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On Sufi Psychology: the Soul and the Spirit

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On Sufi Psychology: the Soul and the Spirit )40 yoshitsugu Sawai HokuseidoPress, 1973), I. 17.64,p. 141.Cf. ibid.,I. 15.22,p.ll}. 13' ibid.,l. 11.11, p.89; sengakuMaveda, A Thousandrnaihings, The upadesasd. hasrl of sanhara (Tokyo: press, University of rokyo 1929),p.r2I. cf. Byhadar. a4yakofanisad,IV. iii. 9, p.877. 3 14. ibid., I. 15.24, p. ll2; A ThousandTeachings, p. t44. 15 sankara, Brahmasiltrabhasva, \r. ii. 1,p. 622.Cf. Byhadaranvakopanigad, ry . iii. On Sufi Psychology: 9, p. 877. 1ti. Saflkara, LlpadeSasdhasri,I. 15.25, p. 113;A ThousandTeachings, p. 144. A Debate bettueen ti:. S.utUi:1, Braltmastztrabhasya,L i. b, pp.113-114.Cf. Chandogyopanipad,yL vilr. 1. D.5ZI. the Soul and the SPirit 18. Byhadaranyahopanigad,IV. iii. 23, p. g96. William C. Chittick 19.Sankara, Brahmasrtrabhasya, II. iii. 31,p. 54I; IiI. ii. 9, pp.63b_637. 20. sankara, Llpadeiasdhasri,r.1T.zs, p. r3s; A Thousan.dieachings, p.162. 2f ibid-, I. lz. 65, p.14r; A Thousandreachings, p. 166.In his chaidogyopani5ad. bhapya, ,,the sankara-i'terprets this term in the senseof baseof **d.,, (uag- alanrbana).Cf. Sarikara, Chdndogyopanisatlbhasga,VI. i. 4, p. 505. 22' The word h.r'rIya appears in Brhadaranyakopanigad,v. xiv. 3-z; turya in I,laitryurtani5ad, VI. 19 and VII. xi. 7-g; caturthain MdrydilkyopanisadT. 23 sankara, Llpadesasdhasrr,r. i0.4, p. 85; A Thousand-reiciingi, p tzs 24. ibid.,I. 11.6, p.88; A ThousandTeat:hings, p.726. The writings of ProfessorToshihiko Izutsu have long been savored '25.ibid.,l. 15.29. p. 113;,4 TlzousandTeachings, p.l4S. by those convincedof the pertinenceof Islamic thought to the social 26.sarikara' Brah,mastttrabhasya,r. i.4, p. g7; tt. rii. p.ssz; +t, Lrpadesasahasrr,r.T. and spiritual crises of the contemporary world. The publication last 2, p._81;I. 11.6, p.88; I. 13.19, p.98; I. tS.38, p. il5; I. 18.26, p. tSO;t. 18.94, p. 161. Timeless Order of Things reminds us 27. Sarikara,BrcthmasiltrablLasya, L i. 4, p. gZ. year of his Creation and the that his works, which occupy the intellectual tip of the iceberg that is interest in Sufism,have a wicle and growing audience in North America. The current popularity of Sufism is part of the broader fascination with everything that breaks with the mechanistic and its scientific world view that has brought modern civilization to presentimpasse. All sorts of peopleare searchingfor solutionsto the encroachingdissolution of personalities,social structures, and envi- ronments that are all too obvious in the modern world. The interest in ProfessorIzutsu's brilliant and broad-rangingworks suggeststhat for many of them the intellectual roots of the present predicament need to be elucidatedbefore lasting practical solutionscan be found. Although Professor Izutsu, in his search for what he has called a 1 ',metaphilosophyof oriental philosophies," focusedon philosophical issues, he frequently reminded his readers that the Islamic and psycho- Oriental traditions have always kept in view the necessityof logical and spiritual transformation.one cannot come to understand the nature of existence without transcending ordinary consciousness' 142 William C. Chittick On Sufi PsychologY 14) peopie If do not recognizethe world for what it is, the problem lies someof the technicalterminology and phraseologyof Ibn al-'Arabi's professor in the subject,not the object.As Izutsnremarks in a tvpical writings. This current had beenset in motion by figuressuch as 'Ala' passage from his writings, al-Dawla Simndni (d. 73711336)and it was continuedby Gis0 Dardz to [M]etaphysics or ontology is inseparably connectedwith the G,.825/1422)and others.The last part of the work alludesbriefly subjectivestate of man, so that the self-samereality is said to be the position of the most famous of these critics, the Naqshbandi perceived differently in accordancewith the different desreesof shaykh, Afrmad Sirhindi (d. 1034/1624). consciousness.' Like many other works I saw in India, this treatise provides In r'vorkson strfism,the issueof degreesof consciousnessis addressecl evidencethat the importanceof Shaykh Al.rmadSirhindi's criticisr-ns far more often than cluestionsof ontology or metaphysics.In what of Ibn al-'Arabi in the history of Sufismhas beenvastly overratedby frllows, I offer a glir'pse of the types of issuesthat are addressedi' modern scholars.6Most of the later authorities who supportedIbn Sufi studies of human consciousnessby presentingthe example of a al-,Arabi's positionshardly even bothered to refer to Sirhindi, since ,Abcl single text, written probably in the seventeenthcentury by one they found his criticisms superficial and self-inflating.In Su'Al uta al-Jalilof Allahabad,who can be consideredan intellectualfollower jawdb, 'Abd al Jalil alludes to sirhindi as "one of the recent Suls of tl'rc'school of ,Abcl is in Ibn al-'Arabi. He is probably identical with [who] have objected to your persuasion,saying that Oneness al Jalil ibn Sadr al Din Ilahabadi, the author of a book called Irskarl shukfid,not in wujftd." Ibn al 'Arabi respondsby pointing out qttite al.sAliktn,a collection c_rfinvocations (adkkar) of the Chishtis ancl rightly that in the Futafudt,he has already said everythingsuch critics others. h a rnanuscript copy of this book, he says that he was have said, becausethere he presents all valid points of view. The requestedto write it because"l had written many treatises in the problem lies in the critics' inability to seebeyond their orvn limita- scienceof taruhtdconcerning the realities, the gnostic sciences,and tions. the intricacies,but a treatise was needed...inthe scienceof the The manuscript that I want to discuss here, Rfrft rua nafs or rvayfaring I suliikl, the invocations,and the disciplinesthat take the 'ubfr.rtatal-tazytn,1 is similar to the first in both length (22 pagesof.2\ traveler in tl-redirection of the divine gnostic sciences,a treatise that lines) and the fact that it is presentedas a visionaryconversation, but would be the key to gnosis as such in a manner that opensthe lock in this treatise the two principlesare the spirit (rft.h) and the soul or ,Abcl of the hearts."3He may be identicalwith the chishti shaykh, self (nafs). On the one hand this worl< discussesmany of Ibn al- al Jalil of Lucknow (d. 1043/1633-34),who, according to saiyid 'Arabi's ideason existenceor being (wujnd) and its levels,the nature ,.things" Athar Abbas Rizvi, showed "great franknessin expressinghis belief of the (asltya',)or the "immutable entities" ful a'yan al- in the lvahdnt nl-wujud and little concernfor the strict observanceof tkdbita),the unknowability of the Divine Essence,and the experieuces Lhe Slnia."o that take place in the afterlife. On the other it providesan interesting 'Abd al-Jalil first attracted my attention when I came across a example of spiritual psychology,since it analysesthe forces at worh rvcrrkby hinr listed as Su'al ruajanab in the library of the Institute in the human microcosm in terms that recall earlier currents of Sufi of Islarnic Strrdiesin New Delhi.srhis short treatise (27 pagesof 2r teachingsand reflect the developmentsand debatesgoing on in the lines in length) describesa visionary conversationwith Ibn al-,Arabi. subcontinent.It is the psychologicaltheme that I wish to follow up on During the discussion,Ibn al-'Arabi answersa number of questions here. corrnectedwith difficult passagesin his works, mainly at.Fuffihdt Given the current dismal state of our knowledge of the develop- al mahhiyya.Most of the questio.s have in view the long-standing ment of Islamic thought in India, it would be impossibleto trace the current of criticisrns directed by well known Sufi teachers against numerous Sufis, theologians' and philosophers whose views rnay be 14t j44 William C. Chittick On Sufi PsYchologY philosophicaltradition concerning reflectedin the treatise.The best I can do is to point to the roots of in the discussioninitiated by the of things manifests some of the ideasin the writings of Ibn al-'Arabi and other relatively the three basic levelsin which the inner dimension and human levels' Some early figures.It would be difficuit to say to what extent 'Abd al-Jalil itself outwardly, that is, the plant, animal, "soul"' while others is influenceddirectly by Ibn al-'Arabi in thesetwo treatises,since he texts speak of the plant, animal, and human work Kitdb al'r[ih may have known Ibn al-'Arabi's works largely through the tradition prefer the term "spirit." Ibn al-Qayyim al-Jawzi's the early sourcesdo tlot of criticism and commentary.The onebook that he almostcertainly devotesa good deal of spaceto the fact that many authors do had read, thor-rghhe refersneither to its title nor to its author, is Naqd clearly distinguishamong the terms. Nevertheless, their descriptions of the differences nl-nugfigfi sharh naqsh al.fusi; by 'Abd al-Rahmdn Jami (d. BgB/ distinguish among them, and Muslim understandingof \492). In Rfr,huta n.afsthis work is quoted or paraphrasedat least provide us with detailed insights into the twice, and a passagethat is attributed to "one of them" is taken from human consciousness. of the human aLFukfrk by Sadr al-Din Q0nawi, most likely through the intermedi- The discussionof the different levels or dimensions Sufis' ary of Naqd al nusfi,5.8 being was by no meanssimply theoretical, particularly for the In other words, theseunseen realities were definedand differentiated distinct Sufi Psychology with a speci{icaim, which was for them to be experiencedas path to God. withottt Mr-rcl-rof Sufi theoreticalteaching has to do with the invisible dimen- levels of consciousnessby the traveler on the "errbodin"rent"of the tendenciesrif the sion of the human being,the ambiguoussomething that filis the vast the theoretical and iinguistic grips with one's own inuer nature' "space" between the human body and the Essenceof God, a some- soul, it is impossibleto come to travelers to picture, thing that we might today refer to as "consciousness."In discussing The descriptionsmade it possiblefor spiritual psychic and spiritual tendencies this son-rething,the earliest texts usually employ various terms localize, and personify their own imaginal universe derir.edfrorl the Kuran and the Hadith-such as soul (nafs), spirit within the sea of consciotlsness,that unbounded "ocean soul" (bakr al nafs).
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