Mir Muhammad Nu’man and thethird is for Shaykh Taj. [A 1.266, 132.15-134.8; FR 96-99.3]

Now why does the Mujaddid specifically mention prayer(and ablution that is its prerequisite) in this section, amongso many other acts of worship? The first reason may bethat the five-time- daily obligatory prayer is the funda-mental practice of Islam. However, even more important

3maktub 1.260 (written to his son Muhammad Sadiq,), 1.262 (tohiscaliph or ordained deputy Mir Muhammad Nu’man) and 1.263 (tohis caliphShaykh Taj)

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may be the reason that we must possess piety orikhlasduring our prayer if we want God to accept that prayer.Piety is critical for prayer to be accepted; maybe that iswhy the Mujaddid is bundling these sections together.

Comments: The Purpose of SufismThe following writing by my sufi shaykh clarifies thepurpose of the tariqa according to the Mujaddid. Sufismor tariqa is merely a technology to realize pious inten-tion, as clarified by my shaykh, who explains,

How to attain the pious intention? Intentionoriginates in the heart. Pronouncing the in-tention is not obligatory. Intention in the heartis what is obligatory. It is obligatory to makea proper intention before performing any actof worship. It is in the hadith that all actswill be judged according to the intention be-hind them [Bukhari]. The heart is the seat ofintention of all acts, be they good or evil. Sa-tan, the sworn enemy of man, makes it hishome and whispers evil suggestions to him.As long as Satan can rule over the heart, piousintention cannot grow there. Since Satan hasmade the human heart his home, it is impure.Intention of the impure heart must be impure.Therefore, in order to purify the heart, Satanmust be driven out of there. Only then therecan be pious intention behind acts. It is saidin the hadith, “Satan sits in the hearts of men.If the heart is engaged in zikr of Allah, thenSatan flees it. Instead if the heart is heedlessfrom zikr, then Satan stays there and whispersevil suggestions” [Bukhari].

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COMMENTS: THE PURPOSE OF SUFISM 227

Satan tries his best to interrupt our prayers.He knows that if our prayer is purely pious,i.e., realizing the good-pleasure of God is thesole objective of that prayer, then he will beunable to defeat the power from Allah thatwe will gain through that properly performedprayer. It is only when our Prayer, the essenceof all devotional acts, is done with a purelypious intention, that then we are able to ab-stain from all acts that Allah detests. Allahhas stated,Verily prayer restrains from shame-ful and unjust acts(Koran 29:45). Allah ac-cepts our prayer only when the devotee pu-rifies his body, clothes, and mind. And hisintention being only the satisfaction of Allah,he performs all the pillars of the prayer prop-erly. Allah is Pure. Only the pure may suc-ceed in worshiping Him. Not only the body;the mind of the devotee should be pure aswell. Ablution or bathing creates outer pu-rity. And the zikr of Allah that takes placein the heart creates inner purity. Therefore,the heart should always be doing the zikr ofAllah spontaneously. And this zikr shouldbe permanent. Whenever the heart is heed-less of the zikr of Allah, Satan will rule it.He will then contaminate the heart that is thesource of all good acts of man. And by ru-ining man’s single-minded attention to Allahduring prayer, he will destroy it. Prayer is thekey to salvation from all evil acts. It says inthe hadith: “A prayer is not accepted with-out a presence of the heart.”4 And Allah has

4hadith: La salata illa bi-huduril qalb

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228 Practice

stated:And establish prayer in order to do myzikr (Koran 20:14).

To repel this satanic threat, we must learn‘ilmal-qalb, the “knowledge of the heart.” Thenour hearts will always be immersed in the never-ending zikr of Allah and thus we can saveourselves from this dangerous predicament.So we should seek the help of an authorityon the “knowledge of the heart.” The “real”sufi shaykh is an authority on this knowledge.The purpose behind enrolling in any sufi tariqais to attain nothing else butikhlasor “purelypious intention,” i.e., a true and godly inten-tion. It is not those perverted aims with whichmany people throng the khanqas of the sufishaykhs so often [e.g., to cure diseases, winworldly advancement, etc. through the spiri-tual powers of the shaykh]. And many peo-ple who call themselves sufi shaykhs nurturethese aims, which are far from the true aimfor which people should come to sufi shaykhs.

Now we understand why it is necessary toenroll in one of the many tariqas of the su-fis. The purpose is to enable us to follow thesharia completely. Unless one enrolls in a sufitariqa and learns the “knowledge of the heart”from this “educational institution,” one maynot be able to realize “purely pious intention.”By this interpretation, sufi tariqas are servantsof the sharia.” And this is the purpose of truetasawwuf. 5

5Muhammad Mamunur Rashid, Patha Parichiti, originally written inBengali and also its English translation The Path (Dhaka: Hakimabad

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COMMENTS: THE PURPOSE OF SUFISM 229

Khanqa-i Mojaddediya), being continuously reprinted since 1980)

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230 Practice

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CHAPTER

6Piety:

The Purpose of the Tariqa

The Purpose of SufismThe third necessary component of Islam, after rectifyingthe creed and beginning to practice the practice, is en-gaging in the practices of sufism or tariqa, so that we mayrealize true piety. We realize piety when whatever we do;we do it for Allah — attaining the good pleasure of Allahbecomes the purpose (niyat) behind all our deeds.

First, we need to attain the two wings of be-lief and practice. Next, there lies the [taskof wayfaring in the] exalted sufi tariqas if di-vine grace guides us there. The purpose is notthat anything additional to belief and practiceis attained or something new comes in hand.Instead, the purpose is to strengthen the beliefto one of certitude and inner peace, so that theskepticism of the skeptic may not void it, andthe objection of the charlatan may not invali-

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234 Piety The Purpose of the Tariqa

date it.

The leg that is “reasoning” is likea wooden leg[that is unstable]

Those who seek “reasoning” lackthe “stability.”

Note: This poem in original Persian is as below:

pa-i istidlal-i chubin astva mustadill bi tamkin.Here the Mujaddid paraphrases a Rumi poem

(that he also quotes verbatim in maktub1.92):

pa-i istidlalyan-i chubin budpa-i chubin sakht bi tamkin budThe leg of those who engage in ”reasoning”

is woodenThe wooden leg is entirely unstable

My sufi shaykh explained that “stability” here refersto attainingikhlasor piety; and that level of piety is real-ized when one travels on the path of sufi wayfaring andattains the station of the “heart in inner peace,” orqalb-isalim [at the completion of the ninth step, ‘annihilationin the messenger’ orfana’ fi ’l-rasul, in the Mujaddidiwayfaring orsuluk]. This saying means that those whoseek reasoning lack a heart that is in inner peace.

The Mujaddid continues on the benefits of sufi way-faring. And its ultimate benefit is the realization of “innerpeace.” He says that gimmicks like “seeing unseen lightsand colors” i.e., the supernatural experiences like seeinglights and colors that normal people cannot see but sufisendowed with the power ofkashf, unveiling or ethereal

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vision can see, are not at all the purpose of sufism —these are actually unimportant things.

The Koran says,Take note! It is in the zikr ofAllah that the heart finds inner peace(Koran13:28). The practice also becomes easy andspontaneous. Laziness and rebelliousness thatoriginates from the instigating [soul] is elim-inated.

It is not the purpose of the sufi wayfarer towitness unseen forms and shapes or to beholdlights and colors. For these are games andjoys!

What is the purpose of learning sufism? Is it to attain su-pernatural experiences like seeing forms, shapes, lights,and colors that are ordinarily invisible? Some sufis er-roneously believe that having such supernatural experi-ences is the purpose of sufism. The Mujaddid ridiculesthem and wonders, if seeing shapes and lights is whatthey want then why are they not satisfied with seeingshapes and lights that are ordinarily visible. Instead whyare they doing arduous sufi practices in order to see lightsand colors that are ordinarily invisible.

What wrong do the “sensory” forms and lightsdo? So that someone would forgo them, andundertake self-mortifications and difficult prac-tices (bar yadat va mujahadat), in the hope ofseeing the unseen forms and lights?

Yes! These misguided sufis argue that seeing those un-seen lights may beneficial because they proove that su-pernatural things, e.g., God, angels, paradise, hell, doexist. However, the Mujadaddi counters them by not-

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236 Piety The Purpose of the Tariqa

ing that even the existence of ordinarily visible lights andcolors prove that a Creator exists who has created them.

Indeed these forms [that can be seen by ev-eryone] and those forms [that can only be seenby those enlightened sufis] and these lightsand those lights- all are the creation of theHaqq (SWT) and signifiers of His existence.[A 1.266, 134.8-16; FR 99.4-100.4]

Therefore, seeing supernatural things cannot be a validpurpose of sufism.

Naqshbandi tariqa Clings to the SunnaThe Mujaddidi-Naqshbandi tariqa is the most excellenttariqa, as it strictly conforms to the sunna.

Of all the sufi tariqas, choosing the Naqsh-bandi tariqa is the best and most advisable astheir great masters cling to the sunna and castoff all deviations (bid‘at). For this reason, ifthe felicity of following the sunna enrichesthem but they do not gain any “[sufi ethe-real/physical symptom or] state,” still they arehappy.

On the other hand, if [such] a state contributesto the slackening of the following [of the sunna]they do not like those states. For this rea-son, they do not permit singing and dancing[that are the accepted practices of many othertariqas]. And they do not consider the statesthat result from those [practices such as singingand dancing] as credible, [i.e., divinely in-spired]. Instead, they even consider loud zikr

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as a deviation [i.e., a bad deviation or badbid‘at] and they prohibit it. And they do notturn toward the fruits [i.e., states] that thosepractices produce. [A 1.266, 134.16-135.1;FR 100.4-12]

Loud ZikrNow the Mujaddid explains this important point of loudzikr.

Once we were present in his [Khwaja Baqi-billah’s] service, in a gathering for meal. Adevotee of our Hazrat Khwaja named ShaykhKamal pronounced the name “Allah” aloud atthe start of the meal. Hazrat [Baqibillah] wasdispleased to such an extent that he rebukedhim [shaykh Kamal] strongly and told us toforbid him [shaykh Kamal] from coming tohis meal gatherings. I have heard from Hazrat[Baqibillah] that once Hazrat Khwaja Naqsh-band gathered the ulama of Bukhara togetherand took them to thekhanqa[or sufi cloisteror center] of Hazrat Amir Kulal to forbid himfrom loud zikr. The ulama told Hazrat AmirKulal, “Loud zikr is a deviation. Do not prac-tice it!” In answer, he stated, “[All right!] Iwill not practice it [anymore]!”. [A 1.266,135.1-6; FR 100.4-12]

A fundamental rule of the Mujaddidi-Naqshbandi tariqais th zikr should be done in silence. Allah stated,Do zikrof your Lord within yourself(Koran 7:205). But can aMujaddidi-Naqshbandi practice loud zikr at all, or evenonce in a while? The answer is a resounding “No!”

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238 Piety The Purpose of the Tariqa

The Mujaddid strongly forbids them to practice loudzikr. He stresses that in addition of this practice beingin violation of the sharia, it is also in violation of thetariqa. Now what if someone claims that some of the pre-decessor masters of the Naqshbandi tariqa used to prac-tice loud zikr? So why can we not? Yes! It is true thatthese masters in the Naqshbandi line, Hazrat Abu YusufHamadani , Khwaja Mahmud Injir Fagnawi, Khwaja Az-izan Ali Ramitani, and Khwaja Sayyid Amir Kulal zRGused to practice loud zikr. However, they are not at allmembers of the Naqshbandi tariqa- that tariqa did noteven exist at that time. The Naqshbandi tariqa starts withHazrat Bahauddin Naqshband, our first imam and he hasforbidden it. More importantly, our second imam, theGreat Mujaddid Ahmad Sirhindi also forbade it in manydifferent places in his writings. Yes! It is established be-yond doubt that these practices such as loud zikr, singing,and dancing violate the fundamental rules of this “mosthigh tariqa”. Now there may be other interpretations ofthe sharia or the hadith literature that approve those prac-tices. However, the followers of this exalted Mujaddidi-Naqshbandi tariqa should still abstain from these prac-tices so as to abide by the rules established the two imamsof this tariqa.

What is the history of loud zikr among thekhwa-jeganmasters and their predecessors who are in our sil-sila and who preceded the formation of the Naqshbanditariqa? Hazrat Bayazid Bistami Khwaja Abu Yusuf Hamadani’smethod was loud zikr. But it was Hazrat Khidr whotaught Khwaja Abdul Khaliq Ghujdawani first and it wasby the method of “silent zikr.” When Khwaja Ghujdawanibecame the disciple of Khwaja Hamadani, Khwaja Hamadanitold him, “Do zikr as Hazrat Khidr (salam) taught you.”Khwaja Ghujdawani’s successor Khwaja Arif Riwagiri

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also followed his master. But it was his successor KhwajaMahmud Injir Fagnawi who first introduced loud zikr inthat lineage of Hazrat Ghujdawani. And Khwaja Fag-nawi’s successor Khwaja Azizan Ali Ramitani also prac-ticed loud zikr. And so did Hazrat Amir Kulal, untilHazrat Bahauddin Naqshband and the ulama of Bukharaforbade him to do so, as it is a blameworthy deviation.

The sharia proscribes loud zikr and so this practiceinvited many critiques. In a council of the ulama, the Sunof the Imams, Hazrat Halwani, asked him, “Why do youpractice loud zikr?” Hazrat Fagnawi answered,

I do loud zikr to awaken those asleep, to in-form the heedless, to hold fast to the shariaand the tariqa, to bring people to this path andto make them desire God-realization (haqiqat).

Once he was asked,

Who can do loud zikr?” So he answered, “Hewhose tongue is free from lying and back-biting, who esophagus is free from haram andsuspicious food, whose heart is pure from van-ity and hypocrisy, and whose head has notbeen lowered to anyone except Allah, it is hewho can do loud zikr.1

Now can this be construed to mean that loud zikr may bere-introduced today for the Naqshbandis? No! Becausethe above statement makes it clear that loud zikr waspracticed as an exceptional measure and it was allowedonly for an exceptional person, even for them- masters in

1Halat-i Mashaikh-i Naqshbandiya Mujaddidiya, I referred to the Ben-gali translation, Maolana Mohammad Hasan Naksbandi Mujaddedi,HalateMashayekhe Naksbandiya Mujaddediya, (Dhaka: Barakatiya Darul Ulum,1997), v. I, p. 178, pp. 192-193; p. 196

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240 Piety The Purpose of the Tariqa

our silsila who preceded the formation of the Naqshbanditariqa. However, when our first imam Hazrat BahauddinNaqshban formalized this tariqa, he absolutely forbadeloud zikr as a rule of this tariqa. And our second imamsustained this ban. So the present day Naqshbandis maynot even quote them to legitimize loud zikr.

Indeed, this ban on public display includes all su-pererogatory practices. As a general rule, my sufi shaykhhas taught me to perform all supererogatory prayers athome instead of in mosques. He even taught us to hideour prayer beads from public eyes. And he taught us thatif in a mosque or in public we do our tariqa’s silent zikrwith prayer beads, we should hide those prayer beads.For example, I often used to close my eyes and meditatein public but the shaykh told me that I should not do thatin public because then people would wonder what I amdoing; it would make our acts of worship public. Theonly time that we, the adepts of the Mujaddidi tariqa,may close our eyes and meditate in public is in our sittingmeditations (muraqabas) that are done after the dawn(fajr) and sunset (maghrib) prayers.

Following the rules of the tariqa, I always hide myprayer beads while doing zikr in public, on buses or masstransport in the United States and someone once sug-gested that I should not hide my prayer beads becauseshowing them may help delivering the message, i.e., ifpeople ask what I am doing, I could explain it and thatwould be another way to spread Islam and the tariqa.When I asked him, my shaykh overruled it and said thatthe rule of this tariqa is that all acts of worship should bekhafi i.e., not only silent but also hidden from the public.Therefore, it is a rule of the tariqa to hide all our su-pererogatory practices- they should not only be silent butalso hidden from the public. And the tariqa-rules must be

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SONGS, DANCES, ECSTASIES, RAPTURES 241

meticulously observed to receive thefaydhandbarakafrom the tariqa.

Songs, Dances, Ecstasies, RapturesIf you practice sufi songs and dances, you may still ex-perience strong hal or states but those states producedby these non-sharia practices are evil. In another mak-tub, the Mujaddid compares the relative merits of prayerversus singing and dancing according to the sharia. Heconcludes that hal produced by prayer is superior to thehal produced by singing and dancing in the same waythat prayer is a more meritorious act than singing anddancing.

When the great ones of this tariqa have for-bidden even loud zikr so strongly, what canone say about songs, dances, ecstasies, andraptures (wajd va tawajid)! I consider thestates and raptures (mawajid) that emerge bynon-permissible means as a kindistidraj [prac-tice] that leads step by step to ruin. Statesand longings (ahwal va adhwaq) come in thehands even for the people ofistidraj or peo-ple who practice occult that lead them step-by-step to ruin. They see the unveilings oftawhid (kashf-i tawhid). And they see [God]unveiled in the mirror that is the forms of theworld and they also identify Him with thoseforms.

Yes! Tawhid is unveiled before these misguided peopleas well- it is experienced by many mystics of many otherreligions. Let us read the following example from the

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242 Piety The Purpose of the Tariqa

Hindu scriptures. In the Chandogya Upanishad2 Sve-taketu asks his father the Rishi (sage) Aruni, “How shallI see the immortal divine Being?” Aruni threw some saltinto a container of water and asked Svetaketu, “Son! Canyou tell where the salt went? You will not see any saltanywhere. Instead taste the water! Then you will expe-rience the presence of salt in every drop of that water. Inthe same way, Truth [i.e., God] is everywhere. You can-not see Him in the creation, but you can experience Himthere through meditation. That is why, son, I say ‘Thouart Him.”’

So the Mujaddid says that realizingtawhid(i.e., thatGod and the creation, all are the same) is not the purposeof God-realization- instead it is the spontaneous obser-vance of the sharia that is the destination.

The sages of Greece and the yogis and theBrahmins of India are also among these peo-ple [who practiced occult] that led them step-by-step to ruin. The sign that the states arereal [i.e., of divine origin] is that those [states]conform to the science of the sharia and keeppeople away from taking up forbidden andquestionable practices. [A 1.266, 135.6-10]

Yes! That is the real purpose of a spiritual quest accord-ing to the Mujaddid. It is to purify the inner realm so thatman spontaneously observes the sharia. So if the prac-tices of any “God-realized master” do not accomplish it,then that establishes that that practice is not of divine ori-gin.

The Mujaddid writes more on the same theme else-where in theMaktubat.

2an ancient Hindu scripture that is the source of Vedanta monist tradition

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It is because the Brahmins and yogis of In-dia and the philosophers of Greece have hadplenty of the likes of these self-disclosuresin [physical] form, imaginal unveilings, andmonist ideas (tajalli-i suri, mukashafat-i mithali,‘ulum-i tawhidi); but they have received noth-ing but negativity and dishonor (raswa‘i) as aresult and nothing but remoteness (bu‘d) anddisappointment (haramani) in their lot. [A1.237, 37.15-17]

Singing and dancing do violate the sharia. The Mujad-did now cites from the Koran, hadith, and opinion of theSalaf, the pious predecessors.

You should know that singings and dancingare really parts of “games and joys.” Allahhas stated,Among people, whosoever buys agame of words(Koran 31:6), and this versehas been revealed to forbid singing. Mujahid,who was the student of Ibn Abbas, and a pre-eminent follower, has said that the “game ofwords” means “singing” here. It is written inthe Koranic exegesisMadarik3 that “game ofwords” means “tales told at a night party” andsinging. [These two great scholars among thecompanions], Ibn Abbas and Ibn Masud ,4

both swear, “Verily it is singing.” Mujahid5

has interpreted the Koranic phrasewho doesnot witness falsehood(Koran 35:72) as refer-ring to singing.

3‘Abdullah ibn Ahmad Nasafi,Madarik al-Tanzil wa Haqa’iq al-Tawil4Ibn Abbas and Ibn Masud were companions and great scholars and

Koranic commentators5Mujahid: An early Koranic commentator of the generation after the

companions

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244 Piety The Purpose of the Tariqa

Imam of Guidance Abu Mansur Maturidi6

says, “Whosoever praises a qari [reciter ofthe Koran] of our times by saying ‘You re-cited well!’- [that means that he approves ofthat qari’s ‘singing’ the verses of the Koranand that is haram since singing in all formsis haram and so, since he approves a haramact] he becomes an apostate, his wife gets an[automatic] divorce7 [as he would have be-come an apostate] and Allah makes all hisgood deeds come to naught [as he would havebecome an apostate].” [A 1.266, 135.10-16]

Imam Maturidi’s argument seems to be this: The qariof his time used to recite the Koran in a melodious-likesinging. And singing is haram, even if someone singsthe verses of the Koran. So if someone approved thatqari’s “singing” the verses of the Koran and that is haram,then he would be approving a haram act. And since heapproved a haram act, he would leave the folds of Islam.According to the sharia, if a Muslim leaves the fold ofIslam, his marriage becomes null and void, i.e., wife getsan automatic divorce. Also, all his good deeds are erasedfrom the records.

Abu Nasiruddin Dubusi narrates the follow-ing from Qadi Zahiruddin Khwarizmi.8 He

6Abu Mansur Maturidi was the founder of one of the two major schoolsof kalam (apologetics or defensive dogmatic theology); it is the dominantschool in Transoxiana (Uzbekistan, Takjikistan region) and India. AbulHasan Ashari founded the other school that is dominant in therest of theworld. The Mujaddid followed the Maturidite school, on whose excellencehe writes in his monograph the Mabda’ va Ma‘ad, Minha i.e., chapter 28

7According to the sharia, if a Muslim leaves the fold of Islam,his mar-riage becomes null and void, i.e., the wife is automaticallydivorced. Also,all his good deeds are erased from the records

8Abu Nasiruddin Dubusi and Qadi Zahiruddin Khawarizmi were Islamic

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SONGS, DANCES, ECSTASIES, RAPTURES 245

said, “He who listens to a singer or someoneelse singing a song or he who sees a forbid-den act and likes it, he would immediatelybecome an apostate in our opinion. It doesnot matter whether he believes in it [i.e., be-lieves that that forbidden act is permissible]as a matter of creed or not.9 [By “merely lik-ing” that forbidden act] he invalidates a rulingof the sharia. And he who invalidates a rul-ing of the sharia no longer remains a faithful[Muslim] before the four interpreter Imams.10 Allah will not accept any of his good deeds.All his good deeds will come to naught.” MayAllah save us from this!

The jurists have narrated so many prohibi-tions on singing that there are just too manyto number. Even then if someone quotes ab-rogated hadith reports or rarely transmittednarrations to establish that singing is allow-able, then you should not even consider it.For no jurist in any time or place has evermade a juridical pronouncement that singingis allowed or that dancing or footwork is permissible-the Great Imam Diyauddin Shami11 wrotethus in his book theMultaqat.

scholars9According to the sharia, one who believes a haram act to be halal leaves

the folds of Islam. However, if he does carry out that act believing it to beharam, he becomes guilty of that sin but he still remains a Muslim

10Interpreter Imam (mujtahid imam): This refers to the imams whofounded the four schools of interpretation, i.e., Abu Hanifa, Shafi‘i, Malik,and Ahmad ibn Hanbal

11Diya’ al-din Shami was a great scholar, and qadi of Delhi. He was acontemporary of sufi shaykh Nizamuddin Chishti (d. 725 / 1325). His bookNisab al-Ihtisabis held in high esteem ( Fazlur Rahman, p. 102)

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246 Piety The Purpose of the Tariqa

Now the Mujaddid answers the question, “But manyeminent sufis of the past used to practice these deviantpractices. So why should they not be lawful?” The Mu-jaddid explains that the practices of the sufis are not evi-dence for lawfulness; instead, it is the opinions of the ju-rists and the scholars of thefiqh or the law of the sharia,that establish something to be lawful.

Practices of the sufis are not proofs of lawful-ness or unlawfulness. Is it not enough that weconsider them [those sufis] excusable, do notblame them, and leave their matter to God?Here the opinion of [jurists like] Imam AbuHanifa, Imam Abu Yusuf , or Imam Muham-mad 12 is relevant, not the practice of [sufislike] Abu Bakr Shibli or Abul Hasan Nuri.13

This time the Mujaddid answers the question, “The mas-ters of many tariqas used to practice these “deviant” prac-tices. So why can we not?” The Mujaddid answers thatthose master’s practices should not be a pretext becausethey practiced them only when “overwhelmed” by their“states.” So today’s sufis, who do not attain those sub-lime “states” and are not at all overwhelmed by those“states,” may not use their predecessor’s practices as ex-cuses.

The immature sufis of this age have broughtsinging and dancing into their religion andcommunity under the pretext that their ownpirs practiced them. Even more, they havemade them into pious deeds and acts of wor-ship. They are the ones who take their reli-

12two of the greatest disciples of Imam Abu Hanifa, the founderof theHanafi school of jurisprudence

13eminent sufi masters

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SONGS, DANCES, ECSTASIES, RAPTURES 247

gion as games and joys(Koran 25:72) , refersto those who are present in gatherings of singing.

The Mujaddid finds it horrible to glorify singing and danc-ing.

We learn from the preceding narrations thatwhosoever considers an unlawful act to beright leaves the fold of Islam and becomesan apostate; now you can imagine how hor-rible is it to glorify the gathering of singingand dancing, let alone to consider them piousdeeds or acts of worship! Praise and glorybe on Allah! Our pirs [i.e the great shaykhsof the Naqshbandi tariqa] are free from these[deviant practices]! And they have not guidedus, their followers, into doingtaqlid of them[i.e. following them] into these [deviant prac-tices] either [with them being our role mod-els!]. [A 1.266, 135.16-136.15; FR 101-102.15]

It may be noted here that while jurists hold singing to beharam, hadith scholars often approve of it. Even HazratAbdul Haq Muhaddith Dihlavi, the eminent hadith scholarand disciple of the Mujaddid, approves of songs in hisbook the Path of Prophethood orMadarij-i Nubuwat ,which is a biography on the life of Prophet Muhammad(salam.). It is possible that this book was written beforehe became a disciple of the Mujaddid. In any case, hehas the right to differ from the Mujaddid as he was agreat hadith scholar himself. However, what is certain isthat songs are forbidden as practices of this tariqa, evenif one could find an acceptable reason for singing in thesharia.

Now disciples in tariqas other than the Naqshbandi(e.g. Chishti, Shadhili, etc.) may ask, “Many of our pre-

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248 Piety The Purpose of the Tariqa

decessor shaykhs used to practice singing, dancing, etc.so why can we not?” The Mujaddid explains it in anothermaktub,14 by explaining that those shaykhs engaged inthose anti-sharia practices only when predominated bytheir “states.” Since they cannot control themselves inthat state, they are excused. However, their followerswho practice those anti-sharia practices are not in thatstate and so they are not excused- even they should notengage in those practices. However, in the case of theMujaddidi-Naqshbandi tariqa, even that suspicion is notavailable as none of its predecessor shaykhs used to in-dulge in these deviant practices.

Singing: Advice to his Pir’s SonsIn addition to the practices of loud zikr, singing and danc-ing violate the fundamental method of the Mujaddidi-Naqshbandi tariqa. They are blameworthy deviations fromthe practices of the tariqa.

I have heard that you two, the two sons of myvenerable master, have taken a fancy towardsinging. And you set up gatherings Thursdaynights15 for singing songs and reciting qasi-das. Most of our sufi brothers are agreeing tothis practice! [A 1.266, 136.15-17]

The Mujaddid so strongly forbade them because thesenaats and qasidas (types of poems) were being indeed re-cited with musical instruments—i have learned it frommy living tradition, from my shaykh who learnt it from

14maktub 1.291, Volume III, Bengali text p. 18915In the Muslim tradition, the day starts with sunset and continues until

the next sunset. First comes Friday night, then comes the Friday day. So theMuslim Friday night is the Western Thursday night

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MAWLUDS 249

another shaykh16 who in turn learned this from his sil-sila. Sunni ulama usually approve singing songs andreciting qasidas without musical instruments, especiallyin a mawlud. However, my shaykh added that the mainperson in the gathering (usually the shaykh), should notparticipate in singing—then the sunna will be observedbecause the prophet did not practice singing.

MawludsWhile previously, the Mujaddid forbade singing as it vi-olated the sharia, now he is forbidding it as a violationof the Naqshbandi tariqa. He argues that it would be in-troducing a new alien practice in this tariqa and that is asbad as introducing such practices in the sharia.

Did the Mujaddid forbid all mawluds? No! It shouldbe noted Mujaddid is not condemning all mawlud cele-brations, instead only those celebrations where singingwith musical instruments takes place, as it violates thesharia, and those where singing songs are performed aspractices of this tariqa, as that violates the Naqshbanditariqa. The ulama have generally approved singing naatsand qasidas when sung with voice only and without mu-sical instruments. Elsewhere in theMaktubat, the Mu-jaddid discusses more on what types of mawluds are per-mitted and what types are not. There, he responds to aquestion posed by a disciple,

In the matter of recitation of the Mawlud, youhave asked, “Regarding reciting the Koran witha melodious voice and reciting qasidas in praise

16I learned it from my shaykh Muhammad Mamunur Rashid in hisKhanqa in Dhaka in a private conversation in 1998. He in turn learned itfrom Shah Muti Aftabi, the translator of the Bengali Maktubat, in a privatemeeting in Sabhar, Dhaka in the 1980s

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250 Piety The Purpose of the Tariqa

and eulogy of the prophet (qasa’id-i na‘at vamanqabat), what stricture is there?”

In answer, the Mujaddid describes the practices that areforbidden in mawlud.

What is forbidden is the mispronunciation andchanging of the sounds of the Koran. Alsoforbidden is the addition [to the recitation, thepractice] of taking into account the musicalmodes. And [also disallowed is the recita-tion that is] outside of the way of a normalvoice (tardid-i sawt) but instead the way ofsinging sweetly; And [also forbidden is handclapping- practices like this are not allowedeven in poetry- [recitation].

Now the Mujaddid discusses the strictures that regulatethe proper forms of the mawlud.

If you recite in such a way that no phoneticcorruption in the proper [method of pronun-ciation] of the Koran takes place; and whenthe qasidas are recited, the above-mentionedprohibitions are not broken and additionally[they are recited] with the right intention [i.e.,to become closer to God, instead of havingfun] then they may be permitted.

Then the Mujaddid voices his apprehension that if mawludsare celebrated at all, they would ultimately lead to devi-ations.

Sir! The idea comes to my mind that untilthis door is completely closed, idiots [whopractice deviant forms of mawlid] will not bestopped. If you permit a little of it, that will

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INVENTING NEW PRACTICES IN THE TARIQA 251

lead to more of it [being practiced]. A littlewill increase to a lot! It is a well-known say-ing. [A 3.72, 157.8-14]

Now remember that the Mujaddid approves of mawludswhen done in the sunna format. He now only voices hisapprehensions that even proper forms of mawluds willdegenerate into deviant forms of mawluds.

Inventing New Practices in the tariqaThe Mujaddid cautions his sufi brothers against inventingnew practices in the Naqshandi tariqa. He says,

Surprise! A thousand surprises! The disci-ples of the other silsilas take these things upon the pretext that it is the practice of theirown pirs. And they ward off the reverencefor the sharia by the practice of their own pirsalthough even that is not really true. What ex-cuse would our sufi brothers17 give for takingup this practice? On one hand, it destroys thereverence for the sharia! On the other hand,it is contrary to their pir’s practice! Neitherthe people of the sharia are pleased with thispractice, nor are the people of the tariqa!

The Mujaddid has always held the opinion that inventingdeviations (bid‘at) in the tariqa is just as sinful an actas introducing deviations in the sharia. That is why hedenounces introducing singing and dancing in this tariqawhich is inventing new practices in the tariqa.

17sufi brother (yar): Literally yar means friend. But here, as well as inother places, the Mujaddid seems to mean his brothers in the tariqa, i.e.,other students of Khwaja Baqibillah

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Even if it were not violating the sharia, it wouldbe inventing (ihdath) a new practice into thetariqa and that alone is abominable! So howcan it be that that gathering [of singing withmusical instruments that you are holding is]acceptable to the sharia?

Therefore, the Mujaddid forbids these new inventions inthe tariqa.

I firmly believe that the esteemed Mirza Jiu18 is not pleased with this practice. He isnot openly forbidding it only for the sake ofadab, courtesy. It is also for that reason thathe is not forbidding the sufi brothers from go-ing to these gatherings. I do not anticipate go-ing there [to your khanqa in Delhi] soon. So Ihave collected my thoughts and written a fewlines. You should take this lesson [that is inthis maktub] in the company of Mirza Jiu andread this letter in front of him from beginningto end. [A 1.266, 136.17-end-of-maktub]

What does the Mujaddid mean by the term “pir” here?What does he mean when he claims that none of our pre-decessor pirs used to engage in singing [with musical in-struments] or dancing? “Pir” is a Persian word that liter-ally means “elder”; however, in its technical meaning, itis synonymous with the Arabic “shaykh” or another Per-sian word,bozorg. In Iran and the Indian subcontinent,“pir” also means “guide in the tariqa”- it is a synonymfor the Arabic “shaykh” in this technical sense, as wellas literally. In this maktub, the Mujaddid is referring tohis predecessor shaykhs in the Naqshbandi tariqa.

18another name for Khwaja Husamuddin Ahmed

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INVENTING NEW PRACTICES IN THE TARIQA 253

Here, one may comment that many shaykhs who arelisted in the ‘lineage tree’ or the shajara of this tariqalike Hazrat Sayyid Amir Kulal and several of his prede-cessors used to practice loud zikr. (However, this mak-tub shows that Hazrat Bahauddin persuaded Hazrat AmirKulal to give up loud zikr.) So why does the Mujad-did make the “false claim” that our pirs did not prac-tice these? Did the Mujaddid not know the history ofhis tariqa? The answer is that although these elders arelisted in theshajaraor the lineage tree of the tariqa, stillthey are not members in the Naqshbandi tariqa “techni-cally.” This is because the tariqa starts with the founder,the Imam who formalizes the rules of the tariqa and whois a primary source of the energy and blessings,faydhva baraka, of that tariqa. Our tariqa, the Mujaddidi-Naqshbandi tariqa, like several other tariqas, has two Imams:the first Imam is Bahauddin Naqshband and the secondImam is the Great Mujaddid Ahmad Sirhindi. So tech-nically, the elders who are in our silsila but are beforeHazrat Bahauddin Naqshband are not elders of our tariqaand so the Mujaddid does not even consider their prac-tices as models of our practices. They are not at all ourrole models in defining the rules of the tariqa. It is thetwo Imams who make these rules.

The termsilsila literally means chain and it has twotechnical meanings in the sufi science. First, it meansthe shajara or the lineage tree, i.e., the list of consecutivemasters in the tariqa- that cannot be the meaning here assome early masters in thisshajaraof this tariqa, prior tothe formation of the tariqa by Hazrat Bahauddin Naqsh-band, indeed practiced loud zikr. So here, this term canonly have its second meaning, whereby it is synonymousto tariqa- a formalized system of teaching “knowledge ofthe heart.” Here it refers to this Mujaddidi-Naqshbandi

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254 Piety The Purpose of the Tariqa

tariqa that was originally instituted by its first Imam HazratBahauddin Naqshband and later renewed, re-invigoratedand expanded by its second Imam Hazrat the Great Mu-jaddid Ahmad Sirhindi.

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CHAPTER

7Rules of the Tariqa

Mujaddid Learns the Naqshbandi Tariqa

What to do when one seeks to follow the sufi path andreach God? One may learn from the personal experienceof the Mujaddid. He writes in his monographMabda’ vaMa‘ad about how he started his own sufi journey.

When I experienced the desire for this path,divine grace (ilahi) (SWT) took me to a caliphof the family of thekhwajahazrats (qaf). Itis from there that I attained the tariqa of thesemasters and I clung to his companionship. [Mabda’1, 3.1-4]

Yes! In order to attain Allah, one must attain the com-panionship of an authorized deputy orkhalifa of any ofthe sufi tariqas and learn from him.

257

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Naqshbandi Tariqa Is the BestFrom which sufi tariqa should one learn? There are manytariqas and each one of them has their unique method forGod-realization. However, as the Mujaddid says,

Know that the tariqa which is the nearest, fore-most, most appropriate, strongest, most reli-able, wisest, truest, most just, highest, great-est, most elevated, and most perfect (aqrab,asbaq, awfaq, awthaq, aslam, ahkam, asdaq,adall, a‘la, ajall, arfa‘, akmal) is the mostdistinguished Naqshbandi tariqa. May Allah(SWT) sanctify the spirits of its family-membersand the secrets of its adherents! [A 1.290,90.7-9]

Why? The Mujaddid also explains the reason that hascarried this tariqa to such greatness. It is because thistariqa strictly follows the sunna.

All the greatness of this tariqa and the highstatus of these masters result because this tariqafirmly follows the shining sunna (salam) andstays away from displeasing deviations. Theyare those for whom the end has been insertedin the beginning, as[it happened] for the hon-ored companions (dwad)! [A 1.290,190]

How to Do Naqshbandi ZikrWhat is the first zikr of the Naqshbandi tariqa? That isthe zikr of the name of the person (ism-i dhat) i.e., “Al-lah. . . Allah. . . Allah. . . ” And that is the first zikr that theMujaddid learned from his guide Hazrat Baqibillah. TheMujaddid writes,

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Brother! May Allah show you the straightpath! When by the divine grace,I experienceda raving madness for this [sufi] path, he guidedme to our shaykh, our Mawla, our Imam shaykhMuhammad al-Baqi who was a celebrated caliphof the family of the great Naqshbandi hazrats.He was the asylum of the friends [of Allah],one who is aware of the reality, (walayat panah,haqiqat-i agah), guide to the tariqa where theend has been inserted in the beginning andwhich connects one to the path towards thedegrees of friendship [of Allah], the supporter[of the religion that leads one to] the good-pleasure of God (hadi-i tariq-i indiraj-i ni-hayat fi’l bidayat wa ila al-sabil al-mawsilila darajat al-walayat, mu’ayyid al-ridan) [A1.290,190]

Yes! That is the initial zikr of this tariqa. It is “Al-lah. . . Allah. . . .Allah.” It is not Haqq, Hayy, Qayyum orany other name.

The advanced Naqshbandi is doing zikr all the time,not only doing it for a few occasions. By implication, thiswould be a silent internal zikr.

Praise be to Allah who is the Lord of the worlds!Salutation and peace be upon the Prince ofthe Prophets, his progeny and his pure com-panions!

Know and be aware that your felicity (sa‘adat),instead the felicity of every child of Adam,and success and salvation (durustagari) foreveryone, lies in the zikr of his object of wor-ship (ilahi) (SWT). As much as possible, you

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260 Rules of the Tariqa

should keep yourself “drowned” in the zikr ofGod all the time; you should not permit your-self even one moment’s heedlessness.

Praise be to the Allah (SWT)! What a divinegrant of good fortune! This perpetual zikr(dawam-i dhikr) is realized right in the begin-ning of the tariqa of thekhwajeganhazrats.(qaf). [While this perpetual zikr is realized atthe “end” of the other tariqas, it is realized inthe “beginning” of this Mujaddidi-Naqshbanditariqa] as “insertion of the end in the begin-ning.” (indiraj al-nihayat fi-’l bidayat), [whichis a uniquely distinguishing characteristic ofthis tariqa].

Therefore, the students should choose this ‘mosthigh tariqa’, as it is the best and the most ap-propriate. Even more, it is obligatory andincumbent (wajib va lazim). So [now] youshould turn your focus of attention (qibla-itawajjuh) away from all [the other] directionsand instead turn your face totally towards theexalted persons (janab) of these masters ofthe ‘most high tariqa’. And beseech fervently[assistance for God-realization] from the in-ner realms (batin) of these great ones.

Loud Zikr Is ForbiddenNow what is the proper method of zikr in this Mujaddidi-Naqshbandi tariqa? We know one thing for sure thatthe zikr of the Mujaddidi tariqa is always silent. Weneed to know it so that we can easily detect if someshaykh is following a deviant practice or the unadulter-

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ated Mujaddidi-Naqshbandi practice. The Mujaddid ex-plains how to do the zikr:

Some argue, “Loud zikr also used to be a Naqsh-bandi practice. Many shaykhs of this tariqa used to prac-tice it in the past. So we are only re-introducing them.So why should it be blamed?” The answer is two-fold.First, is the case in which these masters are in the sil-sila of our tariqa but before the formation of the tariqa,that we have already discussed. Second, when it wasindeed practiced after the formation of our tariqa, the an-swer is that the practice of the deviant branches of thetariqa should not be our model. Even in theMaktubat,Hazrat Mujaddid cautions many Naqshbandis who prac-ticed loud zikr — and states that — they are the deviantbranches of the tariqa unfit to be our role models. Thisalso proves that loud zikr among Naqshbandis was ram-pant even at that time; it is not a new deviation, rather itis a very old and common deviation among the Naqsh-bandis. The argument that because others have done itor do, it is acceptable, is known to be false and count-less examples can be given to illustrate the faulty logicof this justification. Furthermore, the Mujaddid guaran-tees that those who participate in deviant practices are infact blocked from receiving anyfaydhor barakaof thetariqa. Neither do they reach anyhal of the tariqa; anyhal they may receive is really a deception that leads step-by-step to ruin (istidraj).

Some modern-day nontraditional Naqshbandi shaykhsargue, “While silent zikr was appropriate in the past, withthe change of time, the rules need to be changed. Wefeel that loud zikr is appropriate for the current time.” Inanswer, we may remind ourselves why all these deviantpractices, e.g., loud zikr, singing, dancing, and so forth,are forbidden in this tariqa. A fundamental rule of this

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tariqa is strict (‘azimat) adherence to the sunna. Loudzikr is a deviation (bid‘at) from the sunna, and that iswhy it is prohibited, in contrast to the rules of the othertariqas, which do not follow the sunna as “strictly.” Asthe Mujaddid wrote,

Know! To attain the tariqa of thekhwajeganhazrats, (qaf), you should believe in the be-liefs of the mainstream Sunni community andobserve the shining sunna of the Chosen One(on its owner [Prophet Muhammad] be salu-tations, peace and benediction!). And youshould avoid the deviations [to the sunna orbid‘at] and the caprices of the [instigating]soul. And you should practice “strictly” (‘az-imat) as much as possible. And you shouldremain cautious of a relaxed (rukhsat) prac-tice. [A 1.290, 95.7-10]

Yes! Loud zikr and singing may be allowed by someulama as a “relaxed” (rukhsat) practice. But the heartof the Mujaddidi-Naqshbandi tariqa is to “strictly” (‘az-imat) follow the sharia and sunna, and this is why thesepractices are banned in this tariqa. The Mujaddid ex-plains the message of the Naqshbandi masters again,

Brother! The great ones of the Most HighNaqshbandi tariqa (qaf) cling to the shiningsunna and choose a “strict” (‘azimat) practice[over a relaxed (rukhsat) practice]. Along withadhering to [the sunna] and choosing [a strictpractice], if they are ennobled by states andraptures (hal va mawajid) then they considerit to be a tremendous bliss.

On the other hand, if they realize those states

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and raptures but find themselves slackeningin adhering to [the sunna] and choosing that[strict practice], then they do not like thosestates and do not want those raptures. In-stead, they consider that slackening to be asign of their own badness. [A 1.237, 37.12-15]

This above section is an especially relevant response totoday’s nontraditional Naqshbandi sufi shaykhs who saythat these deviant practices are needed to attract peopleto the tariqa today. Yes! It is true that practices like loudzikr produce strongerhal (although only temporarily ).And singing may attract people. But true Naqshbandiswould not like that hal and attraction produced by thosedeviant practices; instead they would consider that slack-ening of the sunna to be a sign of their own weakness.

The Mujaddid again wrote on the importance of avoid-ing a “relaxed” practice of the sharia in this tariqa.

Therefore, as a choice, the tariqa that wouldbe the most appropriate and best suited is theone which requires you to observe the sunnaand which conforms to the injunctions of thesharia. That tariqa is the tariqa of the Naqsh-bandi masters. These great ones have includedthe sunna and left out deviations from thistariqa. As much as possible, they do not per-mit a “relaxed” (rukhsat) practice even whenthat appears to benefit the inner realm. Onthe other hand, they maintain a strict (‘azi-mat) practice even when that appears to harmthat inner realm. [A 1.243, 43.12-16]

Yes! Loud zikr indeed produces a stronger hal and so itappears to benefit the inner realm. And so many tariqas

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264 Rules of the Tariqa

do permit this. However, even so, the Naqshbandi mas-ters prohibit those deviant practices.

Loud Zikr Violates the SunnaStill another maktub forbids loud zikr and all its devia-tions as being in violation of a core value of this tariqa,which is to observe the sunna. This maktub was writ-ten to Khwaja Muhammad Qasim, the son of KhwajegiAmkangi. And Khwaja Amkangi was the pir of KhwajaBaqibillah . It shows that these deviations have beencreeping into this tariqa from a long time.

You may know that the Naqshbandi tariqa hasattained superiority and has been elevated toa high rank because this tariqa firmly followsthe sunna and meticulously avoids all devi-ations. It is for this reason, the great onesof this Most High tariqa have avoided loud(jahr) zikr and instead directed towards silent(khafi) zikr. And they have forbidden songs,dances, ecstasies, and raptures (sama‘ va raqsva wajd va tawajud) that did not exist in thetime of that Great Leader [Prophet Muham-mad] (salam) or in the times of the well-instructedcaliphs (dwad) Seclusion and forty-day retreats(arba’in) were not practiced in the time of theGreat Master, instead they have chosen seclu-sion within congregation (khalwat dar anju-man).

Consequently, commitment [to the sunna] hasyielded great results and avoidance [of devia-tions] has given them abundant rewards. It isfor this reason that the end of other [tariqas]

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has been inserted in the beginning for thesemasters and their transmission (nisbat) is higherthan all other transmissions. Their message isthe medicine for the heart!

And their blessed gaze (nazar-i shan) is medicinefor illness of the diseases of mental worri-ness (‘ilal-i ma‘nuya). And the face-turningof their noble presence (tawajjuh-i wajih) savesthe seekers from the captivation of the twoworlds [of creation, this world and the lastworld.]. Their power to elevate [others on thesufi path] (himmat-i rafi‘) carries the seekersfrom the perigee of contingentness (imkan) tothe apogee of Necessaryness (wujub).

Naqshbandis are such amazing lead-ers of the caravan!

They lead from the hidden path tothe sanctuary of the caravan!The attraction(jadhdhba)that comefrom their companionship, from theheart of the wayfarer!Carries off any whispering of seclu-sion (khalwat)or thought ofchilla(forty-day retreats or arba‘in)

In these times, that transmission (nisbat) hasbecome as rare as the phoenix! And somefrom this grade [of nontraditional Naqshbandishaykhs] have not found that great treasureand have been deprived of this rare bliss. Theyhave looked around everywhere for these jew-els but of no avail. So finally they have be-come contented with pieces of broken earth-

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266 Rules of the Tariqa

enware, or like children, they have found com-fort in walnuts and raisins. Many of themhave been confused and perturbed and so theyhave left the method of their own [tariqa’s]past masters. And some times, they try tofind peace through loud zikr. Other times,they search for comfort in songs and dances(sama‘ va raqs). Since they have failed tofind seclusion in the congregation (khalwatdar anjuman), they have instituted forty-dayretreats in seclusion (arba‘ in-i khalwat). Itis even more surprising that they believe theyare completing and perfecting this noble nis-bat (transmission) with these newly- inventedpractices (bid‘at). And they consider this de-struction as renovation. May the Haqq (SWT)give them a sense of justice! And may He puta few of the perfections of the great ones ofthis tariqa into the heads of the souls [of thesedeviant Naqshbandis!] By the letters Nun andSaad [in the Koran]! For Your love for theprophet and his noble progeny (salam)!

At this time, these new practices (muhdathat)are being instituted. And even the originaltariqa of these great ones has been concealed.And both the commoners and the elite arepracticing newly-instituted practices. And theyare deviating from the original and ancienttariqa. So the idea came to my mind that Ishould inform the servants of your sublimecourt of all these matters ! And by that bringsome of the pain in my heart out in the open!I do not know in which group these sufi com-rades of your court belong? Which tribe?

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I can’t sleep[at night]worrying onthisIn whose lap am I sleeping happily

My supplication to Allah (SWT) is that Hesaves you from this catastrophe! And He pre-serves your noble court from including thesefalse practices!

Sir! Newly-instituted and invented practices(ihdath va ibda’) have become so prevalentin this tariqa that if those who are against thistariqa say that this is the tariqa that includesnewly- invented practices (bid‘at) and excludessunna then they would have a point! [A 1.168,52.6-53.12]

Yes! Practices like loud zikr, songs, dances, ecstasiesand raptures may be allowed by many scholars, how-ever; these practices do contravene the sunna and arenew additions to Islam that emerged after the time of theprophet and the companions. And because the Naqsh-bandis “strictly” follow the sunna, they forbid these prac-tices while other tariqas who maintain only a “relaxed”practice may still practice them.

Ban on Loud Zikr Is PermanentThis ban on loud zikr is not a temporary measure butpermanent.Here the Mujaddid explains that zikr is an actof worship and so it must conform to the sunna. Else itwould be a reprehensible deviation. Lous zikr is such areprehensible deviation.

You have also asked, “You [the Mujaddid]forbid loud (jahr) zikr as it is a deviation (bid‘at).

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268 Rules of the Tariqa

However, it produces a taste and longing forGod (dhawq va shawq). And you do not for-bid other things that were not there in the timeof that Great Leader [Prophet Muhammad](salam), for example the [the outfit called]fardi, shawl and shalwar.”

Sir! The acts of that Great Leader (salam) areof two types [the first type is performed asan act] of worship (‘ibadat), [and the secondtype is performed as an act ] of custom andhabit (‘urf va ‘ada).

The acts of worship, if you contravene them,then I consider it a reprehensible deviation(bid‘at-ha-i mankur). And I proclaim thatthey are forbidden. Because “instituting a newpractice” (ihdath) in religion is exceedinglywicked (murud).

On the other hand, if you contravene the actsthat are performed as customs and habits, thenI do not consider it to be a reprehensible de-viation. And I do not proclaim it to be pro-hibited, as it is not connected to the religion.[A 1.231, 22.2-8]

Yes! With the changed times, Naqshbandi shaykhs canmake some changes in the practice. But that does notextend to a fundamental practice like loud zikr. Thatis forever forbidden for Naqshbandis, even though thatpractice may be highly effective in producing a “taste”and “longing” for God. Another prohibition on loud zikrfollows,

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Know that the tariqa of thekhwajeganhazrats(qaf) is the nearest (aqrab) among the tariqasthat connects one (mawsila) [to God]. Andthe end (nihayat) of others has been insertedin the beginning (bidayat) of these masters.And their transmission (nisbat) is above (fawqa)all other transmissions.

This tariqa has realized all these [excellences]because it clings to the sunna and discards de-viations. As much as possible, they do notpermit a “relaxed” (rukhsat) practice even whenit seems to benefit the inner realm (batin).And they do not give up a “strict” practice(‘azimat), even when they consider it to beharmful to their journey (sayrat) [on the sufipath].

They place the “states and raptures” (ahwalva mawajid) below the rules of the sharia [inimportance]. They consider [sufi experienceslike] “longings” and the sufi ideas (adhwaqva ma‘arif) to be servants of the science ofthe sharia. They do not exchange the preciousjewels of the sharia for walnuts and raisins aschildren do, or ecstasies or deep states (wajdva hal-i ghaus) [as the deviant ones amongthe sufis do]. And they do not become de-ceived or charmed by false sufi expressions(tarahat). They do not leave thenass[the Ko-ran and the hadith] to become engaged in thefass[the bookFusus al-Hikamby Ibn Arabi.].And they do not revere theFutuhat-i Makkiya[or theMeccan Revelationof Ibn Arabi.] morethan theFutuhat-i Madaniya[the Medinan

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270 Rules of the Tariqa

Revelations, i.e., the hadith].

Their state (hal) is permanent (dawam) andtheir time (waqt) is perpetual. While the self-disclosure of the person of God (tajalli-i dhati)that the others experience is [transient] likethe flash of a lightning, what these mastersexperience is permanent. And these exaltedones do not even take into account that self-disclosure which disappears the next momentafter its appearance. Allah has said about them,They are such men whom trade and businesscannot distract from the zikr of Allah.(Koran37:24)

However, everyone cannot empathize with the“tastings” (dhawq) that these great ones expe-rience. For this reason, many defective onesmay deny many of the perfections of this mostdistinguished Naqshbandi tariqa .

If a defective one blames on thisgroup a defect!Allah forbid! I will bite my tonguefrom these complaints!

[A 1.131, 9.4-10.15]

Yes! Many such “defective” nontraditional Naqshbandishaykhs do make the claim that the traditional Naqsh-bandi practice of silent zikr is ineffective. This is becausethose shaykhs are incompetent, not because the practiceof this tariqa is ineffective. The Mujaddid continues hissermon,

See! Some of the later caliphs of this mostdistinguished Naqshbandi tariqa have insti-

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LOUD ZIKR IS NOT A STRICT PRACTICE 271

tuted new practices (ihdath) into this tariqaand have lost the true method of these greatones [who preceded them in this Naqshbanditariqa]. Many of the disciples [of these de-viant Naqshbandi shaykhs] hold the belief thatthey [those deviant nontraditional Naqshbandishaykhs] are making this tariqa perfect by thesenewly-instituted practices.

God forbid! Never! It is an exceedingly ar-rogant claim that they are making! On thecontrary, they are ruining and losing it [thisNaqshbandi tariqa, by these newly-institutedpractices.] [A 1.131, 9.4-10.15]

Loud Zikr Is Not A Strict PracticeLoud zikr is forbidden in the Naqshbandi tariqa as a fun-demental principle of this tariqa is to obey the sharia“strictly” but loud zikr is at most a “relaxed” practicethat violates this principle. According to the strict inter-pretations of the sharia, silent zikr is the only acceptableform of zikr and loud zikr is forbidden. Yes! There areother sufi tariqas that practice loud zikr but they do notfollow the sharia with as much strictness as the Naqsh-bandi tariqa requires.

Below the Mujaddid prohibits loud zikr, because itviolates the strict interpretations of the sharia and thesunna.

The great ones of this most distinguished [Naqsh-bandi] tariqa make the states and raptures (halva mawajid) subservient to the rules of thesharia. And make the longings and sufi ideas(adhwaq va ma‘arif) subservient to the sci-

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ence of the religion. They do not act like chil-dren and so they do not exchange the price-less jewels of the sharia with walnuts and raisins[as children do] or ecstasies and states [as thedeviant sufis do] (wajd va hal). And they arenot deceived or charmed by the false sufi ex-pressions (tarahat). They do not accept thestates (ahwal) that are attained by practicesthat violate the sharia or contravene the shin-ing sunna. Nor do they even want them. Thisattitude of theirs has even reached the pointthat they do not permit singing and dancing(sama‘ va raqs). Neither do they even ap-proach loud zikr. [A 1.221, 7.18-8.2]

Here is still another writing on “strict” practice and de-viant practices like loud zikr, singing, and dancing.

Therefore, the “nearest” (aqrab) tariqa of allthe tariqas is that tariqa in which the opposi-tion to the [instigating] soul is the most. Thereis no doubt that opposing the [instigating] soulis more in the Most High Naqshbandi tariqathan in the other tariqas. That is why thesemasters have chosen a “strict” practice anddiscarded a “relaxed” practice. Everyone knowsthat a “strict” practice includes discarding boththe forbidden [or haram] (muharram) and thesuperfluous (fudul). 1 And this is in contrastto a “relaxed” practice that discards only theforbidden things.

If someone says that one may undertake “strict”1superflous practices mean those practices that aremubahin the sharia,

i.e., a practice that is permitted but has neither any merit in it nor any badconsequence

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LOUD ZIKR IS NOT A STRICT PRACTICE 273

practices even in the other tariqas, I wouldanswer that most tariqas include singing anddancing (sama‘ va raqs), which may be con-sidered at most “relaxed” practices only throughmuch deceptive argumentation They [the othertariqas] cannot be called “strict” at all.

What the Mujaddid means by a “strict practice” is a prac-tice that strictly follows the sunna. On the other hand,what the common people mean is a practice that is dif-ficult and hard-to-so. According to the way the Mujad-did defines the term “strict,”- that is, following the sunnastrictly ? those deviant tariqas cannot be at all called“strict.” Now the Mujaddid reiterates that point.

Loud zikr is something that is just like that. Itcannot be thought of as being anything morethan a “relaxed” practice shaykhs of other sil-silas [that are not Naqshbandi] have institutednew practices (umur-i muhdath) into their owntariqas [and they were only] intending to im-prove [their own tariqas.] Those [practicesare really forbidden or haram according to thesharia and they] may [at most] be ruled “re-laxed” [practices and even that] after a lot ofrectification (tashih), [manipulative reasoningand stretching].

The masters of our most high [Naqshbandi]silsila are their antithesis. They do not per-mit even the slightest deviation (mukhalifat)from the sunna. And they do not support anynewly instituted or invented practice (ibda’va ihdath). Consequently, opposition to the[instigating] soul is complete in this tariqa.

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274 Rules of the Tariqa

Loud Zikr Is A Deviant PracticeLoud zikr is a deviant newly-originated practice that vi-olates the “fundamental principle” of this tariqa which isto follow the sharia “strictly”.

Therefore, it is the “nearest” (aqrab) tariqa.And it is the best and most appropriate tariqafor a seeker to choose. Because the path to-wards their final point is the “nearest” andwhat they seek (matlab) on [their sufi path to-wards] perfection is high.

Some of their caliphs of the later times hasleft the fundamental principles (awda‘) thatthese masters have laid down and instead theyhave instituted new practices (ihdath) in thistariqa. And they have chosen singing, danc-ing, and loud zikr (sama‘, raqs, jahr).

They imagine that they are perfecting and com-pleting (takmil va tatmim) this tariqa with thesenewly instituted and invented practices (muh-dathat va mubda‘at). They do not know thatdestroying the “fundamental principles” (awda‘at)of the tariqa will kill the tariqa. [A 1.286,52.14-53.7]

Some nontraditional Naqshbandi shaykhs claim that withthese newly-invented practices, they are modernizing thetariqa to fit the current place and time. The above textmay be a proper response to them.

Deviations In the Tariqa Must Be OpposedProhibitions of deviations like loud zikr, singing withmusical instruments, etc. are so critically important that

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DEVIATIONS IN THE TARIQA MUST BE OPPOSED275

the Mujaddid repeats this point in another maktub sent toKhwaja Husamuddin Ahmad in the khanqa of the sonsof Khwaja Baqibillah . There he says that deviationsin the tariqa are just as bad as deviations in the sharia.He again stresses the prohibition on loud zikr as wellas songs and dances as practices of the tariqa. He evenmaintains that it is such a grave misdeed, that if the twosons of his teacher Khwaja Baqibillah persist in thoseanti-tariqa and anti-sharia practices,; he will cut off allrelations with them. Additionally, he forbids loud zikr inmany other places as well and not as a temporary prohi-bition, but instead as a permanent ban, as it violates thevery fundamentals of this tariqa, as well as the sharia, ashe interprets it. He wrote,

Honored Sir! Instituting new practices (ih-dath) in the tariqa, I see as a ‘[blameworthy]deviation’ (bid‘at) and no lesser a deviationthan inventing new practices in the religion(din). The blessings (barakat) of the tariqawill pour [onto the seekers via the transmis-sion channel] until new practices are insti-tuted therein. When new practices (amr-i muh-dath) are instituted in the tariqa, then the chan-nel of energy and blessings is blocked. So itis “the most important of the important mat-ters” (ahammi-muhim) that we preserve [thetraditions of] this tariqa and it is indispens-able to desist from violating its [traditions](ijtinab az mukhalafat-i tariqat).

Therefore, wherever, whomever you may seeindulging [in acts that] violate [the traditionsof] this tariqa, you should forbid him stronglyand strengthen this tariqa. [A 1.267, 76.5-10]

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276 Rules of the Tariqa

Yes! The Mujaddid guarantees that those deviant nontra-ditional Naqshbandi shaykhs practicing loud zikr in thename of the Naqshbandi tariqa, along with their disci-ples, are not receiving any energy transmission or bless-ings from our tariqa. It is important for us to forbidthem strongly and strengthen the Mujaddidi-Naqshbanditariqa! May Allah help us and grant us success! Amin!

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Index

hidayat(definition), 207rushd(definition), 207dhatas a translation for person, 76faylasuf

existence,theory, 71jawhar (definition), 74kulliya (definition), 76mahiya(definition), 75mustahab(importance), 222qalb-i salim, 234suluk(Mujaddidi), 234fana’

fi ’l-rasul, 234

ablution (how to do), 222accidental (definition), 76annihilation

in the messenger, 234attribute

faylasuf, 120accidental, 75essential, 76God’s, 76to Ibn Arabi, 122to Sunni ulama, 122existence, 120Mujaddid, 120Mutazila, 120

attribute (definition), 75

bayat (definition), 48belief

and sufism, 233bliss, eternal, 151books

Selected Letters of Shaikh Ah-mad Sirhindi, 80

Sunan-i Darruqtani, 209Tafsir Ibn Arabi, 124Jawahir-i Sharh-i Mawaqif, 132Mabda’ va Ma‘ad, 257Madarik, 243Masnavi, 105Ta’liqat bar Sharh-i Ruba’iyat,

59Tafsir al-Mazhari, 189Al-Ghazali’s Path to Sufism, 70Futuhat-i Makkiya, 269Madarij-i Nubuwat, 247Munqidh ‘an al-Dalal, 130Khilafat O Mulqiyat, 70Sharh-i ‘Aqa’id-i Nasafi, 212,

213Ta‘liqat bar Sharh-i Ruba‘iyat,

138Upanishad, Chandogya, 242

Bridge, the (sirat), 174

277

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278 INDEX

damnation, eternal, 150–154, 168, 176–179, 192, 193

due to personal enmity, 187faith (lack of), 190justification, 151

dancing, 274desire, real attribute, 118

earth, the element, 180energy (definition), 47engenderingness, real attribute, 118essence, 75existence, 70–74

shadow, 122

face-turning (definition), 47faculty, considerative, 72faith, particle of, 191following authority (taqlid)

importance, 175

God’s knowledgeuniversals and particulars, 82

Greece, philosophers, 243

hadith, 113, 116, 131, 188, 191, 195,196, 200, 202–204, 208,209, 216, 226, 227

hearingness, real attribute, 118heart

in inner peace, 234people of the, 178

heart, people of the, 178hell, eternity, 176–179Hinduism, meditation, 242hypocrite, 184

India, Brahmins and yogis, 243Islam (sects), 70

knowledge, real attribute, 118Koran, 19, 59–61, 99, 103, 104, 107,

113, 116, 132, 141–143,145, 152, 157, 168–172,174, 176, 177, 179, 180,

184–186, 189, 193–196, 199,212, 227, 228, 235, 237,243, 247, 270

Fatiha, Sura, 202–205

life, real attribute, 118

meditation (Hindu), 242

Naqshbandi tariqais the best, 258Mujaddid starts, 257

ontological terms (definitions), 74–77

paradise, eternity, 176particular (definition), 76person (dhat), 76persons

Arabi, Ibn, 70Mujaddid’s criticism, 138attribute, 122

Saiduddin, Mawlana, 212Abbas, Ibn, 117, 243Abdullah, Khwaja, 45Abu Bakr, 207, 208Ahmad, Khwaja Husamuddin,

63, 252, 275al-Farabi, 123, 124, 127Ali, 208Amkangi, Khwajegi, 264Arabi, Ibn, 73, 119, 120, 124,

152, 176–180Aristotle, 74, 75, 124, 125Aruni, 242Ashari, Imam, 70, 208Averrois, 75, 124, 127Avicenna, 71, 123, 124, 127Baqibillah, Khwaja, 45, 56, 61,

63, 64, 105, 112, 124, 138,155, 203, 237, 258, 259,264, 275

Bukhari, Imam, 208Chishti, Muinuddin, 119

poem, 120

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INDEX 279

Dhahabi, Imam, 208Dubusi, Abu Nasiruddin, 244Fagnawi, Khwaja, 238Fakhry, Majid, 76Ghazzali, Imam, 130Hallaj, Mansur, 58Hamadani, Abu Yusuf, 238Hanafiya, Muhammad Ibn, 208Hanifa, Imam Abu, 197, 199,

201–206, 210, 246Jesus, 131, 202Juwaini, ‘Abd al-Malik, 180Khwarizmi, Qadi Zahiruddin, 244Kulal, Sayyid Amir, 237, 238Ma‘thum, Khwaja Muhammad,

30, 59, 132Masud, Ibn, 243Maturidi, Imam, 244Mawdudi, 70McCarthy, R. J., 70Muhammad, Imam, 246Mujahid, 243Mulla Sadra, 75Nu’man, Mir Muhammad, 225Nuri, Abul Hasan, 246Panipathi, Qadi Sanaullah, 189Plato, 124, 131Plotinus, 124, 125Qasim, Muhammad, 264Ramitani, Khwaja Mahmud In-

jir, 238Rumi, 149, 234Rushd, Ibn, 75, 124Sadiq, Khwaja Muhammad, 182,

225Shafi‘i, Imam, 197, 201–206Shami, Diyauddin, 245Shibli, Abu Bakr, 246Simnani, ‘Ala’uddawla, 72Svetaketu, 242Taj, Shaykh, 225Ubaidullah, Khwaja, 45Umar, 207, 208Yusuf, Imam Abu, 246

power, real attribute, 118practice

and sufism, 233of Islam, 221–228

prayer (how to do it), 222–225presence (definition), 48prophets

angels can be, 180superior to angels, 180superior to friends, 181, 182

Reckoning (hisab), 174

Salafi (definition), 70Scale, the (mizan), 174seclusion, 264sharia (should learn), 221sight, real attribute, 118singing, 274speech, real attribute, 118stability means piety, 234substance (definition), 74sufism (purpose), 226–228sunna, 262Sunni

beliefs, 262creed, 69

Sunni (definition), 69, 70

transmission, 48

ulama, 181–182

wayfaring (Mujaddidi), 234

zikr, 235loud, 237

history, 238–239prohibition, 237–241, 260–

276silent, 237