- Al-Risala al Qushayriyya Fi ‘ilm al-tasawwuf - AL QUSHAYRI’S EPISTLE ON SUFISM - - Abu ’l Qäsim ai Qushayri Alexander D. Knysh 543 Epistle 00 Prelims 1 21/12/06 12:25 PM Page i Al-Qushayri’s Epistle on Sufism 543 Epistle 00 Prelims 1 21/12/06 12:25 PM Page iii The Center for Muslim Contribution to Civilization Al-Qushayri’s Epistle on Sufism Al-Risala al-qushayriyya fi ∏ilm al-tasawwuf Abu πl-Qasim al-Qushayri Translated by Professor Alexander D.Knysh Reviewed by Dr Muhammad Eissa (cid:1) a r n e t P U B L I S H I N G 543 Epistle 00 Prelims 1 21/12/06 12:25 PM Page iv AL-QUSHAYRI’SEPISTLEONSUFISM Published by Garnet Publishing Limited 8 Southern Court South Street Reading RG1 4QS UK Copyright ©2007 The Center for Muslim Contribution to Civilization All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any form or by any electronic or mechanical means, including information storage and retrieval systems, without permission in writing from the publisher, except by a reviewer who may quote brief passages in a review. First Edition ISBN-13: 978-1-85964-185-9 ISBN-10: 1-85964-185-7 British Library Cataloguing-in-Publication Data A catalogue record for this book is available from the British Library Typeset bySamantha Barden Printed in Lebanon 543 Epistle 00 Prelims 1 21/12/06 12:25 PM Page v CONTENTS Acknowledgements xvii The Translator’s Note xix Translator’s Introduction: Al-Qushayri’s “Epistle on Sufism”: The author and his book xxi Author’s Introduction 1 A chapter explaining the beliefs of the Sufis concerning the fundamentals of religion 4 Section [on divine oneness] 14 Chapter 1 On the masters of this path and their deeds and sayings that show how they uphold the Divine Law 17 Abu Ishaq Ibrahim b. Adham b. Mansur 18 Abu πl-Fayd Dhu πl-Nun al-Misri 19 Abu ∏Ali al-Fudayl b. ∏Iyad 20 Abu Mahfuz Ma∏ruf b. Fayruz al-Karkhi 21 Abu πl-Hasan [al-]Sari b. al-Mughallis al-Saqati 23 Abu Nasr Bishr b. al-Harith al-Hafi (the Barefoot) 25 Abu ∏Abdallah al-Harith al-Muhasibi 27 Abu Sulayman Dawud b. Nusayr al-Taπi 29 Abu ∏Ali Shaqiq b. Ibrahim al-Balkhi 30 Abu Yazid b. Tayfur b. ∏Isa al-Bastami 32 Abu Muhammad Sahl b. ∏Abdallah al-Tustari 33 Abu Sulayman ∏Abd al-Rahman b. ∏Atiyya al-Darani 35 Abu ∏Abd al-Rahman Hatim b. ∏Unwan 36 Abu Zakariya Yahya b. Mu∏adh al-Razi, the Preacher 37 Abu Hamid Ahmad b. Khadrawayh (Khidruya) al-Balkhi 38 Abu πl-Hasan Ahmad b. Abi πl-Hawari 39 Abu Hafs ∏Umar b. Maslama al-Haddad 39 Abu Turab ∏Askar b. Husayn al-Nakhshabi 40 Abu Muhammad ∏Abdallah b. Khubayq 41 Abu ∏Ali Ahmad b. ∏Asim al-Antaki 41 Abu πl-Sari Mansur b. ∏Ammar 42 Abu Salih Hamdun b. Ahmad b. ∏Umara al-Qassar 42 Abu πl-Qasim al-Junayd b. Muhammad 43 Abu ∏Uthman Sa∏id b. Isma∏il al-Hiri 45 Abu πl-Husayn Ahmad b. Muhammad al-Nuri 46 Abu ∏Abdallah Ahmad b. Yahya al-Jallaπ 47 543 Epistle 00 Prelims 1 21/12/06 12:25 PM Page vi vi AL-QUSHAYRI’S EPISTLE ON SUFISM Abu Muhammad Ruwaym b. Ahmad 48 Abu ∏Abdallah Muhammad b. al-Fadl al-Balkhi 48 Abu Bakr Ahmad b. Nasr al-Zaqqaq al-Kabir 49 Abu ∏Abdallah ‘Amr b. ∏Uthman al-Makki 50 Samnun b. Hamza 50 Abu ∏Ubayd al-Busri 51 Abu πl-Fawaris Shah b. Shuja∏ al-Kirmani 52 Yusuf b. al-Husayn 52 Abu ∏Abdallah Muhammad b. ∏Ali al-Tirmidhi 52 Abu Bakr Muhammad b. ∏Umar al-Warraq al-Tirmidhi 53 Abu Sa∏id Ahmad b. ∏Isa al-Kharraz 53 Abu ∏Abdallah Muhammad b. Isma∏il al-Maghribi 54 Abu πl-∏Abbas Ahmad b. Muhammad Masruq 54 Abu πl-Hasan ∏Ali b. Sahl al-Isbahani 54 Abu Muhammad Ahmad b. Muhammad b. al-Husayn al-Jurayri 55 Abu πl-∏Abbas Ahmad b. Muhammad b. Sahl b. ∏Ataπ al-Adami 56 Abu Ishaq Ibrahim b. Ahmad al-Khawwas 56 Abu Muhammad ∏Abdallah b. Muhammad al-Kharraz 57 Abu πl-Hasan Bunan b. Muhammad al-Hammal 57 Abu Hamza al-Baghdadi al-Bazzaz 57 Abu Bakr Muhammad b. Musa al-Wasiti 58 Abu πl-Hasan b. al-Saπigh 59 Abu Ishaq Ibrahim b. Dawud al-Raqqi 59 Mimshadh al-Dinawari 59 Khayr al-Nassaj 60 Abu Hamza al-Khurasani 60 Abu Bakr Dulaf b. Jahdar al-Shibli 61 Abu Muhammad ∏Abdallah b. Muhammad al-Murta∏ish 62 Abu ∏Ali Ahmad b. Muhammad al-Rudhbari 62 Abu Muhammad ∏Abdallah b. Munazil 63 Abu ∏Ali Muhammad b. ∏Abd al-Wahhab al-Thaqafi 63 Abu πl-Khayr al-Aqta∏ 64 Abu Bakr Muhammad b. ∏Ali al-Kattani 64 Abu Ya∏qub Ishaq b. Muhammad al-Nahrajuri 64 Abu πl-Hasan ∏Ali b. Muhammad al-Muzayyin 65 Abu ∏Ali b. al-Katib 65 Muzaffar al-Qirmisini 65 Abu Bakr ∏Abdallah b. Tahir al-Abhari 66 Abu πl-Husayn b. Bunan 66 Abu Ishaq Ibrahim b. Shayban al-Qirmisini 66 Abu Bakr al-Husayn b. ∏Ali b. Yazdanyar 67 Abu Sa∏id b. al-A∏rabi 67 Abu ∏Amr Muhammad b. Ibrahim al-Zajjaji al-Naysaburi 67 Abu Muhammad Ja∏far b. Muhammad b. Nusayr 68 Abu πl-∏Abbas al-Sayyari 68 Abu Bakr Muhammad b. Dawud al-Dinawari 68 Abu Muhammad ∏Abdallah b. Muhammad al-Razi 69 543 Epistle 00 Prelims 1 21/12/06 12:25 PM Page vii ABU πL-QASIM AL-QUSHAYRI vii Abu ∏Amr Isma∏il b. Nujayd 69 Abu πl-Hasan ∏Ali b. Ahmad b. Sahl al-Bushanji 69 Abu ∏Abdallah Muhammad b. Khafif al-Shirazi 70 Abu πl-Husayn Bundar b. al-Husayn al-Shirazi 71 Abu Bakr al-Tamastani 71 Abu πl-∏Abbas Ahmad b. Muhammad al-Dinawari 71 Abu ∏Uthman Sa∏id b. Sallam al-Maghribi 72 Abu πl-Qasim Ibrahim b. Muhammad al-Nasrabadhi 72 Abu πl-Hasan ‘Ali b. Ibrahim al-Husri al-Basri 73 Abu ∏Abdallah Ahmad b. ∏Ataπ al-Rudhbari 73 Conclusion 74 Chapter 2 An explanation of the expressions used by this [Sufi] community and of their difficulties 75 The [mystical] moment (waqt) 75 The [mystical] station (maqam) 77 The [mystical] state (hal) 78 Contraction (qabd) and expansion (bast) 79 Awe (hayba) and intimacy (uns) 81 [The states of] ecstatic behavior (tawajud), ecstatic rapture (wajd), and ecstatic finding (wujud) 83 Unification (jam∏) and separation (farq) 87 The unification of unification (jam∏ al-jam∏) 88 Annihilation (fanaπ) and subsistence (baqaπ) [in God] 89 Absence (ghayba) and presence (hudur) 91 Sobriety (sahw) and drunkenness (sukr) 93 Tasting (dhawq) and drinking (shurb) 95 Erasure (mahw) and affirmation (ithbat) 96 Concealment (satr) and [self-]manifestation (tajalli) 96 Presence (muhadara), unveiling (mukashafa) and witnessing (mushahada) 97 Glimmers (lawaπih), dawnings (tawali∏) and flashes (lawami∏) 99 [Unexpected] raids (bawadih) and attacks (hujum) 100 Inconstancy (talwin) and stability (tamkin) 100 Proximity (qurb) and distance (bu∏d) 103 The [Divine] Law (shari∏a) and the True Reality (haqiqa) 105 Breath (nafas) 105 Thoughts (khawatir) 106 Certain knowledge (∏ilm al-yaqin), the essence of certainty (∏ayn al-yaqin) and the truth of certainty (haqq al-yaqin) 107 Occurrence (warid) 108 Witness (shahid) 108 The soul (nafs) 109 The spirit (ruh) 110 The innermost self (sirr) 110 543 Epistle 00 Prelims 1 21/12/06 12:25 PM Page viii viii AL-QUSHAYRI’S EPISTLE ON SUFISM Chapter 3 The [mystical] stations (maqamat) 111 Repentance (tawba) 111 Striving (mujahada) 118 Retreat (khalwa) and seclusion (∏uzla) 122 Fear of God (taqwa) 125 Scrupulousness (wara∏) 129 Renunciation (zuhd) 134 Silence (samt) 138 Fear (khawf) 142 Hope (rajaπ) 148 Sadness (huzn) 155 Hunger (ju∏) and the abandonment of [carnal] desire (shahwa) 157 Humility (khushu∏) and modesty (tawadu∏) 161 Opposing the soul (mukhalafat al-nafs) and remembering its faults (dhikr ∏uyubiha) 167 Envy (hasad) 170 Backbiting (ghiba) 172 Contentment (qana∏a) 175 Trust in God (tawakkul) 178 Gratitude (shukr) 188 Certainty (yaqin) 193 Patience (sabr) 196 Awareness [of God] (muraqaba) 202 Satisfaction (rida) 205 Servanthood (∏ubudiyya) 210 Desire (irada) 213 Uprightness (istiqama) 217 Sincerity (ikhlas) 220 Truthfulness (sidq) 222 Shame (haya) 226 Freedom (hurriyya) 229 Remembrance (dhikr) 232 Chivalry (futuwwa) 237 Spiritual insight (firasa) 242 Moral character (khuluq) 252 Munificence (jud) and generosity (sakhaπ) 257 Jealousy (ghayra) 264 Friendship with God (wilaya) 268 Supplicatory prayer (du∏aπ) 273 Poverty (faqr) 280 Sufism (tasawwuf) 288 Good manners (adab) 292 The rules of travel (safar) 297 Companionship (suhba) 302 The Oneness of God (tawhid) 306 How some Sufis [of old] behaved at the time of their departure from this world (ahwaluhum ∏inda πl-khuruj min al-dunya) 312 543 Epistle 00 Prelims 1 21/12/06 12:25 PM Page ix ABU πL-QASIM AL-QUSHAYRI ix Divine gnosis (al-ma∏rifa [bi-llah]) 319 Love (mahabba) 325 Passionate longing (shawq) 335 On how [God] protects the hearts of Sufi masters and on [the necessity of] not opposing them [in anything they do] 339 Listening to music (sama∏) 342 Miracles of God’s friends (karamat al-awliyaπ) 357 The vision of the Sufis (ruπyat al-qawm) 392 Spiritual advice for Sufi novices (wasaya li πl-muridin) 403 Glossary 417 Bibliography 427 Index of proper names, toponyms, and concepts 429 543 Epistle 00 Prelims 1 21/12/06 12:25 PM Page xvii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I would like to take this opportunity to thank the individuals and institutions who have helped me to realize this translation project. My heartfelt gratitude goes to my colleague Professor Raji Rammuny, who commissioned me to translate al-Qushayri’s masterpiece on behalf of the Center for Research on the Muslim Contribution to Civilization located in the city of Doha, Qatar. My translation has benefited significantly from the comments and corrections of the reviewer, Dr. Muhammad Eissa, whose meticulous attention to detail deserves the highest praise. My English text was carefully proof-read and edited by my research assistant Victoria (Vika) Gardner, an expert on Central Asian Sufism. Vika’s help was absolutely invaluable in improving my English style and rectifying my thinking about Sufism in general and that of al-Qushayri in particular. Last but not least, I would like to thank my wife Anya Knysh for her help in compiling the index and the glossary. I take full responsibility for any mistakes that may have crept into my translation. Alexander Knysh University of Michigan