Читать книгу The Kashf al-mahjúb: The oldest Persian treatise on Súfiism онлайн

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It is related that he said: “Safety lies in solitude,” because the heart of the solitary is free from thought of “other”, and in no circumstances does he hope for anything from mankind. Let none imagine, however, that solitude (waḥdat) merely consists in living alone. So long as the Devil associates with a man’s heart, and sensual passion holds sway in his breast, and any thought of this world or the next occurs to him in such a way as to make him conscious of mankind, he is not truly in solitude; since it is all one whether he takes pleasure in the thing itself or in the thought of it. Accordingly, the true solitary is not disturbed by society, but he who is preoccupied seeks in vain to acquire freedom from thought by secluding himself. In order to be cut off from mankind one must become intimate with God, and those who have become intimate with God are not hurt by intercourse with mankind.

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He went to visit Uways Qaraní, but on arriving at Qaran he found that Uways was no longer there. Deeply disappointed, he returned to Mecca, where he learned that Uways was living at Kúfa. He repaired thither, but could not discover him for a long time. At last he set out for Baṣra and on the way he saw Uways, clad in a patched frock, performing an ablution on the banks of the Euphrates. As soon as he came up from the shore of the river and combed his beard, Harim advanced to meet him and saluted him. Uways said: “Peace be with thee, O Harim b. Ḥayyán!” Harim cried: “How did you know that I am Harim?” Uways answered: “My spirit knew thy spirit.” He said to Harim: “Keep watch over thy heart” (`alayka bi-qalbika), i.e. “Guard thy heart from thoughts of ‘other’”. This saying has two meanings: (1) “Make thy heart obedient to God by self-mortification”, and (2) “Make thyself obedient to thy heart”. These are two sound principles. It is the business of novices (murídán) to make their hearts obedient to God in order to purge them from familiarity with vain desires and passions, and sever them from unseemly thoughts, and fix them on the method of gaining spiritual health, on the keeping of the commandments, and on contemplation of the signs of God, so that their hearts may become the shrine of Love. To make one’s self obedient to one’s heart is the business of adepts (kámilán), whose hearts God has illumined with the light of Beauty, and delivered from all causes and means, and invested with the robe of proximity (qurb), and thereby has revealed to them His bounties and has chosen them to contemplate Him and to be near Him: hence He has made their bodies accordant with their hearts. The former class are masters of their hearts (ṣáḥib al-qulúb), the latter are under the dominion of their hearts (maghlúb al-qulúb); the former retain their attributes (báqi ´l-ṣifat), the latter have lost their attributes (fáni ´l-ṣifat). The truth of this matter goes back to the words of God: Illá `íbádaka minhumu ´l-mukhlaṣína, “Except such of them as are Thy purified (chosen) servants” (Kor. xv, 40). Here some read mukhliṣína instead of mukhlaṣína. The mukhliṣ (purifying one’s self) is active, and retains his attributes, but the mukhlaṣ (purified) is passive, and has lost his attributes. I will explain this question more fully elsewhere. The latter class, who make their bodies accordant with their hearts, and whose hearts abide in contemplation of God, are of higher rank than those who by their own effort make their hearts comply with the Divine commandments. This subject has its foundation in the principles of sobriety (ṣahw) and intoxication (sukr), and in those of contemplation (musháhadat) and self-mortification (mujáhadat).