Dhul-Nun al-Misri
Dhūl-Nūn Abū l-Fayḍ Thawbān b. Ibrāhīm al-Miṣrī | |
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Born | 796 Akhmim, Upper Egypt |
Died | 245/859 or 248/862 Giza |
Resting place | Cairo's City of the Dead |
Other names | Dhūl-Nūn al-Miṣrī, Zūl-Nūn al-Miṣrī |
Education | Scholastic disciplines of alchemy, medicine, and Greek philosophy |
Known for | Muslim mystic and ascetic |
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Dhūl-Nūn Abū l-Fayḍ Thawbān b. Ibrāhīm al-Miṣrī (
Name
It has been speculated by scholars whether "Dhul-Nun" was an
Life
Dhul-Nun is one of the most prominent saints of early Islamic tradition, appearing "in the earliest accounts of Ṣūfism as the leading figure of his generation."[1] Often depicted as the spiritual master of Sahl al-Tustari (c. 818–896), the traditional hagiographies relate that the latter refused to engage in mystical discourse until after Dhul-Nun's death, on account of his recognition of Dhul-Nun's elevated rank in wisdom and gnosis.[1]
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Dhul-Nun al-Misri is considered among the most prominent saints of early
Dhul-Nun's name came about in relation to an incident on a sea voyage. He was falsely accused of stealing a jewel from a merchant. He cried out "O Creator, Thou knowest best", whereupon a large number of fish raised their heads above the waves, each bearing a jewel in its mouth.[7]
A legendary
Osho mentions him as "an Egyptian Sufi mystic, one of the greatest who has ever walked on the earth".[9]
Contemporary Sufi Llewellyn Vaughan-Lee mentions an incident from the life of Dhul-nun in his work Catching the Thread
A story from the life of the ninth-century Sufi, Dhu-l-Nun, the Egyptian, illustrates this:
I was wandering in the mountains when I observed a party of afflicted folk gathered together. “What befell you?” I asked. “There is a devotee living in a cell here,” they answered. “Once every year he comes out and breathes on these people and they are all healed. Then he returns to his cell, and does not emerge again until the following year.” I waited patiently until he came out. I beheld a man pale of cheek, wasted and with sunken eyes. The awe of him caused me to tremble. He looked on the multitude with compassion. Then he raised his eyes to heaven, and breathed several times over the afflicted ones. All were healed. As he was about to retire to his cell, I seized his skirt. “For the love of God,” I cried. “You have healed the outward sickness; pray heal the inward sickness.” “Dhu-l-Nun,” he said, gazing at me, “take your hand off me. The Friend is watching from the zenith of might and majesty. If He sees you clutching at another than He, He will abandon you to that person, and that person to you, and you will perish each at the other’s hand.”
So saying, he withdrew into his cell.
Notes
- ^ a b c d e f g h Mojaddedi, Jawid, “Dhū l-Nūn Abū l-Fayḍ al-Miṣrī”, in: Encyclopaedia of Islam, THREE, Edited by: Kate Fleet, Gudrun Krämer, Denis Matringe, John Nawas, Everett Rowson. Brill Online.
- ^ "ZÜNNÛN el-MISRÎ". TDV İslâm Ansiklopedisi (in Turkish). Retrieved 10 July 2023.
- ISBN 978-1859641859. Retrieved 10 July 2023.
- ^ Mojaddedi, Jawid, “Dhū l-Nūn Abū l-Fayḍ al-Miṣrī”, in: Encyclopaedia of Islam, SDSD, Edited by: Kate Fleet, Gudrun Krämer, Denis Matringe, John Nawas, Everett Rowson. Brill Online.
- ISBN 0-7007-0311-X.
- ^ Dho'l-Nun al-Mesri, from Muslim Saints and Mystics, trans. A.J. Arberry, London; Routledge & Kegan Paul 1983
- ^ "Man of the fish". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 2013-08-04. Retrieved 2017-10-27.
- ^ John Esposito, The Oxford Dictionary of Islam, Oxford University Press 2003
- ISBN 3-89338-141-4.
See also
External links
- Sufi Teachings of Dhu'l-Nun al-Misri at archive.org.
- Biography and Sayings of Dhun Nun al-Misri from the Risala Qushayriyya