Jam’īya for Ramadan

The more we learn,
The more things are plowed into our minds;
The more we follow the Dao,
The more things are taken out of our minds.
Laozi, translation of Lok Sang Ho, ch. 48.

Ramadhān Mubārak!

I traveled to village Asb-bavāni (northwest of Iran) in the last week for seek of jam’īya. I was couldn’t prepare myself for Ramadan without this journey.

Jam’īya is an important term for Sufis that can translate as “peace of mind”. Not only in Sufism, but according to all esoteric orders, purify of reason is in a relationship with forgetting reason and attending to intellect and, in the higher degree, connecting with the universal Intellect.

Photographer: Don Hong-OaiDon

 

I think tafraqa (rambling of mind) is nearer to us than jam’īya in modern life with varied mechanic and electronic forms, and for the very reason mountains and virgin nature, in which tools of tafraqa is lesser, are good backrests for jam’īya.

Your disheveled hair is cause of our jam’īya;
Then it must be more disheveled.
Merāt ul-’uŝāq.

Main Characters of the Shuhūdīyah School

Before any speaking on symbolism of Sufism whether in Shuhūdīyah or Wujūdīyah forms, it is necessary to note main structure of their languages. We can summarize the various aspects of Shuhūdīyah language in the three major topics. [1]

1- Unity of the Witness and Object of the Witness

For Vedāntists it is known well as unity between Ātmā and Brahmā, and so for the mystical Zoroastrian orders where they understood real meaning of Mazdā and Ahūra as well as their oneness. Mazdā in the etymological sense means knower, witness, and onlooker and so on. However when Hallāj says, “I’m Truth” (An al-Haqq) what he purpose of “I” is not conditional and individual ego but Mazdā, the absolute Self, pure Subject; or when Rumi call his beloved as he who are “more I than me” he refers to Ātmā (pure Consciousness, one and only Self) and not jīvātmā (mortal ego) in Vedāntist terminology

2- Two Complementary Essences

As it be seen in the previous post there is two opposite, or rather complementary, essences in Zoroastrianism, Spenta Mainyū, holy Soul and Angra Mainyū, unholy Soul; as Guénon says every twin which “appears to be an opposition that is valid at a certain level …”, metaphysically “be a complementarity corresponds to a deeper point of view.” [2]

Ayn al-Qudāt speaks of Ahmad (Prophet Muhammad) as the principle of all guidances (in the path of God) and of Iblīs (devil) as the principle of all digression (from path of God). In the Shuhūdī point of view, Iblīs is not God’s enemy and even it cannot be told that he is human’s enemy; he is doorkeeper of God’s presence only who don’t let self lovers and weak ones to pass away from the door.[3]

 

3- Seven Stations in the Spiritual Voyage

There are two orders of Zoroastrian angels, Yazadān and Amšāspandān (both Pahlavian words are plural). Number of Amšāspandān (lit. Immortals which those are vertical and hierarchical) is six beside one central Amšāspand (singular form) which is very Spenta Mainyū. We can also say, borrowing Islamic and Sufi terminology, which Amšāspandān wherein God say “come down angels (Malā’eka) and the Spirit (Rūh)”, [4] are Malā’eka beside Rūh ul-A’zam (the Great Spirit). Amšāspandān manifested in macrocosm, for instance Xurdād in waters and Amurdād in plants. Forby macrocosmic appearance they can be manifest in the human spirit. Therefore, we can speak of them as seven stations (maqām) in the initiatic realization and it is basic of all topics on seven stations, which among such writings Attār’s Mantiq u-ttair (Conversation of Birds) is well known but Ahmad Ghazālī’s Bahr al-Haqqīqa (Ocean of Reality) is best and deepest in the kind.

 

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1- Foundation of this writings is some Perennialist and traditional studies (Javīdān Khiradī) that Dr. Bābak Ālīkhānī teaches at the Iranian Institute of Philosophy.

2- Guénon, René, The Great Triad, Trans. Henry D. Fohr, p 14, also see Symbolism of the Cross, Ch. 7.

3- Ayn al-Qudāt, Tamhidat (contrivances), ed. Afīf Osseirān, p. 228.

4- Quran, 97:4.

Symbolism of Fire

That light which residing in the sun, illumines the whole world that which is in the moon and in the fire – know that light to be Mine.
Bhagavad Gita, XV, 12

Moses saw a fire … when he came to the fire, a voice was heard “O Moses! I Am I, your Lord”
Quran XX:10-12

In our religion wisdom is
foreignness to reason
and burning the butterfly-ness;
who can fly in His flame?
Ismail Radpour

In the previous post discussed two schools of Sufism and their own languages or symbolism. Fire is a major symbol of “Sufism of Shuhūdīyah” which plays an important role in Indo-Iraninan traditions in so far as some Muslims named Zoroastrians worshipers of Fire. However for Zoroastrians fire is only a symbol and not further, but we must change our approachs on symbols. There is a fundumental distinction between symbol and idol; symbol refers to the thing other than itself but idol can not refer to anything but itself. Coomaraswamy use of capitals when he speaks of Fire “in the many contexts where it is the God, and not the natural phenomenon in which He manifests Himself, that is referred to” [1].

In 30/3 of Gathas, Zarathustra speaks of the two Mainyūs (universal Souls) as complementaries that reveal to him, but here spoke of “hearing” and not “seeing”, hence, according to Vedānta, it was be a deep sleep without dream, sphere of third quarter of Atmā and for the very reason the two Mainyūs revealed to Zarathustra as “complementaries” and not “opposites” [2]. The two Mainyūs are “Holy Soul” (Spenta Mainyū) and “Unholy Soul” (Angra Mainyū). The first is luminous and the other is tenebrific; therefore fire which is principle of light is a symbol of “Holy Soul” and thus refers to God in his attribute of compassionateness and it can be said that “Thou art belong to Mazdā Ahūra really, as Fire. Really Thou art His Spenta Mainyū.” [3]

Fire Temple

After Islam, the symbol of candle’s flame and butterfly has widespread utilization for Persian poets specially. May Hallaj (martyred in 309) be fist in expressing the symbol of fire and butterfly, he says,

“The moth flies about the flame until morning, then he returns to his fellows and tells them of his spiritual state with the most eloquent expressions. Then he mixes with the coquetry of the flame in his desire to reach perfect union.” [4]

We will consider the symbol of fire more later inshā’Allah.

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1- Coomaraswamy, “Measures of Fire”, in R. Lipsey (ed.), Coomaraswamy: Methaphysics, p 161.
2- “The sphere of third quarter of Atmā is deep sleep, in which all experiences become unified”. See Mandukya Upanishad, V; also see Bābak ālīkhānī, Latāyifi Irfānī, p 31.
3- Yasnas, 36/6.
4- Hossein ibn Mansūr Hallāj, “Tasīn al-fahm”, in Tawasīn, verse II.

Two Languages of Sufism

Theoretical Sufism has two schools: Wujūdīyah and Shuhūdīah. Great spokesman of the Wujūdīyah school is Ibn Arabi (died in 638/1240) and its important words are about “Wahdat al-Wajūd” (Unity of Being). Great representative of school of Shuhīdīyah is Ayn al-Qudāt (martyred in 525/1131) and his major opinion is “Wahdat-i Shāhid o Mashhūd” (Unity of the Witness and Object of the Witness). “The two perspectives”, Schuon says about these two schools, “necessarily have a Koranic foundation, but the first is doubtless more in conformity with the most apparent meaning of the Book”[*] and the second is close to Zoroastrian mystical groups in Iran and Vedanta in India on the most apparent meaning of their sayings. However this is obvious that these two school are two faces of the same coin.

Ātmā is Sat (Being), Chit (Consciousness), and Ānanda (Bliss) in Hindu terminology by which it can be said while Ibn Arabi speaks of Sat, Ayn al-Qudāt attends to Chit. Hence also their symbols have to differ: Shuhūdīs (followers of the Shuhūdīyah school) more use of the symbols of “Mirror”, “Eye”, “Light”, “Sun”, “Seeing”, “Wine” to refer to the pure Knowledge or Consciousness and Wujūdīs (followers of the Wujūdīyah school) more use of the symbols of “Water”, “Ocean”, “Letters”, “Numbers” to refer to the pure Being.

These two schools also have their own philosophy. Philosophy of Shuhūdīs is Hikmat al-Ishrāq (Philosophy of Illumination) that established by Suhrawardi (martyred in 587/1208.) who speaks of the Light of Lights (Nūr al-Anwār) and levels of lights and intution as best kind of knowledge. It should be noticed that light (nūr) is very knowledge in the philosophy of Ishrāq. On the other hand Sadr al-Mute’alehīn Mullā Sadrā (died in 1050/1641) founded a philosophy for Wujūdīs by name of Hikmat al-Mota’ālīyah (Transcendent Philosophy). He speaks of Unity within diversity and diversity within Unity and this fact that the Being can not be multiple. Although his opinions is different from Ibn Arabi ones a little, but he certainly has walked on a road that “Ibn Arabi”, “Sadr ad-Din Qūnawī”, “Kāshanī”, “Shabistarī” and “Jāmī” walked on it before him.

Knowing this distinction and finding the place of each Sufi is so important to understand his/her language. Some of great Shuhūdīs are “Hallāj”, “Bāyazīd”, “Ahmad Ghazāli”, “Ayn al-Qudāt”, “Rūzbihan Baqlī”, “Rumi, Mawlānā”, and “Hāfiz”.

 

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* Chapter of “Vedānta 1″, in Schuon’s book Spritual Perspectives and Human Facts.

Ahura and Mazda

Bism il-lāh ir-Rahmān ir-Rahīm
In the name of God the Merciful the Compassionate

I am glad to begin my first words in this blog on Bism il-lāh ir-Rahmān ir-Rahīm, the formula which appear in the first of all sura of Quran except Tawba. Rahmān (merciful) and Rahīm (compassionate) are two attributes (sifat) of God: Rahmān in objective sense of the word and Rahīm in subjective. On the one hand God is Rahmān in relation with the world and humans, and on the other He is Rahīm with relation to human being. Rahmān and Rahīm is correspond to Ahura and Mazdā in Zoroastrianism and to Varuna and Mitra in Hinduism respectively. Ahura for Zoroastrianism at the level of dādīg is calling God’s mercifulness in macrocosmic language and Mazdā for Zoroastrianism at the level of hādag māntharīg is calling God’s compassionateness in microcosmic language. Mystics and Initiates call God “Mazdā Ahura” and ordinary people moreover to mystics call God “Ahura Mazdā“.

In Mazdaism or Zoroastrianism (MazdYasnā: the religion of worship of Mazdā) there is three levels of mans and three level of the Zoroastrian manuscripts:

1. dādīg: relating to dād (īg = ic in English) laws, exoteric aspect of the religion.
2. hādag māntharīg, hādag (with, by) + māntharig (relating to mānthra): with mānthra, esoteric aspect of the religion. mānthra that its identifies is mantra in Hinduism and zikr in Islam means remembrance of God.
3. gāhānīg: relating to Gāhān or Gāthās which is the book of pslams-revelation of Zarathustra himself, therefore gāhānīg means of the Truth.

In Islam there are these ideas in the other terminology:

1. sharī’ah: laws of the religion which they are exist is Quran and tradition of Prophet Muhammad [pbuh].
2. tarīqat: the way, way of reach to haqīqah and vehicle of the way is zikr or mānthra.
3. haqīqah: the Truth.

“It is noteworthy,” Guenon says about sharī’ah and haqīqah, “that in the Far-Eastern tradition one finds very dear equivalents to these two terms, not as two aspects, exoteric and esoteric, of the same doctrine, but as two separate teachings, at least since the time of Confucius and Lao Tzu. In fact, one might say in all strictness that Confucianism corresponds to the sharī’ah and Taoism to the haqīqah.” (Insights into Islamic Esoterism and Taoism, The Shell and the Kernel)

However, In Hinduism God from objective point of view is Brahmā and from subjective point of view is Ātmā. Zarathustra calls God both “Ahura”, the Mighty, (in objective sense) and “Mazdā”, the Wise, (in subjective sense), and likewise both “Ahura Mazdā” and “Mazdā Ahura”.

Some example from Gāthās:

“Who reveals as Mazdā Ahura in [human] soul” 45/10

“Spritual power (khxshathra) is belong to Mazdā” 47/1

“Ahura, the Creator, is Mazdā by very khshathra” 45/5

One can finds much of these topics in detail with resource in:

Ālikhāni, Bābak, barrasiye latayefe erfani dar nosoose atiqe avestayi (Perspectives on Mystical Points in the Primordial Avestan Manuscripts), Hermes Press, first edition 2000 (1379), Tehran.

Unfortunately the book is available only in Persian.

Divine Wine

O Saqi! Take lamp of the Wine before Sun

and say,

“O Sun! Alight daybreak’s light from it”

- Hafiz