The ( fa, کشف المحجوب , lit=Revelation of the Hidden) was the first formal treatise on
Sufism
Sufism ( ar, ''aṣ-ṣūfiyya''), also known as Tasawwuf ( ''at-taṣawwuf''), is a mystic body of religious practice, found mainly within Sunni Islam but also within Shia Islam, which is characterized by a focus on Islamic spirituality, r ...
, compiled in the 11th-century by the Persian scholar
Ali al-Hujwiri. The work contains a complete system of
Sufism
Sufism ( ar, ''aṣ-ṣūfiyya''), also known as Tasawwuf ( ''at-taṣawwuf''), is a mystic body of religious practice, found mainly within Sunni Islam but also within Shia Islam, which is characterized by a focus on Islamic spirituality, r ...
with its doctrines and practices. Mystical controversies and current opinions are illustrated where many are clarified by presenting his experiences. The book with its Persian flavor of philosophical speculation and fiction is itself a piece of the identity of al-Hujwiri (also known as Data Ganj Baksh).
Introduction
In composing this book,
Ali Hujwiri
Abu 'l-Ḥasan ʿAlī b. ʿUthmān b. ʿAlī al-Ghaznawī al-Jullābī al-Hujwīrī (c. 1009-1072/77), known as ʿAlī al-Hujwīrī or al-Hujwīrī (also spelt Hajweri, Hajveri, or Hajvery) for short, or reverentially as Shaykh Syed ʿAlī al- ...
was inconvenienced by the loss of his books he had left at
Ghazna
Ghazni ( prs, غزنی, ps, غزني), historically known as Ghaznain () or Ghazna (), also transliterated as Ghuznee, and anciently known as Alexandria in Opiana ( gr, Αλεξάνδρεια Ωπιανή), is a city in southeastern Afghanistan ...
,
Afghanistan
Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is bordere ...
. Hence, it must have taken him a considerable amount of time to write this book. He is known to have travelled for at least 40 years to places such as
Syria
Syria ( ar, سُورِيَا or سُورِيَة, translit=Sūriyā), officially the Syrian Arab Republic ( ar, الجمهورية العربية السورية, al-Jumhūrīyah al-ʻArabīyah as-Sūrīyah), is a Western Asian country loc ...
,
Iraq
Iraq,; ku, عێراق, translit=Êraq officially the Republic of Iraq, '; ku, کۆماری عێراق, translit=Komarî Êraq is a country in Western Asia. It is bordered by Turkey to Iraq–Turkey border, the north, Iran to Iran–Iraq ...
,
Persia
Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...
, Kohistan, Azerbaijan, Tabaristan, Kerman,
Greater Khorasan
Greater Khorāsān,Dabeersiaghi, Commentary on Safarnâma-e Nâsir Khusraw, 6th Ed. Tehran, Zavvâr: 1375 (Solar Hijri Calendar) 235–236 or Khorāsān ( pal, Xwarāsān; fa, خراسان ), is a historical eastern region in the Iranian Plate ...
, Transoxiana,
Baghdad
Baghdad (; ar, بَغْدَاد , ) is the capital of Iraq and the second-largest city in the Arab world after Cairo. It is located on the Tigris near the ruins of the ancient city of Babylon and the Sassanid Persian capital of Ctesiphon ...
amongst other places to acquire knowledge. His visit to the shrine of
Bilal __NOTOC__
Bilal may refer to:
People
* Bilal (name) (a list of people with the name)
* Bilal ibn Rabah, a companion of Muhammad
* Bilal (American singer)
* Bilal (Lebanese singer)
Places
*Bilal Colony, a neighbourhood of Korangi Town in Karachi, ...
(Damascus, Syria) and
Abu Saeed Abul Khayr (Mihne village,
Greater Khorasan
Greater Khorāsān,Dabeersiaghi, Commentary on Safarnâma-e Nâsir Khusraw, 6th Ed. Tehran, Zavvâr: 1375 (Solar Hijri Calendar) 235–236 or Khorāsān ( pal, Xwarāsān; fa, خراسان ), is a historical eastern region in the Iranian Plate ...
) are especially mentioned in the book. He met many Sufis during his travels, although he followed the Junaidia order of
Junayd Baghdadi
Junayd of Baghdad (; 830–910) was a Persian mystic and one of the most famous of the early Islamic saints. He is a central figure in the spiritual lineage of many Sufi orders.
Junayd taught in Baghdad throughout his lifetime and was an impo ...
and hence, mystically accepted ‘sobriety’ over ‘intoxication’ to illustrate that no one is exempted from following the
religious law
Religious law includes ethical and moral codes taught by religious traditions. Different religious systems hold sacred law in a greater or lesser degree of importance to their belief systems, with some being explicitly antinomian whereas others ...
. Hence, he claimed that Sufism was thoroughly consistent with the principles of Islam.:
"I have met over three hundred saints in Khorasan alone residing separately and who had such mystical endowments that a single one of them would have been enough for the whole world. They are the luminaries of love and prosperity on the spiritual sky of Khorasan."
These visits to the
saints
In religious belief, a saint is a person who is recognized as having an exceptional degree of holiness
Sacred describes something that is dedicated or set apart for the service or worship of a deity; is considered worthy of spiritual res ...
and their
shrines reflect his quest to find Murshid Kamil Akmal (Perfect Spiritual Guide). He had experienced the heights of knowledge and now he wanted to taste
spirituality
The meaning of ''spirituality'' has developed and expanded over time, and various meanings can be found alongside each other. Traditionally, spirituality referred to a religious process of re-formation which "aims to recover the original shape o ...
. The book indicates he was fond of religious spiritualism and divine wisdom. Undoubtedly, he was in search of spiritual perfection.
In this book, Ali Hujwiri addresses the definition of
Sufism
Sufism ( ar, ''aṣ-ṣūfiyya''), also known as Tasawwuf ( ''at-taṣawwuf''), is a mystic body of religious practice, found mainly within Sunni Islam but also within Shia Islam, which is characterized by a focus on Islamic spirituality, r ...
and states that in this age, people are only obsessed with seeking pleasure and not interested to satisfy God.
"Theologians have made no distinction between Ilm (knowledge) and Marifat (gnosis)…One, then, who knows the meaning and reality of a thing they call ‘arif’ and one who knows merely the verbal expression and keeps it in his memory without keeping the spiritual reality, they call him ‘alim’ For this reason, when the Sufis wish to criticize a rival, they call him danishmand (possessing knowledge). This seems objectionable but the Sufis do not blame the man for having acquired knowledge, rather they blame him for neglecting the practice of religion because the ‘alim’ depends on himself but the ‘arif’ depends on his Lord."
Of all the Sufi scholars he met, he mentions two names with utmost respect: Shaikh Abul Abbas Ahmad Ibn Muhammad Al-Ashqani and was Shaikh Abul Qasim Ali Gurgani.
Contents
*On the Affirmation of Knowledge
*On
Faqr
Maqaam (also known as ''maqām'') or maqaamat (plural), translating to "''stations''" in Arabic, is the various stages a Sufi's soul must attain in its search for Allah.Gardet, L. "Ḥāl." Encyclopaedia of Islam, Second Edition. Edited by: P. ...
(Poverty)
*On
Sufism
Sufism ( ar, ''aṣ-ṣūfiyya''), also known as Tasawwuf ( ''at-taṣawwuf''), is a mystic body of religious practice, found mainly within Sunni Islam but also within Shia Islam, which is characterized by a focus on Islamic spirituality, r ...
*On Wearing of Patched Frocks
*On Opinions Concerning Faqr (Poverty) and Purity
*On Malamat (Blame)
*Concerning Imams who belonged to
Sahabah
The Companions of the Prophet ( ar, اَلصَّحَابَةُ; ''aṣ-ṣaḥāba'' meaning "the companions", from the verb meaning "accompany", "keep company with", "associate with") were the disciples and followers of Muhammad who saw or m ...
(Companions)
*Concerning Imams who belonged to the House of the
Muhammad
Muhammad ( ar, مُحَمَّد; 570 – 8 June 632 Common Era, CE) was an Arab religious, social, and political leader and the founder of Islam. According to Muhammad in Islam, Islamic doctrine, he was a prophet Divine inspiration, di ...
*Concerning Ahl-i-Suffa (People of the Veranda)
*Concerning Imams who belonged to the
Tabieen
The tābi‘ūn ( ar, اَلتَّابِعُونَ, also accusative or genitive tābi‘īn , singular ''tābi‘'' ), "followers" or "successors", are the generation of Muslims who followed the companions (''ṣaḥābah'') of the Islamic prop ...
(Followers)
*Concerning Imams
Taba al-Tabi‘in (who followed the
Followers)
*Concerning the principal Sufis of recent times
*Brief account of modern Sufis in different countries
*Concerning the doctrines held by different orders of Sufis
*Uncovering of First Veil:
Marifat
Maʿrifa (Arabic: “interior knowledge”) is the mystical knowledge of God or the “higher realities” that is the ultimate goal of followers of Sufism. Sufi mystics came to maʿrifa by following a spiritual path that later Sufi thinkers categ ...
of Allah (Gnosis of God)
*Uncovering of Second Veil: Tawhid (Unity of God)
*Uncovering of Third Veil: Iman (Faith)
*Uncovering of Fourth Veil: Taharat (Purification from Foulness)
*Uncovering of Fifth Veil: Salat (Prayer)
*Uncovering of Sixth Veil: Zakat (Alms)
*Uncovering of Seventh Veil: Sawm (Fasting)
*Uncovering of Eighth Veil: Hajj (Pilgrimage)
*Uncovering of Ninth Veil: Companionship with rules and principles
*Uncovering of Tenth Veil: Definition of phrases of the Sufis and their ideas.
*Uncovering of Eleventh Veil: Sema (Spiritual Auditions)
Importance in Sufism
The book has served as a ‘vaseela’, medium of spiritual elevation towards divinity for many Sufi saints both many of whom are quite famous all over the world. This is the reason why
Moinuddin Chishti
Chishtī Muʿīn al-Dīn Ḥasan Sijzī (1143–1236 Common Era, CE), known more commonly as Muʿīn al-Dīn Chishtī or Moinuddin Chishti, or by the epithet Gharib Nawaz (),Blain Auer, "Chishtī Muʿīn al-Dīn Ḥasan", in: ''Encyclopaedia o ...
Ajmeri, a chief saint of the
Chishti order
The Chishtī Order ( fa, ''chishtī'') is a tariqa, an order or school within the mystic Sufi tradition of Sunni Islam. The Chishti Order is known for its emphasis on love, tolerance, and openness. It began with Abu Ishaq Shami in Chisht, a ...
, once stated that an aspiring
murid
In Sufism, a ''murīd'' (Arabic مُرِيد 'one who seeks') is a novice committed to spiritual enlightenment by ''sulūk'' (traversing a path) under a spiritual guide, who may take the title murshid, '' pir'' or ''shaykh''. A '' sālik'' or Su ...
(disciple) one who does not (yet) have a
murshid
''Murshid'' ( ar, مرشد) is Arabic for "guide" or "teacher", derived from the root ''r-sh-d'', with the basic meaning of having integrity, being sensible, mature. Particularly in Sufism it refers to a spiritual guide. The term is frequently use ...
(spiritual master), should read
Ali Hujwiri
Abu 'l-Ḥasan ʿAlī b. ʿUthmān b. ʿAlī al-Ghaznawī al-Jullābī al-Hujwīrī (c. 1009-1072/77), known as ʿAlī al-Hujwīrī or al-Hujwīrī (also spelt Hajweri, Hajveri, or Hajvery) for short, or reverentially as Shaykh Syed ʿAlī al- ...
's book Kashf ul-Mahjoob, as that would (temporarily) guide him spiritually.
Translation
Originally written in
Persian
Persian may refer to:
* People and things from Iran, historically called ''Persia'' in the English language
** Persians, the majority ethnic group in Iran, not to be conflated with the Iranic peoples
** Persian language, an Iranian language of the ...
, this book has already been translated into various languages. Manuscripts of the Kashf-ul-Mahjoob are preserved in several European libraries. It has been lithographed in Lahore,
Indian Subcontinent
The Indian subcontinent is a list of the physiographic regions of the world, physiographical region in United Nations geoscheme for Asia#Southern Asia, Southern Asia. It is situated on the Indian Plate, projecting southwards into the Indian O ...
.
Reynold A. Nicholson
Reynold Alleyne Nicholson, FBA (18 August 1868 – 27 August 1945), or R. A. Nicholson, was an eminent English orientalist, scholar of both Islamic literature and Islamic mysticism and widely regarded as one of the greatest Rumi (Mevlana ...
is known for translating Kashf-ul-Mahjoob into English. He was the teacher of Persian and Arabic language in the University of Cambridge. In his words:
"He undertook journeys to distant Islamic countries, from Syria to Turkistan in search of knowledge. He travelled extensively and searching almost every tract of land from
Sindh
Sindh (; ; ur, , ; historically romanized as Sind) is one of the four provinces of Pakistan. Located in the southeastern region of the country, Sindh is the third-largest province of Pakistan by land area and the second-largest province ...
to Caspian Sea".
See also
*
Ali Hujwiri
Abu 'l-Ḥasan ʿAlī b. ʿUthmān b. ʿAlī al-Ghaznawī al-Jullābī al-Hujwīrī (c. 1009-1072/77), known as ʿAlī al-Hujwīrī or al-Hujwīrī (also spelt Hajweri, Hajveri, or Hajvery) for short, or reverentially as Shaykh Syed ʿAlī al- ...
*
Kashf
*
Reynold A. Nicholson
Reynold Alleyne Nicholson, FBA (18 August 1868 – 27 August 1945), or R. A. Nicholson, was an eminent English orientalist, scholar of both Islamic literature and Islamic mysticism and widely regarded as one of the greatest Rumi (Mevlana ...
References
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Islamic theology books
Iranian books
Indian Sufi saints