Examining the Concept of Reality in Mystical Islam Through Poetry
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Authors Carranza, Racquel Parente
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Abstract: Throughout human history the individual has been faced with the definite nature of its physical existence. The soul, however is able to transcend our mundane realm and venture into higher or lower realms of being. The dichotomy of existence – this life and the next – is found across all religions and belief systems in some form. The problem of defining a particular reality is extensive and varies from individual to individual. Naturally the effort to attain closeness with the infinite requires cognitive and emotional strength. The mystical union is one wherein the definite merges with the everlasting and a difference between the two seemingly opposite concepts ceases to exist. The Islamic mystical tradition, Sufism, provides both philosophical and emotive means of addressing the concept of reality in its many forms. The poetic gaze of Sufism allows expressions of ecstasy, logic and love while encouraging its audience to polish the mirror of its soul. Through the works of al-Ghazali, Ibn Arabi, and Rumi, reality is presented as a rich, complex idea that cannot be defined concretely. Nevertheless it can be said that closeness with God allows the human soul to transcend lower, even insignificant, realms of reality.
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Introduction
The moment when self and other merge, when the boundary between that which
is considered human and definite combine with the everlasting and infinite is
called a mystical union. Mysticism is defined by the mystery that consumes soul
and awakens the heart to the profound cognitive and emotional depths of a
particular tradition. Mysticism, in its many forms, may be classified as a holistic
effort to attain closeness with the Infinite. It may extend as far as a simple
intellectual communion with a divine reality as in Neoplatonic discourse or even
go as far as a complete annihilation of the identity as is the case in some Hindu
traditions1. The act of reaching out to the infinite cannot be classified into a
single mode or form – it is varied and extensive. Sufism, the mystical tradition
of Islam, provides limitless paths as means to reach closeness with God.
Islamic mysticism is largely characterized by the writings of Sufi thinkers. This
literary tradition is greatly influenced by the poetic heritage of the Near East and
includes such forms as the ghazal, the nasib, and the quasida. Used as a vehicle
for expressing ideas, Sufi poetry serves an integral part in communicating Sufi
sensibilities. The poetic gaze2 guides the Sufi tradition towards expressions of
the beloved, an expression that addresses emotion, ecstasy and even logic.
1 Karen Armstrong, The Case for God, (London: Bodley Head , 2009), 134-138.
2 George W. Cave, Sufi Poetry, (Rawalpindi: RCD Cultural Association, 1972), 51-64.
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Among the themes of Sufi poetry is love for the beloved, unity, remembrance,
suffering and annihilation of the self.
For the purposes of this text, the scope the work will be limited to the poetic
tradition of Sufism. More specifically, the concept of reality as it is addressed
through selected works from Abu Hamid al-Ghazali (c. 1058-1111), Muid ad-
Din Ibn al-Arabi (c. 1165-1240), and Jalal ad-Din Rumi (c. 1207-1273).
______
Beginnings
Chapter 50, verse 15 of the Qur’an states that God is “nearer to him [creation]
than the jugular vein3.” Such a powerful verse arguably gave rise to the
development of the Islamic mystic tradition. The Qur’an is considered to be one
of the major sources of Sufism sue to the revelatory experience of the Prophet
Muhammad. Muhammad experiences an intense, cosmic and spiritual
transformation through the pages of the Qur’an and creates a natural yearning by
believers to attain even a fragment of that closeness with God. In the Qur’an, the
description of God is both as a ubiquitous presence and a completely impalpable,
transcendent being. The Prophet Muhammad’s ascension to paradise (mi’raj)
detailed in the Qur’an4 opened the doors for a possible internal, metaphysical
ascension toward the creator for Sufis. Chapter 18 of the Qur’an describes the
3 M.A.S. Abdel Haleem, The Qur'an English Translation and Prallel Arabic Text, (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2010), 520.
4 Abdel Haleem, 283-293.
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story of al-Khidr and Moses. The story is a dialogue concerning knowledge,
particularly knowledge of God and the soul. This knowledge, in the Sufi
tradition, is that which allows the individual to transcend the human form and
know the mysteries of the infinite. A primordial covenant between God and
creation also became a central theme to Sufism. Derived from the Qur’an
(7:172)5 the verse details that God interrogated the Children of Adam, and they
bore witness to God as their Lord. This relationship with God is what the Sufi
order sought to protect, maintain and allow flourishing. The Qur’an, equipped
with an array of rich poetic motifs, laid the foundation for a highly complex
mystical psychology within the Sufi order as well as the poetic works that would
be developed throughout the centuries.
Let us recall the aforementioned “jugular vein” verse. Hasan Al-Basri (d. 728)
took this verse and declared, “A grain of piety is better than a thousand weights
of fasting and prayer6.” Al-Basri became known for campaigning against the
vanity of this world and foretelling the punishment that waited in the next. As
early as the seventh century, the beginning stages of Sufism were beginning to
take root in Iraq and Iran with the insurgence of ascetics who dedicated
themselves to a life of piety, reflection and submission to the divine. Eventually
5 Abdel Haleem, 170. 6 Majid Fakhry, Short Introduction to Islamic Philosophy, Theology and Mysticism, (Oxford: OneWorld Publications, 1997), 70-82.
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the Sufi movement moved onto Baghdad where it flourished even further.
During the eighth and ninth centuries, Muslim scholars sought to bring sciences
like astronomy, alchemy and mathematics to the Arabic-speaking world,
marking the creation of the tradition called falsafah (philosophy)7 . These
scientists, called faylasufs, desired to live according to the rational laws that
governed the earth and its heavens just as their European counterparts. The
faylasufs followed the example of Greek philosophers and sought to merged
religion and science. This meant specifically merging science with Qur’anic
teaching.
Nevertheless, the God of the falsafah movement bared many similarities to the
Sky Gods of the Greeks8 . This posed a problem: God became a distant
abstraction instead of a personal deity. Abu Ali Ibn Sina (c. 980-1037), better
known simply as Ibn Sina, argued for the direct, intuitive knowledge of God that
was seen in the prophetic tradition of Muhammad. Ibn Sina suggested that the
perfect philosophy would involve both reason and intuitive knowledge of the
divine. At the same time, Al-Ghazali was engaged in intensive study of falsafah
and produced some very influential works, which will be discussed later in this
text.
7 Armstrong, 135. 8 Armstrong, 136.
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During the twelfth and thirteenth centuries, Sufism ceased to be a fringe
movement and remained the dominant Islamic practice until the nineteenth
century. The accessibility to Sufism allowed even common people to elevate
their spirituality beyond simplistic and anthropomorphic ideas of God9. Through
poetry, even laypeople could experience the divine as a transcendent entity
within. The quest to find God through love became an overarching theme in Sufi
practice, particularly poetic literature. Although developed in many regional
languages, the poetic literature often resembled Arabic and Persian models.
For the purpose of this text, the poetic tradition is of great importance. Whilst
the largest focus of the Sufi tradition is the quest for closeness with the One
through love and knowledge and subsequent annihilation of the self, there exists
yet another theme which must be addressed. In the Sufi tradition, the concept of
reality, as seen by Sufism, differs from that of the traditional Islamic view in that
it portrays a more lyrical and allegorical approach to eternal closeness with the
divine and spiritual purity. Poetry plays a vital role in the Sufi literature and
portrays the concept of reality in a unique manner.
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9 Armstrong, 138.
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Abu Hamid al-Ghazali
The belief that theology must be fused with spirituality holds that intuitive
insight and reason cannot exist independently of one another. Abu Hamid al-
Ghazali (c. 1058-1111) thirsted for truth since his youth. Considered the most
important Muslim, since the prophet Mohammad10, Ghazali was both a mystic
and an arch-critic of Muslim Neo-Platonism. As such, many of Ghazali’s works
were polemics against the philosophers11. The study of philosophy, however,
proved to be insufficient and unsatisfactory. He lived for ten years in Damascus
and Jerusalem where he submitted himself to intense and prolonged meditation.
After a decade of studying the Sufi path he came to the conclusion that the
mystics were among the “Arifin,” or knowers of God. Al-Ghazali insisted that
only spiritual exercises could lead to knowledge of God and provide any
certainty about the existence of God. He rejected the concept of proving God’s
existence as the faylasufs had done, rather he understood that God is an all-
encompassing reality and is such beyond the scope of mortal comprehension.
Therefore, by inducing an elevated mode of perception through Sufi practices of
chanting and meditation, unity with the One was attainable. Nevertheless, al-
Ghazali rejected extravagant utterances – he considered himself to be a practical
mystic. He focused his efforts on developing a spirituality that could enable any
Muslim to become aware of both mystical and concrete Islamic and moral laws
10 Field, Claud, The Alchemy of Happiness, (Lahore: Sh. M. Ashraf, 1964), 1-136.
11 Cave, 7.
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such as praying, almsgiving and brotherhood. By leading men from a notional
acquiescence of creed to a real knowledge of God, al-Ghazali aimed to better
humanity. From the Islamic tradition of Hadith (!"#$), comes the verse “He
who knows himself knows God12.” Written in 1105, Al-Ghazali’s work The
Alchemy of Happiness is a commentary of this work and emphasizes the
importance of self-discipline and asceticism among practical benefits of heading
the fundamental Islamic laws. In his attempt to revive his religion in a new
direction, al-Ghazali was nicknamed Hujjat-el-Islam, or the Proof of Islam13. In
order to reach a wider audience, al-Ghazali chose to create an abridgement to his
previous work The Revival of Religious Sciences entitled The Alchemy of
Happiness. The first four chapters follow the hadiths of the Prophet Muhammad
and make a case for the impossibility of true happiness without achieving a
perfect unity with God. The metamorphosis of an individual from an animal to
an angel is relayed in four chapters:
1. The knowledge of self
2. The knowledge of God
3. The knowledge of this world
4. The knowledge of the next world
The Alchemy of Happiness also offers an excellent commentary on the concept
of reality and its implications. Chapter I begins with mentioning the infamous
12 Although this particular Hadith has been considered by scholars to be fabricated, it stems from an accepted Tirmidhi Hadith: “Be mindful of Allah, and you'll find Him before you.”
13 Field, 14.
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Prophetic verse, “He who knows himself knows God.” This statement declares
knowledge of the self in all of its faults, complexities and nuances to be the
single key to knowledge of the divine. Bodily and physical knowledge, however,
is not included in this meaning and would certainly never be a key to knowledge
of God. Moreover, self-knowledge is to understand the two dimensions of
mortal existence: the outward shape and the inward entity14. The inward entity,
being composed of the heart and soul, is belongs to the invisible world and is
only a traveler encased in a protective shelter. By foregoing anything but the
individuality, the “traveller” is able to obtain knowledge of the self through
perseverance. This is exemplified through the Qur’anic verse “Those who strive
in Our way, verily We will guide them to the right paths15.” Therefore, in order
to reach knowledge of God, the effort and perseverance is necessary and must be
put forth by man himself. Since the individual is composed of inner and outer
dimensions then so must universal existence. The mundane and the divine are
united in paradox – together but altogether separate. This dichotomy allows for a
question of the true nature of reality.
Chapters III and IV provide us more information on the concept of reality as
seen by al-Ghazali. Leading in from the knowledge of God and Self, al-Ghazali
paves a perfect path to the dichotomy of existence. We have learned from Hasan
al-Basri that when the heart is free of worldly lusts and distractions, the vision of
14 Field, 48. 15 Abdel Haleem, 405.
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God is possible. Nevertheless, God does not exist in our realm – he exists within
each individual but as an un-tapped source. Once the mystic is able to open the
door with the key of self-knowledge, closeness with the One is attained. The
knowledge of this world is also a critical element in this path. The theme of this
world as a “market-place” and the individual as a “traveller” characterizes The
Alchemy of Happiness16. The traveler is said to remain in this world so long as
his senses remain. Once only his “essential attributes” are in tact will the
individual be able to depart to the “next world17.” Again al-Ghazali raises the
point of inward and outward existence. In order to survive in this world, a man
must first protect and nurture his soul and then his body. Proper nourishment of
the body will allow the traveller to have a vehicle fit for the journey of this
world to the next, but it is the nourishment of the soul that will have an
everlasting impact. Al-Ghazali remarks that the nature of this world is one of
deceit. It is fleeting, ephemeral and will deceive the individual into believing
that it will remain with him always. It is, according to al-Ghazali, “a more potent
sorcerer than Harut and Marut.18” In fact, this world is slipping away and is
leaving humanity behind each day; man simply fails to realize this while he is
entangled in her beautiful façade. Al-Ghazali offers a narrative of Jesus to
further this point:
16 Field, 68. 17 Field, 51. 18 Harut and Marut (%&'() are two fallen angels that were sent down to Babylon to )%&'(*& perform magic. Although they warned the Babylonians not to imitate their actions, some disobeyed and thus damned their own souls.
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“Jesus (on whom be peace!) said, ‘The lover of this world is like a man
drinking sea water; the more he drinks, the more thirsty he gets, till at
last he perishes with thirst unquenched19.’”
The world, then, cannot be mixed with soul without risking contamination and
eventual rapture by its deceit. It can be inferred, that from the distinction of this
world as a temporary guise that there is necessarily a next world, more
meaningful than this one.
Just as the life of this world is divided into two spheres, such is the case with the
life of the next. As is customary in the Abrahamic tradition, there exist both a
heaven and a hell, each with its own supernatural existence20. According to that
which God said to his prophet Paul, “Eye hath not seen nor ear heard, neither
hath it entered into the heart of man to conceive the things which are prepared
for the righteous21, 22.” While the hearts of those who are ignorant of God, will
never conceptualize or experience an image of the next world, the heart of the
enlightened man is an open window for the realities of the spiritual world. This
ability to see the spiritual world while still in the mundane realm allows the soul
to know intuitively exactly what produces “wretchedness and happiness23” in the
19 Field, 53. 20 Chittick, William C. Ibn Arabi's Own Summary of The Fusus, The Imprint of the Bezels of Wisdom. 1975 and 1976, 1-36. 21 As narrated by Paul in 1 Corinthians 2:9. 22 Field, 57. 23 Field, 63.
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heart. An enlightened soul has the ability to perform that which is necessary for
a favorable existence in the hereafter, “much like a physician knows what
medicines to use24”. The analogy of a physician means that there is necessarily
an opposite to the responsibility of the enlightened soul. This is presumably an
ignorant soul, which intentionally does not tend to its spiritual health or does not
know how. According to al-Ghazali, man has “two souls, an animal soul and a
spiritual soul25.” The latter of which is considered to be of an “angelic nature.”
Knowledge of love, kindness and God, therefore are rooted inherently in the
spiritual soul, but must be willfully explored. The celestial origin of this
dimension of the human soul is presented in the Qur’anic verse: “I breathed into
man of My spirit26.” This divine origin of the human soul suggests that, just as
the human body requires maintenance and medicinal therapy, the spiritual soul
requires ethical and moral support to maintain a favorable spiritual equilibrium
that is conducive to the goal of attaining a higher spirituality and closeness with
God.
According to the Hadith, the Prophet Muhammad is said to have stated, “The
world is a paradise for the infidels, but a prison for the faithful27.” Al-Ghazali
makes use of this account and goes onto reaffirm his view of the world as a
24 Field, 64. 25 Field, 48. 26 Abdel Haleem, 416. 27 Field, 63.
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fleeting, deceitful temptress. Those that choose to love this world without regard
to their fate in the next will undoubtedly suffer the consequences. Every
individual is considered to carry with him the instruments of his own
punishment in the hereafter. But for the believers, those who strive in the case
for God and the knowledge and love therein have a favorable, eternal existence
that awaits them. Reality, to al-Ghazali, is not an illusion. Rather, it is a very real
world with temptations and trials. The life of this world is a test for the life of
the next – we are merely “travelers in a foreign land” who will one day return to
an eternal paradise if we are worthy.
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Muid ad-Din Ibn al-Arabi
Both Neoplatonic and Platonic influences played a large role in al-Ghazali’s
writings despite his extensive efforts critiquing the matter. Al-Ghazali managed
to create an ethical synthesis with a very mystical foundation28. Nearly half a
century after the Alchemy of Happiness was written, the figure that would put
forth one of the most eloquent expressions on mysticism and the mystical view
of reality was born. In 1165 CE Muid ad-Din Ibn al-Arabi was born in Southern
Spain in Murcia. At the time, the Iberian Peninsula was regarded as “al-Andalus,”
a region where Judaism, Islam and Christianity not only coexisted but also
flourished alongside one another. Growing up in an atmosphere rich with
28 Fakhry, 77.
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scientific, religious and philosophical dialogue, lit a fire within Ibn Arabi’s soul
that would drive him to seek out reality as it truly is. As a young adult, it is said
that that he experienced a divine revelation which called him to embark on the
journey that would lead him throughout the Eastern world before stopping in
Damascus where he passed away in 124029. Throughout this journey Ibn Arabi
composed writings that revealed the intensity of his spiritual experiences and
would make him one of the greatest, most influential medieval thinkers. Al-
Ghazali posed the idea of reality as an illusion, the body being merely a vessel
for the travelling soul. While these ideals still hold in Ibn Arabi’s philosophy,
his concept of reality is one that extends beyond that which is observable and
felt – it goes on to address the metaphysical nature of what reality really is.
Ibn Arabi’s Fusus al-hikam (as the “Bezels of Wisdom” is hailed as both his
most widely-read and most quintessentially important work - the first chapter of
which will be used to illustrate the concept of reality as presented by Ibn Arabi30.
Shorter than his other works, such as the Naqsh al-fusus, the Fusus al-hikam is
composed of twenty-seven chapters, each chapter being dedicated to the wisdom
of a particular prophet. The book begins with the wisdom of Adam and
culminates with that of Muhammad. According to Ibn Arabi’s wisdom, every
29 Michael Sells, Mystical Languages of Unsaying, (Chicago and London: University of Chicago Press, 1994), 63-101.
30 William C. Chittick, Ibn Arabi's Own Summary of The Fusus, The Imprint of the Bezels of Wisdom, (1975 and 1976), 1-44.
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prophet is a symbol of the highest religious or spiritual truth such that each has a
perfect essence or reality, which Ibn Arabi refers to as Logos. This Logos is a
manifestation of the Divine reality 31 such that creation exists only through the
divine mind. Therefore it follows that the existence of mankind is a sole proof of
both a lower and higher reality – which are both separate and united. According
to Ibn Arabi, the creation of mankind (the human reality) is a manifestation of
Divine reality.
The first chapter, “The Quintessence of the Wisdom of Allah in the Logos of
Adam,” explains that Adamic Logos are the reason of being of all creation and
the Perfect Man is the physical manifestation of Divine reality. Ibn Arabi writes,
“the Perfect Man is the spirit of the world and the world is his body.32” Adam is
considered to be the greatest human, or macrocosm. The passage continues as
follows:
for divine providences never shapes a form
unless it receives divine spirit
which is called
the “inspiriting”
which is the activation
of the potential of that shaped image
31 Fakhry, 80. 32 Chittick, 24.
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to receive the overflowing eternal manifestation
that always was and always will be
outside of which there is only the vessel
which itself exists from its most holy overflowing33
Through divine “inspiriting,” or will, Adam was the first, primordial creation.
As the Qur’an depicts, Adam was kneaded from clay by the hands of God and
received his soul by the breath of God34. This Divine means of creation sets
Adam apart from the rest of humanity as the complete human being, or insan
kamil35. The division between real and divine reality is united in this moment.
The “most holy overflowing” illustrates the two spheres of reality collapsing
into one another to give way to mortal creation. The “overflowing eternal
manifestation” suggests that the “potential” of the physical shape of Adam
contains an eternal presence at its core. This core, which “always was and
always will be,” represents the soul. Interestingly, the “vessel” that encases the
soul echoes of al-Ghazali’s traveler in a foreign land analogy. This suggests a
dichotomy in reality: the mundane and the humanly unperceivable. In his
account of the human soul, Ibn Arabi distinguishes that the rational soul and
animal soul are separate36. Thus the core is considered the rational soul and the
vessel – or body – is considered the animal soul, each with its own needs,
33 Sells, 72-73. 34 Abdel Haleem, 458. 35 Fakhry, 81. 36 Fakhry, 82.
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desires and temptations. This leads us to the important theme of a “polished
mirror” in Ibn Arabi’s Fusus al-hikam.
A shift occurs as a foggy mirror is polished into a clear one. At the moment in
which the glass, the essence of the mirror, disappears all that is left is the pure
reflection of the one who looks upon it37. This event embodies what it means to
shift beyond the distinction between self and other, a vital Sufi theme. Ibn Arabi
writes:
If he was not the mirror of the Face of the Everlasting,
why did the angels prostrate themselves to him?
He is the reflection of the beauty of the Immaculate Presence38
The polishing of the mirror is a metaphor for the mystical union between divine
reality and primordial reality – the soul of the complete human, Adam, being the
manifestation of this image. The complete human is able serve as a mirror that is
able to refract reality into its various components but, at the same time, unify
them into purity. The truth of reality therefore cannot be captured by the mystic
unless there is divine self-unveiling involved. Then, just as Adam serves as a
manifestation for a polished mirror, the mystic is able to be a vessel of holy
overflowing. The mystic becomes closer to God, clarity and becoming like the
37 William C. Chittick, The Sufi Path of Knowledge: Ibn Al-ʻArabi's Metaphysics of Imagination, (Albany: State University of New York Press, 1989), chap. 4.
38 Sells, 81.
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perfect human. On the contrary, the individual who is not able to comprehend
reality is one that has not polished his soul and has failed to become a mirror
where the distinctions of self and other are abolished.
Ibn Arabi’s influence in the Islamic intellectual world is extensive and shaped
the discourse for metaphysical speculation within the Sufi tradition39. At the
heart of his works is the dedication to explaining what it truly means to perceive
reality. Ibn Arabi viewed creation as more than a physical presence, but rather a
manifestation of a holy overflow. The complete human is equipped with the
ability of perception and can thus merge self and other. Humanity as a whole,
suggests Ibn Arabi, is composed of a dualistic nature wherein the animal and
rational souls must work towards the ultimate goal of attaining unity with the
Divine. When the soul has attained self-annihilation, it will be able to perceive
the unity of all things – the Creator, His creation, the temporal and eternal, the
visible and unseen. This, according to Ibn Arabi, is what it means to truly
perceive reality. Otherwise, the soul who looks upon a smudged mirror and does
not polish it and experience a spiritual shift is perpetually stuck, confined to a
mundane and meaningless existence. Ibn Arabi’s view of reality is similar to al-
Ghazali’s in that the soul is viewed to be encased in a physical vessel, but differs
in that the true reality of the universe, according to Ibn Arabi, is one that is far
39 S.H. Nasr, "Seventh-Century Sufism and the School of Ibn 'Arabî," Sufi Essays: On the influence of lbn 'Arabî in Sufism, philosophy and elsewhere, (London: 1972), 97-103.
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removed from physical creation. Whereas al-Ghazali considered the duality of
reality (mundane versus heavenly), Ibn Arabi acknowledges a mundane reality
but argues for only one, divine reality.
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Jalal ad-Din Rumi
Following the death of Ibn Arabi, Sufism took on a more collective nature in the
form of fraternities. Together these groups engaged in prayer, meditation and
repetition of the names of Allah (dhikr) to obtain a state of spiritual stupor40.
One group, the Mawlawi Tariqa (path), also known as the dancing dervishes,
engaged in achieving trance through whirling around in a circular pattern. The
Founder of the Mawlawi Tariqa was Jalal ad-Din Rumi. Rumi was born in
Balkh, Afghanistan, which was then part of the Persian Empire in 1207. His
father, who followed a conservative mode of Muslim piety, introduced Rumi to
Sufism41. After the death of his father, Rumi assumed the position of sheikh in
the dervish learning community of Konya, Turkey. Rumi lead a seemingly
typical life for a scholar: medicating, praying, teaching, engaging in acts of
charity. Nevertheless in 1244 an unknown man, know recognized as the
wondering dervish, Shams of Tabriz, posed a question to Rumi: “Who was
40 Cave, 51. 41 Jawid Mojaddedi, Jalal Al-Din Rumi The Masnavi Book Two, (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2007), i-150.
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greater, Muhammad or Bestami?42” Taken aback by the question, Rumi was
finally able to answer that it was indeed Muhammad whom was greater in that
the path for Muhammad continually unfold. It was this revelation and his
friendship with Shams of Tabriz that would cause Rumi’s mysticism to develop
to new heights. After retreating to Damascus, Rumi died on December 17th,
1273.
The mystic beliefs reflected in Rumi’s poetry are peculiar. Much of his poetry is
didactic, with instructions to those who wish to follow the path in its various
stages. The imagery that embodies his poetry is composed of all-consuming
love43. This love is expressed in an animate, unreserved manner. It can be said
that Rumi considered love as the bridge of communication between God and his
creation. Since love allows the heart to escape reason, it must follow that love is
necessarily unreason - this is the fuel behind the Sufi path 44. When the
individual senses its environment, according to Rumi, he is only experiencing a
mundane existence devoid of God since God does not enter into sensory
perceptions45. Therefore, Rumi advocates for self-purification, a polishing of the
mirror that allows God to be reflected in the mystic’s heart. The most extensive
of Rumi’s poetic works is the Masnavi. Varied and imaginative, the Manabí is
42 Bestami, according to the most accepted sources, had said, “How great is my glory?” While Muhammad had said, “we do not know You as we should.” 43Cave, 64
44 Mojaddedi, xi. 45 Cave, 59
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considered to be the longest mystical poem ever written by a single author in
any religious tradition46. Divided into six books, the Masnavi is a collection of
approximately 26,000 verses. The first two books are similar in form and the
poetry is divided by means of headings47. The overarching theme however is the
progress of the mystic along the Sufi path and is nowhere more clear than in the
Song of the Reed.
Book One of the Masnavi begins with the Song of the Reed, which describes the
longing of a reed to return to the bed of reeds from which it was cut. This may
be interpreted as symbolizing the birth of a human into this world while the soul
longs to return to its original nature in God’s presence. The division between the
world of man and the heavenly realm is clear. The poem begins in the following
way:
Listen to the story of the reed (flute), how it is complaining.
It is telling about separations48.
By beginning the poem with a recollection of a fateful reality of separateness,
Rumi is able to induce anxiety in the audience – an anxiety that was surely alive
46 Oxford World’s Classics Jawid Mojaddedi pg. x 47 M. Mills, "Concerning the importance of the story for performance of the Masnavi," Poetry and Mysticism in Islam: The Heritage of Rumi , ed. A. Banani (Cambridge: 136-189, 1994).
48 Franklin D. Lewis, Rumi - Past and Present, East and West: The Life, Teachings, and Poetry of Jalal al-Din Rumi, (Oxford: Oneworld Publications, 2007), 1-200.
Carranza 22
in his own heart at the thought of separation from the Beloved. The reed,
helpless in its frail form has been plucked from its comfortable beginnings in the
reed bed and thrust into a new world. This alludes to the comparison between
humanity and the reed: just as the human form is transient, such is the state of
the reed. The torment of the reed continues:
Ever since I was severed from the field,
Men and women have lamented.
I want a heart torn, torn from the separation,
So that I may explain the pain of yearning.
Anyone who has remained far from his roots
Seeks a return to the time of his union49.
The lament of men and women at the onset of the reed’s severance provides an
interesting portrayal of the longing for reunion with the Beloved. Beyond the
suffering of the reed exists human suffering that is considered to be an “other,”
49 Lewis, 57,
Carranza 23
external suffering. The lament of humankind is equivalent to the yearning and
distress associated with a separation from the primordial beginnings of humanity.
When the reed declares that it wishes to have a heart torn from separation so that
it may “explain the pain of yearning” it is illustrating the desire for self-
annihilation and full unity with the divine. Only at this point would the soul of
the reed be able to embody the qualities of the polished mirror and have God
reflected within its soul. Here Rumi illustrates that he does not recognize the life
of physical, observable existence as a valid plane of reality. Rather the only true
reality is that of unity with the divine – observable existence and suffering
cannot even be considered even as a subtype of reality. A return to “the time of
his union” mentioned in the third stanza symbolizes a return to the primordial
roots of the soul and echoes the Adamic Logos seen in Ibn Arabi’s Fusus al-
hikam.
The end of the Song of the Reed provides a summary of what the Sufi path
entails:
None who is “raw” can understand the state of the “ripe”.
Therefore, speech must be shortened. So farewell!50
Rumi believed each mystics’ life was divided into two distinct phases51. The
“raw” individual is the first phase, and requires guidance since he is
inexperienced. The metaphor of rawness alludes to the fact that a raw morsel is
50 Lewis, 58. 51 Cave, 55
Carranza 24
unpalatable until it is prepared. This preparation requires a teacher to instruct the student and guide him to the state of the “ripe.” In order to attain the state of ripeness illuminated by these stanzas, the mystic must journey through the cleansing fires of ecstasy and become palatable. When the inexperienced, raw individual fully understands the limitations of his mortal senses he makes the transition into the second phase, or ripeness. The ripe phase is categorized as a very individualistic stage to the extent that the individual must detach himself from himself without any external influence – the struggle is internal. It is at this stage that the desire for union with the infinite through nonreason, or love, is unbearable and the mystic must cure himself through self-annihilation.
The Song of the Reed is a metaphorical journey of the human spirit and serves to illustrate both the path of the mystic as well as a primordial longing to return to a unity with God as we have seen in the works of Ibn Arabi and al-Ghazali.
The mirror is polished and the mystic again attains closeness with the divine.
Unlike Ibn Arabi and al-Ghazali, however, reality as Rumi presents it does not seem to have such strong physical foundations. As opposed to al-Ghazali’s traveler in a foreign land metaphor, Rumi rejects the idea of the soul having any place in the human world and does not view this world to be a transitory period that must be endured. Rather there is an anxious, almost intolerable urge to surpass the invalid existence of this world and return to the primordial, spiritual
Carranza 25
beginnings within the presence of god. Ibn Arabi, on the other hand, forms a
bridge in the concept of reality between al-Ghazali and Rumi’s mysticism.
Conclusions
The historical journey of the mystic from ignorance to enlightenment has been
both temporal and spatial. As Sufi theology and discourse has evolved such has
been the case for expressions of mystical experiences. The Sufi poetic tradition
allows the individual to immerse oneself in a journey for the divine, paved with
suffering and the unhindered ecstasy of extreme joy. The minds of al-Ghazali,
Ibn Arabi and Rumi remain extremely influential to this day. Their words and
experiences remain examples of lives dedicated to the search for unity with God
and the happiness therein. The concept of reality as it is presented in the Sufi
poetic tradition provides an incredible history and variance from which to draw
both general and individualistic conclusions. From al-Ghazali’s traveler in a
foreign land to Ibn Arabi’s logos to Rumi’s one true divine reality, reality is an
undeniably rich concept. Nevertheless, there exists a common theme among our
thinkers: human existence is mortally experienced while closeness and unity
with God allows the human soul to transcend any other form of existence and
return to its primordial beginnings in the divine presence.
Carranza 26
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