THE
BOOK OF
Being
a Translation with notes
of
Kitab al-Ilm
of
Al-Ghazzalis
Ihya
Ulum al-Din
SECTION III
On what is popularly considered to be a part of the
science of religion, but is (really) not, including a discussion of the
circumstances under which some of the sciences would be blameworthy, and on the
exposition of how the names of certain sciences, jurisprudence, the science of
religion, theology, admonition, and philosophy, have been changed, as well as on
showing how much of sacred knowledge is praiseworthy and how much is
blameworthy.
Why blameworthy knowledge is so regarded. You may say
that knowledge is seeing things as they really are, which is one of the
attributes of Allah. Now, then, could a thing be knowledge and at the sometime
be blame worthy? Be advised then that knowledge is not held to be blameworthy in
itself. It is only regarded as such in the eyes of men for one of three reasons.
First when it leads to any harm, whether the harm
should befall its practiser or someone else besides, for which
reason the science of magic and talismans is held blameworthy. This is right
and in accordance with the Quran which so attests. It is also a means for
separating husband and wife. The Apostle of Allah himself was the victim of
magic which caused him to become sick until Gabriel made it known to him and
exorcized the evil spirit from underneath a stone in the bottom of a well.1
Magic is something obtained through the knowledge of the properties of the
precious stones and mathematical calculations relative to the places and times
of the rising of the stars. A skeleton resembling the person to be charmed is
made out of these
1.
For this incident see ibn-Sad,
Vol. II, Pt. 2, pp. 4-6; al-Bukhari: Tibb,
47, 49, 50; ibn-Majah, Tibb, 45.
67
precious
stones, which is gazed into, to the accompaniment of constant repetition of
words of unbelief and obscenity which are contrary to law, until a special time
in the rising of the stars arrives. Through it the aid of the devils is secured
with the result that, in accordance with the established order Allah has
ordained, strange states befall the charmed person. In so far as knowing these
things constitutes knowledge, it is not blameworthy. Nevertheless, it is of no
use except for harming people. The instrument of evil is in itself evil, and it
is for this reason that magic is regarded blameworthy. If a person should pursue
one of the saints of Allah in order to kill him, but the saint should hide in a
safe place and, then, the oppressor inquires about the saints whereabouts, it
would not be permissible to point out his hiding place, but rather, under the
circumstances, lying would be incumbent. For while pointing out the whereabouts
of the saint is, in itself, a true statement of the fact, nevertheless it is
blameworthy because it breeds injury.
Second, a knowledge is blameworthy when it is mostly (fi
ghalib al-amr) harmful as, for
example, astronomy which is not, in itself, blameworthy, because it is of two
parts: The first is mathematical in reference to which the Quran has
pronounced that by it the courses of the sun and the moon are reckoned. Thus
Allah said, And the sun and the moon (run their courses) according to a
(certain) reckoning.1 And again, And as for the moon we decreed
stations for it, till it changes like an old and crooked palm branch.2
The second is astrology (ahkam) the gist of which is that future events are indicated by
present causes. This is similar to how a physician is guided by the patients
pulse to predict the future development of a disease. Astrology is therefore an
attempt to know the course of the laws and ordinances of Allah relative to His
creatures. But the law has declared it blameworthy. Thus the Prophet said,
Whenever the decrees of Allah are mentioned, withhold (from discussing them);
whenever the stars are mentioned, desist (from any talk); and when my Companions
are mentioned, refrain (from any gossip). And again, After my
1.
Surah LV: 4.
2.
Surah XXXV: 39.
68
death
three things I fear for my people, the injustice of Imams, the belief in the star (astrology), and disbelief in the
decrees of Allah. Umar ibn-al-Khattab said, Acquire of the science of the
stars enough to lead you on land and on sea but no more. He warned against it
for three reasons: First, because it is harmful to most people, since if they
were told that these results would ensue consequent upon the course of that
stars, they might think that it is the stars which influence the course of
events and are also the gods who direct the world. Furthermore, in view of the
fact that the stars are glorious celestial bodies and awe-inspiring to the
hearts, mans heart would naturally become focussed upon them and would see
both good and evil required or forbidden by the stars with the result that the
name of Allah would be erased from the heart. The feeble-minded one does not
look beyond the means, and only the learned man who is well-grounded in
knowledge would understand that the sun, moon, and stars are subject to the will
of Allah. Thus the parable of the feeble-minded person who thinks that the light
of the sun is the result of its rising, is like the parable of an ant which as
it happened upon the surface of a sheet of paper, was endowed with reason and
thereupon watched the movement in the process of writing, only to think that it
was the work of the pen, but would not go beyond that to see the fingers, and
behind the fingers the hand, and behind the hand the will which moves it, and
behind the will a deliberate and an able scribe, and behind all, the Creator of
the hand,, and the ability, and the will. Most people do not look beyond the
nearby and earthly causes and never arrive at the Cause of all causes. This,
therefore, is one of the reasons why the science of the stars has been
forbidden.
A second reason is that astrology is purely
guess work and in the opinion of the average man, the influence of the stars is
not determined either with certainty or even with probability. Pronouncements in
connection with it are the result of ignorance. Consequently, astrology has been
pronounced blameworthy because of this ignorance, not because it is knowledge.
Furthermore, this knowledge, it is said, was of a miraculous nature possessed by
69
Prophet
ldris,1 but has now vanished and is no more. The rare cases in which
the astrologer happens to be correct are coincidences. He may happen upon some
of the causes, but the effect will not result therefrom unless several other
conditions, the comprehension of whose realities are beyond the reach of human
beings, should prevail. If, however, Allah should grant to him the knowledge of
the remaining causes, the astrologers prediction would come true; but if that
is not granted to him, he would err and his prediction would be not unlike the
guess of a man who is moved to say whenever he sees the clouds gathering and
rising from the mountain tops, that there will be rain this day. Rain may
actually fall though it is also possible that a hot sun should rise and disperse
the clouds. The mere presence of clouds in the skies is not sufficient for
bringing down rain; there are other conditions which cannot be determined.
Similarly, the sailors guess that the ship will have a safe sailing is based
upon the usual behaviour of the winds with which he is familiar. But there are
unknown factors which control the movements of the winds and which the sailor
would never know. Consequently, he would sometimes guess correctly and sometimes
he would err. For this reason, even the strong minded person has been forbidden
to practise astrology.
A third reason why man has been warned against the
science of the stars is because it is of no use at all. The most which could be
said on its behalf is that it is, at its best, an intrusion into useless things
and a waste of time and life which is mans most precious belonging. Such a
thing is the most serious loss.
Once upon a time, the Apostle of Allah passed by a man
surrounded by a crowd. On asking what the matter was, he was told that the man
was learned authority On what? the Prophet said, and was told, On
poetry and Arab genealogy. Thereupon the Prophet said, This is a science
whose knowledge availeth not and the ignorance of which harmeth not. And
again, Verily knowledge is an attested wonder, or an observed law, or a just
ordinance.2
1.
The Muslim equivalent to Enoch See
Surahs XIX: 57, XXI: 58; cf
Gen. 4:17; 5: 8-24; Heb 11:5.
2.
Cf ibn-Majah, Intro.,
8: 3; abu-Dawud, al-Faraid, l.
70
Therefore
meddling into astrology and the like is a hazardous undertaking, both foolish
and useless, because what has been ordained shall be, while the attempt to avoid
it is impossible. On the contrary, in medicine, for which the need is great,
most of the principles, unlike those of the interpretation (of dreams), can be
determined and known; unlike interpretation, too, in spite of the fact that it
may sometimes be guess work, there is no danger inherent in medicine.
The third reason (for which a kind of knowledge may be
pronounced blameworthy) is when the pursuit of that kind of knowledge does not
give the practiser any real scientific advantage. Consequently, such knowledge
is intrinsically blameworthy, as, for example, the study of the trivial sciences
before the important ones, and the obscure before the significant, like delving
into the divine mysteries which have been pursued by both the philosophers and
the theologians; but neither they nor anyone else could grasp it in whole or in
part except the prophets and the saints. For this reason people should be
deterred from delving into these mysteries, and instead, be diverted to pursue
those subjects which the law allows, wherein lies sufficiency for the guided.
How many a person has delved into the sciences and reaped injury therefrom? Had
he not meddled in them, his religious standing would have been far better that
its resultant condition. It is, thus, undeniable that knowledge is harmful to
certain people just as bird meat and several kinds of excellent pastry are
injurious to the suckling infant. Still more there are persons for whom
ignorance is, in some cases, beneficial. It is thus related that a certain
person had once complained to a physician about the sterility of his wife - that
she bore him no children. The physician, thereupon, examined the wifes pulse
and told her that she needed no medicine for bearing children because her pulse
indicated that she was destined to die within forty days. On hearing that, the
woman became gravely frightened and perturbed and gave away all her possessions,
having also written her will. Furthermore, because of worry she remained for
those forty days without either food of drink. Nevertheless, she did not die, to
which the physician replied, I knew that all along! Go
71
to her
now and she will bear you children. The husband said, But how could that
be? The physician answered and said, Seeing that your wife was fleshy and
the fat gathered around the mouth of her womb, and knowing that she would not
reduce except from fear of death, I frightened her until she became thin and the
obstruction to bearing children has now gone. This, therefore, would show you
the dangers of some of the branches of knowledge and would make clear to you the
significance of the words of the Prophet when he said, We seek refuge in
Allah from useless knowledge.1 Do not, then, be a seeker after
sciences which the law has pronounced blameworthy and against which it has
warned. Rather be steadfast in emulating the example of the Companions and
follow nothing but the usage of the Prophet; for safety lies in obedience
whereas in adventure and aberration lies danger. Do not also boast much of your
so-called opinion, reasonable judgement, proof and evidence, as well as the
claim that you investigate into things in order to find out and determine their
true nature and that there is no harm in the pursuit of knowledge. Truly the
harm that might befall you therefrom would be greater (than the benefits). Many
are the things whose knowledge is harmful to you to the extent that it might
ruin you in the hereafter unless Allah should intervene with His mercy. You
should also know that just as the keen and skillful physician masters secret
therapies which, to the lay mind, seen strange and improbable, so also do the
Prophets who are the physians of the hearts and the experts on the principles
which underlie life in the herafter - (in their field of religion they achieve a
knowledge which no lay mind can grasp). Consequently, do not pass judgement on
their ways according to what you deem reasonable or you would perish. Not
infrequently a person may injure one of his fingers and following his own mind
would proceed to apply ointment to it until the skillful physician points out to
him that he should treat it by applying the ointment to the opposite shoulder.2
But the patient, not knowing how the sinews branch out into the body or where
they spring from or how they go around the body, would deem it very unusual and
improbable. The same is true of the hereafter and of the particulars of the
statutes of
1.
Ibn-Majah,
Intro., 23:1
2.
Breads: palm
72
the law,
its rules and articles of faith which have been ordained for man to follow; all
are imbued with mysteries and symbols which are beyond the capacity and the
ability of the mind to perceive, just as the properties of the precious stones
possess wonderful qualities which experts have failed to understand, so much so
that no one has been able to determine the reason why the magnet attracts iron.
Yet the wonderful and strange things in faith and works and their usefulness for
the purity of the heart as well as its cleanliness, integrity, and rectitude in
order to be lifted up to the neighbourhood of Allah, so that it might be exposed
to the breeze of His bounty, are far more numerous and greater than anything in
medicines and drugs. And as the mind fails to discern the things which are
useful for life in the hereafter, especially since it is not possible to
determine them through experimentation. These things would be subject to
experimentation only if some of the dead would return and enlighten us as to
what faith and works are acceptable and useful in the sight of Allah, and would
bring man nearer to Him, and what faith and works would estrange the creature
from his Maker. But alas, this is not possible and is not to be expected. You
should be satisfied if your mind would guide you to the truth of the words of
the Prophet and make plain to you the significance of his counsel. Put aside,
therefore, the promoting of your mind from your conduct and persist in
comformity, for nothing else would save you. For this reason the Prophet said,
Verily some forms of knowledge are ignorance and (eloquent) speech,
incoherence. Of course knowledge is never ignorance but may have the same
harmful influence as ignorance. The Prophet also said, A little bit of divine
guidance is better than a great deal of knowledge Jesus also said, Many
are the trees, but not all are fruitful; plentiful are the fruit, but not all
are edible; (likewise) many are the branches of knowledge, but not all are
useful.1
DETERMINING WHAT NAME OF SCIENCES
HAVE BEEN CHANGED
You should also know that the source of confusion of the blameworthy sciences with the sacred is the tampering with, and the
1.
Not in the canonical gospels.
73
changes
in, the names of the praiseworthy sciences and the alterations introduced
therein, in bad faith, so as to connote other than those which the righteous
fathers and the first-century Muslims intended. Consequently, five terms,
namely, jurisprudence (fiqh), the
science of religion (al-ilm),
theology (tawhid), admonition (tadhkir),
and philosophy (hikmah), all names
of praiseworthy sciences, whose possessors have held the chief positions in the
religious organisation, but which now have been altered so that they connote
something blameworthy ; yet people have become reluctant to condemn those who
possess them because of the widespread practice of applying these names to all
of them alike.
The first term to be affected was jurisprudence whose
meaning has been tampered with not so much by alteration and change but by
limitation. It has thus been limited to the knowledge of unusual legal cases,
the mastery of the minute details of their origins, excessive disputation on
them, and the retention of the different opinions which relate to them. The
person who goes more deeply into these things than his colleagues and devotes
more time to them than the rest is considered the most versatile in
jurisprudence. But in the early period of Islam the term jurisprudence (fiqh)
was applied to the science of the path of the hereafter and the knowledge of
the subtle defects of the soul, the influences of which render works corrupt,
the thorough realization of the inferiority of this life, the urgent expectation
of bliss in the hereafter, and the domination of fear over the heart. This is,
indicated by the words of Allah when He said. .... that they may instruct
themselves in their religion, and may warn their people when they come back to
them.1 Jurisprudence is therefore, that which brings about such a
warning and such a fear rather than details of ordinary divorce or divorce
through lian, or manumission (ataq),2
salam contracts, and hire, rental, and lease (ijarah),
which produce neither warning nor fear. On the contrary, to devote oneself
exclusively to these things hardens the heart and removes from it all fear which
is exactly what we now see in those who have so devoted themselves. Allah thus
said, Hearts have they with which they understand not, 3
1.
Surah IX: 123. Al-Ghazzali took this verse out of its
context.
2.
Also itq.
3.
Surah VII: 178; cf.
115: 4-8, 135: 15-18.
74
having had in mind the meaning of belief, not of legal
opinions. Upon my life, the word fiqh (discernment),
now used for jurisprudence, and the word fahm
(understanding) are nothing but two names for the same thing. At the present
time, however, they are used both in their earlier and also their modem
significations. Allah said, Indeed ye are a greater source of fear in their
hearts than Allah! This is because they are a people void of any discernment.1
He thus attributed their little fear of Allah and their great terror of the
power of man to their meagre discernment. Judge, then, for yourself whether this
was the result of not learning the details of legal opinions or the outcome of
the disappearance of those sciences we have already mentioned. Speaking to the
envoys who called on him, the Prophet addressed them saving, Learned, wise
and discerning.
Said ibn-Ibrahim al-Zuhri2 was once asked
which of the people of al-Madinah he thought was the most discerning, and he
replied, He who fears Allah the most, thus pointing out that the fruit of
religious insight (fiqh) and piety is
in fact the fruit of esoteric knowledge rather than that of legal opinions and
decisions.
The Prophet said, Shall I tell you who is the
profoundly discerning man? They answered, Yes. Thereupon he said,
The profoundly discerning man is he who has not induced people to despair of
the mercy of Allah; nor made them feel safe (rather than urge them to repent)
during the period of respite which Allah, out of patience, gives unto man; nor
made them lose hope in the spirit of Allah; nor discarded the Quran in favour
of something else. When Anas ibn-Malik3 related the following
words of the Prophet. I prefer sitting in the company of men who praise Allah
from sunset until sunrise to the setting free of four slaves, he turned to
Yazid al-Raqahi4 and Ziyad al-Numayri5 and said, Our
meetings of invocation (dhikr) were
different from your present gatherings in which one of
1.
Surah LIV:
13.
2.
A.H. 201/A.D. 816-17; see
ibn-Sad, Vol. VIL, pp. 2, 83; al-Khatib al-Baghdadi, Tarikh Baghdad, Vol. IX (Cairo,
1349), pp. 1234.
3.
A.H. 93/A.D. 711-12; see ibn
Qutaybah, p.157.
4.
Zayd in C; cf. ibn-Sad, Vol. VII, Pt. 2, p. 13; al-Samani, f. 256 b.
5.
Al-Samani, f. 569 b.
75
you delivers his sermons before his friends and recites
traditions. We used to sit and ponder over the articles of faith, study the
meaning of the Quran, enlighten ourselves in matters of religion and
enumerate the blessings of Allah upon us. Hence the process of studying the
meaning of the Quran and of enumerating the blessings of Allah was called
enlightenment. Said the Prophet, The servant will not attain perfect
religious insight until he should hate men in the essence of Allah and see in
the Quran several meanings.1 This same tradition has been
related as a mawquf tradition
(tradition whose sanad goes back to
the Companions, but stops short of the Prophet) going back to abu-al-Darda
who is supposed to have added, (the servant) would then turn to himself and
would hate himself more. Asked once by Farqad al-Sabakhi2 about
something, al-Hasan expounded his view but the former retorted. The
jurisprudence disagree with you. Thereupon al-Hasan exclaimed, May thy
mother be bereft of thee! Hast thou ever seen with thine own eyes a (real)
jurisprudent? Verily the (real) jurisprudent is he who forsaketh the world and
seeketh the hereafter, who understandeth the import of his religion, persisteth
in the worship of his Lord, is pious, restraineth himself from attacks on the
reputation of his fellow Muslims, abstaineth from (reaching his hand to) their
riches, and giveth them advice. In all of this, he did not say, who
knoweth all legal opinions. Nevertheless, I do not say that the term
jurisprudence (fiqh) did not include
legal opinion in civil cases as well. This, however, was either in a general and
broad manner or by way of regarding the one a subdivision of the other. But its
application to the science of the hereafter was more common. Consequently, this
restriction brought forth some ambiguity which caused men to devote themselves
solely to it to the neglect of the science of the hereafter and the nature of
the heart. Furthermore, in their own human nature, men found encouragement,
since esoteric knowledge is abstruse, to live by it is difficult, and to attain
through it candidacy for office, whether executive or judiciary, or a position
of prestige and wealth, is not possible. For this reason, by means of
1.
This is a literal translation, the
meaning of which may be: he should hate men (because of his absorption) in
the essence of Allah.
2.
A.H. 131/A.D. 748-9; see ibn-Sad,
Vol. VII Pt. 2, p. 11.
76
restricting the signification of the term
jurisprudence, which according to the law is a praiseworthy term, Satan found
the opportunity to make the neglect of the science of the hereafter and the
alteration in the connotation of its name attractive to the human heart.
The second term to have been altered is the science of
religion (al-ilm) which used to be
applied to the knowledge of Allah, His miracles, and His works among His
servants and creatures. When, therefore, (the Caliph) Umar died, ibn-Masud
exclaimed, Verily nine-tenths of the science of religion (al-ilm) has passed away. He thus designated this knowledge as
the science, using the definite article, and then explained it as the knowledge
of Allah. Yet people used the term freely and altered its meaning by restriction
until it became more commonly applied to those who debate cases of jurisprudence
and the like with adversaries and are dubbed learned in the truth, versatile in
knowledge, while those who do not practice that nor take it up are numbered
among the weak, and are not considered to belong to the company of the learned.
This also is alteration by restriction. But most of what has been said regarding
the excellence of learning and the learned relates to the learned in Allah, His
ordinances, His works, and His attributes. Nevertheless, it has now become
customary to apply the word learned to those who do not comprehend of the
science of the law except controversial syllogisms on disputed cases. Those
versed in such gymnastics, in spite of their ignorance of the sciences of
interpretation, tradition and religion, are now numbered among the versatile
learned men. This, as a result, has proved detrimental to a great number of
those who seek knowledge.
The
third term (to suffer alteration) was theology (tawhid) which has now become equivalent to scholastic theology (sina
at al-kalam), the knowledge of the methods of argumentation, the manner
of confounding adversaries, and the ability to be diffuse in speech by means of
asking too many questions, raising doubts, and formulating requisites, to an
extent that some of those groups have gone so far as to call themselves The
People of Equity and Unity (ahl al-adl
w-al-tawhid)1 while the
scholastic theologians were called the learned men of religion although nothing
of the tenets of their profession was
known during the early period of Islam. On the contrary the learned men at that
time condemned very strongly anyone who
would take to disputation and contention.
As to the evident proofs which the mind accepts
immediately on hearing and which are contained in the Quran, they have been
known to all. Knowledge of the Quran was all knowledge while theology (tawhid)
signified something else which was beyond the comprehension of most
scholastic theologians, and which, when they comprehended it, they were not
called after its name. Theology was then the belief that all things come from
Allah, a belief which ruled out all intermediary causes (al-asbab
w-al-wasail). Both good and evil would then be seen as coming completely
from Allah. Such a thing is a noble station one of whose fruits is dependence,
which will be described in the Book on Dependence. Of its fruits, too, are to
discontinue blaming people and being angry with them, contentment, and
resignation to the will of Allah. One of its fruits, also, has been illustrated
by the words of abu-Bakr who when asked during his sickness, Shall we call
you a physician? said, (It was) the physician (who) made me sick.
According to another report when he fell sick he was asked, What has the
physician told you about your sickness? To which he replied. He hath told
me, Verily I doeth what I chooseth.2
Examples of this will also appear in the book on Dependence and the book on
the Unity of Allah.
Theology(tawhid) is,
therefore, like a precious fruit which is encased in two successive husks.
Obviously the outer husk is farther from the pith than the inner husk. People
have thus applied the term [theology] exclusively to the husk which encases the
pith, as well as to their protection, and have entirely ignored the pith itself.
The outer husk represents the verbal profession that there is no god but Allah,
which profession is called monotheism in contra-distinction to the
1.
These were the Mutazilites.See al-Shaharastani, al-Milal
w-al-Nihal, ed., William Cureton (London, 1846), pp. 29-31.
2.
Cf Surahs XI: 109; LXXXV:16; Hikyat al- Awliya, Vol. 1,
p. 34.
78
trinitarianism the Christians profess. Such a profession, however, may come from the lips of hypocrite whose secret thoughts contradict his open declaration. The inner husk represents the state wherein the heart neither opposes nor denies to express meaning of this statement, but rather the outward expression of the heart represents its belief and the acceptance of that belief. This is the monotheism which the common folk profess. As already mentioned, the theologians are the guardians of these husks against the corruption of innovators.
The
third part is the pith itself. It represents the belief that all things come
from Allah, a belief which rules out any consideration of instrumentalities and
implies worshipping Him and no other thing besides Him. Those who follow their
own passions do not conform to this monotheism, because anyone who follows his
own passions makes them the object of his worship. Thus Allah said, Hast thou
seen him who hath made a god of his passions.1 The Prophet also
said, Of all the gods who have been worshipped on earth Allah hateth the
passions most. Actually, anyone who would think, would find out that the idol
worshipper worships not the idol but his own passions because his soul is
inclined after the religion of his fathers and he follows that inclination. The
inclination of the soul towards the things familiar to it is one of the meanings
expressed by the word passions. Outside the pale of this monotheism are also
dislike for people and not paying attention to them, because how is it possible
for the person who believes that all things come from Allah to dislike his
fellowmen? Theology stood for this station, the station of the saints. But see
to what it has been altered and with what of its husks people have been content?
See how they have sought refuge in mutual praise and boasting of those things
whose names have a praiseworthy reputation while in the meaning and
signification for which these names stand, and for which the real praise is due,
they have been utterly bankrupt. Their bankruptcy is like that of the man who,
rising up in the morning, turns his face towards the Qiblah and says, I have turned my face like a hanif, unto the Creator of the heavens and
1.
Surahs XXV: 45; XLV: 22.
79
the
earth. Yet unless his heart in particular has been duly turned unto Allah,
his assertation would be the first daily lie which he commits against Allah. If
he means by the word face its obvious meaning, the fact still remains that he
has not turned it except towards the Kabah and away from the other
directions. But the Kabah does not point towards the Creator of the heavens
and the earth so that he who turns his face towards it turns it to Allah who is
limited by neither directions nor climes. If, on the other hand, he means by it
his heart, which is what it should be and which is the instrument of worship,
how could his words be true when his heart is bent upon his worldly desires and
needs, and absorbed in devising tricks wherewith to amass wealth and prestige
and to secure an abundance of worldy means towards which he is directing the
attention of all his being? When, then, did he turn his face to the Creator of
the heavens and the earth? The following sums up all the truth of monotheism:
the monotheist is he who sees nothing but the One Allah and only turns his face
to Him. This is in conformity with the words of Allah when He said, Say: It
is Allah; then leave them in their pastime of cavillings.1
What is intended here is not verbal profession, as the tongue is like an
interpreter who tells the truth at one time and lies at another. Allah, however,
regards not the interpreter [the tongue], but that for which the tongue is the
interpreter, namely, the heart which is the source of religion and the place
wherefrom it springs.
The fourth term to be altered was the science of
invocation (dhikr) and admonition (tadhkir).
Allah said, Yet warn them for, in truth warning will profit the
believers.2 Several traditions commending the assemblies of
invocation (dhikr) have been passed down to us, as for instance, by the words
of the Prophet when he said, When you pass by the gardens of Paradise, stop
and enjoy yourselves. On being asked what the gardens of Paradise were, he
replied. The assemblies of invocation. And again in the following
tradition, Verily, other than guardian angels,3 Allah hath rover
1.
Surah VI: 91.
2.
Surah Ll: 55.
3.
The Muslims believe that two
angels, who are changed every day, attend every person to observe and write down
his action Cf Surahs L: 16: LXXXII:
10-11: al-Qazwini, Ajaibn al-Makhluqar
wa-Gharaib al- Mawjudat, ed. F. Wustenfeld (Gottingen, 1940), p. 60.
80
(sayyahun) angels1
who roam the earth looking for assemblies of invocation (dhikr). On locating an assembly they beckon one another saying,
Come unto your goals. Then the rover angels gather around these assemblies
and hear the words, O remember ye Allah and give warning to one another.
The [practice] has been altered in favour of story telling, the recital of
poems, ecstatic utterances (shath) and
heresies (tammat),2 the
things which contemporary preachers persist in doing.
As to storytelling, it is an innovation; in fact, our
Fathers have warned against attending the circles of story-tellers saying that
it was not the custom either at the time of the Apostle of Allah or the time of
abu-Bakr and Umar.3 It was not until the appearance of heresy that
they made theirs. It has been related that one day ibn-Umar emerged from the
mosque exclaiming, No one had sent me out but the story-teller; but for him I
would not have left. Damrah4 said, One day I asked Sufyan al-Thawri,
Shall we listen to story-tellers? But he answered, Turn ye your backs
on innovations.
Ibn-Awn5
said, Once upon a time I called on ibn-Sirin.6 As I entered upon
him he asked me, What is new today? When I informed him that the governor
had prohibited the story-tellers from telling their stories, he said, He had
done correctly. It is also related that, once upon a time, as al-Amash7
entered the Basrah mosque, he heard a story-teller say in his sermon, We were
told by al-Amash.... Whereupon al-Amash took himself to the centre of
the mosque and began to remove the hair from his armpit, at which the speaker
indignantly shouted, Old man, are you not ashamed to do that in the
mosque? To which al-Amash replied, Why should
1.
Al-Qazwni, Ajatib
al-Makhluqar, p. 61. Cf al-Tirmidhi,
Daawat, 129.
2.
Literally signifies calamities.
3.
Cf. ibn-Majah, Adaab,
40.
4.
Ibn-Rabiah (A.H. 202/A.D. 817-8): see ibn-Sad, Vol, VII, Pt. 2, p. 173;
Tadhkirat al-Huffaz, Vol. 1, p.
322.
5.
Abdullah ibn-Awn ibn-Artaban (A.H. 151 /A.D.
769): see ibn-Sad, Vol 7, Pt. 2,
pp. 24-30.
6.
Muhammad (A.H. 110/A.D. 729): see ibn-Sad, Vol. VII, Pt. I, pp.
140-50.
7.
Abu-Muhammad Sulayman ibn-Mihran (A.H. 148/A.D. 765);
see ibn-Sad, Vol, VI, pp. 238-40.
81
I be
ashamed? What I am doing is according to the law1 while what you have
been saying are down right lies. I am al-Amash.
Ahmad [ibn-Hanbal] proclaimed that the most persistent
liars among men are the story-tellers and the beggars.
Ali ibn-abi-Talib once drove the story-tellers out
of the Basrah mosque, but when he heard the words of al-Hasan al-Basri he
allowed him to carry on and did not drive him out because al-Hasan al-Basri used
to discourse on the science of the hereafter and the contemplation of death, and
to point out the defects of the soul, the shortcoming of works, the passing
thoughts with which Satan tempts men and the way to resist them, and to remind
his audience of the favours and blessings of Allah and of the failure of man in
his gratitude. He also would expose the inferiority of this world, its defects,
its impending end, and its deceitfulness, as well as the dangers and the terrors
of the hereafter. This is the warning which, according to the law, is
praiseworthy and which has been encouraged in the tradition related by abu-Dharr
when he said, To be present in an assembly of invocation (dhikr)
is better than prostrating oneself in prayer a thousand times, or visiting a
thousand sick men, or attending a thousand funerals. Abu-Dharr further
related that the Prophet was then asked; Is it also better than the reading
of the Quran? To which the Prophet replied, What good, though, is the
reading of the Quran except through knowledge? Ata also said,
Attendance at an assembly of invocation atones the evils of attending seventy
places of entertainment.
Unfortunately,
however, those who are in the habit of embellishing their speech with lies have
taken these traditions as means of justification for themselves and have
appropriated the name warning (tadhkir)
for their fables thus forgetting the right path of praiseworthy invociation (dhikr) and spending their time in [recounting] tales which are
subject to variations, accretions, and deletions, and which deviate from the
stories which accrue in the
1.
Cf. al-Bukhari, Libas,
64. lstidhan, 51.
82
Quran and go beyond them. Some of the tales are good to hear while others are harmful in spite of the fact that they may be true. Whoever would go after this practice would no longer be able to distinguish truth from lies and what is good from that which is harmful. For this reason Ahmad ibn-Hanbal said, Oh how much do people need a truthful story-teller? If his story be one of the tales of the prophets, pertaining to the affairs of their religion, and the story-teller be truthful and trustworthy, I see no harm in it. But people should guard against lies and against such stories which point to trivial faults and compromises which the common folks fail to understand, or to realize that they are nothing but trivial and unusual faults although they have been followed by atoning deeds and rectified by good works which are supposed to make up for them. In order to justify his compromises and find for himself an excuse, the layman is apt to resort to such reasoning, protesting that such and such has been related on the authority of one of the masters (mashayikh) or one of the prominent men, and adding that whereas all of us were subject to sin, it is no wonder if he would disobey Allah especially since a greater person than himself has done the same. This also develops in him unwillingly the daring to disobey Allah. But if one should guard against these two dangers (which are inherent in story-telling) it would cease to be harmful for it will mark a return to the praiseworthy stories contained in the Quran and to the authentic stories of tradition. There are some, however, who take the liberty of making up stories which inspire in men the desire to worship and serve Allah, and claim that they seek thereby nothing but to call men to the truth. Nevertheless this is one of the baits of Satan, and there is no way to avoid lying but in truthfulness. Besides there is in what Allah and His Apostle said enough to render fabrication in preaching needless. Did not the Prophet abhor the affectation or rhymed prose regarding it pedantic?
On
hearing his son Umar1 indulge is rhymed prose, S ad ibn-
1.
A.H. 66 A.D. 685-6; See ibn-Sad,
Vol. V, p. 125; abul-Fida, Mukhtasar
Tarikh al-Bashar (Constatinople,1286), Vol. I, p. 205.
83
abi-Waqqas1
said to him as the former sought something from his father, This, my son,
would make me hate thee; I shall not grant thee thy request until thou should
cease to compose rhymed prose. The Prophet also said to Abdullah
ibn-Rawahah2 when the latter composed three rhymed sentences,
Beware of rhymed prose, O thou ibn-Rawahah. Consequently any rhymed prose
which exceeds two sentences has been deemed affected and hence forbidden. For
the same reason when (in connection with the bloodwit which should be paid for
smiting a woman so that the child in her womb dies) a certain man asked, How
shall we pay a bloodwit for the death of someone who has had no drink nor food,
neither has he cried nor shed any tears since such a person is not avenged?
the Prophet reproached him saying, Art thou, like Bedouins, indulging in
rhymed prose?3
As to poetry, its generous use in sermons is
blameworthy. Allah said, It is poets whom the erring follow: Seest thou not
how they rove distraught in every valley?4 And again, We have
not taught him (i.e. Muhammad) poetry, nor would it beseem him.5
Furthermore, most of the poetry with which the preachers are familiar and which
they are accustomed to repeat in their sermons pertains to claims of being in
love, the beauty of the beloved, the joys of union with him, and the pains of
separation; while the assembly comprises none but the crude among the common
folk whose minds are saturated with lust and their eyes never cease from staring
at fair faces. Their poetry inspires nothing in their hearts except that which
their hearts already conceal, and enkindles therein the flames of lust.
Consequently they begin to shriek and make a show of their love. Most of this,
if not all, is the result of a certain kind of corruption
1.
One of the ten promised Paradise
by Muhammad, one of the council of six in whose hands Umar left the future of
the caliphate, and one of the greatest of Muslim generals during the early
period of the conquests. It was Sad who conquered Persia. Died between A.H.
55 and 58/A.D. 675 adn 678. See ibn-Sad, Vol. III, Pt. 1, pp. 275-8.
2.
A.H. 8/A.D. 629-30: ibn-Sad,
Vol, III, Ot. 2, pp. 79-82; Tahdhib-al-Asma,
pp. 340-41.
3.
Muslim, al-Qasamah, 11:5.
4.
Surah XXVI:
22-45.
5.
Surah XXXVI:
69.
84
Therefore no poetry should be used unless it contains a
moral or a wise saying and should only be used either as evidence or for
example. The Prophet of Allah said, Verily some poetry is
wisdom.1 If only the elite whose hearts are known to be absorbed
in the love of Allah should frequent these assemblies alone, on poetry whose
outward meaning dealt with people would be of any harm because, as it will be
seen in the Book on Audition and Music, a person would always interpret all that
he would hear according to the light which dominates his heart. Al-Junayd used
to discourse before some ten people or there about and whenever the number went
beyond that he would stop. Thus his circle never reached twenty in number. Once
upon a time when a crowd gathered before the door of ibn-Salims2
house, someone requested him to address them saying, Your followers have
come. To which ibn-Salim replied. No! these are not my followers; they are
the followers of the assembly. As to my followers, they are elite. By ecstatic utterances we mean two types of speech
evolved by some of the Sufis. The first comprises long pretentious claims of
excessive love (ishq) of Allah and
of union (wisal) which renders outward
deeds superfluous until some have asserted oneness (ittihad) with Allah, the removal of the veil (hijab), seeing (mushahadah) Him
with the eye (ru yah), and mouth to
mouth conversation. They thus say that they were told such and such and that
they have said such and such and imitate thereby al-Husayn ibn-Mansur al-Hallaj3
who was gibbeted for letting slip from his lips certain words of this type, and
cite as an example his saying, I AM THE TRUTH (Anal-Haqq). 1.
Ibn-Majah, Adab, 41;
al-Darimi, Istidhan, 68. 2.
Abu-al-Hasan ibn-Saalim, mentioned by ibn-Khallikan,
Vol. II, p. 297, in the narrative on
the life of abu-Talib al:Makki. 3.
The great mystic theologian: he was gibbeted on
Dhu-al-Qadah 24,3091 March 26, 922,
and finally was decapitated and burnt. See ibn-Khallikan, Vol. l, pp. 261-3. 85 Similarly, it has been related that abu-Yazid
al-Bastami1 once said, Praise be to me! Praise be to me! This
is, in truth, a type of speech which, to the common folk, is of great harm, so
much so that several farmers have relinquished their farms and proclaimed
similar claims. Such speech, moreover, is attractive to human nature for it
offers relief from work as well as self-justification through the attainment of
certain stations (maqamat) and the
experience of certain states (ahwal). Consequently,
the ignorant do not fail to claim these things for themselves nor to swallow up
such confused and embellished words. And no matter how much their claims are
disapproved they do not hesitate to say that such disapproval has been the
outcome of knowledge and disputation, the one is a veil and the other is the
work of the self, while their words are not understood except from within
through revelation by the light of the Truth. These and similar other words have
spread like fire in the land and their harm to the common folk has become great.
To destroy the person who comes out with such words is, according to the
religion of Allah, better than sparing ten lives. As to
abu-Yazid al-Bistami what has been ascribed to him of such words cannot be true.
Even if he were heard saying them, most probably he must have been repeating to
himself words about Allah; for example he might have been heard quoting the
words of Allah, Verily, I am Allah: there is no Allah but Me: therefore
worship Me.2 These words should not have been taken in any other
way besides that of a quotation. The second type of ecstatic utterance comprises
unintelligible words with pleasing externals of which some, through awesome, are
useless. They may be of two kinds: The first and the more common comprises words
unintelligible to the author who utters them because of the perplexity in his
own mind and the confusion in his imagination 1.
Also al-Bistami; (A. H. 261 or
264/A.D. 875 or 878). See ibn-Khallikan, Vol. 1, p. 429: al-Hujw-ri, Kashf
al-Mahjub, tr. R.A. Nicholson (Leyden, 1911), pp. 106-8: al-Sharani al-Taabaqat
al-Kubra (Cairo, 1343), Vol. 1, pp. 61,2. 2.
Surah XX
14. 86 resulting from his ignorance of the exact meaning of
words which he hears; while the second represents words which may be
intelligible to their author who, however, because of his insufficient practice
in science and his lack of instruction in rhetoric, is unable to convey them to
others through language which can express his thoughts. Such words are of no use
except to confuse the heart, amaze the mind, and perplex the understanding. They
are also apt to convey a meaning other than that for which they are intended so
that anyone may find in them the meaning which his own nature may desire. The Prophet said, Never does any one of you relate a
tradition which is beyond the ability of the audience to understood without
becoming a cause of corruption among them. And again, Communicate with
people in terms known to them and discard those which are unknown. Do you desire
to see Allah and His Apostle disbelieved? This has been said of words which
the author understands but fails to convey their meaning to the mind of his
audience. How then would it be with words whose meaning neither the author nor
the audience understand when those which the former understands while his
audience do not are forbidden to relate? Jesus said, Entrust not wisdom to those unworthy of
it lest ye do it injustice; nor withhold it from those who are worthy of it lest
ye do them injustice. Be ye therefore like the skilful physician who applies the
medicine to the sore spot.1 And according to another version,
Whoever should entrust wisdom to those unworthy of it would reveal his
ignorance, and whosoever should withhold it from those who are worthy of it
would perpetrate an injustice. Verily wisdom hath a right as well as a people
worthy of it. Give, therefore, each his right.2 As
to heresies (tammat),
they comprise, besides what we have already mentioned under the ecstatic
utterances (shath) another thing characteristic of them, namely, the dismissal
of the obvious and literal meaning of words in favour of an esoteric
interpretation of l.
Cf Matt. 7:6,9:16-17. 2.
Cf. Matt. 11:19: Luke 7:35. 87 worthless value such as the Batinite1 method
of interpretation which is unlawful and of great harm; because when words are
given other than their literal meanings, without either the authority of the
traditions of the Prophet or the dictates of reason, the loss of faith in words
becomes inevitable and the benefits of the words of Allah and His Apostle are in
consequence nullified. Little trust can be placed in whatever is understood
therefrom while its esoteric meaning cannot be determined; rather opinions
differ therein and it is open to many interpretations. This too belongs to those
widespread and very harmful innovations. The authors of those innovations have
sought nothing but the unusual because human nature is fond of the strange and
the unusual and delights in anything uncommon. Through this very thing were the Batinites successful
in destroying all the law, by interpreting its letter to conform to their way of
thinking as we have shown in the Mustazhiri
Book2 which was composed for the purpose of refuting their views. An
example of the interpretations put forth by these heretics may be seen in the
assertion of one of them that in the verse where Allah addresses Moses saying,
Go unto Pharaoh, for he hath trespassed,3 the word Pharaoh
stands for the heart of Moses, the heart being the trespasser against every man.
Again when Allah said to Moses, Go, cast down thine staff4 the
word staff is said to represent anything besides Allah on which man may depend
[and in which he may place his trust], and should therefore be cast away. The
same kind of interpretation is applied to the words of the Prophet when he said,
Go, eat the daybreak meal (sahr), for
therein lies blessing.5 These words are interpreted to mean the
asking of Allahs forgiveness at day-break. They set forth similar
interpretations thereby tampering with 1.
On the Batinite. see al-Shahrastani, pp. 147-52:
al-Baghdadi, Mukhtasar Kitab al-Farq bayn
al-Firaq. ed. P.K. Hitti (Cairo, 1924), pp. 170-6. 2.
So named after the Caliph al-Mustazhir (A.D. 1094-1118) on whose request
it was composed. It is also known as, Fudih al-Batin yah. It was edited together with a German
translation by 1. Glodziher (Leyden, 1916).
3.
Surah LXXIX:17.
4.
Cf Surahs VII: 114: XXVII:10:
XXVIII: 31.
5.
Al-Tirmidhi Sawm, 17. al
Darimi. Siyam. 9.
88 the
literal meaning of the whole Quran and altering its interpretation which has
come down to us on the authority of ibn- Abbas and other learned men. Some of these interpretations are obviously and
completely corrupt, as is, for example, the interpretation of the word Pharaoh
to mean heart. Pharaoh was real and historical and so was Moses summons to
him. He was like abu-Jahl,1 abu-Lahab,2 and other of the
unbelievers, and in no way like either the demons or the angels who are not
perceived by the senses, and whose names are, therefore, open to interpretation.
Similarly to interpret the occasion of the eating of the daybreak meal as the
time for asking Allahs forgiveness is equally corrupt. The Prophet used to
eat the daybreak meal and say, Come, eat the daybreak meal: Gather for the
blessed dinner. The corrupt nature of such interpretation is determined both
by the testimony of tradition and by that of the senses, while others which
pertain to objects beyond the realm of the senses are probably the same. All,
besides being unlawful, are also the cause of confusion and corruption to people
in their religion. Nothing of these interpretations, has come down to us on the
authority of either the Companions, or their followers [al-tabiun],
or even al-Hasn al-Basri, in spite of his continual teaching and preaching
among men. There
appears, therefore, no other meaning for the words of the Prophet when he said,
Whoever should explain the Quran in accordance with his own opinion will
occupy his place in Hell,3 than the following: when a person is
intent upon establishing and proving something he will drag in proofs from the
Quran and will apply them to his point without the existence of any
linguistic or historical evidence which justifies his contention. This, however,
does not mean that the Quran should not be explained through intelligence 1.
One of Muhammads most bitter
opponents. He once threatened to set his foot on the Prophets neck when
prostrate in prayer. See Surah XCVI:
9-19: bn-Hisham, pp. 190-91. 2.
An uncle of the Prophet and
one of his most violent enemies. See Surah
CXI: ibn-Hisham, pp. 231 see: 244, 430, 461. 3.
AI-Tirmidhi,Tafsir al-Ouran, 1 89 and
thinking, since some verses have been given by the Companions and the
commentators five, six and even seven interpretations, all of which, it is well
known, were not heard from the Prophet. Some of these interpretation may be
contradictory, incapable of reconciliation, and are therefore ascertained only
through keen understanding and profound thinking. For this reason the Prophet
prayed for ibn-Abbas saying, O Allah! Enlighten him in religion and teach
him interpretation1 Therefore whoever allows the perpetrators of
heresies such interpretations in spite of his knowledge that the words do not
possess any such meaning claiming that he only intends thereby the exhortation
of men to follow Allah, would be like the person who allows attributing false
and fabricated savings to the prophets relative to things which, in themselves,
are true but concerning which the law handed down no legislation, or like him
who coins a hadith to cover anything
which he deems right. Such a thing is decidedly a transgression and a cause of
confusion as well as a sin which merits and incurs the threat implied in the
words of the Prophet when he said, Whoever should deliberately lie to me,
would occupy his place in Hell.2 Indeed, the interpretation of
these words in such a manner is greater transgression because it undermines the
faith in the meaning of words and destroys altogether the only way by which they
could be understood and be useful. You
have thus learned how Satan has diverted men from seeking the praiseworthy
science to the study of the blameworthy. This is all the result of the ambiguity
caused by the changes in the names of the sciences which the teachers of
falsehood have effected. If you would follow them depending on the prevalent
significations of these terms at the present time regardless of what they
signified during the first century, you would be like him who sought the honour
which is the reward of wisdom by attaching himself to anyone who is called wise (hakim),
a term which, because of the change in the meaning of words, is at the
present time applied equally to the physician, the poet, and the astrologer. 1.
Ibn-Sad, Vol II,
pt. 2, p. 120, 11, 3-4: Cf. ibn-Majah.
Intro., 1]: al-Tirmidhi, Manaqb,
42, 2.
Al-Darimi, Intro.,
25: ibn-Majah, Intro., 16. 90 The fifth term to have been
altered is wisdom (hikmah),
since we see that it has now become customary to apply the word wise (hakim)
equally to the physician, the poet, the astrologer, and even to him who
reads fortunes for the peasants who squat on street corners. Wisdom, however, is
that which Allah commended when He said, He giveth wisdom to whom He will:
and he to whom wisdom is given, hath had much good given him.1 The
Prophet also said, A word of wisdom which man learns is better to him than
the world and all that is in it. See, therefore, what wisdom stood for and to
what it has been altered, and examine, in the same way, the other terms. Beware,
then, of being deceived by the ambiguities of the teachers of falsehood: their
evil influence upon religion is greater than that of Satan, because through
their aid does he arrive at removing religion from the hearts of men. For this
reason when the Prophet was asked who were the most wicked among men he would
not at first answer but said, Forgive, O Allah. When his inquirers
persisted in their query he replied, The most wicked among men are the
teachers of falsehood. You have now been shown both the praiseworthy and the
blameworthy sciences as well as the causes of ambiguity. Yours is the choice
either to follow the example of the Fathers, or to succumb to deception and
emulate those who came after. All knowledge which the Fathers approved has vanished,
while most of what people now pursue falls under the category of innovations and
made-up novelties. The Prophet was right when he said, Islam began as a
strange element and will become thus again as it was at the beginning. Blessed,
therefore, are the strangers. He was then asked who were the strangers to
which he replied, The strangers are those who rectify what people have
corrupted of my law as well as those who revive what they have destroyed of
it.2 According to another report, The strangers are those who
hold fast to the belief which you now possess while according to another,
The strangers are a few righteous people in the midst of many 1.
Surah II: 272. 2.
Cf. al-Darimi, Riqaq, 42:
al-Tirmidhi Iman, 13: ibn-Majah, Fitan,
15. 91 unrighteous, whose haters outnumber those who love
them. The praiseworthy sciences have also grown unfamiliar and unpopular
among men to the extent that those who dare mention them are despised. For this
reason al-Thawri had said, If you see a learned man who has many friends, you
may be sure he is a charlatan and a faker, because if he would speak the truth,
those friends would hate him. DETERMINING HOW MUCH IS PRAISEWORTHY [TO You should know that, in this respect, science is
divided into three parts. One part is that whose knowledge is blameworthy
whether it be in part or in toto. Another is that whose partial as well as total
knowledge is praiseworthy; in fact the more one acquires of it the better. The
third is that whose knowledge is praiseworthy within a certain limit, that of
sufficiency, but beyond that it ceases to be praiseworthy: to go into it deeply
is not desirable. This is best illustrated by the human body: that which is
praiseworthy, whether little of it or much, is like health and beauty while that
which is blameworthy, whether little of it or much, is like ugliness and bad
temper. On the other hand there are things which are praiseworthy when they are
found in moderation like the spending of money where extravagance is not
praiseworthy although it is spending; and like courage where recklessness is
undesirable although it is a type of courage. The same thing is true of
knowledge. The part whose partial and total knowledge is
blameworthy is that which has no use either in the realm of religion or in the
domain of life because its harmfulness exceeds its utility, such as the science
of magic talismans, and astrology, parts of which are of no use whatever and to
spend ones life, the most precious thing a man possesses, in them is sheer
waste; and to waste anything precious is blameworthy. Other parts of these
sciences are of greater harm than the good they are deemed to perform in life,
which good, when compared to the harm resulting therefrom, becomes of no
consequence. 92 The part whose knowledge, even to the limit of
thoroughness, is praiseworthy is the science of knowing Allah, His attributes
and works as well as His law which governs His creatures and His wisdom in
ordaining the superiority of the hereafter to this life. The knowledge of this
is incumbent upon man both for itself and also for attaining thereby the bliss
of the hereafter. To exert oneself even to the utmost capacity of ones
effort, falls short of what is required because it is like the sea. Its depth
cannot be sounded and men can approach its shores and edges only to the extent
to which it has been made possible for them, while no one has navigated its ends
except the prophets, the saints, and those who are grounded in the science of
Allah - each according to his rank and ability and according to what Allah has
preordained for them therein. This is the hidden science which is never recorded
in books but whose knowledge may be at first promoted by learning and by
contemplating the states of the learned man in the science of the hereafter
whose characteristics we shall discuss later. Its knowledge may be furthered1
through self-mortification, discipline, and through purifying the heart and
freeing it from the affairs of this world as well as through emulating the
prophets and the saints so that it may be revealed to every seeker in proportion
to Allahs mercy (rizq) on him
rather than in proportion to his efforts and labours (jahd). Yet diligence in
it is indispensable for self-mortification which is the sole key to guidance. The
sciences whose knowledge is praiseworthy up to a certain limit are those which
we have already mentioned under the sciences the acquisition of whose knowledge
is a fard kifayah.2
Every one of these sciences has three stages: first limitation (iqtisid)
which is the intermediary, and third thoroughness (istiqsi)
which is a sequel to moderation and which goes on and on during the entire life
of the seeker. Be, therefore, one of two: either one who educates himself, or
one who concerns himself with the education of others after he had educated
himself. Never, however, concern yourself with reforming others before you have
first reformed yourself. If you are educating 1.
In text furthered in the hereafter. 2.
See Supra, p.
36. 93 yourself
take up only those branches of knowledge which have been required of you
according to your needs, as well as those which pertain to the outward deeds
such as learning the elements of prayer, purification, and fasting. More
important, however, is the science which all have neglected, namely, the science
of the attributes of the heart, those which are praiseworthy and those which are
blameworthy, because people persist in the latter such as miserliness,
hypocrisy, pride, and conceit and the like, all of which are destructive and
desisting therefrom is obligatory. Performing those outward deeds is like the
external application of ointment to the body when it is stricken with scabies
and boils while neglecting to remove the pus by means of surgery1 or
purge. False scholars recommend outward deeds just as fake physicians prescribe
external ointments for virulent internal diseases. The learned men of the
hereafter recommend nothing but the purification of the inner-self and the
removal of the elements of evil by destroying their nursery-beds and uprooting
them from the heart. It is only because of the ease which characterizes the
works of the senses and the difficult nature of the works of the heart that most
people have neglected the purification of their hearts and devoted themselves to
the outward deeds, just as he who finds it disagreeable to drink a bitter
medicine resorts to the external application of ointments and persists in his
labours, continually increasing the ingredients, while his ailments multiply.
If, therefore, you are desirous of the hereafter, seeking salvation and running
away from eternal damnation, pursue the science of spiritual (batinah)
diseases and their remedies, as we have described it in the Quarter on the
Destructive Matters in Life, which will lead you to the praiseworthy stations
mentioned in the Quarter on the Saving Matters in Life; because no sooner is the
heart purged from what is blameworthy than it is filled with that which is
praiseworthy just as the soil where all kinds of plants and flowers would grow
as soon as the grass is weeded out - unless the weeds are removed neither plants
nor flowers would grow. Therefore do not pursue those branches of knowledge
whose acquisition is a fard kifayah especially 1. Lit. bleeding. 94 when they have already been taken up by some. He who
would spend himself in pursuing what would reform others [while he himself
remains unredeemed] is insolent and how utterly foolish is the man who, when
snakes and scorpions have crept beneath his clothes, is busy looking for a whisk
wherewith to drive flies off other people, a task which will neither spare nor
save him from the attacks of the snakes and scorpions lurking beneath his
clothes. If on the other hand you have completed the task of purifying yourself
and have been successful in abstaining from outward and inward sin so that
purity of the heart and abstinence from sin have become to you a religion and a
second nature, which thing is very unlikely, then you may pursue those branches
of knowledge whose acquisition is fard
kifayah. You should, however, observe gradual progress therein beginning
with the Book of Allah, then the Usage of His Apostle, then the science of
interpretation and the other sciences of the Quran such as that of the
abrogating and the abrogated (al-nasikh
w-al-mansukh),1 the related
and the unrelated (al-mawsul w-al-mafsal)2
and the clear and the ambiguous (al-muhkam
w-mutashabih)3. The
same gradual procedure should be observed in the study of the Usage of the
Prophet after which you may proceed to the study of applied jurisprudence (furu)
which is the elaboration of positive law under the wider science of
jurisprudence. You then may proceed to the sources of jurisprudence (usul
al-fiqh) and to the other sciences as far as the span of life permits and
time allows. Do not spend, however, all your life in one of these sciences
seeking to exhaust the subject thoroughly, because knowledge is of varied and
numerous branches and life is short. Furthermore these sciences are only
introductory means sought not for themselves but for the sake of something else
and in everything which is sought as a means for the attainment of another
thing, one should not loose sight of the end. Limit yourself, then, in the study
of vernacular speech, to that which would enable you to understand and speak the
Arab tongue and in the study of the strange words confine 1.
See al-Suyuti, al-Itoan
fi-Ulum al-Quran (Cairo, 1343). Vol. II, pp. 20- 27. 2.
Ibid Vol. I, pp. 90-91. 3.
Cf. Surah III; 5; Al-Suyuti, Itqan, Vol. II, PP. 2-13. 95 your
efforts to those occurring in the Quran and the tradition; even then avoid
going into them profoundly. As to syntax, limit yourself also to what pertains
to the Quran and the tradition since in every branch of knowledge there are
three degrees of acquisition, namely limitation, moderation, and thoroughness.
We- shall here describe each of these three as they relate to the
science of tradition, interpretation jurisprudence, and theology in order to
offer a standard with which other subjects may be measured. The limited degree of acquisition in interpretation
covers about twice the size of the Quran, i.e., similar to al-
Wajiz1 which Ali al-Wahidi
al-Naysabari2 composed; the moderate degree is equivalent to three
times the size of the Quran, i.e., similar to al-Wasil3
by the same author. Beyond these two degrees of acquisition is that of
thorough exhaustion which can be dispensed with; the entire lifetime may expire
in its pursuit. In
tradition the limited degree is represented by the mastery of the two Sahihs4 as corrected by one well-informed in the science of the texts of
tradition. As to the authorities of the two Sahihs,
those who preceded you have spared you the trouble and you may depend on
their books for that information. Nor need you memorize the texts of the two Sahihs
but familiarize yourself with them so that you may be able, when the need
arises, to lay your hand on whatever you may want. The moderate degree of
acquisition in the field of the hadith includes,
besides, the two Sahihs, the other
authoritative corpuses.5 1.
Al- Wajiz fi Tafsir al-Quran
al-Aziz printed in Cairo, A.H.
1305. 2.
A.H. 468/A.D. 1076: see ibn-Khallikan. Vol. II pp. 8-9. 3.
Al-Wasit bayn al-Aagbud
w-al-Basit unpublished: see Hajj Khalifah
Vol. VI, oo. 436-7; W. Ahlwardt, Verzichniiss
derArabischen Handschrften der Koniglichen Bibliothek zu Berlin
(Berlin. 1887-99), Nos. 750-2. 4.
That of al-Bukhari
and that of Muslim; Printed
several times. 5.
These are the six authoritative corpuses which
comprise, besides the two Sah ihs, the following: The Sunan of abu-Dawud al-Sijstani (A.H. 275 A.D. 888), printed in
Cairo. A.H. 1280; the Sunan of
ibn-Majah (A.H. 273/A.D.887), printed in Cairo, A.H. 1340; the Sahih
of al-Tirmidhi (A.H. 279 A.D. 892), printed in Cairo, A.H. 1290; and the Aujtaba
of al-Nastti, (A.H. 303 A.D. 915), lithographed in Delhi, A.H. 1315 Contd.. next page 96 Beyond this is thorough exhaustion of the subject which
requires the detailed mastery of all traditions including weak (duaif)
traditions, [about whose authenticity serious doubts can be raised], the
strong (qawi), [those utterly faultless traditions in whose isnad
there is no weakness and whose tendency does not contradict any generally
prevalent belief], the genuine (sahih) [fulfilling
all conditions], and the corrupt (saqim),
as well as knowing the several ways of
hadith transmission with knowledge of
the qualification of each authority, his names and characteristics. As to jurisprudence, the limited degree of acquisition
is equivalent to the contents of the Mukhtasar1
of al-Muzani2 which work we rearranged in our Khulasat
al Mukhtasar;3 the
moderate degree is three times as long and is equivalent to the material we have
included in our al-Wasit min al-Madhhab:4
while the degree of thoroughness is represented by our al-Basit5
and by other comprehensive works. As
to theology (al-Kalam),
it is solely designed to safeguard the articles of faith which the followers
of the Usage of the Prophet and righteous Fathers transmitted down to us, and
nothing else. Anything beyond this would be an attempt to reveal the truth of
things in other than its proper way. The purpose of learning the Usage of the
Prophet is to attain, through a concise creed, the limited degree of its
knowledge. This is equivalent to the contents of the Book on the Contd. To these six may be added the Muwatta of Malik ibn-Anas (A.H. 179, A.D. 795), printed several
times-, the Musand of al-Darimi
(A.H. 225 A.D. 869) printed in Damascus, A.H. 1349; and the Musnad
of Ahmad ibn-Hanbal (A.H. 241. A.D.855), (first three volumes printed in Cairo
d.). 1.
Al-Mukhtasar al Saghir; printed in Bulaq, A.H. 1321-6. 2.
Abu-Ibrahim Ismail ibn-Yahya
(A.H.264, A.D.878); see al-Fihrist p.
212; ibn-Khallikan, Vol. I, pp. 124-5. 3.
Unpublished; see al-Subki, Vol.
IV, p.116, I.5. 4.
Unpublished; see ibn-Khallikan,
Vol. p. 246; Fihrist al-Kutub al
Arab yah al-Mahfuzah bi-al-Kutubhanah
al-Hhidaywiyah, Vol.III Carro,1306), pp. 289-90. (Henceforth will be
referred to as Cairo Catalogue. 5.
Unpublished; see ibn-Khallikan,
Vol.II, p. 246; Cairo Catalogue, Vol.
IIL, pp.1978. 97 Articles
of Faith which is a part of this work.1 The moderate degree would
equal about a hundred leaves representing the contents of our work, al-Iqtisad
fi al-Itiqad,2 and is indispensable in debating innovators and
answering their heresies with what will remove and destroy their influence over
the heart of the common man. This is of use among the common people only before
their fanaticism becomes far gone, because no mere words would convince the
innovator once he had acquired a smattering of the science of argumentation.
Even if you silence him in arguments, he would not relinquish his ideas but
would protest his inability in debates asserting that your argument can be met
although he himself is incapable of it and he only was confused by your debating
acumen. Furthermore when the common men, through some kind
of an argument, have been diverted from the truth, it is quite possible, while
their fanaticism in these errors is still not far gone, to bring them back to it
through similar arguments. But if fanaticism becomes rooted in their hearts
their redemption becomes hopeless because fanaticism fastens beliefs deeply to
the minds of men. It is one of the evils of the teachers of falsehood who go to
excess in their fanaticism for the truth and regard with contempt and scorn all
non-conformists. This drives the nonconformists to further spite and encourages
them to seek the support of falsehood. Interest in holding fast to their
position is thereby strengthened. If, instead, these fanatics would approach
their opponents privately in a spirit of kindness, sympathy, and advice rather
than attack them publicly in the spirit of bigotry and acrimony, they might
succeed in their effort. But whereas prestige requires a following and nothing
attracts a following better than bigotry, cursing and vilifying of opponents,
they have adopted fanaticism as their rule of conduct and their method of
approach. Finally they call this a defence of religion and a protection for the
Muslims, while in fact it results in nothing but the destruction of all people
and in the firm establishment of innovation in their minds. 1.
It comprises Bk. II of the Quarter
on the Acts of Worship; see infra; cf.
Hajji Khalifah, VOL IV, p. 575. 2.
Printed in Cairo, 2nd ed., A.H.
1327. 98 Beware, therefore, of coming near these
controversies that have sprung up in these recent times and on which have been
written masterpieces of publications, compositions and argumentations the like
of which have neither been seen nor heard by the Fathers. Avoid them as you
avoid deadly poison for they are like a virulent disease. It was these
controversies which have driven all jurisprudents after rivalry and boasting
which will be discussed later together with their hazards and evils. You may hear it said: Men are the enemies of things
they do not know. Do not, however, accept this as law. You have stumbled upon
one who knows; accept, therefore, this
advice from one who has wasted his life in [controversies] and surpassed the
ancients in composition, research, argumentation, and exposition until Allah
inspired him with His righteousness and made known to him the flaws therein.
Consequently he abjured controversies and turned his attention to himself. Do
not be deceived by the words of those who say that the giving off legal opinions is the pillar of the law,
but know not its principles except through the science of argumentation, while
the principles of religion are contained in the books of religion and whatever
accretions are added thereto are nothing but wranglings which neither the
ancients nor the Companions, who were better versed in the principles of legal
opinions than any other group, had known. These wranglings are not only useless
for the science of religion, but are also harmful and corrupting to ones
taste and judgement in jurisprudence. Thus in most cases it is usually not
possible to have a decision, backed by the opinion of a judge whose good taste
in legal matters is established, conform to the rulers of debate. Whoever is
familiar with the syllogisms of controversy will submit to the rules of debater
rather than follow legal taste. Only those who seek repute and prestige and
feign that they are striving after the principles of religion pursue controversy
in which they spend their lifetime without making the slightest effort towards
the science of religion. You need not fear the Devil but beware of men who have
relieved the Devil of the task of tempting and misleading people. 99 In sum, what is acceptable among the wise is to assume
that you are alone with Allah in this universe while before you lie death,
resurrection, judgement, Paradise and hell. Consider then what concerns you of
all these and ignore the rest. A certain Sheikh saw in a dream one of the learned men
and said to him, What has happened to those sciences in which you used to
argue and debate? The learned man, stretched the palm of his hand open and,
blowing over it, said: It has all vanished like scattered dust I have not
benefited except from two prostrations which I have performed in the middle of
the night. According to one tradition the Prophet said, People who have
once been guided go not astray except they become afflicted with disputation.1
He then read from the Quran the following verse: They put this forth to
thee only in the spirit of dispute. Yea, they are a contentious people.2
According to a tradition the Quranic verse which begins with the words, But
they whose hearts are given to perversity,3 signifies the people
of disputation of whom Allah warned saying, Beware of them!4
One of the forbears declared that at the end of time there will be a people who
will be denied the opportunity to work but will be free to dispute. Another
tradition says, Ye are in the midst of a time wherein ye are blessed with
work but a people will appear who will be given to disputation,5
while in the well-known tradition we read that Allah abhors most those who
are given to bitter enmity.6 Another tradition declares that no
people are ever given to logic and debate without being lost to useful work.7 1.
Ibn-Majah, Intro.,
7:4. 2.
Surah XLIII,
58. 3.
Surah III:5. 4.
Al-Jayahsi, No.1432,1433; al-Bukhari,
Tafsir al-Qur-an, Al-Imran, 2:al-Tirmidhi,
Tafir al-Quran, Al-Imran,1. 5.
Unidentified. 6.
Cf, al-Darimi, Intro.,
23, 29, 35. 7.
Unidentified. 100
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