Mysticism from Islamic Viewpoint
Dr. Fanaei Eshkevari, a scholar from Imam Khomeini Education and Research Institute, gave a lecture at Al-Mustafa International University in which he discussed different facets of Islamic Mysticism.
What follows is excerpts from his lecture:
Islam doesn’t accept disillusion of individuality for mankind should not lose his identity. Usually when people want to describe the highest state of mysticism, they forget their selves. According to Quran and Islamic teachings in regard with mysticism, mankind always remains as himself and will never lose his identity. If we lose our identity and have no self-consciousness, why we should pursue such a state when we are not present there.
The state of Fana (annihilation) in Islamic mysticism is a state that our “self” no longer exists. This state is concentrated on God alone. In fact in there, we see God not ourselves. We are there, but because of intensity of love we don’t pay attention to ourselves. This state is a transient state since we don’t stay there forever or for a long time. After Fana comes the state of Baqa (The ideal perfection). In Baqa we gain our self-consciousness. And there will always be distinction between God and creatures. There exists unity but not a pure one. We have both unity and multiplicity in that state. In one level of Fana, we may lose our consciousness of multiplicity. But multiplicity is there. And we should know that this is not the highest stage and in fact is a transitory state. Then we come back to our self-consciousness and the consciousness of the multiplicity of the world, where the existing multiplicity is under the supervision and superiority of unity. Therefore both unity and multiplicity are real. Unity is primary and multiplicity is secondary. In others words, multiplicity has its roots in unity. If mysticism, philosophy, religion or any discipline indicates that these multiplicities are wrong, it means those disciplines are not congruous with the world view since the existence of multiplicity is absolutely self-evident. Mysticism is not supposed to take what we know. It is supposed to teach us what we know. Multiplicity is real and is not an illusion. It is not a construction of our mind since our God is active. It means that God creates and this is the source of multiplicity. These are manifestations of one reality. We relate this reality to unity and this is in harmony with our common sense, in which we feel multiplicity as real. This is a combination of what they call mystical idea and religious idea. We need a strong metaphysics to explain how we can have both. This is the most difficult part. Those who cannot explain this, should either deny unity and multiplicity or accept them as two contradictory elements. It is deemed to be a weak point in logic and epistemology.
What are the features in Quranic Erfan (Mysticism) that you think one cannot find them in other historical traditions?
There are some scholars who believe that the Islamic mysticism is brought to Islamic culture from somewhere outside the lofty teachings of the holy Quran. If it is true that Sufism is influenced by other cultures, it doesn’t mean Quran and Sunnah don’t have their own mysticism. I’m not emphasizing the differences. They can also be a source of Islamic-historical mysticism. Mysticism is a universal phenomenon. According to Quran, Islam is not a religion separate from former religions. The message of all divine religions is the same. Quran doesn’t claim that its message is a new thing. What Quran tires to convey, has already been sent to other prophets by God. One of the titles of all prophets is “Mosaddegh”, the one who confirms other books and revelations. Islam is not different from Christianity or Judaism and in fact is in the same line and path with them. Islam doesn't discuss a topic that is radically new. There are some differences, though. For example, trinity is in theology or Christianity and unity in Islam. So the same theological difference is reflected in Erfan. Christianity focuses on the Holy Spirit, while Islam highlights the perfect man that is the best manifestation of God. While God is one and simple, has many infinite names and attributes. Hence, this theological difference is manifested in Erfan.
Fiqh (Jurisprudence) is an issue which is similarly addressed in Islam, Christianity and Judaism; however we need to take it into consideration that there are some nuances in the field of practical mysticism among the three religions. For example, Buddhism doesn’t address the issue of revelation in the sense of prophetic revelation, but Islam says that the words of Quran are revealed by God. Buddhism doesn’t have any holy scripture and its teachings are illuminations of Buddha while unity is the central part of Islam. Islamic mysticism is the inner side of the revelation.
There are three distinctive levels of spirituality in Islamic mysticism or Sufism:
Sharia (Islamic law), Tariqa (path) and Haqiqa (what is real, genuine, authentic, what is true in and of itself by dint of metaphysical or cosmic status). Sharia refers to the external aspect of the religious teaching. Tariqa is the path towards the inner facet of the teachings and Haqiqa is the reality that we discover through Tariqa. Hence, Tariqa is not separate from religion. In fact inner teachings of Tariqa are religious. Islam, Faith and charity are also three categories which are differentiated and highlighted in Islam. Islam equals with the acceptance of the sentence that “God is one and Muhammad (PBUH) is his last prophet”. Whoever expresses this, is considered Muslim. Faith is when you sincerely believe in this reality and then you follow Sharia. Charity is when you go beyond Sharia to the inner side of the teachings.
It means that Charity is like worshiping God as if you see God. In the level of Faith, mankind doesn’t worship God as he is seeing him. You worship God because you believe in God. Knowledge (Ma’refa) plays an important role in Islamic mysticism. The subject of Ma’refa includes knowing about God. This kind of knowledge is the essence of mysticism. However, we ought to be aware that this knowledge is not the abstract knowledge discussed in theology and philosophy. It is an experiential knowledge of God.
God is the source of all perfections and is omnipotent, omnipresent and omniscient. God doesn’t have any negative quality and when a reality has all the good qualities, it will have a characteristic called beauty. God is beautiful. When we see a beautiful reality, we show a kind of reaction. For example, when we see a beautiful flower, we admire that, in fact it is our emotion. Here knowledge gets mixed with emotion. God is not only beautiful, but is also the source of beauty. Other beauties are limited, but God is an absolute beauty. When we face with the essential (eternal) beauty, our natural reaction will be a love in its highest and deepest degree.
This kind of love is the fruit of that knowledge. In this regard, the first step is knowledge (Ma’refa), and the second step, love. When we love someone, we cannot be indifferent to him or her. The third step is obedience. Mankind obeys God because he loves God. Love brings about obedience with it.
We obey God based on the principles of religion. Another difference between religious and non-religious mysticism is that in the first one we know about do’s and don’ts. There isn’t such a thing in natural mysticism for it doesn’t focus on every aspect of life and the journey as well. This kind of knowledge of God includes within itself the knowledge of the entire world. Mankind knows about the world, but his knowledge of world is manifestation of knowledge of God. Knowing about God doesn’t prevent you from knowing the world. If man wants to understand the reality of the world, first he needs to learn about the truth of God. World without God, is like something self-subsistent. World depends on God’s will power. So this is the difference between materialistic view of the world and spiritual view. Sa’di, famous Iranian poet, says “I love the whole world not because of the world itself, but because it belongs to God”. Love of the lower world (Donya) is criticized in the Islamic teaching. We read in the holy Quran that the love of family, property and the lower world prevents mankind to reach God’s love. What should mankind do? Love one of them or both of them? It all goes to the level which mankind starts from. When mankind understands the true beauty, his or her heart accepts the love of other things. God is absolute beauty; we ought to realize it by all means. This way man will give priority to love of God and will start to show love to other things as well. Love towards God is inclusive and love of limited things is exclusive since it does not include other realities. Therefore, there are two perspectives towards loving the world: love of Donya (the lower world), and love of the higher world.
When mankind obeys God, he or she can’t be indifferent to His creatures and their needs. This obedience is called “Ibadah” (worshipping) which is only proper to God. We worship God in order to serve people. We care about the creatures of God only because they are created by God Almighty. Everything carries a sign of God in this world and therefore that is holy.
Robert Charles Zaehner (1913–1974), British academic, extrapolates three different kinds of mysticism :
Panenhenic (Nature), monistic, or theistic. Some people believe that the ultimate reality is nature itself not God. So they have the same feeling and emotion that we have regard to God.
Panenhenic mysticism is that mysticism which involves a natural trigger, such as Otto's "sensus numinis" or Carl Jung's "collective unconscious". Such mysticism may also be drug induced.
Monistic mysticism involves an experience whereby the individual, through self-effort, taps into an impersonal (monistic) Object. Such mysticism includes many Hindu and Buddhist traditions in which Wisdom, Emptiness or Nirvana are sought by means of ascetic practices involving meditation. (In fact, Zaehner includes all of Hinduism and Buddhism in this category, a classification which produced much criticism, since several schools in each of these religions view the Object as personal.)
Theistic mysticism involves the experience of a personal Object, and therefore takes on relational aspects. Thus, for example, many Christian mystics have expressed that love of God is the basis of the experience.
According to Zaehner, the personal aspect of theistic mysticism disallows unity with the monists' impersonal experience or the panenhenics' natural experience. All three categories are mutually exclusive. From this classification, it is plain that Zaehner has based his theory upon the presupposition of unmediacy. For Zaehner's three categories derive from what the mystics claimed to have experienced. In other words, this classification assumes that mystics in fact experienced and accurately related their experiences from which
In regard with the issue of free will, how is it possible to love everything while there are manifestations which are evil and seem absolutely contradictory?
As far as God is concerned, there is nothing evil in the world. Evil is the result and product of our free will. For example, after the tragedy of Karbala, the forces of Yazid took the children and the women as prisoners. They were taken from Karbala to Kufa, and then in a meeting Ibn Zyad asked Hazrat Zeinab (AS):
“How did you find the way Allah treated your brother and your family?”
Lady Zeynab (AS), with a tone full of pride and power, indicating her faith and submission towards Allah (SWT), answered:
“I saw nothing but beauty. …
It doesn’t mean that what they did was very beautiful. In fact the way that God treated them was beautiful. The whole world is beautiful as long as it is connected to God. As philosophers say existence is good and evil derives from non-existence.
In regard with the tragedy of Karbal, it was Yazid’s decisions and will power not God. Mankind decides in accordance with his/her free will.
Islamic mysticism encompasses the following characteristics:
1) Theism (God-centered)
2 ) The concept of unity
3) Revelation
4) Resurrection
5) Ascetic life
6) Moderation (isolated life and celibacy are rejected in Islam)
Islam doesn’t accept disillusion of individuality for mankind should not lose his identity. Usually when people want to describe the highest state of mysticism, they forget their selves. According to Quran and Islamic teachings in regard with mysticism, mankind always remains as himself and will never lose his identity. If we lose our identity and have no self-consciousness, why we should pursue such a state when we are not present there.
The state of Fana (annihilation) in Islamic mysticism is a state that our “self” no longer exists. This state is concentrated on God alone. In fact in there, we see God not ourselves. We are there, but because of intensity of love we don’t pay attention to ourselves. This state is a transient state since we don’t stay there forever or for a long time. After Fana comes the state of Baqa (The ideal perfection). In Baqa we gain our self-consciousness. And there will always be distinction between God and creatures. There exists unity but not a pure one. We have both unity and multiplicity in that state. In one level of Fana, we may lose our consciousness of multiplicity. But multiplicity is there. And we should know that this is not the highest stage and in fact is a transitory state. Then we come back to our self-consciousness and the consciousness of the multiplicity of the world, where the existing multiplicity is under the supervision and superiority of unity. Therefore both unity and multiplicity are real. Unity is primary and multiplicity is secondary. In others words, multiplicity has its roots in unity. If mysticism, philosophy, religion or any discipline indicates that these multiplicities are wrong, it means those disciplines are not congruous with the world view since the existence of multiplicity is absolutely self-evident. Mysticism is not supposed to take what we know. It is supposed to teach us what we know. Multiplicity is real and is not an illusion. It is not a construction of our mind since our God is active. It means that God creates and this is the source of multiplicity. These are manifestations of one reality. We relate this reality to unity and this is in harmony with our common sense, in which we feel multiplicity as real. This is a combination of what they call mystical idea and religious idea. We need a strong metaphysics to explain how we can have both. This is the most difficult part. Those who cannot explain this, should either deny unity and multiplicity or accept them as two contradictory elements. It is deemed to be a weak point in logic and epistemology.
What are the features in Quranic Erfan (Mysticism) that you think one cannot find them in other historical traditions?
There are some scholars who believe that the Islamic mysticism is brought to Islamic culture from somewhere outside the lofty teachings of the holy Quran. If it is true that Sufism is influenced by other cultures, it doesn’t mean Quran and Sunnah don’t have their own mysticism. I’m not emphasizing the differences. They can also be a source of Islamic-historical mysticism. Mysticism is a universal phenomenon. According to Quran, Islam is not a religion separate from former religions. The message of all divine religions is the same. Quran doesn’t claim that its message is a new thing. What Quran tires to convey, has already been sent to other prophets by God. One of the titles of all prophets is “Mosaddegh”, the one who confirms other books and revelations. Islam is not different from Christianity or Judaism and in fact is in the same line and path with them. Islam doesn't discuss a topic that is radically new. There are some differences, though. For example, trinity is in theology or Christianity and unity in Islam. So the same theological difference is reflected in Erfan. Christianity focuses on the Holy Spirit, while Islam highlights the perfect man that is the best manifestation of God. While God is one and simple, has many infinite names and attributes. Hence, this theological difference is manifested in Erfan.
Fiqh (Jurisprudence) is an issue which is similarly addressed in Islam, Christianity and Judaism; however we need to take it into consideration that there are some nuances in the field of practical mysticism among the three religions. For example, Buddhism doesn’t address the issue of revelation in the sense of prophetic revelation, but Islam says that the words of Quran are revealed by God. Buddhism doesn’t have any holy scripture and its teachings are illuminations of Buddha while unity is the central part of Islam. Islamic mysticism is the inner side of the revelation.
There are three distinctive levels of spirituality in Islamic mysticism or Sufism:
Sharia (Islamic law), Tariqa (path) and Haqiqa (what is real, genuine, authentic, what is true in and of itself by dint of metaphysical or cosmic status). Sharia refers to the external aspect of the religious teaching. Tariqa is the path towards the inner facet of the teachings and Haqiqa is the reality that we discover through Tariqa. Hence, Tariqa is not separate from religion. In fact inner teachings of Tariqa are religious. Islam, Faith and charity are also three categories which are differentiated and highlighted in Islam. Islam equals with the acceptance of the sentence that “God is one and Muhammad (PBUH) is his last prophet”. Whoever expresses this, is considered Muslim. Faith is when you sincerely believe in this reality and then you follow Sharia. Charity is when you go beyond Sharia to the inner side of the teachings.
It means that Charity is like worshiping God as if you see God. In the level of Faith, mankind doesn’t worship God as he is seeing him. You worship God because you believe in God. Knowledge (Ma’refa) plays an important role in Islamic mysticism. The subject of Ma’refa includes knowing about God. This kind of knowledge is the essence of mysticism. However, we ought to be aware that this knowledge is not the abstract knowledge discussed in theology and philosophy. It is an experiential knowledge of God.
God is the source of all perfections and is omnipotent, omnipresent and omniscient. God doesn’t have any negative quality and when a reality has all the good qualities, it will have a characteristic called beauty. God is beautiful. When we see a beautiful reality, we show a kind of reaction. For example, when we see a beautiful flower, we admire that, in fact it is our emotion. Here knowledge gets mixed with emotion. God is not only beautiful, but is also the source of beauty. Other beauties are limited, but God is an absolute beauty. When we face with the essential (eternal) beauty, our natural reaction will be a love in its highest and deepest degree.
This kind of love is the fruit of that knowledge. In this regard, the first step is knowledge (Ma’refa), and the second step, love. When we love someone, we cannot be indifferent to him or her. The third step is obedience. Mankind obeys God because he loves God. Love brings about obedience with it.
We obey God based on the principles of religion. Another difference between religious and non-religious mysticism is that in the first one we know about do’s and don’ts. There isn’t such a thing in natural mysticism for it doesn’t focus on every aspect of life and the journey as well. This kind of knowledge of God includes within itself the knowledge of the entire world. Mankind knows about the world, but his knowledge of world is manifestation of knowledge of God. Knowing about God doesn’t prevent you from knowing the world. If man wants to understand the reality of the world, first he needs to learn about the truth of God. World without God, is like something self-subsistent. World depends on God’s will power. So this is the difference between materialistic view of the world and spiritual view. Sa’di, famous Iranian poet, says “I love the whole world not because of the world itself, but because it belongs to God”. Love of the lower world (Donya) is criticized in the Islamic teaching. We read in the holy Quran that the love of family, property and the lower world prevents mankind to reach God’s love. What should mankind do? Love one of them or both of them? It all goes to the level which mankind starts from. When mankind understands the true beauty, his or her heart accepts the love of other things. God is absolute beauty; we ought to realize it by all means. This way man will give priority to love of God and will start to show love to other things as well. Love towards God is inclusive and love of limited things is exclusive since it does not include other realities. Therefore, there are two perspectives towards loving the world: love of Donya (the lower world), and love of the higher world.
When mankind obeys God, he or she can’t be indifferent to His creatures and their needs. This obedience is called “Ibadah” (worshipping) which is only proper to God. We worship God in order to serve people. We care about the creatures of God only because they are created by God Almighty. Everything carries a sign of God in this world and therefore that is holy.
Robert Charles Zaehner (1913–1974), British academic, extrapolates three different kinds of mysticism :
Panenhenic (Nature), monistic, or theistic. Some people believe that the ultimate reality is nature itself not God. So they have the same feeling and emotion that we have regard to God.
Panenhenic mysticism is that mysticism which involves a natural trigger, such as Otto's "sensus numinis" or Carl Jung's "collective unconscious". Such mysticism may also be drug induced.
Monistic mysticism involves an experience whereby the individual, through self-effort, taps into an impersonal (monistic) Object. Such mysticism includes many Hindu and Buddhist traditions in which Wisdom, Emptiness or Nirvana are sought by means of ascetic practices involving meditation. (In fact, Zaehner includes all of Hinduism and Buddhism in this category, a classification which produced much criticism, since several schools in each of these religions view the Object as personal.)
Theistic mysticism involves the experience of a personal Object, and therefore takes on relational aspects. Thus, for example, many Christian mystics have expressed that love of God is the basis of the experience.
According to Zaehner, the personal aspect of theistic mysticism disallows unity with the monists' impersonal experience or the panenhenics' natural experience. All three categories are mutually exclusive. From this classification, it is plain that Zaehner has based his theory upon the presupposition of unmediacy. For Zaehner's three categories derive from what the mystics claimed to have experienced. In other words, this classification assumes that mystics in fact experienced and accurately related their experiences from which
In regard with the issue of free will, how is it possible to love everything while there are manifestations which are evil and seem absolutely contradictory?
As far as God is concerned, there is nothing evil in the world. Evil is the result and product of our free will. For example, after the tragedy of Karbala, the forces of Yazid took the children and the women as prisoners. They were taken from Karbala to Kufa, and then in a meeting Ibn Zyad asked Hazrat Zeinab (AS):
“How did you find the way Allah treated your brother and your family?”
Lady Zeynab (AS), with a tone full of pride and power, indicating her faith and submission towards Allah (SWT), answered:
“I saw nothing but beauty. …
It doesn’t mean that what they did was very beautiful. In fact the way that God treated them was beautiful. The whole world is beautiful as long as it is connected to God. As philosophers say existence is good and evil derives from non-existence.
In regard with the tragedy of Karbal, it was Yazid’s decisions and will power not God. Mankind decides in accordance with his/her free will.
Islamic mysticism encompasses the following characteristics:
1) Theism (God-centered)
2 ) The concept of unity
3) Revelation
4) Resurrection
5) Ascetic life
6) Moderation (isolated life and celibacy are rejected in Islam)
