This is an attempt to translate the text of Ibn Arabi's Al-Salat Al-Akbariah, which presents a summary of his view of Prophet Muhammad peace be upon him, and how that view relates to a view of the spiritual nature of Existence.
Please note that, regarding Sufism, I am an outsider both to Academic communities and Sufi fellowships.
Familiarity with concepts of Aqeedah (Elements of Faith) and Oneness of Being is expected.
Contents:
Introduction
Specific Notes
General Notes
Introduction
(1) This article is not written by an expert
I remember having noted many years back about Sufi texts, that "there are parts, I would just stop at, without a clue on what is being discussed or meant". I had few examples on mind while typing that paragraph, and Al-Salat Al-Akbariah was one of them.
The subject is already deep and intricate and the Sufi style of writing does not make understanding texts like Al-Salat Al-Akbariah easier. In addition to that, Ibn Arabi said "These people [Sufi masters] only mention in their writings some of what they "see" with their inner sight" (Al-Hekam Al-Hatimiah, paragraph no. 51. Full reference in the article on Oneness of Being.). What I understand is that whatever Sufis write is only part of the story. Part of the reason might be that Masters need to know the personal situation of each student (how qualified and spiritually and psychologically ready to receive Sufi teachings), and another part might be that certain levels of awareness can not be expressed about without "making an unavoidable error" as Al-Ghazali said in Al-Munkiz.
(2) The Importance of Al-Salat 'Ala An-Nabi
"Al-Salat" and "Al-Salam" on the Prophet peace be upon him means asking God to send Blessings and Salutations to Prophet Muhammad peace be upon him. It is (a) a form of showing respect, and (b) a form of Zikr, and (c) an important part of a Dua'a or a prayer asking Allah for something.
There are numerous forms of this kind of Salat, main among them is Al-Salat Al-Ibrahimiah, that is recited at the end of every prayer.
The call for each of the five prayers (Athan) involves 'Bearing witness that there is no god but Allah, and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah'. That occurs again toward the end of the prayer (in At-Tashahud), when "Al-Salat 'Ala An-Nabi" is recited, which is considered one of the Arkan or essential parts of a prayer, without which the prayer is incomplete.
Another point, in every prayer, the first Surah in the Quran, Al-Fatiha is recited, in which there are the verses "Thee do we worship, and Thine aid we seek, show us the straight way". The verses are clearly about sayings directed to Allah, Who is constantly present. And in At-Tashahud, there is also "Peace be upon you, O Prophet", it is similar to the kind of saluting a Muslim typically says to someone present.
For Sufis in general, the Presence of God is constant and unmistakable, and so also is the Presence of the Prophet peace be upon him. Sufi Master Abu Al-Abbas Al-Mursi said once: "If I do not see the Prophet [most likely unmistakable awareness of the Presence is meant here] even for a blink of an eye, I would not count myself as a [real] Muslim."
In advanced Sufi texts, such as the one considered in this article, it looks like the presence of the Prophet goes way beyond anything most believers are typically aware of, to being a matter of the structure of Existence (one's own whole being included), involving "levels of manifestation", including the normally seen and sensed level as well as spiritual levels beyond that. Involving, at the same time, different levels of man's awareness.
(3) Similarity to views in other cultures
It seems that, at least some aspects of ideas presented in the text translated in this article, are mentioned in different cultures. Maybe such ideas are not unique to any certain culture in the first place.
There are notes on similarities of some of Ibn Arabi's ideas to some Greek ideas. And there are even notes on similarities to some far eastern ideas too (like the comparative study, titled "Sufism and Taoism" by Dr. Toshihiko Izutus. The Sufism section of the book is mainly based on Al-Qashani's exposition of Ibn Arabi's Al-Fusoos.)
It seems that Ibn Arabi might have an explanation. In Al-Futuhat, he said once : "No investigation of a seeker has ever been out of [towards] God. And it cannot be out." In other words, looking at the spiritual aspect of existence, regardless of the starting point of a spiritual view, it is not possible but to be (maybe at different levels of awareness) feeling/sensing/seeing aspects of the same World. Manners of expressions and interpretations may differ, but they are all about the same thing.
Maybe like the anatomy of man is the same yet differences in descriptions of the organs and their functions can be noticed in different cultures (at leas historically). Ultimately, the structure of existence is the same, and similarities in spiritual views of the same structure need not be unexpected. An attempt to understand and communicate with different views is always something positive and I think it is important especially in this day and age where means of communication and transportation have brought people of different cultures very close to each other in various aspects of modern life.
So, it might not be really surprising to find individuals from different cultures talking about aspects of the same thing, each in a particular individual's (or the culture's) manner of expression, language or selected terminology, etc.
However, there appear to be differences in expressed thoughts. For instance, while the idea of Emanation might sound familiar, there is a clear distinction between Creation and Creator in Islamic thoughts, including the text of Al-Salat Al-Akbariah. Creation 'الحادث' is clearly distinguished from 'القديم' the Ancient (God), and the term 'الحدوث' is again distinguished from 'القدم'. The Kalam term 'حادث' is about Creation coming into existence after being nothing. So, the idea of the "World without beginning" does not seem to be part of Ibn Arabi's beliefs, and that conforms to the position of mainstream Islamic thought.
(4) The controversy over Ibn Arabi's writings in Islamic literature
Islamic opinions about Ibn Arabi's writings vary, widely.
- There is a group of scholars who do not accept any thing with a "Sufi" word in it.
- There is a group of scholars who distinguish between "Sunni Sufism" and "Philosophical Sufism". The first is acceptable to this group and they would mention examples of "Sunni Sufis" like Al-Junaid and Al-Qushairi. As for Philosophical Sufism it is not acceptable, and main among "Philosopher Sufis" would be Ibn Arabi. As I understand, this is the general position of many Kalam scholars. Those who find Ibn Arabi's writings unacceptable either accuse him of Heresy (smaller percentage, as I understand) , or confine their criticism (stating what is consistent with the "Official Sunni" views and what is not) to the written views found in books attributed to Ibn Arabi, while leaving the person alone.
Then there are groups of scholars who do not have a negative view about Ibn Arabi and they are as follows:
- There is a group of scholars who accept Ibn Arabi as a regular Muslim, yet prohibit reading his books. They would normally say something like "Let's think well of the man, and leave him alone".
- There is a group of scholars who defend Ibn Arabi's views and try to explain his writings as either not conflicting or in accordance with mainstream understanding of Islamic concepts. An important writer who tried this approach was Al-Sha'arani. And there are also contemporary writers who try the same.
- The last group of scholars believes that Ibn Arabi was a Saint and his writings are very advanced and definitely not for everyone. To start reading his writings sufficient preparation (especially inner sight development) and supervision from experienced Sufi scholars are needed.
(5) References used in interpreting and translating the text
There is a sort of a dictionary called "Al-Ta'rifat" (literally "The Definitions") written by Ali bin Muhammad Al-Jarjani. It contains definitions and concise descriptions of concepts and terms used by Sufis. It is valuable and saves time.
There were three explanations of Al-Salat Al-Akbariah, one by Sheikh Abdul-Ghani Al-Nabulsi , another by Muhammad bin Sulaiman Al-Halabi, and the third by Muhammad bin Omar Al-Qadiri.
Probably due to the extensive writings of Ibn Arabi, it is interesting to notice that the three explanations sometimes interpret the same phrase in different ways , and sometimes concentrating on different aspects of the same idea.
Oneness of Being is constantly referred to in Al-Nabulsi's explanation. While the other two often offer details, it appears that Al-Nabulsi presumed that the reader is familiar with several Sufi concepts mentioned in the text.
Other references used can be found in the references sections in the articles: Imam Al-Ghazali's Aqeedah (Elements of Faith) and Oneness of Being .
About paragraphs and their notes:
If a paragraph has a note, its number will be underlined. Clicking on the underlined number changes focus to the location of its note under the Specific Notes section. Clicking on the Note number in that section returns focus back to the corresponding paragraph.
Translation of Al-Salat Al-Akbariah
| In the name of God, Most Gracious, Most Merciful | بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم | |
| (1) | O God pour with abundance the bounties of Your Blessings and the purity of Your Salutations | اللهم أفض صلة صلواتك و سلامة تسليماتك |
| (2) | on the first of the designations emanating from Divine Obscurity [Unknowable to man], and [who is] the last descending addition to the human kind | على أول التعينات المفاضة من العماء الرباني و آخر التنزلات المضافة إلى النوع الإنساني |
| (3) | The one migrating from Makkah -"God was and nothing with Him" [Hadeeth] - to Madinah - "and He is now as He was" , | المهاجر من مكة - كان الله ولم يكن معه شيء ثان - إلى مدينة - وهو الآن على ما عليه كان |
| (4) | in whose existence [knowledge of everything in all] the Worlds of the five levels of Divine Presence are taken account of -"and of all things have We taken account in a clear Book (of evidence)" [22:12]- and with mercy he gives all things [with due proportion] what they need/require [particular attributes with which to appear in manifestation], being generous - "We sent thee not, but as a Mercy for all creatures" [17:107] | محصي عوالم الحضرات الإلهية الخمس في وجوده - كل شيء أحصيناه في إمام مبين - و راحم سائلي استعداداتها بنداه وجوده - و ما أرسلناك إلا رحمة للعالمين |
| (5) | The Dot of the [letter Baa, the first letter of] Basmalah that encompasses all that has happened and that happens, and the Dot of the Command roaming the circles of what becomes. | نقطة البسملة الجامعة لما يكون ولما كان ، ونقطة الأمر الجوالة بدوائر الأكوان |
| (6) | The secret of the Divine Identity that flows in every thing, yet distinct from every thing. | سر الهوية التي في كل شيء سارية وعن كل شيء مجردة وعارية |
| (7) | The Keeper of Vaults of Bounties, and the Store [of the bounties], whom Allah entrusted to distribute [according to Allah's Will and Knowledge] on receiving things/creatures [all the attributes needed for things/creatures to appear, in different levels of manifestation] | أمين الله على خزائن الفواضل و مستودعها ، ومقسمها على حسب القوابل و موزعها |
| (8) | The Word of the Greatest Name, and the Opener/Gate of the Secret Treasure | كلمة الإسم الأعظم ، وفاتحة الكنز المطلسم |
| (9) | The Perfect Appearance combining Servitude and Lordship. The comprehensive start of existence combining [attributes of] what is possible to exist [creation] and what is imperative [The exterior aspect of Divine Qualities, the interior aspect of which are imperative and ancient] | المظهر الأتم الجامع بين العبودية والربوبية ، والنشء الأعم الشامل للإمكانية والوجوبية |
| (10) | The high mountain [overseeing everything] that the appearance of assigned attributes [in order for things to come to existence] did not budge [him/mountain] from the constant situation of being fully established. And, the great ocean that the rottenness of Unmindfulness [being overwhelmed by appearances within creation] did not muddy [or affect his/ocean's constant situation of being in] Purity of Certainty. | الطود الأشم الذي لم يزحزحه تجلي التعينات عن مقام التمكين ، والبحر الخضم الذي لم تعكره جيف الغفلات عن صفاء اليقين |
| (11) | The Pen of Light 'writing' with Ink of High Letters, The Breath of the Merciful, flowing with roots of the perfect words | القلم النوراني الجاري بمداد الحروف العاليات ، والنَّفَس الرحماني الساري بمواد الكلمات التامات |
| (12) | The most sacred emanation of the [unknowable] Essence, through which "Blueprints" [of everything.] ["Blueprint" is the word that comes to my mind now. There is probably a better translation] were set, and the sacred emanation of the [Divine] Qualities through which all the worlds and their provisions were formed | الفيض الأقدس الذاتي الذي تعينت به الأعيان واستعداداتها ، والفيض المقدس الصفاتي الذي تكونت به الأكوان واستمداداتها |
| (13) | The place from which the Sun of the Essence comes out in the sky of the Names and Qualities, and the spring from which the light of emanations pour into the garden of relations and accumulations | مطلع شمس الذات في سماء الأسماء والصفات ، ومنبع نور الإفاضات في رياض النسب والإضافات |
| (14) | The line of Unity [Wahdah] between the two half circles of Al-Ahadiah [the unknown Essence] and Al-Wahidiah [where the Divine Qualities and Names appear] , and the Medium of what descends from the [unreachable] Sky of Ancientness to the Land of Eternity | خط الوحدة بين قوسي الأحدية والواحدية ، وواسطة التنزل من سماء الأزلية إلى أرض الأبدية |
| (15) | The smaller Image, from which the bigger Image branched [sprang / emerged / emanated / came into existence] , and the White Pearl that descended to [infused into / took the shape of] the Red Ruby | النسخة الصغرى التي تفرعت عنها الكبرى ، والدرة البيضاء التي تنزلت إلى الياقوتة الحمراء |
| (16) | The Essence of [all] possible events [in existence] that cannot be empty of either Movement or Stillness [or cannot but be in a constant switch between Movement and Stillness], and Substance of the [Divine "spoken"] Word that is without Sounds [or Letters or describable in any physical or material manner] that has emerged from the secret vault of "Be" into the Apparent state [of existence] of "Becomes". | جوهرة الحوادث الإمكانية التي لا تخلو عن الحركة والسكون ، ومادة الكلمة الفهوانية الطالعة من كِنِّ كُنْ إلى شهادة فيكون |
| (17) | The Substance of the Forms that do not appear in one form/shape twice [the same Substance would appear in different forms (however slightly) for different persons at the same time, and differently also for the same person at different times] | هيولى الصور التي لا تتجلى بإحداها مرة لاثنين ولا بصورة منها لأحد مرتين |
| (18) | The Quran [Revealed upon the Prophet PBUH, also a Sufi term for the Divine "Knowledge from Our own Presence" (18:65), it is knowledge of nature of things/blueprints, before the appearance of possible events] of the Gathered State [Al-Jam3, Sufi term that appears to be about the experience of Oneness of Sight or Oneness of Being] that encompasses what cannot come into existence [some kind of information that remains sort of abstract and does not come into "existence"] and the non-existent [things that come into "existence" but that existence is not "real", so they are "really non-existent" according to the concept of Oneness of Being] , and the Furqan [Name of the Quran, it generally means the distinguisher between Truth and False, also a Sufi term denoting the detailed knowledge of particulars in existence] of the Scattered State [Al-Farq, a Sufi term regarding sight of particular events, which is the norm for most people, but Sufis might experience that state along with experiencing the 'Gathered State' at the same time, literally sight of how things are at different levels of normal and mystical awareness] that separates between the Hadith [what came to existence after being nothing, Creation] and the Ancient [Al-Qadeem, beyond time, a description/name of God] | قرآن الجمع الشامل للمتنع والعديم ، وفرقان الفرق الفاصل بين الحادث والقديم |
| (19) | Who fasts the day and stays at night with God [the Prophet was known, on occasions, to fast continuously for many days, but he ordered his companions not to try to do the same, because as he said "I stay the night with God who gives me food and drink", even though he 'appeared' to be with them without having normal food and drink], and who stays the night in prayer even though his eyes are closed and appears to be asleep, yet his Heart [Essence] is never asleep or absent. | صائم نهار إني أبيت عند ربي ، وقائم ليل تنام عيناي ولا ينام قلبي |
| (20) | The medium between Existence and Non-Existence -"He has let free the two bodies of flowing water, meeting together" (55:19)- and the Link between coming to Existence [Hudooth] and Ancientness -"Between them is a Barrier which they do not transgress" (55:20)- | واسطة ما بين الوجود والعدم -مرج البحرين يلتقيان- ورابطة تعلق الحدوث بالقدم -بينهما برزخ لا يبغيان- |
| (21) | The Summary [or final result of a calculation, etc.] of the Book of the First and the Last, and the Center of the Circle of the Most outward and Most inward. | فذلكة دفتر الأول والآخر ، و مركز إحاطة الباطن والظاهر |
| (22) | Your most beloved, through whom You displayed the Beauty of Your Essence on the platform of Your Emanations, and assigned him as the center of Your Intentions in the Worship Place [or the gathering place] of Your Emanations | حبيبك الذي استجليت به جمال ذاتك على منصة تجلياتك ، ونصبته قبلة لتوجهاتك في جامع تجلياتك |
| (23) | and bestowed on him the Robe of the [Divine] Qualities and Names, and crowned him with the Crown of the most grand Vicegerency [the first designation, being the Vicegerent trusted with all of Creation] | و خلعت عليه خلعة الصفات والأسما ، وتوجته بتاج الخلافة العظمى |
| (24) | Whom You took in a night journey, in flesh, while he was awake, from the Haram Mosque [in Makkah] to Al-Aqsa Mosque, Until he ended up "Near the Lote-tree beyond which none may pass" (53:15), then he ascended to "a distance of but two bow-lengths or (even) nearer" (53:9) | وأسريت بجسده يقظة من المسجد الحرام إلى المسجد الأقصى ، حتى انتهى إلى سدرة المنتهى و ترقى إلى قاب قوسين أو أدنىى |
| (25) | His "Heart" was pleased to "see" You where there is no morning or evening , "the heart in no way falsified that which he saw" (53:11) | فانسرّ فؤاده بشهودك حيث لا صباح ولا مسا ، ما كذب الفؤاد ما رأى |
| (26) | and his sight was satisfied for[or to realize that] Your Existence [is] where there is neither something nor nothing, "(His) sight never swerved, nor did it go wrong" (53:17) | و قر بصره بوجودك حيث لا خلاء ولا ملا ما زاغ البصر وما طغى |
| (27) | O God send Blessings on him, in a way that my [end of a] branch [my personal self / my specific image] is linked [so I see and realize the link] to my origin [the Muhammadan Truth] , and my particular being to my wholesome [the Muhammadan Truth] | صلّ اللهم عليه صلاة يصل بها فرعي إلى أصلي و بعضي إلى كلي |
| (28) | so that my essence is united with his Essence, and my qualities with his [Qualities] [Such unity or "return to origin" appears to be considered the ultimate refinement of a human's essence] | لتتحد ذاتي بذاته وصفاتي بصفاته |
| (29) | and I will be delighted by "seeing" him [his Essence] and there is no more [the unreal/imagined] distinction [distance, between me and his Essence] | و تقرّ العين بالعين ويفرّ البين من البين |
| (30) | and [O God] send Salutations to him, in a way that will help me not to fall behind in following him [towards God], and [in way that will help me] stay on the course of his Shari'ah and not swerve. | و سلم عليه سلاما أسلم به في متابعته من التخلف وأسلم في طريق شريعته من التعسف |
| (31) | So, I can [or I am allowed to] open the Door of Your Love for myself using the Key of following him, and [so that] I can "see" You in my senses and parts through the Light of his Shari'ah and obeying him | لافتح باب محبتك إياي بمفتاح متابعته وأشهدك في حواسي وأعضائي من مشكاة شرعه و طاعته |
| (32) | And, [so that] I can enter, after him, to the castle of "There is no god but Allah" and follow his footsteps to the seclusion of "There is a time for me with God" | و أدخل وراءه إلى حصن لا إله إلا الله وفي أثره إلى خلوة لي وقت مع الله |
| (33) | Because he is Your Gate, any seeker of You has to enter through, otherwise all paths and doors will be closed [in the seeker's face] and he will find that he is pushed back to where the animals are. [Man has the choice of being closer to animals or closer to Angels, based on his conduct, character and level of awareness. Details in Hekam Part 3, #47] | إذ هو بابك الذي من لم يقصدك منه سُدّت عليه الطرق والأبواب ، ورُدّ بعصى الطاعة الى اصطبل الدواب |
| (34) | O God, O Lord Whose Veil is nothing but Light, and Him being concealed is nothing but the utmost Prominence, | اللهم يا رب يا من ليس حجابه إلا النور ، ولا خفاؤه إلا شدة الظهور |
| (35) | I ask You by Your state when no conditions are applicable [even 'Absolute' is considered a condition by Sufis], in which You do what you select to do , | أسألك بك في مرتبة إطلاقك عن كل تقييد ، التي تفعل فيها ما تشاء و تريد |
| (36) | and [I ask You] by Your revealing of Your Essence through the Luminous Knowledge, and by Your Appearance through Your Names and Qualities in the existence of Images/Ideas [that are only representing or pointing to the Truth] , | و بكشفك عن ذاتك بالعلم النوري ، وتحولك في صور أسمائك و صفاتك بالوجود الصوري |
| (37) | to bless our Master Muhammad, in a way that would cleanse my inner sight with the Light sprayed in ancientness, so I would witness the non-existence of what has never been [in existence], and the eternal stay of [God] Who has always existed , | أن تصلي على سيدنا محمد صلاة تكحّل بها بصيرتي بالنور المرشوش في الأزل لأشهد فناء ما لم يكن وبقاء ما لم يزل |
| (38) | and see things as they originally are: totally nonexistent, and having never even caught the smell of existence, let alone being existent [37 & 38 appear to be a prayer to be granted to go through the experience of Oneness of Being] | و أرى الأشياء كما هي في أصلها معدومة مفقودة ، وكونها لم تَشَمّ رائحة الوجود فضلا عن كونها موجودة |
| (39) | and O God, by Blessing him [the Prophet], get me out of the darkness of my self-centeredness [strong attachment to "my" needs, "my" thoughts, "my" possessions, etc.] to the Light, and [get me out] of the grave of my corporeality [probably the confinement of consciousness to "personal" and "material" aspects is described as the "grave of corporeality". Might be an indication of the substantial difference between 'normal' level of awareness compared to a level of awareness Sufis often talk about] to the Gathering [Sight of nothing but God] of the day of Judgment [When all creatures are gathered in one place. Each word on its own is clear, but not sure about the link between the two words جمع الحشر ] and to [or: then to] Scattering [Sight of particular beings, but as not having an existence of their own: All attributes seen on creatures are mere reflections of the Divine Names and Qualities] of the day of Resurrection [again not sure how the two words are linked here: فرق النشور ] | و أخرجني اللهم بالصلاة عليه من ظلمة أنانيتي إلى النور ومن قبر جثمانيتي إلى جمع الحشر وفرق النشور |
| (40) | And pour on me from the sky of Your Knowledge of Your Unity what [the kind of knowledge with which] You purify me from the stain of association [with God, of things, others, or ultimately even "believing" that anything exists besides Him] [some words in this paragraph are probably borrowed and hence the paragraph appears to be pointing to verse 9:11] | و أفض علي من سماء توحيدك إياك ما تطهرني به من رجس الشرك والإشراك |
| (41) | And revive me with the First Death and the Second Birth, and give me the Permanent Life on this Perished earthly world ["Having life after being dead" is probably pointing to 7:122] | و أنعشني بالموتة الأولى والولادة الثانية ، وأحييني بالحياة الباقية في هذه الدنيا الفانية |
| (42) | And give me Light whereby I can walk amongst men [also 7:122], and see Your Face whithersoever I turn [1:115] without doubt or confusion, | و أجعل لي نورا أمشي به في الناس و أرى به وجهك أينما تولّيت بدون اشتباه ولا التباس |
| (43) | looking with the two eyes of Gathering and Scattering, distinguishing, with absolute certainty, between what is False and what is True | ناظرا بعيني الجمع والفرق ، فاصلا بحكم القطع بين الباطل والحق |
| (44) | guiding, with Your assistance, to You, and showing the way, with Your Permission, to You | دالا بك عليك وهاديا بإذنك إليك |
| (45) | O The Most Merciful, O The Most Merciful, O The Most Merciful, | يا أرحم الراحمين ، يا أرحم الراحمين ، يا أرحم الراحمين |
| (46) | Bless and Salute our Master Muhammad in a way that You will accept my prayer and fulfill my request, | صلّ و سلم على سيدنا محمد صلاة تتقبل بها دعائي وتحقق بها رجائي |
| (47) | And [bless and salute] his family, those with "sight" and knowledge, and his companions, those with taste and scruple, | و على آله آل الشهود والعرفان وأصحابه أصحاب الذوق والوجدان |
| (48) | [continue blessing and saluting] as long as the day and night continue | ما انتشرت طرة ليل الكيان وأسفرت غرة جبين العيان |
| (49) | Amen, Amen, Amen | آمين آمين آمين |
| (50) | And Peace on the Messengers, And Praise to God, the Lord and Cherisher of the Worlds [23:181-182] | وسلام على المرسلين والحمد لله رب العالمين |
Comments
* A simple form of 'Salat Ala Al-Nabi' starts with asking God to bless and salute the Prophet, then mentioning some of the descriptions or qualities of the Prophet. Sometimes the form includes also a prayer asking God for something.
Al-Salat Al-Akbariah starts with 'O God' , and throughout the text and until the end, even though many descriptions and qualities of the Prophet are mentioned, only God is addressed.
In Paragraph 42 the writer asks God to grant him to "see Your Face [Essence] whithersoever I turn without doubt or confusion", and as Al-Qadiri says its about the critical importance of one's concentration being fixed on God regardless of what awareness levels and experiences he might go through regarding levels of manifestation.
It is easy to notice how one can be distracted by worldly events and material aspects within the normal view of life, and hence might have a weaker ability to concentrate on God. It is interesting to notice how Sufis often warn against getting distracted, when one is actually going through advanced levels of awareness, and not to "get stuck" or "veiled" at any level of manifestation (starting with the normal view of the world everyone is familiar with), and to keep advancing until the final destination of the journey of knowledge is reached.
* Some critics of Sufism notice how Sufis describe the Prophet and appear to have felt that such descriptions were excessive and some of them reached a conclusion that Sufis treat the Prophet as a God or that Sufis worship the Prophet.
Yes, there are descriptions of the Nature of the Prophet that go way beyond the earthly life of a normal human being. However, what appears to me in this text (which is probably about as deep as Sufi concepts can get) is that the sole concentration is constantly on God Almighty, alone.
Bearing witness that "there is no god but Allah" (La Elaha Ella Allah) is not just the beginning of one's faith, it is a constant view of existence starting from the normal view of life and leading right to the ultimate realization. Yet, the first half of Shahadah is always accompanied with the second half which is bearing witness that "Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah" (Muhammadun Rasoolu Allah).
It might be worth noting that the Arabic word "أشهد" means "I bear witness", and that is how it is normally translated in the words of Shahadah, but it also literally means "I clearly see/experience".
* The role of the Prophet peace be upon him have been seen at different levels. Nonbelievers were unable to sense or see the light of the Message and the Messenger. [7:198] "If thou callest them to guidance, they hear not. Thou wilt see them looking at thee, but they see not." When the Prophet talked to them they did not understand or sense the essence of the Message, of what was being said, and when they looked at him peace be upon him, they did not see who he was, as a Prophet and Messenger of God.
As for believers, they recognized that he was a very special human being, receiving revelations and delivering a Message from God and communicating with Angels. Sufis, and especially Ibn Arabi and those who agree with him, see the true nature of the Prophet as the Vicegerent of God on the whole of creation.
Ibn Ajeeba said in 'Al-Futuhat Al-Ilahia' that people are of three categories when it comes to understand and perceive who is Prophet Muhammad (PBUH). The first thinks of the physical human form, and those are people who seek proofs and physical evidence, they are unable to see beyond that level. The second type of people are able to perceive the prophet's Lightened Spirit. The third and most advanced, see The [one and only] Light which is the source of all Lights in creation.
Al-Nabulsi repeated this verse (I don't know the original poet) several times in different books:
هو الرسول إلى كل الخلائق في
كل الدهور ونابت عنه أفواه
It roughly means : "He is the [real and only] Messenger to all created beings in all ages, in whose behalf someone [all previous prophets] always spoke". A statement on how Sufis see "The Light which is the source of all Lights in creation", and there is probably a hint there on why Prophet Muhammad is the "Seal of the Prophets", as the Quran says.
The same point appears to be indicated in a verse in Al-Burdah:
وكلهم من رسول الله ملتمس
غرفا من البحر أو رشفا من الديم
Which might be translated as: "And all of them [previous prophets and people of knowledge in all ages] take from [the only Path/Gate/Source to all Knowledge] him, either like a scoop from the sea or like a sip from a little pond". Probably meaning that whatever is revealed publicly is a very small amount of knowledge. The amount might be different depending on whether the speaker is a prophet or a messenger or a knowledgeable person in some age.
* This article contains information that the reader might be seeing for the first time. It should be noted however, that as far as I can tell about the Sufi view, any description of the Prophet peace be upon him does not change the original form of Shahadah: There is no god but Allah, and Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah. What changes with improvement of one's awareness is the scope and depth of knowledge of the same Shahadah.
* The First Designation - التَعَيُّن الأول
I am not sure how to translate the word 'تعين' . I am using the word "designation" to represent the meaning of 'تعين' in English.
Al-Nabulsi defines that word as "the confirmed, assumed and estimated image".
In his article on Oneness of Being (Edah Al-Maqsood Men Wahdat Al-Wujood) he used the words "assumed" and "estimated" throughout that article. It is like he continued the same theme in his explanation of Al-Salat Al-Akbariah also, but added another word that he is using with the same assertion and repetitiveness, which is "confirmed".
As he indicated, the word comes from [13:39]: "God doth blot out or confirm what He pleaseth: With Him is the Mother of the Book"
Basically, the conventional understanding of the verse is that there are two levels of destined events, in one it is possible (or appears to be possible) for destined events to change. A Hadeeth says something that means "Prayer can change/reverse destiny", it is about this level of revealing destined events. But there is another level of destined events in "the Mother of the Book", unknown to anyone, where things do not change or alter. At the first level, events maybe "blotted out" or "confirmed", unlike the second level where they are always "confirmed".
A side point: as far as I can tell, types of "seeing the future" are confined to the first level of seeing destined events, that's why there are limits to how reliable they can be. Historically, Even highly respected Saints did make "mistakes" in predicting the future. And such incidents were noted repeatedly by critics of Sufism. Defenders pointed out that Sufis are only living in creation with all its limits, and when they "see the future" they probably only see what is at the first level, or the changeable destined events.
Anyway, as I understand Al-Nabulsi's view, there are infinite possibilities of "assumed" and "estimated" "images" that might "emerge", but what is "confirmed" is what eventually "emerges", while what is "blotted out" does not. Then he says, continuing along with the "Oneness of Being" way of looking at existence, that there is nothing really existing [in creation], rather there are only what is assumed, estimated and confirmed. And that description applies to Creation "since" its inception, starting from the "First Designation".
As it appears, Al-Nabulsi's explanation of Al-Salat Al-Akbariah is concretely based on his view of Oneness of Being.
* The Muhammadan Truth - الحقيقة المحمدية
Al-Jarjani defines 'الحقيقة المحمدية' (The Muhammadan Truth) as: "The [Divine Unknowable] Essence with the First Designation", then adds about "the First Designation" that "It is the Most Grand Name [of the Essence]". The name "Muhammad" in Arabic literally means "The Most Praised One". The word 'مع' in the definition can be interpreted to mean 'as', and the phrase would sound like: 'Essence as the First Designation'. however, given the clear distinction between the Creator and Creation, most likely synonymy was not meant. A more likely interpretation of the coupling of 'Essence' with 'First Designation' is probably inferred from the words of the Shahada, where 'Bearing witness that there is no god but Allah' is not enough to establish one's faith, rather that part needs to be coupled with 'Bearing witness that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah'.
I would like to repeat again that in the following paragraphs there will be many names and descriptions of the Prophet that some readers might be seeing for the first time. However, regardless of how those names and descriptions might at first sound or look, as far as I can tell, there is always this clear distinction in Sufi writings (such as the quoted texts above and repeated in many writings that I have seen) between the Essence of God and Creation that includes and starts with "the First Designation". According to Sufis like Al-Nabulsi only God's Existence is Real, while Creation is described as "confirmed, assumed and estimated image".
* The Divine Obscurity - العماء الرباني
The term comes from a Hadeeth, when some of the companions asked the Prophet peace be upon him: Where was our Lord [ربنا] before He created the Heavens and the the Earth? He said: He was in a Mist [عماء]"
As Al-Nabulsi explains, "Mist" is a symbol to Divine Obscurity. Then adds that this Hadeeth is similar to the one about "God was and nothing with Him". And, in both cases, Time related words like "was" do not apply since God is beyond time, so God being in a Mist, and nothing with Him are actually valid right now too. (Details are available in the article on Oneness of Being).
* The Last descending addition to the Human Kind
Several possible explanations were mentioned regarding this phrase, including:
- It is pointing to the Quran being the last of revealed heavenly Message to the Human Kind.
- It is about Prophet Muhammad peace be upon him being the last Prophet and Messenger of God to Mankind.
Splitting known sentences and rearranging the parts is noticeable in Sufi writings, especially writers like Ibn Arabi. It happens several times in this particular text. It is obviously with some meaning, but it is not always clear what it means.
In paragraph 3 the two sentences are:
- "The one migrating from Makkah to Madinah" which is about the earthly event of Prophet Muhammad peace be upon him leaving Makkah to Madinah.
- "God was and nothing with Him, and He is now as He was" which is about God, and specifically about Oneness of Being.
The second example of splitting sentences. The first one is :
"in whose existence the Worlds of the five levels of Divine Presence are taken account of, and with mercy he gives all things [with due proportion] what they need/require"
* The Worlds of the five levels of Divine Presence -
عوالم الحضرات الإلهية الخمس
The translation of the expression might not be the best. The following is an attempt to understand this concept.
"The World" - العالم :
According to Al-Jarjani, the original Arabic word, 'العالم', literally means what identifies or distinguishes a certain thing, by which it is known. And as a Sufi term it means anything other than God, and from the "World" God's Names and Qualities can be known.
Presence - الحضرة :
According to Al-Nabulsi it is the Presence of God "seen through"/beyond all possible Worlds. And one might somehow loose awareness of oneself and the Worlds, and only the Presence of God, through the manifestation of all things, is "seen".
So far, it appears that there are (a) Divine Presence: one, constant, unmistakable, (b) levels of Manifestation or Worlds, and (c) levels of man's awareness about the Worlds and the Presence of God.
It seems that the Presence of God is sensed at different beginning levels of spiritual awareness and "seen" at advanced levels
For Sufis like Al-Nabulsi it looks like transcending all worlds and levels of manifestation and concentrating on the unmistakable Presence of God is a constant theme that underlies his writing.
Information about Worlds/"Levels of manifestation" that Sufis talk about might be the focus of non-Sufis interested to know about the Sufi view of the Worlds. However, it might sound strange, that Al-Nabulsi, while knowing about the World, it is like they do not catch much of his attention, if any at all.
In some Sufi writings when the subject of "The Worlds of the five levels of Divine Presence" is discussed, details about the Worlds are described, but not in this particular book of Al-Nabulsi's. He keeps his sight fixed on God, His Qualities and Oneness of Being.
As I understand, Al-Nabulsi's view of 'الحضرات' (translated above as 'Levels of Divine Presence') is that they are Qualities of Essence or Divine Truths, while the Worlds are nothing but what appears as aspects/reflections without any real existence.
The first is the Quality of Existence, and real existence is only God's existence. What is considered as an existence of the Worlds is a mere appearance (that is not real) of a reflection of the Ancient Existence of God. He cites from the Quran the verses 28:88 and 55:26, using the Sufi interpretation (both verses are explained in detail in the article on Oneness of Being).
The second is the Quality of Knowledge. Here, Al-Nabulsi cites the verses:
- "God knoweth, and ye know not" which is mentioned four times in the Quran including in 2:232
- "The Knowledge is only with God", mentioned twice including in 26:23.
Then he says that whatever knowledge that man acquires is just an appearance or a reflection of the Lord's Knowledge.
The third is the Quality of Life. Here, he cites verse 39:30 :
"Truly thou wilt die (one day), and truly they (too) will die (one day)"
However, unlike what Yusuf Ali's translation suggests, Al-Nabulsi appears to be using the same understanding of verses 28:88 and 55:26 mentioned above. Again the Arabic words can be taken as "dead right now" instead of "will die one day" which is the conventional understanding of the verse. And from this it appears that Al-Nabulsi is sticking to the same line, meaning "there is no real life in creation", the only real Life is God's. What appears as life of created beings is just an unreal appearance or a reflection of the only real Life of God's.
A point that might be worth noting here is that "thou" in the verse refers to Prophet Muhammad peace be upon him. The way Al-Nablusi seems to be dealing with the verse, might bring once again the distinction between Creator and Creation, that includes the First Designation or the First Created Being, described by Sufis as "The Muhammadan Truth". What I understand is that it is a clear and a widely accepted idea in Islamic thought that the Ancient (without beginning or end) is only God and His Qualities.
The fourth Quality is Will. Al-Nabulsi cites verse 76:30 "But ye will not, except as God wills", then says "what a created being wills is what God wills".
Spectrums and Shades
I think the Quality of God's Will might be an interesting starting point in an attempt to understand the Sufi view of how what appears in creation is a "reflection of God's Qualities". The following is only an attempt in this regard.
(a) God's Will
The idea of the Rainbow might be interesting in this regard. There are infinite shades of colors, all existing without any restrictions. The more explored, the more shades appear. To us, it appears without a bottom or a certain limit. yet, we kind of 'know' that, 'somehow', there is a limit, hence probably, expressions like the 'seven colors' of the Rainbow. Ibn Arabi mentions that what appears to us as infinite is not so to God.
(31:11) "Such is the Creation of God; now show Me what is there that others besides Him have created". (27:88) "such is the artistry of God, Who disposes of all things in perfect order".
The Perfection is in the seamless availability of the full breadth of shades to exist.
(15:21) "And there is not a thing but its (sources and) treasures (inexhaustible) are with Us; but We only send down thereof in due and ascertainable measures".
Yet, there is Wisdom in why shades appear in a proportionate way.
(b) Shades and Spectrums
In a sense, maybe everything that appears can be described in terms of shades of spectrums of various qualities. Could it be that "Shades in rainbows" are not confined to what is normally sensed according to the familiar known view?
It seems that everything that exists appears as a sort of a combination of shades of spectrums or qualities. One can pick a sufficiently defined quality and an aspect of shades can be noticed, and maybe even measured. Scientists have this notion of Probability Distribution that looks like it "points" to what might be also sensed as "shades". They see such "probability distributions" every where. They are used in attempts to understand phenomena and to measure how well information about existence is understood, and also used in estimating how well the models and information can explain or predict a future path a phenomenon might take.
When talking about shades and rainbows/spectrums, I guess it is natural to recall that they are only a transformed aspect of pure Light. They are a possible reflection of pure Light. They don't exist on their own.
Anyway, it is just an attempt to relate to what I think Sufis are saying.
Notes about Levels of Divine Presences
- As I understand, the first level of Divine Presence is actually totally unknown (to levels of awareness within creation). The next four might be seen as Levels of Divine Manifestations.
- Going up from the fifth level of awareness, each "upper" level of Manifestation is sort of a Relative Ghayb or 'unknown'/'unrealized' with regards to a lower level of awareness, until the awareness reaches that upper level. Except the first level of Presence, which remains Ghayb Mutlaq or Totally Unknown to any awareness level of man.
- Each lower level of Manifestation sort of 'represents' aspects of the previous upper level of Manifestation.
"Basmalah" is a short word for "بسم الله الرحمن الرحيم" or "In the name of God, Most Gracious, Most Merciful", which is the opening of the Quran and every Surah in the Quran (except Surat Al-Taubah).
"The Dot of the Basmalah" might be understood as being the dot under the letter 'Baa', the first letter of the Basmalah. But such dots were not used in early Arabic writings.
The Dot here, as I understand, points to the 'First Dot' that appeared or the starting Dot from which all "written words" are only the extension. "All words" appear to be pointing to all of creation.
I am not sure how relevant this note is to the original idea expressed by Ibn Arabi in this paragraph.
What I understand is the following: An abstract Plan or a Design of something is not (or is distinct from) the appearing form in which traces or signs of the abstract plan or the design can be detected.
For instance, there is the concept of a Perfect Pure Circle, and there are natural forms and man made forms that are possible reflections of the Perfect Pure Circle. Few points might be worth noting here: (a) There is a clear distinction between the appearing forms and the Perfect Pure Idea. (b) Appearing forms are not perfect. Appearing forms range (covering shades) from crude circles to finer smooth ones probably close to perfection but they do not reach the level of absolute perfection. (c) While the Pure Idea is one, appearing Forms are numerous. (d) Appearing forms come and go, while the Pure Idea is the same.
Unmindfullness vs. Purity of Certainty
It is notable how Sufis keep urging everyone to try to see beyond appearances. It appears that, to them, Clarity of Sight, while probably can be normally noticed at different degrees or corresponding to levels of awareness, ultimately, even if not easily expressible in normal terms, can become pure and concrete, way beyond anything anyone who has not been through that experience can imagine.
The honest hope that someone who has not yet reached such a level and who is trying to understand, might one day reach it and realize it, is clear. And the tone of feeling pity for someone who is resisting any call or even a hint to pay attention to that aspect of existence, is unmistakable.
Can the Sufi's unwavering focus on what is beyond the physical appearance of a human being and his surroundings , be explained?
It is not unusual for a physician to be far more aware about someone's internal organs than that person or the vast majority of people can ever be. A biochemist, maybe in a similar way, is also far more aware about the chemical reactions that might be going on in the same person's body. A physicist's mind might at occasions wander and think about the sub atomic structure of that same person. All are examples of awareness about someone's physical appearance, that most people are not aware of or pay much attention to.
Sufis seem to be interested in what is much deeper, far more subtle, and indeed in getting to the bottom of all appearances (including as a subset, the normal physical appearances), with Purity of Certainty. However, to reach such a goal, the methods prevalent in modern scientific mindset, as important and useful as they are, might not be sufficient or looking in a more helpful direction.
It does not have to be seen as a view of someone looking down on others. Rather it is probably more like a physician who is deeply interested in Music, and he or she simply wears the physician's hat or a musician's hat, as appropriate.
Another analogy. The Ink, here, represents the letters. Just like the seed represents all the qualities of a full grown tree or like the sperm represents the full qualities of a grown human being.
With Ink alone there are no discernable letters. The Pen is what makes letters and words appear, through flowing Ink, bringing letters with 'innate' qualities into existence.
As I understand Al-Nabulsi's comment, the word "medium" here refers to the beginning of existence of all created things. That is how the first designation is seen as the medium or the reason for the rest of existing things to appear.
The Isra and Me'raj was a journey that included moving from Makkah to the Aqsa Mosque then from there to Heaven, and it also includes the prophet's "sight of God".
There were some arguments between scholars regarding whether the whole journey having happened in a special kind of dream or it was a physical one. The majority of scholars agree that it was a physical one.
In paragraphs 24-26 Ibn Arabi talks about this journey. He clearly described the part of the journey from Makkah to the Aqsa Mosque as a physical one. And, it appears that he considered the journey from the Aqsa Mosque to Heaven to have been a physical one too, even though this time he did not use the same words he used to describe the first part of the journey. Then, regarding Sight of God he mentioned the prophet's Heart.
At first look, it is possible to understand his expressions in the three paragraphs to mean that he was talking about a purely physical experience of the whole journey including sight of God. However, Heart is also used by Sufis to mean one's Essence.
The Arabic language is quite rich. The same phrase can easily hold multiple meanings, and probably the better one knows the person saying the phrase the more accurate one's understanding of the phrase. It is possible to read the phrase regarding sight of God as either meaning "His heart was pleased to physically seeing God" or "His heart/essence was calmed/satisfied for sight of God, by the essence." (More on "Sight by Essence" in note #3, here)
The idea of Union with a Higher/Deeper aspect of existence does exist in Sufi writings such as this one. And as it is clear in this phrase, such a union is with the 'First Designation', part of Creation.
