- The Reality of al-Hallaj
-
- In the Name of AllaaHu, the Being of Love, the Breath of Love
Salaam upon you all my dear ones,
Surely, the Day of Resurrection is every moment!
At the same time, in a universe subject to relativity and duality, the Day is both near and far. Only in the sense of the Absolute is the day, being "timeless" and "spaceless", manifest in a single unifying present. In the holographic world of shadows, AllaaHu draws it near man and outdistances it from him. Hu does whatever Hu wishes!
The enigmatic Sufi, al-Husayn Ibn Mansur al-Hallaj (radhi' AllaaHu anhu), whose name is written with fire in the wind, like thunder blaring in the middle of a clear day, awakened those who were still asleep in their "graves", when he proclaimed with great confidence:
"All of you, resurrect (baa'th) now, right after this death. Wake up now!"
By "all of you" here he meant "corpses". In the Ocean of Ma'rifat personified by al-Hallaj, life in the world of the grave ('alm Qubur) is right here in the dense world of matter, which borders the life in the Isthmus ('alm Barzakh). As such the average being is veiled from the naked Essence of AllaaHu. “Qubur” refers to nothing but the state of being veiled, where secrets are "suspended", consequently in the Hour (al-Akhirat) the secrets are "tested", unfolded. Thus Mansur perceived spiritually dormant people as "corpses". If one regards "life" as the beginning, then "death" is indeed the end. But if "death" lies in the beginning, then "life" is in the end.
When summoned by a ruler in Baghdad following a controversy, he said: "I refuse to come. A corpse is no superior than another corpse." Wallaahu'alam. This is of course a radical way of describing the multidimensional structure of existence as AllaaHu comprises both the material (Zahir) and the spiritual (Batin) realms where nothing exists but Life (Being) which is above the "life" which is the opposite of death. But he was just trying to be frank in his own simple way, for Truth is “finished” in simplicity. In a hidden tradition it is said that: "He who is not killed in this world shall be killed in the hereafter. Such is truth. Seek and you shall find. A seeker starts out with his search of Truth and when he finds It he shall be intensely disturbed until he is able to say "tear this garment, I am nothing but the Truth". Anyone with good ears had better listen!" The word "killed" refers to the removal of one's material limitations ("the trampling on the dense garment of matter"). A Saint of al-Haqq can never be killed. When the incensed people who cannot comprehend him claim that they have killed him, they possess no understanding of that claim. In fact they can only kill the Saint's (bodily) limitations. "Disturbance" refers to the mind's inability to assimilate and comprehend the naked Truth of Essence, That-Which-is beyond brain-based representational thinking which results in things such as belief which is not based on reflective realization but simple inclination. AllaaHu is not the product of thought, and thought cannot possibly cultivate the Truth, let alone Love. If we realize this, having conquered the intellect, Truth will find its way into the heart. Indeed AllaaHu is infinitely merciful in that Hu is the Revealer of the Unseen (Ghayb)!
The Oneness (or Singularity) of AllaaHu implies the Oneness of Existence. Such is truth. "La ilaha ill AllaaHu" emphasizes in the first part on the non-existence of any concept of a being, let alone a god, since Being simply Is. Our concepts most of the time only form the Veil of our conditionings. Anyway, of course, it is noble to use concepts in order to point to the Truth. But in such a veiled state, many say "AllaaHu" with every breath but waste their time on nothing so far as that is a mere, imagined concept. Yes, the Tariqa (Sufi Path) unfolds with "La ilaha ill AllaaHu" but it may not be possible, except by AllaaHu's direct Mercy, for someone to recognize the origin of his being, his consciousness. It may not be possible to make a leap, without AllaaHu's Mercy, into the hidden dimensions of cosmic consciousness, into the Kernel of the Universe, until one disappears into the infinite boundlessness of AllaaHu.
"AllaaHu is known only through AllaaHu." 'Alahazrat Sayyidina Muhammad (Salla AllaaHu alaihi wa salaam) says: "(The Essence of) Allaahu is covered with layers of Nur." As long as the imagined illusion (and not the reality) of AllaaHu possesses one's mind, his own mind will not let him get out of his cocoon and dissolve in the Truth. The Qur'an Sharif describes this as a mere conjecture (53:28): "They possess no knowledge, they only follow mere conjecture and conjecture is no substitute for Truth." After all, our beloved Prophet (SAW) says: "the Dzat of AllaaHu, the original substance of existence, is the Radiant Content." Ah, only a content heart can "contain" the Treasure.
And AllaaHu knows best.
Praise be to AllaaHu, the undivided Oneness Who exists alone without anything else besides Hu. At the sight of the countless points in the continuum of existence, AllaaHu is the Witness. Absolutely, intrinsically, Hu is the One Who sees, is seen, and Who is Sight itself. Glory be to AllaaHu Who exhibits Hu's Self in a single unifying moment out of Hu's countless moments. None can "approach" Hu but Hu's Self. None "arrives" at the door of the Beloved except one "arrives" as Hu's Self from within Hu's Self. AllaaHu alone exists. This is the Mystery of Mysteries, the Marvel of Marvels.
Ishq,
{Dani}
***
Appendix:
Doctrine
of
al-Husayn ibn Mansur
al-Hallaj
from the
Chapter on the Exposition of the Beliefs of
This Fold [the Sufis] on Questions of Doctrine
(Faslun fî bayân i‘tiqâd hâdhihi al-tâ’ifa fî masâ’il al-usûl)
from
al-Qushayri’s Risala ila al-Sufiyya
Translated with Notes by DR. G.F. Haddad
[The numbering in brackets corresponds to our forthcoming translation of the paragraph chapters of al-Qushayri’s entire Chapter on Doctrine from the beginning of his Risala (Eds. ‘Abd al-Halim Mahmud and Mahmud ibn al-Sharif. Cairo: Rida Tawfiq ‘Afifi, 1974.)]
Al-Hallaj is Abu Mughith al-Husayn ibn Mansur al-Hallaj al-Baydawi al-Wasiti (d. 309) the ascetic, he hailed from Persia and was raised in Iraq. He first accompanied al-Junayd, al-Nuri and others then became known in 299. After accusations were raised to the ‘Abbasi Caliph al-Muqtadir Billah he was jailed on charges of heresy, then tortured to death in unspeakable fashion. Many if not most of the Ulema consider him one of the Friends (awliyâ’) of Allah, such as Ibn Khafif who visited him in jail, Abu al-Qasim al-Nasir Abadi, al-Qushayri, Ibn ‘Ata’ Allah, Ibn al-Hajj, Ibn ‘Aqil – who wrote Juz’ fi Nasr Karamat al-Hallaj (“Opuscule in Praise of al-Hallaj’s gifts”) –, Ibn Qudama, al-Tufi, Ibn al-Mulaqqin, al-Munawi, al-Sha‘rani, etc. Among his sayings: “Take care of your ego; if you do not make it busy, it shall make you busy” and “Whoever points to Him is an aspirant-Sufi whereas whoever points on His behalf is a Sufi.”
Al-Qushayri is Zayn al-Islam Abu al-Qasim ‘Abd al-Karim ibn Hawzan ibn ‘Abd al-Malik ibn Talha ibn Muhammad al-Qushayri al-Naysaburi al-Istiwa’i al-Shafi‘i al-Ash‘ari (376-465), the Teacher, “the absolute Imam, jurist, mutakallim, scholar of Principles, Qur’anic commentator, man of letters, grammarian, writer, and poet, the spokesman of his time, leader among his contemporaries, the secret of Allah in His creation, the Shaykh of shaykhs, the Teacher of the Congregation and most advanced one of the Fold, the goal of those who tread the Path, the ensign of Truth, wellspring of Felicity, pole of Leadership, and grace personified. He never saw such as himself nor did any who saw him ever see such as him in his perfection and brilliance. He gathered together the two sciences of Sharî‘a and Haqîqa and explained in the best manner the principles of the Path” (‘Abd al-Ghafir al-Farisi). He was also an expert in horse and swordsmanship. His Risala ila al-Sufiyya is the earliest complete treatise of its kind and probably the most respected Sufi treatise in Islam.
Doctrine of al-Hallaj on the Divine Attributes
as narrated by al-Qushayri
[16] Shaykh Abu ‘Abd al-Rahman al-Sulami – Allah have mercy on him! – told us: I heard Muhammad ibn Muhammad ibn Ghalib say: I heard Abu Nasr Ahmad ibn Sa‘id al-Isfanjani say: al-Husayn ibn Mansur said: “You must categorically consider all to be contingent, for pre-existence belongs to Him [alone].
[17] “All that appears through body is necessarily an accident (‘arad).
[18] “That whose assemblage comes about through cause-and-effect (al-adât) is held together through its powers (quwâhâ).[1]
[19] “All that comes together at one time, goes into dispersion at another time.
[20] “All that something else causes to subsist is characterized by dependency.
[21] “All that imagination can possibly apprehend can be pictured.
[22] “All that is contained is subject to ‘where.’
[23] “And all that has a genus is the object of a modality.
[24] “No ‘above’ shades Him – Exalted is He! – nor does any ‘below’ carry Him.
[25] “No limit/direction faces Him (walâ yuqâbiluhu hadd) nor does any ‘at’ (‘ind) beset Him.
[26] “He is not confined by any ‘behind’ nor limited by any ‘before’.
[27] “No ‘before’ caused Him to appear nor did any ‘after’ cause Him to vanish.
[28] “No ‘all’ gathered Him.
[29] “No ‘He is’ brought Him into existence (lam yûjidhu kân).
[30] “No ‘He is not’ can cause Him to be missed (walam yufqidhu lays).
[31] “His description: He has none (wasfuhu lâ sifata lahu).[2]
[32] “His act has no cause (‘illa).
[33] “His being has no duration (amad).
[34] “He is transcendent beyond the states of His creatures: there is not for Him the least deliberation (mizâj) in His creation, nor working (‘ilâj) in His acts.
[35] “He is clearly separate from them by His pre-existence (bâyanahum biqidamih) just as they are clearly separate from Him by their contingent nature (kamâ bâyanûh bihudûthihim).[3]
[36] “If you ask ‘When?’ – His being is before Time.
[37] “Should you say, ‘hû’ – the letters hâ’ and wâw are but His creation.
[38] “And if you say, ‘Where?’ – His existence precedes Place.
[39] “So letters are His Signs (fal-hurûfu âyâtuhu);[4]
[40] “His existence is the affirmation of Him (wujûduhu ithbâtuh);[5]
[41] “Gnosis of Him is the upholding of His Oneness (ma‘rifatuhu tawhîduh);[6]
[42] “and His Tawhîd is to distinguish Him clearly from His creatures.
[43] “Whatever you imagine in your imaginings, He is different from that (mâ tusawwiru fil-awhâmi fahuwa bikhilâfih).
[44] “How can that which He Himself began analyze Him? (kayfa yahullu bihi mâ minhu bada’ahu).[7]
[45] “Or how can that be part of Him which He Himself gave rise to? (aw ya‘ûdu ilayhi mâ huwa ansha’ahu).
[46] “The pupils of the eyes cannot see Him.
[47] “Nor can conjectures apprehend Him.
[49] “His nearness is His generosity (qurbuhu karâmatuhu).
[50] “His distance is His contempt (wabu‘duhu ihânatuhu).
[51] His elevation is without ascent (‘uluwwuhu min ghayri tawaqqul).[8]
[52] His coming is without displacement (wamajî’uhu min ghayri tanaqqul).[9]
[53] (He is the First and the Last and the Manifest and the Hidden) (57:3), the Near (al-qarîb), the Far (al-ba‘îd),[10] (There is nothing whatsoever like unto Him, and He is the All-Hearing, the All-Seeing) (42:11).
[1]“Such as life, death, poverty and wealth” (Sidi Mustafa Basir).
[2]Al-Tabari narrates in his Tafsir on verses 39:67 and 114:1 from Sa‘id ibn Jubayr, as well as Ibn al-Mundhir, Ibn Abi Hatim, Abu al-Shaykh in al-‘Azama, and al-Suyuti in al-Durr al-Manthur: “A group of Jews came to the Prophet – Allah bless and greet him – and asked him: ‘O Muhammad! Now, Allah created creation, but who created Him?’ At this the Prophet – Allah bless and greet him – became angry so that his color changed and he upbraided them on behalf of His Lord, whereupon Gibril – upon him peace – came and calmed him, saying: ‘Lower your wing [of mercy], O Muhammad! for the answer came to me from Allah to what they are asking about. Allah says: [Say: He is Allah, the One! Allah, the eternally Besought of all! He begets not nor was begotten. And there is none comparable unto Him] (112:1-4).’ When the Prophet – Allah bless and greet him – recited it to them they said, ‘Describe for us your Lord, what is His physical appearance, how are His arms and upper arms?’ At this the Prophet – Allah bless and greet him – became even angrier than before and upbraided them again, whereupon Gibril came again and told him the same thing as before, bringing him as the answer to what they had asked: (And they esteem not Allah as He has the right to be esteemed. The whole earth is His handful on the Day of Resurrection and the heavens are rolled in His right hand. Glorified is He and High Exalted from all that they ascribe as partner (unto Him)) (39:67).”
[3]“I.e. he completely differs from them because (There is nothing whatsoever like unto Him) (42:11)” (Sidi Mustafa Basir).
[4]“I.e. [letter are] the material of which are made His verses and evidences revealed to His Prophet Muhammad – Allah bless and greet him –” (Mahmud and Sharif).
[5]“I.e. It is not enough to believe He exists, but the evidence for its firm proof must be shown up and established” (Mahmud and Sharif).
[6]“I.e. Gnosis of Him with His Attributes is produced by upholding His Oneness” (Mahmud and Sharif). “Sidi ‘Abd al-Salam ibn Mashish said: “O Allah, my Lord! Snatch me up from the quicksands of Tawhîd and drown me in the wellspring of the ocean of your Unicity” (Allâhumma anshilnî min awhâli al-tawhîdi wa’aghriqnî fî ‘ayni bahri wahdâniyyatik) (Sidi Mustafa Basir). Cf. Shaykh Nuh Keller, trans., Invocations of the Shadhili Order (p. 77-78): “And pluck me from the mires of affirming unity, to the infinite space of singularizing the One, transcendently beyond absoluteness or conditionedness; And drown me in the very sea of Oneness” (wanshulnî min awhâli al-tawhîdi ilâ fadâ’i al-tafrîdi al-munazzahi ‘an al-itlâqi wal-taqyîdi wa’aghriqnî fî ‘ayni bahri al-wahda), cf. Awrad al-Tariqa al-Shadhiliyya (p. 77-78).
[7]“I.e. the mind” (Sidi Mustafa Basir).
[8]“I.e. His elevation is over His slave and consists in majesty and greatness, not an elevation of place” (Mahmud and Sharif).
[9]“I.e. the coming of His favor and descent of His command is without [His] movement or displacement” (Mahmud and Sharif).
[10]“I.e. from the disbelievers as proven by the verse [Allah is the Protecting Friend of those who believe. He brings them out of darkness into light. As for those who disbelieve, their patrons are false deities. They bring them out of light into darkness] (2:257)” (Sidi Mustafa Basir). This is also in the sense of bâ’in as already stated.
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