Studies in Tasawwuf

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About the Author

Mr. Khwaja Khan, who has in these pages thrown a great deal of illuminating light on various points in esoteric Islam, popularly known under the name of Tasawwuf Theosophy.

Chapter II to V deal with the descent of man-Tanazzulat-i-Sitta (the six devolutions); and Chapter VI to XI relate to his ascent; Chapter XII treats of the history of the subject, and Chapter XIII is a comparative study of the same. A life of the makers of Tasawwuf, or at least of those eminent men mentioned in book was also’ a desideratum.

Foreword

Whilst the esoteric side of the other great religions is made more and more accessible to English readers, it is a matter of great misfortune that similar service is not being rendered to Islam, with the result that the majority of non-Muslims and even many Muslims, who have been brought up entirely under a European cultural environment, remain ignorant of that particular side in Islam which is its core and centre, which really gives life and vitality to its outward forms and activities, and which most can appeal to followers of other faiths owing to the universal character of its content. Mussalmans will therefore, be grateful to a competent scholar like Mr. Khwaja Khan, who has in these pages thrown a great deal of illurninating light on various points in esoteric Islam, popularly known under the name of Tasawwuf (Theosophy). 1 hope Mr. Khwaja Khan will continue to dig in the fertile and consecrated field he has chosen for his labours and make available from time to time the treasures, he finds.

Preface

In the preface to my book on “The Philosophy of Islam,” I expressed the hope to bring out an enlarged edition of that book; but this was given up, for the present, in favour of this book, which also is a collection of metaphysical Essays-written in the same way as my above mentioned book. It may be observed that a thread of connection is running throughout the essays, although outwardly they appear to be disconnected. The very first essay “Esoteric Narratives” may appear to have no bearing on the subject; but really, it underlies the subject -matter of all the essays; for here, we are dealing with the Esoteric side of Islam; and this essay proves how far an Esoteric meaning underlies the formalism of Islam, and how such a meaning is justifiable in the eyes of the “Elders of the Church” of Islam, and of the great Islamic thinkers. If Islam is denuded of Esotericism, it becomes a mere skeleton of formalities which people of a rationalistic turn of mind would accept only as formalities. Unless this skeleton is clothed with flesh and vivified, the real beauty of Islam cannot be appreciated. Chapter 11 to V deal with the descent of man-Tanazzulat-i-Sitta (the six devolutions); and Chapter VI to XI relate to his ascent; Chapter XII treats of the history of the subject, and Chapter XIII is a comparative study of the same. A life of the makers of Tasawwuf, or at least of those eminent men mentioned in the book was also a desideratum. As a few books already exist in English, e.g., Claud Field’s “The Mystics and Saints of Islam, “Dr. R.A. Nicholson’s “Mystics, in Islam” (on the lines more or less of Fariduddin ‘Attar’s Tadhkiratul-Auliyii and Mulla Jami’s Nafhatul-Uns), this has been postponed. Lives of these thinkers with a comparative studyof their thoughts-philosophical, ethical and illuminational-and of their particular ashghal (practices) and adhkar (repetition of Divine names and formulas) and mdlfuzat (sayings) is, however, still a desideratum.

The Elders of the Church of Islam who have dealt with Tasawwuf have so far done it in detached essays; whether they be those who have treated it as philosophy, or whether they be those who have treated it as Kashf (illumination), like Shaykh, Mahiyyuddin ibn-ul-’ Arabi and ‘Abdul Karim Jili.

The works of writers on Tasawwuf are generally in poetry; because it was not thought advisable in those days to deal with the subject in a plain matter-of-fact way, and lay bare the truths before ordinary people, whose minds were not prepared to receive them, and who mismanipulated the same, and made use of them as a dangerous weapon; secondly, propaganda work was best done in those days, by means of poetical effusions. Poetry could not put a philosophical subject in a precise and mathematical style. Subjects were often repeated with a view to drive home the truths and to make them clearer and more understandable. As they thought with Talleyrand that speech was meant to conceal thought, they did not, like Carlyle and Hegel, hesitate to speak in paradoxes. Of course there have been differences of opinion, but these differences of honest opinion are considered to be a real blessing in Islam: Ikhtilaf- ul-’Ulama rahmatun.

Again poetry is the best medium of expression for Ahl-i- Kashf (people of illumination). Their Kashf finds a ready and enthusiastic, and forcible expression in poetry; while the best of prose is too dull for the purpose. That which one sees with his inner eye finds expression in conscious measured language. Some people who are not under this occult influence also use poetry as a matter of mimicry; but their effusion appears hollow. It may be that they are trying to advance from the unreal to the real. The poetry of Rumi, Sa’di, Ibn-ul-’Arabi clearly shows that the forcibleness of their poetry had its fons et origo in the realization of the realism of their ideas, and in the genuineness of their feelings. The effusive languages of David, St. Paul and Sri Krishna bear a Clear testimony to the fact that they had realized what they expressed. The living pictures in the Alam-i-Mithal and Barzakh could only be expressed in poetry. The Qur’an. too, is in the effusive language of the Arabs, but it is not considered to be poetry, as the elements of pre-determination and determined effort are wanting in it (as held by Imam Fakhrud-din Razi), In poetry, these elements! must be present; the words of God merely passed out of the lips of the Prophet.

Gur chi Qu’ran as, labi-Paygharnbar ast

Her ki gouyad Haqq na gufta kafir ast.

Although the Qur’an is from the lips of the Prophet,

Whoever says it is not God’s word, hides the truth

And God has said, “We have not taught him poetry.”

The writings of ancient writers are of a synthetical character; they are long discourses which one has to wade through to get at the kernel of the matter, they appear to have purposely done, to make themselves difficult for the ordinary work-a-day intellect to understand. To understand a complicated and long discourse, the reader has to analyse the subject-matter. Herbert Spencer’s Synthetical Philosophy is based on an analytical basis. You cannot take away a single sentence or a single paragraph, without obscuring the meaning of a whole chapter. Here our great thinkers have made themselves purposely obscure; perhaps by not dealing with each subject separately. Shaykh Sadruddin of Qoniah was a disciple of Ibn-ul-’ Arabi, as Schelling was of Hegel; and he was one of the few persons who lectured on Fusus-ul- Hikam, and yet he confessed not to have understood his master properly as Schelling had confessed in the case of his own master; the difference: however, was that the Shaykh’s writings were in a vein of kashf (illumination), and Hegel was a purely speculative philosopher.

I have tried to put the thoughts of these elders in such a way that the different parts of the system harmonized with one another, at least to the best of my understanding. At the end of the book, I have given explanations of technical terms. The significance of some of these terms is not yet definitely settled, just as is the case in respect of technical philosophic terms used by different English writers. Writers sometimes use these terms in different senses; sometimes the definitions are not clear cut.

Some terms found in the book like Ahadiyyat, Wahdat, Wahidiyyat do not find a place in the glossary; since they have been explained at some length in the body of the book itself. I have tried to fix these explanations on to well-established and accredited usages.

Some thoughts in the realm of philosophy are to be ordinarily realised by revolving them in one’s mind; (specially if they are to accord with particular schools of thought;) I have made a study of this subject for some years, and leave it to the reader to judge how far I have been able to make my exposition of it understood an these lines. The object of the treatise is not controversial; a few quotations have been made from the scriptures of Christianity and Hinduism, to show the identity of aim of all religions, and how far these have common basis.

Kufr Kafir ra wa din dindar ra,

Dharra-i-dardi dil-i- ‘Attar ra.

Infidelity (welcome) to an infidel and piety to the pious man,

An atom of ache to the heart of’ Attar.

The transliteration system generally used by Orientalists has been adopted. It is desirable, no doubt, to have a definite system of spelling; but intonation, and even pronunciation differ in different places-say in India and Persia, India and Arabia; and it is difficult to fix on anyone intonation as the standard. An Englishman’s intonation sometimes differs from that of a Scotchman or Welshman. The question in transliteration is not the spelling of written words; but of the spelling of words as pronounced.

Chapters III, XIII and Appendix II originally appeared in the Theosophist; and the rest in the ‘Muhammadan’ of Madras. I have to thank the Editors of these journals for their courtesy in allowing me to make use of these publications, I am also indebted to Maulvi Muhammad Na’im-ur-Rahman Sahib, M.A., H.P, Professor of Arabic in the Government Muhammadan College, Madras, for revising, in proof, the transliteration of Classical and Vernacular words according to the system of the Royal Asiatic. Society; and to Nawab A Hydari Hydar Nawaz lung Bahadur, Finance Minister to H.E. Highness the Nizam, for his encouraging Foreword.

Contents