Faith Practice Piety

Faith Practice Piety
Millenial Mujaddid Ahmad Sirhindi

Translation and Annotation: Irshad Alam Mujaddidi
March 28, 2020
1
2
2020
c Irshad Alam. All rights reserved.
Irshad Alam Mujaddidi is the pen name for Irshad
Alam
Publisher:
Aklima Akter
Sufi Peace Mission
4A Gulshan Avenue North, Circle 2
Dhaka 1212 BANGLADESH
Email: [email protected]
Contents
Contents 3
List of Tables 6
1 PREFACES 7
1.1 Verification of Translation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
1.2 Foreword by the Translator . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
1.3 A Note on Technical Terms and Translation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
2 LIFE OF THE MUJADDID 11

2.1 Birth and Family . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
2.2 Prophecies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
2.3 Education: First Stage . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
2.4 Life in Agra . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 12
2.5 Return to Sirhind . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
2.6 Initial Sufi Training . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
2.7 Khwaja Baqibillah’s Mission to India . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 14
2.8 Meeting with Khwaja Baqibillah . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
2.9 Exalted Ranks of the Great Mujaddid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 16
2.10 Birth of the Mujaddidi tariqa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 17
2.11 Parting from This World . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
2.12 Writings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 20
I 23
3 Preamble: Ode to Khwaja Baqibillah 25

3.1 Sufi Technical Terms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
3.2 Insertion of the End in the Beginning . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27
3.3 Monist Ontologies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
3.4 Reviewing the Monist Ontologies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 30
3.5 Naqshbandi Science is Sublime . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 32
3
4 CONTENTS
II 35
4 Creed 37
4.1 Faith–Sunni Creed . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
4.2 Existence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 37
4.3 A Review of Basic Concepts in Ontology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 39
4.4 Uniqueness . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
4.5 Knowledge: Chrono–Epistemology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 41
4.6 Speech and Time . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
4.7 Act and Time . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 49
4.8 Incomparability . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
4.9 Similarity is Merely Allegorical . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 52
4.10 Allegorical Verses may Not Be Interpreted . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 53
4.11 Rejection of Unificationism . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 54
4.12 Changelessness . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
4.13 Self-Sufficientness . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 55
4.14 Perfection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
4.15 Maturidi School . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58
4.16 Eternalness and Beginninglessness . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
4.17 All-Powerfulness and the philosophers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 59
4.18 Taqlid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 62
4.19 Ibn Arabi and Wahdat-i Wujud . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 63
4.20 Bringing-into-Existence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
4.21 Worldly Occasions: Their Effectivities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
4.22 God Desires and Creates Both Good and Evil . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 67
4.23 Eternal Bliss and Damnation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 69
4.24 Vision . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
4.25 Dispatch of the Prophets is Mercy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 73
4.26 Intellects and Revelation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 74
4.27 Prescriptions of the Sharia Are Blessings . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 77
4.28 Revelation is True . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78
4.29 Punishment in the Grave . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 78
4.30 God May Judge or He May Forgive . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79
4.31 Day of Resurrection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 79
4.32 Reckoning Scale Bridge . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80
4.33 Paradise and Hell: Eternal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 80
4.34 Angels . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 82
4.35 Ulama is “More” Correct . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83
4.36 Faith and Holding Enmity . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 83
4.37 Shias Wrongly Defame the Companions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 84
4.38 God’s Enmity with Faithlessness: “Personal” . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85
4.39 Faithless Will Not Receive Mercy . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 85
4.40 All the Faithful Will Be Saved . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86
4.41 Increase or Decrease of Faith . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 89
4.42 Greatness of Imam Abu Hanifa . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90
4.43 Miracles . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 92
CONTENTS 5
4.44 Well-instructed Caliphs: Superiorities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93

4.45 Companions: Disputes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96
III 97
5 Practice 99
5.1 Practice . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99
5.2 Ablution . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99
5.3 Prayer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99
5.4 Comments: Purpose of Sufism . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 101
IV 103
6 Piety: Purpose of Tariqa 105

6.1 Purpose of Sufism . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 105
6.2 Naqshbandi tariqa Clings to Sunna . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106
6.3 Loud Zikr . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 106
6.4 Songs, Dances, Ecstasies, Raptures . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 108
6.5 Singing: Advice to his Pir’s Sons . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 111
6.6 Mawluds . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 112
Bibliography 115
List of Tables
2.1 The Four Guardians or Qayyums . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

2.2 Maktubs: Recipients . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
2.3 Three volumes: Maktubat . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 22
3.1 Electromagnetic Analogies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

3.2 Terms for learning sufism . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28
3.3 Sequence in which the ten subtle centers are purified in other tariqas, e.g., Qadri, Chishti, etc. . 29
3.4 Sequence In Which The Ten Subtle Centers Are Purified In The Naqshbandi Tariqa . . . . . . . 30
3.5 Monist Ontologies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 33
4.1 Sects of Islam today . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38

4.2 Three Opinions in the Theory of Existence . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38
4.3 Existence of God: Ibn Arabi versus the Mujaddid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 40
4.4 Chrono-epistemologies: A Comparison . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 46
4.5 Reality of the Act(s): Ashari, Ibn Arabi, Mujaddid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
4.6 How are human activities self-disclosures of the one-and-all divine act? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 51
4.7 Five Descents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
4.8 Eight real attributes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 58
4.9 Ibn Arabi: How Do They Consider Him? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 65
4.10 Free will of man versus sects . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 70
4.11 Free will of man . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
4.12 Free will of man . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 71
4.13 Free will of Man: Comparison between the three sects and the Mujaddid . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 72
4.14 Things and their compositions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 76
4.15 Faith: Increase or Decrease . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 90
6
Chapter 1
PREFACES
1.1 Verification of Translation part of that work into English.However, the quality
of that English translation is such that it’s unintelli-
Professor Giv Nassiri compared this transla- gible to the native English readers. For that reason I
tion with the Persian original word-for-word have not attempted to compare it with sufi Irshad’s
and wrote this review. He taught Persian present translation.
language and literature at the University of
From strictly a translation point of view, I believe
California from 1991 to 1996. Since 1996
this work can be characterized as one in which devo-
he has taught courses on Islam as an ad-
tion and care to the accuracy of the message of Imam-
junct professor at the Graduate Theologi-
i Rabbani,Imam of sufi Irshad’s tariqa Mujaddidi-
cal Union and Pacific School of Religion in
Naqshbandi, has led him to strike a distinctively fine
Berkeley.
and effective balance between being literal and in-
terpretive in his translation.By so doing, I believe, he
I have reviewed Mr. Irshad Alam’s translation of
has succeeded in providing accuracy and accessibility.
the maktub or epistle 1.266 [Volume I, maktub #no.
266] of Imam-i Rabbani Ahmad Sirhindi’s Maktubat Before I further describe the quality of this work
[his magnus opus that is his collected letters] that is of translation, I would like to point out that on a
in this book. I have checked it word-for- word in its very few occasions this balance between literal and
entirety for accuracy in translation from Persian to interpretive sways in favor of one or the other. But
English. Mr. Irshad Alam is a sufi of the Mujaddidi- this is quite rare and when the text tends toward the
Naqshbandi tariqa of Imam-i Rabbani Sirhindi. literal, there is proof of sufi Irshad’s care for accuracy
To the best of my knowledge this is the only trans- and his fresh look at the complexities of the classical
lation of an entire long maktub of Maktubat-i Imam-i Persian language, and when the text tends toward
Rabbani translated directly from Persian to English. the interpretive, his approach is to make the inherent
The only other direct translation is one by Pro- difficulties of the text accessible to a wider readership.
fessor Muhammad Abdul Haq Ansari in his work, In an effort to clarify and make accessible the diffi-
Sufism and Shariah. There he has translated a se- cult passages, at times the translation becomes inter-
lection of passages of the Maktubat. Another work pretive rather than literal; this does not in any way
of translation into English is by Süleyman Hilmi Işik diminish its devotion to conveying Sirhindi’s message
that is contained in his book The Endless Bliss pub- literally and accurately. The rare use of interpretive
lished by Hakikat Kitabevi in Turkey–in fact, I was translation is an exception, not a rule, and that does
informed that Shaykh Işik had translated the Persian not diminish the work’s inspired and accurate trans-
Maktubat into Turkish and his disciples re-translated lation of the sufi content.
7
8 CHAPTER 1. PREFACES
On the other hand his effort to maintain a balance use of the term refers to a sufi guide’s practice of
between the literal and the interpretive approaches on concentrating on the inner state of a disciple and by
rare occasions also appears toward the literal, where so doing also ridding the disciple of any turbidity of
the master’s language is colloquial and idiomatic. the heart of discernment.
Sufi Irshad’s literal translation of such rare phrases By way of conclusion, I must say that there are
is remarkable, given the amazing fact that he has a number of advantages inherent in this translation,
had no formal Persian language training and that which makes it a valuable work for those serious
his meticulous and painstaking effort at an accurate about a sincere understanding of Imam-i Rabbani’s
translation is due to his devotion to the Mujaddid, writings. My endorsement relates only to the qual-
Imam of Irshad Alam’s sufi tariqa. ity of the translation of the maktub at hand, maktub
An important and valuable characteristic of sufi Ir- 1.266- I’ve not reviewed sufi Irshad’s commentaries or
shad’s translation is its meticulous attention to the opinions or the translations from the other maktubs.
translation of technical sufi terminology. Use of ac- Other reviewers may review those.
curate English terminology for specific sufi terms
is paramount in a successful and beneficial transla- Giv Nassiri
tion of such primary manuscripts and sufi Irshad has Adjunct Professor of Islamic Studies
achieved this task with accuracy. Graduate Theological Union, Berkeley, CA
In addition to accurately conveying Sirhindi’s terse Ph. D. Islamic and Persian Studies, Uni-
and measured use of sufi terminology and concepts, versity of California at Berkeley, 2002.
sufi Irshad, possibly because of his discipleship with
his master, Imam-i Rabbani, has conveyed the mean- Doctorate in Islamic studies obtained under
ings of such terminology effectively and consistently. the supervision of Prof. Hamid Algar
Sufi Irshad’s translation also benefits from more Ph.D. exam in Persian under the supervi-
recent standardization and refinement of Islamic ter- sion of the late Professor Muhammad Ja‘far
minology in English, whereas ten to fifteen years ago Mahjub
there were wide variations in the translations of the
same terms and concepts. He appears to meticu- 1.2 Foreword by the Translator
lously follow Professor Chittick’s accurate and in-
formed translation of technical terms of Islamic dis- Thank you for your review of my book. It is pri-
ciplines. marily the annotated translation of maktub or epis-
As I mentioned above, sufi Irshad resolves ambi- tle 1.266 (i.e., Volume I, maktub no.# 266) of the
guities of certain Persian sentences in the Maktu- Maktubat-i Imam-i Rabbani from the original Persian
bat through an interpretive translation. The reader, (mixed with Arabic.). I’ve also translated sections
while attempting to decipher the interpretation of from many other maktubs in order to explain the
such complex discussions would gain insight into sufi original maktub. I am publishing this edition pri-
terminology and concepts. At times what appeared marily for the reviewers. Based on your feedback, I
to me as too literal a translation of a colloquial Per- shall prepare the next edition for the public. So I
sian term turned out to be a particular usage at- would like to request your help in my endeavor.
tributed to the Great Mujaddid Imam-i Rabbani, The translation of makub 1.266, which is most of
members of his eponymous tariqa the Mujaddidi, and this book, has been completely reviewed and com-
some other sufis. For instance, in today’s Persian us- pared word-by-word with the original Persian by Pro-
age “tavajjuh kardan” simply means “to pay atten- fessor Giv Nassiri Ph. D., of the Graduate Theologi-
tion or accept.” So, I was initially quite surprised cal Union in,-Berkeley, California. While none of the
to find sufi Irshad’s translation into “to give a face- errors that he found were significant in terms of accu-
turning.”This is apparently a particular sufi practice racy, I have accepted some of the suggestions that he
expressed in that context by Imam-i Rabbani. His made, in my quest to make this a perfect translation.
1.2. FOREWORD BY THE TRANSLATOR 9
Most of his suggestions reflect differences of opinion we see that it’s untranslatable “literally,” if by that
between us rather than errors or inaccuracies in the term we mean word-for-word. And if you try, it would
translation. come out as meaningless gibberish. So I had to break
Professor Nassiri is an Iranian scholar of Islam up that sentence into many smaller sentences. Yet
and sufism who, although born a Shia, has rejected I conveyed exactly what the Mujaddid said, nothing
Shiism and converted to mainstream Sunnism. He more and nothing less (though in a more understand-
had started on the Mujaddidi-Naqshbandi sufi tariqa, able format).
taking his first bayat from a shaykh in Turkey; he has Yes! On the first look, it may seem as if I’m only
now taken his second bayat from our tariqa. May the “interpreting” the original text, that it’s not a “lit-
flow of faydh and baraka that he is receiving from the eral” translation. When Dr. Giv Nassiri was review-
Great Mujaddid via our tariqa permeate this work! ing it, he had the same initial impression In fact, he
I’m offering this book to you with the greatest hu- commented on the first sentence of that very para-
mility. I’m not at all an academic scholar; I’m only graph, “Have you made it up as an explanation?
a sufi and it’s a karamat, “miracle” of the Mujad- I don’t see anything like that in the [original Per-
did performed through my sufi teacher Grand shaykh sian] text.” So I pointed to the words muqaddamat-i
Muhammad Mamunur Rashid,-that I’ve been able to musallama, which appeared later in that long con-
translate this from the original languages without re- voluted Persian original sentence. I had to create a
ally “knowing” them; i.e., I know very little Persian whole sentence to convey the meaning of that pair
and Arabic, so little that I can’t honestly claim that I of words. So while sometimes it may seem that I’ve
“know” them– I can neither speak nor write in them taken an interpretive approach, in fact I’m conveying
and; I can only read them with the help of dictionar- the exact meaning of the original text. My transla-
ies. Still I have made this translation from the Per- tion is “more” in one sense- it is far more understand-
sian original, with the exception of a few lines that able; though I have never changed the message of the
were not intelligible in the manuscript, and most of Mujaddid. After making the complete review, even
these have been identified in the footnotes. If you Dr. Nassiri agreed. He said, “At the first glance, it
compare this translation with the original Persian, seemed that you were interpreting the text in many
you will also come to the conclusion that it is indeed places. But now I know that you’re really sticking to
a very accurate translation. the text.”
It’s not just a scholarly work–it’s also a inspired sufi In the worldly measures, this translation is ac-
work, guided by the energy or faydh of the Mujaddid curate because what I lacked in language skills, I
that I receive by the mediation of my shaykh. So my over-compensated for with sheer hard work and re-
shaykh’s interpretation permeates this work. ligious devotion- this translation project is not just
In my translation, I’ve tried to be as literal as possi- a “project” for me, instead, as a devout disciple of
ble; I’ve taken an interpretive meaning only when the the Mujaddidi tariqa, I see it as a means to my sal-
literal meaning is unintelligible. At the same time, vation in the hereafter. In my first reading of the
I’ve been extremely cautious so that I do not distort maktubs that I’ve translated, I understood nothing.
the Mujaddid. I’ve also broken up the Mujaddid’s But I diligently checked the meaning of every word
extremely long and convoluted sentences into smaller in the dictionary and reference books, compared it
sentences for the sake of clarity. However, the poems with the Bengali translation, and finally deciphered
are usually interpretive. the meaning and arrived at my translation. When
As an example of my translation style, I would I finished, I could read the Persian text, understand
point to the paragraph on section “Can Intellects everything, and explain it to others.
Guide Us Without Revelation” that starts with the Of immense help has been the superb Bengali
sentence, “There are some premises that the [sufi] translation of the Maktubat authored by sufi shaykh
masters hold as axiomatic truths.” If we look at the Shah Muhammad Muti Ahmad Aftabi of Bangladesh,
original Persian text contained in the footnote below, which he translated from the original Persian. He
10 CHAPTER 1. PREFACES
learned the Maktubat from his father and shaykh effort to make the next edition of the book better.
Shah Muhammad Aftabuzzaman who in turn learned Thank you in advance!
it from his shaykh, Hazrat Barkat Ali Shah Bezwari
of Kolkata, India. He was also a great saint and Irshad Alam
the Mujaddid guided him in his work spiritually. He Berkeley, California and Dhaka, Bangladesh
completed this work over the span of eighteen years; Email: [email protected]
whenever he could not understand something prop- Web: www.sufipeace.org
erly, he sat down in muraqaba (passive meditation)
and found his answer through ilham, (inspiration.). 1.3 A Note on Technical Terms and
So his translation has been an amazingly accurate Translation
work.
While I referred to the Bengali translation, I trans- Please note that I have followed Professor William
lated from the original Persian and my translation is Chittick’s scheme of translation. Except for a few
not at all a re-translation from the Bengali transla- instances where there were good reasons to do so
tion. The Bengali translation was useful in helping (e.g., contingent instead of possible), I have consis-
me to understand the Maktubat. I have also diligently tently followed Chittick’s translations for the tech-
checked my translation with the Bengali translation nical words that he introduces in his monumental
and that has verified that my finished translation is translation of Ibn Arabi, Sufi Path of Knowledge 1
indeed accurate. (abbreviated SPK), and revised in its sequel, Self-
You may want to send me feedback by emails or Disclosure of God 2 (abbreviated SDG). I would sug-
by letter after reviewing this book, according to the gest that readers refer to the SPK for the meanings
following terms. of the technical terms, but also refer to the appendix
in the SDG where he notes the changes he made in
Confirming the Accuracy: the second book. I have consistently used the newer
terms for the translated technical words. Alterna-
I’ve translated it from the book Maktubat-i Imam-i tively, you may use the “Index of Technical Terms”
Rabbani edited by Nur Ahmad Amritsari published in SDG only, but then you may want to refer to the
by Maktaba’ Ahmadiya’ Mujaddidiya’ in Quetta, SPK for the definitions of the technical terms.
Pakistan in 1999. My translation is indexed to that The Mujaddid follows the general system of Ibn
original book. Arabi. Although in many cases the Mujaddid holds
I have also used the Intikhab-i Maktubat-i Shaykh very different opinions; still Chittick’s translations of
Ahmad SirhindI edited by the eminent scholar Fa- Ibn Arabi’s terms can correctly translate those terms
zlur Rahman and published by the Iqbal Academy in in almost all of those cases. If you are not well versed
Lahore, Pakistan. If you need a copy, you may con- in the fundamental concepts of Ibn Arabi, you may
tact them and they may send scholars complimentary want to read this book alongside Chittick’s Sufi Path
copies. of Knowledge, in which he explains them.
Suggestions on the Annotations:

I’ll appreciate any suggestions on the annotation and
explanation section. If you have any information on
the sources of the poems and quotations, I would
appreciate your help. You may contact me via email 1 William Chittick, The Sufi Path of Knowledge, (Albany,
through the feedback button at www.sufipeace.org.
NY: State University of New York Press, 1989).
I am grateful for positive, constructive criticism 2 William Chittick, Self-Disclosure of God, (Albany, NY:
and I will appreciate all that you can offer, in an State University of New York Press, 1998).
Chapter 2
LIFE OF THE MUJADDID
2.1 Birth and Family of his Faruqi lineage, as evidenced by a few of his
writings in the Maktubat. However, his more com-
mon surname is “Sirhindi” that comes from the town
The Great Mujaddid Ahmad Sirhindi was born in of his birth.
the city of Sirhind in East Punjab, India, at mid- According to the Mujaddidi tradition, this holy
night on a Friday night,1 14th Shawwal 971 hijri / child was born circumcised (just as the Prophet
1564 CE.2 His full name was Badr al-Din Abu al- Muhammad, (salam) was born). He did not cry like
Barakat al Faruqi.3 He is known better by two of his other children and he never dirtied his clothes. 4
titles, Mujaddid-i-Alfithani (Mujaddid or Renewer of
the Second Thousand Years) and Imam-i Rabbani
(Leader sent by the Lord). 2.2 Prophecies
The Mujaddid’s father was Hazrat Shaykh ‘Abd al-
The Prophet Muhammad himself prophesied on the
Ahad Faruqi who was an eminent scholar of his times
advent of the Mujaddid. In a hadith report narrated
and a sufi Shaykh or teacher. Shaykh Abd al-Ahad
by Imam Suyuti, the Prophet spoke thus,
was an initiate and caliph in both the Chishti silsila
or lineage in which his preceptor was Shaykh Rukn At the head of the 11th century hijri, Al-
al-Din, son of the celebrated ‘Abd al-Quddus Gan- lah will send a man who is a dazzling light.
gohi (d. 943/1537), and of the Qadri, and the author His name will be the same as mine. He
of a number of monographs on sufism, especially on will emerge between the reigns of two unjust
wahdat al-wujud. rulers. Through his intercession, countless
The Mujaddid was a descendent of Caliph Umar people will be saved.
Faruq with eighteen generations in-between, i.e., he
was a nineteenth- generation descendant. This the This saying indirectly confirms the Mujaddidi belief
reason the Great Mujaddid is sometimes called Ah- that the Mujaddid is the greatest saint after the com-
mad Faruqi. Indeed, the Mujaddid was quite proud panions and before Imam Mahdi. The greatest ene-
mies of God are the ones whom the Prophet specif-
1 Friday night in the traditional Muslim calendar is Thurs-
ically identified to be the enemies of God, e.g., Abu
day night in the modern western calender because a Muslim
day starts at the previous day’s sunset. Halat-i Mashaikh,
Jahl, Pharaoh, and others. Similarly, the greatest
Tazkirah-i Imam Rabbani both say at midnight. friend of God is the one identified by the Prophet as
2 All dates in this biography are from the unpublished ar-
well.
ticle “Imam-i Rabbani” by Professor Hamid Algar.
3 Fazlur Rahman, Intikhab-i Maktubat-i Shaykh Ahmad 4 Ihsan, Abul Fayz Kamaluddin Muhammad, Rawdatul
Sirhindi, p. 73. Qayyumiya, Bengali translation, p. 70
11
12 Life of the Mujaddid
Shaykh Abdul Ahad once had a dream, Then he went to Sialkot and studied under a num-
ber of eminent scholars. He learned hadith liter-
The entire world is engulfed in a deep dark- ature from Ya‘qub Sarfi Kashmiri and logic from
ness. Pigs, monkeys, and bears are attack- Mawlana Kamal Kashmiri. From Mawlana Qadi
ing and killing people. At that time, a ball Bahlul Badakshani, he learned and attained the
of light emerged from his breast. In that ball Ijazat or certificate to teach advanced texts of Ko-
of light, there is a throne and a man of light ranic exegesis or tafsir (Wahidi and others) and ha-
was sitting there. All the oppressors, trans- dith iterature (Mishkat, Bukhari, Tirmidhi, Jami ‘l-
gressors, apostates are being slaughtered Saghir of Suyuti and others) After completing this
before him as sacrificial animals. And some- stage of his formal education in just three years, at
one is proclaiming in a thunderous voice, the exceptionally early age of seventeen, he returned
“Say! Truth has been established and false- home to Sirhind.
hood has been destroyed.”(Koran 17,80)
Hazrat Abdul Ahad went to Shaykh Shah Kamal 2.4 Life in Agra
Kaithali for the interpretation of that dream. Hazrat
Kaithali interpreted, Some three years later, he came to the court of the
Mughal Emperor Akbar at Agra, possibly aided by an
You’ll have a son! All unfaithfulness, poly- introduction from his teacher Shaykh Ya‘qub. There
theism, heresy, apostasy, and deviation he came to know the two brothers Faydi (d. 1004/
from the prophetic way, darkness, and cor- 1595) and Abu’l Fadl (d. 1011/ 1602). The Mujaddid
rupt customs- they all will die on his emer- helped Faydi with composing his Sawati’ ‘l-ilham-
gence. The blessed tradition of Prophet a commentary on the Qur’an written entirely with
Muhammad will be renewed. dotless letters.
When he was an infant, he became very sick; and The Mujaddid’s dealings with Abu’l-Fadl were far
those around him had little hope that he would less harmonious. He felt that Abu’l-Fadl was so de-
live. At that time, the Qadri sufi saint Shah Ka- voted to rational philosophy that he cast doubt on
mal Kaithali arrived at Sirhind. His father took the the need for prophecy. So the Mujaddid attempted
infant Mujaddid to Shah Kamal for his prayers and to correct this tendency by referring him Ghazali’s
blessings. Hazrat Shah Kamal was exceedingly deal-Munqidh min al-Dalal. Their disagreement culmi-
lighted to see the holy child! He consoled his father nated in a bitter public debate in which Abu’l-Fadl
Shaykh Abdul Ahad, “Have no worry! Instead, have is said to have abused generally respected scholars of
inner peace. Because your son will have a long life Sunni Islam.
and he’ll be a great scholar and a’rif, knower of Al- It was during his stay at Agra that Sirhindi wrote
lah!” his first work, an Arabic monograph titled Ithbat an-
Out of his love and affection, Shah Kamal put his Nubuwwa. That book was designed to reassert the
blessed tongue into the mouth of the Mujaddid and necessity of belief in prophethood as a corollary to
he suckled on that tongue for a long time. Hazrat belief in God, in the face of the skepticism fostered
Shah Kamal exclaimed, “This infant just attained the by Akbar’s syncretic cult, the din-iilahi. That book’s
complete kamalat, perfection in the Qadri tariqa!” preface tells us of the debate Shaykh Ahmad had had
with “a man [Abu ‘l-Fadl] who studied the science of
falsafa ... and led people astray, as well as stray-
2.3 Education: First Stage ing himself, with respect to prophethood and its at-
tachment to a given person” (Ithbat an-Nubuwwa, pp.
The Mujaddid received his early education at home 11–13).5
from his father and other scholars of Sirhind. He also
memorized the Koran at an early age. 5 Quoted by Dr Hamid Algar in “Imam-i Rabbani”, an un-
2.5. RETURN TO SIRHIND 13
The monograph named Ta’yid-i Ahl-i Sunnat (also have studied Ibn Arabi before, but perhaps not in
known as Radd-i Rawafidh or Kava’if-iShi’a) is also such great depth. The scholar Fazlur Rahman places
related to the circumstances of the time. That book its time of writing much earlier but I believe that he
demolishes the Shia arguments and upholds the doc- has made a mistake.
trines of the mainstream Sunnis. Written some time
after 995/1587, this denunciation of Shi’ism was in-
spired by the sectarian polemics being exchanged be-
2.6 Initial Sufi Training
tween the Shii ulama of Iran and their Sunni counter- At home, the Mujaddid learned the Sabri branch of
parts in Transoxiana; Sirhindi endorsed the fatwa of the Chishti tariqa from his father. He also learned
the Bukharan scholars that condemned Shi’is as kafir. the Qadri tariqa from him as well. In the Mujaddidi
This monograph also presaged the strong hostility tradition, it is said that he had already attained per-
to Shi’ism that Shaykh Ahmad later bequeathed to fection in the Qadri tariqa in his infancy from Shah
the line of Naqshbandi tradition descended from him, Kamal Kaithali, so at this time he really learned only
partly as a result of his exaltation of Abu Bakr as the the outward rules and methods of the Qadri tariqa
fountainhead of Naqshbani “sobriety.” from his father.
The Mujaddid also attained the nisbat-i fardiyat,
2.5 Return to Sirhind the “transmission of solitariness” (fardiyat) from his
father, 7 which he had in turn acquired from Shah
Eventually, the Mujaddid left Agra to return to Kamal Kaithali.
Sirhind. Precisely when he left Agra is unknown. It He also attained perfection and the rank of a
was his father who had come to Agra to fetch him and deputy or khilafat in the Kubrawi and Suhrawardi8
so he left with his father. On the way, he stopped in tariqas from Mawlana Ya‘qub Sarfi. However, some
Thaneswar to marry the daughter of Shaykh Sultan, scholars believe that it was his father who taught him
a local nobleman. the Suhrawardi tariqa.9 Many other sufi Shaykhs
Having returned to Sirhind, the Mujaddid now taught him and so he attained perfection and was
started the sufi textual dimension of his education. given the rand of a deputy (khilafat) in fifteen tariqas.
He studied with his father. It may be noted that The Shadhili tariqa may be included there as well.
his father Shaykh Abdul Ahad was a firm believer in Because the prayer, du’a-i hizbul bahar, is a wazifa
wahdatul wujud. He used to say, “Whatever is seen or litany of the Mujaddidi tariqa10 and that indi-
is the One; only the headings are different.”6 He cates that the Mujaddid may have been a shaykh of
was also the author of a number of monographs on that Shadhili tariqa as well. Later he learned the
wahdatul wujud. And the young Mujaddid initially Naqshbandi tariqa (the sixteenth) and he established
assimilated this with great enthusiasm. 7 Mabda’ va Ma‘ad, Minha 1
With his father, the Mujaddid studied the fun- 8 Halat-i Mashaikh, p. 14.
damental texts such as Ta‘arruf of a Kalabadhi (d. 9 Rawdatul Qayyumiya
390/1000), the ‘Awarif al-Ma‘arif of Shihabuddin 10 Although I have not found any documentary evidence
Suhrawardi and the Fusus al-Hikam of Ibn Arabi (d. supporting it, I feel that the Mujaddid attained perfection
in the Shadhili tariqa and the Shadhili transmission is con-
638/1240). tained in the Mujaddidi tariqa. I feel it because the Shadhili
It may be in this period that the Mujaddid wrote litany Hizb al-Bahr is a litany in this tariqa as well. Now in
his monograph Ma‘arif-i Ladunniya or it may even the Mujaddidi tariqa, this is not a everyday litany as in the
have been in the early period of his discipleship with Shadhili tariqa, but instead it may be done on occasion with
the shaykh’s permission. My Shaykh says that according to
Khwaja Baqibillah. That book indicates that he the tariqa rules, the permission to recite this litany may be
thoroughly studied Ibn Arabi in this period. He may granted only to the missionaries of this tariqa to realize suc-
cess in their mission. However, Professor Algar told me that
published paper many tariqas recite the hizb al-bahr although they may not
6 Nure Sirhind, p. 22. have any initiatic connection to the Shadhili tariqa.
the Mujaddidi tariqa(the seventeenth). So it is said Let it not happen that someone else would
that he had attained perfection in seventeen tariqas recruit him into their own silsila before you.
altogether. The transmission that the prophet granted
Hazrat Abubakr, it has reached me as an ob-
ject left in trust and I have transmitted that
2.7 Khwaja Baqibillah’s Mission to to my caliphs. Currently, this transmission
India is in the hands of the greatest caliph of my
silsila Khwajegi Amkinagi. So you should
In the meantime, Khwaja Baqibillah embarked on his first go to Khwajegi Amkinagi and attain
journey to India. According to the Mujaddidi tra- this transmission and then go to India and
dition, his mission was to transmit the Naqshbandi transmit it to that man. Then that object
nisbat to the saint who will be the Mujaddid of the left in trust would reach its true recipient.
second millennium hijri. It was his teacher Shaykh
Khwajegi Amkinagi who had entrusted him with this In accordance with this instruction of Khwaja
mission, however it was Khwaja Bahauddin Naqsh- Naqshband, Khwaja Baqibillah started his journey
band who had given him this mission originally. to Khwajegi Amkinagi. Khwaja Naqshband also in-
The message that had been transmitted from formed Khwajegi Amkinagi through a dream. On the
shaykh to shaykh in this silsila from Imam Hazrat way, Khwaja Baqibillah had a dream where Khwa-
Bahauddin Naqshband is this, jegi Amkinagi told him, “Son! I am waiting for you.”
When he finally arrived, Khwajegi Amkinagi spent
This tariqa will spread in India. A Mujad- three days with him in seclusion and told him, “By
did will appear there. This exalted trans- the grace of Allah, the purpose for which Khwaja
mission has to be transmitted to him. He Naqshband sent you here, your nutruring, that is now
is the rightful heir of this transmission. complete. Now take this transmission and go to In-
Through this great personality, this exalted dia, a great task is waiting for you there.”
transmission will bloom fully and enlighten 11
the world. After he had been his shaykh for a long time, it was
Khwaja Baqibillah (qaf) who told Hazrat Mujaddid:
Once, Khwaja Baqibillah was visiting the shrine of
Khwaja Naqshband. He told Khwaja Baqibillah in a Once Hazrat Mawlana Khwajegi Amki-
mystic vision, nagi(qaf) instructed me, “Go to India!
You’ll propagate this tariqa there!” I raised
Soon a perfect vicegerent of the prophet will objections, as I could not find any sign of
be born in India. Such a great friend has competence in me. So my shaykh asked
never been born after the honorable com- me do istikhara [prayers to receive guidance
panions. He is center of attention of all the from God through dreams or inspirations]
friends. They all are trying to bring him and I did so.
into their own silsilas (lineages) in the hope
that their silsilas would spread all over the At night, I had a dream, “I saw a parrot.
world via him and would last until the end of I thought in my dream that if this parrot
the world. The light of his good-guidance- comes and sits on my hand then it would
giving would illuminate all that is from the be a sign that my journey to India would
heavens to the earth and until the end of
11 Muhammad Ihsan, Rawdatul Qayyumia where he draws
the world. I fervently aspire that he would
reference to Khwaja Hashim Kashmi, Barakatul Ahmadiya,
take up my silsila and I expect that my hope I referred to the Bengali translation by Mahbubur Rahman,
would be fulfilled by the grace of God. So Raojatul Kaiumiyah, Khulna: Al-Hakim Prokashoni, Khulna,
you should go to India and meet that friend. Bangladesh, 2004. pp. 82-3)
2.8. MEETING WITH KHWAJA BAQIBILLAH 15
be a success. And as soon as I had this idea Afterwards, Hazrat Mujaddid received advanced sta-
in my mind, the parrot flew to me and sat tions, maqamat from Allah above and beyond all that
on my hand. I put my saliva in its beak. In was in the old Naqshbandi tariqa. And he taught
return, it put sweet saliva in my mouth.” those to Khwaja Baqibillah. That explained why
the parrot in the dream put sugar into the mouth
When I had woken up in the morning, I de- of Khwaja Baqibillah.
scribed that dream to Khwajegi Amkinagi.
He interpreted, “Parrot is the symbol for 2.8 Meeting with Khwaja Baqibillah
India.12 You’ll go and nurture a great saint
there. In return, he’ll also give you spir- When his father died in 1007/1597, Shaykh Ah-
itual nourishment. Indeed, he’ll enlighten mad left Sirhind with the intention of performing
the whole world.” the hajj. His route took him to Delhi where he
had a decisive encounter with the Naqshbandi saint
When I reached Sirhind on the way, I had Khwaja ‘Abd al-Baqi (commonly known as Baqi Bil-
a dream in which someone told me, “You lah; d.1012/1603).
are now near a qutb, pole.” He also showed In Delhi, the Mujaddid stayed with his intimate
me the face of that pole. In the morning, friend Mawlana Hasan Kashmiri who took him to
I visited all the saints of Sirhind but none Hazrat Khwaja. When he looked at the Mujaddid
had the face that I saw in that dream. Then then known as Shaykh Ahmad, Khwaja Baqibillah
I decided that the pole in my dream would instantaneously recognized Shaykh Ahmad to be that
emerge in the future. Then when you came parrot of his dream. He knew that Shaykh Ahmad is
to me, I recognized that face in you and that fortunate man who is the rightful heir to this ex-
found that capability in you. alted transmission, who is that unique representative
of the Blessed Prophet (salam), who is that auspi-
Another day I dreamt, “I’m lighting up a cious man for whom he had come to India. It was
huge lamp. That lamp is burning brighter against Khwaja Baqibillah’s nature to show interest
and brighter every moment. And that lamp to someone to make him his disciple. But Shaykh Ah-
is in turn lighting up hundreds and hun- mad became an exception to that rule. He requested
dreds of new lamps. And all those new Shaykh Ahmad, “Please be my guest in my khankah
lamps are also growing brighter and brighter for a few days.”
every moment. When I reached the out- Shaykh Ahmad promised to stay there for a week.
skirts of Sirhind, I saw that thousands and But his state, hal changed in a few days. Hazrat
thousands of lamps are burning in Sirhind.” Khwaja’s jadhdhba affected him powerfully. He re-
Through this dream also, I believe that I quested Hazrat Khwaja to accept him as a disciple.
received Allah’s sign towards you. Normally Khwaja Baqibillah was very selective
about accepting new disciples. Indeed, he always
The exchange of saliva and sugar between Khwaja made istikhara prayers, seeking divine signs indi-
Baqibillah and the parrot later proved to be true. cating whether or not he should accept that disci-
The Mujaddid learned all the maqamat stations, of ple. But Shaykh Ahmad became an exception. The
the knowledge of the Naqshbandi tariqa from Khwaja Khwaja immediately gave him bayat, initiation and
Baqibillah, which explained why Khwaja Baqibillah gave him the first lesson, zikr in the subtle center
in the dream put his saliva in the beak of the parrot. qalb, heart. Immediately, his heart was filled with
Naqshbandi nur, light. Shaykh Ahmad wondered,
12 In olden times, India was known for its parrots. Even the
Masnavi of Mawlana Rumi has stories about the parrots of Wondrous creation are the Naqshbandi
India. saints
They radiate light in a unique manner Muhammadan community (after the companions and
They give away the fragrance of love to before Imam Mahdi) were added together and given
those who don’t even seek to him!
Can you find a more generous one anywhere When non-sufis write on the Mujaddid, they stress
in the world? Where will you find someone his struggle with the Emperors Akbar, Jahangir, and
who cares as much? their courtiers-because that is something that they
As much care as the Naqshbandis give can understand. But from the sufi perspective, it is
his sufi dimension, e.g. the energy and the blessings
that he radiates (faydh va barakat), that is more im-
Baqi Billah was much impressed with his new disciple portant.
concerning whom he wrote to one of his devotees, This excerpt that describes a high rank of the Mu-
jaddid i.e. the guardianship (qayyumiyat). Hazrat
A person from Sirhind by the name of
Mujaddid wrote,
Shaykh Ahmad, highly knowledgeable and
observant, has spent a few days with me ... Once after the dhuhr prayer, I was in med-
it seems that he may become a sun illumi- itation, muraqaba and someone was recit-
nating the world. ing the Koran. Suddenly I noticed a heav-
enly robe hovering over me. An idea came
Shaykh Ahmad attained perfection, kamalat in the
upon my mind that this “robe of guardian-
Naqshbandi tariqa. Khwaja Baqibillah granted him
ship” (qaiyumiyat) is all the creation. And
khilafat, deputyship and ijazat, mandate to teach as
I have been graced with this robe as I am
a shaykh. Then he returned to Sirhind, accompa-
the heir to the Last Prophet (salam) and
nied by a few other disciples of Baqi Billah. There
I faithfully follow him. Then the Merciful
a near permanent state of ecstasy (istighraq) caused
Prophet (salam) appeared and tied a tur-
him to retreat into seclusion, much to the disappoint-
ban on my head by his own blessed hands;
ment of his companions from Delhi. But once the
and congratulated me on my elevation to
ecstasy subsided, he began corresponding with Baqi
the rank of the quardian (qaiyum).
Billah in a series of letters that were at the origin of
his collected correspondence (the Maktubat contains What is a Qaiyum? About that, the Mujaddid’s
a total of twenty-six letters addressed to Baqi Bil- son Khwaja Muhammad Ma‘thum wrote,
lah). After an absence of one year, Shaykh Ahmad
paid a return visit to his preceptor in Delhi, and with Qaiyum is the khalifa or deputy of Allah
some reluctance (that he showed as a symbol of hu- (SWT) in this world.. All the poles (qutb,
mility) accepted to train some disciples on his behalf. aqtab) and the substitutes (badal, abdal ) are
Thereafter he communicated with Baqi Billah by let- in his circle of shadow. The pegs (watad,
ter, with the exception of a final visit in 1012/1613; awtad ) are within the boundaries of the per-
on the occasion of this meeting, the master honored fection of the Qaiyum. All the people in the
him by walking some distance to welcome him and he entire world look towards him to fulfill their
entrusted him with the spiritual training of his sons. wishes and desires. He is the qibla of atten-
tion for the entire world. The whole world
exists because of his holy person (dhat).
2.9 Exalted Ranks of the Great
Mujaddid He further explained,
It’s a Mujaddidi belief that the Mujaddid was not The habit of Allah (SWT) is such that
only the greatest waliAllah ever, but he more than once-in-a-while after many ages, by His
that. Indeed, all the kamalat of all the awliya of the own Grace, the Haqq (SWT) grants some
2.10. BIRTH OF THE MUJADDIDI TARIQA 17
knower, ’arif, a portion from His own price- Usually prophets receive the position of prophets at
less Person and makes him His deputy and the age of forty. Hazrat Mujaddid had just reached
caliph as thei.e., qaiyum. It is through the forty and it was at that age that , he received the
intermediation of him [the Qaiyum] that the position of the Mujaddid of the Second Thousand
entire cosmos is sustained. Years.
Indeed, as the Mujaddid explained in the Maktu-

bat, Allah granted three more his descendants the 2.10 Birth of the Mujaddidi tariqa
rank of Qaiyum, Guardian. And the rank of Qaiyu-
miyat is above all the awliya and just below the The following story is well-known in the Mujaddidi
rank of the companions of the Generous Prophet tradition. It is quoted in the primary hagiographies
(salam). And all the Qaiyums have been created of the Mujaddid by his caliphs Badruddin Sirhindi
from residue of the dough of which the Prophet and Hashim Kashmi and the secondary text Rawdatul
Muhammad was made. Indeed, the Mujaddid him- Qayyumiya.
14
self declared, “I was created from the residue of
the dough of which was made Prophet Muham-
mad, the Beloved of God (salam).” /footnoteHalat- Once, the Great Succor Muhyiuddin Abdul
i Mashaikh-i Naqshbandiya-Mujaddidiya, volume 2, Qadir Jilani was absorbed in muraqabah,
pp.27-28 meditation in a forest. Suddenly, a light
These first qayyum was the great mujaddid Ahmad came down from the heavens and that light
Sirhindi and the second was his son Khwaja Muham- lighted up the whole world. The Great Suc-
mad Ma‘sum. The third qayyum was his son Khwaja cor was informed that after five hundred
Hujjatullah Naqshband and the fourth was his grand- years, when polytheism and deviation from
son Khwaja Muhammad Zubair. the prophetic way would spread throughout
This story is narrated in the Rawdatul Qaiyyumia the world,; a true friend [of Allah] would
about his elevation to the rank of the Mujaddid al- emerge. He would demolish all polythe-
fithani or reformer of the second millenium Hijri. ism and deviations and would resurrect the
Muhammadan religion. His companionship
It was hijri 1010 year, the 10th of the Is- would be alchemical [i.e., it would transform
lamic month of Rabiul Awwal, Friday night base metal into gold.]. And his sons and
breaking into dawn. Shaykh Ahmad was sit- caliphs would serve the religion greatly.
ting in his room alone. It was then that the
Prophet Muhammad (salam) came there. Then the Great Succor selected a khirqa,
Along with him came all the other prophets (a cloak with spiritual significance in the
(salam), countless angels and friends of Al- sufi tradition) filled it up with his perfec-
lah. By his own holy pair of hands, the tions and gave it to his son Tajuddin Ab-
Merciful Prophet put a resplendent robe on dur Razzaq and said, “When that great
him and told, “Shaykh Ahmad! As a sym- man will emerge, then give him this khirqa.
bol of your being a Mujaddid, I’m putting That khirqa was transferred generation-to-
this magnificent robe on you. From now generation and finally reached the hands of
on, you’ll be known as the Mujaddid-i Alfi his descendant and Caliph Shah Sikander
Thani, “the Mujaddid of the second mille- 14 Hazratu ’l-Quds written by the Mujaddid’s devoted dis-
nium.” All the responsibility for my com-
ciple and caliph Hazrat Badruddin Sirhindi and Zubdatu ’l-
munity (ummat) in both worldly matters Maqamat by Hazrat Hashim Kashmi and from which it has
and religious matters, is assigned to you.13 been quoted in the traditional hagiographies the Rawdatu ’l-
Qayyumia’ and the Halat-i Masha’ikh-i Naqshbandiya Mujad-
13 Rawdatul Qayyumia, pp. 99-100, 104 didiya
Kaithali. He once had a dream, “According the founder] Hazrat Abdul Qadir Jilani to
to the instruction of the Great Succor, give Hazrat Shah Kamal Kaithali appeared and
that khirqa to the Great Mujaddid Ahmad illuminated me with the lights of their nis-
Sirhindi.” But Shah Sikander was reluctant bat.”
to part with this family heirloom.
Then the Mujaddid thought, “I’ve been nur-
So what ultimately happened is that once, tured by the the Naqshbandis! Still such
Hazrat Mujaddid was meditating in mu- a thing happened!” He narrated, “In the
raqaba or sufi meditation; at that time, mean time, all the saints in my Naqshbandi
some one came and placed a emphkhirqa, silsila from Hazrat Khwaja Abdul Khaliq
an initiatic cloak signifying spiritual matu- Gujdawani to Hazrat Khwaja BaqIbillah,
rity and khilafat, onto the shoulders of the appeared and asked, ‘Shaykh Ahmad at-
Mujaddid. That person was Hazrat Shah tained his own perfection as well as the abil-
Sikander, grandson of the sufi saint Shah ity to bring others to perfection, (kamal va
Kamal Kaithali. takmil,) via our tariqa. So how is he related
to your tariqa?’ The saints of the Qadri
Hazrat Mujaddid opened his eyes and seeing tariqa replied, ‘He received the first taste of
Hazrat Sikander, stood up and embraced the sweet from us.”’
him with humility and courtesy. Hazrat
Sikander said, “This khirqa originally be- By that, they alluded to an incident in
longed to my ancestor, Hazrat Abdul Qadir Hazrat Mujaddid’s childhood. Once, when
Jilani. My grandfather had told me on his the child Mujaddid had become very sick,
deathbed, ‘Keep it for now! Whomever I’ll his father took him to Shah Kamal Kaithali,
ask you to give it to, give it to him!’ In- who was a saint of the Qadri tariqa. The
deed, this khirqa has been passed down in saint had put his tongue into the mouth of
my family from generation to generation in the newborn and it started to suck on his
the same way. Now my saintly grandfather tongue. And Shah Kamal exclaimed, “This
has appeared in my dream several times and infant just attained the complete kamalat,
asked me to give it to you. But I didn’t as I perfection in the Qadri tariqa!”
felt pain at the thought of giving this family
In the meantime, the masters of the Chishti
heirloom away. Finally, I’ve been severely
tariqa came and claimed the Mujaddid for
warned that if I don’t comply then my sufi
their own. They reasoned, “His ancestors
transmission would be taken away as a pun-
were servants of our tariqa.”
ishment. That’s why, I’ve finally come to
you.” The masters of the Kubrawi, Suhrawardi,
and many other tariqas came as well. Each
Hazrat Mujaddid wore that khirqa and re- of them argued, “The Mujaddid was a
tired to privacy. Then this idea floated caliph in my tariqa before he was [even a
on his mind, “The practice of the sufi disciple] ] for the Naqshbandis.”
shaykhs is that when they present their
khirqa to someone, he becomes their deputy The masters of all the other tariqas also ap-
or ‘caliph.’ Or they give the khirqa as a first peared. They all wanted the Mujaddid to
step, and make him their caliph at the sec- serve their tariqas.
ond stage.” Hazrat Mujaddid narrated, “As
soon as this idea came upon my mind, [all Hazrat Mujaddid’s Caliph Hazrat Badrud-
the saints in my Qadri silsila starting from din Sirhindi quoted the Mujaddid in his
2.10. BIRTH OF THE MUJADDIDI TARIQA 19
book the Holy Hazrats [Hazratul Quds] “At Mujaddid being the second but more important
that time such a great number of spirits imam. Although this tariqa can be called “new” in
of the saints came to Sirhind that they the sense that it is “more” than the old Naqshbandi
thronged all the buildings, streets, and open tariqa, it’s not new in the sense that it is “different.”
spaces of the city. The saints were disput- The base of this tariqa is still the old Naqshbandi
ing among themselves so strongly that from tariqa. If the old Naqshbandi tariqa can be likened
dawn it continued until the time of dhuhr, to a building, then it can be said that the Mujaddid
the noon prayer.” renovated the building by adding more floors to it.
That is the way he interpreted it in the Maktubat.
It was at that time that the spirit of
It should be noted that the old Naqshbandi tariqa
the viceroy for both worlds, the prophet
soon died out, as all the Naqshbandis adopted this
Muhammad (salam) came and resolved the
more energized version of the tariqa. With the excep-
dispute with love and compassion for ev-
tion of a few archaic Naqshbandis in Eastern Turk-
eryone. He stated, “All of you! You may
istan, that are from the lineage of Jam‘i, the old
transmit the perfections of your transmis-
tariqa has ceased to exist; 15 instead, their followers
sions totally to the Mujaddid of the Second
have taken bayat from a Mujaddidi shaykh. If you
Thousand Years. He is the caliph of all of
look at their shajara, lineage tree you’ll find Hazrat
you. You will all receive equal rewards from
Mujaddid there.
his good deeds. However, the Naqshbandi
This tariqa may be called Mujaddidi-Naqshbandi
tariqa originates from Hazrat Abu Bakr, the
instead of what it’s called traditionally, which is
most exalted man after the prophets. And it
Naqshbandi-Mujaddidi. The reason is that if you call
strictly clings to the sunna and assiduously
it Naqshbandi-Mujaddidi, people often shorten it by
casts off deviations. And so that tariqa is
calling it Naqshbandi and that is very misleading.
most appropriate for the special service of
Now Hazrat Mujaddid could call it Naqshbandi be-
renewal and revival of Islam that he will ren-
cause that was adab for him. But now since so many
der.”
great masters of our tariqa have adopted and agreed
So the dispute was finally resolved! As per to the new name, it may be lack of adab for us to call
the prophet’s instruction, every imam of ev- it by the old name, because that would not showing
ery tariqa transmitted all the perfections of the proper respect to the Mujaddid, the pre-eminent
his own tariqa to the Mujaddid. Added to saint in the Naqshbandi-Mujaddidi silsila, indeed the
that were the perfections and transmissions closest person to Allah after the prophets and before
unique to the Mujaddid of the Second Thou- Imam Mahdi.
sand Years. Also added were the unique Who is the prophet of Islam? Is he Prophet
perfections granted by the Prophet (salam). Muhammad or Prophet Abraham? The Koran says
Also added were the perfections unique to that Hazrat Abraham was the first Muslim and ours
the Mujaddid, namely, the perfections of the is the same religion as his. Now can we claim that
Guardian, the Imam, the Treasury of Mercy Prophet Abraham is more important than Prophet
and all others [Qaiyum, Imam, Khazinatu ’l- Muhammad? Would that not be a lack of adab
Rahmat] As a result, a new tariqa was born. for us? The relationship of Hazrat Naqshband and
Hazrat Mujaddid can be compared to the relation-
Due to his extreme adab, courtesy, the Mujaddid ship between Hazrat Abraham and Hazrat Muham-
still called this new Naqshbandi tariqa. However, mad. Yes! Prophet Muhammad shows great respect
within a few generations, this tariqa was named to Prophet Abaraham; but that does not mean that
Naqshbandi-Mujaddidi or Mujaddidi for short. And
this tariqa has two imams or founders, Hazrat Ba- 15 Source: Hamid Algar, the premier academic researcher on
hauddin Naqshband being the first imam and Hazrat this tariqa in the West.
Prophet Abraham is superior to Prophet Muham- 28th or the 29th of Safar) 16 in 1034 AH/1624 CE.
mad. Instead, it only means that the Prophet had Inna liLlahi wa inna ‘alaihi raji‘un! Verily we are
a great deal of adab. Similarly, the fact that the from Allah and verily we will return to Him! His
Mujaddid shows a lot of respect to Hazrat Bahaud- shrine has become a place of universal pilgrimage
din Naqshband in the Maktubat only confirms the for Muslims, Sikhs, Hindus-people of all religions go
perfection of his adab. Islam should be referred to there to pay their homage and drink that fragrant
as “Muhammadan” as opposed to “Abrahamic;” al- elixir wafting upward from his grave.
though both are true. Similarly, this tariqa should be This is the translation of a Persian poem on the
referred to as Mujaddidi as opposed to Naqshbandi, grave of the Great Mujaddid:
although both are true.
Poem on the grave of the Mujaddid
Another reason why this tariqa should be called by Abdul Ghani Dihlawi
Mujaddidi instead of Naqshbandi is that the system
of lata’if or the subtle center system for these two O the sacred soil of the grave! [You ooze the
tariqas are also slightly different. The latifa or sub- fragrance of ] ambergris and musk!
tle center called nafs is located near the navel in
the archaic Naqshbandi tariqa, but Hazrat Mujaddid Has become intoxicated by your [maddening]
changed that location to the center of the forehead aroma, the entire universe!
for the Mujaddidi tariqa.
[God] the Cupbearer has nurtured you with
Also, the number of maqamat, i.e., the stations of such fragrant essence! As a result, the peo-
spiritual enlightenment, are also vastly increased in ple of the world!
the Mujaddidi tariqa. Now most shaykhs never as-
cend to such sublime stations, so they do not even Sane when they come to you, they leave as
know about these. drunks!
Before the Mujaddid, the progress for the friends That mystery of paradise is your secret!
of Allah was limited to the level of “friendship,” [Such that] the people on the surface of the
walayat, but breaking their rank, the Mujaddid pro- earth!
gressed to the level of nubuwat, in the same way that
the four well-instructed caliphs also progressed to the [Having breathed] one breath from [that fra-
level of nubuwat. Since the Mujaddidi tariqa is so grance from] you, blast off into a heavenly
much superior, all the Naqshbandis today, even those orbit [far above the land of sand and dust!]
from Bukhara or Samarkand, (with the exception
of those archaic Naqshbandis in Eastern Turkestan) - - -
have adopted the Mujaddidi tariqa instead. If you
look at their lineage tree or shajara, you will see 2.12 Writings
Hazrat Mujaddid there.
The magnum opus of the Mujaddid is the Maktubat-i-
Imam-i-Rabbani that contains a total of 536 maktubs
that he sent to various people. Among them, twenty
2.11 Parting from This World six were written to his own sufi guide Khwaja Baqi-
billah. One he wrote to the Emperor Jahangir. One
After a life of great service to Allah as well as His he wrote to a Hindu named Hari Rama. And the rest
beloved humanity, the Great Mujaddid left this world were written to his disciples and devotees including
to meet his Maker at the age of sixty-three, the same two or three to his women disciples.
age at which our beloved Prophet (salam) left his 16 Due to disagreement on when the moon of Safar was
earthly life. It was the early dawn of Tuesday, the sighted, there is dispute on the lunar date of death
2.12. WRITINGS 21
Sequence Name
First Qaiyum The Great Mujaddid Ahmad Sirhindi
Second Qaiyum His son Khwaja Muhammad Ma‘thum
Third Qaiyum His son Khwaja Hujjatullah Naqshband
Fourth Qaiyum His grandson Khwaja Muhammad Zubair
Table 2.1: The Four Guardians or Qayyums
Total no. Khwaja Hazrat Mujaddid’s Emperor

of maktubs Baqibillah Disciples Jahangir A Hindu
536 26 508 1 1
Table 2.2: Maktubs: Recipients
The Maktubat was divided into three volumes. 2. Ta’yyid-i Ahl-i Sunnat, also known as Kavaif-i
The first volume had three hundred and thirteen Shiah, or Radd-i Rawafidh: Refuting the Shia
maktubs after the three hundred and thirteen com- beliefs and establishing the mainstream Sunni
panions who fought in the battle of Badr. This num- creed. Written in Persian, also in the Agra pe-
ber is also the number of major prophets (rasul). riod.
This volume was called the Durru ’l-Ma‘rifat and it
was compiled by Khwaja Muhammad Jadid Badakshi 3. Ma‘arif-i Ladunniya: Comments on Ibn Arabi,
Talqani. The second volume, completed in 1019 hijri, generally positive but sometimes negative, even
was called the Nuru ’l-Khala’iq compiled by Khwaja sarcastic. Fazlur Rahman puts it in the Agra
Abdul Hai. The compiler was Khwaja Abdul Hai period but he is obviously wrong, because the
who was the son of the Mujaddid’s Khwaja Chakar book talks about the Naqshbandi tariqa. Writ-
Hasari, wrote that the volume had ninety-nine mak- ten in Persian. Early in the Baqibillah period,
tubs as the number of the attributive names (ism, 1597-1603 CE.
sifat) of Allah is ninety-nine. In the preface, he also
4. Ta‘liqat bar Sharh-i Ruba’iyat: Explains and
wrote that he had completed it by the instruction
comments on the Quatrains of Khwaja Baqibil-
of the Mujaddid’s son Khwaja Muhammad Ma‘sum.
lah; he showed it to the Khwaja. Written in the
The third volume, the Ma‘rifatul Haqa’iq, was com-
Baqibillah period. In Persian.
piled by Khwaja Muhammad Hashim. Originally it
had 114 maktubs that corresponds to the # num- 5. Mabda’ va Ma’ad : There are 51 Minha or chap-
ber of the chapters of the Koran; later 10 more were ters on many topics. The Mujaddid wrote it in
added. Since the Mujaddid died after those ten mak- the Baqibillah period, 1597-1603; but I think af-
tubs, they were added instead of creating a new vol- ter God-given Knowledge. Written in Persian.
ume.
The following table describes the three volumes of 6. Risala-i Tahliliya: Not Reviewed. Written in
the Maktubat: Arabic.
Additionally, the Mujaddid also wrote seven mono-
graphs, risala on various topics. They are: 7. Mukashafat-i Ghaibiya, also known as ’Ayniya’,
due to a printing mistake in the Lahore edition:
1. Ithbat wa Nubuwwa: Why mankind needs Each chapter describes the hal on one of the 29
prophetic revelation to know God. Written in stations, maqamat on the wayfaring, suluk of the
Arabic, in the Agra period, circa1585 CE. Mujaddidi-Naqshbandi tariqa; Showed it to the
Volume no. No. of maktubs Year of completion Name of Volume Compiler

of is 10
Table 2.3: Three volumes: Maktubat
Khwaja. Referred to in the The Mabda refers to

it. Written in the later Baqibillah period, 1597-
1603. In Persian.
This biography is partly sufi-inspiration taken

from the Mujaddidi book of hagiographies, Halat-
i Masha’ikh-i Naqshbandiya Mujaddidiya and Raw-
datul Qayyumia, Bengali translations, and partly his-
torical narratives taken from Fazlur Rahman, “Chap-
ter 5: Shaikh Ahmad’s Life,” in the Intikhab-i
Maktubat-i Shaykh Ahmad Sirhindi, and Professor
Hamid Algar’s unpublished article, “Imam-i Rab-
bani”
Part I
23
Chapter 3
Preamble: Ode to Khwaja Baqibillah
The Mujaddid wrote this maktub to Khwaja Abdul- of “journeying in the homeland” 3 (safar dar
lah and Khwaja Ubaidullah , who were the two sons watn) as the alms [that he offered me] for
of his sufi teacher Khwaja Baqibillah. Hazrat 1 Mu- serving him. His noble face-turning (tawa-
jaddid starts this maktub by showing his respect to jjuh) for two and a half months made such
Khwaja Baqibillah. He first describes the exalted an untrainable4
sufi experiential knowledge that he gained and he ac-
person like myself [able to] receive the
knowledges the sublime sufi “states” that he experi-
Naqshbandi transmission (nisbat); it also
enced via the intermediation of Khwaja Baqibillah.
granted me the gift of the elect presence
He recounts them as a mark of courtesy as he is writ-
(hudur-i khass) of these great ones. How
ing to the sons of Khwaja Baqibillah.
can I describe the self-disclosures, the man-
ifestations 5 , the lights, the colors, the
Praise, salutations, and conveyance of the
“things without color,” and the “things
invitation toward God to the venerable and
without howness” (tajalliyat, zuhurat, an-
esteemed sons of my master! From my head
war, alwan, bi-rangiha, bi-kaifiha) that sur-
to feet, I am drowned in the beneficence (ih-
faced by his intermediation [in this short
san) of your great father [Khwaja Baqibil-
span of time?] How can I explain them in
lah] . From him, I accomplished the lessons
detail? [A 1.266,105.7-13] 6
Alef and Beh of this tariqa and I learned the
letters of the alphabet of this path. By the 3 journeying in the homeland, or safar dar watan is another
blessing of his companionship(suhba) 2 traditional saying in the Naqshbandi tariqa. One meaning is
the aspirant’s ”spiritual journey” within the microcosm of his
I have attained the felicity (dawla) of “in- own being
sertion of the end in the beginning” (indiraj 4 untrainable, or na qabil: qabil is term used by Ibn Arabi
al-nihayat fi’l-bidaya’ ). I found the felicity to mean ”receptacle” of God’s manifestation. Here the Mujad-
did is saying, out of humility, that he is incapable of being a
1 When used before a personal name, Hazrat (Arabic ”receptacle” i.e., he is untrainable. See William Chittick, The
Hadrat) is an honorific title akin to ”Venerable” or ”His Em- Sufi Path of Knowledge (Albany: State University of New York
inence.” It is used before the name of the prophets as well as Press, 1989) pp. 91-92, hereafter referred to as SPK
other holy men and women in the Islamic tradition in the In- 5 Self-disclosures, or tajalliyat, and manifestations, or zuhu-
dian subcontinent. The Mujaddid also uses ”Hazrat” before rat, are God’s display of Himself in the created things and their
the names and attributes of God, but I omit them to avoid understandings and insights. SPK, pp. 91-92
confusion. 6 [A 1.266, 105.7-13]: A refers to the Amritsari edition of
2 companionship, suhba, refers to companionship with a the Maktubat-i Imam-i Rabbani, 1.266 refers to the maktub
spiritual master by dint of which energy and blessings flow #266 in the volume I, 105 is the page number, 7-13 means line
into the disciple and he attains spiritual growth # 7 to 13
25
26 Preamble: Ode to Khwaja Baqibillah
Face-turning (tawajjuh) is a sufi technical term. tiation,” but that word has a negative connotation
Chittick translates this as “attentiveness” in The sufi today because it has become associated with cults; so
Path of Knowledge; thus he alludes to its standard I sometimes translate bayat by “opening,” meaning
Persian meaning. But in The Self-Disclosures of God, the process by which the door of energy and blessing
he translates it as “face-turning,” its literal meaning. opens up to the disciple.
The section that follows elucidates the meaning of Hudur is literally translated as “presence. ” The
some of the more important terms that the Mujad- presence of a master refers to the domain where his
did uses. faydh has an effect. Usually, it is the strongest near
the master.
Tawajjuh is literally translated as “face-turning.”
3.1 Sufi Technical Terms It means, “giving attention” in Persian/Arabic, but it
also has a sufi technical meaning. The master focuses
It is useful to first define the sufi technical terms: his attention toward the disciple when he wants to
energy or faydh, transmission or nisbat, presence or give a “face-turning” to a disciple. And in this way
hudur, face-turning or tawajjuh, companionship or the disciple receives a powerful burst of energy.
suhbat, mediation or wasila. These are all interrelated So the disciple is affected by “energy” (faydh) from
terms; they all refer to the experiential supernatural being in the “presence” (hudur ) of the master. He
“energy” or faydh of any sufi system or tariqa. This attains that “presence” from being in the “compan-
energy flows in a supernatural channel or circuit from ionship” (suhbat) of the master. A larger door of
master to master in the lineage or silsila. energy-transmission opens up to him when he takes
Literally, faydh means effusion and this is how the bayat. Whatever energy he receives, he receives
Chittick translates it. In the sufi context, it refers it via the mediation or wasila of the master. Once
to the supernatural “energy” that flows from master in a while, the master gives him a “face-turning” or
to disciple. The American spiritual community em- tawajjuh and he receives a powerful burst of “energy.”
ploys the word “energy” to mean this concept in their When he is successful in attaining a “transmission”
methods. I am also using the word “energy,” as I find or nisbat from the master, he is connected to the con-
it more intuitive. tinual flow of energy that flows from master to master
Literally, nisbat means “relationship.” In the sufi in the “lineage” or silsila an energy that flows along
context, it means the spiritual connection, the cur- a supernatural channel.
rent of faydh (analogous to a current of electricity) Indeed, any lineage of any inner discipline can be
that flows from master to master in the silsila along explained by the same paradigm of master-to-master
a supernatural circuit up to the disciple. Chittick meta-physical transmission of energy. Examples in-
translates it as “relation” or “relationship,” and that clude the the Jewish inner path Kabbalah, the Hindu
is correct literally, but incorrect in the sufi context. inner path Yoga, the Japanese inner path Zen, the
Some others translate it more accurately as “connec- Chinese inner paths including their science of energy-
tion.” The American spiritual community employs cultivation through breaths called Chikung and their
the word “transmission” to mean this concept and system of internal martial arts like Taichi.
this is also what I have chosen to use. The name for the structured method undertaken to
The sufi term bayat comes from Arabic word for reach God is suluk or wayfaring i.e. the curriculum
house, bait; it literally means, “the act of becoming for each sufi tariqa. This is the first meaning of suluk.
a part of the household [or the family].” It refers to And just as the curriculum of an educational institu-
“initiation,” the ceremony or process by which one is tion is divided into courses or grade-levels, the suluk
connected to the nisbat of any sufi tariqa. Generally or curriculum of a tariqa is also divided into stations
in sufi tariqas, one holds the hands of his sufi shaykh (maqam, plural maqamat). And these maqamat may
and recites a pledge. This process connects him to the be traversed by two methods.
nisbat. An English translation for bayat may be “ini- The first method is called suluk, meaning wayfaring
3.2. INSERTION OF THE END IN THE BEGINNING 27
Arabic term English translation Electromagnetic analogy

Faydh energy electrons, photons
Hudur presence electromagnetic field
Suhbat companionship being so near a magnet that something gets magnetized
Bayya bayat clicking the switch on; or physically turning on the electricity
Wasila mediation node in a network
tawajjuh face-turning pulse of laser, lightning of static electricity
Nisbat transmission electric current
Table 3.1: Electromagnetic Analogies
[by the seeker’s own efforts]. By this method, the sufi (aqrab) tariqa; and necessarily the ends (ni-
seeker or student (murid, talib) takes the initiative hayat) of the others have been inserted in
to reach God through his own arduous efforts. The their beginning (bidayat).
second type is jadhdhba, in which God Himself takes
the initiative and attracts the seeker to Himself by his Can you foresee my rose-garden
jadhdhba(attraction) of love and the seeker reaches How will it look in the spring?
God effortlessly, by His grace. Therefore, depending
on the context, suluk may mean a structured system [A 1.145, 23.4-8]
to reach God for a particular tariqa, or one of the two Now what does the Mujaddid really mean? What
methods that is employed in those systems. is journeying in the world of command? The usual
method that most tariqas employ at the beginning
3.2 Insertion of the End in the level is the method of suluk or wayfaring . In that
Beginning method, the subtle center of the soul, latifa-i nafs,
is illuminated first and the four elements, i.e., fire,
Insertion of the end in the beginning, or indiraj- air, water, and earth elements are illuminated next.
i nihayat dar bidayat, is a traditional saying that These five centers belong to the “world of creation,”
describes a unique characteristic of the Naqshbandi (’alam-i khalq). This world of creation is the seat
tariqa. The Mujaddid himself explains why the of all evil and corruption. The disciple takes a jour-
method of this tariqa is called the “insertion of the ney along the stations of the sufi path, employing
end in the beginning.” He wrote, arduous, difficult practices, initially to cleanse those
subtle centers and then to progress beyond them–this
The shaykhs of the Naqshbandi tariqa (qaf ) is the method of suluk or wayfaring.
have chosen to start their journey (sayr ) The method of suluk is to be contrasted with
from the world of command. And they have the method of jadhdhba. The Mujaddidi-Naqshbandi
followed that [journey] up by the [journey tariqa employs the method of jadhdhba first–it starts
in] the world of creation and that [journey] with the cleansing of the subtle center heart, qalb,
takes place next. That [sequence] is in con- and then proceeds sequentially to the four other
trast to the shaykhs of the rest of the tariqas subtle centers of the “world of command” (’alam-i
who begin their journeys from the world of amr ). These are the spirit or ruh, the secret heart
creation. And after traversing the world of or sirr, the arcanum or khafi, and the super-arcanum
creation, they place their feet into the world or akhfa. The prototypes of these subtle centers lie
of command and arrive at the station of at- in the world of command that is nearer to the realm
traction (jadhdhba). It is for this reason of God and so that world is holy and pure–so these
that the Naqshbandi tariqa is the nearest subtle centers are easier to purify. Also God’s elect
Arabic English sufi meaning Educational analogy

Wayfaring- structured,
through- methodical
a-structured- path
suluk (first meaning) curriculum- of Curriculum
to-reach- each
God tariqa
each
Maqam, pl. maqamat station stage grade level
of development
Wayfaring- One of the two methods

by-the- of wayfaring that
suluk (second meaning) seeker’s- involves arduous efforts hard rigorous studies
own-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 who
God one progresses easily, explains
without arduous effort, things
by the elect grace of God easily
Table 3.2: Terms for learning sufism
grace, as jadhdhba, purifies these centers easily and through the method of jadhdhba. The prototypes of
effortlessly. This is called the method of jadhdhba. these subtle centers are in the divine la-makani or
The subtle center nafs or soul is a thing of the spaceless world. The subtle centers in the human
world of creation; it is the seat of all evil and corrup- body are a mere reflection of those sublime centers.
tion; so aspirants need to undertake difficult, ardu- Naturally, these subtle centers are cleansed quickly
ous practices in order to purify their souls. And this and easily without any difficult, arduous practices on
would take them a long time, if they even succeeded the part of the aspirant because they are “essentially”
at all. After the purification of the nafs, the aspirants pure.
undergo the purification of the qalib or the “mold,” The usual method of other tariqas had been to
i.e., the physical body that consists of four subtle cleanse the subtle centers of the world of creation be-
centers distributed everywhere–they are the four ele- fore the subtle centers of the world of command. Or
ments: fire, water, air, and earth. Naturally, all these undertake their suluk before the jadhdhba. Following
centers of the world of creation take a long time to the usual methods, it takes aspirants many years of
cleanse. This method of “undertaking difficult, ar- arduous practice to complete their path. Many peo-
duous practices on the part of the aspirant” is called ple either gave up or died before they reached the end
the method of suluk, or wayfaring. of the path.
In the alternate method, that is the method of jad- Note; In the Chishti tariqa, the ten subtle centers
hdhba, God attracts the aspirant to Himself through exist as ten different steps, while in the Qadri tariqa,
His love, and the aspirant proceeds to God quickly the cleansing of the four elements is brought together
and easily without any difficult practices. The five as one step-their seventh step.
subtle centers of the world of command are cleaned Hazrat Bahauddin Naqshband searched for an eas-
3.2. INSERTION OF THE END IN THE BEGINNING 29
purified in other Sequence Method World of the Subtle Center Subtle Center
1 wayfaring by the world of creation Soul or nafs
2 seeker’s effort, or The four
3 suluk elements: fire,
4 air, water, earth
5
6 attraction from world of Super-arcanum or
God, or jadhdhba command akhfa
7 Arcanum or khafi
8 Secret heart or sirr
9 Spirit or ruh
10 Heart or qalb
Table 3.3: Sequence in which the ten subtle centers are purified in other tariqas, e.g., Qadri, Chishti, etc.
ier way that would take the aspirants to Allah faster. tariqas who have reached their ends? The answer is
So he begged Allah, “Allah! Give me such a tariqa, no, because you cannot compare a new adept with an
whose students are not deprived of what they seek— advanced adept. But you can compare a new adept
You!” Allah finally accepted his supplication and of the Naqshbandi tariqa with a new adept in another
gave him the system of God-realization that is the tariqa. Then you will see that even a new adept of
Naqshbandi tariqa. In this tariqa, the seeker’s heart the Naqshbandi tariqa has a portion of the gift that
center, latifa al-qalb, is purified first, in the begin- the adepts of the other tariqas receive at the end of
ning of the process. The origin of the heart center their path. Another way to look at it is that while
lies in the world of command, which is the other- the new Naqshbandi adept may possess illumination
worldly realm that is nearer to God. So it is quite of the heart, the strength of his transmission (nis-
pure to begin with. And therefore the heart center bat) is much weaker than the nisbat of an advanced
is purified easily. Then the seeker purifies the other adept of the other tariqas who has also illuminated
four lata’if of the world of command and continues his heart, but after years of arduous practice.
on to the nafs. Since all the lata’if of the world of Still another way of looking at it is that the jadhd-
command have already been purified, the seeker al- hba that the aspirant realizes in the beginning of the
ready possesses a foundation on which to stand, his Mujaddidi-Naqshbandi tariqa is really the shadow
nafs is also purified quite easily. (zill ) of the real jadhdhba that he realizes later. How-
In the other tariqas, the jadhdhba that is pure grace ever, still he has received a taste of it in the beginning
from God purifies the subtle centers of the world of of his path. As the Mujaddid explains,
command after suluk, i.e., difficult, arduous effort on
the part of the seeker, who works to purify the five The proposition “insertion of the end in the
subtle centers of the world of creation. But in the beginning” (indiraj-i nihayat dar bidayat)
Mujaddidi-Naqshbandi tariqa, that jadhdhba comes that proceed from these [Naqshbandi] mas-
at the very beginning of the path. This is what “in- ters, some shaykhs of the other silsilas (qaf)
sertion of the end in the beginning” means−jadhdhba wonder if it is really true. They wonder
before suluk, or the cleansing of the subtle centers of what it really means.
the world of command before the subtle centers of And they do not agree with the proposi-
the world of creation. tion that the beginner on this [Naqshbandi]
Now, does the concept of indiraj-i nihayat dar bi- tariqa is a peer of those who have reached
dayat mean that the new initiate of the Naqshbandi the end in the other tariqas. How surpris-
tariqa is at the same level as the adepts in the other ing! How did they interpret “insertion of
Sequence Method World where the subtle Subtle center in

center belongs originally the human body
1 heart or qalb
2 spirit or ruh
3 Attraction from world of secret heart or sirr
4 God or jadhdhba command arcanum or khafi
5 super-arcanum or akhfa
6 world of creation soul or nafs
wayfaring by the the four

7-10 seeker’s effort, or elements: fire,
suluk air, water, earth
Table 3.4: Sequence In Which The Ten Subtle Centers Are Purified In The Naqshbandi Tariqa
the end in the beginning” to means that what subtle point remains within the sci-
“the beginner of this tariqa will be a peer ences of tawhid or monism, [and all its sub-
of those who have reached the end in the tle variations e.g.,] ittihad or unificationism,
other tariqas?” qurb or nearnessism, ma’iyat or withnes-
[The masters of the Naqshbandi tariqa,] sism, ihata or encompassmentism, sarayan
they have not said anything more than “in- or penetrationism, etc. that he did not dis-
sertion of the end in the beginning.” What close to me! Or he did not grant me the
they have said does not indicate peerage. cognizance of its reality [i.e., the reality of
any subtle point in those sciences of tawhid ]!
Instead, it means that the competent [A 1.266, 105.12-13]
shaykh in this tariqa who has reached the
end (muntahi ), employs his face-turning
and power-of-intervention (tasarruf ). And 3.4 Reviewing the Monist Ontologies
he bestows the taste from his treasures that
he had received in his last station in the Tawhid or monism refers to the doctrine that God is
path, to the rightly-guided (rashid ) begin- “one” with the cosmos—many variant doctrines are
ner. And he puts the salty taste of his own put together under the banner of tawhid.
end into the beginning [of the beginner]. So One of these variants is ittihad or unificationism —
where is the peerage? Where is the room the doctrine that God is one and the same as the cos-
for a doubt? [A 2.43, 114.9-14] mos. Chittick translates ittihad as “unificationism,”
and that is its literal meaning. Its technical meaning
in sufi ontology is that God is merged in the cosmos
3.3 Monist Ontologies
in such a way that these two cannot be distinguished
Now Hazrat Mujaddid eulogizes his teacher by re- from one another. This is diametrically opposed to
counting the knowledge that he learned from Khwaja the Islamic doctrine that comes from the Koran and
Baqibillah. He says that he came to understand all the hadith literature, that God and the creation are
the fine points of tawhid or monism and all the fine distinct and separate.
variations in that doctrine via Khwaja Baqibillah’s Yes! If someone twists the Koran and hadith lit-
intermediation. erature to arrive at unificationism, he is indeed an
apostate. However, a sufi may “actually” see God
By the blessing of his exalted face-turning, merged in the cosmos in his “subjective experience”
3.4. REVIEWING THE MONIST ONTOLOGIES 31
and in that case he should be excused. The Mujaddid shadow does not exist and the only thing
explains that if some people such as many of the su- that exists is that person.” [A 2.44, 116-7]
fis following ittihad, love a person in the extreme, i.e.,
God, they may not even notice the shadow. Instead, Therefore, if a sufi says that he sees that the cosmos
they see only their beloved person and say that only is “unified with” God, he should be excused from the
the beloved person exists. In that case, they may say charge of apostasy.
that the shadow is “unified with” that beloved per- The Mujaddid discusses more on these monist sci-
son, or that the shadow does not exist at all; only ences in his book Ta’liqat bar Sharh-i Ruba’iyat
their beloved person exists. As the Mujaddid writes, . His essential idea is that these concepts that are
in the Koran e.g., ihata, qurb, and others, should be
Mansur [Hallaj] who said “Anal Haqq,” treated as mutashabihat or allegorical verses—only
meant neither “I’m the Haqq” nor did God and His elect understand their hidden, mysteri-
he mean “I’m unified (muttahid ) with the ous meanings.
Haqq”; for that would have made him into For example, ihata or encompassmentism, is the
an apostate (kufr ) who would deserve (mu- doctrine that God encompasses the cosmos. The Ko-
jib) execution. Instead he meant that “I ran says, Take note! Verily He [Allah] encompasses
do not exist and instead what [alone] ex- everything (Koran 41:54). Many misguided sufis in-
ists is the Haqq (SWT)” In short, the sufis terpret “encompassment” as a sort of a “physical en-
recognize the things [of the world] as man- compassment,” which is clearly wrong. However, en-
ifestations of the Haqq. (Almighty! All- compassment may indeed be interpreted in a way so
Holy!) And the locus [of manifestation] of as to conform to the sharia.
the divine names and attributes. However,
Hazrat Khwaja Muhammad Ma‘thum who was the
that recognition lacks any taint of descent
Mujaddid’s son and spiritual heir explained it even
(tanazzul ) or the suspicion of change or sub-
better in his book Maktubat-i Ma’thumiya. It is writ-
stitution (taghayyur va tabaddul ).
ten there that in a letter to him, one of his disciples
It would be useful to explain it with an cited the verse Take note! Verily Allah encompasses
example. If someone’s shadow falls some- everything (Koran 54:41) and asks him to explain the
where, it cannot be said that that shadow nature of this encompassment. In answer, Hazrat
is “unified” with that person. Nor can Ma’thum writes,
it be said that that person is “identical”
(’ayniyyat) with the shadow. Nor can it be
You should know that encompassment has
said that that person has made a “descent”
two meanings. [First,] you may bring en-
(tanazzul ) and appeared as the shadow. Ac-
compassment down to “encompassment by
tually, that person is exactly what he was
knowledge” (ihata-i ’ilmi ). Some of the
before. (sarafat-i asalat-i khod ) And the
“verifiers” [muhaqqiqan or God-realized su-
shadow has appeared without any “descent”
fis who have attained the sublime station
or change in him whatsoever.
of haqiqat and “verified” this proposition
There may be times that some people do via their experiential knowledge attained
not at all see a shadow because they love the through unveilings and mystic visions] hold
[original person] extremely and the shadow this opinion. This is also in line with what
is hidden from their sight. [As a result] they the noble Koran says, Verily! Indeed! Allah
do not see anything else but that person. encompasses everything by His Knowledge
In such a situation, they may say that “the (Koran 65:12). Therefore there is no rea-
shadow is identical to that person.” [How- son for you to become bewildered or remain
ever, what they really] mean is that “the hesitant to accept it.
[Second,] you may also interpret encom- 3.5 Naqshbandi Science is Sublime
passment [literally] as “physical (bi-jism)
encompassment.” Then I would point out The science of “oneness in manyness” i.e., “seeing
that encompassment and withness (ihata va God in the many forms of the world,” or the science
ma’iyat) of the Haqq (SWT) is not the of “manyness in oneness” i.e., “seeing the many forms
same as encompassment of a body by an- of the world in God” are the most sublime of the sci-
other body (jism bi-jism). [Such literal in- ences that the other sufi masters teach. On the other
terpretation] would be incompatiable with hand, the sciences that Khwaja Baqibillah taught the
divine incomparability and holiness (tanzih Mujaddid are far more sublime than those false sci-
va taqdis). So this encompassment should ences of tawhid or monism; they propose that God is
be classified as an allegory (mutashabihat). beyond the cosmos.
[Then you may believe them] in the same
Witnessing “oneness in manyness” (wah-
way that you believe in [the allegorical
dat dar kathrat) or “manyness in oneness”
verses of the Koran that talk about God
(kathrat dar wahdat) are only the pre-
having] hands or a face.
liminaries and beginnings (muqaddamat va
mubadi ) of this science [the science of du-
Finally, the second Qayyum, Hazrat Ma’thum con- alism that one realizes in this Mujaddidi-
cludes, Naqshbandi tariqa]. In short, where the
Naqshbandi transmission and the elect pres-
He (SWT) is “all encompassing (muhit)” ence (hudur-i khass) of these great ones
and “with us (ba ma)” but we should not be [the masters of the Naqshbandi tariqa] are
pre-occupied with its nature (kayfiyat).”7 present, there even a name of these [anti-
sharia monist] sciences should come to the
tongue. Nor even a sign of these [false]
Another ontology is qurb or nearnessism—the doc-
witnessings or unveilings [that suggest that
trine that God is “near” the cosmos. As Allah says in
God is identical with the cosmos] should be
the Koran, We are nearer to him [man] than [man’s]
discussed. If someone still does it, then [it
jugular vein (Koran 50:16). It should also be un-
means that] his gaze is toward the low [lev-
derstood as a mutashabihat verse whose meaning is
els of knowledge.]
beyond the limited human comprehension that most
of us possess. Shuhud: Here witnessing or shuhud means direct ex-
Now what about the monist ontologies that are not periential knowledge. It is often used synonymously
described in the Koran? One example is sarayan, or with unveiling, i.e., kashf or mukashafa;9 another
penetrationism that is the doctrine that God pene- synonym is dhawq or “tasting.”
trates the cosmos like fragrance penetrates the rose. Now the Mujaddid extols the superiority of the
The Mujaddid feels that even these verses should be Naqshbandi tariqa, as being devoid of false sufi sci-
treated as mutashabihat. 8 ences that contravene the sharia e.g., the doctrine
If we adopt this Mujaddidi understanding, many of that God is one with the cosmos, and because its
these monist ontologies can be brought within Islam. science is free from the abominable practices of the
dancers who conduct deviant sufi practices that con-
7 Khwaja Muhammad Ma‘thum, Maktubat-i Ma‘thumiya, travene the sunna e.g., loud zikr, dancing, singing,
Volume III, maktub #16. I referred to the book Muntakhabat etc.
az Maktubat-i Ma‘thumiya, (Istanbul: Ihlas Vakfi, 1979), p.
248. 9 For more on witnessing (shuhud) and unveiling (kashf,
8 Ahmad Sirhindi, Ta’liqat bar Sharh-i Ruba’iyat, I re- mukashafah), see SPK, pp. 225-228. Note that SPK shows
ferred to the unpublished translation into Bengali by Mawlana that mushahada is often used to mean kashf or mukashafah,
Mominul Haq, 2005. i.e., ”unveiling” (SPK, p. 277).
3.5. NAQSHBANDI SCIENCE IS SUBLIME 33
Arabic name English translation Description

Ittihad Unificationism God and the creation are unified
Ihata Encompassmentism God encompasses the entire creation
Qurb Nearnessism God is near everything in the creation
sarayan Penetrationism God penetrates the creation as
fragrance penetrates the rose
Table 3.5: Monist Ontologies
The abode of the practices of these great Still I would not be able to show a
ones [the masters of the Naqshbandi tariqa] thousandth of the gratitude that he
is lofty! These [practices] are not at all like deserves.
[the practices of] the charlatans (zarraqi )
[A 1.266, 105.15-106.3]
[who disseminate false sufi sciences that
contravene the sharia] or [the practices of]
the dancers [who conduct deviant sufi prac- Hazrat Mujaddid lays the groundwork for writing
tices e.g. dancing that contravene the this maktub; he recounts that Khwaja Baqibillah had
sunna]. Since I have received such a kind of him start teaching as a sufi teacher to his two sons,
sublime felicity [as the transmission of this and he had instructed him to take care of them.
most high Naqshbandi tariqa] from [your fa-
ther] Hazrat [Baqibillah] , then even if I lay Three times I have been honored with the
my head on the feet of your servants of your felicity of kissing the doorstep of his Hazrat
court, for them to trample upon it for my [Baqibillah]. The last time, he told me,
entire life, still I would have done nothing! “I have become very weak physically and
I don’t expect to live much longer! Do look
The Mujaddid again engages is some polite hyper- after my children!” Then he brought you
bole. He apologizes for not being more attentive to before him. At that time, you were with
the two sons of his master and he shows his gratitude your wet-nurse. He instructed me to give
for his sufi brother Khwaja Husamuddin Ahmad who you my face-turning. At his instruction, I
has been taking care of those two brothers. gave you my face-turning before him. It
was such a strong face-turning that clear
What shall I present about my shortcom-
traces of it were observed. Next he in-
ings? What shall I reveal of my shame?
structed me to give a face-turning to your
May the grant good compensation to the
mother. At his instruction, I also gave my
Authority of the Gnostic Sciences, Khwaja
face-turning to your mother while she was
Husamuddin Ahmad! 10 On our behalf, he
[behind a curtain and] unseen. I hope that
has taken upon himself the charge of defec-
by the blessing of giving those face-turnings
tive ones like us. He has resolved to serve
in his [Khwaja Baqibillah’s] presence, they
the servants of this exalted doorstep coura-
[my face-turnings] will bear many fruits.
geously. And he has given reprieve to us, the
ones who have gone astray from the path. Do not presume that I have forgotten his in-
structions or his last wish. His instruction
If there were a tongue on every hair on my must be obeyed and his last wish must be
body fulfilled! Nor am I neglecting them. Cer-
10 Khwaja Husamuddin Ahmad was an eminent disciple of tainly not! Instead I have been waiting for
Khwaja Baqibillah, the Mujaddid’s shaykh. your suggestion and permission. Now I am
writing a few lines in the way of advice. [A

1.266, 106.3-10]
Trace (athar, pl. athar ) is term used by Ibn Arabi
to refer to a phenomenon in the cosmos, i.e., the
things, the entities, the forms, and so forth. They are
the “effects” of God exercising His influence. Chittick
translates athar as “effect” in SPK, but he changes it
to “trace” in SDG. He writes that the reason for this
was that “effect” hints toward a cause and effect rela-
tionship and that was inaccurate. So “trace,” which
lacks that connotation, is a more appropriate word.
Part II
35
Chapter 4
Creed
4.1 Faith–Sunni Creed negative connotation, I prefer it. In addition, it is

still being used by some first-class translators today.
The Mujaddid begins his lessons on the sharia and For example, Professor R. J. McCarthy uses it in his
the Naqshbandi tariqa, to the two sons of his shaykh superb translation, Al-Ghazali’s Path to Sufism.
by stressing the importance of adhering to the creed
of the mainstream Sunni community.
May Allah (SWT) make you happy! Now 4.2 Existence
listen with inner awareness! For intelli-
The Mujaddid proposes that Allah exists by His per-
gent people, the first obligation is to rec-
son (dhat), not by His existence (wujud ). By this, he
tify their creed with the required doctrines
opposes two groups. First, he opposes Imam Ashari
of the mainstream Sunni community (ahl-
and some sufis including Ibn Arabi,
i sunnat va jama‘at) that is the saved sect
(praise be to Allah who has kept me with who propose that divine existence is identical to
it) and these doctrines are indeed correct. His person. Second, he opposes the Muslim philoso-
Now I am clarifying some of these doctrines phers of the faylasuf tradition who proposed that
that are somewhat hard to understand. [A God exists by His attribute of existence that is “ad-
1.266, 106.10-13] ditional” to His existence 1
While these faylasufs called God the “Necessary
Sunnis–many people these days define Sunni by what Being,” by this they meant “an actual being whose
the Shias conceive to be Sunni, i.e., anyone who is not non-existence is not only ‘not a fact’ but an unthink-
a Shia. Indeed, the Shias hold that the Wahhabis, able absurdity.” However, those philosophers also af-
a non-Sunni sect who call themselves Salafis, are firmed the attribute of existence of God and that He
the most extreme Sunnis because they are strongly exists by this attribute of existence. 2
against the Shias. On the other hand, what the Mu- Indeed,Avicenna coined term wajib al-wujud, but
jaddid means by Sunni is how the Sunni ulama define he meant that God only possessed the attribute of
a Sunni–someone who believes in the Sunni creed. existence necessarily. On the other hand, the cre-
Thus a Mutazila or a salafi, although they are not ated things may or may not possess the attribute of
Shia, still are not Sunni because they do not believe existence- if they do possess that attribute then they
in the necessary creed of the Sunnis. exist.
These definitions/translations may be adopted:
I have translated firqa’ as “sect.” While it is true 1 Ahmad Sirhindi, Ma‘arif-i Ladunniya, ma‘rifat 14
that the term sect is somewhat outdated, and has a 2 Fazlur Rahman, p. 4-5. (English section of the book)
37
38 Creed
Sects of Islam today

Mainstream Sunni community: ahl-i sunnat va jama‘at
Neo-Salafis: this includes all the reformist sects that

believe in the four caliphs but do not support the
required tenets of the mainstream Sunni community.
Shia/Mawdudists: Those who denigrate the companions of

Prophet Muhammad (including followers of the modern
Pakistani reformer Mawdudi, who denounces some of the
companions in his book Khilafat O Mulqiyat and elsewhere).
Table 4.1: Sects of Islam today
faylasuf tradition Ashari / Ibn Arabi Mujaddid

God’s existence is “additional” to His God’s existence God exists “by” His
person i.e. He exists by that attribute of is “identical” person, not by His
existence 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 world of the loving Lord (malikul wadud ).”
by His holy person (bi-dhat-i muqaddas-i [Mabda‘ 11, 18.1-4]
khod mawjud ast) and everything else ex-
ists by His bestowal of existence (ijad ).[A In the Mabda’, he writes even more. The Mujaddid
1.266, 106.13-14] proposes that God exists by his “person, dhat”, not
by his “existence, wujud ”. He writes,
The Mujaddid writes that the ulama of the main- The Necessary Being (SWT) is unique in
stream Sunni community have proposed that God that that He exists by His own person and
exists by His person, not by His attribute of exis- He need not depend on His [attribute of] ex-
tence. He elaborates on this point in his monograph, istence in order to exist. It does not matter
Mabda’ va Ma‘ad and writes, whether we maintain that the divine exis-
tence is identical to the divine person (‘ain-
How eloquently have the Sunni ulama said, i dhat) or additional to the person (za’id-i
“The existence of the Necessary (SWT) dhat). [Mabda 19, 39]
is additional (za’id ) to His (SWT) person
(dhat).” He also writes,
The Haqq (SWT) exists by (mawjud ) by
To claim that the existence is identical to
His own person (dhat), not by His existence
the person or to establish nothing beyond
(wujud ). That is unlike the others things
existence is a result of a defect in the con-
that exist by existences. So He (SWT) does
siderative faculty (nazar ).
not need to exist by His existence.
Shaykh ‘Ala’uddawla [Simnani] has said, And he contrasts it with Ibn Arabi who proposes that
“Beyond the world of existence lies the the divine existence is “identical” to the divine person
4.3. A REVIEW OF BASIC CONCEPTS IN ONTOLOGY 39
[Ibn Arabi] has proposed that divine exis- 4.3 A Review of Basic Concepts in
tence “identical (‘in) to the divine person, Ontology
not “additional (za’id )” to it. So God does
not need to depend on something else to ex- In Aristotelian ontology, the first thing that we con-
ist. sider is “substance.” It refers to the things or objects
that the ontologist is concerned about, e.g., John,
Now the Mujaddid comments on this matter. Robert, man, tiger, and so on. “Primary substance”
is any “individual thing,” e.g., a specific and unique
However, we need solid evidence to prove
John, Robert, a particular man, a particular tiger,
that the divine existence is identical to the
etc. “Secondary substance” is what we get after ab-
person. And also we will have to face the op-
stracting one level, e.g., the class called man, or the
position of many scholars of the mainstream
class called tiger, and so on.
Sunni community. Because these great mas-
ters do not propose that the [divine] exis- Substance is called jawhar is Arabic that origi-
tence is identical [to the divine person]. In- nates. The Arabic word jawhar comes from Persian
stead they recognize the [divine] existence to gawhar, jewel. It refers to the idea that the substance
be “additional (za’id )” to [divine] person. is the most valuable thing, i.e., the primary subject
of consideration for the ontologist.
We should not forget that if we rule on the The Arabic philosophical term mahiya, that lit-
“additionality of existence (ziyadat-i wu- erally means “what-is-it-ness,” is translated as
jud )”, then it necessitates that the Nec- “essence” - in keeping with modern English usage. It
essary needs others. However, if we pro- means the definition of a thing, i.e., the concept that
pose on that He (SWT) exists by His own defines a thing intrinsically or the set of attributes
person and take this existence as an “ordi- that make a thing what it is necessarily. It consists
nary qualifier (‘ard-i ‘am)” then it appears of qualities that are intrinsic to it, which are called
that the statement of many mutakallimun “essential attributes.” For example, all roses have
(kalam-scholars) of the “people of truth” is petals. So the attribute of “having petals” is an es-
correct. And that objection [to the Mujad- sential attribute of rose, and a part of the “essence”
did’s proposition] that the opponents make of rose.
on the ground of [God] needing others van- Aristotle held that essence is more important than
ishes. And the difference between these two existence. He reasoned that we ask the question
propositions becomes clear, i.e., [the propo- “What is it?” even before we ask “Does it exist?”
sition] that the Necessary (SWT) exists by Muslim philosophers who followed Aristotle reasoned
His own person but [the divine attribute of] along the same lines. Averroes (Ibn Rushd), who
existence truly cannot enter there and [the lived in medieval Spain, diverged from this trend
proposition] that He exists by His own exis- and affirmed the primacy of existence over essence.
tence but this existence is established to be Mulla Sadra, the seventeenth-century Muslim Iranian
identical to His person. philosopher, broke away from that tradition as well.
Averroes and Mulla Sadra, they both reasoned that
only after we know that it exists, do we even bother
This knowledge is an elect knowledge that to wonder, “What is it?”
Allah (SWT) has uniquely granted me. Attribute or sifat refers to property of a thing.
Praise to Allah (SWT) for this [great gift], Sifat may be an intrinsic part of the thing, i.e., a
and salutation and peace to His messenger ! part of its essence, in which case it may be called
[Mabda 18, 38-9] an essential attribute. Or it may be an accidental at-
tribute, i.e., something that is not an essential part of
40 Creed
Ibn Arabi Mujaddid

God exists by His own God exists by
existence but this existence His own person not
is identical to His person by His existence
Table 4.3: Existence of God: Ibn Arabi versus the Mujaddid
the essence but instead something accidental or ad- of these four things: 1) essence or mahiya, 2) exis-
ditional to it. In the case of an accidental attribute, tence or wujud, 3) thatness or anniya, or 4) substance
the thing may or may not possess that attribute and or jawhar. Instead of preoccupying ourselves with the
even if the thing does not have that attribute, it is meaning of these terms, we ought to note that while
still that thing. For example, a rose may or may not “essence or mahiya” is a mere concept that does not
possess the attribute of being of the color red. Here, have external existence, dhat is externally existent.
the color red is an “accidental attribute” or an “acci- This is one reason that I have chosen to translate
dent” of the rose and not a part of the essence of the dhat of God, Who is necessarily externally existent,
rose. On the other hand, having petals is an “essen- with the word “person” rather than “essence.”
tial attribute” or part of the essence of the rose.
When we talk about God, the term attribute or
sifat refers to a reified attribute that has external 4.4 Uniqueness
existence. This is not at all like the human conception
The Mujaddid stresses that God is inherently unique;
of attributes. However, God does have other subtler
He is incomparable; He is transcendent.
forms of attributes that lack external existence and
are more like human attributes in that way. The first He (SWT) is beyond the beyond and
level of subtler attribute is “mode” or shan and the then beyond the beyond and the beyond
second level that is even subtler is “crossing-over” or the beyond and still then beyond the be-
i‘tibar. yond. (faHua subhanaHu wara’ al-wara’
A “particular” or juz‘iya is best defined by defin- thumma wara’ al-wara’ thumma wara’ al-
ing what it is not. It is not an abstraction; it is wara’ thumma wara’ al-wara’ ). [A 2.1, 3.15]
something that is concrete. It is also not “multiply-
instantiated” rather it is one-of-a-kind or unique. For Like His person, His attributes and acts are also
example, Socrates is “not an abstraction”; instead he unique, incomparable, and transcendent.
was concrete. Additionally, he was “not multiply-
instantiated”; rather he was unique. So Socrates is a The person, the attributes, and the act of
“particular.” God are unique. No one can be “truly” as-
A “universal” or kulliya refers to the “universal” sociated with Him in any matter—with re-
essence that is contained in a class, genus, or species spect to existence or with respect to some-
of primary substances. That is, the universal is something else. However, we are not concerned
thing that is not an individual, e.g., the class of beings with a nominal commonality or a verbal cor-
called man (as opposed to the particular individual relation.
named John).
Most scholars3 translate dhat as ”essence,” espe- Note: Here I am translating af‘al as “act” instead of
cially when it refers to God; but I am using “per- “acts” when it comes in the context of how the Mu-
son.” In Islamic philosophy, dhat may mean any one jaddid means it. While Imam Ashari understands it
to mean multiple acts, the Great Mujaddid under-
3 The philosopher Majid Fakhry also uses ”person.” stands it to mean one single all-inclusive act. God
4.5. KNOWLEDGE: CHRONO–EPISTEMOLOGY 41
may have such a nominal comparison but never a witnessings and unveilings (mushadat wa ’l-
true comparison with the created things. mukashafat), beyond all sensory things and
intelligible things (mahsus wa ’l-ma‘qul ), be-
His attributes and act (like His person) are yond all illusory things and imaginalized
also “without what manner” (bi-chuni ) and things (mawhum wa ’l-mutakhayyal ), and He
“without how” (bi-cheguneh). They have (SWT) is beyond the beyond, then beyond
no correlation with the attributes and acts the beyond and still then beyond the beyond.
of contingent things. [A 1.266, 106.14-17] [A 2.1, 3]
In the Mabda’ va Ma‘ad, the Mujaddid wrote,
The Mujaddid quotes this poem to illustrate it:
We do not worship a God who comes within
What will we say about the name of this the compass of witnessing (shuhud ), can be
bird? seen, or can be known or can be imagined
Who lives in the same nest along with the or conceived. Because that what can be
witnessed, seen, known, imagined or con-
ceived (mash-hud, mar‘i, ma‘lum, mawhum,
‘anqa
mutakhayyul )- that is a crafted and newly-
Before man, it is named the
originated (masnu‘ va muhdath) thing just
like him who witnesses, sees, knows, imag-
‘anqa ines or conceives [i.e. man].
For my
I am searching for that morsel
bird,
Which is more than a mouthful
that
name [Mabda 20, 41]
is The Mujaddid writes even more on God’s incom-
still parability with the creation in his monograph Mabda’
hid- va Ma‘ad. There he explains that the Koranic verses
den4 that compare God with the creation are really alle-
The Mujaddid writes more on the divine incompa- gorical verses.5 He also explains that we really do
rability in his Maktubat. There he wrote: not know what those comparisons mean.6
Allah is indeed perfect and exalted (ka-
malahu subhanahu). However, He (SWT) 4.5 Knowledge:
is also beyond these two attributes. In- Chrono–Epistemology
deed, He (SWT) is beyond all the names
and attributes (jami‘il asma’ wa ’l-sifat), The Mujaddid offers his unique solution to a
beyond all the modes and “crossing overs” quandary in the science of kalam, the science that
(jami‘il shu’un wal i‘tibarat), beyond man- could be most likened to the Muslim analogue of the-
ifestation and non-manifestation (zuhur wa ology. We hold that divine knowledge never changes
’l-butun), beyond “coming out in the open” but we do see that the information on objects does
and “becoming hidden” (buruz wa ’lkumun), change with time (as the objects themselves undergo
beyond self-disclosures and manifestations change), so how can this contradiction be rational-
(tajalliyat wa ’l-zuhurat), beyond all that ized?
where one arrives and where one is made In answer, the Ashari school of kalam proposes that
to arrive (mawsulin wa mafsulin), beyond while God does possess the attribute of knowledge
4 This poem is quoted in the Fazlur Rahman text but not 5 Mabda’ va Ma‘ad, minha 35
in the Amritsari text 6 Mabda’ va Ma‘ad, minha 60
42 Creed
and that knowledge is indeed timeless, that divine that way [such that it could be dissected into
mind possesses one piece of information for each mo- constituent parts such as, knowledge of mo-
ment, for each object of knowledge. As a result, for ment 1, knowledge of moment 2, and so on].
each object of knowledge, the knowledge, i.e., the sum It is only “subjectively”(bi-i‘tibar ) [in the
total or the entire body of information on it does not sight of human beings who live in time] that
change; instead what may change is how that knowl- it [the divine mind] has multiple ta‘alluq. [A
edge relates to the object of knowledge. The informa- 1.266, 106.17-.18]
tion on that object may change to a new and different It is only subjectively, i.e., in the sight of human
piece of information as the moment of time changes. beings who live in time, that the divine mind has
Or in their terminology, the divine mind’s ta‘alluq or multiple ta‘alluq or attachments with an object of
attachment with the object shifts to a new ta‘alluq His knowledge. That is, it is only subjectively that
as time changes. 7 the divine mind comes to know each object of God’s
On the other hand, the Mujaddid proposes a knowledge on a moment-by-moment basis. In that
unique chrono–epistemology- that the divine mind case, the divine mind has one attachment or ta‘alluq
“comes to know” each object of knowledge for the for each moment. For example, human beings see
entire eternity in only a single event. Or in the Mu- that something happens to that object in moment
jaddidi terminology, the divine mind has only one 1, the next thing happens in moment 2, and so on.
ta‘alluq or attachment with each object for all of eter- So it seems that what God “comes to know” about
nity. that object changing as time progresses. Actually,
Note: Is it correct to say God “knows” or “has that interpretation is not true, because God is time-
known?” From the standpoint of God, He may only less. Instead, what is true is that God comes to know
“know,” since He lives in a timeless realm. So in that each object of His knowledge only once for all eter-
context, I am using the term “God knows.” However, nity and that single channel of knowing includes all
from the viewpoint of man, “God has known.” Be- the information on that object for all eternity. That
cause when He has known is in our past. So in that is, God comes to know all the information on that
context, I am using “God has known.” object, all at once, in that eternal timeless instant in
Note: Ta‘alluq means an attachment, deep con- which the object lives.
nection, or relationship. But this attachment is from
For there is only one instance of being un-
a principal to the subsidiary; from the prototype to
veiled (inkishaf ) that is indivisible (basit)-
the shadow; from the original to the derivative. In
all the knowledge from the beginning of eter-
this context, it refers to the “the connection through
nity to the end of eternity has been unveil
which (or roughly the event when) the divine mind
in that same instance of unveiling. He has
comes to know the information on the objects of di-
known everything in their similar and con-
vine knowledge.”
tradictory states, universally, or particularly
Now let’s go back to learn from the Mujaddid. (kulliya va juz’iya) for each specific moment
For example, let’s take the attribute of in time- He has known all that in that “in-
knowledge. It is a divine attribute that divisible” one-in-all (wahid basit) [moment].
is truly eternal (qadim) and “indivisible” 8 [A 1.266, 106.18-20]
(basit-i ) and it never has any multiplicity in
Here I am using the past tense to refer to God’s
7 This explanation is based upon what I understood from knowledge. Yes! God only “knows” as He lives in
the text; the eminent scholar Fazlur Rahman explains it in the a realm which is the realm of perpetual present. But
same way in his book the Selected Letters of Shaikh Ahmad from the context of man, God has “known” because
Sirhindi , pp. 66-67. when He came to know that, that time was in our
8 Indivisible (basit) literally means a ”simple thing”- a
philosophical concept that refers to a thing so elemental that past.

it cannot be subdivided any further. Above, the Mujaddid affirms that God knows
everything- both universals and particulars. That However, there is nothing but one-in-all “in-
contradicts a group of faylasufs who proposed that divisible” moment (anun wahidatun basitun)
God knows only the universals but not the particu- from the beginning of eternity until the end
lars. of eternity [in the timeless domain of God].
Note: The philosophical term “universal” describes And there truly is no multiplicity in time
a common attribute that refers to all the members of [since there is no more than a single eternal
a group, e.g., all tigers are brave. A “particular” de- moment of time in the timeless domain of
scribes one instance of an attribute, e.g., Ali is brave. God]. For time does not flow before Him
So those deviant philosophers proposed that while (SWT)-there is neither any prior nor any
God knows the universal: “All men will die one day;” posterior.[A 1.266, 107.5-7]
He does not know the particular, “The day when Ali Consequently, there is only one single all-inclusive
will die.” all-encompassing all-spanning ta‘alluq. And that
In that very same moment, he has known ta‘alluq will be of an unknown nature from the view-
Zayd [i.e., John Doe] both as existent and point of us, the earthlings who live in time.
also as nonexistent, as an embryo and also Should we, in His mind, establish any
as a child, as young and also as old, as alive ta‘alluq to the objects of God’s Knowledge,9
and also as dead, as standing and also as it will be a single ta‘alluq, which will at-
sitting, as reclining and also as sitting, as tach with itself all the information [to be
laughing and also as crying, in pleasure and known for the entire eternity]. That ta‘alluq
pain, as exalted and also as ashamed, in the would also be “unknown in its howness,”
grave (barzakh) and, also on the Day of the majhul al-kayfiyat, [i.e., of an unknown na-
Mustering, in Paradise and also immersed in ture] And that ta‘alluq can be qualified as bi-
pleasures.[A 1.266, 107.1-4] chuni va bi-cheguni, “without what manner”
There is no more than one ta‘alluq for all the objects and “without how,” just like with what the
of God’s knowledge and that single ta‘alluq attaches attribute of knowledge can be qualified.[A
all the information on the objects of knowledge to 1.266, 107.7-8]
divine knowledge for all eternity. If there were mul- Naqid and didd : it is useful to review our logic and
tiple time-periods in the domain of God, there could define the terms contradictory, naqid, and contrary,
be multiple ta‘alluqs. However, there is a single all- didd. Contradictory or naqid means two opposites
inclusive time-period in the timeless domain of God, that cannot both be true (so they are mutually exclu-
and so consequently, there is only a single all-inclusive
sive), but at least one of them must be true (for they
ta‘alluq. are totally exhaustive). On the other hand, contrary
Therefore, there is no more than one ta‘alluq or didd means two opposites that are only mutually
in that homestead. [And there is only one exclusive. Two contraries both cannot be true, only
ta‘alluq] since a multiplicity in the ta‘alluqs one of them may be true; but they are not mutu-
requires a multiplicity in moments and a ally exhaustive and therefore both may be false. So
multiplicity in the peiod of time (azmaneh). “contradictory” is a subset of “contrary.”
[A 1.266, 107.4-5] Note that wahid has been translated as “one-in-
all.” It refers to a “one” that is “all-inclusive,” one
Yes! In the timeless domain of God, there are no
that maybe composed of components. It stands in
multiple moments; instead there is only one timeless
time-period that stretches from the beginning of eter- 9 Ma‘lumat (objects of God’s Knowledge) is a term used by
nity to the end of eternity. So there are no “many- Ibn Arabi. Sometimes, Ibn Arabi also uses this term synony-
ness” or no multiple time-periods; instead there is mously with the term ”nonexistent things” (ma‘dumat). See
only one all-inclusive eternal period of time. SPK, p. 11.
44 Creed
contrast to ahad that means an absolute or numerical the highest analogy! So how will be there a
oneness, i.e., “one-in-number.” conflict? [A 1.266, 107.8-15]
The two very similar terms bi-chuni and bi-cheguni The Mujaddid explains that for an object, while the
have been translated as “without what manner” and information on each particular moment in created
“without how” respectively. earthly time may be different than the information on
In the continuation of the interpretation of the another moment, still that information is unique for
maktub, the Mujaddid next explains how God knows each moment. And since God’s knowledge includes
all the information on an object for multiple moments both the earthly moment of time as well as the infor-
simultaneously. To explain this, he brings forth an mation for that moment of time, there is no conflict.
example from Arabic grammar: “When a grammati- An easy way to visualize this may is to imagine that
cally educated man knows a word in Arabic, he simul- there is a “snapshot” of the cosmos for each moment
taneously knows all the variant morphological forms of time. And all these snapshots are placed before
of that original word. So if a mere mortal can hold God, who is timeless. So it is not that God knows
many pieces of contradictory information in his mind the “future”; rather past, present, and future are all
concurrently, why can’t God?” placed before Him, who lives in a timeless moment
that is beyond time. This is much easier to visu-
By way of an example, we know that an indi- alize when one reads the theory in modern physics
vidual [educated in Arabic grammar] knows that time is not indivisible, that it is composed of
an [Arabic] word in the same moment [in “quanta” i.e., units called Planck time. Then one can
its variant morphological forms, e.g., in the easily visualize that God, who is above time, has a
forms denoting] several different parts of “snapshot” of the cosmos placed before Him for each
speech, several different tenses, or several quanta of time, i.e., Planck time. Ibn Arabi also be-
different moods. That is, at that same lieved in a “quantum theory of time,” he refers to
moment, he knows that word in its noun each quanta of time (or Planck time) as al-zaman al-
forms, its verb forms, its preposition forms, fard.10 And it seems that the Muslim kalam scholars,
its three-letter forms, its four-letter forms, in like the Asharis and the faylasufs also believed in this
its fully-declined forms or in its indeclinable way.
forms, in its diptote forms or non-diptote
forms, in its triptote forms or its non-triptote You should know that although it appears
forms. Or he may know it [that Arabic word] that there is a conflict, actually there is not
in its definite forms or in its indefinite forms. any conflict. This is because in one and the
Or he may know it in its present tense forms same moment, He knows Zayd both as exis-
or in its past tense forms. Or he may know tent and nonexistent; He also knows in that
it in its affirmative forms or in its negative same moment that Zayd came to exist af-
forms. So we can believe that the individ- ter 1000 AH, that Zayd had been nonexis-
ual, at the same moment, sees all these forms tent before and that Zayd ceased to exist af-
that are in different parts of speech and dif- ter 1100 AH. So there is actually no conflict
ferent moods reflected in the mirror that is [since those events occur in different times.]
the prototype form. That is, all these con- The same reasoning can explain the other
tradictory things may be present at the same conflicts [in this section on divine knowl-
time in the mind of a contingent being [a edge]. So understand! .[A 1.266, 107.15-19]
man who is educated in Arabic grammar], {insert object 1–two diagrams}
or instead in the sight of a contingent be- The Mujaddid compares and contrasts the three the-
ing[or man]. Then why should that be im- ories of time of the three schools: the faylasufs, the
possible even in the mind of the Necessary
whose analogy is most sublime? Allah has 10 Chittick, William, The Self-Disclosure of God, p. 98.
Ashari and the Mujaddidi school. First, the Islami- time, not timeless. God lives in time and He learns
cate philosophical tradition or the faylasuf tradition new things as time progresses- things that He did not
proposed that God lives in time and He learns new know beforehand,
things as they occur in time. Second, the Ashari tra- And even a suspicion of newly-
dition proposes that while God is timeless Himself, originatedness (huduth) should not be
His ta‘alluq or “relationship with a created thing” found in that divine attribute [of knowl-
may shift to a new relationship over earthly time. edge]as the philosophersmaintain. [A 1.266,
Third, the Mujaddid proposes that God’s knowledge 107.20-108.1]
is timeless; it does not change over time. Since God The Mujaddid proposes that God’s knowledge is pri-
lives in a timeless (la-zamani ) domain, he is not sub- mordial and none none should even suspect that even
servient to time and instead time is His creation. a part of that knowledge is originated newly, i.e., God
There is only a single, “indivisible,” eternal period of would learn something new that He did not know be-
time that may be “called a moment for the lack of a forehand. The philosophers of the faylasuf tradition
better word; but it is not even a moment.” As my sufi maintain that God lives in time and He comes to learn
shaykh explained, “In this world, time is ever-flowing new information as time elapses. But the Mujaddid
and there is really no ‘present’; it is either the past or denies that.
the future. We blink our eyes and things either hap- The Mujaddid continues,
pened before the blink of our eye or will happen after
When things are known one after another
the blink of our eye. On the other hand, in the next
you may conceive a change in the predesti-
world, there is neither past nor future. In that realm,
nation. [A 1.266, 108.1-2]
there is only one, uninterrupted, continuous period of
time, it is the perpetual present.” 11 Divine knowl- The Mujaddid explains that when things are known
edge is timeless. No part of His knowledge is created one after another sequentially in a linear model of
in time or newly originated (hadith.). There are many time, we may conceive a change in predestination or
particulars of God’s all-encompassing knowledge- one God’s foreknowledge of future things. That would
particular for each unique object of knowledge. And be a chrono-epistemology wherein God lives in time
divine knowledge has one ta‘alluq for each unique ob- and comes to know new information as He traverses
ject of knowledge. In that context, divine knowledge through time- just like human beings do.
has many ta‘alluqs. That context stands in contrast However, the chrono-epistemology that follows the
to the Ashari context. In the Ashari context, for each Mujaddid’s verification is quite different and there
object, God’s knowledge has one ta‘alluq for each mo- lies no possibility of new or modified information.
ment of time. So each one of these Ashari ta‘alluqs [On the other hand, in this alternative sce-
is newly originated. But the Mujaddidi ta‘alluqs are nario which is a holistic model of time,] all is
different, they are timeless. known in a single moment so there is no pos-
This verification clarifies that although sibility of any modified or newly originated
God’s knowledge has many ta‘alluq with var- information. [A 1.266, 108.2]
ious particulars [of that knowledge where According to the Mujaddidi science, God lives in a
each particular refers to the information for timeless domain and so His Knowledge is also time-
a unique moment of time], still knowledge less. God comes to know all and every bit of infor-
is not tainted by a taint of modification mation encompassing past, present, and future is in
(taghayyur ). [A 1.266, 107.19-20] a single primordial moment so there is no possibility
of having any information that is modified in time.
The chrono-epistemology of the faylasufs is wrong.
Verification (tahqiq) refers to the knowledge of the
They maintained that God’s knowledge is created in
great sufis who have “verified” the truth of their
11 sufi Shaykh Muhammad Mamunur Rashid, in a discussion knowledge through unveiling, kashf, or direct vision
with the author in 1998 in his khanqa in Dhaka, Bangladesh or witnessing, mushahadat. Epistemologically, this
46 Creed
Philosophers Asharis Mujaddid

God lives in time and God’s knowledge is God’s knowledge is
He learns new things timeless itself. timeless; it does not
as they occur in time. However, the ta‘alluq change over time
or relationship that because He already
divine knowledge has knows what happens
with a created thing to any object for each
may shift to a new moment, from the
relationship over beginning of eternity
earthly time. For each until the end of
temporal object, eternity.
divine knowledge
knows it through one
ta‘alluq for moment
I, another ta‘alluq for
moment 2, and so on.
Table 4.4: Chrono-epistemologies: A Comparison
is contrasted with ijtihad, individual striving for the each moment of time in eternity.
interpretation of the law, and also with taqlid, fol- So the Mujaddid continues,
lowing the authority of the learned predecessors. In That way, there is no need to establish mul-
the Self-Disclosure of God, Chittick introduces a new tiple ta‘alluqs for it so that modification and
translation of this term, namely, “realization”; this newly-originatedness (taghayyur va huduth)
brings home the meaning of tahqiq more accurately. can be attributed to those ta‘alluqs instead
But “realization” is a common word used in a num- of the attribute of knowledge. That is what
ber of non-technical senses. So to avoid confusion, some scholars of the science of kalam pro-
I employ the word that he used in the sufi Path of pose in order to negate the reservations of
Knowledge, “verification.” the philosophers. [A 1.266, 108.2-4]
Newly originated (hadith) refers to something was The Mujaddid explains that that way, there is no
not pri-mordially existent i.e. that has been created need to establish the Ashari chrono-epistemology
in time. It is to be contrasted with eternal (qadim). where there are multiple ta‘alluqs for the divine at-
Chittick translates it as “temporally originated” in tribute of knowledge. In such a case, there would be
SPK; but he changes it to “newly-arrived” in SDG. I one ta‘alluq or “attachment of coming to know” for
am using “newly originated” instead. each moment, for each object of divine knowledge.
If we agree to the Mujaddidi chrono-epistemology, Ashari scholars of the science of kalam propose this
the Ashari chrono-epistemology becomes irrelevant. traditional chrono-epistemology so that they could
The Asharis propose their chrono-epistemology so defend against the arguments of the faylasufs. who
that they can defend against the arguments of the argued, “How can the Asharis say that the divine
philosophers, “How can God know several conflict- knowledge becomes modified?” Therefore, in this
ing pieces of information for the same thing at the way, the Asharis would not have to say that the divine
same time? Then there are conflicts. Or how can attribute of knowledge itself undergoes modification.
He learn new knowledge? Then His knowledge is Instead, they could say that it is those ta‘alluqs which
not unchanging.” However, in the Mujaddidi chrono- become modified and are newly originated.
epistemology, there is no conflict because God knows However, employing that Ashari chrono-
both the particular moment of time and the informa- epistemology is not really necessary; the Mujaddid’s
tion on the object- both pieces of information—for alternative chrono-epistemology
On the other hand, when man looks at the world, You should know that among those con-
he indeed sees multiple ta‘alluq (each ta‘alluq for each tingent beings who have realized the sta-
event of coming to know). tion of nearness (qurb) of the divinity (ilahi )
Take note! It is fine if we establish that ob- (SWT), those ones who have stepped their
jects of God’s knowledge [i.e., man] them- feet outside the circle of contingentness
selves have multiple ta‘alluq. (Ari! Agar (dai’ira’-i imkan) find the beginningless be-
ta‘addud-i ta‘alluqat dar janib-i ma‘lumat ginning and the endless end (azal va abad )
ithbat kunim gunjaish darad ) [A 1.266, 108.4] unified (muttahid ) together.
Yes! Man indeed may come to know each object of While on his stations of ascent (maqamat-
his knowledge through multiple channels of coming to i ‘uruj ) on the night of Heavenly Ascension
know, one channel for each moment. However, man (miraj ), Hazrat [Muhammad] the Seal of the
is not like God. He is Incomparable! He is timeless! Messengers (salam) found Hazrat Jonah in
He is beyond having any similarity with man, with the belly of the fish. And he found the storm
respect to time as in other matters. As the Mujaddid of Hazrat Noah taking place. (salam) And
explained, he saw the people of paradise in the par-
adise and the people of hell in hell. He
[God is] not a creature of time because
found five hundred years [of earthly time]
time is His creation (zamani nist keh zaman
equal to half a day after entering the par-
makhluq-i Ust).” [A 1.167, 50.9]
adise. [The Prophet] saw a rich companion
And God who is timeless “comes to know” each ob- named Abdur Rahman ibn Auf12 entering
ject “only once” for the single timeless moment in the paradise late, so Hazrat Prophet asked him
necessary domain that comprises the entire eternity the reason for coming late and he gave news
in the contingent domain. On the other hand, man as of his own trials and tribulations (‘aqibat va
a creature of time may come to know things through mihn) [that he suffered on the way.] He [the
many events or channels as he lives in time. prophet] saw all that in one moment—there
Another interpretation of the hard-to-interpret line was neither past nor future.
above may be as follows.
Through the grace of [Prophet Muhammad]
Yes! If we establish multiple ta‘alluq [from the Friend of Allah (sal), I have experienced
divine knowledge] to the objects of God’s such “states” [i.e., unveilings and mystic vi-
knowledge then it would be fine. (Ari! Agar sions] once in a while. [In one those mys-
ta‘addud-i ta‘alluqat dar janib-i ma‘lumat tic visions,] I [the Mujaddid] saw the angels
ithbat kunim gunjaish darad ) [A 1.266, 108.4] prostrating before Adam (salam) and at that
This is a scenario where each ta‘alluq comes down time their heads were not raised from the
to a unique object of God’s knowledge; and since prostration. I saw the angels of the [Highest
there is more than one object of God’s knowledge, Paradise] ‘illiyin not performing these pros-
there is more than one ta‘alluq. However, please trations, they were not ordered to prostate.
remember that more than one ta‘alluq from divine In my vision, they were absorbed [in seeing
knowledge to a certain object of God’s knowledge is that. All these past events as well as] all the
not allowed in a scenario in which each ta‘alluq refers happenings (ahwal ) that will happen in the
to a unique moment of time. This is because there last world, they were all seen in that same
are no multiple moments of time; instead there is only [one single all-inclusive] moment. 13
one ”indivisible” moment of time for God.
12 Refers to the hadith report, ”The rich will enter paradise
The Great Mujaddid describes elsewhere the time- five-hundred years after the poor.” This is reason this rich
lessness of God, as discussed in the above chrono- companion, Abdur Rahman ibn Auf, is reaching paradise late.
epistemology. He wrote, explained above suffices. 13 Mabda’ va Ma‘ad, minha 40
48 Creed
4.6 Speech and Time Lord. Clearly when it is all within one one-
in-all moment, what can take place but an
God’s speech is one single utterance that is indivisi- utterance that is one-in-all and indivisible
ble and timeless. All the different worldly forms of di- (wahid basit). [Mabda 40, 62.1-4]
vinity (e.g., the Koran, the Torah, the Gospels, etc.) The Mujaddid now explains the timelessness of divine
have originated from that one single indivisible utter- speech.
ance.
The surprising matter is that from the be-
God’s speech (kalam) is one indivisible ut- ginning of eternity until the end of eternity,
terance (kalam). From the beginning of eter- there is only a moment in that place [which is
nity to the end of eternity, God has spoken the realm of God.] Time does not flow over
with that one utterance. If it is a command, Him (SWT). Within one moment, what can
it has come from that [same utterance]. If be spoken but one one-in-all utterance that
it is a prohibition, it has come from it as cannot be subdivided (kalam-i wahid-i ba-
well. If it is a notification, it has been de- sit)?
rived from it too. If it is an inquiry, it is
That one one-in-all utterance has become
from the same place too. If it is hope, it has
the origin of so many types of [individual]
acquired existence from it too. If it is an-
utterances [each] in the context of multiple
ticipation, it is from it too. All the revealed
ta‘alluqs or “relationships”.
books and the delivered scriptures are a page
of that indivisible (basit)14 utterance. If it For example, if it has a ta‘alluq of command-
is the Torah, it has been transcribed from it. ingness (ma‘mur ), then a command origi-
If it is the Gospels, it has taken the sound of nates. Or if it has a ta‘alluq of prohibit-
words from it. If it is the Psalms of David, it ingness (manhi ), then it is called a prohibi-
has been copied from it. If it is the Furqan, 15 tion (nihi ). Or if it has a ta‘alluq of news-
it has been revealed from it. givingness (ikhbar ), then it becomes news.
In short, [that God speaks on not only the
By Allah! The divine speech!
news of the present, but also] the news on
It is truly one and that is all
the past and the future - that throws people
Therefore, it is in its descent into confusion..
that it traced different worldly forms
The priority and posteriority of the ‘turner
[A 1.266, 108.4-10] [of time]’ [God] (dal ) indicates the prior-
The Mujaddid corroborates the above explanation on ity and posteriority of the ‘things that are
divine speech elsewhere. He writes, turned [or put in sequence in that linear
The Haqq (SWT) has spoken with only one time]’ (madlul ). It is not something hard to
one-in-all (wahid ) utterance from the begin- understand! It is so because the past and the
ning of time until the end of time (azal ta future are special qualifiers (sifat-i makhsus’-
abad ). That utterance cannot be partitioned i dal ) with which the ‘turner [of time]’ qual-
or subdivided. This is because it is impos- ifies [or puts into sequence the events in that
sible for the Almighty to be silent or to be linear time. And He qualifies the events] in
dumb. The surprising matter is that from that moment that has been stretched (in-
the beginning of time until the end of time bisat) [from a wholistic one-in-all model of
there is only one one-in-all moment. It is time into a linear model of time stretching
because time does not flow over the Exalted from the beginning of eternity to the end of
14 basit is a philosophical term that refers to s substance so
eternity.]
elemental that it cannot be subdivided any further And in the view of the ‘things that are
15 Koran, literally means the criterion turned [sequentially in that linear time]
4.7. ACT AND TIME 49
(madlul )’, since that moment [when God Koranic verse points toward that, Our com-
speaks] is unchanged and it [that timeless mand is none but a single glance of the eye
moment] has not been stretched out (in- (Koran 54:50). Be it the giving of life or the
bisat) [to create a linear time as it has giving of death, it depends on that act. Be it
been stretched out in the mundane, temporal the giving of pain or the giving of bliss, it de-
realm], then there is no past or future there pends on that same act. Be it the bestowal of
[in that timeless moment when God speaks.] existence or the bestowal of nonexistence, it
The philosophers say, “The essence (mahiya) has grown out of that act. So it is established
of a thing may have a distinct and sepa- that the divine act(s) does not have multi-
rate (‘alihadeh) [characteristic] with respect ple ta‘alluq or attachments [with the created
to [that thing’s] external existence (wujud- things]. Instead, all the created things from
i khariji ). [However, the essence] may not the beginning of time to the end of time have
have that [same characteristic] with respect come into existence in their unique times
to [that thing’s] mental existence (wujud-i of existence by that one ta‘alluq [or attach-
dhihni ).” ment with the divine act(s)]. Like the divine
act, this [single one-in-all] ta‘alluq is ailso
[So we see that] a thing can have contradic-
“without what manner” and “without how”
tions it its qualities and inseparable qualifi-
(bechun va bichugun.) For “what manner”
cations (tabayin-i sifat va lawajim) with re-
cannot be an analogy for that which is “with-
spect to its existence and it-ness (huwiyat).
out what manner.” None but the royal char-
And we also see that] the ‘turner [of time]’ iot may carry the royal tributes! [A 1.266,
and the “things that are turned [sequentially 108.10-16]
in that linear time]’ are [already] essentially
In the same way as it is with divine knowledge, God’s
separate from one another (dal va madlul keh
act is also one, indivisible and timeless. All the indi-
fi’l haqiqat az yek digar juda’ and ).
vidual actions of God that we see in the world, they
Therefore, they are also permitted [to differ have all originated from that one all-including time-
in their qualities and inseparable qualifica- less act.
tions] as in the previous [illustration]. The Mujaddid now comments on the divine act(s).
What has been told is that it is only a mo- Not understanding the [chronological] reality
ment from the beginning of eternity to the of the act of the Haqq (SWT), Imam Abul
end of eternity. And that [they have said Hasan Ashari said that [the act(s) of] en-
one moment] is due to the insufficiency of gendering is newly originated; and the [rest
the language (tangi-i ‘ibarat). Actually, we of the] His (SWT) act(s) are newly origi-
may not even say “one moment”. [That time nated as well. He did not understand that
period is so infinitesimally short that] to call these [what he understands to be the multi-
it even a moment would be hard. ple activities of God] are really the “traces”
(athar ) of the beginningless one act of the
4.7 Act and Time Haqq (SWT), not His multiple acts [them-
selves]. [A 1.266, 108.16-18]
The Mujaddid now teaches us about oneness of the Imam Ashari proposed that act(s) of God are newly
act(s) of God. originated or “created in time” and what appears to
Likewise, God’s act (fa‘l, af ‘al )is one. All be human activity is really the “direct” act(s) of God.
His handiwork (masnu‘at) from the begin- On the other hand, Ibn Arabi proposed that the di-
ning of time to the end of time (azal ta abad ) vine act(s) is more remote and human activity is the
has come to exist by that one act. This self-disclosure of divine act(s) instead of being divine
50 Creed
act(s) themselves. The Mujaddid goes even one more out Ibn Arabi’s error by clarifying that human activ-
step in the direction of Ibn Arabi on the remoteness ity is too gross to be the self-disclosure of the divine
of the divine act(s)—he proposes that the human ac- act(s) “directly.” The divine act is sublime. And its
tivities are really the “traces” of the self-disclosure of self-disclosures are also sublime- too sublime to be
the act(s) instead of being the self-disclosure of the “acts of contingent beings.” Ibn Arabi proposed that
act(s) “directly.” the “acts of contingent beings” are the self-disclosures
That is, the Mujaddid proposes that God acts of the divine act(s) “itself.” Alternatively, the Mu-
through a one-in-all timeless all-inclusive act and it jaddid proposed that it could not happen “directly”;
is not God directly acting when human beings act, instead, the “acts of contingent beings” are the self-
instead those human actions are the “traces” of the disclosures of the “traces” of the divine act.
timeless one-in-all divine act. That timeless one-in- So the Mujaddid proposes to modify Ibn Arabi.
all act self-disclose into human activities that are mul-
I believe that a self-disclosure of the act
tiple in number and created in time.
and attributes cannot be conceived without
The Mujaddid continues his explanstion,
a self-disclosure of the Person (SWT). For,
The same explanation answers those sufis the act and attributes cannot be detached
[like Ibn Arabi] who propose that the divine from the divine Person (SWT). Therefore,
act self-discloses [into human activity i.e., the self-disclosures of [the acts’ and the at-
they propose that human acts are “directly” tributes’] cannot be conceived without the
the self-disclosures of divine act(s)]. They self-disclosure of the Person. What are in-
see only a one-in-all divine act [reflected] in deed detached from the Person (SWT) are
the mirror of the activity of the contingent the “shadows” (zill, zilal ) of the act and
beings [i.e., man] in that homestead [of hu- the “shadows” of the attributes. Therefore,
man activity]. those self-disclosures are the self-disclosures
Actually that self-disclosure [that is hu- of the “shadows” of the act and the at-
man activity] is the self-disclosure of the tributes, not of the act and attributes them-
“traces” of the divine act, not the self- selves. But not everyone’s [e.g., Ibn Arabi’s]
disclosure of the act itself. It is because the understanding can attain this perfection [in
engendering-act [is not reflected] in the mir- knowledge!] This is the bounty of Allah! He
rors that are newly originated things. Nei- grants it to whomever He wills! Allah pos-
ther is it manifested in the loci of manifes- sesses magnificent bounties! (Koran 57:21).
tations that are contingent things. It is be- [A 1.266, 109.3-.7]
cause the engendering-act is an act of God So the Mujaddid alternatively proposes that human
that is “without what manner,” “without activity is the self-disclosure of the “shadows” of the
how,” eternal and abiding in divine Person act(s) and the attributes. He argues that since human
(bechuni, bichuguni, qadim, qa’im bi-dhat-i acts are not sublime enough to be the self-disclosures
U (SWT)). of God’s act(s) “directly,” it can only be so “indi-
In the close quarter that is “outward rectly” by being the “shadows” of His self-disclosure.
form” (sura) This is a subtle point that Ibn Arabi did not under-
How can meaning be contained ? stand when he proposed that human activity is the
self-disclosure of the divine act “directly.”
In the hut of the beggars It may be noted that the Mujaddid is saying the
What business does the sultan have? human activity is both self-disclosures of the “traces”
[A 1.266, 108.18-109.3] (athar ) of the divine act and the self-disclosure of the
Ibn Arabi proposes that human activity is the self- “shadows” (zill ; plural, zilal, azlal ) of the act. They
disclosure of the divine act(s). The Mujaddid points may be equivalent.
4.8. INCOMPARABILITY 51
Imam Ashari Ibn Arabi Mujaddid

Many-in-number
and newly One-in-all and One-in-all and
Divine Act(s) originated or timeless timeless
created in
time
Even more
Direct, act(s) of Indirect, indirect,
Human activity God directly Self-disclosure (self-disclosures
of the Act(s) of the) “traces”
“directly” of the act(s)
Table 4.5: Reality of the Act(s): Ashari, Ibn Arabi, Mujaddid
Ibn Arabi Mujaddid

Direct; Indirect;
Human activities are “directly” the Human activities are the
self-disclosures of the divine act. self-disclosuresof the
“traces” of the divine act.
Table 4.6: How are human activities self-disclosures of the one-and-all divine act?
4.8 Incomparability sufis may see in their spiritual sight. He believes that
the contingent beings cannot attain anything but ig-
The Mujaddid teaches us on the incomparability of norance and bewilderment when they try to under-
God. stand His person, His attributes, or His act. We have
to attain faith in God who is not seen, heard, or
To proceed to the gist of the matter, He
known. As the Koran says, Those who have faith in
(SWT) is not incarnated (hulul ) into any-
the Unseen (Koran 2:3). Especially the sufis should
thing. Nor does anything dwell (hal ) in Him.
take heed of this —since they may often experience
However, He (SWT) encompasses (wasa‘at)
many interesting “witnessings,” i.e., mystic visions in
everything, is near (qurb) everything and is
their wayfaring. They should not take heed of them
with (ma‘iyat) everything. However that
for that is not God, and it is God that they seek. 16
encompassment, nearness and withness are
not within our defect-prone comprehension. Now the Mujaddid teaches us about the mystics
If they were, that would not be appropri- visions of God that sufis may see.
ate for His all-holy person (janab) [for He And everything that you may unveil or wit-
is Incomparable!]. He is also beyond that ness [in your mystic visions as God,] you
which He makes known through unveilings should obliterate that by bringing them un-
and witnessings. For the contingent beings der the scope of “no” or “la” in the formula
may not receive anything from the reality of of negation, [la ilaha]. [A 1.266, 109.11]
His person, attributes, and act except igno- That is, when you say there is no “god” (la ilaha),
rance and bewilderment. You should bring you may include all those that you unveil or witness
faith in the Unseen [Being—that is, God].
16 Indivisible (basit) literally means a ”simple thing,” a
[A 1.266, 109.7-11]
philosophical concept in which a substance cannot be subdi-
The Mujaddid says that God is far above what the vided into components.
52 Creed
in that “god.” Now the Mujaddid quotes a poem to mithal ). Being a father or a son is not possi-
illustrate that none may comprehend God. ble for Him. How will it be possible for Him
None may hunt the phoenix to have a peer or model (kafa’at va tamath-
So pick up your trap thul )? Even a taint of unification or incar-
For you will find trapped in that trap nation (ittihad va hulul ) is considered im-
Nothing else but air proper for His honor and even a suspicion of
Now the Mujaddid quotes a poem from his sufi men- “coming out in the open” or “being hidden”
tor to illustrate his point. (buruz va kumun) is considered ugly for His
This stanza from the Masnavi written by our holy person. [A 1.167, 50.11-14]
Hazrat [Baqibillah] fits here: Note: Kumun means to become hidden (pinhan
[In my journey], the throne of Self- shodan). Buruz means to come out to some foreign
Sufficiency is ever higher [than what place (birun amadan) and become clear, evident, and
I can attain]. public (ashkara shodan).
Therefore, to me, to think of attain- Technically, kumun means [for God] to come down
ing it is not appropriate [A 1.266, (farvad amadan) and descend (nuzul ) to some thing
109.12-13] and thus become hidden from His abode.
And, buruz means [for God] to incarnate Himself
The above poem alludes to the incomprehensible
in the creation and become clear, evident, and pub-
nature of God. The mind of man cannot comprehend
lic and thus manifest Himself (zuhur namudan hulul
God, who is incomparable to the creation. He feels
kardeh ashkara shodan) in the body of something.17
uncomfortable by this divine incomparability. So he
seeks comfort by creating concrete analogies for God-
this is why idolaters worship idols. He tries to bring 4.9 Similarity is Merely Allegorical
God down into this world, but actually He is too
high, far above this temporal realm. The Mujaddid What does it mean when God says that He is “near”
illustrates this eternal human mind-set by the above everything, “with” everything and “embraces” every-
poem by his sufi mentor. thing? God does describe Himself in a limited way
Elsewhere in the Maktubat, the Mujaddid also in His revelation. For example, He states, We are
writes on divine incomparability. He says that the nearer to Him than his jugular vein (Koran 50:16).
sufis often see the created things that are chun (with So we must bring faith into that self-description. Still
a manner or how i.e., comprehensible) and mistake God is Incomparable to His creation; His Incompa-
them for God, who is bechun (without what manner rability transcends His Similarity—we do not know
or incomprehensible). what those self-descriptions really mean. So while we
[O disciple!] There do not find manyness admit those divine self-descriptions, we admit them
in oneness (kathrat dar wahdat). And do only in a bi-la kayf (i.e., “without how” manner).
not be content with “witnessing the [created Therefore, let us have faith that He (SWT)
things which are] chun [with how] instead of encompasses (muhit) everything, is (qarib)
holding out for [God who is] bechun [with- near everything, and is with (ba) everything.
out how]! For what appears in the mirror However, we do not know what that en-
of chun is never bechun; and what appears compassment, nearness, or withness (ihata
in manyness is never the truly One (wahid va qurb va ma“iyat) means. To say that
haqiqi ). [A 1.190, 76.15-17] it means cognitive encompassment or cogni-
On God, the Mujaddid writes, tive nearness, and so forth, is like interpret-
He [God] is blameless from having a likeness ing (ta’wil ) the allegorical verses and I am
or resemblance (shabh va manand ) and ab- 17 A synonym for the Koran; literally, the ”Distinguisher,”
solved from being a form or shape (shakl va meaning that which distinguishes between good and evil.
4.10. ALLEGORICAL VERSES MAY NOT BE INTERPRETED 53
against interpreting the allegorical verses. 4.10 Allegorical Verses may Not Be
[A 1.266, 109.14-16] Interpreted
What is the Mujaddidi interpretation of withness
(ma‘iyat)? The Mujaddid himself explains it. I have translated mutashabihat verses as “allegorical”
Man cannot become the Haqq (SWT), but verses. Many people translate mutashabihat as “am-
by His grace, he is never separated (juda’ ) biguous,” meaning “something that has one out of
from Him. Whomever he loves, he is with several possible meanings.” I believe that “ambigu-
him.” 18 Everything has realized the rela- ous” cannot be the correct translation of the Mujad-
tionship of “withness” with the Haqq (SWT) didi meaning of the term “mutashabihat.” What the
[in some way] but this “withness” that grows Mujaddid means by the term mutashabihat is some-
(nashi’ ) from that “love” (hubb), is something much deeper, hidden, and mysterious. It is
thing else. Until [that] “love” is found, really far deeper than even an allegory. However,
no one will understand anything about this the second meaning of “allegorical” is “having hidden
withness (ma‘iyat). Just as [that] love has spiritual meaning that transcends the literal sense
different levels, in the same way that with- of a sacred text,” and that applies to mutashabihat.
ness has also different levels in the same way. And so I am using the word “allegorical” to translate
“This very withness” [i.e., the withness that it and the word “categorical” to translate muhkam.
comes from love] is that withness through Chittick also uses this scheme in one of his books.
which one purifies oneself from reflectedness The Mujaddid is against interpreting the allegori-
(zilliyat) [by realizing a complete fana fil- cal verses. He writes that the allegorical verses indeed
lah or annihilation in the ultimate prototype have profound meanings but they are much more
(asl ) who is Allah]. And this very withness than being merely ambiguous; instead, they are deep,
is that withness that is the medium through hidden, and mysterious. Those meanings are revealed
which one may realize an effacement (idmih- to the Prophet and the elect in his community. So
lal ) in everything [i.e., a state where the sufi anyone else may be able to interpret them. So in-
effaces all created things from his mind as he stead of trying to interpret those verses, the common
has attained a complete absorption in Allah people should accept them as they are, i.e., bi-la kayf
or fana fiLlah.]19 or “howless.”
The Mujaddid teaches us about allegorical verses
This very withness is that withness that
in his monograph Mabda’ va Ma‘ad. He says,
takes away (muzil ) man’s servanthood
(riqqiyat) [to someone other than Allah. I have been shown that the terms nearness
Even that, man’s slavehood to Allah also be- (qurb), withness (ma‘iyat), and encompass-
comes perfect and he becomes wholly comment (ihata) of the Haqq (SWT) that are
mitted to Him, such that] the slightest slack in the Sagacious Koran are among the “al-
in that slavehood disappears and vanishes legorical” or mutashabihat words of the Ko-
(muzil-i riqqiyat ast va mushabbat-i huru- ran. [The words] hand or face [in the Koran
miyat [ast] dar ‘in ‘abdiyat). that refers to God having hands or a face
This withness is that withness which silences are examples of such allegories.] The words
I-ness. (anaiyat) Instead, it negates I-ness first (awwal ), last (akhir ), manifest (zahir ),
on the levels of perfection. [A 3.26, 67.7-12] non-manifest (batin) and the likes of them
are also the same.
Not Be
18 Ibn
So we say that the Haqq (SWT) is “near”
Arabi said that divine act(s) self-disclose into human
acts. Please see SPK, 208-209.
us, but we do not know what that nearness
19 Mohammad Mamunur Rashid, Islami Biswas (Serhind means. Similarly, we say [that He is] the
Prakashan,1998), p. 14 First but we do not know what does that
54 Creed
“first” means. The meaning of that near- That which people understand to be itti-
ness and firstness does not come within the had or unificationism from the sayings of
bounds of our knowledge or understanding some sufis is actually contrary to what they
(‘ilm va fahm). The Haqq (SWT) is un- meant. For example, one such saying is
tainted by those imperfections. And indeed “When neediness is complete, it becomes Al-
[He is even] higher (bartar ) than that. And lah. Idha tamma ‘l-faqru, fa huwa ’llahu.”
[He is indeed even higher than] that what Although it seems to propose unification-
we know through our unveilings (kashf ) and ism, what it really means is that when [the
witnessings (mushahida). He (SWT) ele- sufi] completes faqr i.e., poverty or needi-
vates Himself higher than that and He is ness [i.e the sufi realizes that he needs Al-
pure from thatas well. lah for everything as he has no resource of
Some sufis have realized the meaning of his own] and [the sufi] realizes sheer nothing-
“nearness” and “withness” through unveil- ness (nisti-i mahd ) [before God], then noth-
ing. They consider the Haqq (SWT) to be ing remains but Allah. It does not mean
“near us” and “with us” [spatially]. This that the faqir i.e., the needy becomes uni-
is not proper! They have stepped into the fied with God (bi-khuda) and becomes God
school of mujassima or Corporealists. And himself. For that would be apostasy and
some of the ulama have interpreted those heresy. “The Exalted Lord is far greater
terms by allegorical interpretation (ta’wil ). than what the transgressors imagine. Ta ‘ala
For example, by “nearness,” some have ’l-Llahu subhanahu ‘amma yatawahhamu al-
meant “cognitive nearness” (qurb-i ‘ilmi ). zalimuna ‘uluwwan kabira.”
They have made allegories of that in the Now the Mujaddid explains the mystery of Anal
same way that they have made an allegory Haqq.
of “hand” by “power” (qudrat) and “face”
by “person.” (dhat) Our Hazrat Khwaja [Baqibillah] (qaf) has
said that “Anal Haqq” does not mean, “I am
True knowledge is before Allah (SWT)!
God”; instead it means, “I am nothing and
Peace towards those who follow guidance!
God [alone] exists.” [A 1.266, 109.16-110.1]
[Mabda 35, 55-6] 20
My own shaykh in the sufi path, a living saint in the
lineage of the Great Mujaddid, explains the above
4.11 Rejection of Unificationism in a greater detail very eloquently- what Anal Haqq
really means is,
The Mujaddid rejects ittihad or unificationism—the
sufi science that says that God is “unified” (mut- I have lost my own existence as I am over-
tahid ) with the cosmos, i.e. God is merged in the whelmed by the sheerness of God’s existence.
cosmos in such a way that these two cannot be dis- Now I do not exist for only God exists.
tinguished from one another When I say “I,” I am not saying it on behalf
He (SWT) is not unified with (muttahid ) of myself. Instead, I am saying it on behalf
anything else. Nor is anything unified with of God. Now I am just like the “burning
Him. bush” of Hazrat Moses that cried out, “Ver-
ily I am Allah! ” (Koran 20:14, 28:30) That
The Mujaddid then analyzes a sufi saying that appar-
is, I am merely the announcer here as the
ently proposes unificationism and demonstrates that
“burning bush” had been. Or I am merely
it actually does not do so.
the medium through whom God speaks, like
20 [Mabda 35:55-56] means Mabda’ va Ma‘ad, minha or a loudspeaker is the medium through which
chapter 35, pp. 55-56 the announcer speaks.
4.12. CHANGELESSNESS 55
4.12 Changelessness son itself. So the charges against Ibn Arabi that he
contradicts the mainstream Sunni creed are baseless.
The Mujaddid maintains that God experiences no The Mujaddid seems to argue here in a reductio
change. ad absurdum syllogism: Islamic creed says that God
The person, attributes or the act of God is changeless. So if someone believes that God Him-
do not change or be substituted (taghayyur self undergoes change, then he must be ruled faithless
va tabdil ). So exalted is He whose person, and misguided. So if Ibn Arabi or anyone else inter-
attributes, and act(s) do not change like prets the five emanations or tanazzulat-i khamsa’ as
the [person, attributes and acts of the] en- changes in God Himself, then he must be ruled an
gendered things that are newly originated unbeliever. But the Mujaddid consistently rules Ibn
(huduth-i al-akwan) do! Arabi to be a great saint of Allah. Therefore, Ibn
Arabi could not have meant it as a “change in the
No aspect of God ever changes; neither His person Necessary.”
nor His attributes nor His act(s). Change is the lot
of “newly originated” things but God is too exalted
to undergo change. 4.13 Self-Sufficientness
The Mujaddid then interprets Ibn Arabi and de-
The Mujaddid states that God is absolutely self-
fends him against the false charge of contradicting
sufficient. He does not need anything from anyone.
the mainstream Sunni creed on the changelessness of
God. He (SWT) is unboundedly self-sufficient
(ghaniyy-i mutlaq) in His person, in His at-
What the wujudi sufis [who follow the Ibn tributes, and in His act. He does not need
Arabi doctrine of wahdatul wujud or ex- anything in any respect. Just as He does not
istential monism] establish as tanazzulat-i need anything for His existence, He does not
khamsa, the five descents, is not a modifi- need anything for His manifestations (zuhu-
cation or substitution (taghayyur va tandil ) rat) either.
in the Necessary (dar martaba-i wujub), for The Mujaddid then comments on the Ibn Arabi
that would be apostasy and misguidance. proposition that God “needs” the created things to
Instead, they have relegated these descents manifest His perfections
onto the levels of “manifestations” of the di-
That which is understood from the state-
vine perfection (zuhurat-i kamal-i U ). That
ments of some sufis [e.g., Ibn Arabi] is that
way a modification or substitution in the
Allah needs us to manifest the perfections of
person, attributes or the act of He (SWT)
His names and attributes. I find it hard to
would not take place. [A 1.266, 110.1-5]
buy a proposition like that! I know that the
Ibn Arabi held that the creation, i.e., the cos- purpose of the act of creation is that the cre-
mos, emanates from God in five successive steps. ated thing would attain perfection, not that
These are emanations or “descents” called tanazzulat- His (SWT) holy person would attain perfec-
i khamsa’. tion. As the Koran says, We have created
Yes! If you do interpret that to mean that God man and the Jinn so that they would worship
Himself undergoes change, it would be a violation of Me (Koran 51:56). [Here I, the Mujaddid,
the creed of the mainstream Sunnis that says that interpret “they would worship Me” as] “they
God is changeless. However, the Mujaddid interprets would know Me.” Therefore, the purpose be-
that Ibn Arabi must have meant that the “shadow” hind creating man and Jinn is so that they
of God undergoes those emanations, not God Himself would attain knowledge (ma‘rifat). That is,
who is beyond change. That is, what does change is the purpose is “their [own]” perfection, not
the “way that God manifests” Himself, not His per- the perfection of something that belongs to
56 Creed
Level: Descent Name: Descent 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 necessary
4 Imaginal entification, ta‘ayyun-i mithali As above
5 Corporeous entification, ta‘ayyun-i jasadi As above
Table 4.7: Five Descents
the Haqq (SWT). It comes in a hadith report ing. Yes! God has asked man to worship Him. But
where God speaks in the first person: “I have how will we worship Him unless we “know” Him?”
created the created things for knowing.” 21 That may be the Mujaddid’s logic behind interpret-
Here too, “knowing” means that the created ing “worshiping” as “knowing.” The pre-eminent Ko-
things may know. It does not mean that God ranic exegete Ibn Abbas also interpreted “worship
may be known and by this knowing God may Allah” as “know Allah” here. All later commenta-
attain some perfection. “Allah (SWT) rises tors also interpreted it this way following his line of
far above this!” [A 1.266, 110.5-.14] interpretation.
Here the Mujaddid disagrees with Ibn Arabi. He clar-
ifies that actually it is the created things that need
4.14 Perfection
God to attain their own perfections, not the other
way round. As my sufi shaykh explains, The Mujaddid states that God is perfect and he elab-
The purpose behind creating man and Jinn orates on that perfection.
is so that they desire to know God and attain Allah is unblemished and exonerated by all
perfection. We know the well-known hadith attribute of imperfection and all burn-mark
report wherein God speaks in the first per- of newly-originatedness (huduth). He is not
son, “I was a Hidden Treasure. I wanted a body Himself; nor does He possess a body
to be known. So I created the creation.” (jism va jismani nist). He transcends both
22
What God really means is, “Let the cre- space and time (la-makani va la-zamani ).
ation come to know Me and attain their per-
fections. ” It is wrong to think that what The Mujaddid’s verification confirms the ulama of
He meant is, “Let Me, Allah, become known the mainstream Sunni community. Their ulama says
to the creation and gain some perfection in that God possesses all the attributes in Himself in a
this process.” This is because Allah is self- non-entified manner except the eight real attributes,
sufficient. He rises far above such wrong con- sifat-i haqiqiya, which exist in Him with an additional
ceptions. 23 existence. The real attributes are eight according to
the Maturidi school of kalam, which the Mujaddid
How does the Mujaddid jump from “so that they follows. The predominant Ashari School of kalam
would worship me” to “so that they would know me”? has seven, as it leaves out “engenderingness” from
My sufi shaykh’s companionship taught me the logic the roll of the real attributes. 24
behind this connection between “worship” and know-
He possesses all the perfect attributes.
21 hadith: fa-khalaqtu al-khalq li-‘arafa [Mulla ‘Ali Qari] Among these, eight perfect attributes exist
22 hadith: kuntu kandhan makhfiyan. fa-ahbabtu an a‘rafa.
fa-khalaqtu al-khalq li-‘arafa [Ibn Arabi] 24 Please see the Mujaddid’s monograph Mabda’ va Ma‘ad,
23 Muhammad Mamunur Rashid, Islami Bishwas, p. 16 minha or chapter 41 where he explains the error of the Asharis.
4.14. PERFECTION 57
in Him with existence “additional (za’id )” By the verification; all are identical
to the existence of the Person (SWT). They to Your person
are: (1) livingness or life , hayat; (2) know- What they mean here is that while they know by
ingness or knowledge, ‘ilm; (3) powerfulness the intellect, i.e., intellectually from the kalam that
or power, qudrat; (4) desiringness or desire, attributes are disjointed from the person of God, they
irada’ ; (5) seeingness or sight, basr ; (6) hear- know from their “verification,” i.e., sufi experiential
ingness, sama‘ ; (7) speakingness or speech, knowledge, that they are the same.
kalam; and (8) engenderingness, takwin. For example, the following sufi poem by Hazrat
Note: In Arabic, these attributes are called by a Muinuddin Chishti Ajmiri also supports the identity
morphological form which has dual meanings. For of the person of Allah and His attributes.
example, the attribute of “being capable of speak- I don’t see the Attributes separate from the
ing” is called kalam and that also means “speech” or Person.
that what is being spoken. So people translate “the So wherever I look, I don’t see anything but
attribute of kalam” as “speech” and that is mislead- God. 27
ing. Instead, the attribute of kalam may be trans- The Mujaddid says that to reduce the existence of
lated as the attribute of speakingness. It is true that divine attributes from external existence to cognitive
there is no such word in English called speakingness existence, as Ibn Arabi does, is really to deny the
but the superb sufi translator William Chittick uses existence of the attributes. There are several deviant
newly coined words in this style. sects of Islam who are recognized to have denied the
Confirming the ulama of the mainstream Sunni existence of the attributes, e.g., the Mutazilas, the
community, the Mujaddid proposes that the at- philosophers, etc.
tributes of God have an external existence, i.e., they Even those deviant sects accepted the cognitive ex-
do exist in the “outside, kharij.” He criticizes the istence of the attributes and only denied their exter-
position of Ibn Arabi who denied the “external” ex- nal existence. So if someone else [e.g., Ibn Arabi]
istence of the Attributes 25 and who said that they accepts the cognitive existence of the attributes but
are merely “relationships” that God has with the cos- denies the external existence, he is indeed out of the
mos and those relationships exist only in the mind of mainstream Sunni community just as those deviant
God which is the abode of His knowledge (‘ilm). sects are recognized to be.
These attributes do exist [and not merely It is really denying the attributes (sifat), be-
cognitively in the mind of God, but] in the cause even those who deny the attributes
“outside” (kharij ) [i.e. in the real world out- (i.e., the Mutazilas and the Faylsufs) have
side the mind of God with a true existence.”] proposed that the person and the attributes
It is not that they exist with an existence of God are cognitively “other” and exter-
that is additional to the existence of the Per- nally “unified.” That is, even they did not
son only “cognitively” while they are identi- deny cognitive otherness and they did not
cal to the Person “externally”- like some su- propose that what “they understand” to be
fis [who believe in wahdat al-wujud, e.g., Ibn knowledge is identical to what “they under-
Arabi, Muinuddin Chishti, and many others] stand” to be the person, or power or desire.
consider.26 They say: They have only proposed that the Person
and the attributes are identical in the out-
By the intellect, all are other than
side. Therefore, until they consider them
the attributes
“other” with respect to their existence in
25 The Mutazilas and the faylasufs also deny the external 27 Sifat va dhat az ham juda nemibinam - Be har che mine-
existence of the Attributes garam juz Khuda namibinam [Jehadul Islam edited Diwan-i
26 Please see SPK p. 5 for Ibn Arabi’s position Muinuddin, p. 154]
58 Creed
Attribute Arabic/Persian name

livingness or life hayat
knowingness or knowledge ‘ilm
powerfulness or power qudrat
desiringness or desire irada
seeingness or sight basr
hearingness sama
speakingness or speech kalam
engenderingness takwin
Table 4.8: Eight real attributes
the outside, they will not break away from The Mujaddid’s verification agrees with it but in
the group that denies the attributes. As you maktub 1.234 he refines that position by saying that
know, conceptual otherness is not a true dif- the attributes have only “shadow” existence. He
ference! [A 1.266, 110.14-111.3] notes that both Ibn Arabi and the mainstream Sunni
It should be stressed that the Mujaddid still did not ulama did not distinguish between the prototype ex-
consider Ibn Arabi to be out of the mainstream Sunni istence and the shadow existence and he believes that
community. As a sufi, he knew that Ibn Arabi did it caused the divergence of opinion between them.
not arrive at it from mis-interpretations of the Ko- Note: The references from the Maktubat-i Imam-i
ran and the hadith but instead he “verified” that sci- Rabbani will be described as two numbers separated
ence through his “unveilings,” which were erroneous by a stop. The first number will be the volume num-
in this case. And errors in unveilings are excusable ber and the second number will be the maktub num-
just as errors in scholastic interpretation on the mat- ber. For example, maktub 1.234 refers to maktub 234
ters of the sharia law (ijtihad ) are excusable. in the Volume 1
Ulama of the manifest knowledge: The domain of
knowledge can be divided into two sub-domains. One
is the manifest knowledge (‘ilm-i zahir ), the knowl-
4.15 Maturidi School
edge of the Koran, hadith literature and all that can
be derived from those sources employing logic. The The Mujaddid followed the Maturidi school of kalam
other is the non-manifest knowledge (‘ilm-i batin) as opposed to the Ashari school. He writes on the
that is experiential knowledge derived through kashf, superiority of the Maturidi school,
ilham, dhawq, shuhud, etc. The ulama that deal with
the Koran and hadith using logic are the ulama of the In a mystic vision, (waqi‘a) Hazrat Prophet
manifest knowledge. They include jurists (fuqaha), (salam) stated, “You are a mujathid of the
scholars of hadith literature (muhaddith) exegetes science of kalam.” After this incident, I
of the Koran (mufassir ), and others. They are to started to form a distinct opinion in every
be contrasted with the scholars of the non-manifest matter of kalam. For most of the matters
knowledge who are the sufi masters. on which there are differences between the
The ulama of the manifest knowledge say that the Ashari school and Maturidi school, at the
attributes exist “externally.” That is, the divine at- first glance it seems that the truth is along
tributes are not at all like “human attributes.” For the Ashari line. But when it is contemplated
human attributes also do not have an external ex- with a fine perspicacity and a keen gaze
istence, only a conceptual existence. Instead, divine (hunur-i firasat va huddat-i nazar ), then it
attributes have a hypostasized or reified existence ex- becomes clear that the truth is along the Ma-
ternally, just as the Platonic archetypes do. turidi line. I believe that in all the matters
4.16. ETERNALNESS AND BEGINNINGLESSNESS 59
of kalam on which there is a dispute, the should be diverted from its outward meaning
Maturidis are correct. [i.e., it should not be construed to mean that
The truth is that because they perfectly fol- the spirits are co-eternal with God] and in-
low the shining Sunna, these [Maturidi] mas- stead should be taken in its “inner” (ta’wil )
ters have attained this high honor. Their meaning [that is, for example, it may be
opposition [in the mainstream Sunni com- taken to mean that those spirits were the
munity which is the Asharis] have not been first things to be created.] In that way, it
able to attain this as they gave pre-eminence [this proposition of Ibn Arabi] would not
to the philosophical views. However, both of contradict the consensus of opinion of the
these groups are in the people of truth. people of religion [in the proposition that
nothing but God is eternal]. [A 1.266, 111.3-
111.9]
4.16 Eternalness and
Beginninglessness
4.17 All-Powerfulness and the
The Mujaddid confirms that God and only God is philosophers
eternal and beginningless. If anyone believes that
something other than God is also eternal or begin- The Mujaddid criticizes the deist doctrines of the
ningless, as the philosophers of the faylasuf tradition “philosophers” i.e., the philosophers of the faylasuf
(e.g., Avicenna, al-Farabi, and others) proposed, then tradition, e.g., Avicenna, al-Farabi, Averrois and oth-
he must be ruled to be a faithless person. ers.
He (SWT) is eternal and beginningless The ancient Greek philosophers, Plato, Aristotle,
(qadim va azali ). Nothing else is established and others originated this lineage of thought and
to be eternal and beginningless. All the Plotinus, who lived in Alexandria, Egypt in the third
Muslims are unanimous on this. And they century CE, developed it. Subsequently, philosophers
have declared as unfaithful whosoever proof the Islamic tradition, such as Avicenna, al-Farabi,
poses that something other than the Haqq and Averroes, added to and refined them to develop
(SWT) is eternal or beginningless. It is for this faylasuf tradition. The faylasuf called them-
this reason that Imam Ghazzali has declared selves Peripatetic or Aristotelian, many people con-
Avicenna, al-Farabi sider them instead Neoplatonic but really it is a third
and everyone else to be faithless who pro- tradition that synthesized the first two and added to
poses that intellects, souls, hyles, or forms them. 29
(nufus, ‘uqul, haywula, surat) are eternal. They propose that God lives in time and He cre-
They also consider the heavens and every- ated the cosmos with a single act that happened only
thing else in the heavens to be also eternal. once in time and then he left all the day-to-day hap-
penings to natural law that they call the “Active In-
And he reconciles a statement of Ibn Arabi on the
tellect.” That is, they were “deists,” who believed
eternity of the spirits to the mainstream Sunni creed.
that God is like a clockmaker who has made the
Our Hazrat Khwaja [Baqibillah] (qaf) has mechanism that would run the clock and then has
said that Shaykh Muhiyuddin Ibn Arabi has let the clock run itself. Instead, Muslims (like Chris-
proposed that the spirits of the “perfect tians or Jews) are “theists,” people who believe that
ones” [i.e., friends of Allah who have real-
ized His nearness] are eternal. 28 This idea Abi Ghanaim al-Kashi (d. 736/1336). Some other scholars
believe that it was written by Imam Ali ibn Muhammad al-
28 This proposition of Ibn Arabi is found in the Tafsir Ibn Bagdadi al-Sufi popularly known as al-Khazin (d. 741/1341)
Arabi under Sura Dahr, however some scholars belive that that 29 That is the view of Fazlur Rahman in the Selected Letters
tafsir was actually written by Kamaluddin Abdul-Razzaq ibn of Ahmad Sirhindi (Lahore: Iqbal Academy Pakistan, 1984)
60 Creed
God is a personal God who is intimately connected indeed Eastern religions, Islam, like its two sister reli-
to the day-to-day happenings of the world. gions, Christianity and Judaism, are not Eastern reli-
How is it that the Islamic philosophers follow Aris- gions. All three of them are “Western” religions and
totle? Is he not a “Western” philosopher? We usu- their philosophical traditions are in the mainstream
ally consider “Western” to be synonymous with “Eu- of the the Western philosophical tradition. Indeed,
ropean.” So have Muslims borrowed their philoso- modern Europe received its philosophical knowledge,
phy from Christians? The answer is that Islamic even its knowledge of ancient Greek philosophy, from
philosophy is indeed Western philosophy. In gen- the Muslims. It is the Muslim philosophers who
eral, if one reads a survey book on Western philoso- translated and studied and commented on the books
phy that covers the period before the middle ages, of Plato, Aristotle, and others, and kept that tradi-
Islamic/Islamicate philosophers are included there. tion alive. Europeans learned about Aristotle from
In terms of philosophical tradition, philosophers di- the Arabic translations of his original works, that
vide the world into three regions. First is the West- were then retranslated into European languages, as
ern realm that includes Europe, North Africa, and well as the translations of his Muslim commentators
Western Asia to Iran- people there historically fol- e.g., al-Farabi, Avicenna , Averroes, and others.
lows “Western” philosophy. The second is India and First, the Mujaddid affirms the mainstream Sunni
the third is China. Although there are differences be- doctrine that God is all-powerful.
tween Indian and Chinese philosophy, still they share He (SWT) is the all-powerful chooser (qadir-
some fundamental characteristics and so they may be i mukhtar ) He is unblemished by even a taint
loosely grouped together as Eastern philosophies. of obligatedness (ijab) and exonerated from
Western philosophers are dualists- they see the even a surmise of compelledness (idtirar ).
world as a dichotomy- something is either one or its Then the Mujaddid begins his diatribe against these
contrary- e.g., good or evil, white or black, beautiful philosophers of the faylasuf tradition and their deist
or ugly, etc. This dualist worldview went to the ex- doctrines.
treme in Iran, where their “prophets,” e.g., Zoroaster
The unwise (bi-khord ) philosophers consider
and Mani, even preached of two gods, one god as the
obligatedness (ijab) to be [the epitome of]
creator of good and the other god as creator of evil.
perfection. As a result, they have negated
In another time, this dualism went to the extreme
free choice (ikhtiyar ) from the Necessary
in northwest Europe—while the Romans saw noth-
(SWT) and instead, they have established
ing wrong with their emperor being the chief priest,
obligatedness.
pontifus maximus; the people of northwest Europe
could never successfully integrate church and state These unwise ones consider the Necessary
together. (SWT) to be inoperative (ta‘til )30 and in-
In contrast, Eastern philosophers, both of the In- active except that one single handiwork
dian tradition and the Chinese tradition, are monists- (masnu‘ ) has come from Him (who is the
they synthesize the opposites; to them, good and evil, creator of the heavens and the earth). They
God and the creation, existence and nonexistence are even propose that He made that [single
not antitheses but parts of the same whole. It is true handiwork] out of obligation. They relate
that there are monist trends even in Western philos- the [continued] existence of the newly origi-
ophy, e.g., Ibn Arabi or Spinoza; yet still this gen- nated things (wujud-i hawadith) to the “ac-
eral observation holds. Many people today do not tive intellect (‘aql-i fa‘al )”, which has not
understand this and even many publishers and book- been even established to exist except in their
stores in the west classify books on Islam with books imagination! They have nothing to do with
on “Eastern religion,” and group them together with God in their corrupted conception. Finding
Hinduism and Buddhism. 30 Inoperativity [ta‘til]: the doctrine where God has nothing
While it is true that Hinduism and Buddhism are to do.

4.17. ALL-POWERFULNESS AND THE PHILOSOPHERS 61
no other alternative, they turn to the active moved from their affairs. What unwise ones!
intellect in their times of trouble but do not What unfortunate ones! [The only one] less
turn to the Haqq (SWT) since they do not intelligent (safih) is he who considers them
give Him any ability to intervene in the [con- intelligent and wise!
tinued] existence of newly originated things. First, they deny the “revealed message” that the
They say that it is the active intellect that prophets brought forth. Second, they try to prove
brings the newly originated things into exis- their misbegotten beliefs via falsehood. He also de-
tence. cries their belief in astrology that suggests that plan-
These unfortunate ones (bi-dawlatan) in stu- ets control the destiny; instead he suggests that they
pidity and foolishness (bilahat) [i.e., the fay- turn to God who created the planets in the first place.
lasuf ] are in the forefront of all misguided The Mujaddid shows his scorn for all the sciences
sects. Even the people without faith pray of the philosophers.
to God for help. And supplicate to Him to Among their codified and systemic sciences
remove their misfortunes—unlike these un- is geometry that is totally useless. The sum
intelligent ones (safihan). of three angles in a triangle is two right
The Islamic belief is that God is perfect and so He angles- what benefit does it have? Those
is beyond the imperfection of being obligated to do theorems that are close to their hearts31 -
anything in any way; in contrast, the faylasuf believe what purpose do they serve? Medicine, as-
in obligationism. So the Mujaddid says that these tronomy, and ethics are the best of their sci-
philosophers are not wise; they consider God’s being ences and even that they have stolen from
obligated to do what He does as a fitting attribute the revealed books of the prophets who came
for Him! before our prophet (salam). They use those
To the Mujaddid, the faylasuf tradition philoso- extracted fragments [from those divinely-
phers are worse than the other misguided sects of revealed sciences] to spread their own invalid
Islam for two reasons. sciences. Imam Ghazzali clarified it in his
book Munqidh ‘an al-Dalal . 32
These worthless people have two things more
in misguidedness and foolishness (bilahat) To the Mujaddid, many of the sciences of the faylasuf
than all [the other misguided] sects. First, are useless. And the ones which are useful (medicine,
they do not believe, instead they deny the astronomy, ethics) have their origins in the divine
revealed law and they stubbornly resist and revelation.
hold enmity to the message of the messen- However, it must be understood from the context
gers (ikhtibar-i mursala.) Second, they hier- that the Mujaddid villified geometry as “useless” only
archically arrange some corrupted premises because he could not find any practical use for it; and
and manipulate some invalid proofs and vi- so he rejected the study of geometry as an end in itself
sions (shawahid ) to prove their designs and or as a means of God-realization. He found practical
baseless issues. In proving their designs, use for some of the other sciences and claimed that
they have become so stupid that they ex- those sciences have divine origins. If the Mujaddid
ceed all idiots in their stupidity. The zodiac saw the practical uses for geometry, he would respect
and the planets are perpetually unstable and that as well. So the Mujaddidi view is that no sci-
wandering- still they hold that their move- ence is worth studying as an end in itself; instead
ments and positions cause all that happens. they should help one either in one’s path towards
They have shut their eyes before the Creator 31 shakl ‘arusi va mamuni
of the heavens, the giver of existence of the 32 Imam Ghazzali, Munqidh ‘an al-Dalal. This translation
planets and their mover and the director of is very good, R. J. McCarthy, Al-Ghazali’s Path to Sufism,
their affairs and instead consider Him far re- (Louisville, Kentucky: Fons Vitae, 2000.
62 Creed
God-realization or in the practical world. And the Most of the letters of the word
only science one may study for God-realization is the falasafah is safah [and that means
science that is derived from the revealed message of unintelligent]
the prophets. Therefore, the dominant verdict
The Mujaddid eulogizes the practice of taqlid, fol- [that the philosopher is] “unintelli-
lowing authority of the prophets. gent” is the majority opinion
If the followers of godly religions and the The Mujaddid continues to denigrate the philoso-
prophets (salam) err in their proofs and phers and mentions a book that exposes their errors.
demonstrations, there is no fear. Since the
May Allah save us from the darkness of their
source of their practice is following authority
ill-intentioned beliefs! These days my son
(taqlid ) of the prophets (salam). They bring
Muhammad Ma‘thum 35 has completed the
proofs and demonstrations to establish their
book Jawahir-i Sharh-i Mawaqif . 36 While
purpose only for the sake of added strength.
studying this book, the ugly beliefs of these
Following the authority of the prophets is
unwise people have become clear and many
sufficient for them, unlike these unfortunate
benefits have come from it. Praise be to Al-
ones [the philosophers]. They leave aside fol-
lah, who has guided us to toward this. We
lowing the authority of the prophets and in-
would not have been guided had Allah not
stead rely on their proofs to establish their
guided us! Verily the Messengers from our
argument. “[They are] misguided [them-
Lord came with the truth! (Koran 7:43) [A
selves;] therefore they misguide [others, who
33 1.266, 111.9-113.3]
follow them, as well!]”
The Mujaddid also expresses his scorn for the philoso-
phers’ conceit and their denial of the prophetic 4.18 Taqlid
method.
When the invitation of Prophet Hazrat Jesus Taqlid is a fundamental Islamic concept that is very
(salam) reached Plato, important to the Mujaddid. Literally, the verb qal-
34 ada means, “to put a collar on.” It refers to putting a
who was the giant among these unfortunate collar on a beast of burden so that he cannot see left
people, he responded, “We are a group who or right but moves blindly to wherever his driver di-
has already been guided! We do not need rects him. Figuratively it means “blind conformity”
any more guidance!” How witless! [Jesus to the Prophet, the Salaf, or the Pious Predecessors
was] a man who could perform feats that and others worthy of humble imitation.
are beyond their medical science- resurrect- The Mujaddid explains the concept of taqlid in de-
ing the dead, healing those born blind, and tail in his monograph Mabda’ va Ma‘ad.
healing the lepers! When they saw such a He has an abundant share of the tariqa of
man, they should have understood his [sub- the sufis, indeed from the Islamic commu-
lime inner] “state!” It is utmost headstrong- nity (millat-i Islam) who abundantly possess
ness and stupidity to answer without think-
ing. 35 Muhammad Ma‘thum: Third son and the spiritual heir
of the Mujaddid
33 hadith:Dallu fa-adlu [Muslim] 36 The Jawahir by an unknown author seems to be short
34 Plato possibly here stands for the typical philosopher with version of Ali ibn Muhammad Jurjani (d. 818/1415), Sharh-i
their characteristic mind-set the eminent philosopher by the Mawaqif ; It is a commentary on the Mawaqif, the well-known
name Plato died long before Prophet Jesus. Another possibil- book on kalam and one of the best books on that subject in
ity is that it might mean Plotinus (Flutinus), the third-century Arabic written by Qadi ‘Add al-Din Abdur Rahman ibn Ah-
founder of Neoplatonism who influenced the Muslim world so mad Iji (d. 818/1415.) (this footnote is taken from Fazlur
immensely. Rahman text, p. 70)
4.19. IBN ARABI AND WAHDAT-I WUJUD 63
the fitrat, habit of taqlid [following the au- I have heard from an exalted man (‘aziz )
thority of the predecessors] and the innate about [this characteristic of] a prayer (dua)
disposition (jibilla) of imitation (mutaba‘at) that is suggested by the sufi shaykhs, but
[of those worthy ones.]. in which the shaykh has made a mistake;
Here the principal of affairs (madarikar ) and so he recites it in the corrupted way.
is taqlid. And the taqlid of the prophets If their followers recite those prayers exactly
(salam) elevates one to lofty levels (dara- the same way (bi haman sarafat) [with the
jat) and imitation of the sufis brings one to same mistake] that the shaykhs used to re-
the greatest station of ascent (ma‘arij ) [from cite them, then the recitation would be ef-
where he can make a high ascent or ‘uruj ]. fective (ta’thir ). On the other hand, if they
Hazrat Abu Bakr the Truthful (dwad) is recite them correctly, then it would no longer
greatly endowed with this fitrat. [And be- be effective.
cause of this fitrat,] without any delay, he May Allah (SWT) keep us steadfast on im-
rushed to accept the felicity of attesting itating (taqlid ) of the prophets and follow-
to the prophethood [of Hazrat Muhammad ing (mutaba‘at) His friends (awliya) by His
(salam)] and became the leader of the truth- love of His beloved [Prophet Muhammad]!
ful ones (ra’is-i siddiqan). On the other (salam) [Mabda 51, 75-76]
hand, the accursed Abu Jahl had less recep-
tivity to taqlid and imitation. [As a result]
4.19 Ibn Arabi and Wahdat-i Wujud
he was not receptive to that felicity and in-
stead became the leader of the accursed ones. The Mujaddid says that Ibn Arabi leans toward obli-
The perfection that a disciple attains is gationism (ijab,) the doctrine of the faylasuf tradi-
through the taqlid of his own pir or guide. tion philosophers. Obligationism says that God has
A pir’s error is the disciple’s correct method. no free will; instead whatever He does, He is obligated
Because of this, Hazrat Abu Bakr (dwad) to do it.
used to seek out the error of the Prophet The expressions of Shaykh Muhiyuddin Ibn
(salam) and used to exclaim, ”How I wish Arabi also point toward obligationism [the
that I could be the error of Muhammad!” doctrine that proposes that God is obliged
Hazrat Prophet (salam) said about Hazrat to do whatever He does]. His interpretation
Bilal (Allah be satisfied with him!): ”The of “power” is analogous to the interpretation
sin of Bilal is shin to Allah.” Hazrat Bilal of the philosophers. In that interpretation,
was a native of Ethiopia [where Arabic was it is not allowed that capable ones abandon
not the mother-tongue and so] used to [mis- actions. And he [Ibn Arabi] holds that it
pronounce ash-hadu as] as-hadu [pronounc- is mandatory to act. [And since God is all-
ing the shin] like sin during the prayer call powerful, He is obliged to act or to create.]
(adhan) Please note that the Mujaddid always uses the title
To God (Mighty! High!) that as-hadu was “Shaykh” when referring to Ibn Arabi, thereby show-
ash-hadu. Therefore, this Bilal’s error is bet- ing his respect for Ibn Arabi. And he always uses the
ter than other’s correct way. Like a poet has traditional term “quddisa sirruh, may his secrets be
written: sanctified” after Ibn Arabi’s name. That denotes that
Overwhelms it when you cry out ash- he considered Ibn Arabi to be a great saint.
hadu The Mujaddid expresses his positive opinion of Ibn
Bilal’s call as-hadu Arabi, and considers those statements of Ibn Arabi,
Bar ash-hadi to khandeh that made others think that he deviated from Islam
Ze nida as-hadi Bilal as errors in unveilings; and as such, excusable.
64 Creed
Amazing thing! That Shaykh Muhiyuddin who is an accepted friend of God only be-
[Ibn Arabi] appears to be accepted by God cause of his errors in unveiling? On the other
in my [sufi mystic] vision [i.e., unveilings or hand, how can I blindly accept [certain parts
kashf ]! On the other hand, many of his ideas of] his science that is far from being cor-
seem to oppose the opinions of the “people rect and that is contrary to the opinions of
of truth 37 ”! the “people of truth” [i.e., the rightly-guided
And those [ideas] seem to be erroneous and ulama of the mainstream Sunni community]?
incorrect! However, errors in unveiling [that The truth lies in the middle. By His grace
Shaykh Ibn Arabi has for those few of his and generosity, Allah the Exalted has en-
ideas] are excusable just as errors in striv- dowed me with that knowledge.
ings for interpretation (ijtihad ) [in the mat- It may be noted that many of the ulama of the main-
ters of the sharia] are not to be blamed. This stream Sunnis have also proposed the same opinion
is my unique belief about Shaykh Muhyiud- on Ibn Arabi. Many have also forbidden the common
din, “He is among the accepted ones of God people to read Ibn Arabi books. Because the com-
but I see his opinions that oppose [the con- mon people would take his writings literally, and will
sensus of opinion of the ulama of the main- not understand its deep hidden meanings and thus
stream Sunni community] to be erroneous would go astray.
and harmful [to the common people].” Ta‘an is translated as “criticize.” In this context,
Some sufis criticize (ta‘an) and blame (mala- ta‘an means “gentle criticism”; it is not a type of
mat) this shaykh. And consider [all] his “harsh denouncement.” And this is how the Mujad-
ideas to be false (takhtiya). Some other su- did criticizes Ibn Arabi; gently as opposed to harshly.
fis choose to follow the shaykh blindly and
consider all his ideas correct. And they [at- The Mujaddid reconciles Ibn Arabi’s wahdat-i wu-
tempt to] establish the “truth” (haqiqat) of jud
that [Ibn Arabi’s] science through “[fraudu- 38
lent] proofs and [defective] visions” (dala’il with the ontology of the ulama of the mainstream
va shawahid ). Sunni community,
Those “proofs” (dala’il ) are from the realm of exter- Take note! In the matter of wahdat-i wujud,
nal knowledge, i.e., from the Koran and the hadith a large group in this sufi community concurs
literature. Those two sources are indeed true but with the Shaykh. Although the Shaykh has
they misinterpret that knowledge and are so those his unique style here, still they are unani-
proofs are unacceptable. Similarly those “witness- mous in the gist of the matter. [On the first
ings” (shawahid ) are sufi mystic visions and unveil- look], this matter may appear to contradict
ings that are subject to errors and so are unreliable. the opinion of the “people of truth.” Still
The Mujaddid continues, one may pay attention to it, as it deserves
However, there is no doubt that both of these the effort for reconciliation. By the grace of
parties have chosen to follow the [two ex- Allah (SWT), I have reconciled this matter
tremes of] excessiveness and deficiency and in the Ta‘liqat bar Sharh-i Ruba‘iyat , [my
(ifrat va tafrit) and remain far away from the monograph where I comment on the qua-
middle path. How can I deny the shaykh trains] of our Hazrat [Baqibillah]. There, I
have reconciled this matter with the opinion
37 People of truth (ahl-i haqq): The Mujaddid seems to of the “people of truth.” And I have rele-
mean the ulama of the mainstream Sunni community (‘ulama-
i ahl-i Sunnat val jama‘at) by this term. Please note that the 38 Wahdat-i wujud is the Persian equivalent of wahdat al-
mainstream Sunnis exclude deviant sects such as Wahhabis or wujud and this is the term that the Mujaddid uses, as he writes
Salafis, and the Mutazilas who may still accept the four caliphs in Persian.
4.20. BRINGING-INTO-EXISTENCE 65
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 all
Arabi’s ideas Arabi ideas; “gently of Ibn Arabi’s
completely criticizes” a few (but ideas blindly
still does not denounce
him, as those are
errors in unveilings
and thus excusable)
Table 4.9: Ibn Arabi: How Do They Consider Him?
gated the dispute between the two schools 4.21 Worldly Occasions: Their
to terminology. And I have resolved the mu- Effectivities
tual misgivings and suppositions in such a
way that no room for any doubt and ambi- By His wisdom, God has hidden Himself behind the
guity to remain. The text [of my monograph curtain of worldly occasions; but wise men see that
the Ta‘liqat] itself is the proof of this for the curtain as a proof of His existence.
reader! [A 1.266, 113.3-18] God has made the existence of the worldly
The Mujaddid’s opinion on Ibn Arabi in the above occasions (asbab) a curtain for His activity
section is very important, as many “scholars” (who and He has made wisdom as the covering
never read the Mujaddid in the original Persian or for His power. No! Instead, He has made
even in an accurate translation) believe that the Mu- worldly occasions as the proof of the fixed-
jaddid’s criticism of Ibn Arabi was a “roaring criti- ness of His own activity. And He has made
cism.” Here it is clear that it was only a mild crit- wisdom as the medium for the existence [i.e.,
icism of a small fraction of Ibn Arabi’s views. And application] of His power.
the Mujaddid considered even those few errors to be The Mujaddid continues,
“excusable” as they are errors in his unveilings. And
Possessors of sagacity are those whose in-
he still viewed Ibn Arabi as a great saint.
sight has been embellished by the kohl of fol-
lowing the authority of the prophets. They
4.20 Bringing-into-Existence know that worldly occasions and mediums
need God for them to come into existence
God has brought everything into existence. He also and to remain existing. They obtain from
sustains everything. Him even the slightest degree of their fixed-
You should know that contingent things, all ness and abidingness [thubut va qiyam]. In
of them- whether they be matters, accidents, actuality, they are really sheer inanimate
bodies, intellects, souls, celestial spheres or things. How will they bring about “traces”
elements (jawahir, i‘rad, ajsam, ‘uqul, nu- in other inanimate things like themselves?
fus, aflak, ‘anasir )- all are supported by Or how will they effectuate or originate
the [power of] bringing-into-existence of the them?
all-powerful chooser (ijad-i qadir-i mukhtar ) So there must be an all-powerful Being above
who has brought them from their conceal- them who has brought them into existence
ment in nonexistence into existence. As with and granted them their appropriate perfec-
their existence, they also need Him (SWT) tions. It may be compared to the scenario
for their sustenance. [A 1.266, 113.18-114.1] where intelligent people see inanimate things
66 Creed
[such as puppets in a puppet show] acting He rebukes those who do not see the need for worldly
and from that they deduce that those things occasions. It is via the medium of those worldly oc-
must have an actor or a mover [such as the casions that God Himself works. Our infinitely wise
puppeteer] behind them. They do know that Lord employs worldly occasions, as He knows that
this act is not possible for it [to do on by it- there is wisdom in it. Such is also the sunna of the
self]. There must be an actor above them prophets.
who has brought that act into existence. There are many people who consider the
So the act of an inanimate thing is not a cur- elimination of worldly occasions to be per-
tain hiding the real actor for the intelligent fection. First, they relate everything to
people. On the contrary, when he sees the the Haqq (SWT) without any intermediary.
inanimate thing acting, it points toward the They do not realize that you eliminate wis-
real actor. dom when you eliminate worldly occasions.
The same argument applies here! Yes!Less There is much benefit and wholesomeness in
intelligent people may indeed see the act of this wisdom [i.e., worldly occasions]. Lord!
an inanimate thing as a curtain for the act of You have not created this in vain (Koran
the true actor. Since when he sees it acting, 3:191). The prophets held that all things
he considers the sheer inanimate thing as the proceed from God; however, they still al-
possessor of power and denies the true actor. ways employed worldly occasions as if those
As God says in the Koran, It misguides many were pious deeds. For example, in the case
and guides many (Koran 2:26). This knowl- of Hazrat Jacob, he anticipated danger and
edge of mine has been learned from the niche suggested to his sons: Sons! Don’t enter
of prophethood. Everyone’s knowledge does through a single door. Instead, enter through
not reach there! different doors (Koran 12:67).
Wise men attain their wisdom by following the au- Yes! Prophet Jacob did employ a “worldly occasion”
thority of the prophets. They know that “worldly oc- for his sons’ safety; he did instruct them to enter
casions” prove the existence of their Creator. Worldly through different doors. He was afraid that someone
occasions lack any power in and of themselves. So if will look at them with “evil eyes” and harm them.
their Creator did not possess power, how else would So to avoid or, or at least to minimize the damage to
worldly occasions attain power? Therefore, the fact one son only, he suggested them to enter through dif-
that worldly occasions “apparently” possess power ferent doors. But even after employing that occasion,
establishes that there is a Supreme Being that is giv- he put his trust and faith in God. And that attitude
ing them that power. It is like the puppet that acts denotes the perfection of reliance on Allah. Ignorant
in a puppet show, thereby proving that there must people may think that throwing up their hands, sit-
be a puppeteer who is controlling the puppets, and ting still without making any effort, and hoping that
giving them their power to move. God will perform a miracle is the apogee of reliance
39 on Allah. However, that is not what God suggests
and this is not what His messengers do.
There are many benefits of having “worldly occa-
sions” as intermediaries. As a proof, the Mujaddid Along with [employing] these considerations
cites the story of Prophet Jacob in the noble Koran. (mara‘at) [i.e., worldly occasions, Jacob] rel-
egated this matter to the Haqq (SWT) and
39 ”Worldly occasions” that are beings other than humans said, I will not be able to protect you from
may indeed be compared to puppets, but human beings are not Allah in any matter. Verily there is no rul-
mere puppets in the Mujaddidi scheme. Indeed, the Mujaddid
grants human beings far more freedom than Ashari does. See
ing except that of Allah. On Him I rely
the section below entitled ”God the Desirer and Creator of and on Him relies the reliant (Koran 12:67).
both Good and Evil.” The Haqq (SWT) was pleased and He sug-
4.22. GOD DESIRES AND CREATES BOTH GOOD AND EVIL 67
gested that it came from Him and com- worldly occasions do. This is my opinion on
mented about Hazrat Jacob, Verily he pos- this matter. AllahAllah (SWT) reveals the
sesses knowledge for We taught him. How- truth!
ever, most men do not know this much (Ko- From the above, we can conclude that employing
ran 12:68). In the noble Koran, God Him- worldly occasions does not negate reliance on Allah;
self has also indicated to our prophet to take on the contrary, it denotes complete reliance on Al-
up intermediaries, Dear Prophet! Allah and lah.
your faithful followers suffice for you (Koran
8:64). This clarifies that employing worldly occa-
40 sions as intermediaries is not contrary to
reliance on Allah- although the “imperfect
The Mujaddid supports the ulama of the main-
ones” [who have not realized the true knowl-
stream Sunni community by supporting the concept
edge] may think otherwise. On the contrary,
of “effectivity”—the ability of contingent things to
the perfection of reliance on Allah lies in em-
effect. Employing the power to effect of the created
ploying worldly occasions as intermediaries.
things is not a negation of reliance on God. On the
Hazrat Jacob (salam) employed worldly oc-
contrary, it is a demonstratation of perfect reliance on
casions, left everything to the Haqq (SWT),
God, who is the Creator of that effectivity. And when
and then relied on Him. As he [Prophet Ja-
He wills, the worldly occasions become effective, and
cob, (salam)] says in the Koran, I rely on
when He does not will it, they do not become effec-
Him and on Him relies the reliant (Koran
tive.
12:67.) [A 1.266, 114.1-115.13]
Now what remains is the matter of “effec-
tivities” (ta’thir ) of the worldly occasions.
It has been narrated that the Haqq (SWT) 4.22 God Desires and Creates Both
sometimes does create effectivities in the
Good and Evil
worldly occasions and so [in those cases]
those things [worldly occasions] do become The Mujaddid affirms the mainstream Sunni creed
effective. And other times, He does not cre- that says that God creates both good and evil. How-
ate the effectivities in them. Therefore, in- ever, He is well pleased by good deeds and displeased
evitably [in those cases] those things [worldly by evil deeds. This subtle difference between “desir-
occasions] do not show any effect. ing” and “good-pleasure” is hard to understand- and
It is apprpriate that the Haqq (SWT) creates has given birth to many schisms.
effectivities in worldly occasions some of the
He (SWT) desires both good and evil. And
time and then they become effective. And
He creates both of them. However, He is
some other times, no effectivity manifests
well pleased by good [deeds] and displeased
from those [worldly occasions]. To deny ab-
by evil [deeds.] There is a subtle differ-
solutely the effectivity of worldly occasions is
ence between desiring (irada) and good plea-
evidence of intellectual arrogance. One must
sure (rida). Out of all the sects of Is-
admit effectivities. One should also admit
lam, Haqq (SWT) has given [only] the main-
that effectivities depend on God’s capability
stream Sunni sect guidance on this differ-
of bringing things into existence, just as the
ence. The rest of the sects have not been
40 While most Koranic exegetes interpret this verse as trans- given guidance on this difference and so they
lated above, a minority interpret it differently, as For you and have remained in error. Here, the [misguided
your faithful followers, Allah is sufficient. Following the major-
ity interpretation, the Mujaddid suggests that this verse hints
sect named] Mutazila says that man is the
the Prophet to take benefit from his companions as interme- creator of his own actions. And it [the Mu-
diaries. [IA] tazila sect] finds that he [man] brings his own
68 Creed
lack of faith or disobedience into existence. the bad actions proceed from His name the
[A 1.266, 115.13-16] Misguider, al-Mudill ]. 42
The Mujaddid explains and comments on Ibn Arabi’s The Mujaddid affirms that God is the Creator of all
proposition that good deeds come from God’s name, actions, however; He has given man power and desire
the Guide, and bad deeds come from His name, the so that he himself may choose whether to do a certain
Misguider, and therefore, He is obligated to like both action or not. When he does choose to do it, Allah
good and evil equally; they both please God in the creates that act.
same way. The Mujaddid rejects this proposition of
Haqq (SWT) has given man [the attributes
Ibn Arabi and comments that this view is similar to
of] power and desire so that he himself may
Oobligationism, a discredited heresy.
choose to perform the action [or not]. Cre-
It is understood from what Shaykh ation of the action relates to Haqq (SWT).
Muhiyuddin [Ibn Arabi] and his followers And kasb or “earning the merit” [of the ac-
[who can be compared to another misguided tion as the wages of his free choice of per-
sect] forming that action over not performing that
41
action] relates to man. Such is the habit
imply that faith and wholesome deeds please (‘adat) of Allah (SWT). After man intends
the name the Guide in the same way that to act out an action, Allah’s act of cre-
lack of faith and disobedience please the ation attaches itself (muta‘allaq) to that [in-
name the Misguider. This proposition con- tended] action. [A 1.266, 115.19-116.2]
tradicts the “people of truth.” And it [this
proposition of Ibn Arabi] also is inclined to- And in this method God “creates” that intended ac-
ward obligationism [the doctrine that God tion.
is obligated to do whatever He does]; He is The concept of kasb, which means “acquisition,” or
obligated to be well pleased [at all activity] “earning merit,” comes fromkalam, the Muslim reli-
in the same way that the sun’s rise and its gious science used to defend the traditional Islamic
illumination is pleasing to the sun. [A 1.266, beliefs against the argumentations of the philosophers
115.16-19] of the faylasuf tradition and others. In contrast
My sufi shaykh interprets this section above in the to the Christian science of theology, the only pur-
following way. pose of kalam was defensive, i.e. to defend against
the arguments of the faylasufs and others. Imam
The sun rises and illuminates the solar sys-
Ashari, the first person to systematize the main-
tem whether it wants to or does not want to
stream Sunni kalam, introduced this concept to an-
is immaterial. Here, its volition is meaning-
swer this dilemma “God is the creator of human ac-
less. Ibn Arabi says that those things, e.g.,
tions. All human acts are actually divine act(s). So
faith, wholesome deeds, lack of faith, disobe-
how can man be penalized on account of God’s act?
dience, etc. will please God in the same way.
Would that not be injustice?” (Please note that re-
That is, God is obligated to like all the deeds
warding someone undeservedly is not injustice, it is
of man, good or bad; He has no choice in
God’s bounty- punishing someone unjustly is the con-
this matter, since all actions of man proceed
tentious issue.) On one extreme, the deviant Jabriya
from God Himself [i.e., the good actions pro-
or Compulsionist sect held that God compels man
ceed from His name the Guide, al-Hadi, and
to do whatever he does- both good actions and bad
41 The Mujaddid here equates Ibn Arabi and his followers
actions. This would make God unjust for His punish-
with a sect. However, it should be noted that he means ”sect” ment of someone in the last world. On the other ex-
only in an allegorical sense. For he always considers Ibn Arabi
as a great master of the mainstream Sunni community and his treme, the deviant The Mutazila sect held that God
views that contradicts the mainstream Sunni community as
errors of unveilings and thus excusable. 42 Muhammad Mamunur Rashid, Islami Bishwas, p. 24
4.23. ETERNAL BLISS AND DAMNATION 69
granted man absolute freedom in his actions and man If it means that human act of choosing is
is the creator of his own actions, thus God would be “weaker” than the divine act of choosing,
unjust in sending someone to hell on account of his then it is correct. On the contrary, if it
actions. Thus God becomes less than omnipotent, means that human act of choosing is not
thus undeserving of His name all-powerful and not sufficient to do the act then it is not cor-
the Creator of everything, and so undeserving of His rect. Verily Allah (SWT) does not prescribe
name All-Creating. for someone an act that is not within one’s
In answer to both, Imam Ashari, the predominant realm of ability. He wants the easy act for
mainstream Sunni scholar of kalam, and his follow- man, not the difficult act.47 [A 1.266, 116.2-
ers introduced the concept of acquisition or kasb. 6; FR 74.2-20]
They explained that there is a distinction between The Mujaddid proposes a “more and truer free
the creation (khalq) and acquisition (kasb) of an ac- will” than the Asharis, but still less than the com-
tion. While God creates all human acts, man acquires plete free will that the Mutazilas propose.
his acts from Him. Their viewpoint is summarized in
this table. I also contrast the Ashari theory with
the Mutazila theory, to understand the former bet- 4.23 Eternal Bliss and Damnation
ter. As the poet Rumi wrote, “Things are known by
their contraries!” The Mujaddid unveilings totally conform with the
Now God has indeed given man both power and de- mainstream Sunni creed—the faithful will enjoy an
sire, but how much? The official mainstream Sunni eternity of bliss and those who are unfaithful to the
teaching is that God has given man “limited free core, lacking even a grain of faith, will suffer eternal
will.” Now what is the extent of this “limited free damnation.
will? How is it limited? Imam Ashari has given man The gist of the section is that meting out
a very limited free will and the Mujaddid criticizes an everlasting recompense for an action of
this in several of his maktubs. In contrast, the Mu- temporary duration is the “measuring out”
jaddid grants man a truer free will, in line with the (taqdir ) by Haqq. He has decreed everlasting
Maturudi school of kalam that he followed. He pro- punishment to be the proper recompense for
poses an ethics in which man is more responsible for lack of faith for a temporary period of time
his actions than Ashari proposes- he theorizes that [that is the earthly life]. And He has de-
while man’s act of choosing is “weaker” than God’s creed everlasting bliss to be the proper rec-
act of choosing, still it is sufficient to do the act and ompense for faith lasting for a temporary pe-
therefore, it is man who is morally responsible for riod of time [that is the earthly life]- such is
the consequences of all his actions. Yes! Non-human the “measuring out” of the Mighty and Wise.
“worldly occasions” may be compared to “puppets.” [A 1.266, 116.6-8]
However, human beings are not mere “puppets” with
The Mujaddid justifies eternal bliss and damna-
God pulling the strings; they do possess a true “free-
tion. He argues that an “eternity” of bliss or pain is
dom” in their activity in the stage of the world, al-
the proper recompense for possessing faith in God or
though it is a stage that God has set up.
not; since God is so sublime.
When man’s action proceeds from [his own] By the grace of Allah, we can also under-
act of intending and act of choosing (qasd stand that it is He who is the Lord of all
va ikhtiyar ), then it is he who deserves manifest and nonmanifest bliss and it is He
the praise, censure, reward, or punishment who brought the heavens and the earth into
(mad-ha va dham va thawab va ‘iqab). It is
said that man’s act of choosing is “weak” 47 The Mujaddid discusses more on predestination in mak-
(da’if ). What does “weak” mean here? tub 1.289

70 Creed
Complusionists Asharis (the dominant Mutazilas

(Jabriya) mainstream Sunni school)
Man has no Man has “limited” Man has complete
free will free will free will
Table 4.10: Free will of man versus sects
existence; and also all the greatness and per- grows out of the caprices of the instigating
fection that there is, all that is established soul. All the beautiful things that you receive
for Him. The recompense for exercising a are from Allah and all the ugly things that
lack of faith in Him would also be a most you receive are from your own selves (Ko-
severe punishment. And that punishment is ran 4:79). [A 1.266, 116.8-16]
eternal damnation. The Mujaddid refutes Ibn Arabi’s proposition on
Likewise, to have faith in an unseen God the eternity on punishement. Ibn Arabi proposes that
who grants us so much bliss should have after suffering hellfire for a long long time, everyone
a great recompense. And to hold Him to will be ultimately forgiven and granted paradise. The
be True when the impediments of the [in- Mujaddid disagrees with that and instead supports
stigating] soul and Satan exist should also the consensus of opinion of the ulama of the main-
have a great recompense. Indeed, their rec- stream Sunni community- that the faithless will suffer
ompense should be the greatest recompense. eternal damnation. He says it glorifies God to grant
And that recompense should be everlasting perpetual paradise only to those who have faith in
bliss. So faith is the cause of being granted Him; and to send those who reject Him to everlast-
that greatest recompense, which is everlasting hell. Perpetuity in paradise or eternal damnation-
ing bliss! That really glorifies faith. Or in- such a bountiful reward or severe punishment on ac-
stead, that glorifies God who is the object of count of possessing faith in God or not, that only
that faith. exalts God!
Some shaykhs [e.g., Ibn Arabi] have said that The Mujaddid explains that denial of God is such
entrance into paradise truly depends on dian enormous sin that eternal damnation is its proper
vine bounty. [However, [while I, the Mujad- recompense. Here he again contradicts Ibn Arabi and
did, agree to it, I also propose that God] has supports the ulama of the mainstream Sunni commu-
made it appear that it [entrance to paradise] nity.
depends on our faith ? And there is a reason You should know the following. You may en-
for Him doing so. And the reason is that we ter paradise only if you possess faith. [Faith
find the compensation of our own acts to be is so important that one receives such a great
more pleasurable. [So, we find paradise more gift, like the gift of paradise, only if one pos-
pleasurable when we know that it is the re- sesses faith. And the reason behind it] is re-
sult of us having faith than when we know ally to glorify faith; instead to glorify [God
that it is the result of divine bounty. Yes!] who is] the object of that faith. It is for this
I consider that-entrance to paradise depends reason that such an exalted wage is meted
on faith. [However, faith is merely an inter- out [on account of faith ? it glorifies God
mediary reason here, not the ultimate rea- who is the object of that faith]. And you will
son.] And faith is His bounty and gift. [So enter hell if you lack faith. [Faith is very crit-
ultimately, entrance to paradise depends on ical! So critical! So critical that one receives
divine bounty.] Similarly, entrance into hell the dreadful punishment of eternal damna-
depends on faithlessness. And faithlessness tion for lacking faith. And the reason behind
4.23. ETERNAL BLISS AND DAMNATION 71
Table 4.11: Free will of man
Ashari concept of kasb The Mutazila concept (where it

differs from the Asharis)
All power belongs to God. Power All Muslim sects agree in that all
is either a) original, i.e., power belongs to God and whatever
eternal (qadim), or b) derived, power man has is power derived from God.
i.e., newly originated (hadith). Ashari But the Mutazilas differ from the
agrees with all Muslim sects that the Asharis in the belief that the “derived
power that man possesses is “derived”43 power” is sufficient to perform
from God. Where Ashari differs from the the human act; while the Asharis believe
Mutazilas is that he proposes that that even that derived power is not
the original power alone is effective; sufficient, man still needs God
the derived power can create nothing. to perform the act for him
Ashari proposed that God creates the Mutazilas proposed that the power
actions that are performed by man; man that humans possess (although it is
is not capable of creating any action.44 originally derived from God)
“There is no creator except God and the can indeed create and so man’s
actions of man are, therefore, His creation.”45 acts are his own acts.
But man may “acquire” God’s actions.
Thus God is the creator and man is the
“acquisitor” (muktasib) of human actions.
How does God create human acts? Mutazilas agree here.

It is a two-part process.
Initiation Part: God creates in man the
power (qudra) to perform the act and the
power to make a free choice (ikhtiyar ) between two actions
Completion Part: However, those two Here the Mutazilas do not need God to
God-created human powers qudra and complete the human act. The “derived
ikhtiyar are not sufficient to do the act. power” that man possesses (that originally
Now it is the habit or nature (‘ada) came from God) is sufficient to
of God to create the action corresponding complete the human act.
to the power and free choice of man, and so
God creates the act of man.
The Result: Therefore, it is God who Thus man is the creator

performs all human acts, both as to of his own action.
initiation and as to completion.
So how is man responsible for God’s act? Because Man is totally free in all aspects of taking
man has “acquired or earned” (kasb) the merit his act- in deciding between what act to do,
of the act by choosing and intending to perform in intending to do the chosen action, and
the act finally in completing the act
, (although it is God that originally granted man those powers).
How? Man is free in deciding between which So the act of man is his own creation.
actions to do, and in intending to do the Therefore, it is man who “earns the merit”
chosen action. By doing so, man acquires of the act.
(iktisab) the merit of the act, good
or bad. So he “earns” the “merit” of that that
divine act, i.e., he “earns” or “comes to
deserve” the reward or punishment meted out
for that divine Act. 46
Table 4.12: Free will of man

72 Creed
Jabriya Asharis Mujaddid Mutazilas

(Compulsionists)
Absolutely no “limited” free “More and truer Complete free
free will will free will” will
Table 4.13: Free will of Man: Comparison between the three sects and the Mujaddid
that rule] is really to denigrate lack of faith the mainstream Sunni sect e.g., the Mutazi-
and to venerate (tabjil ) Him [God], in whom las] do not permit a vision that is “direction-
is that lack of faith. It is for this reason that less” and “without what manner.” Even so,
such a severe and everlasting punishment is Shaykh Muhiyuddin Ibn Arabi has reduced
meted out. [A 1.266, 116.16-20] this next-worldly vision to a “self-disclosure
Now the Mujaddid criticizes Ibn Arabi who denied in the outward form” (tajalli-i suri ) and he
eternal damnation for the faithless and instead pro- does not permit any self-disclosure except
posed that finally everyone will enter paradise. with this [interpretation, that it is a] type
[that is only in the outward form]. [A 1.266,
What some shaykhs [e.g., Ibn Arabi and his
117.3-5]
followers] have said on it lacks this subtlety.
Also, entrance to hell corresponds to that The Mujaddid points out that the vision that the
[lack of faith] and those shaykhs interpreta- mainstream Sunnis propose and the Mutazilas deny
tions do not address this either. For entrance is different from what Ibn Arabi calls the vision.
into hell truly depends on lack of faith. Al- The Mutazilas deny the vision since they stress the
lah (SWT) inspires the truth! Such as this! incomparability (tanzih) of God and deny His similar-
[A 1.266, 116.20-117.2] ity (tashbih). In the reductio ad absurdum syllogism,
they argue in this line, “Since God is incomparable,
His vision also must be incomparable. Therefore, the
4.24 Vision vision must be ‘directionless’ and ‘without what man-
ner.’ However, we can not ‘see’ something that is
It is an article of faith of the mainstream Sunni com- ‘directionless’ or ‘without what manner.’ Therefore,
munity that the faithful will “see” God in the last the vision must be an absurdity.”
world. The Mujaddid’s verification of this vision of
Ibn Arabi says that if the Mutazilas conceived the
Allah agrees with the mainstream Sunni creed.
vision to be some kind of “self-disclosure in the out-
The faithful will see the Haqq (SWT) in ward form” like he conceives, they would not have
the last world in paradise. That vision denied it. His conception of the self-disclosure (that
will be “directionless” (bi-jihat); “howless” he calls self-disclosure in the outward form or tajalli-i
(bi-kayf ); “without likeness” (bi-shabh) and suri ) has both direction and “how”; so the Mutazilas
“without analogy” (bi-mithal ). [A 1.266, would not have denied such a type of self-disclosure.
117.2-3]
One day, our Hazrat [Baqibillah] quoted
The Mujaddid comments that all Muslim sects ex- from the Shaykh [Ibn Arabi], “If the Mutazi-
cept the mainstream Sunnis deny the vision. Even las would not confine this vision to the level
Ibn Arabi reduces the vision to a “self-disclosure in of tanzih, i.e., divine incomparability and
the outward form.” instead would propose tashbih, i.e., divine
This is such a matter that every sect, be it similarity and would recognize the vision to
within our religion or out of it, denies- except be this self-disclosure [in the outward form],
the mainstream Sunnis- they [those outside they would never deny this vision or con-
4.25. DISPATCH OF THE PROPHETS IS MERCY 73
sider it impossible. That is, their denial is on 4.25 Dispatch of the Prophets is
the point of it [the vision] being directionless Mercy
and without-how (bi-kayf ) [that is specific
to the level of tanzih]. However, that [self- The Mujaddid discusses the benefit of sending
disclosure] which the Mutazilas conceive] is prophets to mankind. 49 To the Mujaddid, prophets
not at all like this self-disclosure [in the out- are critical in order to tell us about God and His
ward form, which I, Ibn Arabi, conceive], as attributes. While intellect is a proof, it is only an
this one has both direction and how.”48 [A incomplete proof. Therefore, the dispatch of the
1.266, 117.5-9] prophets is critical.
The Mujaddid points out that the “self-disclosure The dispatch of the prophets is an act of
in the outward form” of Ibn Arabi would not be a mercy to the inhabitants of the world. If
vision of God at all. And if someone proposes that these great ones were not the intermediaries,
the vision is a sort of “self-disclosure in the outward then who would guide lost people like us to-
form,” then he is really denying that vision altogether ward the knowledge of the person and the at-
and thus denying the mainstream Sunni creed. tributes of the Necessary Existence (SWT)?
Or who would distinguish between the things
It should be borne in mind that to drag down that please our lord well and the things that
this last-worldly vision to a “self-disclosure do not please Him well? Without the sup-
as an outward from (tajalli-i suuri )” [a self- port from the light of their invitation toward
disclosure where God appears as a physical God, our imperfect intellects are far removed
form, which Ibn Arabi proposes] is really to from this knowledge. And without follow-
deny this vision. It is because although that ing these great ones [who are the prophets],
[last-worldly] “self-disclosure in the outward our incomplete understandings cannot un-
form” is different from this [worldly] “self- derstand it. Yes! Intellect is always a proof
disclosure in the outward form,” still it is but it is an incomplete proof. It has not
not the vision of the Haqq (SWT). [A 1.266, reached the level of maturity. Dispatch of
117.9-11] the prophets is the mature proof. That is
The faithful will see Him, lacking why the last-worldly reward and punishment
any “how” depends on it.
But will neither perceive Him nor The Mujaddid answers the question, “If one disobeys
will take down an image [of Him] the prophets, he is subject to punishment in the last
world. If the prophets did not warn him, God would
The poem above illustrates what the nature of that
not have punished him. So prophets can be said to
vision would be. It would be just as the Mujaddid
be the cause of his punishment. So how then, can the
explained in his monograph Mabda’ va Ma‘ad,
dispatch be termed as an act of mercy?”
Tomorrow [on the Day of the Resurrection] Question: Since the last-worldly punish-
all the faithful will see the Haqq (SWT) with ment always depends on this dispatch [of the
their [own physical] eyes; but none will be prophets], how could one possibly call this
able to perceive Him. Sight would not be able dispatch a “mercy to the inhabitants of the
to perceive Him (Koran 6:103).” [Mabda 42, world?”
66.1-.3]
In answer, the Mujaddid first recounts all the nu-
merous benefits of the dispatch of the prophets.
48 For more of his writings on the vision, see the Mujaddid’s
monograph Mabda’ va Ma‘ad, Minhas i.e., chapters 20 and 42; 49 The Mujaddid writes more on the same theme-the need
and also maktub 3.44 for prophets-in his monograph Ithbat wa Nubuwwat
74 Creed
Answer: This dispatch is identical to He notes that he who disobeys this dispatch has
mercy, as it is the worldly occasion, which only himself to blame for his punishment, not the
leads to the knowledge of the person and dispatch. Therefore, the dispatch is still mercy, as it
the attributes of the Necessary Existence has numerous benefits.
(SWT), and that [knowledge] guarantees fe- So one who obeys the caprices of his insti-
licity, both in this world and the next world. gating soul (nafs-i ammarah) is the one who
By this felicity of dispatch, we attain the disparages this dispatch at the instigation of
cognition of that which is appropriate to the the accursed Satan and who does not prac-
Holy Majesty that is He (SWT) from that tice in accordance to the message of that
which is inappropriate to the Holy Majesty dispatch. So why should that dispatch be
that is He (SWT). Our lame and blind intel- blamed there? Instead, why should not that
lect is branded by the brand of contingent- [dispatch via the prophets] still [be consid-
ness and newly-originatedness! How will it ered to] be mercy? [A 1.266, 117.11-118.11,
know which name or attribute or [what is FR76.12-11.22]
the reality of the] act(s) that is appropri-
ate to the Necessary Presence who is nec-
essarily eternal? So that it [our lame and 4.26 Intellects and Revelation
blind intellect] may know which ones [of the
names, attributes, or act(s)] it should apply Here the Mujaddid answers a question that is
to Him and which ones it should not? On extremely relevant to modern times, as many
the contrary, due to its own imperfection, it spiritually-minded people (“New Agers” in America
[the intellect] often considers perfection as and elsewhere) ask, “Why do we need to bother with
imperfection; and imagines imperfection as divine Revelation? Why can’t we just follow our
perfection. hearts instead?”
First, we need to note that the gods that many
I consider [the knowledge of] this distinc- of these new-agers follow are not even within their
tion above all obvious and hidden bliss. He hearts but instead their nafs-i ammarah, instigating
is most unfortunate who applies inappropri- souls. They do what they want to do, i.e., what their
ate things to the Person (SWT); and asso- instigating souls want to do. But even when some of
ciates an undeserved thing to His exalted them (the more spiritual ones) do follow their hearts,
presence. By this dispatch, [man can] sep- even then they may be misguided. This is true even
arate truth from falsehood. And he can dis- for their masters who have some realization of God, or
tinguish right worship from the false [wor- even sufi masters. This is why we need to follow the
ship]. Through the means of this dispatch, divinely revealed code of conduct sent to the prophets
they [the prophets] invite man to the Haqq for our salvation.
(SWT), and bring the servants to felicity of Here, the Mujaddid explains that even the purified
the nearness and “arrival” to the Master. intellects, even those of their masters who have “re-
Through the means of this dispatch, one may alized God,” are not free from human frailties. And
be informed on how to well please the Mas- therefore, even the rulings derived by the purified in-
ter (lofty are His modes!) as it has been tellects of those masters (let alone the impure intel-
mentioned before. And one can distinguish lects of ordinary people) are not reliable. Only the
when one may intervene in the possession of divine revelation that the prophets receive is free from
the Almighty and when one may not. There such errors and so is entirely reliable.
are many more benefits of this dispatch. So Question: The intellect is essentially im-
it is now decided that the dispatch of the perfect and incomplete in realizing the di-
prophets is a mercy. vine rulings in itself or by itself. Even then,
4.26. INTELLECTS AND REVELATION 75
having been cleansed and purified [i.e., re- On the hylomorphic form, Aristotle proposed that
fined and polished] it [the intellect] does find primary substances, i.e., individual things (e.g., the
a correlation and conjunction (munasaba va man Karim or the man Zahir, the thing A or the
ittisal ) in an “other than how” manner [i.e., thing B, etc.) are hylomorphic compounds made of
it finds an unqualified connection] to the matter poured into the mold that is the “hylomor-
level of Necessaryness (wujub). (SWT) As phic form” or pikar hayyulani. So hylomorphic form
a result of that correlation and conjunction, means “essence” of a thing. In Ibn Arabi’s ontol-
why can’t it [the intellect] acquire the divine ogy that follows that tradition here, the hylomor-
injunctions from there [i.e., from God di- phic form is the “fixed entity”50 and matter is wujud.
rectly and without the intermediation of any Or the hylomorphic form is the “receptacle” or qa-
prophet]? Why should there still be a need bil of divine wujud. Or the hylomorphic form is the
for a dispatch [by the prophets to mankind] “essence” while the substance is the outer form, the
via the angels? sura. In this context, hylomorphic form refers to the
“essence” of man that includes human frailties like
Answer: Although the intellect may cre- the vices of forgetfulness, error, imagination, etc.
ate such a correlation and conjunction [with Another question, “It is the God-realized sufi mas-
God] still the ta‘alluq, [the intimate attach- ters who have said sayings like ‘All is He (hama ust),’
ment that comes down to the intellect] from ‘I am the Haqq (anal Haqq),’ ‘I am the Exalted (sub-
the “hylomorphic form” [i.e., the essence hani ),’ etc. So why aren’t they true?” The Mujaddid
of an individual man who is receiving the clarifies that even for those great masters, the mes-
knowledge] does not completely disappear sages that they presume to be from God may be false.
or disengage. So the faculty of imagination First, those messages may have been corrupted dur-
[that is an integral part of the essence of ing their transmission to those masters.
man] is always holding fast onto it [the intel-
There are some premises (like All is He,
lect]. Illusions never leave the screen of its
hama ust, subhani, anal haqq) that the
mind. The faculties of anger and appetite
[sufi] masters hold as axiomatic truths
are its constant companions. The vices of
(muqaddamat-i musallama.) 51 They have
eager desire and covetousness are its con-
been attained by the way of illusion and
tinual confidants. Absent-mindedness and
imagination along with other things. [So,
forgetfulness that are characteristics of man
necessarily] they are far from the truth.
are squandered on it. Errors and mistakes
Sometimes I sense that when a science that
that are the lot of mankind do not leave it.
is [really a body of] spiritual conjectures (bi-
Therefore intellect is not dependable. And
talaqqii ruhani ) is spiritually received, that
the rules derived by it are not well protected
science is contaminated with some of those
from the power of imagination and the in-
false premises. That happens in that inter-
tervention of illusion. And they [those rules]
val of time when the sensory faculties spiri-
are not preserved from the taint of forget-
tually take down that science. At that time,
fulness and the surmise of error. The case
some of those false premises are sometimes
of the angels is its contrary. They are pure
unintentionally contaminated with that sci-
from these ascriptions and exonerated from
these vices. Therefore, they are necessarily 50 On fixed entities (a‘yan thabita), see SPK p. 89. For a
dependable. And the rules derived by it [the definition of ”fixed entity” see SPK, pps. 11-12, pps. 83-86.
51 muqaddamat-i musallama (premises that [sufi] masters
method of transmission via the angels] are
accept generally and hold as axiomatic truths.) Musallama
well guarded from the taint of illusion and means premises that are accepted and held as axiomatic truths
imagination and the surmise of forgetfulness by the ”experts and the elite,” in this context ”sufi masters,”
and error. as opposed to the common people in general
76 Creed
Metallic Individual Individual Outer form Outer form

thing thing thing
Mold Hylomorphic Fixed entity Essence Reality
form (haqiqa)
Metal Matter Wujud

(existence
of God)
Table 4.14: Things and their compositions
ence in a way that those premises can- Mabda’ va Ma‘ad 53 that initially the heart receives
not be distinguished [from that science] at a spiritual knowledge and it is only then that the
that critical interval of time [of reception]. knowledge is transmitted to the sensory faculties. On
While in that state [of reception], sometimes the other hand, the sensory organs receive a worldly
those [false premises] can be distinguished knowledge first and it is only then that knowledge is
[from that science that was originally re- transmitted to the heart, which is the repository of
ceived from God] and some other times they conviction. Probably, the Mujaddid means the same
cannot be distinguished. Therefore, that sci- thing here that the heart receives this science spir-
ence [that was originally true and pure] has itually and then this science is transmitted to the
necessarily attained the form of falsehood as sensory organs. He may also mean that the heart is
it has been contaminated with those false the repository of the conviction that those are false
premises. Therefore, none should rely on premises and they ‘mix with that science while that
that [contaminated] science any longer. science is being transmitted from the heart to the
sensory organs. Remember that in Islamic sciences,
Note: When the Mujaddid wrote it, he directed especially in sufi epistemology, the heart, qalb is the
this not only against the misguided sufis and “spiri- organ of cognition, not the brain.
tuals,”but also against the faylasuf tradition philoso-
Second, the Mujaddid explains that those messages
phers. The misguided sufis believed that when they
are corrupt because they have been received in an
would receive their “enlightenment,” they would at-
impure heart. Please note that this argument is ap-
tain an arrival (wasl ) with God; and through that
plicable in the case of masters who live their lives
relationship, they would establish a correlation with
outside the sharia. Yes! The Mujaddid says that
God and receive knowledge from Him directly. In the
these “God-realized” masters may indeed receive in-
same way, many of these faylasuf tradition philoso-
spirations, unveilings or perform miracles! However,
phers (Avicenna, al-Farabi, Ibn Bajjah et al) pro-
one must follow divine revelation in order to purify
posed that a elect few may attain enlightenment
his “heart”- and it is not the “soul,” nafs but the
through the acquisition of knowledge52 . And when
“heart,” qalb that is the primary organ of realizing
the enlighted minds of the seekers-of-knowledge will
divine knowledge in the Islamic tradition. He ex-
attain true enlightenment, those minds will attain
plains that for those masters, it is their “souls” that
“conjunction (ittisal )” with the active intellect. And
are purified but not their “hearts.” They may attain
then those “enlightened philosophers” will attain
miraculous powers and unveilings of the unseen world
knowledge directly from it.
through their purified souls but since their “hearts”
Note: The Mujaddid writes in his monograph the are still impure, the messages that they receive there
52 Fakhry, Majid, A History of Islamic Philosophy, (New 53 Ahmad Sirhindi, Mabda’ va Ma‘ad, minha 43; I referred
York: Columbia University Press, 2004) p. 271 to the Bengali translation p. 97

4.27. PRESCRIPTIONS OF THE SHARIA ARE BLESSINGS 77
are also impure and are not worthy of reliance. “burden.” So what in Arabic means “God has pre-
Or I can say that the cleansing and purifica- scribed sharia for man” means in Persian “God has
tion of the soul depends on practicing those burdened man with the sharia.”
wholesome deeds that satisfy the Master and They mistakenly think that the word taklif,
depend on the dispatch—as it has been nar- “prescription” derives from the word kulfat,
rated before. Therefore, one may not realize “burden.” And so they think this way but
the cleansing and purification without the it is irrational. They argue, “Where is the
dispatch. The purification that the faith- kindness of God if He would prescribe dif-
less and the corrupt attain 54 is the purifi- ficult deeds to people and say that if they
cation of the soul only but not the purifi- would do this difficult prescription then they
cation of the heart. And the purification of would be sent to paradise and if they do oth-
the soul alone does not increase anything but erwise then they would be sent to hell? Why
misguidance. And it points to nowhere ex- did He prescribe these difficult things instead
cept damage. The unveilings of some unseen of letting us eat and sleep and do whatever
things that come in the hand of the faith- we like?”
less and the corrupt is what leads one step Now the Mujaddid answers why we should follow
by step to ruin. Their result is badness and the divine law. First, the intellect establishes the
damages that group. prescriptions of the law as necessary. Those prescrip-
May Allah (SWT) save us from these calami- tions are not at all a burden; instead they are expres-
ties by our reverence for the “prince of the sions of gratitude for God’s blessings to mankind.
prophets [Muhammad]” (salam). [A 1.266, These unfortunate and unwise people do not
118.11-119.11; FR 77.22-79.6] seem to know that man’s intelligence re-
quires people to express gratitude [to God]
for the blessings that they receive [from
4.27 Prescriptions of the Sharia Are Him]. These prescriptions of the sharia are
Blessings the clarification of this gratitude. Therefore,
intellect establishes “prescription” as neces-
The Mujaddid does not consider the imposition of the sary.
divine commandments on us as a burden; instead, it
Second, the Mujaddid explains that the law makes
is a blessing. The Mujaddid notes that some people
the world an orderly place.
who reject the divine law ask the question, “Why did
God impose a burdensome law on us? Instead, why Furthermore, the order of the world depends
did he not let us live like animals, unencumbered by on this prescription. If everyone were left to
any law?” his own whim, nothing but evil and corrup-
tion would appear. Every whimsical person
It is clear from this verification that the pre- would lay his hands on other peoples’ bodies
scription of the sharia that is established by and properties. And depravity and corrup-
the prophetic method is also a blessing. It is tion would reign. They would destroy them-
not what the heretics who reject the sharia selves and they would destroy him [on whom
consider. they have laid their hands]! May Allah save
In Arabic, taklif does mean “prescription” but in us! If the prohibition and the ban by the
Persian, the language of Islamic India, taklif means, sharia were not there! Your life lies in just
retribution! Possessors of intelligence! (Ko-
54 Elsewhere in the Maktubat, the Mujaddid writes that al-
ran 2:179).
though the yogis and Brahmins of India engage in many ar-
duous practices to attain God, they have come to naught, as The drunk Ethiopian would vomit in
those practices were not in conformity of the sharia the Kaaba
78 Creed
If the cane of the judge were not rul- clarification of the rules, all that is true and
ing conforms to true events.
Third, the Mujaddid argues, “God is our absolute Yes! The prophets may make errors, but that er-
owner. So whatever He has ordered us to do must ror is only temporary. God does not allow them to
be done without any question. None may question remain in error for long. For example, in the Koranic
whatever He does!” story of the Prophet Jonah (Koran 37:139–148), God
Or I can also say that He (SWT) is the un- dispatched him to his people and entrusted him with
bounded possessor and people are His pos- the obligation of prophethood. However, he was dis-
sessions. So whatever ruling that He gives or heartened by his people’s adamant refusal to heed
whatever intervention He does to them are the truth. In desperation, he left the area leaving
identical to goodness and wholesomeness. So his mission and his people. God became angry at
these rulings are devoid of and exonerated Hazrat Jonah and following the divine command, a
from even a taint of injustice and corrup- big fish devoured Hazrat Jonah. He then repented
tion. None may question whatever He does! and was forgiven by Allah. Another example lies in
(Koran 21:23). the Koranic story of Moses, who accidentally killed an
Egyptian trying to defend an Israelite (Koran 28:15).
Who has the courage?
(In fear of Him!) Although they may err in interpreting the
rules, still they are not permitted to per-
To open up his mouth! sist in their errors. It is said that soon they
Until he has submitted to Him! would be made aware of their errors. And
when they realize that, they would be driven
If He (SWT) would send everyone to hell
to that which is correct. So do not count
and decree eternal damnation, we may not
their errors! [A 1.266, 120.10-13; FR 79.6-
protest against Him. For that would not be
80]
a violation of the rights of others. Nor would
there be even a taint of injustice. [This is]
unlike our possessions, which are truly His 4.29 Punishment in the Grave
possessions. Every use of that [divine posses-
sion by us] is transgression in itself. That is The punishment of the grave as prophesied by the
because [Allah] the Master of the Sharia, has Prophet Muhammad is indeed true.
given us those possessions for some whole- The punishment in the grave for the faithless
some purpose, although in reality, those are and for some of the sinners among the faith-
His possessions. Therefore, our violation ful is true. For the truthful reporter (salam)
of them [the divine possessions or rights] is has reported such. The questioning in the
permissible [only] to that extent that God grave of both the faithful and the faithless is
the absolute and unbounded owner permits also true.
it and remains indifferent to it. [A 1.266,
119.11-120.10; FR 79.6-80.12] The punishment in the grave is more like the pun-
ishment of hell in its intensity.
The grave is the intermediary realm between
4.28 Revelation is True this world and the next world. In one re-
spect, that punishment [of the grave] can
The Revelation that the prophets of God receive is be correlated to a punishment of this world,
indeed true. which is of limited duration. [Because both
What these great ones [the prophets of God] punishments are of limited duration.] How-
(salam) delivered as decrees from God and ever, in another respect, it [the punishment
4.30. GOD MAY JUDGE OR HE MAY FORGIVE 79
of the grave] can be correlated with the pun- everything! (Koran 8:66). By Your love
ishment in the next world, for it is really a of the Prince of the Messengers! Salutaion
punishment of the next world [in its sever- and peace be on him, on his progeny and on
ity]. The generous verse Fire will be pre- them! [A 1.266, 120.18-121.5]
sented to them in the morning and evening
(Koran 40:46) was sent down in reference to
4.31 Day of Resurrection
the punishment in the grave. Likewise, the
“ease” of the grave has two sides as well [a The Mujaddid affirms the Day of Resurrection, when
worldly side in that that ease- it is of limited all existence will be initially destroyed and later ev-
duration and an otherworldly side- in that eryone will be resurrected. This is contrary to the
the ease is heavenly]. [A 1.266, 120.13-18; doctrine of the faylasuf tradition philosophers who
FR 80] believed that the cosmos would exist eternally.
The Day of Resurrection is true. That day,
4.30 God May Judge or He May all the heavens, the heavenly bodies, the
Forgive earth, the mountains, the seas, the animals,
the plants, the mines- all will become nonex-
Allah may forgive all the sins of some people and send istent and destroyed. The heavens will be
them to paradise directly. snuffed out. The stars will be scattered and
The man whose errors and mistakes Al- put to flight. The land and the mountains
lah forgives by His perfect generosity and will be swept away like dust. All of these
clemency, and does not take account of his will be brought into nonexistence and anni-
sins at all, is truly fortunate. Even if He hilated at the first blow of the Horn. At the
does take account, God shows him perfect second blow [of the Horn], everyone will be
generosity and expiates his sins by worldly raised from their graves and assembled on
pain and suffering. If any sin is left, God ex- the Plain of the Mustering.
piates them by the pressure of the grave and Now the Mujaddid comments on the faylasuf tra-
the sufferings he experiences there. Finally, dition philosophers who deny the destruction of the
God cleans and purifies him and then dis- cosmos. The Mujaddid comments that they are deny-
patches him to the Plain of the Mustering. ing the definitive plain texts (the Koran and the ha-
Or He may not forgive him at all and punish him dith literature) and the consensus of opinion of the
in hellfire. However, all the faithful will be finally prophets by making that claim and therefore even
shown mercy! They will be taken out of hell and their claim to be Muslim is suspect.
granted paradise! The philosophers do not concede that the
However, it would also be justice if God heavens and the heavenly bodies will be
does not do that and instead takes him on brought to nonexistence. And they do not
into the last world. Woe to those humili- consider the annihilation and corruption of
ated sinners! However, if those sinners come those things possible. They say that those
from the people of Islam, they will finally be things are beginningless and endless.
shown mercy. And they will be protected The Mujaddid observes the fact that the philosophers
from everlasting punishment. This is the of the later period of the faylasuf tradition were even
great grace of Allah! By the revered sta- bolder in asserting their anti-islamic doctrines. Still
tus of the Prince of the Prophets [Muham- they claimed to be Muslim and even practiced the
mad] (salam) Please accept our supplication, rites of Islam!
Lord! Complete our lights for us and grant Although they say all this, the later ones, out
us salvation! Verily You are powerful over of their own witlessness, claim to be included
80 Creed
in the class of the people of Islam and even The Reckoning (hisab) the Scale (mizan),
observe some of the rules of Islam. and the Bridge (sirat) are true, as the truth-
He finds it surprising that even many sincere Muslims ful reporter [Prophet Muhammad] (salam)
support those philosophers of the faylasuf tradition has reported.
when its adherents deny definitive articles of the Is- The Mujaddid explains the critical importance of
lamic faith derived from the Koran and the hadith following authority or taqlid of the prophets: The
literature. prophetic method is beyond the intellectual method.
It is surprising that some among the peo- Even when denied by the intellect, we should still
ple of Islam believe these interpretations of believe in divine revelation derived by the prophetic
theirs to be true. And they consider it method.
wrong to criticize or condemn them whilst People ignorant of the prophetic method
they deny definitive plain texts [the Koran may consider the existence of these things
and the hadith literature]. And they contra- far-fetched but that should not even be taken
dict the consensus of opinion of the prophets into account. For the prophetic method is
(salam). beyond the intellectual method. To corrob-
The Mujaddid brings his proofs for the destruction orate the true news of the prophets by the
of the cosmos from the Koran. intellectual gaze is, in effect, to deny the
Allah has said, When the sun would be cov- prophetic method. There [in the realm of
ered and the stars would be made turbid (Ko- religion], one “transacts business” by fol-
ran 81:1–2). And Allah has said, When the lowing authority. They do not know that
heavens will be pierced and they will listen to the prophetic method is opposed to the in-
their Lord; that would be the right thing for tellectual method. Indeed, the intellectual
them (Koran 84:1–2). And Allah has also method alone may not guide one to that ex-
said, The heavens will open up and sprout alted destination [where one realizes knowl-
many doors (Koran 78:19), i.e., the heavens edge of God] unless knowledge that came
will be pierced. There are many such evi- from the prophets (taqlid ) corroborates that
dences in the Koran. [knowledge that one has attained through
In conclusion, he again suspects their claim to be the intellectual method.]. Opposition is one
Muslims since he believes that the denial of the thing and not arriving is another thing. One
philosophers of such a fundamental Muslim creed may oppose after one arrives. [A 1.266,
takes them outside the boundaries of Islam. 121.17-122.3; FR 82.7-16]
They do not realize that reciting the “verse
of witnessing” is not sufficient for Islam.
They are also required to attest to all the 4.33 Paradise and Hell: Eternal
necessary doctrines in the religion. Also,
The Mujaddid agrees with the mainstream Sunni
they must be exonerated from faithlessness;
creed and affirms that paradise and hell exist; and
[in their hearts] Islam will not form its form
that they will remain for eternity.
until then. Else all efforts [to get closer to
Allah] will be in vain! [A 1.266, 121.5-17] Paradise and hell indeed exist. After the
Reckoning on the Day of Resurrection, one
group will be sent to paradise and another
4.32 Reckoning Scale Bridge group will be sent to hell. The reward and
The Mujaddid confirms the mainstream Sunni creed punishment there will be for eternity with-
and declares the Reckoning, the Scale, and the Bridge out end; it will never end- as the assured and
to be true. definitive plain texts have indicated.
4.33. PARADISE AND HELL: ETERNAL 81
The Mujaddid now comments on Ibn Arabi’s proposi- the prophets and their prevailing over the
tion that the punishment in hell is only temporary- all faithless. Actually, this verse contains both
sinners will be finally forgiven. The Mujaddid proves the promise of rewards and the threat of
that while all sinners who possess even a grain of punishment- promise to the prophets and
faith will be finally forgiven, still those who are truly threat to the faithless. They say that
unfaithful will suffer eternal damnation. [rather, misinterpret this verse to mean] that
In his book the Fusus al-Hikam, the author this generous verse negates both the promise
[Ibn Arabi] writes that everyone’s end result of rewards and the threat of punishment-
will be mercy. My Mercy embraces every- promise to the prophets and threat to the
thing (Koran 7:156). He establishes that the faithless. So [actually] this verse proves the
faithless will suffer for three ages in the hell. Shaykh wrong, not right.
He says that after that, the fire will become Also, he who threatens punishment and does
cool and peaceful for them, as it became for not carry it out is just as much a liar as he
Hazrat Abraham. He holds that to break di- who breaks his promise of reward; he would
vine threats [for punishment] is permissible. not be worthy of being God(SWT).
He says that none among the “people of the
heart” [i.e., sufis] agree to eternal damna- [This is to say] as if He knew from
tion for the faithless. In this matter too, he pre-eternity that “I would not exact
has strayed far from the correct position. He eternal damnation on the disbelievers,”
does not recognize that the embrace of mercy nevertheless- for some beneficial considera-
that includes both the faithful and the faith- tion contrary to His [pre-eternal] knowledge,
less is only for this world. In the last world, He has then said that He would not exact
the faithless will not even find the smell of everlasting punishment. To propose such a
mercy. As Allah (SWT) says, Verily none view of God is of utmost abhorrence.
would lack hope from the Spirit [i.e., God] Exalted is your Lord who is the Lord of Exal-
except the faithless (Koran 12:87). Allah also tation from with what that they qualify Him
said, My Mercy embraces everything. So We [i.e., the evil attributes like being a liar] and
will ordain these [good things] for those who peace be on His emissary (Koran 37:180–
venerate 55 Me, pay zakat and believe in my 181).
verses (Koran 7:156). The Shaykh recites
For these reasons, this Ibn Arabi proposition should
the first verse but does not invoke the sec-
not be accepted. First, it is only his “unveiling” and
ond verse. Allah has also said, Verily the
an unveiling may be indeed false. Second, it contra-
mercy of Allah is to the pious (Koran 7:56)
dicts the consensus of opinion of all Muslims.
Here is one more verse [that they misin-
terpret], Do not think that Allah will break That the “people of the heart” unanimously
the promise to his Prophet (Koran 14:47). agree on, that the faithless will not suffer
This verse should not mislead one into think- eternal damnation, is only an unveiling of
ing that it points specifically toward the the Shaykh [Ibn Arabi]. There is a high pos-
breaking of promises. Maybe God has men- sibility that an unveiling is erroneous. So
tioned only the breaking of promises because that unveiling should not even be counted.
what He means here includes both helping This opinion of his also contradicts the con-
sensus of opinion of the Muslims [as all Mus-
55 The Koranic word khawf is usually translated as ”fear”
lim ulama have a consensus of opinion on the
but I believe that the word that is more accurate in this con-
text, is ”veneration, awe, reverence or adoration” the respect
proposition that the truly faithless will suf-
mixed with fear that one experiences before a mighty and ma- fer eternal damnation.] [A 122.3-123.2; FR
jestic power like God. 82.16-84.1]
82 Creed
Ibn Arabi claimed that all the “people of the heart,” God has elected a few among them [the an-
i.e., the sufis who have attained knowledge from God gels] for Messengerhood, just like He has
from an inner realization, agree that the faithless will ennobled a few humans with this felicity
not suffer eternal damnation. The Mujaddid points as well. As the Koran says, Allah chooses
out that even if that were true, that the entire “spir- His Messengers from the angels and hu-
itual [community]” agree on that, that knowledge mans(Koran 22:75).
is not the incontrovertibly true knowledge that the The Mujaddid affirms that the human prophets are
prophets receive, instead it is only an unveiling- de- ranked higher than even the elect angels who are not
rived knowledge that is prone to error. On the other prophets.
hand, the ulama say the truly faithless will indeed
suffer eternal damnation. And the ulama derive their Most of the ulama among the “people of
knowledge from the prophetic revelation that is in- truth” hold that the elect among humans
deed incontrovertibly true knowledge Therefore, one are superior to the elect among the an-
should disregard what Ibn Arabi said and instead be- gels. Imam Ghazzali, Imam of the Two Holy
lieve what the ulama said which is that the truly Cities, 56 and [Ibn Arabi], the author of the
faithless will suffer eternal damnation. Meccan Revelations - they both proposed the
superiority of the elect angels over the elect
humans. What appears to me is that the
4.34 Angels friendship that the angels possess is supe-
rior to the friendship that the humans pos-
The Mujaddid discusses the angels and says, sess [i.e., the elect angels are closer to God
Angels are servants of God who are pre- than the elect human beings]. Nevertheless,
served from sins and protected from errors prophethood and messengerhood are on an
and forgetfulness. As the Koran says, They [exalted] rank that the angels may not reach.
do not rebel against the commands of Al- That rank arises from the element of earth
lah and they do what has been commanded that is in the lot of humans only. 57
to them (Koran 66:6). They are pure from The Mujaddid affirms that the prophet is far more
[the blemish that is the need of] eating and exalted in his rank than the friends of Allah, and this
drinking [which is the characteristic of the is in agreement with the opinion of the majority of the
creatures of the lower corporeal realm]. And ulama. Here he contradicts Ibn Arabi who says that
they are unattached and exonerated from a the friend, wali is nearer to God than the prophet in
conjugal relationship [that is another char- his prophetic dimension. (Remember! A prophet is
acteristic of those lower beings]. a wali too!) It is because the focus of the prophet
is toward the people while the focus of the friend is
Angels are neither male nor female. So why did God
toward God58
use the masculine gender for them in the Koran? The
Mujaddid explains that question here. It has also been made manifest to me that
the perfection of friendship has no compari-
God uses masculine personal pronouns for
son to the perfection of prophethood. Alas!
them in the Sagacious Koran (al-Quran al-
This relationship is like the relationship of a
Hakim) because of the nobility of the male
drop of water to the ocean. Therefore, the
over the female. It is in line with God’s using
the masculine pronoun to refer to Himself. 56 Imam of the Two Holy Cities (Imam al-Haramayn): ‘Abd
Therefore, that should not be construed to mean that al-Malik ibn Abdullah Juwaini (d. 478 / 1085-86
57 The Mujaddid writes more about the superiority of elect
the angels are male.
man over the angels in The Mabda’ va Ma‘ad, Minha i.e., chap-
The Mujaddid believes that angels can be prophets ter 23
as well. 58 Mabda’ va Ma‘ad, Minha i.e., chapter 57
4.35. ULAMA IS “MORE” CORRECT 83
adornment that comes from prophethood is that which has been taken from the level of
far superior to the adornment that comes friendship. I have included the verification
from friendship. So, absolute superiority be- of some of this science in the maktub that I
longs to the prophets. Angels [who are not have written to my rightly guided son on the
prophets themselves] are superior to the [hu- tariqa. 59 If you are not clear, you may re-
man] prophets only in certain aspects. What fer there [to that maktub]. [A 1.266, 123.16-
the majority of the ulama has said is indeed 124.6]
correct. Praise is to Allah who has kept me
with them! It is clear from this verification
that no friend may reach the rank of any 4.36 Faith and Holding Enmity
prophet. On the contrary, the head of that
friend will always remain below the feet of The Mujaddid defines faith as attesting to all the
the prophet. [A 1.266, 123.2- 16] required doctrines of Islam. Faith refers to the “at-
testation by the heart” of all the required and well-
known matters of the religion that has reached us.
4.35 Ulama is “More” Correct Verbal attestation is also a pillar of the faith but
sometimes that may be omitted [under extenuating
The Mujaddid finds the ulama to be more “correct” circumstances, e.g., where it is dangerous to admit
in their interpretation of religion than the sufis. it].
You should know that in all the matters Faith is the attesting by heart in all [the ar-
where the ulama and the sufis differ, when I ticles of the faith that are] required and well
observe it well then I find truth to lie with accepted. It is said that verbal attestation
the ulama. is also a pillar of the faith that [sometimes]
And this is because the ulama follow the prophets may be omitted.
in their quest for the truth- they arrive at the truth While the Mujaddid encourages us to harbor enmity
by extracting information from the level of prophet- toward faithlessness, this must be interpreted in the
hood, i.e., from divine revelation that is preserved light of his times. At that time, ideas that compro-
from error. On the other hand, the sufis attain their mised the purity of Islam were prevalent; indeed, as
information from the level of friendship, i.e., from the a result, Islam in India faced an existential threat.
unveilings and witnessings of the friends, and this is The Emperors Akbar and Jahangir synthesized the
prone to error. Therefore, the information that the principles and the practices of Islam with other re-
prophets attain through divine revelation, wahi, is ligions like Hinduism and Jainism and arrived at a
far more correct than the information that the sufis corrupted version of Islam, which is not really Islam
attain through unveiling and inspiration, kashf va il- at all. The Mujaddid stresses that there is no join-
ham. The ulama obtain their information by employing the truth with the untruth. And we should hold
ing reason to that divine revelation and as a corollary, enmity against all beliefs that go against Islam.
their information is also more correct than sufi inspi-
A signpost of this attestation is to proclaim
rations.
distance (tabarri ) from faithlessness; and to
Its mystery is that the gaze of the ulama, detest lack of faith and all the characteris-
as they follow the prophets (salam), pene- tic and necessary things of faithlessness, e.g.,
trates the perfection of prophethood and its tying religious belts to mark one as an ad-
science. On the other hand, the gaze of the herent to a different religion, etc. May Allah
sufis is focused on the perfections of friend- (SWT) save us [from doing that!]. If some-
ship and its science. Therefore, necessarily, one claims this attestation [of faith] but still
the science that is taken from the niche of
prophethood is more correct and truer than 59 Maktub 1.260 written to Khwaja Muhammad Sadiq.
84 Creed
does not distance himself from faithlessness, the “enmity to their enemies,” not the “un-
then he believes in two religions and so he is bounded enmity to everyone else” [except
branded with the burning nametag of apos- the Prophet’s family].
tasy. No intelligent person with a sense of jus-
Truly, the ruling on him is the ruling of a tice would ever allow that the companions
hypocrite. He is neither with this group, nor of the Prophet (salam) would hold enmity
is he with that group (Koran 4:143) . There- against the family of the Prophet. Instead,
fore, in order to realize true faith, there is no these great men spent their properties and
alternative to distancing oneself from faith- even themselves for the love of the Prophet;
lessness. The lowest form of that distance is and sacrificed their exalted rank and leader-
distance by the heart. The highest form of ship. So how can one relate enmity of the
that distance is distance by both the heart Prophet’s family to them? How it is pos-
and the body (qalib.) Here distancing one sible when definitive plain texts (the Koran
means holding enmity (dushmani ) against and the hadith literature) establish the love
the enemies of the Haqq. That should be of the near ones to that great man; and have
done with the heart only if there is an ap- made their love [love of the companions] as
prehension that they would harm us. Oth- the wage [from us] of their invitation [of us]
erwise, that should be done with both the toward God.
heart and the mold when there is no such As Allah has said, Say: I do not seek any-
apprehension. thing from you as its wage except support
The Koran says, Prophet! Struggle with the for my near ones. [I do not seek anything
faithless and the hypocrites and treat them from you, the members of the Muhammadan
harshly (Koran 9:73). For love for God and community, except support for my family-
love for the Prophet does not materialize members, as the wage of the prophetic invi-
without holding enmity against their ene- tation]. We will increase the rewards for him
mies. who will practice good deeds (Koran 42:23).
Nearness is not possible Therefore, instead of holding enmity against the no-
Without “enmity” [A 1.266, 124.6- ble companions, you may hold enmity against the en-
11] emies of God! The Mujaddid comments elsewhere60
that while the Shias are always calumniating against
4.37 Shias Wrongly Defame the the companions (who served the prophet) they never
vilify his enemies, such as Abu Jahl (who was the
Companions principal enemy of the Prophet).
The Mujaddid demonstrates that it is wrong to hold Now the Mujaddid brings the example of the
enmity against the companions. Prophet Abraham. He became a friend Allah by his
enmity to the enemies of Allah. The Mujaddid in-
Here it is true that the Shias apply this
terprets the saying “Being a friend is not possible
saying [that “being a friend is not possi-
without holding enmity” to mean that that enmity is
ble without holding enmity”] to the friend-
toward the enemies of Allah, not toward those who
ship with the Prophet’s family. They hold
the Shias detest the first three caliphs and the com-
that a pre-condition of that friendship is en-
panions in general.
mity to the [first] three caliphs [Hazrat Abu
Bakr, Hazrat Umar, and Hazrat Uthman] Prophet Abraham, the friend of the All-
and the other companions [who are outside Merciful (salam), has attained such great-
the Prophet’s family]. That interpretation ness that he has become the trunk of the
is not really correct, as the pre-condition is 60 Maktubat-i Imam-i Rabbani
4.38. GOD’S ENMITY WITH FAITHLESSNESS: “PERSONAL” 85
tree of the prophets by [virtue of] his enmity 4.39 Faithless Will Not Receive
to His enemies. It is for this reason that Al- Mercy
lah said, Verily for you there is a beautiful
model [example] in Abraham and those who The Mujaddid confirms the mainstream Sunni creed
are with him. They told their people “Ver- and establishes that the truly faithless will not receive
ily we are enemies to you and those who you divine mercy in the last world; they will suffer eternal
worship in lieu of Allah. We reject you. An damnation. This is because God’s enmity with the
everlasting enmity and a wrathful relation- polytheists is “personal,” while His enmity with the
ship has begun between you and us until you faithful sinners is “attributive.”
bring faith in one Allah” (Koran 60:4). I see You should know that since it is established
no other practice as good as this enmity [to that God’s enmity with the faithless and
the enemies of God] to realize the satisfac- faithlessness is “personal,” His merciful at-
tion of God. [A 1.266, 124.11-125.4] tributes would not nullify His “personal” en-
mity in the last world. For what relates to
the person is mightier and higher than what
relates to the attributes. So that what is es-
4.38 God’s Enmity with tablished by the attributes may not replace
what is established by the person (dhat.)
Faithlessness: “Personal”
In a hadith report in which God speaks in
the first person, ”My Mercy precedes My
The Mujaddid explains why the faithless will suffer Wrath.” 61 refers to attributive wrath that
eternal damnation in the last world; it is because His is the lot of the sinful faithful, not the “per-
enmity with faithlessness is personal (i.e., related to sonal” wrath that is the lot of the polythe-
His person) while his displeasure with the evil deeds ists.
is related to His Attributes.
Now the Mujaddid verifies how the faithless receive
I find that the Haqq (SWT) has a personal divine mercy in this world while God is “personally”
(dhati ) enmity with the faithless and faith- angry with them. He establishes by the Koran that
lessness. And the external (afaqi ) idols, e.g., that mercy is really only a mercy in appearance but
Lat or Uzzah [and other pagan deities] and actually divine wrath.
their worshippers are the “personal” enemies Question: In your above verification, the
of the Haqq (SWT). Eternal hellfire is the faithless do receive divine mercy in this
recompense for this abominable act. On the world. So how can the attribute of mercy
other hand, the human caprices that are the negate “personal” enmity in this world?
internal (anfusi ) idols of the instigating soul; Answer: The mercy that the faithless re-
and all other bad deeds are not like that. For ceive in this world is merely in appearance
God’s enmity and wrathfulness with them is or outward form. Actually, they are divine
not “personal” wrath. Instead, the wrath plans that take them step-by-step to ruin.
[that God has with them] relates to [His] at- As Allah has said, Do they calculate that the
tributes. If there is a punishment or rebuke, respite that We are giving them with property
then it is [imposed as a recompense] for their and children is helping them by taking them
actions. That is why eternal damnation is to good? Nay! For they do not understand!
not the recompense for such sinful acts. In- (Koran 23:55–56). It also says in the Koran,
stead, He may forgive them [even without We will take them step by step [to ruin] in
any punishment at all] if He so desires. [A
1.266, 125.4-9; FR 87.2-10] 61 hadith: sabaqat rahmata adhabi [Bukhari, Muslim]
86 Creed
a manner that they would not understand. who have brought faith.” Now according to the exe-
Verily My scheme is strong (Koran 7:182– gesis of this eminent scholar, Allah and the Prophet
183), and that establishes that meaning as Muhammad (salam) appear to be more generous in
well. So understand! [A 1.266, 125.9-19; FR expanding the definition of “the faithful” than many
87.10-88.2] “tribal” Muslims.63
Now the critical question is, who is truly faithless?
Is anyone who does not have a “tribal” affiliation 4.40 All the Faithful Will Be Saved
with Islam faithless? Let us look in the Mazhar-
ian Exegesis, Tafsir al-Mazhari , written by the em- Here the Mujaddid establishes that everyone who
inent nineteenth-century Hanafi scholar and Mujad- possesses even a grain of faith, even if they have com-
didi sufi shaykh Qazi Sanaullah Panipathi. Hazrat mitted grave sins and have been sent to hell, will be
Qazi Sanaullah is a highly acclaimed scholar who finally forgiven and allowed to enter paradise.
is greatly respected in Turkey, the Indian subconti- Question: Eternal damnation in hell is the
nent, and many other countries that follow the Hanafi recompense for lack of faith. However, what
school. He named this exegesis after his sufi shaykh about that faithful person who observes the
Mirza Mazhar Jan-i Janan Shahid who is found in rites of the faithless and glorifies their cus-
almost all Mujaddidi-Naqshbandi silsilas. He named toms? The ulama rule him to be an un-
this exegesis after his shaykh because it was his faithful person and include him among the
shaykh’s spiritual nurturing that enabled him to re- apostates. Most of the Muslims in India are
alize true knowledge. The great scholar says in in- afflicted with this calamity. So by the ju-
terpreting the verse, Verily there are many among ridical proclamation of the ulama (fatwa),
the People of the Book who have brought faith in Al- they should be afflicted with endless punish-
lah and what We have revealed unto you and what ment in the last world. On the other hand, it
We have revealed unto them, in the spirit of vener- comes in sound hadith reports that if some-
ation of Allah; and do not sell Allah’s verses at a one possesses even a grain of faith in his
meager price. For them, there is a great bounty as heart then he will be taken out of hell and
their wage with their Lord (Koran 3:199). Explain- will not suffer everlasting punishment. What
ing this verse, Qazi Sanaullah Panipathi writes that it is your verification of this matter?
was revealed on the occasion of the death of Negus, The Mujaddid clarifies that while those who are un-
the King of Ethiopia [who believed in the Prophet faithful to their cores will suffer eternal damnation;
Muhammad being a messenger from Allah, i.e., Is- those who possess even a particle of faith (even after
lam, but still followed his Christian practices]. The practicing other religions) will be finally forgiven and
Prophet prayed the janazah prayer for him in Med- granted paradise.
inah. Upon seeing this, the hypocrites started to
ridicule, “Look! Muhammad is now praying for a Answer: If he is “completely unfaithful”
Christian!” 62 The exegete explains, “All the Peo- (kafir-i mahd ), then everlasting punishment
ple of the Book are not faithless. There are many is indeed his lot. (May Allah (SWT) save
among them who have faith. They possess the cor- us from that grave predicament!) However,
rect conception of the person and the attributes of if he has even a grain of faith left [even] af-
Allah. They have faith in the Koran, and in the previ- ter taking up the customs of the faithless, he
ously revealed heavenly books: the Torah, the Psalms will [still] be taken out of hell [after a lim-
of David, and the Gospels. Before Allah, there is a ited time of chastisement]. By the blessing of
great prize for those among the People of the Book 63 Qadi Sanaullah Panipathi, Tafsir al-Mazhari, I referred
to the Bengali translation, Kayi Chanaullaha Panipathi, Taph-

62 The Bengali text of the Tafsir al-Mazhari says ”Jew” but sire Mayhari, (Dhaka: Hakimabada Khankaye Mojaddediya)
that is clearly an error p. 199
4.40. ALL THE FAITHFUL WILL BE SAVED 87
that grain of faith, there is hope that he will bor the hope that by the blessing of that
be delivered from eternal damnation. And [grain of] faith they would finally be saved
he will be saved from permanent imprison- from eternal damnation.
ment [in hell]. There is no forgiveness for the faithless people. If he
The Mujaddid verifies that only the punishment of were a faithless person in his core, eternal damnation
hellfire may wipe out the sin of faithlessness. That would be his lot. If he has even a grain of faith in
means that a person who has committed a sin of faith- him, he will suffer only a temporary punishment in
lessness and died before repenting, will have to face hell. However, in any case, the faithless people will
punishment in hell for a finite amount of time to ex- indeed be punished.
piate for his sin of faithlessness, though he will still So now we know that there is no forgiveness
be taken out hell after some time unless he is com- or relief for the unfaithful. Verily Allah will
pletely and totally faithless without even a particle not forgive the polytheists (Koran 4:48). If
of faith in him. he is totally unfaithful, endless punishment
Once I was visiting a sick man who was on is the recompense for his lack of faith. On
the verge of death. When I became aware the other hand, if he has even a grain of faith
of his “state,” I saw that his heart is very then a temporary punishment in hell will be
dark. Although I gave him a face-turning to his recompense. For the rest of the major
remove that darkness, it failed to do that. sins, Allah may forgive or He may punish,
After giving him a lot of face-turnings, I as He chooses. I believe that punishment in
realized that that darkness arises from his hell- be it temporary or eternal is the lot of
hidden quality of lack of faith. The ori- lack of faith [“itself”] and the “attributes” of
gin of that turbidity is his friendship with lack of faith. Its verification will come soon
the faithless and faithlessness. Numerous [in the question and answer section below the
face-turnings could not remove that dark- next paragraph].
ness. For only the punishment of fire that A truly faithful person, even if he has committed ma-
is the recompense of lack of faith may purify jor sins, will never suffer punishment in hell.
the heart from that darkness. I also realized Allah may forgive the major sinners [of those
that if that person has even a grain of faith, who possess faith] if they repent. Or He may
then by its blessing he would finally be taken forgive [them] through [someone else’s] in-
out of hell. tercession. Or He may forgive by His own
You should pray the funeral prayer, janazah, for even forgiveness and grace. Or He may forgive
nominal Muslims, i.e., Muslims who profess faith but [them after they suffer] worldly pain and or-
still observe the rites of the faithless peoples. deals. Or He may forgive [them after] the
When I witnessed such a state [of merely hardships and agony of death.
nominal faith] in him, I seriously questioned For the rest, I hope that He would deem their
whether or not I should pray his janazah [fu- punishment in the grave as sufficient punish-
neral prayer]. After I had concentrated on ment. Or in addition to that punishment,
this matter, it appeared that I should indeed He would complete their punishment by the
pray his janazah. Therefore, you should pray [painful] circumstances of the Day of Resur-
the janazah for even such a Muslim who pos- rection and the sufferings of that day. Thus
sesses faith but still observes the rites of the He will not leave any sin that would need the
faithless and glorifies their holy days. They punishment of hell [to expiate it].
should not be left as disbelievers [for the dis- Its proof is the word of Allah, Those who
belivers to perform their customs on them]- have brought faith and have not clothed their
as the people do these days. One should har- faith by transgression (zulm) they are the
88 Creed
ones for whom there is security. (Koran ment of hell has been decreed, are not de-
6:83) Here transgression means ascribing a void of the taint of the attribute of faithless-
partner to Allah. Allah (SWT) is most ness. Examples of such sins are to belittle
knowledgable on the realities of things, all that sin, to lack compunction having done
of them. that sin, or to hold the rules and regulations
My sufi shaykh explained that the sins for which even of the sharia in contempt.
a person of faith would suffer hellfire (e.g., murder, The Prophet has promised salvation for all his true
theft, etc.) are not the sin of faithlessness; they are followers- they will all directly go to paradise. That
still close to the sin of faithlessness.64 establishes the verification of the Mujaddid that all
Now the Mujaddid verifies his previously men- the truly faithful will go to paradise without any pun-
tioned proposition that “punishment in hell- be it ishment in hellfire.
temporary or eternal- is the lot of those who lack The Prophet says in a hadith report, “I shall
faith [‘itself’] and the ‘attributes’ of the lack of faith.” intercede for the major sinners of my com-
While a sinful faithful person may still suffer in hell- munity.” 66 He says in another place, “My
fire, the Mujaddid establishes that the sins that he community is the community that has been
commits must possess the attributes of the lack of shown mercy. There is no punishment for
faith. them in the last world” 67 and others. The
Question: What if someone mentions that following Koranic verse clarifies this mean-
punishment in hell comes as the compensa- ing, Those who have brought faith and have
tion for many other sinful acts in addition not polluted their faith by transgression, they
to the act of lacking faith? For example, are the ones for whom there is security (Ko-
the Almighty has said, Whosoever murders ran 6:83).
a faithful person intentionally, he will be in Now the Mujaddid comments on the case of polythe-
the Gehenna65 (Koran 4:93). It comes in the ists who lacked the mental competence or who have
hadith literature that whosoever prays an not been warned through a prophet. God is just and
obligatory prayer late without an excuse will He cannot be expected to punish people who lacked
suffer punishment in hell for one era. There- the mental competence, e.g., the children of polythe-
fore [it is established that] the punishment in ists or insane polytheists. God has also promised in
hell is not the outcome for only the people the Koran, I will not punish anyone until I have dis-
without faith. [Therefore, how can you claim patched a Messenger [to warn him] (Koran 17:15).
what you claimed a few paragraphs before, Therefore, additionally, He cannot be expected to
that the punishment in hell- be it temporary punish people who have not been warned through
or eternal- is the lot of those who lack faith a prophet. So He may not punish the polytheists
“itself” and the “attributes” of that lack of who lived in the mountains or other inaccessible areas
faith.] away from people and the message of the prophets, or
Answer: My answer is that “he who mur- the polytheists who lived in an era without a prophet,
ders intentionally” refers to that murderer and so have not been warned through a prophet, and
who believes that murder is lawful. And the other such groups.
Koranic exegetes have explained that he who The situation of the children of the polythe-
considers murder to be lawful is a faithless ists, the [polytheists] who live in mountain-
person. Those sins, for which the punish- tops [or in other inaccessible areas away from
64 sufi Shaykh Muhammad Mamunur Rashid, in a discussion 66 hadith: shafa‘ati lahil al-kaba’ir min ummati [Tirmidhi,
with the author sometime around 1998 in his khanqa in Dhaka, Abu Dawud]
Bangladesh 67 hadith: ummati ummata marhuma, la adhaba laha fi’l
65 Gehenna, also written jahannam is one of the seven hells akhirati [Ibn Najjar, Abdullah ibn Darar]
4.41. INCREASE OR DECREASE OF FAITH 89
people and the message of the prophets] and Some people may call this “brightness” to be “more”
the polytheists who lived in an era without in faith, and vice versa.
a prophet [and so haven not been warned Some call a bright and illuminated certitude
through a prophet]- I have demonstrated “more” compared to a certitude that lacks
them clearly in the maktub that I have writ- brightness and illumination. Some others do
ten to my son Muhammad Said.68 So you not even consider a certitude lacking bright-
may study it there. [A 1.266, 125.19-127.12; ness to be certitude at all; they consider only
FR 88.2-90.12] a bright certitude to be certitude and a certi-
In that maktub, the Mujaddid proposes that on the tude lacking brightness as imperfect. Some
Day of the Mustering (qiyamat), those two groups of others have sharp gazes and they see that
people would be meted out their rewards and punish- this increase or decrease refers to the “at-
ment and then destroyed, just as it would be in the tribute” of the certitude, not to the certitude
case of animals. itself. Necessarily, they say that certitude it-
self may not be “more” or imperfect.
Now the Mujaddid shows through an analogy that
4.41 Increase or Decrease of Faith those people are more accurate who say that faith
The Mujaddid discusses both Imam Shafi‘i and Imam may vary only in the brightness, not in the amount
Abu Hanifa’s positions on the question of whether An analogy for this is two comparable mir-
faith may remain the same or may vary for a faithful rors that differ in brightness and illumina-
person. He makes an analysis and argues in support tion. And someone observes the brighter
of Imam Abu Hanifa’s position that faith remains the mirror that reflects better and says, “This
same amount. mirror is ‘more’ than the mirror that is less
bright and reflects less.” Someone else says,
The ulama diverge on [the question of]
“Both the mirrors are equal; neither one is
whether or not faith can increase or decrease
more or less than the other. Their difference
in amount. The Great Imam [Abu Han-
in brightness and reflectivity refers to the
ifa] the Kufi (dwad) has stated, “Faith nei-
‘attributes’ of those two mirrors.” There-
ther increases nor decreases.” On the othet
fore the vision of the second person is correct
hand, Imam Shafi‘i says, “It increases and
and pierces the reality of the matter. On the
decreases.”
other hand, the vision of the first person is
The Mujaddid agrees that faith may not increase or limited to the surface. It does not go from
decrease; what may do so is the “brightness” of that the attribute to the essence of the matter.
faith.
Allah raises the levels of those among
There is no doubt that faith is the expres- you who have brought faith and have been
sion of attestation or certitude by the heart awarded knowledge. (Koran 58:11).
and so an increase or decrease does not ap-
So the Mujaddid says that Imam Abu Hanifa was
ply there. For that which may increase or
right when he said that faith neither increases nor
decrease is within the realm of uncertainty.
decreases.
In short, doing wholesome deeds brightens
that certitude and doing unwholesome deeds There are people who oppose Imam Abu
makes that certitude turbid. Therefore, an Hanifa’s opinion that faith does not increase
increase or decrease in faith refers to the or decrease. However, I have demolished
“brightness” of that certitude, not that cer- their arguments by that what I have revealed
titude itself. in this verification. Faith of the common
faithful (that changes phases) [and so is less
68 Maktub 1.259 than perfect faith] cannot be compared to
90 Creed
Imam Abu Hanifa Imam Shafi‘i

Faith is an all or nothing thing; Faith itself may either
though its brightness may increase or decrease
increase or decrease
Table 4.15: Faith: Increase or Decrease
the faith of the prophets (salam) [whose faith By the term “attestation of the faith,” some
is the perfect faith]. mean attestation as used in the terminology
The Mujaddid clarifies that “more” faith means of the science of logic. That “attestation”
“brighter” faith. includes both surmise and certitude. By this
The faith of the prophets that is perfectly interpretation, faith may indeed increase or
bright and illuminated is far more fruitful decrease. However, the truth is that what
and productive that the faith of the com- is meant by the term “attestation” here is
mon faithful that is dark and turbid. They certitude and obedience of the heart, not its
differ in their levels and so on. The faith general (‘am) meaning that includes surmise
of Abu Bakr (dwad) weighs more than the (zann) with it.
faith of all the Muslims added together.69 Now the Mujaddid reconciles two seemingly contra-
Here the word “more” should be interpreted dictory statements of Imam Abu Hanifa and Imam
in terms of its brightness and illumination. Shafi‘i.
And that increase should be relegated to its The Great Imam [Abu Hanifa] the Kufi has
[the faith’s] perfect attributes. said, “I am truly a person of faith.” On the
Now the Mujaddid explains the “increase or decrease other hand, Imam Shafi‘i has said, “Allah
in faith” with a paradigm from the humanness of the willing, I am a person of faith.” Actu-
prophets. ally, they differ only in manner of speech.
Please note that prophets are equal to the The first school considers the “faith of the
common people in terms of their humanness. [present] state.” The second school considers
Both in terms of their outer bodies [that are [the state on] the return [of the soul to God
human] and inner essences [that are human on death], which is at the end of all deeds.
as well], both the classes are the same. How- However, it is better to exclude doubt [i.e.,
ever, the prophets are ranked higher in ex- the expression “Allah willing”] here. It is not
cellence in terms of their perfect attributes. hidden from the just! [A 1.266, 127.12-129.3;
He who does not possess those perfect at- FR 90.12-92.8]
tributes is out of that class. And he is devoid
of the unique perfections and excellences of
that class. Even with this difference, there
4.42 Greatness of Imam Abu Hanifa
is neither an increase nor a decrease in their It may be noted that the Great Mujaddid held the
humanness. So none may say that they in- Great Imam in the highest respect. He writes in
crease or decrease in their humanness. Allah his monograph Mabda’ va Ma‘ad on the greatness
(SWT) inspires what is correct! of Imam Abu Hanifa:
Some interpret the term “attestation of the faith” by
How can I write about the lofty stature of
the meaning that is commonly used in logic but the
Imam Abu Hanifa! (dwad) He was the great-
Mujaddid disagrees.
est of these great ones! The Supreme Imam
69 well-known hadith (imam al-‘azam)! The leader of the perfect
4.42. GREATNESS OF IMAM ABU HANIFA 91
ones! Be it in knowledge, be it in abstinence That there have been many friends of

(wara’ ) or be it in Godwariness, (taqwa) he God in my school
was greater than all the mujatahid imams, After that, I stopped reciting Sura Fatiha
70
more than Shafi‘i, or Malik or Ahmad ibn behind the Imam.” [Mabda 28, 49.8-50]
Hanbal.
The Mujaddid discusses his insight into the impor-
Imam Shafi‘i said, “The fuqaha, [the schol- tant matter in jurisprudence of reciting Sura Fatiha
ars of Islamic jurisprudence] all of them are behind an imam. The Hanafi school says that the
family members (‘iyal ) of Abu Hanifa who imam’s recitation of Sura Fatiha in the salat is suf-
depend on him for their living.” (alfuqaha’- ficient, so the followers should remain silent. Shafi‘i
u kulluhum ‘iyalu Abi Hanifa.) school as well as all the other schools say that the fol-
It is said that when Imam Shafi‘i used to lowers must also recite Sura Fatiha- they draw their
visit the mausoleum of Imam Abu Han- decision from a well-known hadith, “There is no salat
ifa, then he used to reject his own ijtihad without Sura Fatiha. La salata illa bi-fatihatu’l kitab.
[or interpretations in Islamic practice] and [Bukhari, Muslim]” The Mujaddid demonstrates that
stopped observing his own practice [that the decision of the Hanafi school is correct here.
contradicted the ijtihad of the Great Imam]. For a long time, I had been wishing so that I
And he used to say, ”It embarasses me that could find an acceptable reason in the Hanafi
in his presence I do anything that is con- school for reciting Sura Fatiha when pray-
trary to his decision.” [At that time] he used ing behind a imam. Because reciting the
to suspend both reciting Sura Fatiha when Koran when following the imam is obliga-
praying behind a imam and reciting the du‘a tory (fardh) at all times. So it does not
qunut in the fajr prayer. It was Shafi‘i who seem intelligent to reject real recitation (qi-
could properly appreciate his greatness. rat haqiqi ) and practice virtual recitation
When Hazrat Jesus (salam) will descend [to (qirat hukmi ). At the same time, it comes in
the earth] in the future, he will practice ac- the hadith, “There is no salat without Sura
cording to the school (madh-hab) of Abu Fatiha.” 71
Hanifa. Khwaja Muhammad Parsa (qaf) However, since I follow the Hanafi school,
wrote in the Fusul-i Sitta, ”This very honor I decided not to stop reciting Sura Fatiha.
(buzurgi ) is enough for him that one of the And I started to count it as a kind of disci-
great (‘ulu’l ‘azam) prophets will practice plined training and striving (riyadat va mu-
according to his school. A thousand other jahida). Because rejecting one school of
honors cannot be compared to this honor.” sharia in favor of another school is a type
Our Hazrat Khwaja [Baqibillah] (qaf) said: of rejection (ilhad ).
”For some time, I used to disagree with the At last, through the grace of following the
Imam [Abu Hanifa] and recite Sura Fatiha Hanafi school, the Haqq (SWT) revealed the
[when praying following an imam]. Finally, true meaning (haqiqat) of not reciting Sura
I saw the Great Imam in a dream one night. Fatiha behind an imam. And through my in-
I saw he came to me clothed in a resplendent sight (nazar-i basirat), I learned that virtual
robe and recited a qasida, recitation is better than real recitation. Be-
cause the imam and the followers, they both
This signification is sufficient mutually agree (ittifaq) to stand together as
70 mujatahid imams refers to the four leaders of fiqh, the supplicants (munajat) [in the salat]. As it is
science of Islamic jurisprudence i.e. Abu Hanifa, Shafi’i, Malik, said, For the worshipper in salat supplicates
Ahmad ibn Hanbal. They founded four eponymous schools of
law 71 hadith: la salata illa bi-fatihati’l kitab [Bukhari, Muslim]
92 Creed
to his Lord. [lianna al-musalliya yunaji rab- i fiqhi ), the Hanafi school is right. Only in a
bahu]. few matters, the Shafi‘is are right. [Mabda
In salat, [the followers] make the imam their 28, 47-8]
spokesman. So whatever speech the imam
recites during the salat, he recites it on
behalf of the group. It is like when a
4.43 Miracles
group of people appears before a magnan- The Mujaddid establishes the “miracle of the
imous king to fulfill a need of theirs and prophets” and “miracle of the friends.” The Mutazi-
elects a spokesman among themselves so las and a few other misguided sects deny them.
that he can request it on behalf of every-
The karamats or “miracles of the friends of
one there. In such a setting, if someone
Allah” are true. So many instances of the
else also talks while the spokesman is talk-
“breaking of habit” 72 have taken place by
ing, that would be considered poor manners
the friends that they have become a regu-
and that could displease the king. There-
lar habit of theirs. Denying it would be like
fore, the virtual speech (takallam-i hukmi )
denying knowledge that is habitual and self-
of this group through the spokesman is bet-
evident (daruri ). 73
ter than real speech (takallam-i haqiqi ) of
those people [individually]. It is analogous The prophets are required to demonstrate to the peo-
to the situation when the group recites [the ple that they are prophets. Therefore, prophets must
Koran] (qirat) praying behind an imam — claim that they are indeed prophets. And they may
it [everyone reciting individually] would dis- show miracles to the people to prove that they have
turb the peace (shaghab), lack manners and God-given powers. These are parts of the prophetic
create disunity (tafriq). call. However, the friends (awliya) are commanded
to keep themselves hidden. And miracles are not at
Many of the matters on which the Hanafi all a requirement of friendship (walayat). The friends
and the Shafi‘i schools differ are of this type. preach as a representative (naib), of the prophet and
The Shafi‘i school takes into account the their miracles or karamats only prove that they sin-
matter’s outer and formal aspect (zahir va cerely follow their prophet.
surat) but the Hanafi school takes into ac-
[However, while the] “miracles of the
count its inner essential (batin va haqiqat)
prophets” (mu‘jiza) are an integral part
aspect.
(maqrun) of the invitation of the prophets,
It was revealed to me that in the diver- the miracles of the friends are not so. In-
gences of opinions in kalam, the truth is stead, those [miracles of the friends] prove
on the Hanafi side. For example, they rec- (maqrun) that [those friends] acknowledge
ognize God’s [attribute of] engenderingness and follow the authority of their prophet. So
(takwin) as a real attribute (sifat-i haqiqi ) you should not suspect that those two, the
while apparently it seems that engendering- “miracles of the prophets” and the “mira-
ness [is not a real attribute; instead it] is cles of the friends,” are false- as the deniers
the result of the attributes of power and will [materialists who deny supernatural events
(qudrat va irada). However, we learn via like mu’jiza and karamat, e.g., the Mutazila]
fine consideration and the light of perspi- maintain. [A 1.266, 129.3-6]
cacity (daqt-i nazar va nur-i firasat) that
72 The breaking of habits (khawariq al-‘adah) is an Ibn
engenderingness is a distinct and separate
Arabi term that means miracles; see SPK, p. 99
(‘alihadeh) attribute. Other matters may be 73 In this context, daruri means ”self-evident.” The scholar
solved through this analogy. In most of the R. J. McCarthy has done the same in a similar context. See
matters where the jurists diverge (khilafiyat- McCarthy, Al-Ghazali’s Path to Sufism, p. 87n31
4.44. WELL-INSTRUCTED CALIPHS: SUPERIORITIES 93
4.44 Well-instructed Caliphs: Imam Bukhari confirms by a narration from Hazrat

Superiorities Ali.
Imam Bukhari narrates from Hazrat Ali,
The Mujaddid affirms the mainstream Sunni creed “Verily the most excellent man after the
that says that the order of superiority of the well- Prophet is Abu Bakr, next is Umar and the
instructed caliphs, i.e. Abu Bakr, Umar, Uth- rest are after them.” According to the nar-
man and Ali, is in accordance to the order of their ration, at that point Hazrat Ali’s son Hazrat
caliphates. Muhammad ibn Hanafiya had interjected,
The order of superiority among the well- “Next is you?” Hazrat Ali then replied
instructed 74 caliphs is in accordance to the [twice for emphasis,] “I am only an ordinary
order of their caliphates. Muslim! I am an ordinary Muslim!” 76
He first establishes the superiority of the Caliph Abu Imam Dhahabi also concurs by a narration from
Bakr and the Caliph Umar. Hazrat Ali.
The superiority of the Two Shaykhs [Hazrat Imam Dhahabi and others have narrated
Abu Bakr and Hazrat Umar] has been es- sound reports from Hazrat Ali, “Be fore-
tablished by the consensus of opinion of the warned! It has reached me that many peo-
companions and the followers. ple elevate me over the two [i.e., Hazrat Abu
Imam Ashari agrees to the superiority of the Two Bakr and Hazrat Umar]. And if someone
Shaykhs. does elevate me over them, he is a slanderer
Many of the great imams have transmitted (muftar ). [I will punish] him the same way
it as well. One of them is Imam Shafi‘i. The as [I would punish] a slanderer.
great Imam Abul Hasan Ashari said, “Verily Imam Darriqtani narrates another saying from
to recognize the superior qualities (tafdil ) of Hazrat Ali.
Abu Bakr followed by Umar over the rest of It has been narrated in Darruqtani 77 from
the community is definitive.” Hazrat Ali, “Let me find no one who gives
Imam Dhahabi concurs to it. me superiority to Abu Bakr or Umar. Be
Imam Dhahabi 75 said, “Many people in- forewarned! I shall whip him just like a slan-
cluding numerous numbers of the Shias have derer.”
narrated from Ali that since the time when There has been so many such hadith reports from
he was the caliph and ruler, ‘Verily Abu Bakr Hazrat Ali that even many Shias agree on the supe-
and Umar are the most superior in the com- riority of the Two Shaykhs.
munity.”’ He [Imam Dhahabi] added that So many sayings like this are narrated from
more than eighty people have narrated it Hazrat Ali and from many other companions
from Ali. ”He [Hazrat Ali] had even named that there is no room for anyone to deny this.
many of them. Then he [Hazrat Ali] had It has even reached the point that a promi-
added, ‘May Allah punishes the dissenters, nent Shia named Abdur Razzaq78 says, “I
the rawafid, for they have shown ignorance!’” hold the Two Shaykhs as the best. For
74 well-instructed (rashidin): Rashidin is usually translated Ali has given them superiority over himself.
as ”rightly-guided.” However, I offer an alternative I trans-
late rushd as good-instruction and hidayat as good-guidance. 76 Imam Bukhari, Tarikh-i Bukhari, a ”less than sahih” ha-
Rushd means specific good instructions for doing worldly dith report collection by Imam Bukhari
deeds, whereas hidayat refers to a more ”spiritual” guidance 77 Imam Darruqtani, Sunan-i Darruqtani, a well-known
guidance of the spirit toward God book of hadith collection

75 Imam Dhahabi Imam ‘Abdullah Muhammad ibn Ahmad 78 Abdur Razzaq: A prominent Shia scholar quoted in the
Dhahabi classical book the Siwa‘iq

94 Creed
Else I would not have given them superior- In those circumstances, the great Imam ap-
ity. This sin is sufficient [to ruin] me—that plied the term “love” toward the Two Later
I love him but I act against him.” All these Ones. And he made friendship with them a
are taken from the book the Siwa‘iq. 79 signpost of the sunna. It is not that he had
Now the Mujaddid establishes the superiority of even a taint of hesitation [on the superior-
Hazrat Uthman over Hazrat Ali. ity of Hazrat Uthman]. How could he have
a hesitation? For the books of the Hanafite
Now what comes is the matter of superiority School are replete with the statement “the
of Hazrat Uthman versus Hazrat Ali. Most order of superiority of the caliphs is in ac-
of the ulama of the mainstream Sunni com- cordance of their order of succession.” In
munity hold the opinion that Hazrat Uth- short, the superiority of the Two Shaykhs is
man is next in excellence to the two shaykhs yaqini, certain. However, the superiority of
and then comes Hazrat Ali. The imams of Hazrat Uthman lacks that [certitude].
the four schools of jurisprudence are agreed The Mujaddid affirms that the Shias indeed possess
on this. Imam Malik was initially hesitant faith although they are deviants.
on granting superiority to Hazrat Uthman.
Therefore, it should be borne in mind that
However, Qadi ‘Ayyad 80 reports that Imam
people who deny the superiority of Hazrat
Malik later reversed himself in his position
Uthman (or deny the superiority of the Two
regarding the superiority of Hazrat Uthman.
Shaykhs additionally) should not be ruled
And Imam Qurtubi said, “This is true! Al-
faithless. However, we should consider them
lah willing!”
to be deviants who have fallen astray. For
The Mujaddid establishes that Imam Abu Hanifa also the ulama has differed in ruling them faith-
supported the superiority of Hazrat Uthman. He less. And there are strong reservations if
clarifies a statement of Abu Hanifa that can be inter- they are definitively unanimous in this [rul-
preted to deny that superiority. That statement may ing]. Such a denier is, in effect, no differ-
be misconstrued to mean that the Imam only believed ent than the worthless Yazid. However, they
that the two later ones only deserved love; they did [the ulama] have stopped short of cursing
not deserve to be considered superior. But the Mu- even him, out of caution [as Yazid may have
jaddid rationalizes that statement and demonstrates repented before dying].
that the Imam must have agreed to their superiority The Mujaddid demonstrates that defaming any of the
as well. companions is an abominable sin.
From the following statement, it seems that The pain that Hazrat Prophet feels on ac-
the great Imam Abu Hanifa was hesitant on count of the well-instructed caliphs is the
granting superiority to Hazrat Uthman. He same pain that he feels on account of the
said, “A signpost of being in the mainstream two imams. The Prophet said, “By Allah!
Sunni community is to grant superiority to By Allah! My companions! Do not mistreat
the Two Shaykhs and to love the Two Later them! Whosoever will love them, he will love
Ones.” In consideration, I believe that this them for his love for me. And whosoever
statement should be applied in a different will hold enmity to them, they will hold that
context. Many disputes and conflicts ap- enmity for his enmity toward me. Whoso-
peared during the reigns of the Two Later ever will hurt them, he will hurt me. And
Ones. And the hearts of men were turbid. whosoever will hurt me, will hurt Allah. And
whosoever hurts Allah, Allah will catch him
79 Shaykh Shihabuddin Ahmad ibn Hajjar, al-Sawa’iq al-
quickly.” 81 For Allah said, Verily whosoever
Muhriqa’ al-Radd ‘Ala Ahl al-Bida’
80 Qadi ‘Ayyad was an eminent scholar of hadith 81 Allah! Allah! Fi ashabi! La tattakhuzuhum ghardan min
4.44. WELL-INSTRUCTED CALIPHS: SUPERIORITIES 95
hurts Allah or his Prophet, Allah will curse amount of reward then there is scope for hes-
him in this world and in the next world. (Ko- itation.” This statement should be rejected
ran 33:57). because hesitation would be relevant only
The Mujaddid explains that while it is true that then when we could not have learned it from
Hazrat Ali has been praised the most in the hadith the author of the sharia [Prophet Muham-
literature, still he is not superior to his three prede- mad] directly or indirectly. If we have indeed
cessor caliphs. known it, why hesitate? And if we have not
In his Sharh-i ‘Aqa’id-i Nasafi , Mawlana known it, why rule toward superiority at all?
Saiduddin 82 talks about “justice” on this He who considers everyone as equal and the
[order of] superiority. However, what he con- excellence of one with respect to another as
siders justice is far from justice. And the meaningless talk is the one who talks mean-
manner in which he has overturned this [or- inglessly. He is indeed the one who talks
der of superiority] is fruitless. For it is de- meaninglessly who considers the consensus
cided by the ulama that the subject of su- of opinion of the “people of truth” as mean-
periority is the plentitude of rewards before ingless talk. Unless misunderstanding the
God. word fadl, excellence has taken him to such
It is not superiority with respect to praise fuduli or meaningless position.
for excellences or virtues that the rational
thinkers employ as the criterion [but not the Now the Mujaddid comments on what Ibn Arabi said
ulama]. Instead, it is so because the pious on this order of superiority.
predecessors and the followers have trans-
mitted far more praises for the excellences The author [Ibn Arabi] writes in the Futuhat-
and virtues for Hazrat Ali, the Commander i Makkiya, “The order of their caliphates
of the Faithful, than any other companion. is in accordance to the order of their l7ife-
It has even reached the point that Imam spans.” This saying of his does not point to-
Ahmad has said, “No companion has been ward them being equal because the matter
praised for his virtues as much as Ali.” Even of caliphate is one thing and the arguments
then, he himself still rules toward the supe- about superiority are another thing.
riority of the three caliphs.
Much of Ibn Arabi’s science is derived from false
Therefore, it is understood that the subject
unveilings or sufi ecstatic utterances. That portion
of superiority is something else beyond excel-
should be rejected.
lences and virtues. Only the witnesses of the
treasury of divine revelation [i.e., the com- Even if we agree that this does point toward
panions] have been able to realize it in form them being equal, even then this saying of
or in indication. They are the companions his as well the other similar sayings should be
of the Prophet. considered as ecstatic utterances (shathiyat).
The author of the Sharh-i ‘Aqa’id-i Nasafi And that should not be accepted. Much
said, “If the subject of superiority is the of his [Ibn Arabi’s] unveiling-derived science
(ma‘arif-i kashfi ) has strayed away from the
ba‘di. Fa-man ahabbahum, fa-bi-hubbi ahabbahum. Wa man
abghadahum, fa-bi-bughdi abghadahum. Wa man adhahum, science of the [mainstream] Sunni commu-
fa-qad adhani! Wa man adhani, fa-qad adhiLlah. Wa man nity; that is far from being correct. So none
adhiLlah, fa-yushaka an yakhuzuhu. [Tirmidhi] should follow that false [portion of the Ibn
82 Mawlana Sa‘ad al-Din, Sharh-i ‘Aqa’id-i Nasafi [Com-
mentary on the Creed of Nasafi] - it is a commentary on the

Arabi] science except a person sick in heart
original book written by Muhammad ibn Abu al-Fadl Burhan or a blind follower. [A 1.266, 129.6-131.18;
Nasafi (d. 791 / 1390) FR 92-95]
96 Creed
4.45 Companions: Disputes will hold that for his enmity to me.” 85
What it means is the love that relates to me
The Mujaddid confirms the mainstream Sunni creed; is the same love that relates to the compan-
he holds that we should love all the companions and ions and the enmity that relates to me is
hold malice toward none. The conflict that arose the same enmity that relates to the compan-
amongst them arose because of their error in their ions.”
ijtihad, “strivings for interpretations,” not because We have no friendship with them who fought
they were evil in heart. Therefore, their errors should with Hazrat Ali. Still, they are the compan-
be excused. ions of the Prophet and we have been com-
The disputes and conflicts that occurred manded to love them and forbidden to hurt
among the companions should be held with or hate them. So we have no choice but to
a purely good interpretation. They [those love them all for our love for the prophet
disputes] must be kept far from caprices and (salam). And [we have no choice but] to re-
chauvinism. Imam Taftazani had an exces- frain from hurting or hating them since that
sive love for Hazrat Ali but still he said, “The hurt and hate ultimately reaches that leader
disputes and fights did not take place on the [the Prophet Muhammad (salam)].
question of winning the caliphate. On the However, we call those who were right as
contrary, they occurred due to their errors those who were right and call those who were
in their ijtihad, interpretation.” wrong as those who were wrong. Hazrat Ali
It is written in the [Koranic exegesis] Hashia’ was on the right path and his opponents were
al-Khiyali, 83 “Verily [Hazrat] Muwawiya on the wrong path. To say any more is bab-
and the warring rebels were loyal. They bling. The verification of this discourse is in
recognized Hazrat Ali as the best person of detail in the maktub that I have written to
the time and the rightful candidate to be Khwaja Muhammad Ashraf.86 If you have
the Imam. But they had a reservation, as any question, please refer there.. [A 1.266,
he did not take retribution from the killers 131.18-132.15; FR 95-96]
of Hazrat Uthman. He quotes from Hazrat
Ali in the [exegesis] Hashiya’-i Qurra’-i Ka-
mal ;84 “Those who are fighting us are our
brothers. They are neither faithless nor cor-
rupt. For what they are doing is in accor-
dance to their interpretation (tawil ). There
is no doubt that errors in interpretation, ijti-
had, are beyond blame. And they are raised
above denunciation and condemnation.
You should remember all the companions
fondly, out of deference of the right of their
companionship to the best of men (salam).
You should love them for our love for the
Prophet. The Prophet said, “Whosoever will
love them, he will love them for his love of
me; and whosoever will hold enmity to them
85 hadith: man ahabbahum, fa-bi-hubbi ahabbahum. Wa
83 ‘Ali
ibn Musa al-Khiyali, Hashia’ al-Khiyali man abghadahum, fa-bi-bughdi abghadahum. [Tirmidhi]
84 Kamal al-Din Isma‘il, Hashiya’-i Qurra’-i Kamal 86 maktub 1.251
Part III
97
Chapter 5
Practice
5.1 Practice head should be done. You should take care

to wipe the ears and the neck well. While
The second necessary component of Islam is the prac- cleansing in between the toes, you should
tice of the sharia. So having rectified the sharia, prac- wash by the small finger of the left hand
ticing the practice would be the next step. starting from the small toe of the left foot.
After rectifying the creed, you should learn You should be careful to do it right.
the rules of the science of jurisprudence
You should not consider taking up musta-
(fiqh) [of the sharia]. One should not ne-
hab deeds insignificant. God likes mustahab
glect learning the science of jurisprudence,
deeds; practicing mustahab pleases Him. If
e.g., what is obligatory or fard, incumbent
you can learn of one single act that brings
or wajib, lawful or halal, unlawful or haram,
God’s satisfaction and love in exchange of
sunna, suspicious or mushtabah, reprehensi-
the entire world, capture that spoil of war!
ble or makruh, etc. It is also required that
This exchange can be compared to an ex-
you practice that which this science estab-
change in which someone buys some price-
lishes. You should determine which ones are
less jewels for a few pieces of broken earth-
the required practices from the books of ju-
enware! Or an exchange in which one loses
risprudence. A complete attempt to practice
his spirit for a cheap inanimate thing!
good deeds should be observed. Prayer is the
foundation of religion. Now I am recounting
a summary of its excellences and pillars. So
5.3 Prayer
listen!
The Mujaddid now explains how to perform a proper
5.2 Ablution prayer, which is the fundamental practice of Islam.
After a perfect purification and a complete
The Mujaddid explains how to make ablution prop- ablution, you should make the intention for
erly since ablution is the key to prayer. the prayer. Prayer is the heavenly ascen-
First, it is important to perform the ablu- sion or miraj for the faithful. You should
tion completely. It is required that you wash take care to perform the obligatory prayers
each limb three times completely and per- only in a congregation so that not even the
fectly, so that the method of the sunna is ob- first glorification or takbir with the imam is
served. While wiping off the head, the entire missed. You should pray in the mustahab
99
100 Practice
time. 1 And you should perform the pi- is nearer to the sky should be raised first.
ous deed of reciting the sunna amount of the Therefore, first raise your forehead!
[Koranic] Recitation. 2 You should “stitch” your gaze on the seat
You should remain motionless when you bow of prostration. While bowing, you should
or prostrate, for most narrations consider look toward your own feet. While prostrat-
it obligatory or incumbent. Stand straight ing, look at the tip of the nose. While sit-
while standing so that all the bones return to ting, you should look toward your two hands
their own places. It is necessary to become or your sides. When instead of being scat-
motionless for a few moments right after tered, the gaze will be focused and “stitched”
standing and you should practice that too. to the above-mentioned points, only then
It may be obligatory, incumbent or sunna- will the prayer be performed with concen-
there is a divergence in opinion here. Like- tration. And a prayer with humility will be
wise, you should stay motionless while sit- realized- which is what has been narrated by
ting between the two prostrations- as while the Prophet (salam).
standing. It is sunna to keep the fingers spread out
While bowing or prostrating, you should re- while bowing and to keep them together
peat the glorifications or tasbih three times while prostrating. Those [acts] have been
or at most up to seven times or eleven times- decreed to be pious deeds. Closing and open-
there is a divergence of opinion here too. The ing the fingers has a purpose. Observing its
imam should repeat the glorifications taking benefits, the Master of the Sharia [Prophet
into consideration the state of the followers. Muhammad] has instituted those practices.
I am ashamed when an able person praying I see no benefit equal to following the ‘master
alone repeats the least number of glorifica- of the sharia’ [Prophet Muhammad] (salam).
tions; if he can at all, he should repeat it five
or seven times. All these rules have been written in the
books of jurisprudence in detail and clearly.
While prostrating, [the bodily part] that is My intention behind mentioning them here
nearer to the ground should be laid on the is so that you long to practice these ac-
ground first. Therefore, lay the two knees cording to the science of jurisprudence. By
on the ground first. Next, lay down the two the grace of the Prince of the Messengers
hands. Next lay down the nose and then [Muhammad], may Allah (SWT) grant us
the forehead. While laying down the knees the opportunity to rectify our creed in the re-
and the hands, lay down the right limbs first. ligion, and you as well! And then to practice
While raising the head, the bodily part that wholesome deeds according to the science of
1 The Mujaddid wrote in the Maktubat that the early part the sharia! May the most bountiful saluta-
of the allotted time period of prayer should be held to be the tions and the most perfect peace offerings be
mustahab time except that the isha, night prayer, should be on him and all his progeny!
delayed in the winter months until one-third of the night has
passed. However, many ulama also suggest that during the If you long to learn the excellences of prayer
summer months, the dhuhr prayer should be delayed a little and find its perfections, then study the three
bit as well.
2 It is sunna to recite a long chapter (from the beginning
maktubs 3 dispatched in sequence one after
another. The first maktub has been written
of the Koran until Sura Buruj) in fajr, the morning prayer;
a medium-length chapter (from Sura Buruj until Sura Bayyi- to my son Muhammad Sadiq. The second
nah) for dhuhr, the noon prayer, ‘asr or late-afternoon prayer,
and isha’, the night prayer; and a short chapter (from Sura 3 maktub 1.260 (written to his son Muhammad Sadiq,),
Bayyinah until the end of the Koran) in maghrib, the sunset 1.262 (to his caliph or ordained deputy Mir Muhammad
prayer in the obligatory cycles, rak‘ats of the prayer. Nu’man) and 1.263 (to his caliph Shaykh Taj)
5.4. COMMENTS: PURPOSE OF SUFISM 101
maktub is for Mir Muhammad Nu’man and Satan tries his best to interrupt our prayers.
the third is for Shaykh Taj. [A 1.266, 132.15- He knows that if our prayer is purely pious,
134.8; FR 96-99.3] i.e., realizing the good-pleasure of God is the
sole objective of that prayer, then he will
Now why does the Mujaddid specifically mention
be unable to defeat the power from Allah
prayer (and ablution that is its prerequisite) in this
that we will gain through that properly per-
section, among so many other acts of worship? The
formed prayer. It is only when our Prayer,
first reason may be that the five-time- daily oblig-
the essence of all devotional acts, is done
atory prayer is the fundamental practice of Islam.
with a purely pious intention, that then we
However, even more important may be the reason
are able to abstain from all acts that Allah
that we must possess piety or ikhlas during our prayer
detests. Allah has stated, Verily prayer re-
if we want God to accept that prayer. Piety is criti-
strains from shameful and unjust acts(Koran
cal for prayer to be accepted; maybe that is why the
29:45). Allah accepts our prayer only when
Mujaddid is bundling these sections together.
the devotee purifies his body, clothes, and
mind. And his intention being only the sat-
isfaction of Allah, he performs all the pillars
5.4 Comments: Purpose of Sufism of the prayer properly. Allah is Pure. Only
the pure may succeed in worshiping Him.
The following writing by my sufi shaykh clarifies the
Not only the body; the mind of the devotee
purpose of the tariqa according to the Mujaddid. Su-
should be pure as well. Ablution or bathing
fism or tariqa is merely a technology to realize pious
creates outer purity. And the zikr of Allah
intention, as clarified by my shaykh, who explains,
that takes place in the heart creates inner
How to attain the pious intention? Intention purity. Therefore, the heart should always
originates in the heart. Pronouncing the in- be doing the zikr of Allah spontaneously.
tention is not obligatory. Intention in the And this zikr should be permanent. When-
heart is what is obligatory. It is obligatory ever the heart is heedless of the zikr of Al-
to make a proper intention before perform- lah, Satan will rule it. He will then contam-
ing any act of worship. It is in the hadith inate the heart that is the source of all good
that all acts will be judged according to the acts of man. And by ruining man’s single-
intention behind them [Bukhari]. The heart minded attention to Allah during prayer, he
is the seat of intention of all acts, be they will destroy it. Prayer is the key to salvation
good or evil. Satan, the sworn enemy of from all evil acts. It says in the hadith: “A
man, makes it his home and whispers evil prayer is not accepted without a presence of
suggestions to him. As long as Satan can the heart.” 4 And Allah has stated: And es-
rule over the heart, pious intention cannot tablish prayer in order to do my zikr (Koran
grow there. Since Satan has made the hu- 20:14).
man heart his home, it is impure. Intention To repel this satanic threat, we must learn
of the impure heart must be impure. There- ‘ilm al-qalb, the “knowledge of the heart.”
fore, in order to purify the heart, Satan must Then our hearts will always be immersed
be driven out of there. Only then there can in the never-ending zikr of Allah and thus
be pious intention behind acts. It is said in we can save ourselves from this dangerous
the hadith, “Satan sits in the hearts of men. predicament. So we should seek the help
If the heart is engaged in zikr of Allah, then of an authority on the “knowledge of the
Satan flees it. Instead if the heart is heed- heart.” The “real” sufi shaykh is an au-
less from zikr, then Satan stays there and
whispers evil suggestions” [Bukhari]. 4 hadith: La salata illa bi-huduril qalb
102 Practice
thority on this knowledge. The purpose be-

hind enrolling in any sufi tariqa is to attain
nothing else but ikhlas or “purely pious in-
tention,” i.e., a true and godly intention.
It is not those perverted aims with which
many people throng the khanqas of the sufi
shaykhs so often [e.g., to cure diseases, win
worldly advancement, etc. through the spir-
itual powers of the shaykh]. And many peo-
ple who call themselves sufi shaykhs nur-
ture these aims, which are far from the true
aim for which people should come to sufi
shaykhs.
Now we understand why it is necessary to
enroll in one of the many tariqas of the su-
fis. The purpose is to enable us to follow the
sharia completely. Unless one enrolls in a
sufi tariqa and learns the “knowledge of the
heart” from this “educational institution,”
one may not be able to realize “purely pi-
ous intention.” By this interpretation, sufi
tariqas are servants of the sharia.” And this
is the purpose of true tasawwuf. 5
5 Muhammad Mamunur Rashid, Patha Parichiti, originally
written in Bengali and also its English translation The Path

(Dhaka: Hakimabad Khanqa-i Mojaddediya), being continu-
ously reprinted since 1980)
Part IV
103
Chapter 6
Piety:
Purpose of Tariqa
6.1 Purpose of Sufism Here the Mujaddid paraphrases a Rumi

poem (that he also quotes verbatim
The third necessary component of Islam, after recti- in maktub 1.92):
fying the creed and beginning to practice the prac- pa-i istidlalyan-i chubin bud
tice, is engaging in the practices of sufism or tariqa, pa-i chubin sakht bi tamkin bud
so that we may realize true piety. We realize piety The leg of those who engage in ”reasoning”
when whatever we do; we do it for Allah — attain- is wooden
ing the good pleasure of Allah becomes the purpose The wooden leg is entirely unstable
(niyat) behind all our deeds.
My sufi shaykh explained that “stability” here
First, we need to attain the two wings of refers to attaining ikhlas or piety; and that level of
belief and practice. Next, there lies the piety is realized when one travels on the path of sufi
[task of wayfaring in the] exalted sufi tariqas wayfaring and attains the station of the “heart in in-
if divine grace guides us there. The pur- ner peace,” or qalb-i salim [at the completion of the
pose is not that anything additional to belief ninth step, ‘annihilation in the messenger’ or fana’ fi
and practice is attained or something new ’l-rasul , in the Mujaddidi wayfaring or suluk ]. This
comes in hand. Instead, the purpose is to saying means that those who seek reasoning lack a
strengthen the belief to one of certitude and heart that is in inner peace.
inner peace, so that the skepticism of the The Mujaddid continues on the benefits of sufi way-
skeptic may not void it, and the objection of faring. And its ultimate benefit is the realization of
the charlatan may not invalidate it. “inner peace.” He says that gimmicks like “seeing un-
The leg that is “reasoning” is like a seen lights and colors” i.e., the supernatural experi-
wooden leg [that is unstable] ences like seeing lights and colors that normal people
cannot see but sufis endowed with the power of kashf,
Those who seek “reasoning” lack unveiling or ethereal vision can see, are not at all the
the “stability.” purpose of sufism — these are actually unimportant
Note: This poem in original Persian is as below: things.
The Koran says, Take note! It is in the
pa-i istidlal-i chubin ast zikr of Allah that the heart finds inner
va mustadill bi tamkin. peace(Koran 13:28). The practice also be-
105
106 Piety The Purpose of the Tariqa
comes easy and spontaneous. Laziness and Of all the sufi tariqas, choosing the Naqsh-
rebelliousness that originates from the insti- bandi tariqa is the best and most advisable
gating [soul] is eliminated. as their great masters cling to the sunna and
It is not the purpose of the sufi wayfarer to cast off all deviations (bid‘at). For this rea-
witness unseen forms and shapes or to be- son, if the felicity of following the sunna en-
hold lights and colors. For these are games riches them but they do not gain any “[sufi
and joys! ethereal/physical symptom or] state,” still
What is the purpose of learning sufism? Is it to attain they are happy.
supernatural experiences like seeing forms, shapes, On the other hand, if [such] a state con-
lights, and colors that are ordinarily invisible? Some tributes to the slackening of the following [of
sufis erroneously believe that having such supernat- the sunna] they do not like those states. For
ural experiences is the purpose of sufism. The Mu- this reason, they do not permit singing and
jaddid ridicules them and wonders, if seeing shapes dancing [that are the accepted practices of
and lights is what they want then why are they not many other tariqas]. And they do not con-
satisfied with seeing shapes and lights that are ordi- sider the states that result from those [prac-
narily visible. Instead why are they doing arduous tices such as singing and dancing] as cred-
sufi practices in order to see lights and colors that ible, [i.e., divinely inspired]. Instead, they
are ordinarily invisible. even consider loud zikr as a deviation [i.e.,
What wrong do the “sensory” forms and a bad deviation or bad bid‘at] and they pro-
lights do? So that someone would forgo hibit it. And they do not turn toward the
them, and undertake self-mortifications and fruits [i.e., states] that those practices pro-
difficult practices (bar yadat va mujahadat), duce. [A 1.266, 134.16-135.1; FR 100.4-12]
in the hope of seeing the unseen forms and
lights?
Yes! These misguided sufis argue that seeing those 6.3 Loud Zikr
unseen lights may beneficial because they proove that
supernatural things, e.g., God, angels, paradise, hell, Now the Mujaddid explains this important point of
do exist. However, the Mujadaddi counters them by loud zikr.
noting that even the existence of ordinarily visible
lights and colors prove that a Creator exists who has Once we were present in his [Khwaja Baqi-
created them. billah’s] service, in a gathering for meal.
A devotee of our Hazrat Khwaja named
Indeed these forms [that can be seen by ev-
Shaykh Kamal pronounced the name “Al-
eryone] and those forms [that can only be
lah” aloud at the start of the meal. Hazrat
seen by those enlightened sufis] and these
[Baqibillah] was displeased to such an ex-
lights and those lights- all are the creation
tent that he rebuked him [shaykh Kamal]
of the Haqq (SWT) and signifiers of His ex-
strongly and told us to forbid him [shaykh
istence. [A 1.266, 134.8-16; FR 99.4-100.4]
Kamal] from coming to his meal gatherings.
Therefore, seeing supernatural things cannot be a
I have heard from Hazrat [Baqibillah] that
valid purpose of sufism.
once Hazrat Khwaja Naqshband gathered
the ulama of Bukhara together and took
6.2 Naqshbandi tariqa Clings to them to the khanqa [or sufi cloister or cen-
Sunna ter] of Hazrat Amir Kulal to forbid him from
loud zikr. The ulama told Hazrat Amir Ku-
The Mujaddidi-Naqshbandi tariqa is the most excel- lal, “Loud zikr is a deviation. Do not prac-
lent tariqa, as it strictly conforms to the sunna. tice it!” In answer, he stated, “[All right!]
6.3. LOUD ZIKR 107
I will not practice it [anymore]!”. [A 1.266, sor Khwaja Mahmud Injir Fagnawi who first intro-
135.1-6; FR 100.4-12] duced loud zikr in that lineage of Hazrat Ghujdawani.
And Khwaja Fagnawi’s successor Khwaja Azizan Ali
A fundamental rule of the Mujaddidi-Naqshbandi Ramitani also practiced loud zikr. And so did Hazrat
tariqa is th zikr should be done in silence. Allah
Amir Kulal, until Hazrat Bahauddin Naqshband and
stated, Do zikr of your Lord within yourself (Koran
the ulama of Bukhara forbade him to do so, as it is
7:205). But can a Mujaddidi-Naqshbandi practice a blameworthy deviation.
loud zikr at all, or even once in a while? The answer
The sharia proscribes loud zikr and so this practice
is a resounding “No!”
invited many critiques. In a council of the ulama,
The Mujaddid strongly forbids them to practice the Sun of the Imams, Hazrat Halwani, asked him,
loud zikr. He stresses that in addition of this practice “Why do you practice loud zikr?” Hazrat Fagnawi
being in violation of the sharia, it is also in violation answered,
of the tariqa. Now what if someone claims that some
I do loud zikr to awaken those asleep, to in-
of the predecessor masters of the Naqshbandi tariqa
form the heedless, to hold fast to the sharia
used to practice loud zikr? So why can we not? Yes!
and the tariqa, to bring people to this path
It is true that these masters in the Naqshbandi line,
and to make them desire God-realization
Hazrat Abu Yusuf Hamadani , Khwaja Mahmud Injir
(haqiqat).
Fagnawi, Khwaja Azizan Ali Ramitani, and Khwaja
Sayyid Amir Kulal zRG used to practice loud zikr. Once he was asked,
However, they are not at all members of the Naqsh- Who can do loud zikr?” So he answered, “He
bandi tariqa- that tariqa did not even exist at that whose tongue is free from lying and back-
time. The Naqshbandi tariqa starts with Hazrat Ba- biting, who esophagus is free from haram
hauddin Naqshband, our first imam and he has for- and suspicious food, whose heart is pure
bidden it. More importantly, our second imam, the from vanity and hypocrisy, and whose head
Great Mujaddid Ahmad Sirhindi also forbade it in has not been lowered to anyone except Allah,
many different places in his writings. Yes! It is estab- it is he who can do loud zikr.1
lished beyond doubt that these practices such as loud Now can this be construed to mean that loud zikr
zikr, singing, and dancing violate the fundamental may be re-introduced today for the Naqshbandis?
rules of this “most high tariqa”. Now there may be No! Because the above statement makes it clear that
other interpretations of the sharia or the hadith liter- loud zikr was practiced as an exceptional measure and
ature that approve those practices. However, the fol- it was allowed only for an exceptional person, even for
lowers of this exalted Mujaddidi-Naqshbandi tariqa them- masters in our silsila who preceded the forma-
should still abstain from these practices so as to abide tion of the Naqshbandi tariqa. However, when our
by the rules established the two imams of this tariqa. first imam Hazrat Bahauddin Naqshban formalized
What is the history of loud zikr among the khwa- this tariqa, he absolutely forbade loud zikr as a rule
jegan masters and their predecessors who are in our of this tariqa. And our second imam sustained this
silsila and who preceded the formation of the Naqsh- ban. So the present day Naqshbandis may not even
bandi tariqa? Hazrat Bayazid Bistami Khwaja Abu quote them to legitimize loud zikr.
Yusuf Hamadani’s method was loud zikr. But it was Indeed, this ban on public display includes all su-
Hazrat Khidr who taught Khwaja Abdul Khaliq Ghu- pererogatory practices. As a general rule, my sufi
jdawani first and it was by the method of “silent shaykh has taught me to perform all supererogatory
zikr.” When Khwaja Ghujdawani became the dis-
1 Halat-i Mashaikh-i Naqshbandiya Mujaddidiya, I re-
ciple of Khwaja Hamadani, Khwaja Hamadani told
ferred to the Bengali translation, Maolana Mohammad Hasan
him, “Do zikr as Hazrat Khidr (salam) taught you.” Naksbandi Mujaddedi, Halate Mashayekhe Naksbandiya Mu-
Khwaja Ghujdawani’s successor Khwaja Arif Riwa- jaddediya, (Dhaka: Barakatiya Darul Ulum, 1997), v. I, p.
giri also followed his master. But it was his succes- 178, pp. 192-193; p. 196
prayers at home instead of in mosques. He even raptures (wajd va tawajid )! I consider the
taught us to hide our prayer beads from public eyes. states and raptures (mawajid ) that emerge
And he taught us that if in a mosque or in public by non-permissible means as a kind istidraj
we do our tariqa’s silent zikr with prayer beads, we [practice] that leads step by step to ruin.
should hide those prayer beads. For example, I often States and longings (ahwal va adhwaq) come
used to close my eyes and meditate in public but the in the hands even for the people of istidraj
shaykh told me that I should not do that in public or people who practice occult that lead them
because then people would wonder what I am doing; step-by-step to ruin. They see the unveil-
it would make our acts of worship public. The only ings of tawhid (kashf-i tawhid ). And they
time that we, the adepts of the Mujaddidi tariqa, see [God] unveiled in the mirror that is the
may close our eyes and meditate in public is in our forms of the world and they also identify Him
sitting meditations (muraqabas) that are done after with those forms.
the dawn (fajr ) and sunset (maghrib) prayers. Yes! Tawhid is unveiled before these misguided peo-
Following the rules of the tariqa, I always hide myple as well- it is experienced by many mystics of many
prayer beads while doing zikr in public, on buses other religions. Let us read the following example
or mass transport in the United States and some- from the Hindu scriptures. In the Chandogya Up-
one once suggested that I should not hide my prayer anishad 2 Svetaketu asks his father the Rishi (sage)
beads because showing them may help delivering the Aruni, “How shall I see the immortal divine Being?”
message, i.e., if people ask what I am doing, I could Aruni threw some salt into a container of water and
explain it and that would be another way to spread asked Svetaketu, “Son! Can you tell where the salt
Islam and the tariqa. When I asked him, my shaykh went? You will not see any salt anywhere. Instead
overruled it and said that the rule of this tariqa is taste the water! Then you will experience the pres-
that all acts of worship should be khafi i.e., not only
ence of salt in every drop of that water. In the same
silent but also hidden from the public. Therefore, way, Truth [i.e., God] is everywhere. You cannot see
it is a rule of the tariqa to hide all our supereroga-Him in the creation, but you can experience Him
tory practices- they should not only be silent but also
there through meditation. That is why, son, I say
hidden from the public. And the tariqa-rules must be ‘Thou art Him.”’
meticulously observed to receive the faydh and baraka So the Mujaddid says that realizing tawhid (i.e.,
from the tariqa. that God and the creation, all are the same) is not
the purpose of God-realization- instead it is the spon-
taneous observance of the sharia that is the destina-
6.4 Songs, Dances, Ecstasies,
tion.
Raptures The sages of Greece and the yogis and the
If you practice sufi songs and dances, you may still Brahmins of India are also among these peo-
experience strong hal or states but those states pro- ple [who practiced occult] that led them
duced by these non-sharia practices are evil. In an- step-by-step to ruin. The sign that the states
other maktub, the Mujaddid compares the relative are real [i.e., of divine origin] is that those
merits of prayer versus singing and dancing accord- [states] conform to the science of the sharia
ing to the sharia. He concludes that hal produced and keep people away from taking up for-
by prayer is superior to the hal produced by singing bidden and questionable practices. [A 1.266,
and dancing in the same way that prayer is a more 135.6-10]
meritorious act than singing and dancing. Yes! That is the real purpose of a spiritual quest
When the great ones of this tariqa have for- according to the Mujaddid. It is to purify the in-
bidden even loud zikr so strongly, what can 2 an ancient Hindu scripture that is the source of Vedanta
one say about songs, dances, ecstasies, and monist tradition

6.4. SONGS, DANCES, ECSTASIES, RAPTURES 109
ner realm so that man spontaneously observes the the Koran] of our times by saying ‘You re-
sharia. So if the practices of any “God-realized mas- cited well!’- [that means that he approves of
ter” do not accomplish it, then that establishes that that qari’s ‘singing’ the verses of the Koran
that practice is not of divine origin. and that is haram since singing in all forms
The Mujaddid writes more on the same theme else- is haram and so, since he approves a haram
where in the Maktubat. act] he becomes an apostate, his wife gets
It is because the Brahmins and yogis of In- an [automatic] divorce7 [as he would have
dia and the philosophers of Greece have had become an apostate] and Allah makes all his
plenty of the likes of these self-disclosures good deeds come to naught [as he would have
in [physical] form, imaginal unveilings, and become an apostate].” [A 1.266, 135.10-16]
monist ideas (tajalli-i suri, mukashafat-i Imam Maturidi’s argument seems to be this: The qari
mithali, ‘ulum-i tawhidi ); but they have re- of his time used to recite the Koran in a melodious-
ceived nothing but negativity and dishonor like singing. And singing is haram, even if someone
(raswa‘i ) as a result and nothing but remote- sings the verses of the Koran. So if someone approved
ness (bu‘d ) and disappointment (haramani) that qari’s “singing” the verses of the Koran and that
in their lot. [A 1.237, 37.15-17] is haram, then he would be approving a haram act.
Singing and dancing do violate the sharia. The Mu- And since he approved a haram act, he would leave
jaddid now cites from the Koran, hadith, and opinion the folds of Islam. According to the sharia, if a Mus-
of the Salaf, the pious predecessors. lim leaves the fold of Islam, his marriage becomes null
You should know that singings and dancing and void, i.e., wife gets an automatic divorce. Also,
are really parts of “games and joys.” Allah all his good deeds are erased from the records.
has stated, Among people, whosoever buys a
Abu Nasiruddin Dubusi narrates the follow-
game of words (Koran 31:6), and this verse
ing from Qadi Zahiruddin Khwarizmi. 8 He
has been revealed to forbid singing. Mu-
said, “He who listens to a singer or someone
jahid, who was the student of Ibn Abbas,
else singing a song or he who sees a forbid-
and a pre-eminent follower, has said that the
den act and likes it, he would immediately
“game of words” means “singing” here. It is
become an apostate in our opinion. It does
written in the Koranic exegesis Madarik 3
not matter whether he believes in it [i.e., be-
that “game of words” means “tales told at a
lieves that that forbidden act is permissible]
night party” and singing. [These two great
as a matter of creed or not. 9 [By “merely
scholars among the companions], Ibn Abbas
liking” that forbidden act] he invalidates a
and Ibn Masud , 4 both swear, “Verily it is
ruling of the sharia. And he who invalidates
singing.” Mujahid 5 has interpreted the Ko-
a ruling of the sharia no longer remains a
ranic phrase who does not witness falsehood
(Koran 35:72) as referring to singing. the other school that is dominant in the rest of the world. The
Imam of Guidance Abu Mansur Maturidi 6 Mujaddid followed the Maturidite school, on whose excellence
says, “Whosoever praises a qari [reciter of he writes in his monograph the Mabda’ va Ma‘ad, Minha i.e.,
chapter 28
3 ‘Abdullah ibn Ahmad Nasafi, Madarik al-Tanzil wa 7 According to the sharia, if a Muslim leaves the fold of
Haqa’iq al-Tawil Islam, his marriage becomes null and void, i.e., the wife is
4 Ibn Abbas and Ibn Masud were companions and great automatically divorced. Also, all his good deeds are erased
scholars and Koranic commentators from the records
5 Mujahid: An early Koranic commentator of the genera- 8 Abu Nasiruddin Dubusi and Qadi Zahiruddin
tion after the companions Khawarizmi were Islamic scholars
6 Abu Mansur Maturidi was the founder of one of the two 9 According to the sharia, one who believes a haram act to
major schools of kalam (apologetics or defensive dogmatic the- be halal leaves the folds of Islam. However, if he does carry
ology); it is the dominant school in Transoxiana (Uzbekistan, out that act believing it to be haram, he becomes guilty of
Takjikistan region) and India. Abul Hasan Ashari founded that sin but he still remains a Muslim
faithful [Muslim] before the four interpreter be a pretext because they practiced them only when
Imams. 10 Allah will not accept any of his “overwhelmed” by their “states.” So today’s sufis,
good deeds. All his good deeds will come to who do not attain those sublime “states” and are not
naught.” May Allah save us from this! at all overwhelmed by those “states,” may not use
The jurists have narrated so many prohibi- their predecessor’s practices as excuses.
tions on singing that there are just too many The immature sufis of this age have brought
to number. Even then if someone quotes ab- singing and dancing into their religion and
rogated hadith reports or rarely transmit- community under the pretext that their own
ted narrations to establish that singing is pirs practiced them. Even more, they have
allowable, then you should not even con- made them into pious deeds and acts of wor-
sider it. For no jurist in any time or place ship. They are the ones who take their reli-
has ever made a juridical pronouncement gion as games and joys (Koran 25:72) , refers
that singing is allowed or that dancing or to those who are present in gatherings of
footwork is permissible- the Great Imam singing.
Diyauddin Shami 11 wrote thus in his book
the Multaqat. The Mujaddid finds it horrible to glorify singing and
Now the Mujaddid answers the question, “But dancing.
many eminent sufis of the past used to practice these We learn from the preceding narrations that
deviant practices. So why should they not be law- whosoever considers an unlawful act to be
ful?” The Mujaddid explains that the practices of right leaves the fold of Islam and becomes
the sufis are not evidence for lawfulness; instead, it is an apostate; now you can imagine how hor-
the opinions of the jurists and the scholars of the fiqh rible is it to glorify the gathering of singing
or the law of the sharia, that establish something to and dancing, let alone to consider them pi-
be lawful. ous deeds or acts of worship! Praise and
Practices of the sufis are not proofs of lawful- glory be on Allah! Our pirs [i.e the great
ness or unlawfulness. Is it not enough that shaykhs of the Naqshbandi tariqa] are free
we consider them [those sufis] excusable, do from these [deviant practices]! And they
not blame them, and leave their matter to have not guided us, their followers, into do-
God? Here the opinion of [jurists like] Imam ing taqlid of them [i.e. following them] into
Abu Hanifa, Imam Abu Yusuf , or Imam these [deviant practices] either [with them
Muhammad 12 is relevant, not the practice being our role models!]. [A 1.266, 135.16-
of [sufis like] Abu Bakr Shibli or Abul Hasan 136.15; FR 101-102.15]
Nuri. 13
It may be noted here that while jurists hold singing to
This time the Mujaddid answers the question, “The
be haram, hadith scholars often approve of it. Even
masters of many tariqas used to practice these “de-
Hazrat Abdul Haq Muhaddith Dihlavi, the eminent
viant” practices. So why can we not?” The Mujad-
hadith scholar and disciple of the Mujaddid, approves
did answers that those master’s practices should not
of songs in his book the Path of Prophethood or
10 Interpreter Imam (mujtahid imam): This refers to the
Madarij-i Nubuwat , which is a biography on the life
imams who founded the four schools of interpretation, i.e.,
of Prophet Muhammad (salam.). It is possible that
Abu Hanifa, Shafi‘i, Malik, and Ahmad ibn Hanbal
11 Diya’ al-din Shami was a great scholar, and qadi of Delhi. this book was written before he became a disciple of
He was a contemporary of sufi shaykh Nizamuddin Chishti (d. the Mujaddid. In any case, he has the right to differ
725 / 1325). His book Nisab al-Ihtisab is held in high esteem from the Mujaddid as he was a great hadith scholar
( Fazlur Rahman, p. 102)
12 two of the greatest disciples of Imam Abu Hanifa, the himself. However, what is certain is that songs are
founder of the Hanafi school of jurisprudence forbidden as practices of this tariqa, even if one could
13 eminent sufi masters find an acceptable reason for singing in the sharia.
6.5. SINGING: ADVICE TO HIS PIR’S SONS 111
Now disciples in tariqas other than the Naqsh- on the pretext that it is the practice of their
bandi, (e.g. Chishti, Shadhili, etc.), may ask, “Many own pirs. And they ward off the reverence
of our predecessor shaykhs used to practice singing, for the sharia by the practice of their own
dancing, etc. so why can not we?” The Mujaddid pirs although even that is not really true.
explains it in another maktub, 14 by explaining that What excuse would our sufi brothers 16 give
those shaykhs engaged in those anti-sharia practices for taking up this practice? On one hand,
only when predominated by their “states.” Since it destroys the reverence for the sharia! On
they cannot control themselves in that state, they the other hand, it is contrary to their pir’s
are excused. However, their followers who practice practice! Neither the people of the sharia are
those anti-sharia practices are not in that state and pleased with this practice, nor are the people
so they are not excused- even they should not en- of the tariqa!
gage in those practices. However, in the case of the The Mujaddid has always held the opinion that in-
Mujaddidi-Naqshbandi tariqa, even that suspicion is venting deviations (bid‘at) in the tariqa is just as
not available as none of its predecessor shaykhs used sinful an act as introducing deviations in the sharia.
to indulge in these deviant practices. That is why he denounces introducing singing and
dancing in this tariqa which is inventing new prac-
6.5 Singing: Advice to his Pir’s Sons tices in the tariqa.
Even if it were not violating the sharia, it
In addition to the practices of loud zikr, singing would be inventing (ihdath) a new practice
and dancing violate the fundamental method of the into the tariqa and that alone is abominable!
Mujaddidi-Naqshbandi tariqa. They are blamewor- So how can it be that that gathering [of
thy deviations from the practices of the tariqa. singing with musical instruments that you
While previously, the Mujaddid forbade singing as are holding is] acceptable to the sharia?
it violated the sharia, now he is forbidding it as a Therefore, the Mujaddid forbids these new inventions
violation of the Naqshbandi tariqa. He argues that in the tariqa.
it would be introducing a new alien practice in this I firmly believe that the esteemed Mirza Jiu
tariqa and that is as bad as introducing such practices 17
is not pleased with this practice. He is
in the sharia. not openly forbidding it only for the sake of
I have heard that you two, the two sons of my adab, courtesy. It is also for that reason that
venerable master, have taken a fancy toward he is not forbidding the sufi brothers from
singing. And you set up gatherings Thurs- going to these gatherings. I do not anticipate
day nights 15 for singing songs and reciting going there [to your khanqa in Delhi] soon.
qasidas. Most of our sufi brothers are agree- So I have collected my thoughts and written
ing to this practice! [A 1.266, 136.15-17] a few lines. You should take this lesson [that
is in this maktub] in the company of Mirza
The Mujaddid cautions his sufi brothers against Jiu and read this letter in front of him from
inventing new practices in the Naqshandi tariqa. And beginning to end. [A 1.266, 136.17-end-of-
he forbids singing as it is a newly begun practice. maktub]
Surprise! A thousand surprises! The disci- What does the Mujaddid mean by the term “pir”
ples of the other silsilas take these things up here? What does he mean when he claims that none
of our predecessor pirs used to engage in singing [with
14 maktub 1.291, Volume III, Bengali text p. 189
15 Inthe Muslim tradition, the day starts with sunset and 16 sufi brother (yar): Literally yar means friend. But here,
continues until the next sunset. First comes Friday night, then as well as in other places, the Mujaddid seems to mean his
comes the Friday day. So the Muslim Friday night is the West- brothers in the tariqa, i.e., other students of Khwaja Baqibillah
ern Thursday night 17 another name for Khwaja Husamuddin Ahmed
musical instruments] or dancing? “Pir” is a Persian Hazrat Bahauddin Naqshband and later renewed, re-
word that literally means “elder”; however, in its invigorated and expanded by its second Imam Hazrat
technical meaning, it is synonymous with the Ara- the Great Mujaddid Ahmad Sirhindi.
bic “shaykh” or another Persian word, bozorg. In
Iran and the Indian subcontinent, “pir” also means
6.6 Mawluds
“guide in the tariqa”- it is a synonym for the Arabic
“shaykh” in this technical sense, as well as literally. Yes! The Mujaddid did indeed forbade mawluds 18
In this maktub, the Mujaddid is referring to his pre- for his followers, but not because they are essentially
decessor shaykhs in the Naqshbandi tariqa. bad, but instead because of the apprehension that it
Here, one may comment that many shaykhs who could exceed the limits of the sharia. Also shows that
are listed in the ‘lineage tree’ or the shajara of this reciting naats, ghazals, qasidas are also forbidden.
tariqa like Hazrat Sayyid Amir Kulal and several of Yes! Earlier, he did permit mawluds, but near the
his predecessors used to practice loud zikr. (However, end of his life, he indeed forbade it. It is not because
this maktub shows that Hazrat Bahauddin persuaded mawluds are inherently wrong, but because of the
Hazrat Amir Kulal to give up loud zikr.) So why does fear that it would lead to forbidden practices.
the Mujaddid make the “false claim” that our pirs did
not practice these? Did the Mujaddid not know the
history of his tariqa? The answer is that although Quotation 1 from the Maktubat
these elders are listed in the shajara or the lineage In his Maktubat, the Mujaddid writes19 ,
tree of the tariqa, still they are not members in the paragraph 1— In the matter of recitation of
Naqshbandi tariqa “technically.” This is because the the Mawlud, you have asked this:
tariqa starts with the founder, the Imam who for- Question: Regarding reciting the Quran
malizes the rules of the tariqa and who is a primary with a melodious voice, and reciting qasidas
source of the energy and blessings, faydh va baraka, of in praise and eulogy of the prophet (qasa’id-i
that tariqa. Our tariqa, the Mujaddidi-Naqshbandi na‘at va manqabat), what stricture is there
tariqa, like several other tariqas, has two Imams: the (Dar nafs-i quran khandan bi-sut-i hasan,
first Imam is Bahauddin Naqshband and the second va dar qasa’id-i na‘at va manqabat khandan,
Imam is the Great Mujaddid Ahmad Sirhindi. So cheh mada’iq ast)?
technically, the elders who are in our silsila but are paragraph 2— What is forbidden is the
before Hazrat Bahauddin Naqshband are not elders mispronunciation (tahrif) and changing
of our tariqa and so the Mujaddid does not even con- (taghayyur) of the sounds of the Quran.
sider their practices as models of our practices. They Also forbidden is the addition of taking ac-
are not at all our role models in defining the rules of count of the musical modes in the recitation.
the tariqa. It is the two Imams who make these rules. And [also disallowed is the recitation that
The term silsila literally means chain and it has is] out of the way of normal voice (tardid-
two technical meanings in the sufi science. First, it i sawt) but instead in the way of singing
means the shajara or the lineage tree, i.e., the list of sweetly (iltihan), and also disallowed is hand
consecutive masters in the tariqa- that cannot be the clapping likes of which are not allowed even
meaning here as some early masters in this shajara in poetry-[recitation] (shi‘ar). (Mamnu‘
of this tariqa, prior to the formation of the tariqa tahrif va taghayyur-i huruf-i qur’an ast. Va
by Hazrat Bahauddin Naqshband, indeed practiced iltizam-i ri‘ayat-i maqamat-i naghmeh va
loud zikr. So here, this term can only have its sec-
18 it is spelt mawlud, mawlid, or milad, but the Mujaddid
ond meaning, whereby it is synonymous to tariqa-
called it mawlud
a formalized system of teaching “knowledge of the 19 Volume III, maktub 72, maktub to Khwaja Husamuddin
heart.” Here it refers to this Mujaddidi-Naqshbandi Ahmed, p 157 line 8 in the Nur Ahmed Amritsari edited ver-
tariqa that was originally instituted by its first Imam sion,
6.6. MAWLUDS 113
tardid-i sawt ban bi-tariq-i ilhan ba tasfiqi, have a passionate attachment to mawluds, and so
munasib-i an keh dar shi‘ar niz ghayr mubah subconsciously mis-interpret it.
ast). For example, the Bengali translator Shah Aftabi
paragraph 3— [On the other hand], if you re- learned the Maktubat as a child from his father
cite so that no letter is mispronunced in such who learned it from his shaykh Sh Barkat Ali Shah
a way that the meaning is changed (tahrif), of Kolkata. Even he misinterpreted this section.He
and when the qasidas are recited, the above- translated paragraph 2 as the answer to the ques-
mentioned prohibitions are not broken, and tion in paragraph 1, and paragraph 3 as a new ques-
additionally [they are recited] with the right tion. That gives the suggestion that mawluds are
intention, then where is the bar? (Agar fine as long as those prohibitions in paragrah 2 are
bar nahji khavanand ke tahrif dar kamilat- respected. Instead, this analysis shows whats the cor-
i qurani waqi‘ nashod, va dar qasa’id khan- rect meaning, i.e. all mawluds are forbidden in our
dan, shara’iti mudhakkurah mutahaqqiq na- tariqa.
gardad, va an ra bi-gharad-i sahih, tajwiz na-
mayand; cheh mani‘ ast? ) Quotation 2 from the Maktubat
Answer: Sir! This idea is coming to my
mind that until this door is completely shut Mujaddid also writes,
off, ‘fathers of passions (bu ’l-hawas-an)’20 I am emphatically forbidding you to op-
wouldnt be restrained. If you permit a little pose your own tariqa [Mujaddidi], be it via
of it, that will lead to more of it. A lit- singing or dancing (sama‘, raqs), or be it
tle will increase to a lot — its a well-known via mawlud, or recitation of couplets (sha‘ar-
saying! (Makhduma! Bikhatir-i iyn faqir khani). Each tariqa has a [unique] method to
mirsad, ta saddi iyn bab mutlaq nakunand, reach (wusul) its destination. And taking up
bu ’l-hawasan mamnu‘ gardand. Agar an- that unique method for reaching the destina-
dak tajwiz kardand, manjar beh besiyar kha- tion (wusul be-matlab-i khass) of this tariqa
hed bud. Qalilahu yufdi ila kathirihi — qawli depends on rejecting these practices21 . He
mash-hur ast). who aspires to reach that destination may re-
frain from opposing this tariqa, and looking
Analysis towards the methods of the other tariqas22 .
The Mujaddid forbids mawluds, for his followers.

Analysis
Now mawluds when done in the sunna format is es-
sentially allowed, but he is afraid that if mawluds are This shows that mawluds are forbidden in our tariqa,
at all celebrated, that would ultimately lead to de- as well as reciting naats, ghazals, and qasidas even
viations. As its human nature, a little leeway would when in voice only, and without any musical instru-
lead to a lot of bid‘at. And as a result, even sunna ments. Yes! They are allowed by the ulama, and are
forms of mawluds will degenerate into deviations. It’s practices in many tariqas, but not in our Mujaddidi
out of that fear that he is forbidding mawluds, not tariqa.
because they sre basically bad.
Many people have misunderstood this section. Be-
cause 1: In the original Persian manuscript, there
is no punctuation, paragraph, or any sign to signify
when the question ends, or answer begins, or 2: some
20 bu ’l-hawas-an, means those who follow their passions, or 21 that oppose this tariqa, namely singing, dancing, mawlud,
evil instigations of their nafses, and as a result, enjoy doing or recitation of couplets
bad things, here bid‘at forms of mawlud 22 Maktubat, Volume 1, maktub 273, Amritsari version p. 21
Bibliography
[1] Sirhindi, Ahmad Faruqi, Maktubat-i Imam-

i Rabbani, edited by Nur Ahmad Amritsari,
Quetta: Maktaba’ Ahmadiya Mujaddidiya, 1999
[2] Rahman, Fazlur, Intikhab-i Maktubat-i Shaykh
Ahmad Sirhindi, Lahore: Iqbal Academy, circa
1990
[3] ajid, Fakhry, A History of Islamic Philosophy,
New York: Columbia University Press, 2004
[4] Chittick, William, Sufi Path of Knowledge, Al-
bany, NY: State University of New York Press,
1989 (abbreviated SPK), and revised in its se-
quel,
[5] Chittick, William, Self-Disclosure of God, Al-
bany, NY: State University of New York Press,
1998
[6] Sirhindi, Ahmad Faruqi, Mabda’ va Ma‘ad,
????????? Quetta: Maktaba’ Ahmadiya Mujad-
didiya, 1999
[7] Sirhindi, Ahmad Faruqi, Mukashafat-i
Ghaibiya, edited by Nur Ahmad Amrit-
sari, Quetta: Maktaba’ Ahmadiya Mu-
jaddi????????????????/diya, 1999
[8] Sirhindi, Ahmad Faruqi, Ma‘arif-i Ladun-
niya, edited by Nur Ahmad Amritsari,
Quetta:?????????????????????????////,
[9] Sirhindi, Ahmad Faruqi, Maktubat-i Imam-
i Rabbani, translated by Shah Muti Aftabi,
Dhaka???????????Quetta: Maktaba’ Ahmadiya
Mujaddidiya, 1999
115

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What is the book about based on the contents and prefaces?

What is the book about based on the contents and prefaces?

What are some of the main stages in the life of the Mujaddid discussed in the book?

What are some of the main stages in the life of the Mujaddid discussed in the book?

Faith Practice Piety

Millenial Mujaddid Ahmad Sirhindi

March 28, 2020

2 LIFE OF THE MUJADDID 11

3 Preamble: Ode to Khwaja Baqibillah 25

4.44 Well-instructed Caliphs: Superiorities . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 93

6 Piety: Purpose of Tariqa 105

2.1 The Four Guardians or Qayyums . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21

3.1 Electromagnetic Analogies . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 27

4.1 Sects of Islam today . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 38

Suggestions on the Annotations:

LIFE OF THE MUJADDID

Sirhindi, p. 73. Qayyumiya, Bengali translation, p. 70

Indeed, as the Mujaddid explained in the Maktu-

Table 2.1: The Four Guardians or Qayyums

Total no. Khwaja Hazrat Mujaddid’s Emperor

Table 2.2: Maktubs: Recipients

Volume no. No. of maktubs Year of completion Name of Volume Compiler

Table 2.3: Three volumes: Maktubat

Khwaja. Referred to in the The Mabda refers to

This biography is partly sufi-inspiration taken

Preamble: Ode to Khwaja Baqibillah

Arabic term English translation Electromagnetic analogy

Table 3.1: Electromagnetic Analogies

Arabic English sufi meaning Educational analogy

Wayfaring- One of the two methods

The other one of easy studies,

Table 3.2: Terms for learning sufism

Sequence Method World where the subtle Subtle center in

6 world of creation soul or nafs

wayfaring by the the four

Arabic name English translation Description

Table 3.5: Monist Ontologies

writing a few lines in the way of advice. [A

4.1 Faith–Sunni Creed negative connotation, I prefer it. In addition, it is

Sects of Islam today

Neo-Salafis: this includes all the reformist sects that

Shia/Mawdudists: Those who denigrate the companions of

Table 4.1: Sects of Islam today

faylasuf tradition Ashari / Ibn Arabi Mujaddid

Table 4.2: Three Opinions in the Theory of Existence

Ibn Arabi Mujaddid

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

philosophical concept that refers to a thing so elemental that past.

Philosophers Asharis Mujaddid

Table 4.4: Chrono-epistemologies: A Comparison

Imam Ashari Ibn Arabi Mujaddid

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

Ibn Arabi Mujaddid

Level: Descent Name: Descent What changes?

Table 4.7: Five Descents

Attribute Arabic/Persian name

Table 4.8: Eight real attributes

While it is true that Hinduism and Buddhism are to do.

Rejecting extremists: The middle path: Accepting extremists:

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