of Nekounam, (Session 180)
In the mystical corpus The Stations of the Wayfarers by Khwaja Abdullah Ansari, asceticism (zuhd) stands as a foundational spiritual station that liberates the seeker from the bonds of worldly attachments, guiding them towards the realm of sincerity and Divine proximity. The 180th lecture of Nekounam, , profoundly restores this station from historical and cultural distortions, defining it as a spiritual quality that frees the heart from attachment to anything other than God. In this perspective, asceticism is neither poverty nor incapacity, nor passivity or mere renunciation; rather, it is a conscious and exalted disinclination towards whatever might divert the seeker from the Truth.
Asceticism, within mystical practice, is a spiritual attribute that liberates the seeker's heart from attachment to anything besides God, directing it towards pure devotion. Contrary to common misconceptions, asceticism is neither poverty nor destitution, nor incapacity or weakness, nor mere external renunciation of material things; rather, it is a conscious disinterest in all that obstructs the Truth. This attribute, akin to courage or wisdom, is an inward quality dependent on intention and internal state, not external conditions. The true ascetic harbours no desire even for the reward of paradise or deliverance from hellfire; his worship is pure and without ulterior motive.
| Key Point: Asceticism is a spiritual attribute that frees the heart from attachment to the non-Divine, guiding towards purity in Godward devotion, not poverty or incapacity. |
The analogy of a garden and its weeds elucidates this concept clearly: the ascetic is like a gardener who removes the weeds of attachments from the garden of the heartnot for show or reward, but for the blossoming of the flower of Divine gnosis. The outward manifestations of asceticism, such as simplicity of living, are but shadows of this spiritual attribute, not its essence.
Khwaja Abdullah Ansari delineates asceticism into three degrees: asceticism from doubts, asceticism from excess, and asceticism in asceticism. These stages represent the seeker's progressive journey from abstention from doubtful matters to complete detachment even from the ascetic disposition itself.
Asceticism from doubts entails abstaining from anything suspected of prohibition; it is the seeker's initial step on the ascetic path. When uncertain about the permissibility of something, the seeker refrains from it to preserve the heart from contamination. This degree pertains to external matters and relies on the souls self-control against suspicious temptations.
| Key Point: Asceticism from doubts is the avoidance of matters suspected to be prohibited, safeguarding the heart from defilement. |
The metaphor of the sea and its waves clarifies this degree: the seeker is like a sailor who avoids suspicious waves so that the ship of the heart remains secure and steers toward the shore of Truth.
Asceticism from excess is contentment with the minimum provision necessary for life and avoidance of extravagance and wastefulness. At this stage, the seeker suffices with what is essential and shuns greed and attachment to material possessions. Although this degree concerns external matters, it is contingent upon the order and health of the soul.
| Key Point: Asceticism from excess is satisfaction with minimal sustenance and avoidance of luxury, liberating the soul from attachment to materiality. |
The metaphor of the tree and its superfluous branches explicates this degree: the ascetic is like a gardener who prunes the excessive branches of the soul-tree to yield the fruit of Divine knowledge.
Asceticism in asceticism represents the pinnacle of asceticism, wherein the seeker not only abstains from doubts and excess but also detaches from the very notion of asceticism itself. This degree is internal and directed towards the negation of attachment to asceticism as a spiritual attribute. The seeker at this station does not regard asceticism as a personal achievement but attributes it solely to the Truth.
| Key Point: Asceticism in asceticism is the negation of attachment to asceticism itself, freeing the seeker from egoism and guiding towards unity in Divine acts. |
The metaphor of the candle and sunlight beautifully illustrates this degree: the ascetic is like a candle shining in darkness, yet in the light of the Divine sun, it fades away and perceives nothing but Divine light.
The third degree of asceticism is distinguished by three salient characteristics:
| Key Point: The characteristics of asceticism in asceticism encompass mindful recollection without self-praise, equality of states, and obliteration of personal attainment in the light of Divine realities. |
The metaphor of the bird and the sky elucidates these features: the ascetic is like a bird flying in the sky of realities, neither boasting of its wings nor attached to the earth beneath, seeing nothing but the Divine heaven.
Asceticism is a spiritual attribute that liberates the heart from attachments. Its threefold degrees, from abstention from doubts and excess to asceticism in asceticism, delineate the seekers evolutionary path. The third degree, marked by mindfulness, equanimity, and obliteration of acquisition, guides the seeker towards unity in Divine acts. The metaphors of garden, sea, tree, candle, and bird beautifully elucidate these concepts.
Within Islamic culture, asceticism has been erroneously reduced to poverty, incapacity, and neglect of material faculties. This distortion demotes asceticism from a spiritual attribute to an external and material phenomenon, leading to the backwardness and misery of Islamic societies. The glorification of poverty and disparagement of capability have deprived Muslims of power and progress, consigning them to supplication before others.
| Key Point: The distortion of asceticism as poverty and incapacity has led Muslims to backwardness and misery, depriving them of empowerment. |
The metaphor of the garden and weeds clarifies this critique: the erroneous culture is like weeds preventing the garden of asceticism from flourishing, yielding thorns of misery instead of fruits of knowledge.
The Qalandari and dervish culture reduces asceticism to wearing old clothes, abstaining from eating, and destitution. These are traits of the powerless and the impoverished, not of ascetics. Asceticism is an attribute that also manifests in capability and empowerment, not in weakness and deprivation.
| Key Point: Asceticism is neither wearing ragged clothes nor deprivation, but a spiritual attribute manifest in empowerment as well. |
The metaphor of the warrior and armour explicates this critique: the ascetic is like a warrior clad in the armour of empowerment, not one who steps into the arena of weakness and passivity in tattered garments.
Asceticism is disattachment from worldly affairs, not merely lack thereof. Poverty, incapacity, and laziness are not asceticism but signs of backwardness. True asceticism dwells in one who possesses wealth yet is not attached to it, like Prophet Solomon who was an ascetic despite his kingdom.
| Key Point: Asceticism is disattachment, not absence. Poverty and incapacity are not asceticism but backwardness. |
The metaphor of Solomon and his flock clarifies this notion: the ascetic is like Solomon who, despite possessing great flocks, sacrifices all for the sake of the Truth by proclaiming "There is no god but Allah," not one who resorts to mere destitution.
This lecture clarifies the essence of asceticism as a spiritual attribute liberating the seeker from attachment to all but God. It refutes the reduction of asceticism to poverty, incapacity, or external renunciation. Asceticism is a graduated station beginning with abstention from doubtful matters, continuing through minimalism, and culminating in detachment even from the ascetic disposition itself. This perfection of self-detachment is characterized by mindful remembrance without self-praise, equanimity, and the obliteration of personal acquisition, leading to unity in Divine action.
The cultural distortions of asceticism in Islamic societies have led to misinterpretations and consequent societal decline. True asceticism is compatible with capability, empowerment, and presence in the world, provided the heart remains unattached. The metaphors employed enrich the understanding of these degrees and serve as a spiritual guidepost for seekers on the Path.
The concept of asceticism in asceticism (زهد فی الزهد) harmonises profoundly with the Quranic verse لِكَيْلَا تَأْسَوْا عَلَىٰ مَا فَاتَكُمْ وَلَا تَفْرَحُوا بِمَا آتَاكُمْ (Surah Al-Hadid: 23). According to s translation: So that you do not grieve over what has escaped you, nor rejoice excessively in what has been given to you. This verse explicates asceticism as a disregard for worldly gain and loss in deference to Divine Will.
| Key Point: The verse لِكَيْلَا تَأْسَوْا elucidates asceticism as indifference towards worldly profit and loss when confronted with the Truth. |
The true ascetic does not perceive the worldly existence in opposition to the Truthnot in the sense of denying the world, but rather in beholding it through the prism of the Truth. This perspective regards the world not as a mere nothingness (l shay), but as a manifestation of the Divine.
| Key Point: The ascetic neither denies the world nor dismisses it, but perceives it solely as a Divine manifestation in the light of the Truth. |
Attachment to the world signifies a fixation on deviations and sins, not love for Divine creations. The ascetic harbours no desire for such deviations, yet may love the creatures as manifestations of the Divine.
| Key Point: Attachment to the world is an attachment to deviations, not to Divine creatures who are reflections of the Truth. |
Asceticism in asceticism harmonises with the Quranic verse and the monotheistic outlook. The ascetic perceives the world in the light of the Truth and distances himself from attachment to deviations. The metaphors of the sea, mirror, and flower beautifully elucidate these profound concepts.
Asceticism is a quality manifested in empowerment and authority. The true ascetic is one in whom Divine steadfastness has settled and who perceives nothing but the Truth, whether in possession of wealth or in its absence.
| Key Point: Asceticism manifests in Divine empowerment and steadfastness, not in weakness or incapacity. |
Practical examples such as refraining from pilgrimage to Mecca and donating its costs to the poor, or abstaining from food and giving it to another, exemplify asceticism in asceticism. The seeker in this state attributes these acts not to himself but declares: It was God.
| Key Point: Asceticism in asceticism manifests in attributing acts of charity not to oneself but perceiving them as Divine acts. |
In asceticism in asceticism, the illumination of the Truth envelops the seekers heart so profoundly that nothing but the Truth is perceived. This state is illustrated by the metaphor of the candle and light: in darkness the candle is visible, but in the light of the Truth, everything else vanishes.
| Key Point: The illumination of the Truth in asceticism in asceticism fills the heart so completely that nothing but the Truth is visible. |
Asceticism is a quality manifested in empowerment and the illumination of the Truth. Practical examples and the metaphors of the mountain, river, and sun beautifully elucidate these profound concepts.
Should asceticism lead to self-glorification, it transforms from perfection to polytheism and affliction. The true ascetics asceticism draws him nearer to Divine proximity, rather than allowing asceticism itself to become his calamity.
| Key Point: Self-glorification in asceticism results in polytheism. Asceticism must lead to Divine proximity, not affliction. |
Asceticism in asceticism, through the negation of egoism, safeguards the seeker from polytheism. The seeker, beholding all things in the light of the Truth, is liberated from attachment to asceticism itself.
| Key Point: Asceticism in asceticism, by negating egoism, frees the seeker from polytheism and leads to Divine proximity. |
The peril of self-glorification leads asceticism toward polytheism, yet asceticism in asceticism, through the negation of egoism, guides the seeker to proximity with the Divine. The metaphors of the mirror and the bridge beautifully illustrate these concepts.
The chapter on asceticism in Manzil al-Sirn liberates the seeker from attachments and directs him toward sincerity in God-worship. The stages of asceticismfrom doubts and excessiveness to asceticism in asceticismdemonstrate the seekers evolutionary journey. Critiques of cultural deviations, including the distortion of asceticism as poverty and indifference, emphasise the necessity of redefining it as a spiritual quality. The verse لِكَيْلَا تَأْسَوْا establishes the Quranic foundation for asceticism. Asceticism manifests in empowerment and the illumination of the Truth, and through negation of egoism, attains the unity of actions (Tawd Afl). The metaphors of the garden, sea, tree, candle, bird, warrior, Solomon, captain, crossroads, mirror, flower, mountain, river, sun, and bridge elegantly expound these profound concepts. Asceticism is a dynamic and responsible attribute guiding the seeker toward Divine proximity and individual as well as social transcendence.
| Supervised by Sadegh Khademi |
