Fusus al-Hikam (Bezels of Wisdom)

“School of Theology at C SCHOOL OF THEOLOGY AT CLAREMONT California From the library of Wilson M. Hume أن f‏ | i‏ \ x‏ a‏ — t 1‏ I‏ 5 ) 1 ' 1 ive‏ 1 : hee:‏ Corey‏ ١ /‏ 1 8 1 0 ٠.‏ 1 wi i‏ 1 ie = ١ ١ 5 / 1 5 4 / : 1 AAA, 24 Lrsi3 ١ ويم‎ 0 60 Then © \-SAraloc, (l65~1240 WISDOM OF THE PROPHETS (in the light of Tasawwuf) A synoptical translation into English of Shayk Muhiyuddin ibn-i-Ali ul Arabi’s famous standard book on ‘Tasawwuf— FUSUS-UL-HIKAM Ba (Bezels of Wisdom) KHAN SAHIB KHAJA KHAN, B.A. “ Author of the Philosophy of Islam,” > Studies in Tasawwuf” ‘‘ The Secret of Ana’l Haqq”’. FOREWORD BY Monsizeur L. MASSIGNON, Professor, “ The College of France,” Paris. Tur HocartH Press, Mount Roap, Mapras. (All rights reserved) _ Rs. 2)- net. Roy vr BO 42-404 SCHOO 7" ب‎ OLOGY A) Coan California The Unlimited or Ahdiyyat is above the first circle. Wahdat or Hagiqat-i-Muhammadi or Nur-i-Muhammadi is above the 2nd. circle: Wahidiyyat or Hagiqat-i-Insani or Ruh-i-Muhammadi or Ruh-i-Azam is above the 3rd. circle. From Ruh-i Azam have issued Aarne (left-hand side),

152 line 23 1o8 cs, 1S i 0 walls) 15S 0 1G2> 354-20 167° 313 7d wag 2 186%. 144 1910 01 201 15 for ‘ become’ read ‘ becomes’. after ‘ working ' add ‘ of’ for ‘manufestation’ read ‘manifestation’. ‘materials’ read ‘material’. , Yanus اه‎ 000 0 م‎ <5, SA0z a: 7 000 a es » thalthun ,, thalathun. Insert ‘in’ after ‘is’. for Adut read Adub. ., ‘of’ read ‘being’. », ‘amithal’ read amthal. FoREWORD «++ pP. IX—XI PREFACE .., PP, XIII—xXIII A Lirt oF SHayk-I-AKBAR -+> PP, XXIV——XL, PaGE 1 Tne Wispom or ApAM wee 1 Il Tue Wispom of 51115 vee 10 VII Tue Wispom or Ismar 5 38 VIL Tue Wispom or [80015 oe 42 XI Tue Wisnom or 58172 5 62 XV Tue Wispom orf Jesus 1 84 XVII Tue Wispom or Davin 2210 Ch) Os XIX THe Wispom oF Jos ere POSTS XX Tne Wispom or Joun ... 2 124 XXII «Tue Wispom or ELtyAH ve 181 XXVIII Tue Wiscvom or MuttAMMaD oa PRA 1 : ففرا‎ ١7 age big ل‎ Bsn aa ts Dear Mr, Khaja Khan, Both of us wrote about Mansur Hallaj; your own “ Secret of Anal Hagg” and my “ Passion d’al Hallay, martyr mystique del? [slam’’, very naturally enabled us to meet, in an exchange of views on éasawwz/, from afar, between Madras and Paris.

As you know it already, my impression is and remains that Mansur Hallaj, by one single supernatural rush, dived deeper through the waves of mystical love, towards the Real,—while Ibn’ Arabi, with all his elaborated differentiations, and emanations does not bear sucha pathetic witness, before the seeker, of God’s transcendental abode and supreme personality. I] should accordingly value some of the former’s short and burning utterances, in his 7awasiz and elsewhere, over several of the latter’s more logically planned sentences. But I need not insist here on antinomies between those two out-stanrling Moslem mystics, and must only remember, in the /zuhat, this celebrated 559th chapter ‘bab al asrar”’, where most enthusiastic words about Hallaj are to be heard, from Ibn ’Arabi’s own lips. In his /zsws (chapter VI), Ibn ’Arabi alludes also to the hallajian ‘‘ Ana’l Haqq”; and this book, owing to the first proofs of your careful analysis entitled “Wisdom of the Prophets”, comes now again under my eyes. Let me tell you how this first attempt of such a transposition from Arabic into English, is to be welcomed among us. The catalogue of Ibn ’Arabi’s works is exceptionally large, it numbers 439 Nos. accord ing to my friend Mehmed Taher Beg of Brusa, in his Tarjamti-hal ve fadail Shatkh Akbar ; but three works wearing in this list Nos. 56, 269 et 179 emerged among his multitude, illuminating three main aspects of his

x WISDOM OF THE PROPHETS psychological strength: the /w¢what, written from 599/1202 to 634/1236, the Zujaliyat, written fora beloved disciple, Isma’!] bin Saudakin al Nuri.-and the /wsus, written in Damascus in 627/1230. The 560 chapters of the كمانم‎ overpouring with acute remarks and queer metaphors, could not be abridged ; and their impressive documentation should fill, if duly translated, twenty volumes printed in ordinary latin characters. The 96 Zazal/ivat are much shorter, but don’t cover the entire field of mystical knowledge, giving only some ecstatic dialogues, commented by Ibn’ Arabi himself, showing the boldest philosophical consequences of his most carefully drawn principles. But the 27 كعك‎ although equally short, stand as. a whole;—and, ‘far from having been “forged” against him, as some narrow-minded critics suggested, gives us the best summary of Ibn ’Arabi’s cardinalteachings. From here and here only, did his commentators borrow the main lines of the “wahdat al wujud’’ metaphysical system, nowhere else so synthetically explained. How multifarious may have been in its roots, Ibn ’Arabi’s system, this is what we begin to realize now in the West, thanks chiefly to Miguel Asin Palacios (in his three booklets of 1926 on “El wmzstico murcian Adenarabi’”’), to R.A. Nicholson and to H.S. Nyberg. Just lately a professor from the Stambul University, Dr. Mehmed ’Ali’Aini has even attempted to describe Ibn ’Arabi’s manifold teachings as a comprehensive summary of the whole occidental philosophy {from the earliest Greek fancies to the latest German theories. | couldn’t agree with him about this; but the fact remains that Ibn Arabi was not only a mysticof the greatest spiritual gifts and achievements, but a scholar of the widest information and knowledge. He was immediately styled as the “Master” among the contemporary Moslem mystics and kept this rank up tothe present

day. The long list of the attacks launched against his “Monist” leanings by such energetic polemists as Ibn Taimiya, show how deeply his works impressed Moslem minds, from Morocco to Java and from Kazan to Southern India. I hope your useful book, where you wished, above all, to reach the largest audience, without maintaining strict rules in transliteraticn and so_forth,—shall conquer new readers for Ibn ’Arabi’s works and new enquirers about “رودن ةمعدم‎ studies, in English-speaking countries. : Believe me, dear Mr. Khaja Khan, Professeur au College de France. Paris, September 21] st, 1928. In the year 627 A. H. during the latter part of the first ten days of Muharram (known as Ashra), Shayk Muhammad Muhiyuddin Ibni-Ali ul Arabi, while staying in the city of Damascushad a dream. In this dream, the Prophet (peace be on him) appeared to him, a bock in hand; and commanded him to publish the book for the benefit of mankind; the name of the book he gave out to be Fusus ul Hikam (bezels of wisdom). Thus the Shayk says that he is only a reproducer of that book and its interpreter, and not one who has added to or subtracted from it. “The Shayk believed in the value of dreams, and in man’s power to render them verid‘cal by his will-power” (a). This book now appears for the first time in the English language, though only in a synoptical form. “No adequate study of the Shayk’s work and doctrines have been made in English’, said the late Mr.

E.G. Browne (b). The earliest disciples of this Shayk viz, Sadruddin, his step-son (c), and Dawood Qaisari who lectured on Fusu-ul-Hikim in the Asia Minor are not said to have followed him scrupulously in their lectures, as Schelling could not follow his master Hegel ; though the philosophy of the latter was of the nature of speculation, and of the former of the nature of //ga-z-subuht, which is the dawning of khatrat (affectations) on the heart of the believer from the name Al-Hadi (name of God, meaning one who leads in the right path) direct, in as such as they do not come through the instrumentality of angels, as opposed to //ga-t-shaitanz, the khstrat that descend on the heart from the name Al-Muzil (the name that indicates one who leads astray). The disciples of the Shayk did not follow him, as perhaps they had not studied the Kethubin of the Jews and their

(a) and (b) E. ©. Browne’s Literary History of Persia. Vol. II p. 501, (c) Nafhatul Uns p. 592. apocryphal and cabalistic writings, which dealt with the mystical and ethical exposition of the scriptures. The apocryphal books (as the word afocrypha meaning concealed, itself indicates) were the books that were not made public by the Jews, as opposed to their canoncial books. The Jews were carried away by Shalmanezer, the King of Assyria- Persons employed to write the public records were supposed by the Jews to have been inspired men ‘“‘These books were collected, arranged and published as the sacred Code of the Jews by Ezra, who was himself not only a priest, but also a prophet in the estimation of his countrymen, inferior only to Moses. For the truth of this, we have the uninterrupted tradition, both oral and written, That Ezra was the principal agent in settling the canon of the Hebrew scriptures rests in better condition than even the united tradition of Jews and Christians. Ezra with the aid-of his contemporaries Nehemiah and Malachi (Malachi, which means an angel, is said by some, according to Prideaux to be Ezra himself) and the most intelligent of the elders, collected together all the copies they could of the sacred books and carefully collated them with each other, wrote out fair copies in the Chaldee characters,..-.-...- inserted those explanatory clauses, from which it has beenabsurdly inferred that the Pentateuch were not written by Moses”. (a)

From this, it is plain that certain portions were omitted and certain portions added, at the discretion of Ezra and his collegues. This was in the middle of the fiith century B.c. after the return of the Jews from their Babylonic cartivity. The Greek translation of the Holy Scriptures commonly known as the AlexandYian version and in use at the time of Christ was made during the reign of Ptolemy Philadelphus (284- “247 B. c.) by 70 or, more correctly, 12 men of (a) A History of the Holy Bible, by The Revd. Thomas ee Intro. p. XXV. learning and eminence who prepared the book in the isle of Pharos; and this is known as the Septuagint. This translation ‘‘was held inthe very highest esteem amongst the Alexandrian Jews, whilst. the Palestinians looked upon it as dangerous innovation and _ instituted the day cf its completion as a day of mourning.” (a) The translation from Hebrew into Latinby Jerome known as the Vulgate is the received version in the A. D. Another translation, the Etalie version, differed from this, and “the discrepancies were so numerous and important that the charge of heresy and fabrication of scripture was freely preierred by Rulinus; and even St. Augustine, was doubtful wheather this charge might not be true” (b). Thus while in the compilation itself, matter was omitted by Ezra and his collegues at their discretion, “the Egyptian Jews had already altered the text, upon which the translators worked”’ (c).

The omitted and unamended portions, however, were current among the Jews e.g. the stories of the Queen of Sheba and Solomon, the miracles of Christ in the cradle as related in “the Book of Infancy of Christ”. These stories were more or less of an apocalyptic (i.e. £ashfi as Sufis call it) or revelational character, and were discarded by men of rationalistic minds who collated or translated them. “In 4 Ezra (xiv 46-7)” says Dr. Canon Sell (d), “we read that Ezra is commanded to make public twentyfour books, and deliver seventy, that is, the Apocalyptic literature contained in secret books, ‘to the wise’. For in them are the views of understanding and the fountains of wisdom, and the stream of knowledge”. The wind is now, however, veering round, for. we find that the Christian world is now-a-days returning to this literature. The Right Revd. the Bishop of Madras ics ملع رم سر‎ Vol. VIN Art, Septuagint 00

(b) do Vol. X Art. Vulgate. (d) Dr. Canon Sell’s “Apocalypses.”"—Foot:note to p. 75. in his foreword to Dr. Sell’s ‘Apocalypses’ says, ““When the Apocalypses were brought to light and were made accessible to ordinary readers, it became possible to understand the thought of the people who followed ; and sympathize with the bewilderment of the disciples who understood our Lord’s words in the light of the material expectations aroused by these wonderful visions - + - the followers of Christ and Christ Himself used the books to convey their message to the hearts of their hearers. Some knowledge of the Apocalypses of the Jews is necessary for the historical study of the Gospels and the new Testament, and it will correct many mistaken notions and not the least those concerning the Book of Revelation, which becomes intelligible, when it is read in the light of the former Apocalypses, of which it is the climax and the crown.” Thus the stones that the builders rejected are to become cornerstones, They, however, already formed corner-stones of the Shayk’s Fusus-u!-Hikam. Those who did not understand the significance of their mystic nature could not follow his teachings. His immediate disciples like Sadruddin of Qoniah could hardly follow out his argumentations in all their ramifications.

The commentaries of note that have been written on this book are by Shayk Sudruddin, Shayk Badruddin ibn-Yam-maat, Shayk Mowiyid-uddin (a disciple of Sadruddin) Mulla Abdur Rahman Jami, Dawood-iQaisari, Muhibulla, Muhammad Mubarak Ali; to the last two of whom, 1am largely indebted for a good deal of their elucidation. ‘In fact”, says Mr. E. G. Browne “Fusus-ul-Hikam is seldom met with, unaccompanied by commentary; and it is doubtful even with commentary, its ideas can be fully apprehended without assistance from those who move in thnse realms of speculation, in which their author lived and from which he drew his intellectual energy. (a) Fusus-ul-Hikam is an abstract of the whole philosophy of the Shayk. It was considered to bea standard work, and was used as such in the Muslim colleges of ancient days. This is the translation of a summary of each Fas (bezel of wisdom) of this book. It is as close to the original text of the Shayk as possible ; in as much as there is no additional matter incorporated, nor an idea added; only such portions of each Fas have been excluded, as are offshoots from the main line. The Shayk is in the habit of running off the line; sometimes he runs off at a tangent in explanation of a mere word that occurs in his theme, and does not finally revert to the point from which he digressed. He is carried away by his thoughts and is not under the control of sequence.

Such treatment will be objected to by modern writers. The Shayk’s trend of thought is more or less Carlylean. Portions like these have been omitted as well as portions that did not seem quite germane to the subject. The Shayk does not sometimes stick to one subject in each fas ‘he reiterates it in other fases. The threads of his arguments run one into another without connecting links. Such reiteration specially relating to points of Arabic philology and erammer had to be kept out. “His style” says Mr. Browne “is obscure, probably of set purpose, after the fashion of Muslim Theosophists and Sufis,”’and his books are characterized by D. B. Macdonald (b) “‘as a strange jumble of theosophy and metaphysical paradoxes, all much like the theosophy of our own day”.

Instead of taking a title for his heading, the Shayk has taken the name of a prophet for the same e.g. to explain Malakiyyah (angelic) influences, he has (a) The Literary His. of Persia, Vol. II p. 500, (b) The Development of Muslim Theology &c., p. 262, taken the prophet Lot; to explain the different branches of knowledge, he has taken the prophet Shuaib (Jethro); to explain the condition of barzakh (hades or the state between the material and mithal worlds), he has taken Khalid; to explain the doctrine of qaza wa qadar, (predestination), he has taken Uzair (Ezra); to explain the vehicle of suluk (travel on the upward arc), he has taken Hud and so forth. He has not observed chronological order in his treatment ; e.g. the account of the Sinai comes at the end of the account of Moses. The prophets are not taken in the order of their advent, but according to the characteristics of their ‘wisdoms’, partly based on the mentality of the people to whom they were sent, and partly on their own suluk; one ‘wisdom’ leading to another. Under these circumstances, connected arguments are not discernible. These subjects are addressed to the sufis and others who have a grounding in their technicalities, which are as stiff as, for example, those of biology or zoology.

Accounts are given of some prophets, who are not mentioned in the Jewish Scriptures, e.g Hud, Luqman, Khalid ; the book of Qasas ul Anbiyya (narratives of the prophets) was written by a Jew ; the Fusus ul Hikam is not concerned with it. Itis only a commentary on the lives of the prophets mentioned in the Quran, except one (viz. Khalid) ; in fact, it is acommentary ina sufistic, if not,in an out of the ordinarily understood vein, of certain verses of the Quran dealing with the lives and teaching of these prophets ;and the commentary brings in far fetched ideas. Fusul-ul-Hikam is thus based on the Quran as all sufistic teachings must be; which otherwise degenerate into speculative philosophy and are not an observation of the realities that exist in a/em-tehayd (the unseen world). Even the words and expressions—at least those of them that are of deep spiritual significance— are such, as have been used in the Quran—For example, in Suvatul Buri (Lxxv: 3), God swears “by the observer and the observed "— Wa shahidin wa mashhood—Both the ‘observer and the observed” are Him alone-—The Sufis use the word shuhud (observance) as one of the four تمدق‎ (hypostases) in the stage of Wahdat.

There was, however, a good deal of hidden oral teaching amongst the Jews; and only one, acquainted with these, could say how far the Shayk was influenced by them. The Shayk has not, at times, quoted the verses of the Quran just they are; he has merely made use of their sense. _ The Shayk has sometimes given rationalistic basis to his themes before giving his kashfi (i]luminative) explanations for them, which latter are more or less intended for people with a grounding in the subject or who have undergone a course of suluk (spiritual practices under a shayki-tariqat); for the word tasawwuf is a mere word,—a sound signifying nothing,—until illuminations dawn on the heart of the salik, or until he gets a peep into the Alami: Mithal. Rational arguments appear, for example, in the ‘‘ Wisdom of David,” in whose hands iron became soft ; by which, the Shayk thinks is meant that hard hearts became soft. The Shayk was an original thinker, ‘tas no traces of Persian or Aryan thought are found in him (a)’. In fact, he and Shayk Abdul Karim Jili, (the author of Jnsan-ul-Kamil) have been beacon-lights to those who came after them The notes attached to each fas are, more or less, an attempt to give an analysis of it ; they relate only to such matter of the original text as has been retained.

They were not incorporated with the Fas (even within brackets); as the writings of the Shayk are too (a) Vide—Browne’s Literary His. of Persia 701.11 pp. 501 to 505, xX WISDOM. OF THE PROPHETS lofty and spiritual to be meddled with, Although the fases are too abstract to be clearly understood, they stand there, like solid mountains, commanding the attention of all Sufi thinkers. As there isa lack of sequential treatment in the body of each fas, there is a lack of the same in the notes which follows suit in this respect. This attempt of the translator is to be considered as mere spade work, for others to take up the task in this field. The object with which this translation was_ undertaken is to set forth that the cult of Muhammed (peace be on him) has not only a physical and moral side, (to which alone the modern reforms want to confine it), but also a spiritual one. The modern Turkey is drifting towards the former to the entire exclusion of the latter, reducing all Islamic ceremonialism to a hygienic basis and Islamic philosophy to Turkish zestheticism; while ceremonialism is acknowledged by the Quran only as a_ ladder to reach _ spiritual heights and to seek proximity to God. While, for example, the Quran says 7721225 salata tanha anu fasht wal munkar (Suratul Ankalut xxx: 45), ‘the Salat (ceremonial prayer) keeps you away {rom abuses and abominations;” and also, /zzal hasanatt yuzhabunas sayytat (Suratu Hud xt: 114). “Good works make sins disappear’, a hadith also inculcates As saltu maivag ul moumtnin ‘prayer is the (spiritual) ascent of the believer. The Prophet (peace be on him) spent forty daysin the cave of Mount Hira, not on hygienic grounds, but for his spiritual elevation. The standing, bending, sitting and prostrating attitudes and postures may contribute to shake off inertia; but they have higher aims as explained by the Shayk in his Fas-i-Muhammadiyyah.

The genuflexional and prostrational motions adopted even by the angels create humility (in rubbing one’s forehead on dust before the Maker) and submission (leaving one’s affuirs in His hands) in the devotee, which is not easily secured by choral service and singing of hymns, which the modern Turkey advocates. The Quran-declares /nual ladhina inda Rabéika la yastakbiruna an tbadatiht wa yusabbthunahu wa lahu yasyudun (Surrtul Aaraf vii: 206.) ‘Surely those who are with your Lord are not too proud to serve Him, and they declare His glory and prostrate themselves before Him.”—St. John the Divine in his £ash/(peep into the unseen world) has seen angels falling before the throne(of God) on their faces and worshipping Him’ (Revelation 7: 8). The Revd Canon Gairdner, the veteran missionary of Cairo (a) says, ‘‘Our services are too frequently notable for slovenly or uninspired or uninspiring scripture reading, the use of low grade hymn music; and on the part of the congregation, a painful lack of reverence and attention. Inspite of all fear of ritualism, we shall nevertheless do well to hold fast to outward and _spiritual reverence, even to the minutest detail in the externals of worship 0 0 1 Let us apprentice ourselves and our people to the art of reading the scriptures in public, with some of the beauty, which the Moslem attains with Koran.”

Similarly, regarding the recitation of salat (ceremonial-prayers) in other than the Arabic language. Salat consists of a few simple formulas, and the recitation of Swuratul-Fattha accompanied by 2ج‎ short sura or two long aayat (verses). Anybody whohas a mind to say his salat can easily make himself acquainted with the sense of these. In fact, the education of a Muslim child in the #a¢aé begins with an instruction in these. If, however, a man does not realize the sense, he can at least realize that he is using the very words communicated by God. In the case of salat, it was said in a hadith narrated by Hazrat Umer, (vide .م‎ 143) An tabad Rabbika kaannaka tarahu fa im lam tukun (a) The Moslem World for Oct 28, p. 348 tarahu fa innahu yaraka “Pray to God, as if you see Him ; if you cannot do this, pray to Him as if He sees 9) So if you do not realize the sense, you devoutly realize that you are using God’s salam (speech), whether it be in sense, as 4alamd nafst or in words as kalam-t-lafet (for a detailed discussion of this point vide pp. 103 and 187 of ‘Studies in Tasawwuf.”) The dua (the desire of your heart) and the £uzéa (the sermon) from the minbar may be in your own language, the Quranic quotations excepted. The material benefit of saying the salat in Arabic is that it makes the whole Muslim world allied and akin. In reading the Quran in Arabic, one feels that he is conversing with God, for God sent “the Quran to rehabilitate (the former books) in the Arabic language” Hadha kiabun masaddigun lisanan Arabtyya (Suratul Ahgaf yLtv1: 12); while one is not debarred from reading it along with its translation in his own language. The saying of the salat to the tunes of an _ orchestra, such as contemplated in Turkey will disrupt the MusIm world.

The Shayk has laid stress on ¢aséch and ¢anzth in his Fas-i-Nuhiy yah and other places, and shows that there is no asceticism in Islam. A Muslim has to drive his carriage and pair (of spirit and matter) and not merely one single horse (matter alone). And so also with sow (fasting) which is not merely to starve the body for physical beneiits, but ‘to obtain (spiritual) benelicences” Laallakum tattagun (Suratul Bagarah 11 : 183). Ceremonialisms as prescribed by the Quran and practised by the Prophet, are the backbone of Islam; the later accretions and hair-splitting distinctions made by the Ulema may, however, be modified or emended, to keep abreast of the march of events in the modern world. A revival of the teachings of the Shayk thus seems to be very necessary in these days. In the transliteration of Arabic characters, [ have tried to adopt the system of the Royal Asiatic Society of London, with a view to facilitate their re-translitera. tion into the original, when necessary and to identify each letter e.g. Saw hasbeen represented by Zz (as in hadith which must be read as Zaazs with a dash over i); khay by k, zal by dh (as in dhat which must be read as shat); waw by w, ya by نز‎ (as in ghaney), When an Arabic letter has a tashdid over it, its English equivalent has been duplicated as y in the word Nuhiyyah. The references to verses are according to the numbers given in Mawlavi Muhammad Ali’s edition of the Holy Quran; although his numbering differs from that of Rodwell. A fixed method of numbering the verses for purposes of references according to the modern requirements is still a desideratum; the present method being to quote the 7w£zu (section) only.

My thanks are due to the Editors of the ‘Islamic Culture,’’ Hyderabad; and ‘‘The Shama’a,” Madras, for having published one or two chapters from this book, for the first time in their respective magazines. 69, Jani Jahan Khan Road, | Royapetta Madras, S. India. Khaja Khan. A young horseman met a pedestrian on the roadside, coming {from the opposite direction. He reined in his horse, when the unknown Shayk accosted him thus; Mtn avna ela ayna wa maal hasil fil mubin, “Whence do you come and whither would you go and what have you to obtain on the road?” To which the young rider immediately replied Min 1ه‎ tmz wal ayn Li tahsil ut tarfyn ٠“ From knowledge towards the reality (in the knowledge of God), so that both sides are obtained.” The young rider was Shayk Muhammad Muhiyuddin and the Shayk who accosted him was Sudruddin who had then met him for the first time. The rider’s answer tothe Shayk gives the gist of his whole philosophy. Shayk Muhiyuddin came out of the outer arc of the Divine knowledge on the 7th of the month of Rainazan 560 A.H, (July 28, A.D. 1165) in the city of Murcia in Spain, which was governed by the Moors of the family of Muwahhiddins; studied at Ashbilia and thence went to Seville in A.D. 1165, and lived for avery long time at Cordova and completed the study of standard books under Abul Hasan ibnul Hudhyale.

In 598 A.H. after the demise of Amir Yaqub, he travelled to the east, living in turn in Egypt, Aleppo, Hijaz, Baghdad, Mosul and Asia Minor; and entered the outer arc of ayan at Damascus on 22nd Rabiuth-thani 638 A.H. (November i6, A D. 1240); having been on the road of travel to gather experience of both sides for 78 years, 7 months, and 9 days, as the Hijara year counts. His grave is ina place at the foot of Mount Qasun, which at present goes by the name of Saliha.

The father of this Shayk, vzz., Ali ibnul Muham- mad-i-Tai, who was in the descent of the famous philanthrophist Hatim-Tai of Arabia was childless, till he reached his fiftieth year, when he became hopeless of having any issue A story has it, that he appeared before the great saint, Shayk Abdur Qadir Jeelani, and asked him to pray to God to grant himason. The saint had a revelation that he was not to beget a son unless somebody transferred his own son to him; the saint accordingly transferred to him a son {rom his own spine and told him that a son would be born to him, whom he should name Muhammad, and affix to that name his own title of Muhiyuddin (reviver of religion) ; and prophesied that that son would become a great sufi saint, and author of many books on hadith and tafsir (commentary). Whatever the story may be worth—this shayk having been born in Spain, and Shayk Abdul Qadir having been an inhabitant of Baghdad (ob. 561 A.D.),—this much is certain that he was born in the old age of his father in the last year of the life of the renowned Saint of Baghdad (ob. 561 A.H).

The Shayk wasa writer of ‘colossal fecundity,” as Mr. E. G. Browne puts it. He himself drew upa memorandum in A.D. 1234 enumerating 259 of his writings. Abdur Rahman Jami in his Nafhat ul Uns has given him credit for 500 books. Amongst these was a commentary on the first 16 chapters of the Quran for general reader in 95 volumes, and another, a smaller one, for sufis in eight volumes. His important works on TJasawwuf are Futuhat-i-Makkiyyah (‘victories, z.¢., revelations, received at Mecca), Fusul Hikam (Bezels of Wisdom), Futuhat-i-Madaniyyah, and Tanzzulat (the theory of Divine devolution), Kitab-ut Tajalliyat (book of illuminations), Aqlatul Mastawaf, Muwaizi-Hasana. He has left a diwan (book of poems) in Arabic which Mirza Muhammad Shirazi has lithographed in 244 pages. It is said that the Shayk lived ina grave for seyeral years in A] Maghrib (the Barbary States); and when he came out, his heart was illuminated; and he wrote books during his travels leaving behind, the manuscripts at the places at which they were written. People made copies of them at great expenses. The Shayk belonged to the school of Imam Malik in religion. He served under an old lady saint by name Fatima Binti Waliyyah, who was ninety-five years of age, but hale and healthy; and who is said to have had the sight (deydar) of God in everything in the world, and who had the command of Suvrathul Fatthah (the opening chapter of the Quran), z.e., whenever she summoned that Sura, it came out in human form and carried out her wishes.

Shayk Shihabuddin Shuhrawardy (ze., of the village of Shuraward, from which his order took its name), Nujmuddin Razi, Muslih uddin Sadi, Abdul Hasan Magribi (the founder of the Shadhliyyah order), and Jelaluddin Rumi, were some of the illustrious savants who were his contemporaries ; Imam Ghazzali died 55 years before his birth. As is generally the case with all people who explain doctrines on new lines, the Shayk was denounced as Kafir during his lifetime, although the number of his admirers and supporters was overwhelming. He had his special opprobrium for his Fusus-ul-Hikam. He was calleda Zindiq, 2.¢., one who spreads unbelief under the guise of belief or religion; while his contemporary admirers gave him the title of Shayk-i-Akbar (the greatest master), and the succeeding generations remember him as such. The Shayk’s philosophy may be dealt under certain broad heads; the theory of tanazzulat, ayanithabita, the future world, — spiritual hierarchy, uruj (ascent) etc., ec. The Tanazzulat. The Dhat or Reality of God is homogeneous 2720 sui-venerts “| am that I am” (Ex. 3-13), as He revealed His self to Moses; and hence it cannot be defined, nor can it be brought under apperception. It is beyond thought, guess and imagination “Sar tar az khiyal wu كه‎ wu.wahm,” as Sadi has put it. This is technically called the stage of Addiyyat. It is also called’ Wajud-i-mutlaq (absolute existence), Wajud-i-sadij (colourless existence), Ganji-mukhfi (hidden treasure). When It introspected into Itself, It found Its sifat (attributes) immanent or pervading in It.

Herein are found four itibarat or hypostases or suppositions, 222., (1) Nur; (2) Ilm (knowledge of forms of attributes or of asma or His names in attributes ; (3) Wujud (Existence of the fact of asma), and (4) Shuhud (Dhat’s observance of them). When it observed the aptitude of asma, hypostases of sight and hearing came in, for It heard and granted their prayer by Its 4a/am (word), kun (be). Thus seven ilibarats are found in the stage of Wahidiyyat, the next lower stage. The demarcation line between Ahdiyyat and Wahidiyyat is called Wahdat or Higqigqat-

Wahidiyyat therefore is absolute existence manifest in the forms of its attributes, it is also known as W ujud-i-ishtiqaqi (derivative existence) or Wajud-i-izafi (relative existence), which isthe reality of Humanity. Thus the Dhat is immanent in Wujud-i-izafi, the latter is immanent in asma, the latter again in forms of names (the soul-world). The soul-world is immanent in the mithal-world (the world of thought); and the latter again is immanent in the material world; all this in the downward arc to produce Insan-ul-kamil (the perfect man;) who ascends on the upward arc through all these stages to Wabdat or Hagiqat-i-Muhammadi by self-realization and finds himself reflected there, as the latter is reflected in the Dhat. Thus Wahdat is the mirror in which the cosmos is reflected. When God observed the forms of His attributes (asmai-elahi), 7.¢., His Divine nemes, He found them in agitation for self-manifestation ; and they manifested themselves as asmai-kiyani, 7.¢., mundane names, and thus found their sakina (rest), The observance of asma-i-elahi and the manifestation of asma kiyani was at one and the same time, although sequentially the one is after the other, after the manner of an impression of a stamp, which is taken at one and the same time, although the line in the Jower impression reads after the upper line. The forms, being the form of God’s own attributes, cannot be said to have been xox est; they were hidden in Dhat and became manifested ; as there was no duality. Neither did the world exist along with God frometernity as Aristotle held, nor did it come out from nothingness, as a poet has said :—

Qabtliyat bi jal ¢ jatl nist, Faylt fal khilafit gabel nist “ Aptitudes are not the creation of the Creator. The work of the Creator is not contrary to their demands.” Before manifestation the world was immanent or potential in the Dhat of God, and ‘‘God was independent of it” Alahu ghaniyun anil alamin (SuratuAlat-lmran : i. 96), He had knowledge of His own eternal existence. To acquire knowledge of temporary existence, He manifested His own attributes in forms whose supplementaries were forms of objects. He thus possessed eternal knowledge of self and temporary knowledge of the forms of His attributes (asma); which, however, were fixed and stable in His knowledge and were thus named A yani-i-thabita. The Hagqiqat-i-Muhammadi did not come out in the form of Muhammad (peace be on him), for then this would become a form of avatarism or incarnation, which Muhammadans repudiate; it only directly influenced the life and character of the Prophet from beginning to end, while in the case of the other prophets of God, it worked through instrumentalities. The first ism (name from an attribute of God) fs Badi (inventor without a model); and it prayed to its Rab (ruler) for its counterpart and out came Aqlulkul (absolute reason).(a) These two were the spiritual Adam and Eve, and produced the ism Baith (the causer), ; which in its turn prayed for its counterpart to its rab Badi, and had its mate in Nafs-i-kul, and so on with the remaining asma till the ism Rafi-i-vd dharajat (elevator of ranks) came out with its counterpart Insanul-kamil.

La asali kish ek rah natk bingar Ki madar ra pidar shud baz madur—Gulshan-i-Raz. Ponder well once for all on your origin, Your first mother had a father who wasalso her mother. The result intended by the whole creation is Insan-ul-kamil (the perfect man); and this perfect when man appeared, he was directly illuminated by Aqlul-kul or Qalam-i-ala (the superior pen). The Prophet is addressed as Yasin ‘‘O man” in sura XXXv1; and in first revelation to him: through Gabriel he had to read in the name of the Most Holy Rab who taught man through the pen, what he did not know before ” (Suvratnl Alag xcvi : |—6), On account of this direct infuence of Aqlul-kul, he became Insan-ul-kamil (perfect man), who came out of the churning, as it were, of the whole ocean of asma, bringing along with him the ambrosia not only of this life in the form of his shariat but a)so, in addition, life eternal. God created man out of aclot and made him Insan-ul-kami]. Mawlavi Muhammad Ali Sahib thinks that a clot here means only‘ one of humble origin’ (vide note 2,770 to his Quran) ; and Rodwell thinks that pen means “a powerful help of propagating the knowledge of Divine Unity. ” It is God Himself in His first ism that illumi-

(a) Ayinai Haqayaq Numa, being comnentary of Jamai Jahan Numa p 50. nated the prophet’s mind, just as in the case of Jesus Christ, the Spirit of God descended on him at the time of baptism (Sz. Mark 1—10, Sz. Mazthew ii. 6 St. Luke 1—32 and #ى‎ /ohz iii. 22.) in the form of a dove accompanied by a voice from heaven. The gnostic Christian calls this Spirit of God, by the name of Aeon Christ -which “ ascended to its native region before crucifixion.’ The Shayk refers to this in the poetical lives that prelude his wisdom of Christ. In his Futuhat-i-Makkiyah, (a) the Shayk explains the same doctrine of devolution in another way. The whole Cosmos is the manifestation of the head-line of the Quran, 72., Bismillah hir Rahman nir Rahim “In the name of God with His unconditional benevolence as well with His conditional benevolence.” The unconditional benevolence relates to the granting of the prayers of ayan according to their aptitudes ; and conditional benevolence relates to the granting of rewards in respect of merits earned by the believer as explained in his Fas-i-Sulaimaniyyah. This phrase is a predicate, the subject of which is understood. The Shayk says the subject is /étdaya ul alam (origin of the world). The whole sentence will then read: “ The origin of the world (is) in the name of God with His unconditional and _ conditional benevolences.’ The origin was in the point of the letter Bay of Bismillah or as a Persian poet has put it referring tothe gwmj-7nukhfi (the hidden treasure), mentioned in a hadith.

Bismillah hir Rahman nir Rahim. The key to the hidden treasure of ‘the Wise,’ Is this Beswzllah hir Rahman nir Rahim The point (zag7¢a) is Dhat-i-Bahat (absolute Dhat) “ which is not in the likeness of anything” Laysa hamithiiht shayun (Suuratus Shura xiii: 11) and about ee Ars اح‎ RARE Be ee 3 مح ا‎ AIR ك0‎ which we have been told that God precludes the banda from enquiring Vuhadh-dhiru kum allahu nafsahu (Suratu Aati Imran 1: 29), and Latudri kukul absar wa hua yudukul absar wa hua lalifun khabir (Suvatul Anamvi: 104) “ Vision does not see Him and He see the vision. He is subtle and aware ” The world does not see the ego of man; the ego of man sees the world ; so the world cannot see the Dhat of God and the Dhat sees the world. The xzgéa first lengthened itself out and became وله‎ Alam tara ila Rabbtka kayfa muddazzilta, (Suratul Furgan xxv : 45) “ Do you not see how your Rab has lengthened His shadow. ” The seven sifat (attributes) are Ilm (knowledge), Nur (light), Wujud (existence). Shuhud (observance of His own potentialities), Sama (hearing the prayer for manifestation oi these potentialities), Basar (seeing their forms), and Kalam (granting their prayer), and to these seven primary attributes, twenty-one more are added so that twenty-eight asma (narnes indicating the named with attributes) came out according to the number of Arabic letters. The “له‎ tilted from its vertical attitude to horizontal, and became day which is still alif with a nugta below, to show that it is still alengthening out of the shadow of zugta (dot) or Dhat-i-bahat in another attitude, vzz., of Asmai kiyani.

Bay is thus a symbol of asmai-kiyani (mundane names) which are the outcome or external manifestations ofall asmai-elahi. The full conglomoration of all the asmai-elahi (divine names) is the name Allah who remains hidden ; and the full manifestation of their counterparts is the name banda who is apparent; and when all asma are equally poised in the banda, he becomes Insan-ul-kamil, Sayah 2 shawad chun bar sar vasad aftab. “The shadow disappears, when the sun reaches overhead. ”

Each ismi-elahi saw its ismi-kiyani, and breathed its breath into it. This breathing-in is the Holy Ghost known by the name of Rahman. ‘ Call Him Allah or call Him Rahman ”’ says the Quran. 0201 id ullaha awid ur Rahman (Suratu Bani Israel xvii: 110). The cosmos was thus vitalized and externalized by the ism, Rahman. The fruit of this process is the ism. Rahim, Bil mominina raufur rawhim (Suratul Barat 1x: \28) “To the believers the prophet is compassionate and bestower of blessing " Wa ma arsal na ka illa rahmatn il alamin (Suratul Anbiyya xxi: 107)* We have not’ sent thee except as a blessing to the world. ” The ‘ universal benevolence’ isthe Divine inflatus that brings out whatever there is in the aptitudes of the ayan—jamali or jalali (good or evil). Gulshan-iRaj says— Fler chi uz gyn wa shayn-t-shumast, Sar ba sar muqtuza-t-ayn t shumast. Her chi ayn-t-shuma taqaza kard, JShoud-t-faizi mon aan huwayda kard, Whatever is of good and evil from you, It is the demand of your own reality. Whatever your own ayn demanded, My benevolence made it manifest. Good and evil are the manifestation of whatever there was in the ayn, through the name Rahman. The terminal word, Rahim, in the head-line isthe special benevolence of God towards those who approach Him.

Suratul Fatihah is the expansion of this head-line of the Quran; and the Quran is the expansion of that Sura; in fact the 22772 is manifest in all its permutations and combinations in the Quran ; just as Dhat-ibahat is manifest in allits variegated aspects in the known cosmos. The Ayani thabita:—The philosophy of the Shayk is certainly a new philosophy to the world. The extelecheta of Aristotle makes the world coeternal with God. The avani-thabita of the Shayk make him sail clear of this duality; the ayan are God’s own aptitudes, says the Shayk; they are the Kanzi-mukhfi (hidden treasure) in the language of a hadith. In introspection, God saw them. They appeared in forms, the’ process of finding and appearing being simultaneous, as the impressions of upper and lower words ina _ seal are simultaneous in in the making, though one is prior in rank to the other in reading; and when they appeared in knowledge, they became ¢hadé:ta or fixed init. The duality of. Aristotle has been avoided and Tawhid (oneness) kept intact. The Future World -—The Shayk was one of those who had seen the akhirat (the future world), even from their places in this world. He met all the great prophets and awliya (friends of God) in his travel therein. In Chapter 390 of his book Futuhat-i-Makkiyyah, he says that he saw Enoch (Edris), who said to him that even as a Nabi of God, he did not know whenthis world had begun, and to what limit the creation extended ;

for with every breath, a new creation manifested itself and God is always Creator ; ““ the akhirat will be there be for ever.” Al akhiratu-khaivun wa abga (Suratul Aala \xxxvii : 17) ‘the future world is better and more lasting.” ‘‘ There is only one world of existence, and this world has become a world on account of you ” In the scheme of Tanazzulat (devolutions), this world is the last stage of descent ie. akhirat. In the scheme of (uruj) ascension, the world on the other side the grave (Garzakh) is the first lowest rung in the ladder. It is thus also called the akhirat (a) Death is a bridge that joins the two or asa hadith puts it Al motu jasrun byan ul habib wal habid ‘ Death is a bridge between the lover and the beloved.

‘We cannot go out of existence even if we want,” recently declared Sir Oliver Lodge, the famous scientist (a) For an account of the akhirat, vide ‘Studies iu Tasawwaf '; pp, 54, 55 and 204 ina sermon preached at Glasgow ‘“‘we continue as spirits which have substantial bodies of ether. I have been in touch with the minds of people, who have parted from their bodies. They preserve memories, characters and affections.” There are planets whose one revolution forming their day, takes up several thousand years of time as calculated on this earth. Once the Shayk saw some men perambulating arcund Kaaba; one of them asked him whether he had recognized him, and said that he had died some 40,000 years before. The Shayk replied that Adam had not lived so long ago as that, and then recollected the hadith af the Prophet (peace be on him.) Jznallaha taala khalaga miyata alafa Adamin ‘* God has created two lakhs of Adams.” In Chapter 340 of the same book, he Says that he met with Abraham, to whom he recited the Quran ; He met with Moses, at whose hands he performed tawba (repentance) ; he met with Hud, who explained to him the nature of existence (vzz., that God is eternal in eternal existence and transcient in transcient existence). And he met with Muhammad (peace be on him), to whom the akhirat is the permanent world. The Prophet (peace be on him) has said Axnnasu nivamum fa tdha matu tntibahu. ‘The people are in sleep, and when they die, they awake,” but those who are dead to this world, sometimes, get a peep into that world from their places here. Therefore by his will-power, the Shayk tried to make dreams verdical.

The Spiritual Hierarchy. Ia the 24th chapter of Futuhat, he says that from Adam to Muhammad (peace be on him), 25 Kutubs have existed one after another. He met with them all in barzakh (soul-world), while he lived at Cordova. In fact, he says there is only one kutub, 222., the soul of the Prophet (peace be on him) which illumines the souls of all kutubs, prophets and awliya. Below the rank of kutub is Ghawth, who takes care of the countries, whether of believers or unbelievers. In the Quranic Verse Va avyuhal ladhina amanu atiyulleha wu atiyur vasula wa wulil amrt minkum (Suratun Nisa iv : 59). “ O people who have brought faith, obey God, obey His prophet and obey those placed in command over you,” the last command refers to obedience to kutub, khalifa and. awliya. While a kutub takes care of the whole world, awtad (literally nails) are in charge of the four corners of the compass (north, east, west, and south); and abdals whoare seven innumber rule over the seven continents, which are under the control of the seven planets, which are inhabited by the souls of particular prophets. Kutubs and the Ghawthes correspond to the Manus and Bodhisatvas of the Hindu and Buddhist cults.

The Doctrine of Uruj (ascent). In his Fas-iMoosawiyyah, the Shayk has builded up his doctrine of Tanazzulat (devolution) as explained above ; for to the question of Pharoah Ma rudbul alamin P “What is your Lord of the world?,” Moses said Rabéus samawatti wal ardt wa ma baynahuma in kuntum muwginin (Suratus Shura xxvi: 24). “The Lord of the heavens and the earth, and whatever is between them, if you are people possessing the eye of discernment.” The Shayk has developed this idea by adding Zuhuru fiht suwarul alamin min ulwin wa huwas samawu wa siflin wa huwal ardu aw yuzharu buwahiha “In Him manifest themselves forms of the worlds from on high, which are heavens and forms from below which are of earth.”’ That is, He is manifest in all forms (vide page 164). In his Fas-i- Muhammadiy yah, the Shayk has developed his doctrine of Uruj (ascent) Swéhan al ladhi asra bi abdihe lilan minal massidil harami il al magyidil agsa (Suratu Bani-Isvael, xv: 1). ‘Glory be to Him who made His servant go on a night fom the sacred mosque to the remote mosque.” This was the Prophet’s Sayv-2- allah (journey _towards God), which was in a night, i-e-, he was blind-

folded to his limited attributes and realized in himself the orientation of unlimited attributes ; and the journey was from his sacred physical body to the remote soulbody, which was the stage of Aysadina arwahina, arwahina ajsadin4 ‘our bodies are our souls and ovr souls are our bodies” as Muhibulla of Allahabad, the commentator of Fusul-Hikam has put it. In this stage, the body itself becomes the soul, in which manner also, Christ, was “exalted to God’s presence” Lal rafahul lahu eliht (Suratun Nisa iv: 158); and further up begins Savr jillah (journey in Godi.e., in the stage of Wahdat (or Haqqat-i- Muhammadi). In the case of Muhammad (peace be on him) it was said. ‘He is in the highest part of the horizon’— . Wa hua bil oufagil aala (Suratun Najm vu: 7.) ‘And he drew near, then became lowly,” Zhumma dana fa taala (Lord : 8.) ‘So he was the measure of two bows or closer still” —Fa kana gaba gowsint aw adna—(Loid : 9.) ‘And He revealed to his servant what He revealed’—Fa awha ela abdiht ma awha-(Lbrd : \0.) Here the Prophet (peace be on him) was fani (annihilated) in himself and baqi (permanent) in the Dhat of God. In fana itself (self-annihilation), baqa (the real I-ness) dawns, as the Methnawi puts it,

Jihad kun dar baykhudi khud ra bryad, Dhud tar wallahu alam bis sawab. Acquire self-annihilation, and find your self Sooner than you expect ; God knows the best. A part of the Kalima of Islam is Ashkhadu anna Muhammadan abdahu wa vrasulahu, “\ bear witness that Muhammad is His slave, and His rasul (messenger)”. Slavehood as explained on page 190 indicates fana (annihilation of pseudo-self/—When Muhammad (peace be on him) became fani (annihilated) in his limited sifat (attributes), he became baqi (permanent) in the unlimited sifatof God; as a plenipotentiary is nothing in himself, but possesses by devolution all the powers of the king whom he represents at a foreign court—Muhammad is thus God’s plenipotentiary, which every Muslim is required to testify to, and this rank devolved on him in his state of baqa. Bagai-yabad wu bad az fana baz, Rawad anjam-i-wu akhar ba aghas. He finds eternal life after dying to self, and again He runs another course from his end to his beginning. In his journey towards God (Sayr-il-allah), Moses had not rid himself of the encumbrances of his limited sifat ; (attributes) and could not enter the valley of Towa, the command, therefore, to him was, /a akhla nalika. Innaka 021 wadil maquddast towa (Suratu Ta Ha xx: 12.)—‘‘Therefore put off your shoes; surely you are in the sacred valley of Towa.” (a)

Some consider that Zowa or Tuwan means, twice, signifying thereby, the twice blessed valley ; some think it is the name of the valley itself. It is, however, plain from the context that it is the valley of Fana (annihilation of self). Unless Moses were fani, he could not have descended in his ‘‘second downward journey” ‘“‘WVuzlatan ukra” (Surutal Najm vm: 13) and have had his deydar (beatific vision); and the command therefore to him in that condition was, Laz tarani ya Moosa(Suratul Araff vu: 143). “Thou canst not see Me, O Moses,” Self-annihilation is the result of Sayr fillah ; this condition is very short-lived—almost the twinkling of an eye; after which the salik makes a downward journey for the reclamation of humanity in what is called Savv ma allah (journey with God), and reaches the stage of Alam-i-arwah (the soul-world), where alone he has his deydar (beatific vision), which is the goal of man’s existence and which forms the fas (bezel) of Muhammad (peace be on him)— Other seers (into a/am-z-ghays), and_ prophets Ta) Wor farther commentary-videp.102-.2=«2°0008 5 0 have had their samadhi, nirvana, ascension, fana ete., (indicating extinction of pseudo-self) ; and it was reserved for the Prophet to have had his deydar indirectly through asma and sifat in this world, and directly by tajalliyat (illuminations) in his mairaj—Hence Fas-i Muhammadiy yah (Wisdom of Muhammad p. 171), as explained by the Shayk, mentions the three things of of this world, which were beloved to the prophet, viz women, fragrance, and salat (prayer), in which he had the deydar of God, in this world—these were symbolical of the manifestation of His jamal (beauty), of the fragrance of His act of creation, and the realization of His immanence and finally, of His tajalljyyat (illuminations).

In salat consists the mairaj of his followers—the goal of their life is the deydar of God and not absorption into Him; for our ayani thabita will remain as such, eternally in His knowledge ; and His knowledge is eternal. The Quran says in this respect 7/112 2 naziratun ela. Rabbtka nazira (Suratul Qiyamah txxv :22 and 23), (Some) faces on that day shall be bright. Looking to their Lord” Youma taral mouminina wal mouminatt yasa nouruhum bayna wdhim wa 62 aymanthim (Suratul Hadid wv: 12)—“* On that day, you will see the faithful men and the faithful women, their light running before them and on their right hand ”— Therefore the Muslim prayer for a dead man is Nawwarallahu margadhu. “May God illuminate his grave Those who have not deydar here will go on groping in the dark in the thereafter.— ax kana fi hazthu ama wa fa hua pl akhiva ul ama waazallu sabila (Suvatu Bani-[srael xvu:72) ‘ Whoever is blind in this (world), will also be blind in the hereafter, and more erring from the way ”

Prophet returned from his Sayr-fillah with the unlimited attributes of God; ‘And certarnly he saw Him in another descent’. Wala gad rahu naztlatin ukhara (Suratun Najm Lin: 13). - “* At the farthest lote tree’ —Inda sidaratdl muntaha (Zoid: 14), _ “Near which rs the garden, the place to be resorted to” Indahajannatul mawa (Lbid: 15). After descent from Wahdat to the soul-world, in which the jannat (paradise) is, the Prophet (peace be on him) had his vision of God (beatific vision), his transcendental wonder (the stage of Wahdat), in which ‘that which covers, covered the lote-tree”—/dha yagsha us sidra ma gagsha (Lod : 16)—having left him and soul consciousness having returned, with a_ sense of differentiation. It is still impossible to say what had covered the lote-tree (the soul body of the Prophet) i.e. what had overwhelmed his soul-consciousness at that stage; but the Prophet appreciated it most truly and intensely, as “ His eye did not turn aside nor did itexceed the limit” Wa zaghul basaru wa ma tagha (Ibid : 17). All that could be said 1s ‘“‘ He saw of the greatest signs of his Lord” Lagad raa min avatt Rabbihul kubra (/bid : 18). As explained in Fasi-Muhammadiyyah, God sees Himself in the mirror of man; and man, in his urgj (ascension) sees his self only, in the mirror of the Dhat; hence the hadith, 1/072 arafa nafsahu fagad arafa Rabbahu, ‘“‘Whoever understood his self understood his Rab.” Ina hadith quoted by Ghazzali, (a) it is said Raaytu Rabbi lilatal matraji fi ahsana surat adha shanu “1 saw God on the night of mairaj and He hada most beautiful face” —Any way, the Dhat of God does not come under observation, only Its signs and tajalliyat come.

Such was the nature of his mairaj, “which he (the Prophet) does not speak out of his own desire’—WMa yantigu anil hawa (Suratun Nam vit: 3.) Gur chi Quran az labt paygamobar ast. Herr ki gouyad Hagg na gufta kafir ast. (Methnawi). Although the Quran is from the lips of the Prophet; Whoever says God did not speak it, is a hider of truth. Here the certain drops before the eye of kashf (illumination) of the seer, or of the mind’s eye of the salik. Agar ek sarat mot bar tar param; Farough-i-tajalli bu suzad param, If I fly higher by a hair-breath than the lote tree, The glory of His tajalli will singe my wings. Thus said Gabriel, in response to the call to accompany him higher aloft the lote-tree, onthe night of Mairaj to the Prophet (peace be on him). CHAPTER I. THE WISDOM OF ADAM (Fas-i-Adamiyyah) Shayk Muhiyyuddin ibni أن ناث‎ Arabi calls this Fas, Ilqai-Rahmaniyyah, a direct inspiration to him, as opposed to indirect inspiration (Nafth-i-Rubi) A . direct Rahmaniy yah inspiration is from the name (ism) Hadi without any intervention from the name (ism) Muzil. Again these two inspirations are opposed to the inspirations from the name muzil—which also are both direct and indirect. Direct inspiration whether Rahmaniyyah or Shaytaniyyah comes direct from the ism (name) hadi or muzil on the mind of the salik, while the indirect Nafth-i-Ruhi comes through the chain of lower jamali (beautiful) names and an indirect Shaytaniyyah comes through a material object ,e.g., the temptation to steal, when there is an object to steal.

_ The first thing that the Lord caused to dawn on the mind of His servant, (i. e-, the Shayk) is the Bezel of Adam. The word Fas means either essence of wisdom or a bezel on the ring. Inthe former case, it is the essence of wisdom attaching to a particular Prophetship; the fountain-head of which wisdom is the particular name of God, which overshadows the soul of that prophet, according to his ayn (form in the knowledge of God). When the word is construed as bezel, it means that the heart of the Prophet is engraved upon with a particular name (ism). When God wanted to see the forms (ayan) of His names (asma) or if you like, to see His own form (ayn) in such a composite creature, that being attribu. ted with His own innumerable names (asma), exhibited His full grandeur, having been endowed with His existence, He exhibited His own secret to Himself, i. e. He saw it insuch a creature that exhibited all His attributes, so that His own secret manifested itself to Him. He was observant of Himself before manifestation; but this observance is not the same as observance of self in another. For in the former case, there is no neces- - sity for an external figure; while in the latter, there is. In the first case, the self takes the shape that the requirements of the external figure demand. When He wanted to see His Dhat by means of His asma (names), He madea form of the cosmos in the shape of a symmetrical figure which had no soul.

That form was like a glass without brilliance and did not reflect His asma. When a thing is made perfect, it becomes fit to receive the breath of God. This process of reception is called blowing-in of breath. This blowing-in is herein called command (amr) and is eternal Divine tajalli (reflection) which then flashed on the perfected form. All such commands emanate form Him and merge in Him. Adam became the brilliance of that form and also its scul; angels became the faculties, spiritual and physical of that form, which became the cosmos, which the sufis call Alam-i-kabir (macrocosm.) Angels are the powers hidden in the faculties and organs of man; these powers in their individualities are hidden from one another.

Reason cannot penetrate so far as this; it is only kashf (spiritual discernment) that can do this. Kashf alone shows the reality of the figures of the world, which are fit to receive the soul. This reality alone is Insan (man), and Khalifah. The Reality surrounds everything in the cosmos. To God, it is ‘like insan-ul-ayn (the pupil of the eye) by which He sees. It is also called dasr (sight), for God sees His creation through it. It is also /zsaz, because it has wzs (affection) for all things. It is Zaadzth (temporary) from the view-point of manifestation, for it was not before in azl (eternity without beginning) but became eternal in abad (eternity without end). ~The insan is a comprehensive and composite world. By its creation, the cosmos became perfect. It is like the bezel (fas) on the ring; the king attaches his seal to the treasury and protects it from being tampered with. Thus in the protection of His treasury, this signet is the vicegerent of God. The world will be safe, so long as there is a perfect man init. All the names(asma) of God, became manifest in man; and hence man surrounded everything in the universe. God reprimanded the angels about this very man; they were not aware of his worth ; for everybody could know only so much of God, as his capacity allowed him. The angels are restricted to only such asma as they could take count of; and are unaware that there are innumerable asma besides, of which they have no cognizance and which they donot sing the hymns of, while Adam knew all asma. When therefore they were commanded to bow before Adam, they exclaimed. Atajalu fiha mon yufsidu fiha (Suvat-ul-Bagarah 1:30) ‘‘What art thou going to create one on earth, who will create commotion init ?” This was their contention with God. Adam sang the praises of God with all His

asma- This incident is mentioned to us so that we may reverance God and not complain against events that come to pass. The cosmos has no knowledge of itself but it is contained in God’s knowledge; it 15 7 (internal) in that knowledge and is not destructible ; and has its effect on all external existences, the external existences are its ayan (forms) and not its ghatr (other). By cosmos | mean the realities of ayan. The cosmos is external in respect of ayn (form), and internal in so far as it is in knowledge. But its nature in the two aspects is different. It is Zaadzth (temporary) in manifestations, and eternal (aéadz) in the knowledge of God. Knowledge is connected with knower, and life with one alive. Knowledge isa reality in internality and so also is life. We say God is living and knowing; angels are living and knowing; men are living and knowing. The realities of life and knowledge are the same throughout; but the knowledge of God 15 eternal (gadim) and of man temporary (Aaad7th). Humanity is existent everywhere, the multiplication of bodies does not multiply its essence. To make temporality, it is necessary that it should depend on one, who makes it.

Thus God explained His nafs in terms of our attributes. When we observe our attributes, we observe His attributes; only our attributes are dependent and His are not; He is without beginning and without end. Heisthe First in reference to us and He is the Last similarly. We emerge out of Him, He is the First; We merge unto Him, He is the Last. His First is thus His Last and vce versa. Thus also, He is zahir (external) and batin (internal). He made Alami-ghayb (the unseen world) and Alami-shahada (the seen world). He attributed Himself with beauty (jamal) and glory (jalal) ; for He endowed man with hope and fear. The pair of these attributes are called His hands. These pairs of attributes conjoined to create the perfect man, who is the composite of all realities in existence ; God remaining under veils of darkness (material bodies) and veils of light (souls); God is thus a veil over His own nafs. The Necessary existence is for God alone; the world has no part in it. God will therefore remain unrecognized by knowledge, which comes out of observation. God created Adam with Histwo hands, by bestowing on him the garments of His attributes. Hence He said to Iblis

Ma manaakaun tusjudu lima khalagtu bt yadtyya Surat-us Sad—xxxvu:75). “What prevented you from bowing before him whom I created with both my hands”. The garment of Adam is the very compositeness of attributes in him; Iblis is a part of the cosmos; but he does not possess this compositeness, Adam therefore is the kbalifah of God, and he is in the likeness of God-— He posseses all things that the khalifah should possess from his lord—God made man in His own image. The Possible has two phases, the Necessary on one side and the Negative on the other. If man takes the aspect of the latter, he becomes adm (nothingness) ; if he takes the likeness of the former, he acquires existence. He, however, does not become the former zz esse for then it will be a case of transformation of realit y— which is impossible. The abd (created) cannot therefore become Rab (creator). He takes on only the likeness of Rab and becomes His khalifah (vicegerent). This khilafat is attainable only by the Perfect Man, whose externality is according to the forms of the world and whose internality is according to the reality of God. He is the composition of all external and internal realities (Zagayag). Thus God said Kuntu samahu wa basrahu, ““ [ become his hearing and sight” and did net say Kuntu aynahu wa aznahu, ‘| become his eye and ear’. Mark the difference between these two. God is present in the things of the creation, according to their requirements, but not in composite form as in the khalifah. If God is not immanent in created things, the latter would never have existed. Thus the world is dependent on God, who alone is independent (gawz). Everything is correlated to everything else, and is not separated from the Divine Dhat.

From the internal and external phases of the dhat of Adam, it is plain that he is the Truth as well the created. Adam is one nafs, from which the humans have come out. Ya ayyuhan nasuttagu rabbakum alladhi khalagakum min nafsin wahidatin wa khalaga minha sawjuha 3 wa batha minha ryalan kathtran wa nisaan (Surat-unNisa ww: 1) “O, people fear that Providence, who created you out of one nafs; and out of that nafs created his consort and out of these, many men and women.” Wattagu rabbakum (Fear your Rab) means that what manifests from you, make it your screen; and let what is hidden in you be your screen. What is_hidden in you is your God. Things are. good and evil. In evil make your self the veil, so that you become a people who reverencé God. lf before refining your nafs, you refer evil to God, you become Mulhid (one who conjoins himself with God). If after refinement, you do so, you become disrespectful. The Prophet observed the shariat himself. Note—God observed Himself and became aware of His Reality. The first internal (Aa¢iuz) form in which He observed Himself is called by the sufis, Haqiqat-i:Muhammadi (Reality of Muhammad); by the Christians of the School of Alexandria, the Son of God; and by the Hindus, Narrayan. The first observence marked four hypostases (2téaraz), Ilm (knowledge), Nur (sight), Wujud (existence), Shuhud (observation). Here He observed the forms (ayan) which became the realities of the worlds.

In the second observation, which was that of ayan (forms) in detail, knowledge of self became knowledge of ghatr (foreigner) ; existence became life, nur became ego, shuhud became power. To these, three more itibarat, are added viz., kalam (speech) sama (hearing) basr (sight). When He realised His potentialities, sight (basr) came into evidence, when the requirements of His potentialities were realized, hearing (sama) came into evidence—and when He attended to their requirements, kalam (speech) resulted. So in the second observance, seven attributes are observed. This stage is called Haqiqat-Insani (the Reality of Humanity). Then came 7X4—28 attributes with their forms which are called asma.

Now each ism (form with an attribute) takes the shape of the ism above it, just as Haqiqat-i-Muhammadi took its shape after Dhat; and Hagiqat-i-Insani took its shape after Haqiqati Muhammadi. The point to be noted is that the Dhat flashed its tajalli (reflection) on the first form, which became Hagqigat-i-Muhammadi; there was no void or vacuum in Dhat, as there is no such vacuum in the light of the lamp when it shines on things around, The criticism of Beneditto Croce @ the living philosopher of Italy that descent implies vacuum in the higher grade become null and void. One of God’s names is Samad (Suvrat-ul Ikhlas 0511: 2). Samad means “‘that which has no hollow in it.” According to the Grecian Atomistic School of philosophy (>) founded by Leucippus of Miletus, and Democritus of Abdera, there was before creation ‘full’ on one side and ‘void’ on the other. The ‘full’ consisted of atoms, and they began to pour into the ‘void’ which resulted in the manifestation of a circular motion. Now there was no such void in the Dhat of God. “Heis now as He was before.’ Hua al ana kama kana. He flashed His tajalliyat (illuminations) on the forms (ayan) of His own aptitudes which appeared in His knowledge. That is, His tajalliyat appeared in the forms of His aptitudes, which in the lower stage, became His sifat (attributes). The whole cosmos is thus one tajalli (illumination) of God. Thereis no room for Incarnation or Avatarism.

If God becomes incarnate on earth or an Avatar, His place in the highest stage must become void. According to Ibnul Arabi, He only flashes His attributes (in which the Dhat inheres) on the forms which are in knowledge, and ‘He is as He was before’ Hua alana kama kana. The attributes flashed become limited according to forms. They are batin (internal) and when flashed, they become zahir (external) although in both cases, they are still in knowledge. In the one case, they are Ayan-2-thabitha and (a) The Phi. of the Practical translated by Doughlas Ainlie p. 295. (b) Ueberweg, History of Philosophy Vol. I page 67. in the other, Ayan-t-zahira. This exposition of the doctrine of asma cuts at the root of metempsychosis. It is the lower zsm that takes after the higher zsm, and the higher zs does not itinerate as transmigration suggests. The First Form in internality takes its light from the Dhat and the lower forms from.this First Form, till the Jast Form takes its light from all the forms and becomes a perfect form in externality. Hence, in the hadith of Jaber, the Prophet (peace on him) is reported to have said Ana min nurullaht wa kullu shayin min nurt “1 am from the light of God, and all things are from my light.” The Dhat of God with all Its attributes shone on the First Form (Haqiqat-i-Muhammadi); and Haqiqati Muhammadi made its tajalli in all its effulgence (with all asma) directly onthe mind in the case of the Prophet, and indirectly through Hagqiqat-i-Insani on the minds of other prophets, according to the ism or asma which they represented.

Thus the Prophet (peace be on him) was not an incarnation (God embodying Himself in man) or an avatar (God descending in man); but only an 480 or servant of God so faras form was concerned ; and partook of the attributes of God directly, so far his attributes were concerned ; while the other prophets partook of one or more of them indirectly through Hagiqat-i-Insani. The figure of Adam is composite of both kinds of attributes (jalali and jamali), and contains all asma (forms with attributes) from Badito Rafiud-darajat on the Elahi-side, and Aqli-Kul to Insani-ul-kamil on the Kiyani-side (vide the diagram). It was thus formed with both hands of God. It is thus the macrocosm. Insan-ul-kamil (Kiyani-side) is the counterpart of Rafiuddarajat—elevator of ranks—(Elahi side.). The microcosm corres - ponds to and is the result of this macrocosm. This is the meaning of the Bezel of Adam. Muhammad (peace be on him) is the composite bezel of the bezels of all the perfect men that have appeared and will appear on earth ; for perfection that has once manifested on earth cannot become more perfect. Awliya, however, appear to callall stray men and to bring them to the path ot the perfect man,

CHAPTER II. THE WISDOM OF SETH (Fasi-i-Sethiyyah) This is an indirect inspiration of the Word of Seth. Gifts that are bestowed on creatures are either with their instrumentality or without their instrumentality. These gifts are of two kinds: gifts of Dhat and gifts of asma, which are appreciated only by adepts. Some of these gifts whether they be definite or indefinite are obtained for asking and some without asking. In asking fora definite gift, the supplicant refers toa particular object desired by him ; and in an indefinite asking, the supplicant merely asks for a thing that is for hisbest. The supplicants too are of two kinds. The first is a person who is actuated by his nature to ask ; for “man is a creature characterized by hurry” L[nnal insana khuliga haluan—(Surat-ul-Maartyy vxx: 19); and the second is a supplicant who is actuated by the idea that such a thing is in the knowledge of God, and is to be had for the asking. He does not know what is in the knowledge of God, and whether his present aptitude is susceptible cf acceptance; for aptitudes change from time to time. Aptitudes are known only after they have been proved by the acceptance or nonacceptance of supplication; or are known by their own nature in the man, who realizes that he possesses such eptitudes. Scme others supplicate only on the ground of the verse Udeunt astazib lakum (Suratul Mumin xt: 60.) “Ask of Me and | will grant”; they are servants and simply carry out a command, and are not concerned with the question of definiteness or indefin-

iteness ; or remain quiet as in the case of Job, who remained quiet in his calamities in particular circumstances; and supplicated when the circumstances changed, and got out of calamities. A supplication is fruitful only in its time and not beforehand or after; and its granting is heldover to the appointed time, if made beforehand. We have referred to the supplication without asking. By this is meant non-vocal supplication, for supplication is always necessary for the grant ofa gift, whether it be of words or of state or of aptitude- Man cannot understand aptilude; he can understand only state, which creates perturbation in his mind and body. Aptitude is a suppressed desire; it is also a sort of supplication. People who are conscious of their aptitudes refrain from making a supplication, as they know that what pertains to their ayanin the knowledge of God will come to pass; and they prepare themselves for the same, and absent themselves from their desires (nafs) and purposes. They are the people who are acquainted with the mysteries of Qaza wa Qadr; some of them know this in abstract and some in detail. Those who know in detail! have knowledge coextensive with God’s, inrespect of their ayan, (vakuna fu ilmthi binafsthd bimanzilati tlmillahe biht), for both knowledges are from the same source, though the knowledge of God is foremost and the knowledge of abd is a concession from Him ; they are those who know by وعم‎ the stream of limitless states that pass over their avazt-thabita. Now we turn to gifts; which are either of Dhat or of asma. The gift of Dhat is a tajalli (illumination) of God, and this tajalli will be in the form, of

which the illuminated had the capacity and not in any other. Hence the illuminated sees his own form in the mirror of God, and does not see God. If you gaze into a mirror, the mirror disappears and you see your own form, the mirror being between the sight ‘of the on-looker and the form. This is only an_illustration of what takes place and not of the reality, This is the highest stage, to which the ‘created’ can reach. Do not aspire to anything higher, and get puzzled, God is not in the higher reaches, ‘all 15 blank there,’ (Wama baduhu tlal adun:ul mahaz). \n enabling you to see your nafs, He becomes your mirror; and in manifesting His asma, you become His mirror. The mirror of Dhat is nothing less than the Reality. Those who remain quiet in this stage are ‘the Seal of the Prophets” and “the Seal of Awliya”; other prophets and awliya see through the lights of these seals. Prophetship has an end, and wilayat hasnoend. A prophet has his outward ordinances (shariat) and a walihas no such ordinances; and he follows the shariat of the prophet. The Seal of the Prophets was before the advent of all prophets; for from his lamp all the other prophets lighted their lamps. Kuntu nabtyan wa Adama bynul ma wat tin, “1 was Prophet when Adam was still between mud and water,’ said the Holy Prophet (peace be on him). So also is the case of the Seal of Awliya. Awliya are those who acquire the attributes of God, being annihilated in their selves and permanent in God. Wilayat is one of the attributes of God ; one of whose names is Wali. The Prophet was Wali, Rasul, and Nabi all combined, and the Seal of Awliya is only Wali and

THE WISDOM OF SETH (FAS-I-SETHIVYait) 13 Waris (heir). Hence the Seal of the Prophets will open the door of intercession. His stage is above that of all asma ; the ism Rahman (the merciful) will not intercede before the ism Muntaqim (the avenger). All the gifts of God are obtained from His asma, through His blessings which are pure blessings. The ism Rahman gives such palatable food, as will be free from blame on the day of judgment ; it also gives bitter medicine, which results in good health. His asma are more innumerable than the sands on the sea-shore. Asma are only relationships of Dhat with particular attributes, which are only aspects of Dhat. Each ism is differentiated {rom another ism in manifestation; while in its internality, it is the same as the other. It is only owing to their innumerableness that there is no repetition of the gift of the asma. This was the particular knowledge that was possessed by Seth. His soul helps the people who take interest in such matters, except the Soul of the Prophet ; forthe latter’s soul is the fountain-head from which all souls derive their inspiration; and this fountain-head (Wahdat) is the internal stage and above the stages ofasma. The Prophet is, on account of his station, cognizant of all asma, but on account of his physical body, is not; just as God possesses contradictory attributes Himself, like Zahir (external) and Batin (zudernal), Awwal (js?) and Akhar (Zasz); and He is their reality. He is know. ing and not knowing, seeing and not seeing. Seth possessed the key to this knowledge of gifts. Therefore was Seth bestowed on Adam.

God gave Seth out of Seth’s self, A/ waladu strrun /6 abtht (the son is the secret of his father); the son remains hidden in the existence of his father, and comes out in the form of a drop and becomes human in the form of his father. Thus whatever he had, was from himself. There is nothing in a person from Ged or from another; it is all from himself. Things come to him in the shape of gifts from himself according to his aptitude. When aman of kashf sees a figure, which gives instructions in matters that he did not know before, that figure is from his own ayn (reality) It is just like his figure in the mirror, which appears oblong or round, longer or shorter according to the character of the mirror. — The variations are the gifts of one, in whom the tajalli takes place—and whom we have compared toa mirror; and one who has understood this, understood his capacity to understand to accept the different figures, and he cannot understand in detail until after he has accepted the figures ; although before accepting, he understands this in the abstract. While people think that God does whatever He likes, they attribute such things to Him as are contrary to his ism, Al Hakim (the wise); and therefore negate Possible Existence. People of real truth accept and prove Possible Existence, which is the existence of God in the limitations of knowledge. The Possible is ‘Eternal without beginning’ (azali) in the view of Urufa (gnostics), but Eternal without end (abadi) in that of Mutakallimin (Rationalists).

Among mankind a male-child will be born after the manner of Seth; and he will understand this secret and will become the seal of the generation of mankind ; he will be twin-born with a female child, who will be born first, the head of the male-child being at the feet of the female-child. This male-child will be born in China ; people will then become barren, although there will be abundance of marriages. This man will call the people towards God and they will not listen. The people will not observe /ala/ and havam and live like cattle; and then there will be the day of Judgment. Note :—This chapter relates to gifts, and the necessity of the same from God. The first gift to Adam was that of aknowledge of God’s asma. The Lord assembled the angels, and said to them “TI am going to place on earth, one who shall rule (in it).” They said, ‘What, wilt Thou place in it, such an one, as will make mischief in it and shed blood.” And He (the Lord) taught Adam the names of all things and presented them to angels, and said, ‘Tell Me the names of these, if youare right.’ They said; “Glory be to Thee: we have only so much of knowledge as Thou hast taught us. Thou art Knowing and Wise.”

He said: “O,Adam, inform them of their names.” Then Adam informed them of their names; (Suvatul Baqgarah 1 : 30— 33). Adam was taught all the attributes and asma of God, manifest in himself and in the world around ; while the angels had knowledge of particular asma of which they were manifestations. This gift of the knowledge of asma was particularly bestowed on Seth, the son of Adam, as a matter of grace and not in virtue of acquisition. Al waladu sirrun li abshi (son is the secret of his father), The knowledge of Dhat was not taught either to Adam (bumanity) or to the hierarchy of angels. Hidden behind the attributes is the Dhat. Man advances up to asma, and further up is the Dhat; and in the Dhat he sees his own face (reality), just as God sees Himselfin the mirror of His asma. God becomes the mirror of abd, just as abd becomes the mirror of God. This isthe state of Transcendental Wonder. What one sees and speaks to, in this state, is His own Namus (individualized ayn). The fire that spoke to Moses trom the burning bush was his own Namus ; for Moses had gone there in search of fire. The figure of His own ayn (reality) appeared before him and spoke to him on the mountain.

The Namus of the Prophet (peace be on him), i.e., his own ayn appeared before him in the night of Mairaj in the shape ofa beardless youth (amavradin khatit). Tach salik sees the figure of his own ayn at the time of ascent (arm). Hence it was said :— Mon arafa nafsahu faqad avafa Rabbahu, “He who understood his nafs, understood his God”. The birds in Fariduddin Attar’s allegory start on a long journey in search of Simurgh— passing over high mountains and deep valleys ; some drop off from the journey, some drop down by the road-side; and only thirty of them reach the goal, to find that they themselves were the Simurgh (Thirty-birds). The reality of ayan alone remains ;— Kullu mon alayha fan wa yabqga wajhu Rabbika dhul Julali wal tkram(Surat-ur Rahman LN : 26). Everything is in a state of annihilation, except the face of thy Lord, with His grace and glory. The Mawlana says ; Kulli shayin hahkum juz wajht wu. Gur tut dar wazht wu hasti maju. Everything is in annihilation except His face. If you are in His face, do not seek existence. This gazing on the face led the Chistiyyah Order of sufis to gaze into the face of their murshid, who is annihilated in the Prophet (peace on him), who in turn is annihilated in God.

It is one thing to reach, in one’s suluk, the partition that separates the Dhat from the ayn, and to find one’s own ayn reflected on one’s own vision ; and another to gaze on one’s face in a mirror or in the face of one’s murshid, and to realize one’s ayn in an atmosphere of artificiality. This latter practice is apt to lead to idolatry. To gaze into the face of Sri Krishna, and thus to find out their own ayn, the Rishis made idols of his likeness and worshipped them. The reality of ayan acquires shapes according to times and circumstances, beautiful or ugly and terrific as the case may be. The ayan embody themselves first in the Soul-World (which is the World of Absolute Thought) and then in the Mithal World (which is the world of Circumscribed Thought). Ayanalso take forms in real dreams. God grants the prayer of ayan according to their aptitudes, and not arbitrarily ; otherwise His ism Al-Hakim (the wise) will become null and void. Mirza Ghalib has expressed this thus :— Laqdir ba andaza-t-himmat hay azil say; Aakhun mi hay khatra jou gowhar na hua tha. Fate decrees according to the measure of one’s aspirations ;

The drop (of tear) is in the eye, which could not become a pearl. The ayan of abd are in the knowledge of God. Before they are individualized in knowledge, the known, knowledge, and knower are one and the same in the stage of Ahdiyyat ; they are the aptitudes of the Dhat and are zfso facto the Dhat itself; after individualization, they take forms, each individual ayn, consisting of several forms. The forms in the ayn of each individual are there, from his conception to his disappearance from the material world (to take only the material world, apart from other worlds, into account); and the roll is unrolled, as the light of existence falls on it. It is just like the figures on the films of acinema. As the electric light falls on the unrolling film, the drama.of life unfolds itself from beginning toend. If there is no light, the figures may be there, but still in adum (nothingness). The ayan are there in the film of knowledge and to them, on their supplication, God commands ‘Be,’ and they ‘become,’ Without supplication God does not grant His gifts, for His name is ghani (independant), A//ahu ghaniun anil alamin (Suratu AlatImran 111 : 96)—“God is independant of both)the worlds.” There is thus life and death, uninterruptedly, succeeding each other. Balhum fi labsin min khalagin jadid. (Surat ul-Qaf : £5)? <This is the spreading of existence over ayan, as explained inthe doctrine of Tajaddudi amthal. Limitations are in incessant changes and not the One under limitations.

When existence manifests itself according to ayan by means of Nafsi-Rahmani (the Holy Breath), the world appears. The knowledge of God is eternal, for in the stage of Wahdat, itis the reality of the Dhat itself. It is not therefore an additionon Dhat. Unless the ayan are qadim (eternal from the view-point of beginning), the knowledge cannot be from eternity. The Mutakallimin (the scholastics), however, say that knowledge is an addition and its connection with ayan is haadith (temporary); ayan are, however, states in knowledge, i.e. God's own predilections and aptitudes in the forms of thoughts. Shayk-i-Akbar here discusses how gifts are bestowed :—by vocal supplication, by attitudinal supplication and by aptitudinal supplication. Prophets are the manifestations of particular asma. The Seal ofthe Prophets is the manifestation of the fountain-head of all asma (in the stage of Wahdat or the Uagqi qati-Muhammadi). Hence the one with collective names alone is fit to intercede for the world; for a Prophet who is the manifestations of the name Rahman (universally gracious) only, for example, cannot intercede with the name Muntaqim (the avenger). A Prophet is both a wali (one who has acquired proximity to God) and a messenger ; while a wali is only the former being annihilated in himself and permanent by the attributes and dhat of God. A prophet is first a wali and then a rasul (messenger), who brings down a shariat- The Prophet (peace be on him) had thus wilayet in him in addition to prophetship, and was the manifestation of all asma and hence his followers are addressed

as the ‘“‘best of followers,” Kuntum khaira ummatin ukharyat lin nas (Alai-Imran 111: 109) “ you are the best of followers who have arisen amongst mankind.” The Seal of the Awliyya, Imam Mehdi has no shariat of his own,. and will adopt that of the Seal of the Prophets. Seth is the manifestation of the name Wahab (gift-giver), and his soul helps other souls in this matter, but not the soul of the Prophet (peace be on him), which is Ruhi-Azam (the great soul), i.e., the fountain-head of all souls. The soul of the Prophet derives its subsistence direct from God (Ahdiyyat). Seth is the fountain-head of all tajalliyat of Dhat and asma. Since Seth is the source of tajalliyat, the Muslims of South India used to prepare a dish before a wedlock began—which they called Sheth-ka-basan—and dedicated it to Seth. This has now given place to a new order of things. Further, this indicated that the secret of the father was to appear in the form of a son. The shayk says that ‘those who know in detail have knowledge co-extensive with God’s in respect of ayan”’ i.e. in respect of ayan, God in His limited tajalliyat knows, only as much as banda; or when the banda knows his ayan in detail, he knows them as much as God, Mon arafa nafsahu faqad arafa Rabbahu, “ He who understood his nafs understood his God’. In limitation God’s knowledge is the same as banda’s.

If therefore the banda knows his ayn (reality), he knows his God. Knowledge or irfan or gnosis or gnanam, gives him a glimpse of a tajalli of God, which is his beatific vision and which he has, even in this world, and more clearly in the next. Ifhe has not it here, he will not have itin the hereafter. Wa mon kana fi hazthi ama fahua fil akhiratil ama wa azallu sabila (Suratu Bani Israel xvul: 72). ‘Whoever is blind here, he shall (also) be blind in the hereafter and more erring from the way —Irfan therefore is the chief object of man’s lite—Ibadat or worship makes one holy here and in the hereafter, Ma khalag al jenna wal insa illa liyabidum. ‘‘ We have not created genii and men, except for

worship.” Worship prevents one from approaching evil—he thus takes a holy form to the next world; but for dydar (or vision) of God, irfan or gnosis or identification and realization of God's asma, such as was bestowed on Seth as a matter of grace—is necessary. Thesufi therefore considers that worship here means irfan which is the means of securing dydar. Just as the world began with the twin-borns of Adam, so will it end with the twin-borns, who will be born in China, (i. e., any country outside Arabia); and the race of mankind will come to anend for want of fecundity. THE WISDOM OF NOAH (Fasi-i-Nubiyyah) Tanzih (dropping-off of manifestations) is confining God to one aspect of existence. He who does this is either an ignoramus or a disrespectful person. He does not believe in shariat and in the prophets; for shariats speak in open words, which are the manifestation of the ism Az zahir (the external). God in respect of inner meaning is the reality of this ism. Fle who restricts himself to tashbih (confining God to His manifestations), also confines Him and puts Him under limits. He, who puts Tanzih and Tashbih together, is the one who understands Him in the abstract and not in detail, just as he understands his nafs (self) in the abstract and not in detail. Hence the Prophet (peace on him) compared the understanding of self to the understanding of God, Mon arafa uafsahu fagad arafa Rubbahu “He who understood his nafs, understood his God. ‘And God has said : Sexurthim ayatina fil afagi wa fi anfusthim hatta yatabyyana lahum annahul hagqu. (Suratu HaMim xi1—53.)

» We shall show them (the created) our signs in the world and in their own individualities, so that it may be plain to them that it is the very Truth.” i.e. Youare the appearance, and God is your Reality. This definition covers both zahir (externality) and batin (internality), Body is your zahir and soul is your batin. When the soul leaves the body, the latter is no longer called a man, it may be called any thing—a block of stone, or a piece of stick. Thus Divineness is the limit of God, just as life is the limit of man, Just as the outward appearance of man gives praise to his soul and nafs; so the appearances of all creatures sing the praises of God, though we do not hear them. They are the mouth-pieces of God, Hence God said Athamdu tillaht Rabbit alamin (Surat-ul Fatthah). “ Praise is to God, who is the Lord of all the worlds.” Hence He is both the praiser and the praised. faman gala bil ishfat kana mushrikan, He who says that the Creator and the created are two, he is a mushrick. He who says that they are one, he is a muwabhid.

Pama an tu hua balanta hua wa tarahu fi Aynil umurt musarrahan wa mugtyyadan. You are not Him, from the point of absolutism; you are Him from the point of ayzzyat, (sameness of reality). You see Him absolute as well as limited in the reality of things. God has said:—-Laysa kamithtiht shayun wa huwas samiul bastr (Surat-us shura xim:11). “There is no thing like Him, He is the hearer and the seer.”” The first portion of this half verse gives His tanzih, and the second, His tashbih. If Noah had called his people to both aspects, they would have accepted him; but he called them first to tashbih and then to tanzih; and asked them to pray that God might cover them up with His Dhat and attri- butes, as He covers all dhats and attributes with the same. The people refused to listen to him, on set purpose, for they knew what duties would become incumbent on them, if they did listen. He preached /urgan (separation of tashbih and tanzih), while the fact is gurvax (putting the two‘ together , for quran includes furqan and is reserved for the Prophet (peace be on him). In the above mentioned half verse, Laysa kamtthhhit shayun both the aspects of the Dhat are included. Noah further said “1 invited them by such preaching, so that God might cover them with His blessing,” and not with a view that they might know the reality.

He did not call them to unity in the midst of diversity, and to diversity in the midst of unity, as the Prophet (peace on him) did. As a reward for their obedience, the people of Noah were to have rain. Vurs? 4s samaa alaykum midrarawa yumdid kum bt amwa-linwa banyna. (Suratu Nuh txxt: 11 He will send over you clouds to rain heavily and help you with maZ” (that to which one is inclined i. e. property), that is, in fact, He will help you with what will guide you towards Him.

In the case of Muhammadans, it was Anjigu mimma jaalakum mustakhlafina fihi (Surat-ul Hadid wu: 7), “spend out of the things over which you are vicegerent”’; and for the followers of Noah, it was La fatakhizu min dunt waktila ‘‘Do not make any one your agent except Me ”. Inthe latter case, the property was Nuhiyyans’ and God was agent; and in the former, the property was God’s, and Muhamadans were agents. The fourth heaven is the station of Noah; it is the station of light—the place of the sun. It is also the centre of Alam-i-arwah (the soul world). Note :—Noah stressed his preaching on tanzih (qualitylessness, or nirguna) and his nation was engrossed in tashbih qualityedness, sarguna) to» the exclusion of tanzih i. e. in idolatry. Jalaluddin Rumi has expressed this in his Methnawi thus ;— Nuh guft ay sarkhashan mon mon nayam Mon ei jan murdam gt jana mt eiyan Chun bt murdam ag hawast bul bashar, 77000 mara shud sam wa tdrak wa basar. Chun ki mon mon nistam aein dam 22-54 Har bt dam zad 225/22 wu aan kafir-ust. Noah said “O unbelievers, Iam not I, I am dead and God is alive” When the ‘I’, is dead in the senses of man,

The speaker, the hearer, and the understander is God. When the ‘I’ is not ‘I’ then the ‘I’ is the breath of God. To challenge Him is a mistake, In pure Tanzih, God is restricted to one state of Infinitude, that is, to Dhat with Infinite sifat of which there can be conception; and in pure Tashbih, He is attributed with Possible Existence with its necessary defection. To view these separately, is to conflict with Absolutism. Hence the Quran has said ; Laysa kamithhht shayun wa huwas samitum basir (Surat-us SUA XL d 1) “He is not in the likeness of anything; He is the hearer and seer’. The internal aspect of the world is the hidden aspect of God, and its external aspect is the visible aspect of God; and so it is with man whose individuality comprises both elahi (divine) and kiyani (mundane) asma (names). Noah restricted himself to tanzih, Muhammad (peace be on him) taught tanzih in tashbih and tashbih intanzih. The first part of the above quoted verse inculcates tanzih, and the second part, tashbih. Noah directed his nation from individual asma towards the composite ism Allah; for the worshipper would be ignoring the whole, if he restricted himself to particular individual asma ;and said that the knowledge in man was the property of God, and man was His vakil without accountability ; Muhammad (peace on him) taught that man is His vicegerant, (full plenipotentiary) who has to render full account.

The people of Noah gave preference to reason over suluk (religious practices); Transcendental wonder is the outcome of suluk, which alone cleanses the heart of its dross. It is contemplation on the outward world, as the externality of God and imagining how God is working, Kullu youmin hua fis shan (Surat-ur Rahman Lv—29) “Every day God isin work.” Noah prayed for his people that they might be covered by the Dhat and sifat of God, so that they might refer to everything as from God, and not as from themselves; and also that they might be buried in the earth i. © they might be with God, for it is said in a hadith, “if you let down

a bucket in a well, it descends on God” Lau dalayatum bt hablin lahabata alallahi. CHAPTER IV. THE WISDOM OF ENOCH (Fas-i-Idrisiyyah) Elevation is of two kinds :—elevation of position and elevation ofrank. The former was bestowed on Enoch, when it was said Wa rafanahu makanan aliyya ‘‘And we have elevated him (Enoch) to a high position”. The highest point in the cosmos is the one around which the skies revolve. This is the sphere of the sun; which is the spiritual position of Enoch. There are seven spheres or orbits of planets above it, viz., of Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, the Zodiacs, the Crystalline Sphere, the Kurshi (the seat) and the Arsh (thethrone); and there are seven spheres below it, viz, Venus, Mercury, the Moon, spheres of fire and of water and of earth. Thus, the sun is the centre of these spheres. Then there is the elevation of rank; which is-for the Muhammadans (who truly understand the mind of the prophet); for God has said in their case Waantumal aaluna wallahn maakum (Suratu Muhammad xiv: 35). “You are high of rank and God is with you.” God is free from position, but He is attributed with rank. Elevation in position is obtained by acts, and elevation in rank by knowledge.

When man attains elevation in rank, he gets into partnership with God; but this partnership is again circumscribed by the verse, Sadé¢ zsma Rabbihal aala (Suvat-ul Ala Lxxxvi: 1) “Declare the holiness of your Lord, who is most High.” For man is high in position and rank and not in dhat (self), which is higher than both these ; God is high by His Dhat and not by comparison with anything. One of God's beautiful names is Ali (the elevated); since there is no ‘other’ (ghair) in the universe, to what can he عط‎ superior? He is the essence of things, hence things are by themselves ‘elevated,’; ayan (realities) are not in manifestation; they are in adiim (nothingness); and have not “smelt the smell of existence’ The Reality of the Totality is One in the Totality ; multiplicity is in asma, and asma are relationships, which are adum. The reality is One in existence which is the dhat; it is therefore elevated in itself. We, therefore, say for each manifestation that it is Him. Abu Saeed-i-Khurraz, who is one of the tongues of God, says that ‘God cannot be recognized unless He manifests Himself in contraries; and inspite of the contraries you must recognize His Oneness. He is the first, He is the last; He is the external, He is the hidden. In existence, he sees Himself and there is none else to see Him, and there is none else, from whom He can be hidden.

His names are Abu Saeed-i-Kurraz and others. When the external says ‘]’, the internal does not say ‘I’ and vice versa. The speaker in both the cases is the same; and He is the hearer also.’ Hence the Prophet (peace be on him) has said /znallaha ywawizu an 21121114212 ma haddathat biht unfusuha, “God forgives the sins of my ' people, in which their nafs has spoken” i. ره‎ in which the nafs is the speaker, the hearer, and the understander. The reality of allis the same, although the directions or sides are different ; for when the number one revolves several times, it becomes many; in fact one is the originator of many, eg. 9 in the descending scale and 10 in the ascending scale up to infinity is ٠١ The real-

ity of all figures has a special rank, but is the totality of the same ‘one’s.. Thus God unmanifest is the same as God manifest, although the two are differentiated. The Creator is the created, and vice versa, the same reality is the one and many. The same one Dhat is the many dhats. Isaac said ‘‘O my father, do whatever thou hast been commanded to do”. Son is the reality ofthe father. Abraham saw his own nafs being sacrificed. God substituted a ram inthe place of Isaac. Thus that which had appeared in the form of the son which was the reality of the father appeared in the form of a ram. God created Eve out of the reality of Adam; Adam wedded his own reality. Mirrors are many, the face is one. The several faces are the reflection of one face. The place of ‘faces’ is ayan-i-thabita; on account of these latter, God takes varieties of shapes, and shows up their peculiarities. Fa hagqu khalqun bthadhal wazht fatabiru, Wa laysa khalgan bt dhatikal waht fadakkiru God is the created owing to limitations; believe me. He is not the created, from the side of absolutism, remember. Thus he is elevated by Himself, as عط‎ surrounds all existences and relationships of adum, whether these latter be good or bad. This perfection belongs to what is connoted by the word Allah. What is not connoted by that word will be either a manifestation of that name or of some sifut. If that word is a manifestation, there will be differentiation between it

and the manifestation and the latter cannot be called, either Allah or its ghair (the ‘other’). Abdul Qasim bin Qussi refers to this point in his book Khairul Ghalin. God is known by His every name. The name will refer either to His Dhat or toa particular aspect of It. In the latfer case, names will be differentiated from each other, just as rab (nourisher), khalig (creator) musawir (painter) are differentiated. So far as the dhat is concerned, the name is really the ‘named’; and so far as aspects are concerned, it is the ‘other’ of the named (i. e. different from it). God is therefore elevated not on account of position or rank, but by Himself. A vizier or qaziis elevated because of rank; he may be an ignormus, governing over learned men; the moment however he quits his post, the rank leaves him. A learned man, on the other hand, is.not of this category. His elevation is a peculiarity in his personality. Note.— Gen. V-24 says “And Enoch walked with God and he was not ; for God took him,” i e., elevated him; the Shayk says that this is elevation in rank, on account of his knowledge of God. He further says that elevation is of three kinds—of position, of rank and of dhat—Enoch’s was not elevation by dhat, which pertains to God alone by His immanence in the creation.

CHAPTER V. THE WISDOM OF ABRAHAM (Fas-i-Ibrahimiyyah) Abraham was called Khaleelullah (or friend of God), because he had permeated all the attributes of God, and had surrounded all His Personal attributes. This permeation is like that of colour in a tissue; in which extension itself becomes essence ; it is not like the permeation of one substance into another. Or he was called Khaleelulla, because Cod had permeated the appearance of Abraham. NHave you not seen that God manifests Himself in the attributes of transcient things, and in the attributes of defection and decay pertaining to them? Have you not seen that the ‘created’ appears with the attributes of God? Hence the praise of every praiser, and the praise bestowed on every praised refer to Him. When one thing permeates another, the first becomes hidden in the second and thus its internal (batin)—If the Creator is manifest, the created is hid. den in Him: in this case all the asma of God like Seer and Hearer become the asma of the created. The names of these asma become khalq (creation). If the khalq is manifest, then God is hidden in it ; and the sight and hearing of the ‘created’ become Goa’s sight and hearing. If God becomes’ devoid of relationship, He will no longer be God. Hence until we are not known, God will not be known Mon arafa nafsahu fagad arafa Rabbahu, “He who knew his self, knew his God;”

the Prophet knew God more than any other man. Some philosophers including Abu Haamid Muhammad Ghazzali claim that God can be known without our reference to the world, ij. e., from an absolute viewpoint. Thisis wrong, though we get an idea of an Eternal Dhat, without such a reference; but without knowing the created, we cannot know the Creator. In another way, i. ونع‎ in the way of khashf (spiritual discernment), God himself becomes proof of His God-hood; as He manifests Himself through a variety of forms, according to ayan (realities); every one of uscan know another of us in God. God commands us according to our ayan, nay, nay, we command ourselves out of our own accord, but the exigency for such command is in the knowledge of God. Hence this will be proof prositive to be adduced by God, when we complain on the Judgment Day against the treatment meted out to us in the world. The reality of such treatment will then dawn on us. But then one would say, what is the force of the verse Fa lau shaa la hadakum ajmaytn. ‘V4 Godhad willed, He would have shown you you the right way.” His Mashiyat(providence), which isthe desire to grant demands, stands out prominently. He wills in the way towards which the reality tends. The will is athing that is dependent on knowledge, and knowledge is dependent on the known. The kncewn is whatis in the ayan. “There is not one of us who is not in a station that is already assigned”. Wa ma minna tlla lahu mugamum malum. (Suratus Saffat xxxvu : 164); and this is the station in which you were inthe knowledge of God. You will be said to have appeared externally with that station, if it is proved that that external existence is yours. But ifit is proved that that existence is

existence. If you are really existent, then the one who bestows that existence is God, and He is thus the bestower of the beneficience of that existence, and the command is on yourself by yourself. Therefore do not bestow praise or blame on any other dhat than your own. The praise due to God is only that of beneficience; then you are food for God, for manifesting His attributes; and God is your food, for manifesting his beneficience. Fa anaa bul ghina wa anaa Usat duhu wa usyeduhu How then is He entirely independent when | help Him (in manifesting His asma). And make Him good (by combining the attributes of glory and beauty in me). He is the commander, and you are the commanded; He gave what you demanded, in making His asma manifest. When Abraham, the khaleel or friend of God, knew the secret of this fact, he adopted the practice of hospitality; and [bnu Masarratil Jubla has placed him on the same footing as Michael, the angel who is the dispenser of food. Food permeates every part of the body; Abraham had permeated all the asma of God, like food in the body. Note. In this Fas, the Shayk treats of love and tanzih (qutalitylessness). This is the Fas of hayman, (ebullition of love), which is the foundation of the world; for God, in answer to David's prayer as to why He had created the world, said (according to a Hadith-i-Qudsi). Kuntu hanzan makfiyan fa ahbub tuan ourtfa fa hkalagal khalg. “was a hidden treasure, I

loved to be known, and so created the world”. In love, the beloved is always present either in actuality or in thought. Abraham perceived the dhat of God in all manifestations ; and said a ouhib ul afilin (Sura vi:717) “Ido not love the setting ones”. He thus found God both in tashbih (qualityedness) and tanzih (qualitylessness). Juni way jahtu wajhiya lil ladhi fataras samavati wal arda hanifan wama ana minal mushrikin (Suratul Anam vi: 80). “ Truly I turn my face towards that Dhat which created the heavens and the earth. Iam a hanif, (believer in unity) and not a mushrik”. Those who restrict God-hood to tanzih necessarily consider the world as the ‘ ghair ' (other) of God, and thus create a partner with God and become mushrik. The cult of Abraham being based on reality, the qibla (turning-point in prayers) of Muhammadans was changed from Jerusalem to Kaaba, the house of worship built by Abraham in Mecca. Ayan or Mahiyyat (the realities or forms in the knowledge of God,) are the aptitudes of God, and were not thus created by Him. Qabtliyat 82 7412 jail nist Fayl faa-il khilafi qabil nist : Aptitades are not the creation of the Creator

The work of the actor cannot be contrary to aptitudes. The aptitudes or the ‘known’ in the kuowledge of God appear inthe mirror of Dhat ; and the Dhat manifests itself, according to them. Abraham observed these ayan or gadz/zyat in manifestation and permeated himself (i.e. became immanent) in them. This is the stage of Qurbi-Nawafil of the sufis, in which the abd becomes the reality of God, and God becomes his instrumentality as opposed to Qurbi-Farayad, in which the process is reversed. When Abraham observed God in His manifestations, he became immanent in them, by first becoming immanent in the ayan themselves; and adopted the practice of hospitality, in which the host becomes immanent in the guest, by feeding him with food, which permeates every part of the latter's body, nerve and fibre, CHAPTER VI THE WISDOM OF ISAAC (Fas.-i-Ishaqqiyyah) Alam tadri annal amra fiht murattabun. Wafaun li trbahin wa nugusun lt kusran. Do you not know that God’s command requires harmony and order. Fulfilment of promise is necessary for securing profit and avoiding harm. Abraham said to his son "© son, | saw ina dream that [ was sacrificing you”. Dream is a thought-world. Abraham did not give an interpretation (tawil) to his dream.

There was aram which was in the resemblance of his son, and it was him that Abraham saw in his dream ; and God substituted him in the sacrifice. The tajjali that dawns from the thought-world (alam-i-mithal) requires to be interpreted in other forms. God cried out to Abraham, Qad saddagta ruya (Suratus Saffat xxxvu:105). “You have made the dream veridical”, and did not say Saddagta fir ruva annahu zonuka, ‘‘your dream is veridical, it was your son’, for Abraham did not interprete the dream, but took it at its face-value. A dream requires an interpretation, like the dream of fat and lean kine of the Pharoah of Egypt. Abraham did not give any credit مغ‎ interpretation. Iman Taqi ibni Muklad, the author of the Musnad says that the Prophet said: Mon raani fin 2201/1112 fagad raant fil yagadatt fa innas Shattana layatamassalu ala surat “Whoever sees me ina dream, sees me in actuality, the Satan cannot assume my shape”. He further says he saw the Prophet (peace be on him) ina dream; and the Prophet (peace be on him) gave him acup of milk to drink. After waking, he threw up the contents of his stomach to verify the dream, and found milk in the contents thereof. Ifhe had put the right interpretation upon the dream, he would have had an immeasurable access of spiritual knowledge, which milk represented, and which was the right interpretation of the dream. The body of the Prophet is interred at Madina;

no body has seen his soul and mithali bodies. When one sees him in dreams, he sees him only in the casual body that he had at the time of demise. Satan cannot assume the shape of that body; neither can he assume the shape of his mithali body, for the matter of that. God safeguards the sanctity of prophethood. When therefore one receives a command from the Prophet (peace be on him), he must carry it out literally. By means of imagination, man creates forms that do not exist inthe outer world. By His willpower (zmmat), he creates forms outside his willpower (min kharyjt mahalli himmatt),; and the willpower guards the existence of these forms; and it is never exhausted. lf the ariff (adept) becomes inattentive to them, the forms disappear of themselves. But if the a riff becomes immanent in all the hazrat* (the presences) and creates forms in all of them, then the mithali form itself will keep guard over all the other forms, even if the ariff becomes inattentive to or oblivious of the

* There are five hazrat (presences) below Ahdiyyat (Oneness or Dhat) in the theory of Emanation according to the sufis viz, Wahdat, Wahidayyat, Arwah, Amthal and Ajsam. These are tecknically called Hazrat-i-Khamsa (the five presences). particular form. Adepts have made a secret of this matter, as common people also say we are in God and are fani (annihilated) in Him. In relation to the thing he has created, man is a creator, but he becomes oblivious to one or more forms; and God does not become oblivious to His creation in all forms. This makes all the difference between the creation of man and Note.—In this Fas, ths Shayk deals with alam-i-mithal or thought-world. Thought is of two kinds; the ‘limited thought’ such as we have, connected with the functions of cerebration influenced by the ‘unlimited thought-wo1ld’; and the unlimited thought-world of similitudes (the fourth dimensional world), which is below the soul-world in the scheme of Tanazzulat-i-sitta (the six emanations of the sufis). An ordinary ariff (gnostic) creates forms in alam-i-mithal ؛‎ and as he progresses in his suluk and becomes a perfect adept, he is able to create forms in all the stages of Hazrati-i-Khamsa (vide ‘Studies in Tasawwuf”’ .م‎ 54 for details); and they remain intact, so long as his attention is not distracted and disrupted; but God is ever attentive to the forms He creates—Lata gazuhu sinatun wa la noumun.—(Surat-ul-Bagarah 11: 255). “‘ Slumber or sleep does not overtake Him”.

No body can create a form in the causal world ; it is God alone that does this. Man can create forms in the mithali and higher worlds, which can be reflected in the causal world. This reflection is only extension (arz) without essence (jowhar)—light without the sun reflecting it. Such was the nature of the birds of clay mentioned in the apocryphal writings of the Jews as having been made by Jesus Christ and breathed into by him, and made to fly. Thus therefore is man also calleda creator Fa taba. vak allahu ahsanul khaligin. (Surat-ul-Muminun Xxi: 14). “So blessed be God, the best of the creators.” Abraham created the form ofa ram, resembling his son Isaac, and of himself as sacrificing him; and wished to make that dream veridical by sacrificing him The sacrifice of his son meant the sacrifice of his own nafs, for it is said Al waladu sirrun li abthi. “‘The son is the secret of his father.” He thus wanted to attain fana (selfannihilation). The Shayk and Saiyid Ahmad Khan are amongst those who consider that it wasthe sacrifice of Isaacand not of Ismail that was performed. The Quran makes mention only of “Ghudaminhalim’ “a boy possessing forebearence” (Surat-us-Saffat XXXVI: 101 2 111) and then mentions the name of Isaac in verse 112. Commentators and traditionists like Jelaluddin Bokhari, Baidawietc. however. connect the sacrifice with Ismail, (a) alleging the testimony of the Prophet, who is reported to have said, “J am the son of the two, who were offered in sacrifice,’ meaning thereby his great ancestor, Ismail, and his own father Abdulla: for Abdul Mutallib had made a vow that if God would permit him to find out the well Zemzem and should give him ten sons, he would sacrifice one of them. Accordingly when his desire was fulfilled, he cast lots on his sons, and the lof fell on-Abdulla, whom he redeemed by offering a hundred camels.”

It all depends on the construction put on the verse— Wa basshar naahu bi Ishaqa nabiyyan—(verse 112).If this means, “We gave him good news of Isaac, the prophet—,” the previous verses would refer to some other son. If it means “We gave him the good tidings that Isaac would be a prophet,” it would refer to him alone. The Shayk has obviously adopted the latter construction. (a) Jelaluddin quoted by Sale .م‎ 368. under Suratus Saffat. CHAPTER VIi THE WISDOM OF ISMAIL (Fas-i-Ismailiyyah) The name Allah indicates Oneness of the Dhat with its innumerable asma (names) or arbab (cherishers, rulers) which are really aspects of the Dhat. There is no room for multiplicity in the Dhat, while there is room for the same in asma. The name Allah thus indicates Dhat-i-Bahat (pure dhat) with the totality of asma or its own aspects There is a rab (ism or name indicating the ‘named’), for each object that is manifest ; and Allah is the rab of عط الج‎ rabs—Rab-ul-Arbab. The Oneness of the Dhat is not susceptible of division or parcelling out. The asma are potential in the Dhat. Wa kana inda rabbtht marzivya (Suratu Maryam xix : 55).—‘‘ Blessed is the person who has the approval of his rab”; and there is not anything in the universe which has not the approval of its own rab. For it alone keeps up the rububiyyat or rulership of that rab, the two being inter-related and inter-dependent. Every ayn (reality) owes its existence to its own rab, for if the one disappears, the other too will disappear “ You are a secret of rububiyyat” said Sahil-i-Tustari.

The ayn will therefore have existence in this world and in the intermediate (barzakh) and the future worlds; and rububiyyat will also remain existent. The action of the ayn (reality) is the action of its rab which is manifest in it. When the action of a thing is referred to its rab, that thing is satisfied as well as its rab, for every maker gets satisfaction from the thing he makes. God has said :— Aata kulla shayin khalgahu thumma hada (Suratu Ta Haxx—50.) “God has given every thing its due and then guided it (to its goal)”. The thing is thus not liable to increase or defection in that due. Ismail had the cognition of his rab, which was composite of arbab (pl. of rab). When one is’ the approved of one rab, he cannot necessarily be the approved of another rab, eg. the creature of muzil (one who leads astray) cannot necessarily be the approved of hadi (one who leads in the right path). Inthe stage of Abdiyyat (oneness—the first stage of tanuzzulat), God cannot be called a rab; there is no tajalli in that stage, for here He is his own on-looker. If you can see God by His tajjalli or by your own nafs at this stage, His Ahdiyyat disappears, for in vision a relationship is established between the on-looker and the locked upon, and there are no such different agencies at this stage. When God sees His self at this stage, He is both the observer and the observed.

Hence a thing cannot be approved from an absolute point of view, unless it possessed all the aptitudes ofaction that the rab-ul-arbab (rab-of the rabs-i-e the rab from which all individual rabs emanate) possesses and approves of. Ismail had preference over others, as he had secured cognition of the approval of his rab which -was hadi, and through it, of rab-ul-arbab ; in fact every one who has attained nafs-i-mutmainna, (*) (*) For an account of the four kinds of Nafs-vide 2, 88 “ Studies in Tasawwuf.” has secured the approval of his rab; for it is said of this nafs, Fadkuli fi tbadi wadkuli jannati, (Surat-ul-Far LXxxix: 29—30.) “Enter into the assembly of My servants and enter into My paradise”. (Jannat,—the word meaning ‘paradise’—is derived by the Shayk from jun, shield or screen). The nafs-i-rmutmainna recognises hadi as its rab and thus secures the approval of rab-ul-arbab (the rab of rabs). The abd (servant) in this jannat hides his rab in himself ; and therefore one who cognizes his self cognizes his Rab. When therefore you enter into your self, you enter into this paradise (jannat-udh-chat.) Liman lahu fihi anta abdun. Wa anta rabbun wa anta abdun Liman lahu fil khitabi ahdun

You are banda (servant) and you are its rab, In which you are its banda. You are rab and you are its servant Who made the promise in ‘‘Alastu 62 Rablikum ”() Note :—From a reference to the diagram, it will be found that there are 28 asmali-elahi, which are the arbab (rulers, cherishers or supporters) of their counterparts, the 28 asmai-kiyani, which are their murbub (the ruled, cherished or supported). These are the main arbab (rulers) with their murbubat (ruled). Their branches, however, are innumberable-—more innumberable than the sands on the sea shore. The universe consists of manifest marbubat, whose arbab are all hidden. The arbab or asma are the manifestations of Wahdat or Hsqiqat-i-Muhammadi. Each martub comes out of itsrab; the beasts, for example, are the marbub of the rab muzil (degrader). A man with (a) This is in reference to Szzat-el-araff VI: 172 “Am I not your Lord” The descendents of Adam said—“Yes, we bear witness”, beastly nature may عط‎ said to be the murbub of the same rab, muzil. A perfect man may be said to be the manifestation of the rab hadi (one who leads straight). A man with saintliness and a man with beastliness become the same, if they understood the nature of their rabs, for muzil and hadi are emanations from the same source; and when they coriverge to the source, they become one. This is known as the theory of Indiraj. Ifthe murbub of muzil ‘appreciates that it has had its source in Rab-ul-Arbab, it finds itself as the servant of hadi.

Ifit does not reach its source, and swims in the stream of its own rab, it is the ‘approved’ of its own rab and the ‘disapproved’ of other rabs, for its own rab has set it in motion and gives it its approval. “‘It is the ‘approved’ ofits own rab, and the rab is the ‘approved’ of it.” Razitallahu anhum wa rasuwa anhu (Surat-ul-Maida v:119). If it appreciates this fact, he is swept along the stream to Rab-ul-Arbab, where it attains to the ism of Aali (the elevated) which is one of the names of Allah. Now Ismail had attained this position.

Wajaalnalahum lisana sidgin aliyya(Suratu Maryam X1x:56) “And we left (behind them) a truthful mention of eminence for them’ ’/znahu kana sadiq ul wad, wa kana inda Rabbtht maretyyah. (Surat-ul Maryam X1xX : 54 and 55) “He was truthful in his ‘promise, and was one in whom his Lord was well pleased.” Truthfulness in promise was a characteristic of Ismail ; and this was an indication of his having reached the position of the name Aali- Ismail was the precursor of Muhammad (peace on him), who had fully attained to this stage. The further stage is the Dhat in which all asma and attributes are annihilated. In this stage, the Dhat Itself is the on-looker of Itself and there is no ghair (other); hence the Shayk says that the beatific vision is in the stages of asma (or arbab) and not in that of the dhat. The murbub ism gets hidden in its rab ism, (hence the Shayk derives the word jannat (paradise) from jum ashield, screen). And when - it gets hidden in it, it becomes the rab itself, the particular aspect of God, ‘in which it inheres. When thus hidden, it becomes fani (annihifated) and finds the universe as a manifestation of itself,

CHAPTER VIII THE WISDOM OF JACOB (Fas-i-Yaqubiyyah) Religion is of two kinds; religion from God which is the religion of the peop!e whom God has given gnosis, and of those who have received gnosis from the latter ; and religion from man, which God has taken cognizance of. The former is the one that God approves of; for He has said Wa wassa btha lbrahimu baniyhi wa Yagubu, ya banniyya innallahastafa lakum uddina fala tamutunna tla wa antum muslimun (Suratul Bagarah 11: 132). “ Abraham instructed his sons in that religion and also Jacob his sons ‘ 0, sons, God has approved of this religion for you and do not die but in the state in which you are submissive to God.” This religion is characterized as that which was already known tothem, and that is included in God's word /nnat dina indallaht 1slamu (Suratu Alai-[mram ur: 18.) ‘The religion of God is Islam” i.e. submission of the created to ths Creator. This submission of the slave to his Master is the religion of the abd. Religion from God is the shariat of God, like namaz (prayer); which the Namus (Gabriel) brought down from God. One becomes blessed, if he adopts this shariat end moulds and directs his actions accordingly. Religion is from Ged, but its existence is from abd, which however, is tantamount to its being from God, who really gives intuition or inspiration to man. Thus religion is proved from your actions, just as the asma of God are proved from the actions of God, you yourselves are the asma of God. If you are submissive to the shariat, you will attain eleva-

tion towards God. But asceticismis from man. Wa rahbantyata nibtaduha (Suratul Hadid tv: 127) “They innovated asceticism of their own accord” and many of them became fasiq (those outside the law). Religion gives good rewards, which bring happiness. Hence it was said, Raziallahu anhum wa razuwa anhu, (Suvatul Matdav: 119). “God is pleased with them and they are pleased with Him.’ These rewards are tajalliyat (illuminations) in the mirror of existence of God. The ayan (realities) in the knowledge of God manifest themselves in a _ phantasmagoria ever assuming new and varied forms. The same things will manifest themselves, which their dhats (realities) assume in their possible existence. The tajalli of God also varies accordingly to circumstances. According to tajalli, the effect appears in the banda (the ‘ limited’, servant). Hence God gives to Himself goodand also the opposite of it. He rewards Himself and suffers Himself. He praises or dispraises His own self in the stages of and below ayan. Knowledge is dependent on the known. The ayan are in adum (nothingness); God's existence appears in those forms of ayan which are in knowledge. Thus you know who relishes and who disrelishes. Just as a tabib (doctor)is a servant of the nature of man, so is a rasul (prophet) a servant of the command of God, in fact, of the “‘ Possible Existence’, just as he was in the stage of ayan (realities). The hakim in his service controls nature by increasing or decreasing the disease according to circumstances; he is the councillor or vizier of nature. So also is a prophet. He sometime knows what is in the

knowledge of God and sometimes does not, In the first case, he acts out the Divine Will; in thishe works like a servant; and in the second, he sees God giving commend in a general matter, and the particular item is not desired by Him, and does not come to pass. This not coming to pass is called sin. Hence the Prophet (peace be on him) said Shzyya batnt suratu Hudin, “Suratu Hud has made a weak, old man of me;” for the latter part of this sura contains the injunction Fastagimu kama umtirta (Suratu Hud x1: 112) “Consistently carry out what you have been commanded to do”. This injunction made him prematurely old ; as he had no knowledge of what would happen according to the will of God and what not. Some people at times know by spiritual enlightenment, what is in the knowledge of God, and they act accordingly. This, one in thousands. This state is very transient. The command to the Prophet was Qul ma adri ma yufalubt wala br kum (Suratul Ahgaf xivi: 9) “Say, | do not know what treatment | shall have, and what treatment you shall have from God”. Thisis an explanation under a veil, of this point.

NOTE. This fas (bezel) is called either hikmat-i-rowhiyya (i.e. wisdom of gnosis which gives eternal bliss, which religion brings in its train) or hikmat-i-ruhiyya or the wisdom of soul. If the former aspect is considered, the explanation is that Jacob was always expatiating against hopelessness or despondency with ‘Ruh-ullah, as he said La yaasu min vruhillahi (Suratu Yousuf x11: 87). “ Despair not from Ruhullah,” and insisting upon the observance of religion, Amma tabudunna min badt. If the latter aspect is considered, it means that Jacob had “spiritual enlightenment (kashf) of alam-i-mithal and alami-arwah; for becoming aware of the import of the dream of Joseph, he forbade him from giving it out to his brothers. According to the Shayk, religionis of two kinds ;—one ; direct from God through the prophets, which is the religion of submission to God (Islam); and it contains shariat to guide the people towards God for shariat literally means path-way to the water-ghat; thus religions which have ordinances are from God ; and the other is Rahbanivat (asceticism) which is direct from man, though all inspirations are from God in the first instance and have His approval. Wu Rabhaniyata nib tadawuha makatabnaha alathim tllabtegha vizwanillah (Surat ul Hadid LW: 27. “And (as for) monkery, they innovated it.—We did not prescribe it to them - only to seek Allah’s pleasure.” The Shayk maintains that the realities (ayan) are in the knowledge of God and never came out (i.e.

are adum or nothingness), God’s attributes (or asma) in the next lower stage) are manifestin the form of ayan, and this manifestation in limitation is called Mumkinul-Wujud (possible existence). The forms in knowledge have their own peculiarities. When the tajalli (illumination) of existence falls on them, they become manifest with their peculiarities, jamali (beautiful or good) or jalali (glorious or evil) as the case may be. Hence in possible existence, it is God alone in the stage of ayan (and not Dhat-i-bhat) that enjoys or suffers as the Methnawi says ;