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

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

of Aḥmad bin ‘Īsā. He was a native of

Baghdad Baghdad ( or ; , ) is the capital and List of largest cities of Iraq, largest city of Iraq, located along the Tigris in the central part of the country. With a population exceeding 7 million, it ranks among the List of largest cities in the A ...

. He had a devotion toward

Sufism Sufism ( or ) is a mysticism, mystic body of religious practice found within Islam which is characterized by a focus on Islamic Tazkiyah, purification, spirituality, ritualism, and Asceticism#Islam, asceticism. Practitioners of Sufism are r ...

, and so went to

Egypt Egypt ( , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a country spanning the Northeast Africa, northeast corner of Africa and Western Asia, southwest corner of Asia via the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to northe ...

and resided piously by the Ka‘bah. His profession was that of a shoemaker, and he was a disciple 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'') or modern humans are the most common and widespread species of primate, and the last surviving species of the genus ''Homo''. They are Hominidae, great apes characterized by their Prehistory of nakedness and clothing ...

attributes) and continuance (in

God In monotheistic belief systems, God is usually viewed as the supreme being, creator, and principal object of faith. In polytheistic belief systems, a god is "a spirit or being believed to have created, or for controlling some part of the un ...

). He was the author of several

book A book is a structured presentation of recorded information, primarily verbal and graphical, through a medium. Originally physical, electronic books and audiobooks are now existent. Physical books are objects that contain printed material, ...

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 , meaning 'teaching, instruction') is a codification (law), codification of beliefs or a body of teacher, teachings or instructions, taught principles or positions, as the essence of teachings in a given branch of knowledge or in a ...

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

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 o ...

.” 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