Ali al-Hujwiri

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Ali al-Hujwiri
(ابوالحسن علی بن عثمان الجلابی الھجویری الغزنوی)
Mystic, Theologian, Codifier, Jurist;
Lion of Sufism
Bornc. 14 August 1009
Ghaznavid Empire (now Ghazni, Afghanistan)
Diedc. 8 August 1072 CE
(20 Dhuʻl-Qiʻdah, 464 AH)
Lahore, Ghaznavid Empire
(now Lahore,

Abū ʾl-Ḥasan ʿAlī b. ʿUthmān b. ʿAlī al-Ghaznawī al-Jullābī al-Hujwīrī (c. 1009-1072/77), known as ʿAlī al-Hujwīrī or al-Hujwīrī (also spelt Hajweri, Hajveri, or Hajvery) for short, or reverentially as Shaykh Sayyid ʿAlī al-Hujwīrī or as Dātā Ganj Bakhsh by

Kashf al-maḥjūb (lit.'Unveiling of the Hidden'), which is considered the "earliest formal treatise" on Sufism in Persian.[5] Ali Hujwiri is believed to have contributed "significantly" to the spread of Islam in South Asia through his preaching,[6] with one historian describing him as "one of the most important figures to have spread Islam in the Indian subcontinent."[5] Khwaja Gharib Nawaz stayed at Ali Hujwiri's mausoleum and quoted a tribute to him as a narration; گنج بخش فیضِ عالَم مظہرِ نورِ خدا ناقصاں را پیرِ کامل ، کاملاں را راہنما Ganj Bakhsh-e-Faiz-e-Alam Mazhar-e-Nur-e-Khuda, Na Qasaan-ra Pir-i Kamil, Kamilaan-ra Rahnuma.[7]

In the present day, Ali Hujwiri is venerated as the main

tomb-shrine in Lahore, popularly known as Data Darbar, is one of the most frequented shrines in South Asia.[8] At present, it is Pakistan's largest shrine "in numbers of annual visitors and in the size of the shrine complex,"[5] and, having been nationalized in 1960, is managed today by the Department of Awqaf and Religious Affairs of the Punjab.[5] The mystic himself remains a "household name" in the daily Islam of South Asia.[9] In 2016, the Government of Pakistan declared 21 November to be a public holiday for the commemoration of the commencement of Ali Hujwiri's three-day death anniversary.[10]

Background

Of Iranian ancestry,[11] Ali Hujwiri was born in Ghazni, in present-day Afghanistan, in around 1009 to Uthman ibn Ali or Bu Ali. As is common with Sufi saints, his father was a direct descendant of Al-Imam Hasan ibn Ali. His genealogical chain goes back eight generations to Ali.[12][13] According to the autobiographical information recorded in his own Kashf al-maḥjūb, it is evident that Ali Hujwiri travelled "widely through the

Abu Bakr Shibli (d. 946), and Junayd of Baghdad (d. 910).[15] For a short period, the mystic is believed to have lived in Iraq[16] His brief marriage during this period is said to have been unhappy.[16] Eventually, Ali Hujwiri settled in Lahore, where he died with the reputation of a renowned preacher and teacher.[16] After his death, Ali Hujwiri was unanimously regarded as a great saint by popular acclaim.[16]

Spiritual Lineage

  1. Habib Al-Ajami
  2. Daawūd al-Tai
  3. Maruf Karkhi
  4. Sirri Saqti
  5. Junayd al-Baghdadi
  6. Abu Bakr Shibli
  7. Ali Husri Husri
  8. AbulFazal Khutli
  9. Ali Hujwiri

Views

Companions of Muhammad

Abu Bakr

Ali Hujwiri described the

first caliph of Islam Abu Bakr (d. 634) as "the Greatest Truthful,"[17] and deemed him "the leader (imām) of all the folk of this Path."[17] Eulogizing Abu Bakr's piety, Ali Hujwiri praised him for how "he gave away all his wealth and his clients, and clad himself in a woolen garment, and came to the Messenger Muhammad "[18] and stated elsewhere that he "is placed by the Sufi shaykhs at the head of those who have adopted the contemplative life."[19] In conclusion, Ali Hujwiri stated: "The whole sect of Sufis has made him their patron in stripping themselvesan of worldly things, in fixity, in an eager desire for poverty, and in longing to renounce authority. He is the leader of the Muslims in general, and of the Sufis in particular."[20]

Umar

Ali Hujwiri described the

second caliph of Islam Umar (d. 644) as one "specially distinguished by sagacity and resolution,"[20] and said that "the Sufis make him their model in wearing a patched garment and rigorously performing the duties of religion."[21] He further praised Umar for his "very exalted station" in combining a life of worldly duties with intense and consistent spiritual devotion.[20]

Uthman

Regarding the third of the

Rightly Guided Caliphs of the early Islamic community, Uthman (d. 656), Ali Hujwiri stated that the "Sufis take Uthman as their exemplar in sacrificing life and property, in resigning their affairs to God, and in sincere devotion."[22]

Ali

With respect to the

fourth of the Rightly Guided Caliphs of Islam, Ali (d. 661), Ali Hujwiri stated: "His renown and rank in this Path were very high. He explained the principles of Divine Truth with exceeding subtlety.... Ali is a model for the Sufis in respect to the truths of outward expressions and the subtleties of inward meanings, the stripping of one's self of all property either of this world or of the next, and consideration of the Divine Providence."[22] He also approvingly cited Junayd of Baghdad's saying: "Ali is our Shaykh as regards the principles and as regards the endurance of affliction."[22]

Family of Muḥammad (صلی اللہ علیہ و سلم)

Hasan

Regarding the grandson of Muhammad and son of Ali, Hasan ibn Ali (d. 670), Ali Hujwiri described him as one "profoundly versed in [spiritual truths]" and as one of "the true saints and shaykhs" of the Islamic community.[23]

Husayn

With respect to the younger grandson of Muhammad and son of Ali, Husayn ibn Ali (d. 680), Ali Hujwiri emphatically declared: "He is the martyr of Karbala and all Sufis are agreed that he was in the right. So long as the Truth was apparent, he followed it; but when it was lost, he drew the sword and never rested until he sacrificed his dear life for God's sake."[23]

Jafar al-Sadiq

Ali Hujwiri described

Husayn, as one "celebrated among the Sufi shaykhs for the subtlety of discourse and his acquaintance with spiritual truths."[24]

Muhammad al-Baqir

Regarding the grandson of

Husayn, Muhammad al-Baqir (d. 733), Ali Hujwiri stated: "He was distinguished for his knowledge of the abstruse science and for his subtle indications as to the meaning of the Quran."[25]

Zayn al-Abidin

Ali Hujwiri praised

Husayn, for being of "the character of those who have attained perfect rectitude."[23]

Doctors of law

Abu Hanifa

Regarding

Ahmad ibn Hanbal

Regarding

anthropomorphists are inventions and forgeries; he is to be acquitted of all notions of that sort. He had a firm belief in the principles of religion, and his creed was approved by all the theologians.... He is clear of all [the slander] that is alleged against him."[27]

Law and jurisprudence

As a

religious law (sharīʿah).[28] He further denounced all those "who held that ... when the Truth is revealed the Law is abolished."[28] For Ali Hujwiri, then, all true and orthodox mystical activities needed to take place within the boundaries of the religious law.[29]

Dancing

According to Ali Hujwiri, purely secular

dancing "has no foundation either in the religious law of Islam or in the path of Sufism, because all reasonable men agree that it is a diversion when it is in earnest, and an impropriety when it is in jest."[30] As such, he censured "all the traditions cited in its favour" as "worthless."[30] As for the legitimate ecstatic experiences of some Sufis, whose bodies convulsed when their "heart [throbbed] with exhilaration and rapture" on account of their intense love of God,[30] Ali Hujwiri declared that these movements only outwardly resembled dancing and opined that "those who call it 'dancing' are utterly wrong. It is a state that cannot be explained in words: 'without experience no knowledge.'"[30]

Poetry

Ali Hujwiri deemed it lawful to listen to virtuous

carnal desires through detailed descriptions "of the face and hair and mole of the beloved."[32] In conclusion, he stated that those who regarded the hearing of such poetry "as absolutely lawful must also regard looking and touching as lawful, which is infidelity and heresy."[32]

Saints

Ali Hujwiri supported the orthodox belief in the existence of

Day of Resurrection, because God exalted this community above all others and has promised to preserve the religion of Muhammad.... The visible proof [of Islam] is to be found among the saints and the elect of God."[34]

Works

Kashf al-maḥjūb

Ali Hujwiri is perhaps most famous for writing what has been described as "the earliest formal treatise on Ṣūfism in Persian,"

Unveiling of the Hidden).[5] The work presents itself as an introduction to the various aspects of orthodox Sufism and also provides biographies of the greatest saints of the Islamic community.[5] The Kashf al-maḥjūb is the only work of Ali Hujwiri that has remained until today.[8]
Egyptian Sufi scholar Abul Azaem has translated this work into Arabic.

Other works

Reynold Alleyne Nicholson
provided a short list of Ali Hujwiri's writings (all of which are lost aside from the Kashf al-maḥjūb), which included, amongst others, the following unpreserved works:

  1. Dīwān (Songs of Hujwirī), a collection of the saint's poems.[35]
  2. Minhāj al-Dīn (The Way of the Religion), a work containing: (i) a detailed account of those
    Mansur al-Hallaj (d. 922).[35]
  3. Asrār al-khiraq wa 'l-ma'ūnāt', a work on the woolen, patched garments worn by the Sufis of his time.[36]
  4. An untitled work explaining the meaning behind the mystical sayings of Mansur al-Hallaj.[36]
  5. Kitāb al-bayān li-ahl al-'iyān, a treatise on the orthodox interpretation of the Sufic ideal of Fana.[36]

Of other books written by Sheikh Ali Hujwiri:

  1. Kashf al-Asrār, a short Persian treatise on how to fully adopt the path of Tasawwuf, translated with in-depth commentary by El-Sheikh Syed Mubarik Ali Shah El-Gillani.

See also

References

  1. ^ a b Marcia Hermansen, "Ali ibn Uthman al-Hujwiri," in Holy People of the World: A Cross Cultural Encyclopedia, ed. Phyllis G. Jestice (ABC-CLIO, 2004), p. 381
  2. ^ a b Hosain, Hidayet and Massé, H., "Hud̲j̲wīrī", in: Encyclopaedia of Islam, Second Edition, Edited by: P. Bearman, Th. Bianquis, C.E. Bosworth, E. van Donzel, W.P. Heinrichs: "Although he was a Sunni and a Hanafi...".
  3. ^ a b Strothmann, Linus, "Dātā Ganj Bakhsh, Shrine of", in: Encyclopaedia of Islam, THREE, Edited by: Kate Fleet, Gudrun Krämer, Denis Matringe, John Nawas, Everett Rowson: "Al-Hujwīrī followed the Ḥanafī school and is connected through his teacher, al-Khuttalī, to al-Husrī, al-Shiblī (d. 334/945), and al-Junayd (d. 297/910) of Baghdad (Knysh, 133)."
  4. ^ Hosain, Hidayet and Massé, H., "Hud̲j̲wīrī", in: Encyclopaedia of Islam, Second Edition, Edited by: P. Bearman, Th. Bianquis, C.E. Bosworth, E. van Donzel, W.P. Heinrichs: "Iranian mystic, born at Hud̲j̲wīr, a suburb of G̲h̲azna... Although he was a Sunni and a Hanafi...".
  5. ^ a b c d e f g Strothmann, Linus, "Dātā Ganj Bakhsh, Shrine of", in: Encyclopaedia of Islam, THREE, Edited by: Kate Fleet, Gudrun Krämer, Denis Matringe, John Nawas, Everett Rowson.
  6. ^ Pilgrims of Love: The Anthropology of a Global Sufi Cult; Pnina Werbner, p. 4, Published 2003, C. Hurst & Co.
  7. Dawate Islami
    . Retrieved 15 May 2021.
  8. ^ a b c d Hosain, Hidayet and Massé, H., "Hud̲j̲wīrī", in: Encyclopaedia of Islam, Second Edition, Edited by: P. Bearman, Th. Bianquis, C.E. Bosworth, E. van Donzel, W.P. Heinrichs.
  9. S2CID 170287582
    .
  10. ^ "Data Sahib Urs: Lahore district govt declares public holiday on Nov 21". 19 November 2016.
  11. ^ Hosain, Hidayet and Massé, H., "Hud̲j̲wīrī", in: Encyclopaedia of Islam, Second Edition, Edited by: P. Bearman, Th. Bianquis, C.E. Bosworth, E. van Donzel, W.P. Heinrichs: "Iranian mystic, born at Hud̲j̲wīr, a suburb of G̲h̲azna... Although he was a Sunni and a Hanafi...".
  12. ^ Hasan, Masudul, Hazrat Data Ganj Bakhsh: a spiritual biographyʾ (1971)
  13. ^ Alī al-Hujwīrī, Kashf al-maḥjūb, trans. Reynold A. Nicholson, Leiden 1911, intro
  14. ^ a b Strothmann, Linus, "Dātā Ganj Bakhsh, Shrine of", in: Encyclopaedia of Islam, THREE, Edited by: Kate Fleet, Gudrun Krämer, Denis Matringe, John Nawas, Everett Rowson; see also ʿAlī al-Hujwīrī, Kashf al-maḥjūb, trans. Reynold A. Nicholson, Leiden 1911, intro.
  15. ^ Alexander D. Knysh, Islamic mysticism. A short history (Leiden 2000), p. 133
  16. ^ a b c d Hosain, Hidayet and Massé, H., "Hud̲j̲wīrī", in: Encyclopaedia of Islam, Second Edition, Edited by: P. Bearman, Th. Bianquis, C.E. Bosworth, E. van Donzel, W.P. Heinrichs
  17. ^ a b Hujwiri, Kashf al-Mahjub, trans. R. A. Nicholson (Lahore: Sang-e-Meel Publications, 2007), p. 31
  18. ^ Hujwiri, Kashf al-Mahjub, trans. R. A. Nicholson (Lahore: Sang-e-Meel Publications, 2007), p. 32 (trans. slightly altered)
  19. ^ Hujwiri, Kashf al-Mahjub, trans. R. A. Nicholson (Lahore: Sang-e-Meel Publications, 2007), p. 70
  20. ^ a b c Hujwiri, Kashf al-Mahjub, trans. R. A. Nicholson (Lahore: Sang-e-Meel Publications, 2007), p. 72
  21. ^ Hujwiri, Kashf al-Mahjub, trans. R. A. Nicholson (Lahore: Sang-e-Meel Publications, 2007), p. 73
  22. ^ a b c Hujwiri, Kashf al-Mahjub, trans. R. A. Nicholson (Lahore: Sang-e-Meel Publications, 2007), p. 74
  23. ^ a b c Hujwiri, Kashf al-Mahjub, trans. R. A. Nicholson (Lahore: Sang-e-Meel Publications, 2007), p. 76
  24. ^ Hujwiri, Kashf al-Mahjub, trans. R. A. Nicholson (Lahore: Sang-e-Meel Publications, 2007), p. 78
  25. ^ Hujwiri, Kashf al-Mahjub, trans. R. A. Nicholson (Lahore: Sang-e-Meel Publications, 2007), p. 77
  26. ^ Hujwiri, Kashf al-Mahjub, trans. R. A. Nicholson (Lahore: Sang-e-Meel Publications, 2007), p. 92
  27. ^ Hujwiri, Kashf al-Mahjub, trans. R. A. Nicholson (Lahore: Sang-e-Meel Publications, 2007), pp. 117-118
  28. ^ a b Hujwiri, Kashf al-Mahjub, trans. R. A. Nicholson (Lahore: Sang-e-Meel Publications, 2007), p. 383
  29. ^ See Hujwiri, Kashf al-Mahjub, trans. R. A. Nicholson (Lahore: Sang-e-Meel Publications, 2007), p. 383
  30. ^ a b c d Hujwiri, Kashf al-Mahjub, trans. R. A. Nicholson (Lahore: Sang-e-Meel Publications, 2007), p. 416
  31. ^ a b See Hujwiri, Kashf al-Mahjub, trans. R. A. Nicholson (Lahore: Sang-e-Meel Publications, 2007), p. 397
  32. ^ a b See Hujwiri, Kashf al-Mahjub, trans. R. A. Nicholson (Lahore: Sang-e-Meel Publications, 2007), p. 398
  33. ^ a b See Hujwiri, Kashf al-Mahjub, trans. R. A. Nicholson (Lahore: Sang-e-Meel Publications, 2007), p. 210
  34. ^ See Hujwiri, Kashf al-Mahjub, trans. R. A. Nicholson (Lahore: Sang-e-Meel Publications, 2007), p. 212
  35. ^ a b Hujwiri, Kashf al-Mahjub, trans. R. A. Nicholson (Lahore: Sang-e-Meel Publications, 2007), p. vii
  36. ^ a b c Hujwiri, Kashf al-Mahjub, trans. R. A. Nicholson (Lahore: Sang-e-Meel Publications, 2007), p. viii