TheFourPillarsofSpiritualTransformation

TheRealGodonlyrevealsHimselftoonewhocannolongerbedescribedornamedatall.

MuhyiddīnIbn‘Arabī

MYSTICALTREATISESOFMUHYIDDINIBN‘ARABI

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CONTENTS

IntroductionThewayoftheLordandthewayofthesoulThewritingoftheHilyatal-abdālThespirituallytransformedsaints(abdāl)TheabdālaccordingtoIbn‘ArabīIbn‘Arabī’smeetingwiththeabdālThetitle:Hilyatal-abdālThestructureoftheHilyatal-abdālThefourpillarsofknowledge

TranslationoftheHilyatal-abdālSilenceSeclusionHungerVigilance

Appendix A: Translation of Chapter 53 from al-Futūhāt al-MakkīyaSeclusionSilenceHungerVigilance

AppendixB:Arabictextsandmanuscripts

Bibliography

Arabictext

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I owe special thanks to all the members and fellows of theMuhyiddinIbn‘ArabiSociety,especiallythoseinvolveddirectlyorindirectlyintheArchivingProject,withoutwhosegeneroussupport thiswould never have been completed. In addition, Iam as ever extremely grateful to the staff in various Turkishmanuscript libraries, in particular the director of the BolgeLibrary in Konya, Bekir Şahin, whose passion for preservingprecious manuscripts and their contents knows no bounds.ThanksalsotoRichardandKarenHolding,MartinNotcuttandDeborah Freeman, who all participated in a dramatic rescuemission,toNermineHannoforinestimablehelpwiththeArabictext, to Suha Taji-Farouki for her insightful comments andsuggestionsonthetextandtranslation,andtoMichaelTiernanforhisunobtrusivelyefficientcopyeditingandtypesettingskills.

INTRODUCTION

ThewayoftheLordandthewayofthesoul

Thewisemakespiritualdiscipline,abandonmentofthisworldandothersuchthingstheprimaryconditionfortheirthoughtstobefreeenoughtoreceivespiritualmatters.Forspiritualthingsdonot

imparttheireffectsunlesstheplace[ofreception]isemptied,madereadyandturnedtowardstheirstandpointofview.ThosewhoknowGodknowthattherelationshipofallthingstoGodis[but]onesinglerelation.ThustheywitnessHimineverythingandnothing

veilsthemfromHim.1

When Ibn ‘Arabī began to devote himself in earnest to thespiritual Way in the year 580/1184, he frequented severaldifferent spiritual masters in Seville. Amongst them were anumber who had been disciples of Ibn Mujāhid,2 one of themost famous Sufis of the day. IbnMujāhid’s creedwas basedupon the following hadīth of the Prophet: “Reckon withyourselvesbeforeyouarebroughttotheReckoning(ontheDayofJudgment).”

Hewouldmakeanoteofallhisthoughts,actions,words,whathehadheardandsimilarthings.Aftertheprayerofnightfallhewouldsecludehimselfinhisroomandgooverallhisactionsofthatday thatdemanded repentanceand repentedof them.Hewould do likewise with all that called for his gratitude. Hewouldthencomparehisactionswithwhatwasrequiredofhimby the Sacred Law. Having done this hewould sleep a little,afterwhichhewouldrisetosayhislitanies(wird)andprayinaccordance with the custom of the Prophet. Thus he wouldsleepandprayalternatelythroughoutthenight.3

AccordingtoIbn‘Arabī,thisshaykhwasoncevisitedbytheAlmohadSultan,AbuYa’qub,whoaskedhimwhetherheeverfelt lonely living on his own.He replied: “IntimacywithGodabolishesallloneliness–howcanIbealonewhenHeisalwayspresent with me?” Ibn ‘Arabī himself followed Ibn Mujāhid’steachings on self-discipline, and states that he benefitedimmenselyfromthosewhohadbeentaughtbyhim.Modern times seem to have little in common with thesimplicity of this kind of medieval world, where extremes ofasceticism were commonly practised. Yet in all true spiritualtraditionsrigorousself-disciplineispartofthetraining,beitbywayofretreats,fastsorotherkindsofabstentions.Thevalueofsuch self-discipline lies solely in it being directed towards anaim:Realityalone,asItisinItself.ItisclearthatinthecaseofIbnMujāhid,forexample,hiswholeapproachwasdictatedbyloveofGod,hisdesiretoconformascloselyaspossibletotheDivineWillandtofollowthemodeloftheProphetMuhammad.InIbn‘Arabī’scase,too,criticalself-examinationwassubsumedwithin complete devotion to, and remembrance of, God. Hisfocuswasalways,unwaveringly,God’sUnityandincessantSelf-Revelation.Likeallgreatmastersofspirituality,Ibn‘ArabīdelineatestwofundamentalandcomplementaryfacetsoftheWay:ontheonehand,thebeliefinandknowledgeofhowthingsareinreality,basedonthepremiseofGod’sUnity,andthewaysthatHehasrevealedHimself from time immemorial – thedestinationandaim; and on the other hand, the practice, the means ofachieving theaim,which starts fromwhere eachperson findsthemselves, ignorantofreality,notyethavingarrived.Writersfrom all traditions have spoken of the myriad pitfalls of thespiritual quest, and have laid out a programme for theirdisciples involving stages and states that must be passedthroughifoneistoreachtherealityoftheDivineBeloved.Ibn‘Arabī’s“spiritualmethod”tendstobebuiltmoreupondialecticandparadox.For example,his attitude is revealed in thewayhespeaksofanencounterwithtwoofhismastersinal-Andalus

duringhisyouth:

Iwasonce inSevillewithmymasterAbual-Abbās al-‘Uryāniandhesaidtome:“Myson,concernyourselfwithyourLord!“I left his house exhilarated, reeling under the effect of theteachinghehadgivenme. I thenwent to seemymasterAbu‘ImrānMūsāb.‘Imrānal-Martulīinhismosque(wherehewasimam),whichwascalledtheMosqueofal-Rida.Igreetedhimand he welcomed me, and then he said: “My son, concernyourselfwithyoursoul(nafs)!”SoIsaidtohim:“Master,youhavetoldmetoconcernmyselfwithmysoul,whileourmasterAhmad [al-‘Uryāni] told me: “Concern yourself with yourLord.” What am I to do?” He replied: “My son, each of usinstructsyouaccordingtotherequirementsofhisownspiritualstate,butwhatthemasterAbual-Abbāshasindicatedtoyouispreferable, andmayGod grant us that!” Then Iwent back toal-‘Uryāni and told him what had happened. He said to me:“Mydearchild,bothpointsofviewarecorrect:Abu‘Imrānhasspoken to you about the beginning and the way to follow(tarīq),whileIhavedrawnyourattentiontothefinalendofthequest(theDivineCompanionwhoisever-present,rafīq),sothatwhenyoufollowthewayyourspiritualaspirationwillberaisedhigherthanthatwhichisotherthanGod.”4

This dual approach is very characteristic of Ibn Arabī’steaching, and he plays with the two rhyming terms SpiritualWay(tarīq)andDivineCompanion(rafīq)toshowthattheyareinextricablylinked.Godissimultaneouslyever-presentandtheend-pointofthespiritualjourney.Eventhoughwemaybefullofinternalchatterandgossip,lostinthecrowdofstates,filledwith insatiablewants, asleep and forgetful of our real nature,there is always the spark of new life from the One “who iscloserto[man]thanhisjugularvein”(Q.50.16).ForIbn‘Arabī,thedesiretoturnawayfromnormalgratificationstowardstheTruth Itself is already a response, becausewe are desired;weonly seekbecauseweare sought.Ashe succinctly exhortshisreaderelsewhere,

Therefore, my brother, follow this Path and say “theCompanion, the Companion”, so that you can join with Himwithout any separation, and separate from Him without anyconnection, andyour shadowswill alwaysbowdown toHim,morningandevening!5

ThewritingoftheHilyatal-abdāl

TheHilyatal-abdālmustrankasoneofthemostpopularshorttreatiseswrittenby Ibn ‘Arabī,asattestedby themanycopiesto be found inmanuscript libraries throughout the world. Itsenduringpopularitymaybedue to thepracticalnatureof thetext,addressing themethodologyof the spiritualPath indeepbutaccessibleterms.Astheauthorexplainsinhisintroductionto the work, it was written in response to a specific requestmade by two of his closest companions, Badr al-Habashī andMuhammad b. Khālid al-Sadafī,while hewas inMecca. Theyhadaskedhim towrite something for them“fromwhich theycould benefit concerning the Path of the hereafter (tarīq al-ākhira)”.TheMeccanperiodof Ibn ‘Arabī’s lifecanbeviewedas the

fulcrumofhis earthlyexistence.Born inMurcia in560/1165,hespentsome36yearsintheMuslimWest,theMaghrib,andanother36yearsintheMuslimEast,theMashriq,withabout3years in Mecca in between. This three-year period bothconnects and differentiates the two halves of Ibn ‘Arabī’s life.TogivesomeideaofhowcataclysmichisMeccanperiodwas,letusrecallhowitwasinMeccathathemettheYouthwithnoname,throughwhosesilentinstructionhebeganthewritingofthe enormous Futūhāt al-Makkīya;6 it was in Mecca that hisstatusasSealofMuhammadianSainthoodwasconfirmed inagloriousvisionoftheProphet;7itwasinMeccathathehadthedreamof the twobricksandhisencounterwith theKa‘ba;8 itwasinMeccathatloveofwomenwasfirstevokedinhisheartby the beautiful Nizām, source of the inspiration for hiswonderfulcollectionofpoems,theTarjumānal-ashwāq;9andit

was inMecca that he first savoured the pleasures ofmarriedlife, marrying and becoming a father.10 His literary outputduring this time was also prodigious: apart from the firstchapters of the Futūhāt, he composed theRūh al-quds (whichincludesstoriesofthesaintlymenandwomenhehadknownintheMaghrib),11 theMishkāt al-anwār (one of the first writtencollectionsofhadīthqudsī),12 theTājal-Rasā’il (a collectionofeightlove-letterstotheKa‘ba)andtheHilyatal-abdāl.The Hilyat al-abdāl was written in the year 599 /January

1203inTā’ifinthespaceofanhour,13whileonavisittothetomboftheProphet’scousin,‘AbdAllahIbn‘Abbās.Ibn‘Abbāsis one of the great figures of early Islam: blessed with aprodigious memory and great insight, he was famed for hisinterpretationof theQuran. Ibn ‘Arabī refers tohimasoneoftheelitegroupofsaintsknownasthesingulars(afrād).HealsoquotesIbn‘Abbās’scommentonaparticularverseintheQuranregarding the seven heavens14: “If I were to explain its truemeaning,youwouldstonemeforbeinganunbeliever”–asweshall see later, the mention of the heavens is not sounconnectedor insignificant in connectionwith theparticularkindofsaintsknownasabdāl(theSubstitutesortheSpirituallyTransformed). Just as Ibn ‘Abbās expounded themeanings ofthe revelation of the Quran, so Ibn ‘Arabī in this treatiseexplainsthemeaningbehindarevelatoryincidentdrawnfromhis own experience. It is therefore fitting that at Ibn Abbās’sresting-place Ibn ‘Arabī shouldhavebeen inspired toexpounduponthespiritualdisciplinethattrulyfreesmanintoadifferentworld,andthosewhoaremastersofit.Inhis introduction IbnArabīexplains the reasonbehindhis

writing of this treatise : “I have written this booklet [formycompanions]andentitledit: ‘TheAdornmentoftheSpirituallyTransformed and those spiritual knowledges and states thatmanifest from it’ (Hilyat al-abdālwamā yazharu ‘anhāmin al-ma‘ārifwaal-ahwāl),thatitmaybeforthemandothersofsomeassistanceuponthePathtotruehappiness.”

TheSpirituallyTransformedSaints(abdāl)

Theabdāl(sing,badal,lit.“substitutes”or“successors”,butcanalso mean “generous” and “noble”) are a special category ofsaint mentioned by the Prophet Muhammad in variousaccounts. Many of these are apparently contradictory. Forexample,Muhammadisreportedtohavesaidthattheabdālinhis community number 30 and are similar to the ProphetAbraham (Ibn Asākir, 1/60–1), while according to anotherreport, which ‘Ali b. Abi Tālib quotes in response to beingurged to curse the people of Syria, “the abdāl are in al-Shām(Greater Syria) and they number 40 men; whenever one ofthemdies,Godsubstituteshimwithanother.BymeansofthemGodbringsdowntherain,givesvictoryovertheirenemies,andaverts punishment from the people of al-Shām” (Ibn Hanbal,1/112;Ibn‘Asākir,1/60).Eventothisdaythereisaspecialsiteassociatedwith theabdāl in Damascus, the so-called “Cave ofthe Forty”, where the replacement of one saint by another isreputedtotakeplace.InSufiliteraturetherearealsomarkeddifferencesintheway

the term isusedandunderstood.Mostauthorsconsider them,onthebasisofahadīth,aspartofthehierarchyofsaints,whosetotalnumbertheytaketobe365(300ontheheartofAdam,40ontheheartofNoahorMoses,7ontheheartofAbraham,5ontheheartofGabriel,3ontheheartofMichaelandfinally1onthe heart of Seraphiel). Ibn ‘Arabī, on the other hand, whileagreeingwiththisperspectivefromonepointofview,addsthatthroughunveilinghehasbeenshownthatthetotalnumberofsaintsis589(allofwhom,apartfromtheMuhammadianSeal,aretobefoundineveryage).15

The early Sufis tended to stress the visible acts which theabdāl performed. Thus, according toAbuTālib al-Makki, theyarecharacterizedbysatisfactionwithGod,compassiontowardsHis creatures, purity of heart and the ability to give wisecounseltothecommunity.16 ‘AbdAllahAnsānstatesthattheyavoidkillinglivingcreaturesandarecapableofmiraculousactsof grace (karāmāt), without falling prey to self-deception or

pride.17

TheabdālaccordingtoIbn‘Arabī

InIbn ‘Arabī’swritingstherearemanydifferentkindsofsaint((walī). What they all have in common is the fact that they“have been taken charge of (tawallā) by God, by His helpingthem in their struggles against the four enemies: the passions(hawā), the self (nafs), the world (dunyā) and the devil(shaytān); and the knowledge of these pillars (arkān) is theknowledgespokenofbyal-Muhasibī”.18

Ibn‘Arabīprovidesuswithamuchmoredetailedpictureofthe abdāl, their place within the saintly hierarchy, theirfunctionsandtheirrelationshiptotheDivineNames.Hetellsusthere are seven abdāl at any one time.19 They are under thejurisdiction of the Pole (qutb), and have the power to breakthroughthenormalboundsof timeandspacebyappearingintwo places simultaneously. At the same time the term cansometimesbeusedtorefertotheelitegroupofsaints:thePole,the two Imams and the four Supports (awtād), althoughmorecommonlyheuses it todesignatea further category since theSupports are made up of the Pole and the two Imams (seebelowonletters).He relates the seven abdāl to other sevens. Firstly, each is

responsible for adifferent “clime” (iqlīm) or terrestrial region.Theideaof“clime”wasinheritedfromtheGreektradition(Gk,κλίμα),andwasusedtodescribeazoneextendinginlongitudefrom one edge of the inhabited world to the other, situatedbetween two linesof latitude.Traditionally thereweresaid tobeseven(althoughsomeArabwritersincreasedtheseto14or16), and each zonewas also conceived of as being under therulershipofoneofthesevenknownplanetarybodies.Each of the abdāl therefore derives his terrestrial

responsibilityfromwalkinginthefootstepsofaprophet,notasa temporal figure but as the spiritual reality who hasjurisdiction over one of the seven planetary heavens. Just as

eachclimeisunderaparticularplanet,soeachbadal isunderthepropheticrealityofaparticularheaven.Thesearethesevenheavens of the ascension (mi’rāj), upon which the ProphetMuhammadwas taken by Gabriel andwhich is accomplishedspirituallybyhisheirs.20Wemaysummarizehisexpositioninthefollowingtable:

Healsomentions that John theBaptist (Yahyā)participatesintwooftheseheavens,alternatingbetweenAaronandJesus.To the hearts of the seven abdāl are revealed some of therealitiesoftheseprophetsandthesecretsandmysteriesoftheirplanetaryspheres.21

Inaddition,eachbadal isattachedasservanttoaparticularDivine Name, through which God observes the person andwhichisdominantoverthem.TheseNames,whichareknownasthesevenDivineAttributes,thefundamentalprinciplesofallmanifestation,governtheabdālsothateachbadalisknownas:1.‘Abdal-Hayy(Living)2.‘Abdal-‘Alīm(Knowing)3.‘Abdal-Murīd/Wadud(Desiring/Ever-Loving)22

4.‘Abdal-Qādir(Powerful/Able)23

5.‘Abdal-Shakur(Grateful)24

6.‘Abdal-Samī’(Hearing)7.‘Abdal-Basīr(Seeing)Although Ibn ‘Arabī does not specify which Name belongs to

whichbadal, leavinghisschemasomewhatopentotheinsightof his readers, elsewhere in the Futūhāt he correlates theseDivine Names to specific days of the week, and thereforeimplicitlytothepropheticrealitieswhorulethemandtheabdālwhorepresentthem.HestatesthatthemovementofeachdaycomesfromoneoftheDivineAttributes,asfollows:•Sunday(dayofEnoch/Idrīs):Hearing,sincethereisnothingintheworldthatdoesnotheartheDivineCommand‘Be’(kun)inthestateofitsnon-existence

•Monday(dayofAdam):Life,asthereisnopartoftheworldthatisnotalive

•Tuesday(dayofAaron):Seeing,sinceeverythingwitnessesitsCreator

• Wednesday (day of Jesus): Will, as all things endeavour toglorifytheOnewhogavethemexistence

• Thursday (day of Moses): Power, since there is nothing inexistencethatisnotabletorepeatthepraises(thanā’)oftheCreator

•Friday(dayofJoseph):Knowledge,asthereisnopartoftheworld that does not know its Creator by virtue of its ownself

• Saturday (day of Abraham): Speaking, since all things arespeakinginpraise(hamd)oftheirCreator

Wemayalsonoteherethatthese‘days’representtheorderofcreationasexperiencedbyeachcreature,fromthestateofnon-existencetothestateofworldlyexistence.25

Furthermore, he records elsewhere26 that each badalpossessesaversefromtheQuranwhichfunctionsashissacredprivilege or contemplativemode of being (hijjīr) and spiritualstation(maqām).Thesesevenverses,whichindicatesuccessivedegreesofcontemplationandrealization,summarizethestagesinthecoming-into-beingofthefullyHumanBeing(insān):1.“ThereisnothinglikeHisLikeness”(Q.42.11)2. “The seaswould run out before theWords ofmy Lord are

exhausted”(Q.18.109)3. “[in the earth are Signs for those of sure faith] andwithinyourselves,doyouthennotsee?”(Q.51.21)

4.“OwouldthatIweredust!”(Q.78.40)5.“Questionthepeopleofremembranceifitshouldbethatyoudonotknow”(Q.16.43)

6.“IcommitmyaffairtoGod”(Q.40.44)7.“Weofferedthetrust[totheheavensandtheearthandthemountains,buttheyrefusedtocarryitandwereafraidofit;andmancarriedit]”(Q.33.72)

Onlywith the realization of the seventh degree of theDivine“trust” (amāna) is the real rank of Adamic Man reached, inwhich thehumanbeingcan trulybe said tobecreated in theDivineimage.Inyetanothermodeofexpressingthissevenfoldmystery,IbnArabī describes seven of the letters of the Arabic alphabet asthe equivalent of the abdāl. As Denis Gril has remarked, “theletters, likeMan, receive the Divine Discourse. They are thuscapable of expressing all realities (haqā’iq), especially thoserealitiesthatmakeupthehumanworld.TheirorderfollowsahierarchysimilartothatoftheInitiates.”27ThusthealifstandsforthePole(qutb),thewāwandyā’forthetwoImams,thenunfor the fourth Support (watad), and these four letters plus tā’,kāfandhā’equatetothesevenabdāl.Thefirstthreelettersandtheirvowelequivalents(a,uandi)withthenunarethesignsofArabic syntax, with all its movements through case endings,conjugation and number. The final three letters specificallyrepresenttheverb’spronominalsuffixes,i.e.thesubstitutionofonepersonforanother(I,you,he/she):forIbn‘Arabīthesearenot simply different persons as such, but rather the variousaspectsofoneperson seen fromdifferentpointsof view.Thishelps to explain the essential principle of inter changeabilityamongthehumanabdāl.Ibn‘Arabīsaysthatthereasontheabdālareknownassuchisduetotheirpeculiarabilitytoappearintwoplacesatoneand

thesametime,leavinga“substitute”(badal)intheirownhousewho interacts with others as necessary, without those peopleeverknowing that it isnot theactualpersonhimself theyaretalking to.Hederives thismeaning fromthe rootof theword(b-d-l,“tochangethesemblanceofsomething”or“tosubstituteonethingforanother”),andseemstohaveinmindsomeofitsQuranicassociations: for example, “Godwill change their evildeedsby substituting for themgooddeeds” (Q.25.70).But forhim this is not simply a linguistic fancy in its application tohuman substitution, but a matter of actual direct experience,bothforhimselfandotherpeoplethatheknew.

Ibn‘Arabī’smeetingswiththeabdal

While in Mecca he had a dramatic meeting with a group ofunnamed saints whom he simply refers to as “the SevenPersons”:

ImetthemataspotbetweenthewalloftheHanbalitesandthebenchofZamzam.TheyweretrulytheelectofGod.Theyneverblinked their eyes at all, being under the dominion of holyTranquillityandAwe.WhenImetthem,theywereinastateofpurecontemplation, sonowordpassedbetweenmeandthemon any matter of knowledge, but I saw in them an almostunimaginablecalmandrepose.”28

Elsewhereheidentifiesthemastheabdālwhoarementionedinthis treatise, saying: “We saw these sevenabdāl inMecca:wecameacrossthembehindthewalloftheHanbalites,andjoinedthem there – I have never seen anyone with more beautifulqualities than them.”29Although he does not specify exactlywhen thismeeting tookplace, itmaywell have occurred justbeforeorafterthewritingofthistreatiseontheabdāl.He also relates howhe himselfmet one of theabdāl calledMūsā Abu ‘Imrān al-Sadrāni in 586/1189 in a remarkableencounter that broke the rules of normal space, allowingapparently instantaneous translocation: he had just performed

the sunset prayer at his house in Seville, and suddenlyconceivedanextremelystrongdesiretoseethegreatMaghribimaster AbuMadyan,who lived in Bijāya (inmodernAlgeria,some45days’journeyaway).

After the sunset prayer I performed two cycles of thesupererogatoryprayer, andas Iwas saying the ritual greeting(taslīm),Abu ‘Imrān came in and greetedme. I sat himdownnexttomeandenquiredwherehehadcomefrom,towhichherepliedthathehadcomefromAbuMadyanatBijāya.Uponmyaskinghimwhenhehadbeenwithhim,herepliedthathehadonly just finishedpraying thesunsetprayerwithhim.Hetoldme that Abu Madyan had said to him, “Certain things haveoccurred to themindofMuhammadb. al-‘Arabī inSeville, sogoatonceandanswerhimonmybehalf.”30

Apart from his own personalmeetingswith such saints, healso relates three incidents regarding other people that hepersonally knew and one of the abdāl: one as part of thistreatise, which involved one of his companions in al-Andalus(seebelow,pp.31–2,43),andtwiceinhisFutūhāt.TheFutūhātmeetingsshedfurtherlightontheelevateddegreeofthesemenofGod,whoexhibitapparentlymiraculouspowers:

I once met one of the wandering pilgrims on the sea-coastbetweenMarsāLaqītandthelight-house[nearTunis].Hetoldmethatonthesamespothehadcomeacrossoneoftheabdālwalkinguponthewavesofthesea.Hesaid:“Igreetedhimandhereturnedmygreeting.Thiswasatimeofgreatinjusticeandoppressioninthecountry,soIaskedhimwhathethoughtofallthe terrible things that were happening in the country. Heglaredatmeangrilyandsaid:‘WhatisthattoyouortoGod’sservants?Don’tspeakofanythingbutthatwhichisgood!MayGodgrantyouhelpandacceptyourapologyforthis.’”31

In Chapter 8 of his Futūhāt, Ibn ‘Arabī recounts a taleinvolvingoneofhis“eastern”companionsandfriends,Awhad

al-dīnHamidb.Abīal-Fakhral-Kirmanī.ThisstoryseemstobetheexperientialconfirmationofIbn‘Arabī’sdoctrineofhuman“substitution”.Whenhewasayoungman,al-Kirmanihadbeenin the service of a shaykh who had fallen ill. On arriving inTikrit(inmodernIraq),heaskedpermissionfromhismastertogoandgetsomemedicineforhimfromtheheadoftheSanjarhospital who happened to be there. With his shaykh’sauthorizationhewentatnighttotheofficial’stent,whichwasfullofpeople:onseeinghim,thehospitalheadgotuptomeethim, even though apparently he was unknown to him, andaskedtheyoungmanwhathewanted.Whenheheardthenewsofal-Kirmani’smaster,theofficialhadthemedicinebroughtforhim and accompanied him outside the tent, with a candle.Whentheyoungmangotbacktohisshaykh,herecountedtheremarkablykindreceptionhehadreceivedfromthisdignitary,atwhichhismastersmiledandsaid:

My dear child, I was inspired bymy concern for you. Seeinghowsorryyouwere forme, I letyoudowhatyouasked.Butwhen youwere gone, Iwas afraid that the amir32would putyoutoshamebyrefusingtoreceiveyou.SoIseparatedmyselffrommy own corporeal habitation (haykal); I entered that oftheamirandsatdowninhisplace.Whenyouarrived,itwasIwhogreetedyouandbehavedtowardsyouasyousaw.ThenIreturnedtothishabitationofmine.Asamatteroffact,Idon’tneedthisdrugandhavenouseforit.33

Ibn‘Arabīadds:“Sothispersonhadmanifestedintheformofsomeoneelse.”Bearing in mind the exalted degree of sainthood which ismanifested in these “Substitutes”, this book of the Hilyat al-abdāl focuses more on how they attain to their specialtransformed state. The abdāl, for Ibn ‘Arabī, is a codedreference topeoplewhohavegone farbeyondtheconfinesofearthly existence, who have realized the spiritual and divinedimension of their being, whose spiritual ascension hastransformedthem.Theynotonlyrepresenttheaccomplishment

oftheascension,thefactthatitcanbedone;theyarealsotheembodiment of this possibility inherent in any human being.Therefore how they achieve this condition is of paramountimportancetoothers.

Thetitle:Hilyatal-abdāl

AnyonefamiliarwithArabichagiographywillimmediatelyfindan echo of the title of the voluminous work by Ibn Arabī’spredecessor,AbuNu’aymal-Isfahānī (d.430/1038), theHilyatal-awliyā’(“TheAdornmentoftheFriendsofGod”).GiventhatAbuNu’aym’sworkaboundswithtalesofsaints fromthefirsttwocenturiesof Islam,onemightbedisappointedtofindthatthistreatisebyIbnArabīcontainsnosuchstoriesofsaintlymenandwomen,apartfromabriefbiographicalanecdoteregardingafriendinal-Andalus,whichactsashiscontemplativestarting-point.Thetexthereisdesigned,rather,togivedirectpracticaladvicetothosestrivingonthespiritualPath.TheoriginalmeaningofHilyat (adornment)canbefoundintheQuran,inrelationtotheDivinegift:“Heitiswhohasmadesubservient thesea, thatyoumighteat from it fresh foodandtake from it ornaments (Hilyat) to wear.”34 However, whenapplied to the human being, the term came to signify thequalities,conditionorappearanceoftheperson.Itparticularlyreferstotheexteriororvisiblequalitiesofaman(incontrasttotheornamentationandjewellerythatembellishesawoman).Itis related etymologically to the word tahallī (having thequalities of), a term which is very specific in Ibn ‘Arabī’sterminology:

It is being qualified by the Divine characteristics, which isexpressedinthespiritualPathasbeingendowedwiththetraits(takhalluq)oftheNames.Accordingtous, tahallī isalwaystheappearance of the characteristics of true servanthood to God(‘ubūda),despitebeingendowedwiththetraitsofthe[Divine]Names … The qualification of the servant with the

characteristicsoftrueservanthoodispartofhisbeingqualifiedwith the Divine characteristics, but most people do notunderstandthis.35

ThusforIbn‘Arabītheemphasisshouldbeupontheperfectbalance between the human as “servant”, as a pure place ofreception for theDivine that actswithinhim, and thehumanrealityasimageofGod.Justastheimageinthemirrorreflectsthe onlooker but has no reality of its own, so nothing reallybelongs to the pure servant who is the place of God’smanifestation:heisemptyofself-existence,qualityoract,thusallowing the completeDivine Image,which is the total of theDivineNames, tomanifest throughhim.Heknowshimself,asthis treatise mentions, to be “one who can no longer bedescribedornamedatall”.ThefocusoftheHilyatal-abdāl,asIbn‘Arabīmakesclear,ison how the abdāl become abdāl, or the spiritual deeds thatadorn them. In otherwords, it concerns the prerequisites andvisiblequalitiesforthisconditionof“emptiness”.Inthissenseit is an intensely practicalwork, and onewhich should be ofvaluetoanyonewithspiritualaspirations.

ThestructureoftheHilyatal-abdāl

In conformity to the notion of seven abdāl, there are sevensectionsdelineatedinthework.1. In the first, which mentions the writing of the text inresponsetotherequestofhistwocompanions,Badral-HabashīandMuhammadal-Sadafī,Ibn‘Arabīalludestothecontentsbystating that this is “a chapter that brings together the variousformsofspiritualdesire(irāda)”.ForIbn‘Arabītheterm irādasignifies a yearning in the heart, which he distinguisheselsewhereintwoways:anaturalyearningwhichincludessomekindof self-gratification;and thedesire for theReal,which isfoundedonunconditionedpurity(ikhlās).36Itisthislatterkindwhichformsthesubject-matterofthetreatise.

2. The second section then describes “the various forms ofspiritual desire”,which constitute four basic conditions of thespiritual life : renunciation (giving up the pleasures of thisworldfortherecompenseofthenext);trust(handingoverone’saffairs and choice to the Lord); aspiration (for states ofcloseness to God); andworship (devoting oneself to Him andstriving).Yetinallthesecasesthereisstilltheillusionofself-existence: “the renunciate”, he says, “abandons the world inorder to be recompensed … the worshipper strives hardbecausehelongsforcloseness”andsoon.Eachoftheseaspectsdemonstrates the taint of an individual self-willed choice,inevitablyatvariancewith the sheerDivinepurity,which theProphetMuhammadreferredtoas“GodisandthereisnotwithHima thing”.These four typesare summarizedas “aspirants”(murīdūn),andformthefirstgroupofpeopledescribedinthistreatise.Beyond these, he describes two other categories,where thehumanhasbeencompletelytakenoutofhisownactionorwill.These are described as the people of the letter Bā’ and thepeople of the letter Lam: the first Ibn ‘Arabī calls people ofwisdomandgnosis,whoknowthatGodisthetonguebywhichtheypraiseHim, thehandwithwhich they take and so on;37the second are people of authority and true knowledge, whoknow that God praises Himself by their tongue, that GodHimself takes with their hand and so on. Unlike others whobelieve that they praise God by their own selves, both thesegroupshave realized servanthood, theirutter indigencebeforeGod, but it is only the second, the people of Lam, who havepenetratedtothefullestconditionofrealization–fortheyhaverelinquished the illusion of possessing not just their qualitiesandpowersbuteventheirveryselfhood.Theyknowwhoandwhat they truly are. Both groups are known as “verifiers”(muhaqqiqūn),thosewhohaverealizedtheinteriormeaningofthings, people of the inner heart, and they form the secondgroupreferredtointhetreatise.This section is completed by a four-line poem, hinting that

thetreatisewascomposedinavisionofclearinsight(bayyina)andaDivine“Address”(khitāb).3. InthethirdsectionIbn ‘Arabīrecountsanepisodefromhisyouthinal-Andalus,whereoneofhiscompanionsencounteredone of the abdāl. During their rather shockingmeeting in hishouse, Ibn ‘Arabī’s friend, ‘Abdal-Majīdb.Salama, is inspiredtoaskhowtheabdālbecomeabdāl,andistoldthatitisthroughfourthings:silence,seclusion,hungerandvigilance.Thesefourare then described in the remaining sections of the treatise,whichendswithapoemofexhortationtoonewhodesires“thespiritualabodesoftheSubstitutes”.Thusapersonalanecdoteisgivenuniversalsignificance.

Thefourpillarsofknowledge

Ibn‘Arabīdescribessilence,seclusion,hungerandvigilanceasthe four pillars of spiritual knowledge (arkān al-marifā). Indescribing them as “pillars”, Ibn ‘Arabī is implying a directequivalent or correspondence to the fivePillars of the Islamicreligion(arkānal-islām), that is, thepracticesof thetestimonyof faith (shahāda), ritual prayer (salāt), alms-giving (zakāt),fasting (sawm) and pilgrimage (hajj), the first equating tospiritualknowledge(ma‘rifa).Itisalsoincorrespondencewithhisnotionof“thepillarsof the religion” (arkānal-dīn),whichhe mentions as faith (Imān), sainthood (wilāya), prophethood(nubuwwa)andenvoyship(risāla).ThesamefourprinciplesaretreatedatgreaterlengthandfromdifferentperspectivesintheFutūhāt.38We have also provided a translation of Chapter 53(AppendixA),whereIbn‘Arabīdiscusseswhatcanbedonebyanaspirantprior to findinga truespiritualmaster,andwherehe also recounts the story of his Andalusian friend. This textprovides an interesting complement to the Hilyat al-abdāl,treating the same themes in the context of nine spiritualprinciples.Hementionsthese fourassomeof thethingstobepractised so that one “becomes firmly established in theaffirmation/realizationofUnity(tawhid)”.Hedescribes twoas

actions of commission (hunger and seclusion) and two asactions of omission (vigilance and silence), and as in thistreatise, points out that “hunger includes vigilance, andseclusion includes silence”. Interestingly, he specifies thataccording to the people of God, seclusion is the “chief of thefour”.Other chapters in the Futūhāt provide more detail on theindividual principles. Chapter 80, for example, discusses thenature of seclusion, stressing the internal meaning andthereforemoreuniversalnatureoftheprinciple.

Noneisinseclusionexceptonewhoknowshimself,andhewhoknows himself knows his Lord. He has no object ofcontemplation except God, by virtue of His Most BeautifulNames,andheischaracterizedbytheminbothhisinteriorandexterior.39

Referring particularly to Divine Names that can have anegativeconnotation,e.g. theProud (mutakabbir)and theOnewhoenforcesorcompels(jabbār),“hesecludeshimselffromthelikeness of these Divine Names due to what they contain interms of negative attribute if someone is named by them ormanifestswiththeirpropertiesintheworld.Man’srealityistobe totally indigent, and one who is indigent cannot be self-importantorproud.”40

YetfurtherthanthisistheonewhosecludeshimselffromalltheDivineNames,sincetheybelongtoGodalone.Eventhoughhe may be dressed in the likeness of all the Names, yet hepreferstorestinpovertyandindigence.Suchaonereturnstohis native land, which is absolute servanthood, and this Ibn‘ArabīconsiderstobetherealplaceofMan.Hecontinues:

The servant returns to his own special quality,which is utterservanthood (‘ubūdd) inwhichLordshipdoesnotcompete.Heisadorned(tahalla)bythat,seatedinthehouseofhispotentialreality, not his existence in Being.41 He observes thedispensation of God within him, and he is secluded from

spiritualdirectorship(tadbīr)inthat.

Hereagainonemaynotehowhemakesapassingreferenceto what really constitutes the description of servanthood, i.e.adornment (tahallī) – the use of such quite deliberateterminologyprovideslinksbetweenapparentlydisparatetexts.In theHilyat al-abdāl Ibn ‘Arabī presents his teachings in amostsuccinctway.Describingthefourpillarsorrulesintermsof how they are understood by the aspirant (murīd) and theverifier(muhaqqiq),hespeaksofthemasaspiritualstate(hāl)and a spiritual station (maqām) and as bearing fruit in aparticular domain of spiritual knowledge (ma‘rifa). We maytabulatehisexpositioninthediagrambelow.42

Were we to take them simply at face value, as practices,“things tobedone”,wewouldclearlymiss theessentialpointwhichIbn ‘Arabī ismaking.All that isphysicalhas its root inthatwhichisspiritual:allourpracticeispreparation,tobringus to a point where one allows the acknowledgement of theDivine in all His fundamental and rightful height and glory,remaining in pure servanthood while He remains in fullsovereignty.Whatisabsolutelyremarkableaboutthismasterworkishowprecise and all-encompassing Ibn Arabī’s descriptions ofspiritualpracticeare:hegivesus, inthespaceofafewpages,enough material to contemplate and act on for a lifetime.Whateverformsofspiritualpracticewemaycomeacross,theyareformsoreffectsofthesefour,iftheyhaverealvalidity,andeveryspiritualtraditionknowsoftheirefficacy.

Finally, it is worth noting that the number four plays asignificantroleinIbn‘Arabī’sthought.Elsewherehereferstoitasthemostperfectnumber,43andassociatesitwiththeearthly,receptive principle (as opposed to the heavenly, activeprinciple): for example, the four sub-lunar spheres, the fourqualitiesofUniversalNatureorthefourcategoriesofexistence.In theHilyatal-abdāl the fourpillarsorexteriorprinciplesaretheprerequisitesforspiritualascension.Thepillarscorrespond,then, in a certain sense, to the isrā, the overland nocturnaljourneyfromMeccatoJerusalemaccomplishedbytheProphetprior to his ascension into heaven (mi‘raj), an Abrahamicspiritual journey from the “place of Ishmael” to the “place ofIsaac”, a purification process that takes the seeker to a placebeyond the four exterior dimensions. Only through theaccomplishmentofthesefour,saysIbn‘Arabī,willtherealityoftheabdālbeknown, the seven representativesofHeavenwhoare described in the final poem as “those of pure virtue andnobleeminence”.

1.K. al-Wasā’il al-sā’il, the words of Ibn ‘Arabī according to his closedisciple,IbnSawdakīn,p.22.2. He died in 1178, when Ibn ‘Arabī was only 13, and so it is quitepossiblethattheyhardlyevermetinperson.3.Austin,SufisofAndalusia,p.146,fromtheDurratal-Fākhira(MS.EsadEf.1777).4.The Brilliant Star in the life of Dhu’l-Nun the Egyptian (al-Kawkab al-durrīfī manāqib Dhī’1-Nūn al-Misri), translated into French by RogerDeladrièreasLaViemerveilleusedeDhūl-Nūnl’Egyptien,p.161.5.TheFabulousGryphon (‘Anqā’Mughrib), translatedbyGeraldElmoreasIslamicSainthoodintheFullnessofTime,p.255.6.Seeal-Futūhātal-Makkīya,1.47ff.,translatedinHirtenstein,UnlimitedMercifier,p.151.7.ItappearsinthePrefacetotheFutūhātitself(Fut.I.3).SeeHirtenstein,UnlimitedMercifier,pp.152–3.8.Fut.I.319,andHirtenstein,UnlimitedMercifier,p.154.9.SeeTarjumānal-ashwāq(translatedbyReynoldNicholson),p.14,andHirtenstein,UnlimitedMercifier,p.148.10.His firstwifewas Fātimab.Yūnus, and their first sonMuhammad‘ImâduddīnwasalmostcertainlyborninMecca.Seeibid.,p.150.11.TheautobiographicalsectionhasbeentranslatedbyRalphAustininSufisofAndalusia.12. Translated as Divine Sayings by Stephen Hirtenstein and MartinNotcutt.13.ThetimingisspecifiedinhisFihrist(MS.YusufAğa7838,fol.190b).Tā’ifisacitysometwodays’journeyfromMecca,knownasthegardenoftheHijazbecauseofitsgoodclimateandgreenfields.14. “Hewho created the seven heavens and likewise of the earth,Hisorder descends amongst them” (Q.65.12), quoted in Ibn ‘Arabī’sK. al-Fanā’ fī al-mushāhada, translated by Stephen Hirtenstein and LaylaShamash.15.Forfurtherdetails,seeChodkiewicz,SealoftheSaints,pp.53ff.,andFut.II.40–1.

16.SeeQūtal-qulūb,2/78.17.SeeTabaqātal-sūfīya,pp.415,513and611.18.Fut.II.53.AbuAbdAllah al-Hārith al-Muhasibī (d. 243/857)was afamous Shafi‘i jurist and theologian in Baghdad, renowned for hismysticalwritingsandas the teacherof Junayd.Hewasnicknamedal-Muhasibīafterhisscrupulouspracticeof introspectiveself-examination(muhāsaba).HismostinfluentialworkwasKitābal-Ri‘āyali-huqūqAllah(The Book of Observance concerning the Rights of God). Ibn ArabicommentedonhisSharhal-ma‘rifa in frontof agreat spiritualmaster,IbnJa‘dūnofFez(seeAustin,SufisofAndalusia,p.115).19.Laterheappearstocontradictthisbysayingtherearealso40or12(also callednuqabā’),but thismaybeadevice toprevent themindofthereaderfromfixingthesaintlyhierarchyintosomesortofintellectualsystem–seeFut.II.5–16.20.TheascensionthemeisacentralonewhichIbn‘Arabītreatsinmanydifferentways:notably,theK.al-Isrā’,wherehedescribeshisowngreatascension in highly poetic and allusive terms, the R. al-Anwar andChapters167and367intheFutūhāt.21.Forfurtherdetailsoftheseandothercorrespondences,seeTheSevenDaysof theHeart, a translationof Ibn ‘Arabī’sAwrādbyPabloBeneitoandStephenHirtenstein,pp.11–15andAppendixA.22.TheNameMurīdisspecifiedinthefirstversionoftheFutūhāt,whilethesecondversiongivestheNameWadūdhere,referringspecificallytothequalityofLovethatpervadescreationandthusthecreature.Whileitis identical to theoriginalDivineDesire tobeknown,nonetheless theservantwhoisunderthisqualityismorelinkedtoitsexpressionintheworldasLove.23. The author says that the first four Names (Hayy,‘Alīm, Murīd andQādir) are also those of the fourawtād. Thus theNameHayy (Living)actslikethePoleamongsttheNames,sinceallthingsareimbuedwiththisessentialquality.24.Thisismoretraditionallyreferredtoasal-Mutakallim(Speaking),buthereIbnArabīseemstobeemphasizingtheactofgivingthanksonthepartof thecreaturerather thantheexistentiatingcommand ‘Be’of theDivine.

25.Fut.II.438.For furtherdetails, seeMohamedHajYousef, Ibn ‘Arabī:TimeandCosmology,pp.52and109.26. See Fut.I.156, from Chapter 15 on the “spiritual knowledge of thebreathsandtheknowledgeoftheirPoleswhoarerealizedinthemandtheirsecrets”.27.TheMeccanRevelations(ed.MichelChodkiewicz),Vol.II,pp.118ff.28.Ruhal-quds(ed.MahmudGhorab),p.130;Austin,SufisofAndalusia,pp.141–2.29.Fut.II.8.SeealsoFut.II.455,translatedinQuestfortheRedSulphurbyClaudeAddas,p.216.30.HegoesontorecounthowAbuMadyantoldhimviathiscompanionMūsāal-Sadrānīthattheyweredestinednevertomeetphysicallyintheworld although thiswouldnot affect theirmeeting spiritually (Ruhal-quds, pp. 74–6;Austin,Sufis ofAndalusia, pp. 121–3). In addition, Ibn‘Arabīnamestwootherpeopleheknewasabdāl:Muhammadb.Ashrafal-Rundī,theremarkablesaintofRonda(Ruhal-quds,pp.72–4;Austin,Sufis ofAndalusia, pp.116–21), andaman consideredbyothers tobeoneoftheabdāl,Yūsufb.SakhrinCordoba(ibid.,p.159).31.Fut.I.707.MarsāLaqītisacoastalvillagetothenorth-westofTunis,home of Ibn ‘Arabī’s teacher al-Kinānī. The light-house is where hisfriendandteacher, ‘Abdal-‘Azīzal-Mahdawī, livedandhadagroupofstudents.Ibn‘ArabīspenttimewithboththesemasterswhenhestayedinTunis–seeHirtenstein,UnlimitedMercifier,pp.87–9and144–6.32.Literally,princeorcommander,butherethetermrefersrathertothehighofficialstatusofthehospitalhead.33.Fut.I.127, translatedbyHenryCorbin inSpiritualBodyandCelestialEarth,p.140.34.Q.16.14.SeealsoQ.35.12.35.Fut.II.128(Ch.73,q.153).HereIbn‘Arabīalsodefines‘ubūdaastherelation of the servant to God, not to his own soul (the latter beingtechnically‘ubūdīya).36. See Ibn ‘Arabī’s al-Istilāhāt al-sufīya, no. 2 (irāda) (critical editionforthcoming). Real desire or yearning can be seen in the followingprayer:“YouaretheOnewhoaccomplisheswhateverYoudesire,while

Iamaservant forYou,oneamongseveralof theservants.OMyGod,YouhavedesiredmeandYouhavedesiredofme–thusIamthedesiredandYouaretheDesirer.MayYoubewhatisdesiredofme,sothatYou[Yourself] become the Desired and I the desirer” (from the ThursdaymorningprayerinIbn‘Arabī’sAwrād,seeBeneitoandHirtenstein,SevenDaysoftheHeart,p.102).37.Asinthehadīth:“MyservantdoesnotceasetodrawclosetoMewithsupererogatoryworksuntil I lovehim;andwhenI lovehim, Ibecomehis hearing bywhich he hears, his seeing bywhich he sees, his handwithwhichhetakes,hisfootwithwhichhewalks.”38.SeeChapters80and81(seclusionandleavingseclusion),96and97(silenceandspeech),98and99(vigilanceandsleep)and106and107(hunger and abandonment of hunger). These pairs which complementandopposeeachotherarestrikingexamplesofthenon-stopmovementthrough all the states and stations which Ibn ‘Arabī propounds. SeeMichel Chodkiewicz, “Mir‘āj al-kalima”, in Reason and Inspiration (ed.ToddLawson).39.Fut.II.153,thebeginningofChapter80onseclusion.40. Ibid.: here he mentions two verses in the Quran that specify thenegative aspects of Divine Names when applied to the human being:“[Now] taste! Surely thou art the mighty one, the noble (al-‘azīz al-karīm)”(Q.44.49)and“ThusdoesGodsetasealuponeveryheart,self-important,haughty(mutakabbirjabbār)”(Q.40.35).41. Literally: “the house of the thingness of his potentiality, not thethingnessofhisexistence”.42.Slightlyadapted fromM.Vâlsan’s introduction tohis translationofthetext,LaParuredesAbdāl,p.37.43.SeeTarjumanal-ashwaq,p.124(inthecommentarytopoemXL).

THEADORNMENTOFTHE

SPIRITUALLYTRANSFORMED

(HILYATAL-ABDĀL)

TRANSLATION

IntheNameofGod,theAll-Compassionate,theMostMerciful,andmaytheblessingsofGodbeuponourmasterMuhammadandallhisfamily

THEADORNMENTOFTHESPIRITUALLYTRANSFORMED

ANDTHOSESPIRITUALKNOWLEDGESANDSTATESTHATMANIFESTFROMIT

Ourmasterandleader,theshaykh,theimām,thegnostic,theverifier,thebestoftheProphet’sowncircle(al-salaf)1andthesupportofthosewhofollow(al-khalaf),Muhyīal-dīnAbū‘AbdAllāhMuhammadb. ‘Alī ibnMuhammad Ibn al-‘Arabī al-Tā’īal-Hātimīal-Andalusī,mayGodbepleasedwithhim,says:PraisebetoGodforwhatHehasgrantedasinspirationandformakingknowntousthatwhichwedidnotknow.God’sgracetowardsushasbeentremendous.2MayGod’sblessingsbeuponourmost honourablemaster,whowas granted the totality oftheWords3inthesupremeabode,andmayHegreethimwithsalutationsofpeace.IconsultedGodonSundaynightthe12thofJumādaIIintheyear599,4attheplaceofĀlMayyahinTā’if,5duringavisitto[the tomb of] ‘Abd Allāh Ibn ‘Abbās, the Prophet’s cousin.6This was because of a request by my companions AbuMuhammad ‘Abd Allah Badr b. ‘Abd Allah al-Habashī,7 thefreedslaveofAbual-Ghanā’imb.Abīal-Futūhal-Harrānī(mayGodhavemercyonhim),andAbu ‘AbdAllahMuhammadb.Khalid al-Sadafī al-Tilimsānī,8 may God grant them bothsuccess!Theyaskedme towrite for them,during the timeof

thisvisit,somethingfromwhichtheycouldbenefitconcerningthePathofthehereafter(tarīqal-ākhira).SoImademyappealtoGodforthis,andwroteforthemthisshorttreatisewhichIhaveentitled: “TheAdornmentof theSpirituallyTransformedandthosespiritualknowledgesandstateswhichmanifestfromit”, that itmaybeofassistancefor themandothersuponthePathtotruehappiness,andachapterthatbringstogetherthevarious forms of spiritual desire (irāda).9 From the One whohas bestowed existence upon the world we beg support andhelp!

True Governance (hukm) is the fruit ofWisdom (hikma), andTrue Knowledge (‘ilm) is the fruit of Gnosis (ma‘rifa).10 Thusone who does not possess wisdom has no true governance,whileonewhodoesnotpossessgnosishasnotrueknowledge.The one who possesses true governance and knowledge (al-hākimal-‘ālim)belongs [utterly] toGod, firmlyexistent (lillāhqā’im),whereastheonewhopossesseswisdomandgnosis(al-hakīmal-‘ārif)existsthroughGod,halted(billāhwāqif).11Thosewith true governance and knowledge are the people of the[letter]Lām,andthosewithwisdomandgnosisarethepeopleofthe[letter]Bā’.12Therenunciatezealouslyabandonshislifeinthisworld,andthe onewho trusts inGod passionately entrusts his affairs tohis Master; and the aspirant is taken up with audition andecstatic states, and the worshipper fervently renders worshipandstrivesindevotion;andthepersonofwisdomandgnosisisenamoured of his spiritual will and resolve. Yet those whopossesstrueknowledgeandspiritualgovernanceareconcealedintheWorldoftheUnseen(ghayb),sothattheyareunknowntothegnostic,aspirantorworshipper,andtheyareinvisibleto

the one who trusts in God and the one who renounces theworld. For the renunciate abandons [the world] for thepurposeofbeingrecompensed;theentrusterfides[inGod]toattain the object of his desire; the aspirant seeks ecstasy torelievedistress; theworshipper striveshard inhis longing forcloseness;andthewisegnostic throughhisspiritualwillaimsatunion.However,theRealGod(haqq)onlyrevealsHimselftoonewhocannolongerbedescribedornamedatall.Gnosis isaveilover theOnecognosed,andwisdomadoorbeforewhichonehalts.Whatremainsthatcanbedescribedarecauses, like the letters, and these are all secondary effects(‘ilal),13 blinding vision and blotting out light. If the createdworld (kawn) did not exist, the Essence (‘ayn) would havemanifested; if there were no Names, the Named would haveappeared;were there no original love, then the unionwouldhaveendured;weretherenoapportioning, thedegreeswouldhavebeenoverruled.IftherewerenoHe-ness(huwiyya),theI-ness(aniyya)wouldhavemanifested;iftherewerenoHe,thenHewouldhavebecomeexistent;iftherewerenoYou,thenthemark of ignorance would have been totally obvious. If therewere no [veiled] understanding, then true knowledge wouldhaveestablisheditssupremacy.Thenwouldthesedarkcloudsofoppressionhavedispersed,andthisarmyofdoubt(buham)14would have been dispatched by the sharp swords ofannihilation!

He who dwells therein forever, in the mysteries of Eternity,revealedHimselftoyourheart.But what veils the Essence from Its own attainment is noneotherthanyou,thoughthisbemerelyspeakinginimagery.It became clear to the heart that the One whom it saw hasdweltthereinalwaysandforever;thereupon came a Divine Address, replete with words, its

radiancemanifestingthecontoursoftheplace.

At Marchena of the Olives in al-Andalus15 we once had acompanion,oneofthemenofsanctity(al-sālihīn),whousedtoteach the Quran. He was an excellent jurist, who knew theQuran and hadith by heart, a man of piety and merit whoserved the poor (fuqarā’). His name was ‘Abd al-Majīd b.Salama.He,mayGodgranthim success,once toldmeof thefollowingincident:

One night I was praying, and I had just finished my prayer(hizb) and had putmy head betweenmy knees invokingGodwhen I felt someone’s presence. This person pulled out myprayer-mat from under me and replaced it with a palm-leafmat.Thenhesaidtome:“Performyourprayersonthat!”Nowthedoortomyhousewasshutandfearofhimtookholdofme.He said to me: “One who enjoys intimacy with God feels nofear.”16 Thenhe added: “But fearGod in every state.” Then Ihadaninspirationandaskedhim:“Omylord,bywhatmeansdo the Substitutes become Substitutes?”, towhich he replied:“By the four thingswhichAbuTālib [al-Makkī]mentioned inthe Qūt [al-Qulūb]: silence, seclusion, hunger and vigilance.”Thenhe leftme,withoutmyhavinga clue as tohowhehadcomeinorhowhehadgoneout,formydoorremainedclosedandthepalm-leafmatwasstillunderme.

This man was one of the Substitutes, whose name wasMu’ādhIbnAshras,mayGodbesatisfiedwithhim.17Thefourthings which he mentioned are the supports of this mostradiant Way and its foundations. One who does not involvehimselfinthemorisnotdeeplygroundedinthemstraysfromtheWayofGod,exaltedisHe!Ourobjectiveinthesepagesisto speakof these things in four separate sections,anddiscusswhattheybestowofspiritualknowledgesandstates.MayGod

make us and you of those who are realized in them andpermanently established in them! Indeed He has full abilityandpowertodothat.

Silence(samt)

There are two kinds of silence: firstly, silence of the tongue,which consists ofnot speakingofother thanGod theExaltedwith other than God the Exalted, altogether; and secondly,silence of the heart, which consists of refraining from allthoughtoccurring in thesoul thatconcernsanycreated thingatall.Theonewhosetongueissilent,evenifhisheartisnot,lightens his burden. When someone’s tongue and heart arebothsilent,his inmostconsciousness (sirr) ismanifestandhisLordrevealsHimselftohim.Theonewhoseheartissilentbutwhose tongue isnot is a speakerwith the tongueofwisdom.Theonewhodoesnotpossesseitherasilenttongueorasilentheart is under the domination of Satan and an object of hisridicule.The silence of the tongue is one of the abodes of everyoneandofall seekers (sālikūn).The silenceof theheart isoneofthe[distinctive]qualitiesofthosebroughtclose(muqarrabūn),who are people of true contemplation. The state that silencebringstheseekersissafetyfromallharm,whilethestatethatitbrings thosebroughtclose is intimateconverse[withGod].He who maintains silence in all states has no speech exceptwith his Lord. Complete silence of the tongue within isimpossible for the human being: thus if he withdraws fromtalking with others in favour of converse with his Lord, hebecomesdelivered,broughtclose,onewho is endorsed inhisspeech when he speaks, and does so according to what isproper and hits the mark, for he speaks “out of God” (‘an

Allāh),exaltedisHe.GodhassaidwithregardtoHisProphet:“Andhedoesnotspeakoutofpassion.”Speakingaccordingtowhat isproper is thefruitofsilence,whichisrefrainingfromerror.ConversingwithotherthanGodisanerrorineverycase,andspeakingofotherthanGodisbadineveryrespect.God says: “There is no good in much of their secretdiscourse, except for onewho enjoins alms-giving orwhat isequitable or promotes reconciliation amongst people”,18observingalltheirconditions.Godalsosays:“TheyweregivennoorderexcepttoworshipGod,pureindevotiontoHim.”19ConnectedtothestateofsilenceisthestationofInspiration(wahy),initsvariousforms.SilencebequeathsknowledgeofGod(Allāh),exaltedisHe.

Seclusion(‘uzla)20

Seclusion leads to silence forman, since onewhowithdrawsfromhumancompanyhasno-onetotalkto,andthatnaturallyleadstosilenceofthetongue.Therearetwokindsofseclusion:firstly,theseclusionoftheaspirants(murīdūn),whichconsistsof not associating physically with others; and secondly, theseclusion of the verifiers (muhaqqiqūn), which consists ofhaving no contact with created things in one’s heart: theirheartshavenoroomforanythingotherthantheknowledgeofGod, exalted is He, which is the witness of the Truth in theheartthatresultsfromcontemplation.21The people of seclusion have threemotives: (a) the fear oftheevilofotherpeopleaffectingoneself;(b)thefearofone’sown evil affecting others – this is a higher [perception] thanthefirst,asinthefirstcaseonethinksbadlyofothers,whileinthe secondone thinksbadlyofoneself,and thinkingbadlyof

oneselfisbettersinceyouaremoreknowledgeableofyourself;(c) the preference for the company of the Master from theSublimeAssembly–themostelevatedofmenisonewhopartsfrom himself out of preference for the company of his Lord.OnewhoprefersseclusiontothecompanyofothersprefershisLord to thatwhich is other thanHim.And no-one can knowwhat gifts and mysteries God showers upon the one whoprefers his Lord. Seclusion never happens in the heart unlessthe heart feels an estrangement from that which one isseparatingfrom,andanintimacywiththeOnewithwhomoneissecludingoneself,whichiswhatdrivesoneintoseclusion.Seclusionhasnoneedofthe[extra]conditionofsilence,assilenceisnecessarilyincludedwithinit,insofarasitissilenceof the tongue. As for silence of the heart, seclusion does notnecessarily lead to it, since one could converse with oneselfaboutotherthanGodandwithotherthanGod,exaltedisHe.Thisiswhywehaveconsideredsilencetobeoneofthepillars(arkān)ontheWayinitsownright.Onewhomakes seclusion their practice grasps themysteryoftheDivineUnity(wahdāniyya).Intermsofknowledgesandmysteries, this brings to him the secrets of the Uniqueness(ahadiyya) insofaras it isaquality.Thetruespiritualstateofseclusion,whetheritbethatoftheseekerortheverifier,istobetranscendentofallattributes.Thehigheststateofseclusionisretreat(khalwa),foritisaseclusionwithinseclusion,anditsfruit is stronger than that of ordinary seclusion. One whomakes seclusion his practice must have certainty regardingGod, exalted isHe, until he has no thought thatwill distracthimand take himbeyond the confines of his seclusion. If helacks certainty, then let him prepare himself to be strongenough for seclusion, in order that his certainty may bestrengthenedbywhatisrevealedtohiminhisseclusion.There

isnootherway.Thisisoneofthefirmpreconditionsgoverningseclusion.Seclusionbequeathsknowledgeofthisworld(dunyā).

Hunger(jū’)22

Hunger is the third pillar of this DivineWay. It includes thefourthpillar,whichisvigilance,inthesamewaythatseclusionincludes silence. There are two kinds of hunger: voluntaryhunger, which is that of the seekers, and obligatory(involuntary)hunger,whichisthatoftheverifiers.Theverifierdoes not impose hunger on himself: rather, his physicalnourishment decreases when he is in the station of intimacy(uns), and increases when he is the station of awe (hayba).Whentheverifierseatalargequantityoffood,itisasuresignof the forcewithwhich the lights of Reality rush upon theirhearts in their contemplation of Majestic Grandeur (‘azama).Eatingasmallamountoffood,ontheotherhand,isasuresignoftheconversetheyenjoyintheircontemplationofIntimacy.For the seekers, an increase in food indicates their distancefromGod,exaltedisHe,theirbanishmentfromHisDoor,andtheir enslavement to the covetous animal self through itsdominationofthem.Forthemadecreaseinfoodindicatesthatscents of Divine Generosity are passing over their hearts,causingthemtobeoblivioustotheirbodilyneeds.Hungeris,ineverystateandeveryrespect,ameanswherebytheseekerandtheverifiercanattaintoamoreexalteddegree,for the seeker in terms of spiritual states, for the verifier interms of mysteries. One who practises hunger should notoverdo the period of being in a state of alertness, since anexcess in this respect leads to delusion and loss of reason, as

wellasaweakeningofphysicalhealth.Thereisnowaythataseekershouldpractisehungerinordertoattainspiritualstatesexceptunderthedirectionofaspiritualmaster;ifhehasnone,itisstillnotpossible,althoughinthiscasehemayreducethequantity of food he eats and observe ordinary fasting andeatingonlyonemealaday.Shouldhewanttoeatafattystewwith meat, let him not do so more than twice a week if hewants to have benefit, until he finds amaster.When he hasfound one, he should place himself in his hands, and themasterwilllookafterhimandhisaffairs,sinceheknowsbetterthanhedoeswhatismostbeneficialforhim.Hungerhasaspiritualstateandastation.Itischaracterizedby humility, submission, servility, lack of self-importance,indigence,discretion,tranquilemotionsandanabsenceofbasethoughts - this is thestate theseekerhas.For theverifiers itsstate consists of delicacy of feeling, serenity, intimacy [withGod], disappearance of worldli-ness and transcendence ofordinaryhuman characteristics through theDivineMight andLordlyDominion.Asastation,itisthestationofEternalSelf-Subsistence (al-maqām al-samadānt), a most elevated stationcharacterized by mysteries, revelations and states. We havealreadymentioned this inourbookMawāqi’an-Nujūm, in thesection on the organ of the Heart.23 However, it is only incertaincopiesofthebook,asIfinishedwritingthispointinthetownofBijāya in theyear597,24afterseveralcopies thatdidnotcontaindetailsofthisspiritualabode(manzil)hadalreadycomeout.This,then,isthebenefitofhungerfortheonewhopossessesspiritual intention(himma),notordinaryhunger.Forordinary[physical] hunger restores good temperament and bringsbodilyhealth,nothingmore.HungerbequeathsknowledgeofSatan,mayGodpreserveus

andyoufromhim.

Vigilance(sahar)25

Vigilance is the fruit of hunger, for an empty stomachdrivesaway sleep.Thereare twokindsofvigilance:vigilof theeyeandvigiloftheheart.Theheart’svigil isawakeningfromthesleep of forgetful-ness and seeking contemplation, while theeye’svigilisthedesiretomaintainthespiritualintentionintheheart to pursue the quest for night-converse (musāmara). Forwhentheeyesleeps,theactivityoftheheartceases,butiftheheart is not asleep when the eye is, its objective iscontemplation of its previous vigil, no more. Indeed, for theheart to observe anything else is not possible. The benefit ofvigilisinkeepingtheheartactiveandinascendingtothehighabodeswhichlieinthesafekeepingofGod,exaltedisHe.The spiritual state of vigilance is to cultivate the presentmoment, for both the seeker and the verifier, except that theverifier alsohas an increase in assuming the lordly attributes(takhalluqrabbānt),unknowntotheseeker.Itsspiritualstationis that of Everlasting Self-Existence (qayyumīya). Sometimessome of our companions have declared it impossible thatsomeone couldbe realized (tahaqquq) in Self-Existence,whileotherscouldnotadmitthepossibilityofassumingitsattributes(takhalluq).26 I myself met ‘Abd Allah b. Junayd27and foundthathedeniedthispossibility.Asforus,wedonotagreewiththatview,sincetherealitieshaveshownusthatforthePerfectManthereexistsnoNameintheDivinePresencethatheisnotthe bearer of. If there is anyone of our company who isundecided about this question, that is due to his lack of trueknowledgeconcerningwhatManisinhisessentialrealityandorigin. If he knewhimself, thismatterwould not be difficult

forhim.Vigilancebequeathsknowledgeoftheself.

Thepillars (arkān) of spiritual knowledge are completewhenknowledge revolves around the acquisition of these four:knowledgeofGod,oftheself,ofthisworldandofSatan.Whenmanwithdrawsfromthecreatedworldandfromhimself,andwhenhesilenceshisowninternalvoice, leavingspaceforhisLord’smentioningofhim,andwhenherelinquishescorporealnourishmentandremainswakefulwhileothersareplungedinsleep: when these four properties have been united in him,thenhishumanity is transmuted28 intoangelicnatureandhisservanthood intomastery; his intellect (‘aql) becomes a sensefaculty, his invisible reality (ghayb) becomes visible, and hisinteriorbecomesmanifest.Thenifheleavestheplacewhereheis,heleavesbehindhis“substitute” (badal), a spiritual reality which can beencounteredbythespiritsofthepeopleoftheplacethissainthas left. Ifaresidentofthatplaceconceivesastrongdesiretoseethisperson,thenthatspiritualrealitywhichheleftbehindashissubstitutewilltakeonsensibleformforthem.Hetalkstothemandtheytalktohim.Theyimaginethathereallyistheone theyare talking to,when in facthe isnot there,untilhehasfinishedwhatheneededtodo.Thisspiritualbeingcanalsotakeonbodilyformwhenitsownerhimselfconceivesastrongdesirefororconnectshisspiritualwill tothatplace.Thiscaneven happen to someone other than a Substitute. Thedifferencebetween these two situations is thatwhen the trueSubstitute leaves, he knows that he has left behind his“substitute”, while he who is not a Substitute is not awareofthat, even though he has actually left one behind. This is

because the latter is notmaster of these four pillars that wehavementioned.AndregardingthisI29say:

O you who desire the spiritual abodes of the Substitutes,withoutaspiringtotherequisiteactions,Do not hanker after them in vain, for you cannot be one ofthemwithoutemulatingtheirspiritualstates.Silence your heart, seclude yourself from all that brings youdowntootherthantheBelovedMaster,Bewakeful and hunger. Thus shall you be given their stationandtheircompany,inallyourcomingandgoing.The House of Sainthood has various pillars, and our masterswholivethereareoftheSubstitutes.Amidst silence and seclusionunceasing,hunger andvigilance,livethoseofpurevirtueandnobleeminence!

May God grant us and you success in accomplishing thesepillars, and may He accord us the grace of the abodes ofperfection(ihsān).IndeedHeisthemostMunificentFriend!

1.Ar:baqiyyatal-salaf.Thiscouldalsobe translatedas“theremainingportionoftheProphet’sowncircle”.2.Cf.Q.4.113:“GodhassentdownuponyoutheBookandWisdom,andhas made known to you that which you did not know. God’s gracetowardsyouhasbeentremendous.3. Ar: jawāmi’ al-kalim (mentioned in several hadīths, e.g. Ibn Hanbal,MusnadII.411–12,andMuslim,Masājid,5–8).Onecouldtranslatethisalsoas“theabilitytoreunitetheWords”,alludingtothecompletionofthe prophetic revelation inMuhammad. This capacity ismentioned asone of the six defining characteristics of the “Seal of the Prophets”,which no previous prophet had received: “I have been granted thetotalityoftheWords;Ihavebeenrescuedbyterror(castintothehearts

ofmyenemies);bootyhasbeenmadelegalforme;thewholeearthhasbeenestablishedformeasaplaceofprayerandameansofpurification;I have been sent to all creatures, and through me the prophets aresealed.”4.27January1203.5.Tā’ifisawalledcitytwodays’journeysouthofMecca,knownasthe“gardenoftheHijaz”becauseofitsgoodclimateandgreenfields.InhisFihristIbn‘ArabīspecifiesthathewasstayingintheroadofĀlMayyah,butitisunclearwhatthisnamerefersto.ItisnottobeconfusedwiththebelovedofGhaylān(Mayya),norwiththesubdivisional-MayyāhoftheRabī’atribe,wholivedwestoftheTigris.6. Ibn ‘Abbās,whodiedinTā’if inAH68 (AD687),wasthesonoftheProphet’s uncle and great-grandson of Hāshim, from whom the BanūHāshimtake theirancestry.Knownasoneof themost importantearlyauthorities on fiqh (jurisprudence), hadīth (stories of the Prophet’ssayingsandactions)and tafsīr(interpretationoftheQuran),IbnAbbāswas also a progenitor of the ‘Abbāsid caliphate,which supplanted theUmayyads.Ibn‘ArabīreferstoIbnAbbāsasoneofthesingulars(afrād),andelsewherequoteshissaying:“IfIweretoexplainthetruemeaning(of a particular Quranic verse), you would stone me for being anunbeliever.”7.Al-HabashīwastheclosecompanionofIbn‘Arabīforsome24years,fromaroundthetimeoftheShaykh’sascensioninFezin594/1197untilhediedinMalatyain618/1221,afaithfulservantandtransmitterofthemaster’soral teachings.He related severalhadīths to Ibn ‘Arabī,whichwerewrittendownintheMishkātal-Anwār(seeHirtensteinandNotcutt,DivineSayings,p.109).SeealsohisK.al-Inbāh,translatedbyDenisGril.8.AclosecompanionofIbn‘ArabīduringhisstayinMecca,Muhammadb. Khālid al-Sadafī acted as transmitter to Ibn ‘Arabī for seven of thehadīths collected in theMishkāt al-Anwār (seeHirtenstein andNotcutt,DivineSayings,p.109).9. Irādacanbe translatedasbothwillanddesire:whenappliedto theDivine, it signifies the DivineWill which bestows being, i.e. that Godsays ‘Be’ toeachthing.However,heretheemphasis isonthedifferentkinds of spiritual aspiration or desire on the part of the human: the

renunciate(zāhid),theonewhotrustsinGod(mutawakkil),theaspirant(murīd),theworshipper‘ābid),andthegnostic‘ārif).10.AccordingtoIbn‘Arabī,theprincipleofrealrulershiporgovernance,whichinvolvestheexerciseofauthority,isahigherstagethanwisdom(both from the same Arabic root, h-k-m), since it involves the fullestexpressioninactionoftheDivineNametheWise,asexemplifiedinthekingship of Solomon. Likewise, Knowledge derives from the DivineName the Knower (‘alīm), which is a higher degree than experientialgnosis(ma‘rifa);thiscanbecomparedtothedistinctionbetweencomingtoknowsomethingandknowingitfullyinthemannerthatGodknows.AsIbn‘ArabīexplainsinhisIstilāhātal-sūfiyya,the‘ārifisoverwhelmedbyspiritualstateswhilethe ‘ālim(onewhofullyactualizesKnowledge)isnot.11.These twodegreesare referred tomoreexplicitlyelsewhereby Ibn‘Arabī:thetrueknowerswho“return”fromunionwithGodinordertodirectandguideothers,andthegnosticswhoreturninordertoperfectthemselves (see Chodkiewicz, Seal of the Saints, pp. 170ff.). The firstgroup is considered higher due to their completion of the Station ofInheritance: theyhave realized the fullmeaningofunion, i.e. thatHisEssenceistheExistentandthereisnoother.12.ThedifferencebetweenthelettersLāmandBā’canbeexplainedwithreference to the first two words of the Sūrat al-Fātiha: al-hamdu lillāh(PraisebelongstoGod).FollowingIbnArabī,thefamousAlgerianleaderand mystic Emir Abd al-Qādir al-Jazā’iri distinguished three kinds ofpeople: theordinarybelieverswhopraiseGod through themselves (bi-anfusihim);theelitewhopraiseGodthroughGod(bi-llāh),andtheeliteof the elite whose praise of God belongs to God (li-llāh). The secondgroup,whoarethepeopleofBā’(frombiAllah),knowthattheyrenderpraisethroughGod’sbeingtheirtongue:theirexistenceisclothedintheDivineattributes.Theyareinferiortothethirdgroup,thepeopleofLām(from liAllah),whoknowthat it isGodHimselfwhorendersHisOwnpraise through their tongue: the Divine Existence is clothed in theirattributes. These two aspects of sainthood are also referred torespectively as the closeness of supererogation (nawāfil) and theclosenessofobligation(farā’id).13. Ibn ‘Arabī isplayingherewiththetriplemeaningoftheword ‘ilal,

whichmeans (a)aneffectofa cause; (b)weakness, excuseorpretext;and(c)causeorreason.Bycontrastingitwiththewordsahah(cause),Ibn‘Arabīintendstoexplainthatwhatwetakeasa[secondary]causeisalsoaneffect,orevenadefect,asGodistheOnewhocausesallthings,betheyapparentlyeffectsorcauses.14. This is a complex image which suggests several interrelatedmeanings: buham (as vowelled in Y, rhyming here with zulam) is theplural of buhma, signifying a mass of hard stone or an army whichappearsunbeatable,aswellasconfusedordubiousaffairs.Inaddition,itrefers to the three nights in which the moon does not visibly rise, adarknessthatisonlydispelledbytheappearanceofthenewmoon.Theroot’s other meanings are also implied: vagueness and confusion(ibhām),thatwhichislockedupandshut(forexample,aheartwhichisimpenetrable to admonition,mubham), young lambs or goats (baham)andbrutishness(bahīma).15. The small town ofMarchena is situated some 45 km south-east ofSevilleinmodernAndalusia,butlittleremainsofitsArabpast.16.Kadds“ofotherthanHim”.17.SeetheslightlydifferentversiongiveninAppendixA,p.43,whichalsoappearsinIbnArabī’sRuhal-quds–seeAustin,SufisofAndalusia,p.151(fromDurratal-fākhira).18.Q.4.114.19.Q.98.5.20.Theroot ‘-z-lmeans toputsomethingasideorseparate,and in theeighth formhas theconnotationsof separatingoneselforwithdrawingfrom association with others (hence the theologians known as theMu’tazilawhosecededfromothergroups).‘UzlaforIbn‘Arabīdenotesaseclusionorseparationwhichmaybeexternalorinternal.21. The “witness” (shāhid) is defined by Ibn ‘Arabī as “that whichremainsintheservant’sheartafterhehasseparatedfromthestationofcontemplation (mushāhada, from the same root as shāhid)” (K. al-Shawāhid, p. 1) and “what the heart retains of the form of the Onecontemplated”(Istilāhāt).22.Ibn‘Arabīiscarefultodistinguishthis“emptinessofthebelly”from

the particular practice of fasting (sawm). The root also suggests desireandlonging,asin“beinghungryforsomething”.23.SeeMawāqi’an-Nujūm,p.145.ThepiecereferredtoispartofalongsectiondevotedtothesphereoftheHeartandisentitled“theAbodeofRevelationoftheSelf-Subsistent,theOdd”.24.Bijāya(Bougie)isacoastaltowninmodernAlgeria,wherethegreatMaghribi master AbuMadyan lived and taught for many years. AftervisitingAbuMadyan’stombnearTlemcen,Ibn‘Arabīstayedinthetownin Ramadan 597 (June 1201), during his journey from Marrakesh toTuniswhenhelefttheMaghribforgood.25.Thewordsaharspecificallymeansbeingawakeatnight,abstainingfrom sleep, and this is why Ibn ‘Arabī describes it as an action ofrefraining. It is not only keeping vigilwhile others sleep, but also thecondition of wakefulness or vigilance. It is equally used to describe acamel that gives milk abundantly (sāhirat al-‘irq) and a spring orfountainthatrunsnightandday(sāhiratal-‘ayn)(seeLane’sLexicon,4,s-h-r).Thismeaningofcontinuityandconstancyisclearlylinkedtothenotionofqayyumīya,whichIbn‘Arabīmentionsbelow.26. Takhalluq and its complements (tahaqquq, ta‘alluq) are importanttechnical terms in Ibn ‘Arabī’s terminology. In his Kashf al-ma‘nā, hedescribes each Divine Name under these three interrelated headings:ta‘alluqdenotesthewaytheNameisrelatedtotheEssence;tahaqquqtherealizationofthequalitiesoftheNameastheyrelatetotheDivineandtotheservant;takhalluqthewayinwhichtheservantismanifestedwiththese qualities. See Arabic edition and Spanish translation by PabloBeneito,ElSecretodelosNombresdeDios.27.Ibn‘Arabīstatesthathemetthisman,whomhecallsashaykh(i.e.aspiritual master) and a Mu‘tazili (i.e. an adherent of an importanttheologicalmovementthatstressedtheabsolutetranscendenceofGod),at his place in Qabrafīq near Ronda. Apparently they discussed thequestionofwhethermencouldassumetheattributeoftheDivineNameal-Qayyūm,andIbn‘Arabīpersuadedhimandhisstudentstohiswayofthinking,basedontheQuranicversethatstatesthat“menaresuperior(qaw-wām)towomen”(Q.4.34).SeeFut.II.182,111.45andIV.79.28.Here Ibn ‘Arabī uses the rootb-d-l, the same as that of Substitutes

(abdāl), in the sense of “exchanging” one set of qualifications foranother,suggestingthattheabdālarethosewhohaveundergoneatotaltransformation, and their earthly qualities have been transmuted intoheavenlyones.Itisapermanentchange,echoedintheQuranicverses:“ontheDaywhentheearthshallbechangedintoanotherearth,andtheheavenslikewise”(Q.14.48)and“Godshallchangetheirevildeedsintogooddeeds”(Q.25.70).29.That is, in the followingpoemIbn ʿArabī is speakingwithhisownvoice,asonepersontoanother,ratherthanastheinspiredauthorofthetreatise.

APPENDIXA

TheNinePrinciplesofGoodness,ATranslationofChapter53ofal-Futūhātal-Makkīya1

If you haven’t encountered a teacher, then be as someone who takesrefuge,whodisciplineshissoul,andbreaksupthenightintoportions2

forglorifyingandreciting(qur’ān),madesleeplessbytheOnewhofaceshim,3

theOnewhosmiteshimdownand reviveshim.Whenhe stopsasking“whatonearth…?“,thenheattainshisdesire,[becoming]astudentand[finding]aTeacher.KnowledgeofHimcomestohim,ingroupsandalone.ThisIhaveelucidatedforhim,sothathemaynotbecutofffromit.

Know–mayGodaidyouandgrantyoulight!–thatthefirstthingthatis incumbent upon one who has just joined this Path of Divineprescription is that he should seek the teacher (ustādh) until he findshim. During the time while he is searching for the teacher, let himundertaketheactionswhichIshallenumeratebelow.Thereareninethingswhichheshouldimposeuponhimself,andthese

aretheveryprinciplesofnumber.Whenheactsuponthem,hebecomesfirmlyestablished inaffirmationofUnity (tawhīd).For this reasonGodcausedtheretobeninecelestialspheres.4SocontemplatewhatappearsofDivineWisdomintheorbitsofthesenine.Therearefouroftheminyourexterior,fiveinyourinterior.Those in your exterior are: hunger (jū‘) vigilance (sahar), silence

(samt) and seclusion (‘uzla). The two active ones are hunger andseclusion,whilethetworeceptiveonesarevigilanceandsilence.Imean

by silence abstaining from speaking with people, and being occupiedwith theremembranceof theheartand therealexpressionof theself5ratherthanthespeakingofthetongue,exceptwhenGodcommandsit,suchas the recitationof theFātiha6 or thepart of theQuranwhich isrecited in the ritual prayer, and the magnificat (takbīr) therein, andwhatever is prescribed of glorification, remembrance, supplication,bearing witness to Him7 and blessing the Envoy of God, peace andblessingsbeuponhim,untilyouaretherebyinsubmission.Thenyouarefreetodevoteyourselftotheremembranceoftheheartwiththesilenceofthetongue.Hungerincludesvigilance,andsolitudeincludessilence.Asforthefiveinteriorones,theyare:veracity(sidq),trust(tawakkul),patience(sabr),resolution(‘azīma)andcertainty(yaqīn).These nine are themothers of all good, and they include all that isgood.ThewholePath is included in them.Sopractise themconstantlyuntilyoufindtheMaster.Letmenowmention to you somethingof thenature of eachoneofthesequalitieswhichwillinciteyoutoactuponthemandpersevereinthem.MayGodcauseusandyoutoprofitandbeof thepeopleofHisProvidentialCare!Weshallbeginwiththeexterioronesfirstandsay:Seclusion is the chief of the four considerations which we havementioned, according to thePeople ofGod (tā’ifa). Iwas informed (ofthis) by my brother in God, ‘Abd al-Majīd b. Salama, preacher atMarchenaoftheOlives,intheprovinceofSevilleinal-Andalus,andhewas one of those who strove assiduously in worship. He told me thefollowingstoryinAH586:

I was in my house inMarchena one evening, doing my night-prayers(hizb).Iwasinthemiddleofmyprayer,withthedoorofthehouseandthe door of the room fastened, when suddenly a man appeared andgreetedme. Ihadno ideahowhehadgot in. Iwasextremelyworriedabout him and quickly completedmy prayer.When I greeted him, hesaidtome:“O ‘Abdal-Majīd!Onewhoenjoys intimacywithGodfeelsno fear.”Thenhe tookup the clothwhichwasundermeas aprayer-mat,andthrewitaway.Heunrolledasmallstraw-matthathehadwithhimandsaidtome:“Nowdoyourprayersuponthis!”Hethentookme

outsidethehouseandthenoutofthecountry,andwalkedwithmeinalandIdidnotknow.IhadnoideaatallwhereonGod’searthIwas,butGodtheExaltedhasinformedusoftheseplaces.Thenhereturnedmetomy home where I lived. Then I asked him: “O my brother! By whatmeansdo theabdāl becomeabdāl?”andhe replied: “Through the fourthings that Abu Tālib [al-Makkī] mentioned in the Qūt [al-Qulūb]”,namelyhunger,vigilance,silenceandseclusion.

Then‘Abdal-Majīdshowedmethemat,andIdidmyprayeronit.Thismanwasoneofthegreatestofthem,andwascalledMu‘ādhIbnAshras.

Seclusion

Seclusionoccurswhentheseekerwithdrawshimselffromeverynegativequality and every low characteristic. That is being secluded in his(interior)state.Asforseclusioninhisheart,thatiswhenhewithdrawshimselfinhisheartfromattachmenttoanyoneofGod’screatures,beitfamily, possessions, children, friends or anything that intervenesbetweenhimandtheremembranceofhisLordinhisheart,oreventhethought of it. Rather, he has but one interest and concern: hisattachmenttoGod.On the external level, being secluded consists, at the beginning ofone’sspiritualjourney,ofseparatingoneselffrompeopleandallthatisfamiliar,whetherathomeorabroadonGod’searth.Ifoneisinatown,it should be somewhere one is not known; if not in a town, then itshould be at the coast or in themountains so long as one is far frompeople.IfwildanimalsbecomefriendlyandfamiliarwithoneandGodcausesthemtospeak,whetherinwordsornot,thenoneshouldsecludeoneself fromwild beasts and animals, and request of God the Exaltedthat one is not occupied with other than Him, and persevere in thehiddenremembrance(dhikral-khafī).8IfoneisapersonwhoknowstheQuran by heart, one should take a part of it for recital every night,remainingwithitinprayersothatonedoesnotforgetit.Thereshouldnot be a lot of specific prayers or moving about. One should alwayscome back to being occupied with Him in one’s heart. This shouldbecomeone’sconstanthabitandpractice.

Silence

Silence consists of not speaking to any created thing, wild beast orinsect, thataccompaniesonewhileone is travellingor in theplacesofone’sseclusion. Ifanyof the jinnor thehighestassembly9appear,oneshould close one’s eyes to them and not engage in conversation withthem, even if they speak. If an answer is required, one should give itexactlyasrequired,andnomore.Ifananswerisnotneeded,oneshouldkeep silent and be occupiedwith one’s ownwork.When they see thepersoninthisstate,theywillkeepawayfromhimandnotgetinhiswayand hide themselves from him. For they know that whoever distractssomeone who is busy with God from his occupation with Him ispunishedbyGodmostseverely.Asforbeingsilent inoneself fromthechatteroftheself,oneshould

nottalktooneselfaboutwhatonehopestoobtainfromGod,asregardswhatisallottedtoone.Thatisawasteoftimewithoutanygain,asitisjustadesire. Ifonegetsused to thechatterof the self, itprevents theremembranceofGodintheheart,becausetheheartcannotincludebothchatter and remembrance together. Then one misses out on the veryreasonforgoingintoseclusionandsilence,whichistheremembranceofGod theMostHighbywhich themirrorofhisheart ispolished.10 Forthisishowone’sLordisrevealed.

Hunger

Hungerisreductioninfood.Oneshouldnotpartakeofitexceptinordertostandupright inworshipofone’sLord, intheobligatoryprayers.Asfor supererogatory prayer, sitting downwhen one is too weak due tolackofnourishmentisbetter,morepreferableandstrongerinattainingwhatisdesiredfromGodthanhavingthestrengththatcomesfromfoodin order to perform the supererogatory prayers standing up. Fullnessleadstoexcess.Whenthebellyisfull,thenthelimbsdominateandactwith excess, be it in terms of movement, looking, listening orconversation.Allofthistakesoneawayfromtheaimandintention.

Vigilance

This is the result of hunger because of a lack of humidity and thevapoursthatcausesleep,especiallythedrinkingofwater,forthatcausessleepandthedesireforitisadelusion.TherealbenefitofvigilanceliesinrousingoneselfforthesakeofbeingoccupiedwithGodinwhateveroneisbusywith,constantly.Whenonesleeps,oneistransportedtotheintermediateworld(barzakh)inaccordancewithwhatonewenttosleepwith, nothingmore.Great good eludes one,which onedoes not knowexcept in the state of wakefulness. If one perseveres in this, vigilancepervadestheeyeoftheheart(‘aynal-qalb),andtheeyeofinnervision(‘aynal-basīra)isunveiledthroughadheringtoremembrance.ThenoneseeswhatevergoodGodtheExaltedwishes.

In the practice of these lie four things which are the foundation ofknowledgeforthepeopleofGod,towhichHānthb.Asadal-Muhāsibi11devoted himself more than anyone else. They are: knowledge of God(Allāh), knowledge of the soul (nafs), knowledge of thisworld (dunyā)and knowledge of Satan. Some people have mentioned knowledge ofpassion (hawā) instead of knowledge of God, quoting the following[verses]:

Iamafflictedbythosefour[enemies]thathavepeltedmewitharrows,fromabowtightlydrawn:Iblīs,theworld,mysoulandpassion–OLord,You[alone]areabletodeliver[me]!

Andasanotherhassaid:

Iblīs, the world,my soul and passion – how can there be deliverancewhiletheyallassailme?

Asforthefiveinteriorthings,theywererelatedtomebymyrighteouswife,Maryambt.Muhammadb.Adūnb.‘Abdal-Rahmānal-Bijā’ī12Shesaid: “I have seen in my dream a person who often visits me in myvisions(waqā‘ī)butwhoIhavenevermetintheflesh.”Hesaidtoher:“DoyouaspiretothePath?”Shesaidtohim:“Yes,byGod,IaspiretothePathbutIdonotknowhowtoreachit.”Hesaid:“Bymeansoffive

things: trust (tawakkul), certainty (yaqīn), patience (sabr), resolution(‘azīma)andveracity(sidq).”Whenshetoldthisdreamtome,Isaidtoher:“ThisisthemethodofthePeopleofGod.”Iwilldiscusstheselaterin the book, God willing, for they possess specific “doors” (openings,abwāb). The four things which we have just mentioned also possessspecificdoors,whichwillbedescribedinthesecondsection(fasl)ofthisbook.13

“GodspeakstheTruthanditisHewhoguidesontheway.”14

1.Fut.I.277–8.Thefulltitleofthechapteris“regardingtheknowledgeofwhatactionstheseekermayimposeuponhimselfpriortofindingtheMaster”. Bearing in mind that there is nothing but Him in existence,then God is the TrueMaster, and the image of the human teacher isnothingbutameansofbringingdownHisteaching.2.Ar:aflādhan,whichmeanspiecesorslices(e.g.ofmeat),i.e.thatthenightisbrokenupintopiecesbythepersonarisinginprayer.Thewordisalsousedintheexpressionafladhal-ard,meaningthehiddentreasuresoftheearth,anditmaybethatIbn‘Arabīalsohasthisconnotationinmind.3. This could also be translated as “the One who confronts him”,standing in front of him as on the battle-field. The Divine is hereportrayedastheLoverwhobrooksnoresistance.Thismeaningfitswellwith the next line, which reads as‘aqahu (smote him) in the originalmanuscript instead of ad‘afahu (weakened him) in the printed Beirutedition.4.TheseninearetheMoon,Mercury,Venus,Sun,Mars,Jupiter,Saturn,thefixedstarsandthestarlesssphere.SeeChittick,TheSelf-DisclosureofGod,pp.xxx–xxxi.5. Ar: nutq al-nafs, referring to al-nafs al-nātiqa, the “speaking soul”which is the true human reality of the self, as opposed to al-nafs al-hayawāniya,the“animal/bestialsoul”.6.Literally,theMotheroftheQuran(ummal-qur’ān).7.Ar:tashahhud,bearingwitnesstotheDivinemeansheresaying“thereisnogodbutGod”.

8. This is one’s personal dhikr, as opposed to dhikr al-awqāt which isdone at the end of ritual prayer as supererogatory or dhikr al-hadrawhichisdonecommunally.9. Ar: al-malā’ al-a‘lā, signifying the angels and spiritual beings thatinhabit the higherworld. Sometimes they are contrastedwithal-malā’al-adnāoral-asfal,thecreaturesofthecorporealworld.10.Ibn‘Arabīishereplayingwiththetwomeaningsoftherootj-l-y:topolish and clean, and to reveal or make manifest. When the heart ispolished,thenitcantrulyreflecttheDivinerevelation.11.One of the great figures of early Islam (AH 165–243 /AD 781–857),who emphasized examining (hasab) the self, and imposed extremedisciplineuponhimself.ManySufiswerescepticalofhisapproachsincetheyfeltittendedtomakeonejudgeone’sownaction,arolewhichisbest left toGod.Born inBasra,he spent thegreaterpartofhis life inBaghdad, where he had many students, including Junayd. He wroteseveralbooks, includingK.Muhāsabatal-nufūs(TheBookofExaminingthe Selves), in which he described these four knowledges, and whichevidentlyinfluencedIbn ‘Arabī’sownRuhal-Qudsfīmuhāsabatan-nafs.He wrote: “For 30 years my ear listened to nothing but my ownconscience,butfor30yearssincethenmystatehasbeensuchthatmyconsciencehaslistenedtononebutGod.”SeeAustin,SufisofAndalusia,pp.87and115;alsoMargaretSmith,AnEarlyMysticofBaghdad:aStudyoftheLifeandTeachingofHārithb.Asadal-Muhāsibī.12. Maryam was almost certainly Ibn ‘Arabī’s second wife, who isreferred to by his stepson, Sadruddīn al-Qunawī, as “Khātūn Maryambint‘AbdAllah,motherof‘Alā’uddīnMuhammad,knownasal-Jawbān”(seeK.al-Mubashshirāt,YusufAga5624,fol.700).Thissuggeststhatshewas the mother of Ibn ‘Arabī’s second son, who is more commonlyknownasSa‘duddīnMuhammad(b.1221)andwasawell-knownpoet,and that sheherself came froman importantSeljukaristocratic family(khātūnbeingtheequivalentofprincess).13.Thesecond fadof theFutūhāt concernsproperconduct (mu‘āmalāt)and contains descriptions of spiritual degrees or stations (maqām),usuallyinopposing,mutuallyexclusivepairs.Ibn‘Arabīisherereferringtothefollowingchapters:seclusionandabandoningseclusion(Chapters

80 and 81); silence and speaking (Chapters 96 and 97); vigilance andsleep (Chapters 98 and 99); hunger and abandoning hunger (Chapters106 and 107). The same applies to the interior qualities: trust andabandoning trust (Chapters 118 and 119); certainty and abandoningcertainty (Chapters 122 and 123); patience and abandoning patience(Chapters 124 and 125); veracity and abandoning veracity (Chapters136and137).14.Q.33.4.

APPENDIXB

ArabicTextandManuscripts

Thisnewcriticaleditionof theHilyatal-abdālhasbeencompiled fromthe oldest manuscripts available, all of which are held in Turkishlibraries.

Manuscripts

ThereareahugenumberofsurvivingmanuscriptsoftheHilyatal-abdāl(RG 237), testimony to its enduring popularity. Osman Yahya lists 75copiesspreadthroughouttheworld.TherearefurtherlibrarycopiesthatYahya was unaware of (e.g. Milli in Ankara), and probably privatelyheld copies, so the total number of surviving copies is likely to be farmore.ThemostimportantmanuscriptcopyisundoubtedlyYusufAğa4868,

pp.74–83.Onpage83itstatesthatitwas“completedintheprotectedtownofMalatya in the landofRūm[Anatolia]on the9thofRabi‘ al-Awwal 602 (= 24 October 1205)1. Praise belongs to God, may Hispraisebeconfirmed,andmayblessingsbeuponourmasterMuhammad,Hisprophetandservant,andupontheelevatedones(al-ā‘lūn)whocomeafter him”. In the margin there is a further note stating that it wascheckedthroughreadingaloudandcertifiedascorrect.AccordingtoOsmanYahyaandrecenthandwritinganalysis,thecopy

isinthehandofIbn‘Arabī,anditbearsallthehallmarksofhiswritingstyle. However, there are three lines at the beginning of the text thatrefertoIbn‘Arabīas‘ourmasterandourimam,theshaykh,theimam…’(sayyidunā wa imāmunā al-shaykh al-imām etc). In his other works heinvariablyreferstohimselfas‘thepoortowardsGod’(al-faqīrilāAllāh).Sohowarewetoaccountforthispeculiaradditiontothetext,whichis

not found in any otherworks? Could it have been added by someoneelsewhowascopyinghishandwriting?Suchathesisisnotborneoutbytheactualmanuscript,whichisclearlywritteninthesameinkandpenthroughout. Is it possible that the analysis of his handwriting iserroneousandthat infactthewholemanuscriptwaswrittenbyoneofhis close discipleswith a very similarMaghribi hand?This also seemshighlyunlikely, as the scribedoesnot give theirnameormention thesourceof the copy, thewritingwasdone at the verybeginningof Ibn‘Arabī’stimeinAnatolia,andothersimilartextsinthiscollectionwouldlater become part of Ṣadruddīn al-Qūnawī’s private library, i.e.bequeathedtohimbytheauthor.GiventhatthewholetreatiseincludingtheprefatoryadditionisinIbn‘Arabī’shand,wehavetolookfortheexplanationwithinthetextitself.WhywouldIbn‘Arabīrefertohimselfinthethirdperson?Theclueliesinthenatureoftheabdāl,thetranscendentsaintswho“leavebehindhissubstitute”(seeArabictext):inotherwords,Ibn‘Arabīisboththescribewhowritesthewords“ourmasteretcsays…”andtherealauthorofthetext,theonewhoreceivestheinspirationofthetreatiseanddictatesitto himself. He is thus describing his own authorial reality as “thegnostic,theunique,theverifier,thebestoftheProphet’sowncircleandthe support of those who follow” (titles which, incidentally, his ownstudents would reiterate in other works). As scribe, he calls his truenature“ReviveroftheReligion”(muhyīal-dīn).Inshort,heisexplainingtothereaderthatheisoneoftheabdāl,onewhohasclarifiedthetwoaspectsofhisnature,thetranscendentandtheimmanent.Thereisonefurthercluetothisreading:neartheendofthetext,justbeforethefinalpoemandprayer,hewrites:“AndregardingthisIsay”(wa-fīdhālikaqultu),placingthewordqultu(“Isay”)deliberatelyonitsownononeline.Hereheswitchesvoicesandnowwritesfromtheplaceofthescribe,thefaithfulservant.2

Thisholographcopyhasbeenusedastheprimarymanuscriptforthisedition. A further 28 have been consulted, of which the following (indateorder)arethemostsignificant:

MilliA571,folioslband166a–168b,copiedinKonyain668(basedonotherworks),inaclearSeljuknaskhi,partiallyvowelled.Itreferstothe

author at the beginning as “the master of masters, reviver of thecommunityandthereligion”(shaykhal-mashāyikhmuhyīal-mīllawaal-dīn).

Carulla986,folios103b–104a,averyaccuratecopyprobablywrittenpre-700,butthereisnoindicationthatitwaswrittenduringthelifetimeoftheauthorasclaimedbyYahya.

Veliyuddin1800,folios132a–144a,dated707,copiedfromacopyofYusufAğa 4868made by Ibn ‘Arabī’s close discipleAyyūb b. Badr al-MuqrīthatwascheckedandcertifiedbytheauthorhimselfinhishouseinDamascusin617.However,despitethispedigreethetexthasseveralmisreadings and omissions, perhaps due to the difficulty of readingAyyūbb.Badr’shandwriting.

ShehitAli1341,folios148b-150b,datedc.724(basedonotherworks).

Veliyuddin 51, folios 132a–136a, dated 762, copied fromYusuf Aga4868.

Fatih5298,folios85a-88b,dated7Ramadan783.

ShehitAli1340,folios207a-211b,datedc.789(basedonotherworks).ShehitAli1342,folios202b-204a,dated837.

Printededitions

Thework has also been printed, as part of theRasā’il Ibn al-‘Arabī, inHyderabad (1948), on the basis of Asafiya 376, as well as havinginnumerablereprintingsintheArabworld.Fromanearlier1929editionprintedinDamascus,itwasfirsttranslatedintoaEuropeanlanguagebyMichel Vâlsan, who collated the text with two manuscripts in theBibliothèqueNationaleinParis(ÉtudesTraditionelles,nos.286and287,1950,andrepublishedin1992byLesEditionsdel’Oeuvre).

1. I.e. over two and a half years after the date of composition in599/1203.

2.IowethisexplanationtomywifeSuha.

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Hilyatal-abdālwamāyazharu‘anhāminal-ma‘ārifwaal-

ahwāl

Muhyīal-dīnMuhammad

b.ʿAlīb.al-ʿArabī

ArabictextbyStephenHirtenstein