Abū Sa‘īd al-Kharrāz (), also known as "the Cobbler", was a

pseudonym A pseudonym (; ) or alias () is a fictitious name that a person or group assumes for a particular purpose, which differs from their original or true name ( orthonym). This also differs from a new name that entirely or legally replaces an individu ...

of Aḥmad bin ‘Īsā. He was a native of

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 ...

. He had a devotion toward

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 ...

, and so went to

Egypt Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a List of transcontinental countries, transcontinental country spanning the North Africa, northeast corner of Africa and Western Asia, southwest corner of Asia via a land bridg ...

and resided piously by the Ka‘bah. His profession was that of a

shoemaker Shoemaking is the process of making footwear. Originally, shoes were made one at a time by hand, often by groups of shoemakers, or cobblers (also known as ''cordwainers''). In the 18th century, dozens or even hundreds of masters, journeymen an ...

, and he was a

disciple A disciple is a follower and student of a mentor, teacher, or other figure. It can refer to: Religion * Disciple (Christianity), a student of Jesus Christ * Twelve Apostles of Jesus, sometimes called the Twelve Disciples * Seventy disciples in t ...

of Muḥammad bin Manṣūr al-Ṭūsī. He associated with Dhū al-Nūn al-Miṣrī, al-Sarī al-Saqaṭī, Abū ‘Ubayd al-Baṣrī, and Bishr bin al-Ḥārith, and derived much spiritual instruction from them. To him is attributed the formulation of the mystical doctrine of passing away (from

human Humans (''Homo sapiens'') are the most abundant and widespread species of primate, characterized by bipedalism and exceptional cognitive skills due to a large and complex brain. This has enabled the development of advanced tools, cultu ...

attributes) and continuance (in

God In monotheistic thought, God is usually viewed as the supreme being, creator, and principal object of faith. Swinburne, R.G. "God" in Honderich, Ted. (ed)''The Oxford Companion to Philosophy'', Oxford University Press, 1995. God is typically ...

). He was the author of several

book A book is a medium for recording information in the form of writing or images, typically composed of many pages (made of papyrus, parchment, vellum, or paper) bound together and protected by a cover. The technical term for this physical ...

s, some of which have survived. The date of his death is uncertain, but probably was between 279 A.H. (890 AD) and 286 (899). He was the first person to speak of the states of “passing-away” (''fanā’'') and “continuance” (''baqā’'') in the mystical sense, summing up his whole

doctrine Doctrine (from la, doctrina, meaning "teaching, instruction") is a codification of beliefs or a body of teachings or instructions, taught principles or positions, as the essence of teachings in a given branch of knowledge or in a belief syste ...

in these two terms.''Muslim Saints and Mystics'', Farīd al-Dīn al-‘Aṭṭār, A. J. Arberry (Tr.), Islamic Book Trust, 2008, p. 263.

Among his works

*'' Kitāb al-Ṣidq'' (The Book of Truthfulness): A description of the moral qualities a sincere

Muslim Muslims ( ar, المسلمون, , ) are people who adhere to Islam, a monotheistic religion belonging to the Abrahamic tradition. They consider the Quran, the foundational religious text of Islam, to be the verbatim word of the God of Abrah ...

must acquire if he “hopes to meet his

Lord Lord is an appellation for a person or deity who has authority, control, or power (social and political), power over others, acting as a master, chief, or ruler. The appellation can also denote certain persons who hold a title of the Peerage ...

.” An English translation by A.J. Arberry. *'' Rasā’il al-Kharrāz'' (The Writings of al-Kharrāz): A collection of 6 books: ''Kitāb al-Ṣafā’'' (The Book of Purity), ''Kitāb al-Ḍiyā’'' (The Book of Light), ''Kitāb al-Kashf wa al-Bayān'' (The Book of Revelation and Exposition), ''Kitāb al-Farāgh'' (The Book of Emptiness), ''Kitāb al-Ḥaqā’iq'' (The Book of Realities), and ''Kitab al-Sirr'' (The Book of the Secret).

References

External links

The Book of Truthfulness
Translation of the Kitāb al-Ṣidq, at archive.org. {{authority control Sufi mystics