Islamic mysticism, also known as taṣawwuf in Arabic and Sufism in Western languages, is a religious practice that emphasizes introspection and spiritual closeness. Dervish, or members of a Muslim mystic fraternity, are those who wear woollen garments to seek divine love and truth through direct personal experience of God. The term “Sufism” derives from the Arabic term for a mystic, ṣūfī, which is derived from ṣūf, meaning “wool”. This concept has been intertwined with the notion of Ḥikmah, which is both wisdom and philosophy.
Sufism is a mystic body of religious practice found within Islam, characterized by a focus on Islamic purification, spirituality, ritualism, and seeking divine love and truth through direct personal experience of God. It may be best described as Islamic mysticism or asceticism, which through belief and practice helps Muslims attain nearness to Allah. Sufism is practiced by tens of millions of Muslims and is a form of Islamic mysticism that emphasizes the use of meditation, mantras, and prayers to come close to Allah.
Islamic mysticism has had several stages of growth, including the appearance of early asceticism and the development of a classical mysticism of divine love. Non-Muslims often mistake Sufism as a sect, but it is a creative manifestation of religious life in Islam.
📹 al-Hallaj: Mystic Martyr of Sufism
Explore the life and profound teachings of Husayn Ibn Mansur al-Hallaj, the 9th-century Sufi mystic known for his controversial …
Does Islam have mystics?
Sufi mysticism is a significant aspect of Islamic religious life, aiming to purify souls and attain intimate knowledge of God. The lives of Muslim mystics and saints have fascinated Westerners and served as spiritual models for Muslims. Sufi orders have influenced the lives of ordinary people worldwide, and Rumi and other Sufi poets remain popular worldwide. This course explores the past and present of Sufism, drawing on readings of Sufi literature and the instructor’s extensive fieldwork among Sufis in Egypt.
Students can enroll directly at their home institution for course credit. The instructor is a specialist in Islamic thought and practice, having worked on various aspects of Islam from the time of the Prophet to the contemporary period. They conducted two major fieldwork projects in Egypt, focusing on Muslim women’s religious lives in contemporary Egypt and Sufism in modern Egypt.
The instructor studied Swahili and spent two summers in Zanzibar, where they became interested in the Ibadi sect of Islam, an ancient and small sect practiced in Oman and small pockets of North Africa. They have since written the first English-language study of Ibadi theology, The Essentials of Ibadi Islam, and have become a specialist in Ibadism in the modern period, especially in Oman and Zanzibar.
What is a Muslim mystic?
Sufism, a form of Islamic mysticism or asceticism, aims to help Muslims attain nearness to Allah through direct personal experience of God. The term Sufi is believed to originate from the Arabic word suf, which refers to the wool worn by mystics and ascetics. Sufi thought emphasizes the pursuit of a path leading to closeness with God, ultimately resulting in encountering the divine in the hereafter. Sufi orders and Sufi-inspired organizations are found worldwide, including Marrakech, Manila, London, and Lagos.
Are all Muslims Sufi?
Sufi affiliations may overlap with Sunni and Shia identities, but few Muslims identify as Sufis or belong to a specific Sufi brotherhood. Self-identified Sufis are most prevalent in sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia. Most people who identify as Muslim today were raised within the Islamic faith, with most who have converted to Islam from Christianity or traditional African religions. In 20 countries surveyed, half or more Muslims identify as Sunni, with a high percentage in South Asia, Southeast Asia, and the Middle East and North Africa.
The median percentage of Sunnis in these regions is two-thirds or more. About half of the Muslims surveyed in sub-Saharan Africa self-identify as Sunni. In Central Asia and Southern and Eastern Europe, self-identification as Sunni is less common, with a median percentage of fewer than three-in-ten.
What do Sufis call God?
In Sufism, the personal name “Hu” or “Huwa” is used to avoid attribution of a gender to God (allah). In Arabic, “Hu” means “God, Just He” and in English, “God himself”. In a variant of the Islamic credo, “There is no God but He” is shortened to “There is no God but He”. Hu is grammatically gendered but does not necessarily refer to the sex or gender of its referent. Some scholars argue that there is no meaning or symbolism assigned to biological sex in the Quran. In Arabic, “Allah” means God, while “Hu” means “God, Just He”. Hu is also found in a variant of the first part of the Islamic credo.
What is a Sufi woman?
In Islamic thinking, the concept of “woman” is rooted in the idea of “women of light”, who have been transformed by knowledge and practice, resulting in God giving them a light in their hearts, hearing, and eyesight. To understand these women, we can conceptualize them as their opposites, with masculinity being a quality of activity, control, authority, domination, strength, power, and greatness, and femininity manifesting complementary qualities such as receptivity, acquiescence, submission, surrender, weakness, giving in, letting go, and lowness. This understanding helps us distinguish women from men and understand their unique qualities and attributes.
What is a mystic in religion?
Mysticism is a belief system in which an individual adheres to the conviction that they have achieved a state of oneness with a supreme deity, thereby symbolizing a profound mystery pertaining to religious or spiritual practices.
Who is the female Muslim mystic?
Rabi’a el Adawiya, a historical Sufi saint of early Islam, was known for her perfection, great piety, gnosis, and asceticism. She was known as “the crown of men” by later mystics. However, her biography and legends reveal a strong and temperate character, especially in relation to men. An anecdote involving Rabi’ia’s disciple, Hassan, demonstrates her spiritual superiority by extending her suspended mat as a sign of spiritual superiority. She then emphasized that the real issue is beyond both tricks and requires applying oneself to the real issue.
What does Sufi mean?
A Sufi is a Muslim who practices Islamic mysticism, seeking a direct, personal experience of God. They believe in the mystical dimension of Islam and often wear simple wool cloaks. Sufis, who are considered practicing Muslims, are known for their meditative dances and are mainly found in Iran. Sufism is controversial among some traditional Muslims, and their practice is often associated with the word “man of wool”.
What is mystical Islam called?
Sufism is a mystical Islamic belief and practice that aims to find the truth of divine love and knowledge through personal experience of God. It consists of various mystical paths designed to ascertain the nature of humanity and God, and facilitate the experience of divine love and wisdom in the world. Sufism, also known as “the poor” or “fakir”, originated from early Islamic asceticism as a counterweight to the increasing worldliness of the expanding Muslim community.
The movement has evolved over time, with foreign elements that were compatible with mystical theology and practices adopted and made to conform to Islam. The term Sufism has been used in Western languages since the early 19th century.
What is esoteric Islam?
Esoteric interpretation of the Quran is the allegorical quest for its hidden, inner meanings. The Arabic word taʾwīl was initially synonymous with conventional interpretation but later became synonymous with discerning its most fundamental understandings. Esoteric interpretations do not usually contradict conventional interpretations but discuss the inner levels of meaning of the Quran. The terms taʾwīl and tafsīr both mean “explanation, elucidation, interpretation, and commentary”, but from the end of the 8th century CE, taʾwīl was commonly regarded as the esoteric or mystical interpretation of the Quran, while the conventional exegesis was referred to using the term tafsīr.
Esoteric interpretations are found in the Shīʿa, Sufi, and Sunnī branches of Islam and their respective interpretations of the Quran. A ḥadīth report that states the Quran has an inner meaning, concealing a deeper inner meaning, and so on has sometimes been used to support this view. Traditional scholars agree that some passages of the Quran leave certain ideas implied rather than stated, and that some verses are literal in meaning, while others, called “mutashabihat”, are metaphorical in meaning.
What is another name for a Muslim mystic?
Sufism, also known as Islamic mysticism, is a religious practice within Islam that focuses on purification, spirituality, ritualism, and asceticism. The term Sufi has various meanings in Islamic literature, and its practice is characterized by both proponents and opponents. Sufism is a body of mystical practice that has been defined by Western authors and has been used in Islamic literature with a wide range of meanings.
📹 The Sufi ‘The Mystics of Islam’
Embark on a captivating voyage into the heart of Sufism with our beautiful presentation, Sufism: The Mystics of Islam presented by …
Sheikh Mansur Al-Hallaj is highly respected within the Sikh tradition as well, as someone who figured out the Truth of Reality, of Allah, and His relationship with the world. He is accepted as a true disciple of God within the Anandpur Durbar of Guru Gobind Singh (the 10th Guru). Beautiful article. Edit: Replies to this comment are now devolved into fighting amongst each other about religion, may this ‘Pajeetism’, Neo-Salafism, and similar ideologies come to an end.
Talk about a gem and serendipity. I have been reflecting on the Buddha and the term “Tathagata” (or “Thusness” and “Suchness” or “Thus Come” and “Thus Gone”). This term or state of being sounds like what you are saying about al-Hallaj’s “al haqq” moment. An ultimate truth or understanding of the nature of reality – which is the state of dissolution of the self, ego, and permanence (e.g. anatta, anicca, and sunyata in Buddhism) – where one becomes all and nothing all at once. Al-Hallaj’s “I am the Truth” moment sounds similar to the Buddha’s Enlightenment or Tathagata state of “Thusness” and “Suchness” (having already “Thus Come” and Thus Gone”). This form body isn’t important anymore after you experience “al-Haqq.” I always learn something new when I watch your articles – but this is a true gem. Thank you! 🙏
This is amazing! Thank you so much, Filip, for introdusing al hallaj. I truly enjoyed it. I have been curious about Al-hallaj ever since you introduced “Ana al-haqq” in one of your articles. He is undeniably controversial. I was even more shocked by his other writings, far more than ‘Ana al-Haqq.’ It was his views on Satan that truly unsettled me. I do understand why he is such a controversial figure. It makes me wonder whether he reached a deeper level of annihilation (if there are levels to it), or if his experience is commonly shared and he was simply more vocal about it. That could explain why so many figures have been defending him. I wonder if the Sufi community were more open about their spiritual experiences, perhaps he wouldn’t be seen as so controversial.
His mistake was revealing his experience to people who could never understand it because they hadn’t experienced it (yet, or at all, depending on the individual). You need to be very delicate when talking about experiences like that, because it can come off as very arrogant and people will misunderstand any words uttered in the joyous ecstasy of that kind of mystical spiritual experiences.
Many thanks ❤ for this beautiful story about Hallaj. Listening to his poems, he clearly appears to be one of the great mystics, that is, one who has really experienced the full communion with the ONE or “I AM”, one who doesn’t look at the ONE as some external reality but as the inmost Presence. The more aware one is of this inmost Presence, the more Godlike one becomes, and so the more free one feels. Have a great my friend 😊.
Thats really so powerful poem (I saw my Lord with the eye of my heart). Alhallaj reached a very deep meaning of interpreting the true nature of self-awareness. He meditated on Qoraan and deciphered all mystical meaning in it. By the way he was a Sufi Shia’ai Muslim. Your Arabic pronunciation is perfect mate.
Finally you got to Al Hallaj. Thank you. There are a few more stories of Al Hallaj from Iran and India that you missed. There is this incidence outside a Zoroastrian fire temple – by which Hallaj was walking . Hallaj just snapped his fingers and the fire of the temple sanctum – just blew out. In India he is said to have been influenced by monist mystics of Hinduism – which strengthened his adherence to monism and led to his powerful utterances. These strongly resonate with similar monistic utterances of the same period in India
ഹല്ലാജെ കൊല്ലും നാൾ അന്നു ഞാനുണ്ടെങ്കിൽ, അപ്പോൾ അവർകയ് പിടിപ്പേനതെന്നോവർ This is a lyrics from an arabi Malayalam song about Sheik Abdul Kadar Jeelani r.a, titled as Muhiyideen maala written on 17th century by Qazi Muhammed of Kerala. It says as the quote of Sheikh Jeelani r.a saying ‘ If I was present on the day when Hallaj was killed I would have hold their hand ( from killing him).’ This song Muhiyideen maala used to be recited by mothers of every orthodox Sunni malayali household and is still famous. So Hallaj’s name was familiar from my childhood. Thanks for this insights into his life.
I envy you for your knowledge of Islam & Islamic mysticism besides the deep research you undertake on some extremely difficult topics and things. Today, you were looking intoxicated by the annihilation (فنا) of our great Mansoor Al Halaj (peace & honour be upon him) while so was I. What is your faith that you practice or believe in, or are you still in the process of selecting one? 😊 It’s wished I could extend monetary assistance. Allah Almighty be with us on all fronts and every time, amen! Our great pol leader, statesman and reformer by the name of Khan e Azam Mahatma Zaigham 🦁 Imran🌹Khan is in jail, like Al Halaj was, for no folly of his; do pray for his total, complete and ultimate victory, please. Mr Khan from Pakistan 🇵🇰 21 Sep 24
Extremely impressive arabic recitation of the poetry, and thank you for including the original arabic text. One note about the last verse at 23:16, the translation you did of وُجِدت is not „I found you” but more of „you became” or „you were found”. It is hard to exactly translate its essence but something along the line of „you appeared”. the reason why it is not „I found you” because in this sentence it is not a verb as you can see from the diacritics over the letters but a passive verb. „I found you” would be written as وَجَدت, and for this sentence it would be وَجدتك and not وَجدت أنت. However, that is an extremely impressive translation to a very hard verse to understand!
From Attar: A dervish asked him (Hussain Mansour Hallaj), “What is love?” He said, “Today you will see, tomorrow you will see, and the day after tomorrow you will see.” That day, they killed him; the next day, they burned him; and on the third day, they scattered his ashes to the wind. This means, “This is love.”
It baffles me how we have had so many people get to this truth (Nibbhana/Fannah/realization/Moksha) throughout history, and nevertheless we are as far from spiritual union as we were in the times of Buddha/Jesus/Mohammed. Wish more people are able to get the message without being prejudiced by so many dogmas.
In my life transforming experiences, I experienced Fanaa has different degrees. In one group experience in light trance, I remember I was reapeating: Show me the truth. Then, I noticed a very intense thick light slowly entering the large room I was in, from the right upper corner of the wall, ceiling. The light slowly, slowly, came in more n more, I knew it was the Source, the Truth, difficult to look at, as it was too bright, then it came too close, n suddenly, covered me n everything. Then, it was only Light. I had been Fanaa(ed) in him, I didn’t exist anymore, it was All him… there was no me, I was him. I know of some of my past lives. Some thought me, fame, name, money are dangerous, you can loose your life in very bad ways… hence, I haven’t published my books, which the Source has asked me to do 40 years ago, yet. Back then, I would have been laughed at… maybe still, today. I really admire you for your work, both contents n presentation. Thank you.
I’ve often heard and read that Hallaj “lost” his ability to speak Persian after moving to Wasit, which doesn’t make much sense to me—how could someone just lose his ability to speak his mother tongue? I haven’t read anything on Tur being a “deeply Arabized” city, and it doesn’t make sense to me that he had never spoken Persian at all (as you implied in the article), since Fars was a very much Persian region, and it’s unlikely that he wouldn’t have had extensive interaction with other Persians (considering he himself was of Persian stock).
Skipping over the tortures and the ultra savage treatment of a saintly person (who in another culture like India would have been considered a Jnani who has attained the height of religious insight), as political intrigue and norms of a distant past in a week when a Pakistani doctor (and another person a week before) were murdered on accusations of blasphemy on a post on social media, is the height of insensitivity or ignorance, or downright cowardice. There is (to this day) a common saying in Persian when asking about someone’s courage: چند مرده حلاجی؟! “How many men are you like Hallaj?”
“Aham Brahma asmi ” (I am Brahma!) Becomes one of the four mahavakyas (Great Sayings) in Iron Age India, and اناالحق (I am the Truth) obtains 2×1000 lashes followed by hanging, burning and scattering of Hallaj’s ashes at the dawn of Golden Age in Baghdad. (And there are comments here defending that) 😢
Mansori Hallaj was a Persian from the Pars province of Iran we’re also the Great Persian poet’s and Sufi’s (Hafiz shirazi) and (saadi shirazi) came out of…. And Yes! During their time they all spoke and wrote in their original Persian language which their books today are still teached about in college’s across the world.. while during ancient times the Arab khalifa’s we’re completely against Iranian philosophers, Sufi’s, poet’s and academic teachers who were killed, tortured and ridiculed because of their works and ideology which started many legendary campaigns from different regions of iran against the arab khalifa’s and directly the reason iranians kept their ancient identity and language.. unlike neighboring Assyrians, Babylonians, Levantine, Egyptians etc
Al-Hallaj. Answers many of my questions. Thank you thank you for this. Al-Hallaj encompasses all that which could not be said he said that which even our beloved prophet Muhammad was not allowed to say to the most closest of his companions so Allah hidden them in the Quran Allah unlock those secrets for Al-Hallaj not that our beloved prophet Muhammad wasn’t aware of such state of being, he was, but had to be kept secret because mind’s won’t ready for such secrets state of being revealed. Instead it was place in the heart’s of the companions that could withstand such lefty state. The highest of them been Ali. Just imagine if our beloved prophet Muhammad made those claims what would have happened. So Allah used the “hu” to shield our prophet. Al-Hallaj encompasses all that the companions of the prophet was the prophet been the light of reality. Al-Hallaj died the death of Hassan and Hussane Ali and Uthman Umar and Abubakar the Martyrs. Indeed Al-Hallaj died the death of a Martyr. He had to reveal those secrets by Devine command. Just as Iblis had not to bow down. Allah did not command the angels to worship Adam He only command them to bow down. Didn’t the parents and brothers of Yusuf bow down to to him, Yusuf?. Yes Iblis only worship Allah but he instigate humans to disobey the commands of Allah and indirectly or directly worship him Iblis but in reality Iblis knows that the only one to be worship is Allah but he can’t reveal that to the children of Adam. In the Quran Iblis make a very profound statement.
The Missing Piece is “Allah” is LITERALLY “the concept of time”. I was raised amongst my people and I saw them suffer. And Filip, you helped me realise it. Thank you, my friend, for actually taking the time to learn. We are not Takfiri, only the Shahadah is required. Legit, your article on Coltrane was one of the final links for me. Your truest of friends, throughout all time, Sayed Arif Mahmood Nasser Sayed Mohammed Al-Yousif of Bahrain, the Two Seas, descendant of Prophet Muhammed and Imam Hussein, may peace and blessings be upon their name.
i used to think of the killing of mansur as unjust but i’ve changed my mind. not about the killing but about the reasons for it. i used to put it down to ignorance. but what i think the killers may have been thinking is this. the religion must be understood at the level that the practitioner is able to grasp the teachings. every islamic teaching has a mundane and a mysterious reading. with training and direct knowledge a person can become able to understand the higher knowledge of the sufis. without that training the practitioner is better off not being misled by ideas that they won’t understand. mansur’s killers didn’t think he was a heretic (on this view). they thought he knew the truth but if he wasn’t careful people would be dangerously misled
When you go extreme into spiritual practices retiring from food and wrecking your body into extreme weakness you get attached by one of the soldiers of shaitan or by iblis himself. This shaitan will make sure you end up in jahannam. Most almost all of the sufis especially Mansoor hallaj and moin udin chishti and Abu yazid bastami ended up in this way. Ask ALLAH the creator of the universe to guide you to his path of truth. ALLAH states in the Quran: “O believers don’t try to get ahead of ALLAH and his prophet” These people try to get ahead of the prophet and end up in disbelief.
great commentary. one does never preach the left hand path though it is lived to the higher level. it is well to silence those who thus preach. how does one distinguish spiritual freedom and licenciousness in the minds of others? if you think it’s justified because you can “explain” to others or motivate them to change, you have derailed into ideology. which is what this gentleman did. similar to the catholic church against the hereseis. joachim fiore et al. no one told you not to reach the stars. but do please not talk openly about it in speculative language. use art, it’s okay. sorry for this guy but…the earth is not heaven. woe to anyone who accepts such experience in the form of doctrine. and since the experience isn’t yours (yes im talking to you), dont touch it. it’s no guide or help to you at all but most dangerous. rip.
Al-Hallaj’s intention was to express his experience of unity with God, where there is no distinction between the individual and the Divine. In Sufi tradition, this represents a high spiritual realization, symbolizing the complete merging of the devotee into God. However, religious authorities of that time interpreted this statement as blasphemy and an act of “shirk” (associating partners with God). They felt that al-Hallaj’s declaration went against the strict monotheism of Islam, which led to his execution by crucifixion in 922 CE. The interpretation of this statement depends on one’s spiritual perspective and belief system
O you who believe! Fear Allah (by doing all that He has ordered and by abstaining from all that He has forbidden) as He should be feared. (Obey Him, be thankful to Him and remember Him always), and die not except in a state of Islam (as Muslims) with complete submission to Allah. (Aali Imran 3:102) ————————————————- And hold fast, all of you together to the Rope of Allah (i.e. this Qur’an) and be not divided among yourselves, and remember Allah’s Favor on you, for you were enemies one to another, but He joined your hearts together, so that, by His Grace, you became brethren (in Islamic Faith) and you were on the brink of a pit of Fire and He saved you from it. Thus Allah makes His Ayaat (proofs, evidences, verses, lessons, signs, revelations, etc.,) clear to you, that you may be guided. (Aali Imran 3:103) ————————————————- “Rejoice! Do you not witness that there is no God but Allah and I am the messenger of Allah?” They said yes. The Prophet said, “Verily, this Quran is a rope. One end is in the hand of Allah and the other end is in your hands. Hold fast to it, for you will never be led astray or ruined ever again.” Source: Ṣaḥīḥ Ibn Ḥibbān 122
Judaism ✡ is Saturnian Patriarchal Religion. Christianity ✝️ is Sun Patriarchal Religion. Islam ☪️ is mystical moonish feminine matriarchal religion especially Sufism, but it has evolved into Saturnian Religion 🕋 in its versions: Salafism, Azharism, Modern Shia, Wahabism….it is long story, I have origins from Al Bait from Fatima, to Ismael to Abraham to Babylon and I knew this through intuitive myscticism.
There are a few mistakes in pronunciation (temporal) and transcript (second for scorned?) which it is a pity to mar such serious, interesting work with. A extraordinary story. Also there is too much repeating of the same facts in slightly different phrases and again, as if trying to stretch to an hour! Seems unlikely since this fascinating account only left me wanting to hear more about the whole situation. Not repeats, but more! Its really good. Thanks for the book list too.
Mansour al-Hillaj’s daring perspective of Iblis Satan accurate makes perfect sense. As Oneness is the ultimate, and there is a consistent advocacy of beyond duality in Hillaj, and later Sufis, poetry. Then Satan must also be included in the unity. How could it be that all is one, and yet Satan is still excluded. Thus, this perspective of Satan as the ultimate devotee reincorporates him into the ultimate Oneness. It is a dilemma, yet it is not.
He actually said, “I am the God,” but others misunderstood him in a negative way. That’s why Al-Hallaj faced such severe consequences. What happened to him is something called satori, which is a form of sudden enlightenment or awakening, similar to Kundalini awakening but in a much faster manner. He traveled to India and learned various spiritual secrets, such as third eye awakening, because at that time, India was at the peak of spiritual knowledge and practices.
انا لله وانا اليه راجعون Surely we belong to Allah and to Him we shall return. As Junaid Baghdadi said that he was weak and couldn’t hold the secrets to himself. Mystic powers needed to be kept concealed within as general public won’t be able to comprehend except the ones who’ve been through those. Agree to someone mentioned in comments ‘ gem casually dropped’…
Society has always persecuted people when they showed any kind of spiritual madness. Societies have always been apprehensive of devotees because they do not go by any logic. Devotees by themselves are absolutely beautiful, but they will not fit into social situations because if you want to be a devotee, you have to have a certain level of madness in you. It is a very beautiful madness but it is still madness.
Undoubtedlely Hussain al Mansur hallaj was a Sufi for they only can foresee Future events and can make Predications,i.e.पेशान- गोई! No other than सूफ़ी दरवेश ! The ‘I’ mean to emphasize, pivitol joint confined to Allah only one Who can proud of Sovereign entity of one being all powerful, merciful, omnipotent omniscient and.omnipresent For rest of the illusive, brief timed Creations of Humanic Realm only speaking animal, I is given as Personal Pronoun, Subjective Form first person ever helpless ! to be used Symbolically demonstrating.!’ Most ❤ heart rending Tragedy ever enacted on earth by Boasting,arrogant Vacant Human Minds ! ” None could get अ न ल हक ‘ I am the Truth only on 26 March 922 A D ” by a realm Muslim Sufi of one of the finest SUFI MASTERS! !
I feel blessed that I can taste his words in their original form. Thank you so much for the article. والله ما طلعت شمس و لا غربت إلا و حبك مقرون بأنفاسي و لا جلست إلى قوم أحدثهم إلا و أنت حديثي بين جلاسي و لا ذكرتك محزونا ولا فرحا إلا و أنت بقلبي بين وسواسي ولا هممت بشرب الماء من عطش إلا رأيت خيالا منك في الكاس ولو قدرت على الإتيان جئتكم سعيا على الوجه أو مشيا على الراس
40:52 this is the first time I think about this story with this perspective. And I don’t know what to say. I don’t know what to proclaim. I don’t know. How can I know? How? We’re in this world fighting the satan…. Or are we? Maybe Satan didn’t prostrate to Adam bcz he wants not only to only worship Allah but also to worship Allah alone. That’s why he requested Allah to give him permission to deviate us from the right path… We… The children of Adam. He wants to worship Allah alone. He’s the ultimate monotheist. Not negating the fact that he’s arrogant… He is… Or should I say he must. Otherwise there would be no test as we’re in rn. He’s just doing what Allah has already willed. He’s not villain in our story… We are. Our nafs. Our “Mai”. No wonder why Jihad an-Nafs is the best jihaad that one can do. Perhaps Nafs is the real Villain. The real deviating power that try it’s best to deviate us….. from Monotheism.
There most probably have been mystics with more conventional sayings and deeds as Hallaj! But the reason he was executed was that he was famous! And to look more mundane at it, the rest of sufis were jealous of him! After as it is highlighted numrously in Hafez’s poems most of these sufis were just hypocrites and greedy for fame ! For example see how Hafez ridicules the famous Sufi leader of his time ” Nematollah vali”
From Attar ( it is surreal at times): It is narrated that on the first night when they imprisoned Hallaj, they came but did not see him in the prison. They searched the entire prison but did not find him. On the second night, they neither saw him nor the prison, and no matter how much they searched for the prison, they could not find it. On the third night, they saw him in the prison. They asked, “Where were you on the first night? And on the second night, where were you and the prison? Now both are visible—what has happened? ” He replied, “On the first night, I was in the Divine Presence, and that is why I was absent. On the second night, the Divine Presence was here, and thus we both were absent. On the third night, I was sent back for the sake of preserving the religion ( Shariah, religious institutions and laws). Now, come and carry on with your business ( his execution).
I do find it fascinating how divided the Muslim world is – Sunni/ Shia/Ahmadiyya/Sufi/Ibadi/Quranist . I’m agnostic, but saddened that we don’t get taught more about these different groups. In my area, I grew up realising that the dominant Sunni people that I came across never mentioned these other groups and clearly tried to cover them up…
In the Holy Quran,Allah says : “That is because God is the truth, and because He gives life to the dead, and because He is Capable of everything. 7. And because the Hour is coming—there is no doubt about it—and because God will resurrect those in the graves.” People regarded his views as heresy because he claimed divine attributes to himself ….NO ONE IS THE TRUTH BUT THE CREATOR because he is the only eternal being .
Prophet Mohammad Sallalahu Alayhi Wassallam quoted Allah Rabbul Izzat ” “He who is hostile to a friend of Mine I declare war against. My slave approaches Me with nothing more beloved to Me than what I have made obligatory upon him, and My slave keeps drawing nearer to Me with voluntary works until I love him. And when I love him, I am his hearing with which he hears, his sight with which he sees, his hand with which he seizes, and his foot with which he walks. If he asks me, I will surely give to him, and if he seeks refuge in Me, I will surely protect him” (Fath al-Bari, 11.34041, hadith 6502); This hadith was related by Imam Bukhari, Ahmad ibn Hanbal, al-Bayhaqi, and others with multiple contiguous chains of transmission, and is sahih. Maybe this is what Happened in this case. And Allah knows best.
I am so appreciative of your broad and inclusive, unbiased communications about the lives of these historically influential Divinely incarnate and very human beings. Have you been moved to speak about present time, say last 100 years or so to the now present time Realizers who likewise are having a great impact/intervention here and now? ❤🤍🙏
Thank you so much for your articles they are very informative… im revisiting islamic mysticism and started perusal your articles on after the other its giving a very interesting perspective…one thing i know for sure no one dies as Al Hallaj unless he is coming with huge wisdom… tyrant politicians cannot be more afraid of anything more than “الحق” what happens now happened then…
The ultimate form of surrender to God is not merely prayer, but fana, where a person has annihilated themselves into God’s light. If Iblis had done this, the false idol of arrogance would not have been in his heart, because his ego would be no more. This is the self sacrifice spoken about in the bible, this is the highest form of surrender.
The First and The Everlasting Love: The Almighty God’s Name and Glory is the the part of human life. Nothing more than submission to Him is ever truly worthy of human respect of His Word: The Word is serving the humanity’s causes and living in peace and harmony with Him in obedience to Him in pursuit of His Will. However, this article is one of the most important and most powerful articles ever produced on YouTube.
I study all world views but the highest always seem to be non-dual not 2 I am that or I and my father are 1 or sameness in Buddhism sprit in body identifies with the body which is a gift giving to you from ancestor dna but not you You are sprite and sprite is eternal and sprite is 1 overall good article can you get do a article on some gurus neem baba Karoli or shridi sai baba thx there is nothing new under the sun seek and ye shall find saits are still here helping us
Would be nice to have a article about language mixing of that time, how did people manage to mix Persian + Arabic? In our time, we have literally apps and government funded schools to manage expats (think non-English countries). Not to forget, persian & arabic are not even from the same family of languages.
Very interesting actually, the early Islam was mostly a secular Arabic expansionist movement whose followers didn’t call themselves muslims but rather identified as Mumineen. Evn the islamic proclamation of faith was just La ilaha ilallah,the muhammad as his prophet was after half or a century after muhammad. And this Muhammad mighnot actually be the muhammad mostly presented by the hadith. The hadith sources are deeply unreliable and infact many Islamic scholars themselves criticised using them in the beginning as many of them were near to caliphs and their sons and early salaf but none had actually quoted the prophet said…any time but many of the boys in Arabia were going around saying that twenty four hours a day 😂. Definitely this Islam we know today is much like christianity which diverged and changed as the followers started to develop a separate identity.
Sufism leads to Hellfire, and forever . Real sufism is worshipping God alone and obey him and his Messenger and live with whatever he gave you and be patient just like the Prophet pbuh did and the companions, not be some crazy person who dances and doesn’t even pray . The prophet pbuh is the Greatest Sufist if sufism means what we just said .
From Attar: ” (when Hallaj was being tortured before his execution) An old woman came by, carrying an earthenware jug in her hand. When she saw Husayn, she said, “Hit him, and hit him hard! What does this pretentious Hallaji have to do with God’s word?” It is tempting to think that Attar was referring to this quote from the prophet” Follow the religion of the old women”.
I disagree Satan being the true worshipper of God. Anyone who thinks otherwise just needs to look at his( Satan) response when God asked ” why he didn’t prostrate to Adam.” Satan’s response was that he was better than Adam. He didn’t say he would only prostrate to God and no one else. In essence, his response seems to suggest that if Adam was better than him, then Satan would’ve prostrated to him.
Well there are no officially hallaji sufis but if you look at the sufis believing in ‘wahadat ul wajood’, you can find two types among them. one are ‘calm and peaceful’ like Rumi and others seem to be ‘divinely mad or aggresive or too expressive’ in their nature such as Mansoor himself or Shams Tabrez. So, the second type sufis are unofficially Hallaji like those where I belong.
قَالُوْا سُبْحٰنَكَ مَا كَانَ یَنْۢبَغِیْ لَنَاۤ اَنْ نَّتَّخِذَ مِنْ دُوْنِكَ مِنْ اَوْلِیَآءَ وَ لٰـكِنْ مَّتَّعْتَهُمْ وَ اٰبَآءَهُمْ حَتّٰى نَسُوا الذِّكْرَۚ-وَ كَانُوْا قَوْمًۢا بُوْرًا وہ عرض کریں گے:(اے اللہ!) تو پاک ہے، ہمارے لئے ہر گز جائز نہیں تھا کہ ہم تیرے سوا کسی اور کومددگاربنائیں لیکن تو نے انہیں اور ان کے باپ داداؤں کو فائدہ اُٹھانے دیا یہاں تک کہ انہوں نے (تیری) یاد کو بھلا دیا اور یہ لوگ ہلاک ہونے والے ہی تھے۔ Or وہ عرض کریں گے”پاک ہے آپ کی ذات، ہماری تو یہ بھی مجال نہ تھی کہ آپ کے سوا کسی کو اپنا مولیٰ بنائیں۔ مگر آپ نے ان کو اور ان کے باپ دادا کو خوب سامانِ زندگی دیا حتٰی کہ یہ سبق بھُول گئے اور شامت زدہ ہو کر رہے۔” Or They will say: “Glory to Thee! not meet was it for us that we should take for protectors others besides Thee: But Thou didst bestow, on them and their fathers, good things (in life), until they forgot the Message: for they were a people (worthless and) lost.”
Satan became Satan because Ibless BLAMED God for deceiving Ibless when God Breathe His Spirit into Adam – Satan wasn’t casted out by just disobeying God because there’re further dialogues between God n Satan but Question of. al-Hajjaj is Valid but Why the UNSEEN GOD made His Angles to bow to Adam rather than Himself?
There are 4 reasons that he might have been killed for. His utterance was just one of those. There is nothing special about him. This article is just another attempt at showing that there is no such thing as Islam which is defined. Everyone can make their own Islam. His shaykh Junaid called his views foolish during his lifetime .
Thank you so much for this fantastic take on Halaj. Poets are fantastic specially if you understand Arabic. Just one thing I want to mention. The idea of Satan being faithful to God being depicted later on in many famous literature. On of my favourites is a scene between God and Satan in a beautiful book called “Gospel according to Jesus Christ ” by the legendary Portuguese writer Saramago. Again, thank you – شكرا😊
When a believer is able to READ his Nafs (Being) It is the Book (Al-Kitab) Alif Laam Meem So, He is granted the Khirqa (Dress) n When He travels the Sirat-ul-Hameed He reaches to Sunnah of Knowledge of this Book so was given the Turban (Dustar-Qulla) n When a person receive all that delivered on Station of Muhammad (The Praiseworthy) – AL INSAAN AL KAMAL – Al-Hallaj only tread the path of Knowledge (Sirat-ul-Mustaqeem) similarly to Budda & Guru Nanak. Where Knowledge of God is the Truth (as knowledge is no other than Him) But Life also is Al-Haq n that’s the path of Praise – So, from His Knowledge & Life (Intellect) to Create His Praise n Man is such Creation. Either Blameworthy or Praiseworthy. وَيُرِيدُ اللَّهُ أَن يُحِقَّ الْحَقَّ بِكَلِمَاتِهِ وَيَقْطَعَ دَابِرَ الْكَافِرِينَ
In your description of Hallaj’s concern with God, over God’s relationship with Adam, I couldn’t help but be reminded of the Parable of the Periodical Son from my culture. Of how the older son felt when the Father accepted the sinful son back with such celebration. The older may have indeed figured himself better and more worthy of a relationship with his Father. Crazy, huh?!
The 5 sensory perceptions that are scattered now on the body, can be united with the Universal Mind, the king of 3 realms..this is still MIND, nothing to do with soul and real God.. Those who are talking bout the higher truth beyond the mind, then they must talks things related to the 100th NAMES, deeper revealations on 5 SOUNDS
Mysticism and Sufism often attract individuals with a tendency toward unusual and eccentric thinking, sometimes described in psychological terms as having schizotypal personality traits. These individuals may struggle to navigate the complexities of everyday life, leading them to create alternative realities that provide a sense of purpose and identity. This self-constructed reality can bolster their self-esteem and offer a coping mechanism. However, this perspective can sometimes verge on delusional thinking or, at the very least, become an overvalued belief system that disconnects them from more practical and grounded ways of understanding the world.
Hallaj should have been celebrated and venerated but alas he was executed as has been Jesus. However back in Bharat such statements were happily accepted and those claime so were rarely ever executed. It was Krishna in Bhagvad Gita and also Adi Shankara clearly stating ‘aham Brahmasmi’ I am GOD. Although Krishna said this to only Arjuna thousands of years before Adi Shankara so the society in India was used to such statements and so there was wide spread acceptance too.
This is the kind of information that is rarely talked about among people in arab/muslim countries. Thank you for providing unbiased information on these topics, it’s really eye opening and very thought provoking. Also is it just me or these poems are written in really advanced Arabic or maybe archaic? I had a hard time comprehending a lot of the passages even though I’m supposed to be a native Arabic speaker. The translation to English helped a lot! Love the music, didn’t know you were a composer as well!
Al-Hallaj was a heretic and an apostate, NOT a martyr!!!! NO muslims EVER called him a martyr, and it was even his own heretic soofi brethren who had him turned in to be executed.. so even the other soofis considered him as a heretic!!! ONLY you orientalists call him a muslim, there is unanimous agreement among the scholars of the ahl us-sunnah that he is an unbeliever!!!
Ancient Iranian’s who were already literate and educated and had spiritual understandings thousands of years before the start of Islam..similar to ancient Chinese understanding of yin and yang or ancient Indians understanding of chakras! Which the ancient iranians who became Muslims paved the way for the Islamic golden age but the Bedouin from the Arabian peninsula who were pagan worshipers of baal and molak only 1400 years ago! stopped the progress of the Islamic golden age across Asia!!😅imagine today trying to talk about spirituality among close-minded daesh and isis groups😷
I am an atheist. I don’t believe in the existence of God. There is insufficient evidence or rational justification to support the belief in any gods or supernatural entities. I rely on reason, logic, and empirical evidence to form my worldview and do not find compelling evidence or arguments to support the existence of god.The universe is governed by natural laws and forces, rather than moral, spiritual, or supernatural ones. As an atheist, I reject the idea of God. I emphasize the social and empirical nature of inquiry and prioritize scientific solutions to intellectual problems. There is an intrinsic intellectual conflict between faith and science, and that it inevitably leads to hostility.