Excerpts from the Lectures of Nekounam, may his sanctity be preserved (Session 182)
In the trajectory of mystical wayfaring, piety and war stand as two steadfast wings elevating the wayfarer towards the summits of divine gnosis. Piety functions as a brake restraining the nafs from the precipices of sin, while war, as the consummation of this brake, summons the wayfarer to exercise utmost caution against doubts and worldly attachments. In Manzil al-Sirn by Khwaja Abdullah Ansari, despite the elucidation of three hundred stations within one hundred chapters, the term piety remains unmentioned, with asceticism and war taking precedence instead. This treatise, grounded in the detailed analyses of Nekounams session 182, critically examines the place of piety and war within mystical progression, offering a critique on the omission of piety from the structural framework of the stations.
The book Manzil al-Sirn constitutes a practical manual which, through explicating three hundred stations within one hundred chapters, facilitates the path for wayfarers. Yet, the absence of piety and the emphasis solely on asceticism and war invoke a fundamental question. Piety, as the persisting faculty and brake of the nafs, ought to constitute the foundation of the other stations; however, Khwaja Ansari has overlooked this and instead foregrounded asceticism and war. This structure resembles an edifice lacking its principal pillar, thereby jeopardising its stability.
| Key Point: Manzil al-Sirn is a practical work comprising three hundred stations, yet the absence of piety constitutes a fundamental structural deficiency. |
In the ordering of the stations, asceticism precedes war, and war appears without mention of piety. The ideal sequence necessitates placing piety, as the foundation of spiritual wayfaring, before war and subsequently asceticism. Certain mystics have likewise proposed this hierarchy, as piety safeguards the nafs and is a prerequisite for war (the elevated piety) and asceticism (detachment from all but the Truth). This critique acts as a luminous beacon revealing the shortcomings of the path and underscores the necessity of revisiting the structure of the stations.
Piety is cited in the Qurn approximately 259 times with various derivatives (such as ittaqu, yattaqn, muttaqn), and appears 1753 times in the traditions. The term war, although absent in the Qurn, occurs 595 times in traditions with derivatives (including al-war, at-tawarru, awra, bi-war). Collectively, piety and war appear about 2348 times in traditions. This profusion attests to the unparalleled importance of piety and war in spiritual wayfaring, without which no progresswhether within ordinary or exalted contextscan be attained.
Piety denotes protectionself-preservation, self-restraint, and brakingthat shields the nafs from sin and deviation. War represents the sublime degree of piety, manifesting in extreme caution regarding doubts and consummate self-restraint. War stands as a pinnacle erected under the shadow of piety, guiding the wayfarer towards benevolence and Divine Unity.
| Key Point: Piety is the self-preservative restraint and brake of the spiritual path; war is its elevated degree manifesting in utmost caution and self-restraint. |
The Qurn elucidates piety at various levels. The verse وَمَن يَوقَ شُحَّ نَفْسِهِ فَأُولَٰئِكَ هُمُ الْمُفْلِحُونَ (al-ashr: 9; : And whoever restrains his soul from greed, those are the successful) defines piety as self-restraint against greed and avarice. Additionally, the verse لَيْسَ عَلَى الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَعَمِلُوا الصَّالِحَاتِ جُنَاحٌ فِيمَا طَعَمُوا إِذَا مَا اتَّقَوْا وَآمَنُوا وَعَمِلُوا الصَّالِحَاتِ ثُمَّ اتَّقَوْا وَآمَنُوا ثُمَّ اتَّقَوْا وَأَحْسَنُوا وَاللَّهُ يُحِبُّ الْمُحْسِنِينَ (al-Midah: 93; : There is no blame on those who believe and do righteous deeds concerning what they have eaten before [the prohibition] when they fear God and believe and do righteous deeds, then fear God and believe, then fear God and do good, and God loves the doers of good) delineates the stages of piety from general to benevolent. War manifests in the stage of benevolence (as if you see Him), culminating in prophecy and Divine Unity.
In the Qurn, piety is linked with virtues such as patience (وَإِن تَصْبِرُوا وَتَتَّقُوا, l Imrn: 186), faith (وَإِن تُؤْمِنُوا وَتَتَّقُوا, Baqarah: 279), benevolence (وَإِن تُحْسِنُوا وَتَتَّقُوا, Nis: 128), and reform (وَإِن تُصْلِحُوا وَتَتَّقُوا, Nis: 129). These associations establish piety as the axis of virtues encompassing war as its highest rank. Piety is akin to the root of a tree nourishing the fruitful branches of perfection.
The verse وَاتَّقُوا اللَّهَ وَيُعَلِّمُكُمُ اللَّهُ (Baqarah: 282; : Fear God, and God will teach you) indicates that piety culminates in divine, innate knowledge. Prophets attained the rank of prophecy through piety. This knowledge flows like a spring emanating from the heart of piety, quenching the wayfarers thirst for divine gnosis.
The verse يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا اتَّقُوا اللَّهَ حَقَّ تُقَاتِهِ وَلَا تَمُوتُنَّ إِلَّا وَأَنْتُمْ مُسْلِمُونَ (l Imrn: 102; : O you who have believed, fear God as He should be feared and do not die except as Muslims) manifests the highest degree of piety (aqq tuqtih), which encompasses war. This degree is the utmost perfection of piety, accompanying death in a state of submission and leading the wayfarer to consummate perfection.
| Key Point: aqq Tuqtih is the utmost perfection of piety, encompassing war and culminating in the perfection of Divine Unity and benevolence. |
The verse كُلُوا مِمَّا غَنِمْتُمْ حَلَالًا طَيِّبًا وَاتَّقُوا اللَّهَ إِنَّ اللَّهَ غَفُورٌ رَحِيمٌ (Al-Anfal: 69; : "Eat from that which you have gained as lawful and pure, and fear Allah; indeed, Allah is Forgiving and Merciful") emphasises the necessity of piety even in matters that are lawful and pure. The mention of Ghafr Ram (Forgiving and Merciful) subtly points to possible deficiencies, such as those involved in animal slaughter, which require seeking forgiveness. Devout scholars refrained from slaughtering animals themselves directly, instead purchasing meat slaughtered by others, to avoid any defect before Allah. This conduct exemplifies wariness, reflecting scrupulous caution in respect to the life of the animal.
Both Khjeh and the commentator have interpreted the verse وَثِيَابَكَ فَطَهِّرْ (Al-Muddaththir: 4; : "And purify your garments") as referring to the impurity of the world and advocating wariness thereof. This interpretation is incorrect and leads to cultural degradation, as the world is not inherently impure. Such a reading promulgates a profound misunderstanding of the nature of the world. Wariness (wara) denotes prudence concerning doubtful matters, not a negation or rejection of the world itself.
| Key Point: Interpreting the world as impure is erroneous and results in cultural decline. Wariness pertains to caution in doubtful matters, not to the denial of the world. |
The removal of piety from the Manzil al-Sirn (Stages of the Traveller) represents a fundamental flaw, since piety is the sustaining faculty and brake of the self. Without piety, knowledge and cognition alone lead to deviation, akin to a car without brakes crashing into a wall. This critique functions as a mirror reflecting the deficiencies within the structural framework of the stages.
Wariness appears in the hadith literature in various derivatives al-wara, al-tawarru, awra, bawra cited in 218 instances. Expressions such as Ittaqu Allah and Ya Ali ittaqu Allah underscore the safeguarding of the soul. These phrases elucidate wariness as a particular and elevated form of piety, functioning as a spiritual brake within the path.
Piety and wariness constitute the sustaining faculty and the preservation of the self within mystical progress. Piety is the foundation of the spiritual path, and wariness its perfection, manifested in the Qurnic exemplars of piety such as benevolence and rightful observance. The excision of piety from the Manzil al-Sirn results in a structural defect that renders the path incomplete. Qurnic verses like وَاتَّقُوا اللَّهَ وَيُعَلِّمُكُمُ اللَّهُ and اتَّقُوا اللَّهَ حَقَّ تُقَاتِهِ emphasise the role of piety in esoteric knowledge and the perfection of monotheism. Wariness manifests itself in scrupulous caution even in matters that are lawful and pure, guiding the seeker towards perfection. This depiction, underscoring the necessity of piety as the foundation and wariness as its consummation, directs the spiritual journey towards a balanced and dynamic course.
اللَّهُمَّ صَلِّ عَلَىٰ مُحَمَّدٍ وَآلِ مُحَمَّدٍ
| Under the supervision of Sadegh Khademi |
