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Studies in Islamic Mysticism

By Reynold A. Nicholson

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Subjects

Abú Sa‘íd ibn Abi ’l-Khayr, 1-76; authorities for his biography, 1-3; his birth and early education, 3-5; his theological studies, 6; his conversion to ?úfisim, 6-9; his lineage as a ?úfí, 10; his austerities, 11-16; he buries his books of theology, 20; the tree planted by him at Mayhana, 20; his mystical illumination, attained at the age of forty, 24-25; his journey to Níshápúr, 26, 27; his telepathic powers, 27, 28-36, 38-41, 68; charges brought against him by the Sunnis, Shí‘ites, and Mu‘tazilites, 28, 29; his relations with Qushayrí, 33-36; his luxury and extravagance, 35-37 anecdotes showing how he maintained himself and his disciples, 38-41; his vengeance on an Amír who refused to pay his debts, 42; his reported meeting with Avicenna, 42; his visit to Abú ’l-?asan Kharaqání, 42-44; his refusal to make the pilgrimage to Mecca, 44, 61; his death, 45; his epitaph, 45; description of his personal appearance, 45; regulations which he made for the inmates of his convent, 46, 76; his barber and tailor, 47; his desire to observe the Sunna of the Prophet, 47; the quatrains attributed to him, 1, 4, 48; the character of his mysticism, 48 foll., 70, 76; sayings on self-negation, 50 foll.; he called himself Nobody the son of Nobody, 53; his ideal of charity and brotherhood, 55, 56; his pantheism, 57, 64; his attitude towards Islam, 57 foll.; his innovations in ?úfistic practice, 58; his miracles, 65 foll.; veneration paid to his relics, 73-75

Actions, Divine, the illumination of the, 126; human, logically self-determined, 151

Adam, created in the image of God, 79, 80, 106, 111, 113; the microcosm, 149, 154 foll.; the world-spirit, 121; the vicegerent of God, 113, 130, 156. See Angels; Man, the Perfect; Man, the Primal; Spirit, the created

Allah, the orthodox and mystical conceptions of, 7g; the name Allah, knowledge of God reached by means of, 93, 107; the revelation of the name, 93, 126-7; the name repeated in dhikr, 7-9; analysed by Jílí, 96. See God; Divinity; Essence, the Divine; al-?aqq

Angels, 122 foll., 205, 233; the worship of God by, 15; commanded to worship Adam, 112, 120, 242; jealous of Adam, 205; created from the faculties of the Perfect Man, 106, 108, 115 foll.; created from the Spirit (Logos), 111-113; faculties of the cosmos, 155; the Sublime, 112, 120. See Cherubim

Anthropomorphism, 140

Antinomianism, 7, 33, 37, 57, 60 foll., 141, 184, 196

Asceticism, ?úfí, 11-16, 24, 25, 46, 62, 63, 119, 208, 215-217, 224, 251

Atomists, the Ash‘arite, 154

Attributes, the Divine, 83 foll., 90-93, 97 foll., 249 foll.; constitute the universe, 83, 100, 150; not ultimately distinguishable from the Essence, 83, 90, 150, 232, 242; classified, 85, 100, 207; the seven principal, 101; the illumination of the Attributes, 85, 128-9

 

Beauty, Absolute, 85, 90, 143, 174, 196, 199, 207

Beauty, material, 174, 196, 199. See ?usn

Beauty, the Divine attributes of, 85, too, 103, 120, 131. See jamál

Begging, 14

Being, Absolute, 83; identical with Thought, 83; its three stages of manifestation, 84, 94 foll. See Essence Being, contingent or phenomenal, 83, 104, 153, 186, 187, 189, 190, 199, 209, 221, 222-223, 232, 242, 251. See Phenomena

Being, the unity of, 82, 152-154, 214, 234. See itti?ád.

Bells, the ringing of, heard in ecstasy, 129

Blame, welcome to the lover, 179-180

Blamer, the, in Arabic love-poetry, 178-179; in mystical poetry, 179, 180, 204, 205, 215, 232, 233, 234

Body, the faculties of the, necessary for the attainment of spiritual perfection, 119

Body, the spiritual, 134

Body, the universal, 110

Books, useless to the ?úfí, 20, 21

Brahmans, the, 132, 133

 

Change, the meaning of, 100

Charity, the best means of attaining to God, 55

Cherubim, the, 106, 110, 111, 117

Children, the heavenly influence of, 161

Christianity, traces of, in ?úfisim, 79, 87, 138; Jílí's apology for, 139 foll.; associated with wine-drinking, 187. See Gospel

Christians, the, 132, 133, 138, 139, 140, 187, 263

Composition, automatic, 167

Contemplation, of God, 62, 63, 130, 208, 210, 212, 215, 222, 226, 241, 255

Cosmology, 121 foll.

Creation, the, 80, 90, 103, 115, 121, 122, 151, 154, 208, 229, 255

 

Dancing, 237. See Music

Death, 92, 117, 134

Dervish orders, 11, 81, 201

Determinism, 54, 102, 115, 120, 126, 157, 158, 198, 199, 265

Devil, the, 179, 205, 223, 233. See Iblís; Satan

Directions, the six, 213

Director, a spiritual, indispensable to the ?úfí, to, 22, 23. See pír

Divinity, the highest manifestation of the Essence, 84, 97; invisible, 97

Dreams, 90, 91, 92, 105, 112, 118, 258, 259, 265

Dualists, the, 131, 133

 

Earths, the seven, 124-125

Ecstasy, 4, 9, 25, 27, 34, 35, 36, 43, 56, 60, 61, 65, 78, 79, 167, 185, 188, 199 foll., 218, 221, 234 foll., 243. See Illumination; Intoxication; faná

Emanation, 153, 155, 193, 233, 261

Eschatology, 133 foll.

Essence, definition of, 82; may be regarded as with or without attributes, 97, 150, 243

Essence, the Divine, 83 foll., 89, 90, 97, 150; unknowable per se, 83, 115, 150; described by contraries, 83, 156; unites all opposites, 152; perceived immediately, 92, 98; veiled by phenomena, 173; self-diremption of the, 94, 96; threefold nature of the, 86, 103, 104; the illumination of the Essence, 85, 129-130. See God

Eternity, 100, 128

Euphuism, 177

Evil, 53; only relative, 85, 100; not permanent, 136; a necessary consequence of the self-manifestation of the Absolute, 85, 93, 131, 264-265. See Sin

 

Faculties of the Perfect Man, the, 108 foll.

Fall, the, due to Man's divine nature, 119

Fasts, miraculous, 70, 71

Fate, 157. See Determinism Forgiveness, the dearest of all things to God, 54

Freethinkers, Moslem, 62

Freewill, 54, 10I, 102, 103, 120, 134

Frock, the patched, worn by ?úfís, 14; investiture performed by the spiritual director (Pír), 22; meaning of this ceremony, 22, 23; it is allowable to receive the frock from two Pírs, 23; frocks torn to pieces and distributed, 43, 57, 58, 73. See khirqa

Fruit, the forbidden, 119, 223

 

God, the nature of, 97 foll., 103, 104, 149 foll.; the substance of the universe, 99, 152; the essence of all religious beliefs, 130 foll., 159, 264; the only real agent, 16, 51, 52, 54, 126, 161, 262, 264; the ways to, innumerable, 50; the way to, a single step, 50; the finite God of religion, 159, 160. See Essence, the Divine; Attributes, the Divine; Names, the Divine; Allah

Gospel, the, opening words of, according to Jílí, 139; typifies the second stage in the mystical ascent of the soul, 138; the true doctrine of, 140

 

?adíth. See Traditions of the Prophet

Hearing, the Divine attribute of, 101, 129

Heart, the, 113-115, 159, 236, 239; comprehends God, 115, 238; is reflected by the universe, 115; compared to the Ka‘ba, 238. See qalb

Heavens, the seven, 122-123

Hell, 125, 135, 206, 245, 265; defined as selfhood, 64; the mirror of Divine Majesty, 100, 136; created from the Form of Mohammed, 135; will not exist actually until after the Resurrection, 135; a temporary state, 136; the seven limbos of, 136; dislike of Koranic texts describing the torments of Hell, 56; the pleasures of Hell, 132, 137, 160

 

Iblís. See Index I

Idolaters, 131, 132, 198

Illumination, mystical, 24, 25, 164, 174, 200; three (or four) phases of, 85, 125 foll. See tajallí

Incarnation, the Mohammedan doctrine of, 79. See ?ulúl

Indians, the, distinguished by a monistic tendency, 163

Intelligence, the First, 112, 113, 116, 123, 184, 233; the Second, 233

Intoxication, mystical term, 184, 195, 197, 199, 200, 218, 220, 221, 224, 228, 243, 248

 

Jealousy, a sign of duality, 213

Jews, the, 132, 133, 138, 141, 263. See Pentateuch

Jinn, the, 101, 124, 190, 220

Judgment, the Day of, 120

 

Knowledge, defined as a relation depending on the object known, 151, 157

Knowledge of God, is self-knowledge, 50, 215; unattainable by the intellect, 50, 116; an illumination, 152; a recognition, 249. See ma‘rifa

Knowledge, the Divine attribute of, 101, 102, 103, 128, 151

Knowledge, three kinds of, imparted to Mohammed, 139

Koran, recitation of the, 13, 15, 16, 75, 79; immutable, 159; not the final and absolute standard of truth, 59-60; interpreted allegorically, 82, 149; typifies the third and last stage in the mystical ascent of the soul, 138

 

Law, the Mohammedan religious, 16, 20, 33, 34, 54, 57, 60, 184, 196, 261

Letters of the Arabic alphabet, used symbolically, 209

Life, definition of, 134

Life, the Divine attribute of, 85, 101

Life, the future, 134 foll.

Life, the mystic, three stages of, 221

Logic, the use of, by Jílí, 82, 88, 94 foll., 127

Logos doctrine, the, in. Jílí and Ibnu ’l-‘Arabí, 87, 104 foll., 154 foll.; in Ghazálí, 111; in Philo, 138, 142. See Mohammed; Man, the Perfect; Spirit, the created

Logos, union of the saints with the, 254

Lordship, the Divine attribute of, 98, 99, 119, 120, 137, 139

Love, disinterested, 4, 5, 18, 208, 212, 215, 238

Love, Divine, 3, 4, 5, 18, 52, 80, 103, 168, 174, 184, 185, 186, 199, 208, 212, 214, 224, 251, 252, 262

Love, the essence of God's essence, 80, 102; the highest form in which God is worshipped, 161

Love, the monistic doctrine of, 80. 251, 252

Love-poetry, Arabian, 163, 178

 

Macrocosm, the, 121-125

Magians, the, 132, 133, 264

Magic, high, 139

Mahdí, the, 135

Majesty, the Divine attributes of, 85, 100, 120, 131, 265. See jalál

Man, the earthly, 82; the heavenly, 82, 103 foll.

Man, the Great, 155. See Macrocosm Man, the nature and function of, 154 foll.

Man, the Perfect, 77 foll., 184; unites the One and the Many, 78, 84; created in the image of God, 79, 80, 86, 106, 107; the microcosm, 82, 84, 106; the Qu?b and preserver of the universe, 86, 105, 130; the vicegerent of God, 113, 130, 156; his threefold nature, 86. 103, 104; identified with Adam, 154 foll.; identified with Mohammed, 86, 88, 104 foll.; the Logos, 104 foll.; not absolutely identical with God, 108, 118, 142; the Spirit whence all things have their origin, 108; his faculties, 115 foll. See Adam; Mohammed; al-insánu ’l-kámil

Man, the Primal, 86

Materialists, the, 132, 133

Mercy, Divine, 98, 99, 131, 160, 208, 245, 256

Metempsychosis, 106, 198, 257

Microcosm, the. See Adam; Man, the Perfect

Miracles, of the prophets, 198, 252 foll.; of the saints, 14, 27-41, 65 foll., 198, 252 foll.

Mohammed, imitation of, by ?úfís, 15; the Paraclete, 104; the absolutely perfect Man, 86, 88, 104 foll.; the Qu?b, 87, 113, 195; the Logos, 87, 88, 104 foll., 157, 168, 187, 194, 226; pre-existence of, 87, 157, 187, 223, 240, 255; appears in the forms of saints, 105-106; the real author of all miracles, 198, 253-254; the Form of, 119, 135; the Idea of, 109 (see al-?aqíqatu ’l-Mu?ammadiyya); the Light of, 87, 115, 172, 188; the Spirit of, 110-112, 113, 123, 188, 195, 198

Moonlighters, the, 175

Music, singing and dancing, in ?úfisim, 3, 4, 25, 34, 58, 188, 197, 234 foll. See samá‘

Mysticism, Christian, 51, 128, 139

Mysticism in Persian poetry, 162, 180, 184; in Arabic poetry, 162, 163

 

Name, definition of, 93

Name, the, reveals the object named, 93

Names, the Divine, 85, 89, 93, 249 foll.; their effects in the world, 93, 131, 198, 250, 251, 265; the three cardinal, 138; the illumination of the Names, 85, 126-127

Nagshbandí order of dervishes, the, 20I

Nature, correlated with Spirit, 120; identified with the Essence, 153

Neoplatonism, 150

 

Pantheism, 57, 64, 136, 141, 193, 194

Paraclete, the, 104

Paradise, 206, 215, 265; defined as selflessness, 64; the mirror of Divine Beauty, 100; created from the Form of Mohammed, 135; will not actually exist until after the Resurrection, 135

Paradises, the eight, 135, 136

Paradox, the love of mystics for, 178-180

Path, the mystic, 24, 58. See ?aríqa

Pen, the Divine. See al-qalam

Pentateuch, the, the nine tables of, 139; typifies the first stage in the mystical ascent of the soul, 138

Perfection, the Divine attributes of, 85, 100. See kamál

Persians, the, apt to seek an ultimate principle of unity, 163; the sacred Fire of, 264

Phantasy, 91. See khayál

Phenomena, the outward expression of reality, 82, 83, 222-223; an illusion created by the soul, 226, 258; compared to the puppets of the shadow-play, 189 foll., 260-261; a bridge to reality, 251, 260. See Being, contingent or phenomenal

Philosophers, the, 131, 133

Philosophy, speculative, a deadly science, 118

Physicists, the, 131, 133

Pilgrimage, to Mecca, the, 179, 222, 238, 239; interpreted allegorically, 61; regarded with contempt, 61-62. See ?ajj

Pilgrimage, the lesser, 179. See ‘umra

Pilgrimage, to the tombs of saints, 18, 24; equivalent to making the pilgrimage to Mecca, 25, 44, 62

Plagiarism, 49

Planes, the five, in which God reveals Himself, 91

Plurality, the nature of, 151-153

Poetry, Islamic mystical, the double character of, 163, 168; the interpretation of, 169, 184

Poetry, pre-Islamic, 6, 166, 182

Polytheism, the one unpardonable sin, 52; the mystical meaning of, 220

Poverty, spiritual, 209. 215, 216

Power, the Divine attribute of, 101, 103, 129

Prayer, the essence of, 61; justification of, 158; canonical, 239; ecstatic, 61, 79, 213, 214; supererogatory, 5, 21

Prophecy, 130 foll.

Prophet, the. See Mohammed

Prophets, the, 7, 78, 123, 131, 133, 137 foll.; superior to the saints, 141; types of Divine attributes, 149

Punishment, future, 132, 136, 137, 160

 

Qádirite order of dervishes, the, 81

Qu?b, the, 79, 105, 110, 111, 113, 130, 194, 195, 197, 229, 246

 

Railer, the, 179. See Blamer

Reality, the timeless nature of, 187, 245, 253, 256

Reason, the faculty of, 115-116 Reason, universal, 115, 116, 187

Recollection, the mystical practice of, 7, 8, 13. See dhikr

Religion. See Law, the religious; Worship

Religion, Jílí's philosophy of, 130 foll.

Religions, revealed, contain the fullest measure of truth, 131

Religious sects, the ten principal, 131 foll.

Resurrection, the, 101, 134, 135, 245

Revelation, the prophetic, unity of, 137; contrasted with the mystical, 59, 60, 138

 

Saint, the true, definition of, 55, 67

Saints, the Moslem, 18, 19, 65; the hidden and unrecognised, 67; divine powers attributed to, 38; identified with God, 44, 73; intercession of the, 64, 65, 78; visits to their tombs, 18, 24, 25, 44, 62; veneration of their relics, 73-75; their functions, 78-79; hierarchy of the, 78, 79, 194, 195; the forty on whom the order of the world depends, 70; regarded as vicegerents of the Prophet, 106, 111, 130, 141; essentially one with the Prophet, 106; question whether the prophets are superior to the saints, 141. See Miracles

Saintship, Mohammedan, founded on ecstasy, 56, 78; the essence of prophecy, 141

Salvation, future, ultimately gained by all souls, 133, 159, t60

Satan, 108, 131, 223. See Devil; Iblís

Seas, the seven, 125

Sects, the ten principal religious, 131-133

Self-abandonment, 16, 49 foll. See Ecstasy; faná

Self-conceit, 16, 52, 209, 262

Self-mortification, 62, 63, 222. See mujáhada; Asceticism

Sense-perception, the value of, 119, 235, 259, 260

Shadow-play, the, 189 foll., 198, 260-261

Sight, the Divine attribute of, 101

Sin, prevents God's mercy from being wasted, 54; not essentially evil, 101; determined by the Divine will and nature, 54, 120, 126, 131, 158. See Evil

Sirá?, the bridge of, 215

Slanderer, the, in Arabic love-poetry, 178; in mystical poetry, 205, 215, 232, 233, 234

Sleep, dreamless, 117, 134

Sobriety, mystical term, 195, 197, 199, 200, 218, 220, 221, 228, 243. See ?a?w

Soul, nature of the, 119-121; five phases of the, 121; pre-existence of the, 56, 184, 193, 204, 206, 214, 236, 240, 249, 258, 259, 265. See nafs

Soul, universal, 116, 197, 233, 240, 259

Speech, the Divine attribute of, tot, 129

Spirit, the created, 109 foll.; a mode of the Divine Spirit, 109, 110, 146; described as an angel, 109, 110; identified with the Logos, 109, 110; with Adam, 186. See al-rú?

Spirit, the Holy, 82, 108 foll., 138, 186; the inbreathing of, 139, 140, 155; union with, 109, 110, 128. See rú?u ’l-quds

Spirit, universal, 197, 233, 240, 245, 253, 255, 259

Stone, the Black, 239

Substitution, the mystical doctrine of, 128

?úfís, the, profess to interpret the esoteric teaching of Mohammed, 11, 59, 82, 225, 227; spiritual affinity of, 56

?úfisim, the basis of, 4, 5; not founded on authority and tradition, 11; definitions of, 49, 50

Symbolism, the only means of imparting mystical truth, 193, 232, 257

Synteresis, 51

 

Tablet, the Guarded, 59, 102, 106, 111, 112, 116, 203. See al-Law?u ’l-ma?fú?

Telepathy, instances of, 27, 28-36, 38-41, 68

Thoughts, the power of materialising them, 102, 136

Throne of God, the. See al-‘arsh Time, spiritual, 223, 245; unreal, 242, 245

Toleration, religious, 55-57, 159-161, 194

Traditions of the Prophet, 5, 6, 15, 50, 59, 64, 79, 91, 94, 97, 106, 112, 121, 122, 136, 139, 159, 204, 206, 209, 215, 223, 226, 238, 245, 248, 255, 261, 262, 265

Tribe, the, meaning the ?úfís, 185, 202, 266

Trinity, the Christian, 57, 138, 139

 

Union, mystical, 50 foll., 125 foll., 186, 213 foll.; does not exclude personality, 80; not dependent on any secondary cause, 262; four stages of, 126 foll.; three stages of, 230, 231; the highest stage of, 55, 218, 221, 227, 228 foll. See Ecstasy; Illumination; wi?ál; jam‘; itti?ád

Universals, 150

Universe, the, compared to a dream, 90-92; not unreal, 92, 153; substantially divine, 99; created in the image of Man, 121; the form of the Logos, 255; description of, 122 foll.

Vedânta, the, 97

Vine, the, signifies phenomenal being, 184, 186

Vision, the beatific, 200, 226, 229

 

Watcher, the, in Arabic love-poetry, 178. See raqíb and muráqib

Will, the Divine attribute of, 101, 102, 158

Wine, symbolism drawn from, 183 foll., 199, 263; signifies Absolute Being or Divine Love, 186. See Intoxication; Sobriety

World of command, the, 214

World of similitudes, the, 105, 122

World, the sensible, a dream, 91; created from the Light of Mohammed, 115

Worship, Divine, the end for which all things are created, 131; different forms of, corresponding to the variety of the Divine names and attributes, 131 foll.

Wrath, Divine, 103, 131, 136, 208, 245, 256. See Majesty

 

Zoroastrianism, 163

Zoroastrians, the, 198, 263. See Magians