the lectures of Nokounam, may his sanctity be revered (Session 123 Chapter of Asceticism Part Four).
The chapter on asceticism, as the fourth station in the esteemed Manzil al-Sirn authored by Khwaja Abdullah Ansari, constitutes a foundational pillar of mystical practice. Through the delineation of the tripartite ranks of asceticismgeneral, particular, and most particularit opens a path towards the purification of the soul and proximity to the Divine Truth. This chapter, focusing principally on the general asceticism, emphasises the refinement of ethics, purification of actions, and reverence for rights, underscoring the necessity of rationality, sincerity, and justice within the spiritual journey.
Within Khwaja Abdullah Ansari's mystical framework, asceticism functions as a bridge guiding the seeker from the darkness of the ego to the illumination of Divine Reality. This station is divided into three ranksgeneral, particular, and most particulareach representing a stage in the spiritual path. General asceticism, as the foundational base, encompasses three essential pillars:
This classification coheres with the overall structure of Manzil al-Sirn, which systematically divides each chapter into three ranks. Within this framework, the book resembles a majestic tree, each branch (chapter) subdivided into three sub-branches, encompassing a total of three hundred stations. Yet, from a profound perspective, all these stations converge upon three foundational principles: negation of reliance upon others, renunciation of greed for others, and renunciation of greed for the Truth. These three principles, like three pillars, firmly establish the edifice of practical mysticism.
Ethical refinement through knowledge signifies the regulation of conduct based on reason and sacred law, so that ones character remains free from ignorance and unawareness. Learned ethics illuminate as a radiant light dispelling the darkness of ignorant behaviour and facilitating a conscious spiritual journey. This notion aligns with the noble Quranic verse:
وَمَن يُؤْتَ الْحِكْمَةَ فَقَدْ أُوتِيَ خَيْرًا كَثِيرًا (البقرة: ٢٦٩)
: Whoever is granted wisdom has indeed been given abundant good.
Wisdom, as a precious gem, forms the basis of good and felicity, distinguishing learned ethics from popular behaviours. This emphasis on rationality safeguards the seeker from falling into the snare of ignorance and superstition.
Popular ethics, devoid of scientific and sacred underpinnings, resemble a wild plant growing without roots in the soil of truth, destined to wither swiftly. This form of ethics is occasionally observed even among the elite, thereby tarnishing religious values. The critique of this approach, grounded in the noble Quranic injunction, underscores the necessity of reasoning within religious conduct:
إِنَّا أَنْزَلْنَاهُ قُرْآنًا عَرَبِيًّا لَعَلَّكُمْ تَعْقِلُونَ (يوسف: ٢)
: Indeed, We have sent it down as an Arabic Quran that you might understand.
This verse portrays intellect as an enlightening lamp upon the path of religion, without which spiritual progress deviates.
A common folk narrative attributes the salvation of the late Majlisi to his care for an animal (dog or cat), valuing this more than his scholarly works such as Bihar al-Anwar. This account lacks credible authentication and contradicts divine justice and rational sacred law. Majlisis scholarly contributions, serving as a vast treasury for the Shia faith, hold a preeminent value incomparable to quotidian acts. This critique accords with the Quranic verse:
وَالْوَزْنُ يَوْمَئِذٍ الْحَقُّ (الأعراف: ٨)
: The scale on that Day will be the truth.
Such stories, sometimes relying on dreams and unfounded narrations, diminish the worth of scholarship and research, fostering populism instead of promoting rationality.
Sincerity is like a crystalline stream purifying actions from non-divine impurities. Every deed must be performed solely for its essential objective: prayer for worship, study for knowledge, and eating for health preservation. Concurrently engaging in multiple aims corrupts sincerity and diminishes the value of the action. This concept is consonant with the Quranic verse:
قُلْ إِنِّي أُمِرْتُ أَنْ أَعْبُدَ اللَّهَ مُخْلِصًا لَهُ الدِّينَ (الزمر: ١١)
: Say, Indeed, I have been commanded to worship Allah, being sincere to Him in religion.
Sincerity acts as a key opening the doors of proximity to the Divine Truth, cleansing the deed from ostentation and hypocrisy.
Ostentation and hypocrisy are two major afflictions of sincerity. Ostentation seeks outward display to attain apparent excellence, whereas hypocrisy arises from fear and pretense. The seeker must purify their actions from these maladies to attain true sincerity. This concept is connected to the Quranic admonition:
وَلَا تَكُونُوا كَالَّذِينَ يُرَاؤُونَ (البقرة: ٢٦٤)
: And do not be like those who show off.
Ostentation and hypocrisy, like dark shadows, obscure the light of sincerity and divert the seeker from the path of truth.
Reverence for rights entails the due honouring of the rights of God, creation, and the self with care and justice, distinct from excess (tufrr) which results in overstepping justice. Reverence functions as a precise scale measuring each right accordingly. This notion aligns with the Quranic injunction:
وَأَقِيمُوا الْوَزْنَ بِالْقِسْطِ (الرحمن: ٩)
: Establish weight with justice.
The differentiation between reverence and excess underscores the necessity of meticulousness in textual variants and their conformity with reason and sacred law. Variants containing yufrr are incorrect due to their contradiction with justice and must be amended to yuqir.
Respect for rights is intrinsically coupled with humility before the grandeur of God and fairness towards His creation. Justice functions as a mirror, reflecting the rights of others with the same measure as ones own rights. This concept resonates profoundly with the following noble verse of the Holy Quran:
وَلَا تَبْخَسُوا النَّاسَ أَشْيَاءَهُمْ (Al-Arf: 85)
: Do not diminish peoples due rights.
Justice summons the spiritual wayfarer to uphold the rights of others equally alongside their own and restrains them from selfishness and excessive desire.
The ultimate objective of general spiritual discipline is to attain a station where the seeker, upon meeting God, bears no claims against themselves; in other words, they have fulfilled the rights of all. This exalted station is akin to a lofty summit attained solely by the perfected saints. The conduct of the Noble Prophet (peace be upon him) in the incident of the lash exemplifies this sublime station and corresponds with the sacred Quranic verse:
إِنَّمَا أَنَا بَشَرٌ مِثْلُكُمْ (Al-Kahf: 110)
: I am but a human being like yourselves.
This verse establishes humility and the fulfilment of rights as prophetic attributes that the spiritual wayfarer must emulate as their exemplar.
Many religious injunctions are rational and advisory, meaning that reason validates them. The Divine Law does not negate reason; rather, it guides it. This viewpoint aligns with the following noble Quranic verse:
لَعَلَّهُمْ يَتَفَكَّرُونَ (Al-ashr: 21)
: So that perhaps they may reflect.
Reason is akin to a beacon illuminating the path of the Law and shielding the seeker from illogical rigorism.
Contrary to the principle of excessive caution, which mandates over-caution in all matters, the principle of permissibility is the foundation of Divine Law. This principle guarantees rational freedom within the framework of the Law and restricts prohibitions to specifically defined cases. This concept is closely related to the noble Quranic verse:
سَخَّرَ لَكُمْ مَا فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَمَا فِي الْأَرْضِ (Al-Jthiyah: 13)
: He has subjected to you whatever is in the heavens and whatever is on the earth.
This verse affirms human liberty to benefit from Divine blessings, except in expressly forbidden instances.
Religion is like a vast ocean that encompasses freedom, rationality, and guidance. The prohibitions are precisely defined, whereas everything else is permissible, thereby preventing irrational severity. This perspective is consistent with the noble Quranic verse:
يُرِيدُ اللَّهُ بِكُمُ الْيُسْرَ وَلَا يُرِيدُ بِكُمُ الْعُسْرَ (Al-Baqarah: 185)
: Allah desires ease for you and does not desire hardship for you.
This verse reveals the spirit of religion as founded upon ease and rationality, incompatible with unnecessary rigorism.
True knowledge acts as the root from which the tree of enlightened morality draws its nourishment. Without the recognition of the Face of God, sincerity and spiritual purification remain unattainable. This viewpoint is harmonised with the noble Quranic verse:
فَاعْلَمْ أَنَّهُ لَا إِلَٰهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ (Muammad: 19)
: Know, then, that there is no deity but Allah.
Knowledge precedes action and prioritises theoretical wisdom over practical wisdom.
Respect for divine rights is accompanied by humility before the grandeur of God. Dhul (humiliation) is a quality of servitude that attributes honour exclusively to God. This concept corresponds to the noble Quranic verse:
لِلَّهِ الْعِزَّةُ جَمِيعًا (An-Nis: 139)
: All honour belongs entirely to Allah.
Humility serves as wings enabling the spiritual seeker to soar towards Divine honour.
The chapter on spiritual discipline in Manzil al-Sirn, by explicating general discipline, delineates the most fundamental stage of spiritual progress for the believers. This stage, with its emphasis on the refinement of morality through knowledge, purification of deeds by sincerity, and respect for rights, paves the path toward justice and rationality within religion. The critique of popular tales, such as the narrative attributed to the late Majlisi, underscores the necessity of a scientific and rational approach to religion. Respect for rights, coupled with justice and fairness, guides the seeker to a lofty station where no claims exist against them on the Day of Judgment. This work, by integrating mystical concepts with Quranic verses, provides a scholarly and spiritual framework for theological and mystical research.
