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Abuali, Eyad (2017) The genesis of Kubrawi Sufism: a study of Majd al-Din al-Baghdadi. PhD Thesis. SOAS, University of London. http://eprints.soas.ac.uk/id/eprint/24952 Copyright © and Moral Rights for this PhD Thesis are retained by the author and/or other copyright owners. A copy can be downloaded for personal non‐commercial research or study, without prior permission or charge. This PhD Thesis cannot be reproduced or quoted extensively from without first obtaining permission in writing from the copyright holder/s. The content must not be changed in any way or sold commercially in any format or medium without the formal permission of the copyright holders. When referring to this PhD Thesis, full bibliographic details including the author, title, awarding institution and date of the PhD Thesis must be given e.g. AUTHOR (year of submission) "Full PhD Thesis title", name of the School or Department, PhD PhD Thesis, pagination. The Genesis of Kubrawī Sufism: A Study of Majd al-Dīn al-Baghdādī Eyad Abuali Thesis Submitted for the degree of PhD 2016 Department of Near and Middle Eastern Studies SOAS, University of London Declaration for SOAS PhD thesis I have read and understood regulation 17.9 of the Regulations for students of the SOAS, University of London concerning plagiarism. I undertake that all the material presented for examination is my own work and has not been written for me, in whole or in part, by any other person. I also undertake that any quotation or paraphrase from the published or unpublished work of another person has been duly acknowledged in the work which I present for examination. Signed: ____________________________ Date: _________________ ii Acknowledgements This thesis would not have come to fruition without the support of Ayman Shihadeh who directed me to the text which became the subject of this study and provided me with invaluable guidance and supervision. Many have contributed to this thesis by directing me to relevant sources, providing me with feedback, and engaging with me in a variety of reading and research groups. For this I must mention George Lane, Charles Burnett, Peter Adamson, Hugh Kennedy, Liana Saif, Michael Noble, Toby Mayer, and Nur Sobers-Khan. My examiners Lloyd Ridgeon and Kazuyo Murata also provided me with valuable advice and constructive critiques. I have been blessed with close friends during these years. They provided me with stimulating conversations and helped ease some of the more stressful moments in my research. Yakoob, Dzenita, Zahra, Farrah, Ziad, and Fatima with whom I shared many lunches, coffees and teas, provided crucial moments of joyful relief in the final stages of writing this thesis. Mehdi, Shireen, Dena, Saffi, Lubaaba, Mohammed, Nour and Zainab all contributed to this thesis in some way. From companionship while I searched for manuscripts in Istanbul, to steadfastly attending my talks and papers, helping me with Persian texts, and sharing countless memorable moments, I could rely on much selfless kindness. I also owe my entire family an immeasurably debt for their support. I must mention my aunt Rajā’ in particular who was instrumental in helping me acquire manuscript copies from Iran. I must also thank my parents Sumaya and Ali, without their love and support this thesis would not have been possible. iii Abstract This thesis focuses on the development of early Kubrawī Sufism through an analysis of the figure of Majd al-Dīn al-Baghdādī (d. 616/1219) and his major work, the Tuḥfat al- barara. Al-Baghdādī has not received significant scholarly attention, however his work will be shown to be invaluable for our understanding of this period in the history of Sufism. While recent studies have increasingly highlighted the importance of the transitional period in the history of Sufism in which communities transformed into orders, the early Kubrawīs have not received much attention in this regard. This study will demonstrate that al-Baghdādī’s Tuḥfa systematises many concepts found in Najm al-Dīn Kubrā’s Fawā’iḥ. This theoretical framework will then be shown to inform notions of practice and belonging in discussions regarding the relationship between the Sufi master and his disciples which ultimately shape the structure of the Sufi community. From this we will have acquired the basis for investigating al- Baghdādī’s work in its response to the rise of antinomian groups, as well as the changing relationship between Sufism and political rulers. The study will show that al- Baghdādī’ theoretical systematisation necessitates the centralisation and stratification of the Sufi community in order to govern the structure and affiliations of the Sufi community. This analysis will address gaps in scholarship regarding the development of Kubrawī Sufism. It will answer questions regarding the reception of previous Sufi thinkers in al- Baghdādī’s work. It will also show that the development of theories of dreams and visions, which the Kubrawīs are noted for, had implications for the development of the structure of the community. Furthermore the study will offer a useful comparison with ‘Umar al-Suhrawardī’s institutionalisation of Sufism, revealing similarities and iv divergences between the two communities, and the emergence of a self-consciously distinct Sufi community under al-Baghdādī. This will also allow us to reassess the contribution of al-Baghdādī and his influence upon later Kubrawī thinkers such as Najm al-Dīn al-Rāzī and ‘Alā’ al-Dawla al-Simnānī who clearly rely on, and develop further, the discussions found in the Tuḥfa. Hence, al- Baghdādī typifies important developments in 12th and 13th century Sufism which came to shape the nature of Sufi thought and practice, elucidating the transition to Sufi orders. v Table of Contents Introduction.............................................................................................8 1. The Kubrawiyya……………………………………………………………………………………………………………12 2. Scholarly Context…………………………………………………………………………………………………………18 3. Aims………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………22 4.Structure……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….25 Chapter 1: Al-Baghdādī’s life and context...............................................27 1.1. The sources………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..29 1.2. Relations with influential figures and ruling classes………………………………………………..31 1.3. Competing hagiographies………………………………………………………………………………………….38 1.3. Al-Baghdādī’s death……….………………………………………………………………………………………….46 1.5. The text of the Tuḥfa………………………………………………………………………………………………….53 Chapter 2: Psychology.............................................................................60 2.1. The composition of man……………………………………………………………………………………………61 i. Man as a microcosm ii. The faculties of the soul iii. The heart as a mirror 2.2. Oneirology: Thought impressions, dreams and visions……………………………………………87 i. Dreams and visions as exteriorisation of the soul ii. Thought impressions and the inner senses iii. Spiritual visions and the imagination iv. The vision of colourless light vi 2.3. Spiritual and physical sensation……………………………………………………………………………120 i. Perceiving sounds ii. Beauty, music, and the assent of the soul iii. Transcending the spirit and returning to physical sensation 2.4. Conclusion………………………………………………………………………………………………………………143 Chapter 3: Master and disciple..............................................................146 3.1. The formalisation of the shaykh-disciple relationship…………………………………………..153 3.2. Defining shaykh-hood……………………………………………………………………………………………..162 3.3. The role of oneirology in establishing a Sufi community……………………………………….174 i. Visions and the formalisation of a hierarchical relationship ii. Dreams, visions and communal identity iii. Dream interpretation and the construction of narratives 3.4. The role of the disciple……………………………………………………………………………………………193 3.5. Conclusion………………………………………………………………………………………………………………200 Chapter 4: Subversion of Islamic law and social norms.........................202 4.1. Defining antinomianism………………………………………………………………………………………….204 4.2. Antinomianism in the Tuḥfa……………………………………………………………………………………209 4.3. Prophetology……………………………………………………………………………………………………………215 4.4. Religious learning and Sufism…………………………………………………………………………………227 4.5. Mystical experience and the case for normative behaviour…………………………………..241 4.6. Wayfaring and spiritual flight…………………………………………………………………………………246 4.7. Attraction and reaching the final stages of the path………………………………………………252 4.8. Conclusion……………………………………………………………………………………………………………….262 vii Chapter 5: Investiture and clothing......................................................265 5.1. Investiture among Kubrawīs……………………………………………………………………………………268 5.2. Clothing as exteriorisation of psycho-spiritual states……………………………………………270 5.3. The cloak as a miracle……………………………………………………………………………………………..279 5.4. The Sufi cloak and kingship…………………………………………………………………………………….282 5.5. Competing modes of investiture: al-Baghdādī and al-Suhrawardī i. Competing narratives of investiture ii. Competing modes of affiliation 5.6. Conclusion……………………………………………………………………………………………………………….318 Conclusion............................................................................................320 All References to Majd al-Dīn al-Baghdādī’s Tuḥfat al-barara fī al-masā’il al-‘ashra refer to my transcription of the manuscript: ms Istanbul, Karacelebizade 353, 2a-77a. viii And if the seeker looks to what is within him, he sees the earthly truths with their various attributes, and if he looks to what is above him