This dissertation has been

the'' other hand is with, rres^pect to the removal of the veil. The difference between prophetic.and minor aspira­tion is in the fact that in the first the angel (the Active Intelligence) that provides knowledge is witnessed. The

mind of a Saint (SiddIci) rahks next in capacity and excel­.

lence after a prophet's mind.

• (3) The third ^property is related to the soul. Tillman souls exercise natural effects on the bodies appointed to

For example the voluntary forms delineated in the soul are necessarily followed_.by a compulsory shape in the organs of the body, and movements that are not according to the natural disposition of the body come to being. The soul of a prophet is stronger in its faculties than other human souls. Its effect is not limited to its own body. It brings about changes in the physical world. Prophetic mi­racles, for example, may result in producing clouds, winds,

(14)

thunder, rain, earthquakes, flowing fountains,etc.

(14) P. 165 below; cf. Exodus 17:6; I sings 18:41-45,etc.

(15) Mushihadah wa ligi^s wa ru'yah (p. 180-168, esp.. 181 below).

cv

Therefore the most excellent human being is the one who possesses these characteristics, that is, a prophet. Next to him in the order of excellence is a Saint. The rest of mankind rank after them in the order of the excel­lence of the capacity and^.: other characteristics which their souls possess.

' ESCHATOLOGY

In the section on eschatology the author treats the question of misery and bliss after death and the real nature

of the beatific vision, which he calls "witnessing", "meeting" (15)

and "vision", all of which he considers spiritual in nature,

^•and links them with similar experience in this life.

The divine law, he states, has fully explained the bliss related to the body. The condition after death can be learned from the prophets, to whom alone it has been disclosed, and who have been sent only to "drive" men-to it, communicating to them the good news about the bile's and warning them against misery. After assuming as established facts a number of statements which he calls "basic" the author holds the following:

The perfection which specifically belongs to the soul is for it to have intelligible things with the form of the

The pain the soll experiences on account of its bodi­ly t=dency; however, iS something accidental and alien and

cvi

intelligible order of the whole delineated in it, so that

it witnesses that which is absolute beauty, absolute good, and absolute grace, adorned with its image and becoming so fused in it that it becomes one with it in substance. Yet in view of our existence in these bodies of ours and on account of

our preoccupation by low things, we do not feel that plea­sure when sove of the causes that produce it occur to us, unless we liberate ourselves from our Physical faculties. When we awake from this state of af-^Pairs we feel the pain of its loss. That feeling is misery and punishment. When the mental faculty has attained a certain de freeof that Derfection, then when it departs from this body it completes that perfection. The pleasure thus attained is not to be compared with the previous one. That is attainable only by individuals who have made their mental faculty acquire the yearning for its perfection by such means as religious knowledge based on certainty, which makes one never to turn to things of this world, and by self-reformation on the ^part of the individual. If the soul departs without having obtained those means, then one falls into some kind of e­ternal misery, becauso that bliss is acquired only while still in the body..

(15) P. 176ff^. below.

evil

therefore temporaty. Hence the punishment for it is not ^perpetual. It vanishes gradually until the soul becomes so purified that it finally attains the bliss which belongs specifically to it. Accordingly, the Sunnis are of the o^pinion that even the punishment of Muslims for major sins (kab^gair) is not perpetual, since their basic belief is

firm. Their sins, therefore, bein- accidental, cease and are for^given. Those who, in addition to the bodily Qualities they have acquired and maintained to the end of this life, stick fanatically to corrupt beliefs and deny the truth suffer everlasting punidiment. Simple stupid people void of these last qualities and attitude go to the wide mercy of

God. Those with good faith and good character are people (15)

of Paradise.

The real nature of "meeting" and 'vision" is illus­trated by sense perception. The difference between imagin­ing the form of an object and actually seeing the object is one of clarity. Similarly with regard to abstract things, the difference, for instance, between your knowledge of God in this world and your actual =acting and beholding Him in

the next world is one of disclosure, the second being the 7

utmost revealment and the perfecting of the first. -With the

cviii

exception of prophets and saints all other souls are ac compatihd to the other world by different amounts of the murkiness of this world which pollutes them in this life, but from which they are later purified by exposure to the Fire, by staying in it intervals of various durations as the need may be. The veil thus being removed, they enjoy the pleasure of meeting and witnessing the Real One, Who is fully manifested to them. The enjoyment of Paradise is in proportion to one's.love of God, while one's love of God is in proportion to one's knowledge of Him here.

THE SCIENCE OF DIVINITY

The remaining sections of Ma^cgri& deal with the science of divinity, such as God, His attributes and acts. Negative and positive descriptions of God ar^,3 given : God is not an accident, nor a body, nor like a form T.: matter. His existence and being are the same. He is the o'ly One necessary of exiOtence, the unchanging ever-living ^{One I.}- Lord, Creator and Sustainer of all. He is not to b^.. described

anthropomorphically; His attributes are not something ad 

ditional to Himself. He knows Hirself in the sense that

the Knower; the Known and Knowledge are identical. He knows -Iniversals, all detailed particulars, and even possible things which come to existence;, and He po^.ars out knowledge.

cix

^get no one can attain real knowledge of liam. He has will, but is not compelled by any private tendency or purpose to

wil/ what He wills. He is powerful (egdir), wise (hihim), and all-bountiful (jawwad). All these descrirtions of Him,

throur^rh the knowledge of the monstration; otherwise He is being described.

soul arc made Ly way of de­indescrible, for He is above

The order of the actions of God and the appoint.. meat of causes and effects are treated by way of analoy. The illustrations are taken from the microcosm. The first analogy illustrates how an act comes into being. The source of man's action is a will whose effect appears in the heart, then moves from one organ of the body to another until it makes the finEers move with the pen to make a representation of that which is preformed in the seat of imagination. Like­wise God's angels, in obedience to His command, move the

heavens and planets, etc. so that a plant or an animal is

created. Accori^Tlg to other aralogier used)Intelligence, boillg completely perfect, affects but is not affected; universal souls; being per'ect in one aspect while imper 

fect in another aspect, receive the effect of Intelli'rence a-16 affect universal bodies; universal bodies, being imper­fect, do not have any effect.

The concluding climax of the subject starts with

(15) 203f below.
16) P. 202 below.

cx

(15)

the author's sequential theory of causation. According to

it by His Divine Command God created first Intelligence and made it ^perfect. By mean. pof Intelligence He created Sou/ and ^perfected it by providing it with the ^potentiality to turn towards the perfection of Intellisence, which is above it and precedes it only in essence (dha). By means of Soul He created Nature and nrovided it with the newer^, to move thins. Soul ^precedes it in time. Itself precedes space and Brat:Jai. things. Intelligence is nreeeded only by thn Corimand.

the rest of creation follows thus : Celestial Souls, which are provided with a particular will from the intelli­,7enees, by the command of God move heavens a voluntary move 

ment. The heavens move the elements below the sphere of the (15)

moon, which are capable of synthesis.

In addition each one of these foil' tht gs in tie D2:^.er of ca^.eation is assigned a cn function : 7ature is the guardian of the vegetable soul, Soul the suardian of the animal souls, Intellt^r:ence the guare'.ian of the Inman ra±ional soul, while the Command of the Creator is the :uardian of the divine ^pro^phetic soul.

cxi

further, from what hits preceded it is evident that in His creational relation to His creatures God is 7of lice someone who, having built a house, set his slaves in it; and having appointed to each one of them his duties, left them to their freedom, so that neither the buildirraisAnymore

its '' -

in need of the builder nor its inhabluantstaxefin need of a mana...Ter. On the contrary as they needed His ceatirbnal work for their existence they need His command for their Persistence in existence. Therefore, just as ang'els were a^ppointed to comrel Nature so that perfection of bodies may be attained, that men may live in this world, in like manner pro^phets were sent to manage the divine law so that perfec­tion of the soul may be attained, that men may live in the next world.

At the end the author urges the reader not to disclose to people who are intellectually and spiritually unworthy these wonderful secrets which he has disclosed to him. Rather he should ^pass them on to worthy coy le little by little so as to enable themgrasp and master them.

6-

THE ASCENT TO THE DIVINE THROUGH THE PATE UP SELF-KNOW1EDGE

A Translation

of

MA^tIRIJ AL-QUDS kI MADXRIJ WRIPAT AL-NAFS

2

Preface

(1)

(2) In the name of God, the Compassionate and Merciful

Praise be to God, Originator of spirits and Creator of bodies, the Unlocker of locks and Untier of knots, the Giver of the finest provisions⁺, the most precious of which are His gutdance to the right path and sound judgment. As many praises be to Him as the number of the twiAklings of all eyes and as nurbrous a9 the breathings of all hearts.

Blessing which is Continuous and everlasting, and

also peace be to the noblest father and offspring, Muhammad (2)

and his family.

You may know that God the Exalted. One,-has opened the minds of His fftends by: wisdom and understanding, and has stimulated their interest in the observation of the wonders of His creation among both nomads and settled people, so that in every thing they observe they find. a lesson for

1. 
   POT the Muslin Doctrine of God see Macdonald,D.B., "Allah" E. Islim),Vol. ;02311; Hughes,T.P., Dictionary, of Islam(London_i 1.869,2nd.ed.)p. 141-148 (hereafter referred to as Diet. Islam).
   

(+) ala with the vowel sign kasr means finest of everything. Its plural is ,elan.-rirabic Editor, to whom, hereafter will be referred only by the sign (+). Notes in Arabic numbers

belong to the_translator).

-

1. 
   Wa^lt-salatu wen-sal:Emu ^gala akrami walid -wa walad.
   

3

themselves. For all existing things are mirrors that reflect the Real and .Creative Existence, That which is manifest in Reality is God, may He be praised,.and all things else are signs of His manifestation, and evidence of His light.

In every thing there is a sign

WIch indicates that He is One.

so whenever a things occurs to them in the realm of obser­vation and thought, they turn away from that thin g⁺ to the Divine One until they attain to Him Who is "might^y in power,

(3) possessor of wisdom and so is in the right state, Whom

(31

although "He is In the highest horizon". If this ascent is

circumstances have not changed, but [knowledge of] His wisdom and perfection is obtainable throuen what He has done

made easy for them, they cease not to draw near until they

7 reach the ultimate goal. Then there is poured on them true

learning and the secrets of mystival knowledge and the un­usual signs that a'r^,. in the kingdom of earth and heaven. If

MItammad wa ^aLlihi- it i a chiasmic form of statement, in

which tl:e last part in a ^phrase refers to the first in

r ,,

order r ,4r,f wa nashr Lduattab).

+ Mat isl they -Earn the quest.

(3) 53:5. The pronoun probably refers to 2abriel (The Divine Spirit), or perhaps to God.- Al-Baydawi, Anwar al- Tanzil ViaJtsrir al-Tele/ (ipsiae 1%46) Vol. II, p. 292

(Hereafter reffirred to as Baygwi_l Cf. also p. 124, 136 below.

(4)

they reach this limit, it is "the Lotus Tree of the boundary".

So they do not pay attention to any thing in the world of faldehood. The Word of Revelation expresses this state by saying, "The One- mighty in power taught him ['Muhammad), the possessor of wisdom. And so He was in the right state

while He was in the highest horizon. Then^' cameHe nearer and approached_landwasida distance of two bows' length. or even
closer. And He revealed to His heart assuredly did notHis servant what He revealed.

(5)

falsify what he saw". gni it

goes on to •-• sayD "He has assuredly seen the greatest o-! the

(6)

SiInS of his Lord". Therefore every rational person should

have God, may^. He be praised and exalted, as the beginning. and the end of every thought of 'his, and the inner part and

the Outer a:nest of every consideration of his, so tlie.t the

C'Y of his soul*may be brightened by looking to Him, with his foot standing steadfast before Him, moving in thought •in

11.17hest ki-glom, and "among the groatest rAgns of his (6/

Lon!" there. When he descends to his abiding place on earth,

then let him see Him in His works, for He is within and also without van⁴fer.lting Himself to in all. And the clearest

(4) Sidrat al-Muntaha.Lit. "Th Moto tiee of the extremity",

a tree in. the second heaven, its roots in the sixth. Its • fruits were like waterpots and its leaves like elephanil'. ears. - Dict. Islam, p. 82.

p6)) 33.5 1811; (See n. 3 above.

: .

of the works, in which the majesty of Him Who is the Real One and the perfection of His attributes are seen is the knowledge of the ^:soul, as Be has said, "We will show them Our.signs in all lands and in themselves until it is clear

(7)

to them that He is the Real One". '"And on earth are signs

for firm believers, and also in yourselves. .N11/ you not

(8)

understand" ? And Mnlaammad has said, "Whoever knows himself

(9)

surely knows his Lord". He has also said, "The one of you

(10) who knows himself best knows his Lord best."

Now as for us, we shall aseedd in this book by the paths of the knowledge of the soul to the knowledge of the Real One, be He glorified. And we shall iention Li) the esseace of what evidences lead to, of the human soul, (2) the pith of what thorough investigz:tion has been ,able to

2

discover about it, (3) the fact that it is free from the

attributes of bodies, (4) the knowledse of its faculties and powers, ₍₅₎ the knowledge of its creation and etern:Ity, and

0.11

. (^.7? 41:53.

(8) 51:20.41

9. 
   Tradition - (hadith) - Not found in Wensiuck's Con­cordance Et Indices drIE^–Yradition Musulmane (Leiden, E.J. Brill, 1938-1946), nor in his 4 Handbook of Early Mi4amrladan Traditions, (Leiden, E.J. Brill Ltd., 1927) - hereafter referred to as Concordance, and Handbook respectively. Al­ZabIdi, however, claims that it is related by al-REzT Ibn al-Sam^tini and al-Nawawi - SO,II,p. 201. 0f,Ibn al-tArabT,
   

Puss al-Vikam (with al-Os^Tani's commentary) (Eant, Maymaniffyill Press, 1321 A.H.) ^p. 267 (hereafter 2^,J:erred to as Pusus)

9. 
   Traditi37⁷tot found in Concordance -and Handbook.
   

6

₍6) its bliss and misery after its separation [from the body) - rwe will do all this') in a way to remove the veil, and point to the preserved secrets and the hidden knowledge which are withheld from those unworthy of them. When we are through with the sections on the knowledge of the soul, then we will take up the knowled#e of the Real One; slice

all the sciences are introductions and means ^.to the knowledge 7

of the First and seal One. Ail efforts exerted for a thing

will be lost unless their goal is' attained. But "whoever (9)

Knows himself surely knows his Lord", His attributes and

acts; and he will know the order formed, and will know the 'angels

also know the realm of angels and (11) successful aid and abandonment,?

of the world created and

with their orders. He will. that of Satan as well as and will know what

Apostleship and Prophethood are, the manner of revelation,

•

(12)

miracles, and their performance, and information about

the unseen world. And be will know the last abode with its bliss and misery, its divisions, and the delightful pleasure in it; and will know the utmost bliss, which is to meet Goa. Anyone for whom this journey is made easy will zoitinue on with enjoyment in a garden whose extent is the heavens and

11. 
    Wa ^carafa limmat al-malak wa limmat al-Shayt^gn, we'l­tawfig wa'l-khidhlan.- Another instance of chiasmus, in which the second part of the phrase is connectild 1₄1_‘ meaning . with the first in rela^y order.
    
12. 
    miracles performed through the agency of a prophet. For' the difference between mu^tiizah and karEmah Soe n. 165 below.
    

7

the earth, while he remains in the body, staying in his native land. It is n journey in which knowledge is unveiled (13)

ald the flower buds open. It is a journey in which spriligs and watering places are not few, nor do crowds, co-ltinually arriving, harm. Rather its adve.;1¹-eE:es incroase with the i-lorease of the number of travellers; and its fruits and benefits multiply; for its advantages are coAtinuous and uninter^Im^pte, and its fruits i-crease unceazi^—ly. Wilo­eve^y is not made worthy of going about in this park and

of

walking the places of enjoyment ol ufilsaideit has nothin^g in hand but husks to eet as cattle ^eat, and :reeds as

as -f3 feel. The eznosition of this _journey and the ex _a nation of this science ₉f great val^ve is not possible on ^paper and in books; words and rens "all short o' its wo-iders. But by the help and successful aid of God we shall ^point to each one of these nrorositions in a way that a man of u^pderstandinr can co-olprehend. But a dull and stu­pid person who takes his learning blindly onauthority is far from understc^,7:dirr^. sci^rt^,ces 1i17c^, these, sirry.1 every. f.erson is enablodtc do easily what he has been created for. So wheever is fitted for eternal bliss and. is about to obtain his desire is •iven, of 3 al7 7er'ect ap:orehen-

- • •

sion, that is, abundant intellience, a clear mind, sound

XX3) Hero Anw^gr is the plural of nawr (=flower), not of ^,11-2 (=light)

8

disposition, with the qualities of brilliance and sagacity,

(6) soundness of judgment, and excellence of understanding All these are a gift from God, a gift that is not attain­able by effort. And the use of mans to gain it fails. If anyone is granted tnis innate disposition, he should exercise his power of understanding, and should stir up his mental power, maze use of his power of thought, and utilize his reason by directing his mind to deep things, and to the solution of difficult problems by long medita­tion, attentive consideration, and seeking the aid of solitude, unoccupied mind, retirement from pressing business, and by performing the prescribed acts of wor­ship, until he attains to perfection in all the religious sciences. We have entitled the book: "The Ascent to the Divine Through The Path of Self-Knowledge" (Magrii

fr Madirii Ma^crifat al-Nafe). May God give us suc­cess in completing it.

9

TABLE OF CONTENTS [PART ONE .]

(a)

PAGE

(11) (16) (20)

(24)

CHAPTER

1. INTRODUCTION OF THE BOOK

II. PROOF OF THE EXISTENCE OP THE SOUL

III. PROOF THAT THE SOUL IS A SUBSTANCE

IV. PROOF THAT THE SOUL IS A SUBSTANCE THAT HAS NEITHER MEASURE NOR QUANTITY

(36)

(36) (40)

V. EXPOSITION OF THE ANIMAL FACULTIES AND THEIR DIVISION INTO:

[A] Motor, And

m Apprehending

VI. EXPOSITION OF THE SPECIFIC FACULTIES OF THE HUMAN SOUL :

CAI Speculative Reason, And

[B] Practical Reason

VII. EXPOSITION OF [1] THE CLASSIFICATION OF INTELLIGENCES, AND [2] THE DIFFERENCE AMONG MEN IN [THE QUALITIES OF] THE PRIMARY PHYSICAi^b)[OR POTENTIAL] INTELLIGENCE, AND [3) THE EXPOSITION OF

1. 
   The numbering of pages is not given in the contents in the Arabic edition. Reference here is page number in that edition (found on the left mar the present translation).
   
2. 
   For the translation "Primary physical" for (or haya^gniyyah) see the author's explanation on see also p. 54, n. 6 below.tab1e of to the gin of
   

hayrilinr

P. 55;

(c) Chapter VII deals only with the second part of the

10

CHAPTER PAGE