the Lectures of Nokounam, May his secret be sanctified (Session 185)
War, akin to a crystalline spring coursing through the path of mystical progression, purifies the seekers heart from carnal impurities and non-divine attachments, guiding him towards perfection. This intrinsic spiritual virtue, as delineated in Khwaja Abdullah Ansaris Manzil al-S'irn as one of the pivotal stages of the spiritual journey, encompasses not merely abstention from prohibited acts and doubtful matters but, at loftier degrees, purifies the heart from all that is other than God. Nonetheless, misconstruals of war, such as self-mortification (taarruj), annulment of lawful dispensations (intif al-rua), and deeming the world and its contents impure, have perverted its true essence, diverting it from elevation to a culture of sackcloth-wearing, disorder, and even psychological sadism. This treatise critiques such erroneous interpretations, presents the gradations of war, and underscores the necessity of moderation in the mystical path.
The station of war in Manzil al-S'irn is explicated with reference to the verse وَثِيَابَكَ فَطَهِّرْ (al-Muddaththir: 4, translated by : And purify your garments). Ostensibly, this verse pertains to the purification of clothes; however, in its inner dimension, it signifies the cleansing of the soul from spiritual defilements and non-divine attachments. War is thus likened to a washing that shields the heart from carnal filth rather than tearing or burning the garment. This interpretation portrays war as a virtue that distances the seeker from the unlawful and doubtful and directs him towards purity and perfection.
Moreover, the verse وَمَنْ يُوقَ شُحَّ نَفْسِهِ فَأُولَئِكَ هُمُ الْمُفْلِحُونَ (al-ashr: 9, translation: And whoever restrains the greed of his soul they are the successful ones) emphasizes the imperative of safeguarding oneself from the avarice of the soul. Such safeguarding is not the annihilation of the soul but its nurturing and protection from covetousness and non-divine attachments. In this regard, war acts as an appropriate brake in the mechanism of spiritual progress that preserves the seeker from descending into sin without engendering excess or self-mortification.
| Key Point: The verse وَثِيَابَكَ فَطَهِّرْ alludes to the purification of the soul from non-divine attachments, not to tearing or burning garments. War is the preservation of the soul, not its destruction. |
Khwaja Abdullah Ansari defines war as tawq mustaq al ar aw taarruj al tam, that is, a comprehensive safeguarding to avoid sin or putting oneself into hardship for the exaltation of the Lord. This definition elucidates war in three tiers: abstaining from the forbidden, avoiding doubtful matters, and self-imposed hardship (taarruj). The first two tiers, which stress abstention from the unlawful and doubtful, harmonize with Sharia and intellect; however, the third tier (taarruj) is subject to critique due to its incompatibility with Islamic principles.
In essence, war is the purification of the heart from the contamination of the unlawful and doubtful. This purification is analogous to polishing a dust-covered mirror, preparing the heart to receive divine illumination. Conversely, taarruj, entailing constricting life and elimination of lawful dispensations, leads not to elevation but to deviation and psychological disorder.
| Key Point: War is the purification of the heart from unlawful acts and caution in doubtful matters, whereas taarruj and excessive self-restriction represent deviation from Islamic mysticism and contradict Sharia principles. |
The commentator of Manzil al-S'irn, by appending the phrase bal ad-duny wa m fh najis (indeed, the world and what is within it are impure), transcends the correct interpretation of Talmasani (who posits that the unlawful is impure and whatever is close to the unlawful becomes impure) and deems the entire world impure. This perspective contradicts the practice of the Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him), who said: I have chosen from your world three things: perfume, women, and the joy of my eye in prayer. If the world and its contents were impure, then perfume, women, and prayer would also be impure. This interpretation acts as a veil of dust settling over the clear face of Islamic mysticism, leading it towards cultural degradation.
| Key Point: Deeming the world and its contents impure contradicts the Prophets practice and the intrinsic value of the world in Islam. War is the purification of the heart, not the negation of the world. |
Some literal interpretations have reduced the verse وَثِيَابَكَ فَطَهِّرْ to tearing, discarding, or burning garments. Such a reading strays from the true essence of war, for garments in the Quran symbolize adornment, dignity, and perfection. The verse هُنَّ لِبَاسٌ لَّكُمْ وَأَنتُمْ لِبَاسٌ لَهُنَّ (al-Baqarah: 187, translation: They are a garment for you and you are a garment for them) affirms the positive value of garments as symbols of protection and beauty. Purifying garments means removing their defilements, not destroying them. This critique steers war away from the negation of the world towards the purification of the soul from non-divine attachments.
The commentator asserts that the verse وَثِيَابَكَ فَطَهِّرْ addresses the Ummah (community) rather than the Prophet (peace be upon him), as the Prophet is immaculate and pure. This interpretation is erroneous because the verse explicitly addresses the Prophet, but on a deeper level, it also indicates the Ummahs necessity to purify their souls. The Prophet, as the exemplary model (uswah asanah), exemplifies both outward and inward purification, and this verse summons seekers to cleanse their hearts from carnal defilements.
Instead of contributing original insight, the commentator plagiarizes from Talmasanis commentary and, by appending the erroneous impurity of the world, distorts the original. This method, prevalent in some mystical compositions, leads not to creativity and awareness but to blind imitation and deviation in mystical comprehension. Mystical authorship is akin to a garden that must be cultivated with knowledge and innovation, not reduced to a thorny wilderness by copying and adding incorrect material.
Khwaja Abdullah Ansari, in his definition of war, introduces the third tier as taarruj al tam, that is, imposing hardship upon oneself to glorify the Lord. This taarruj entails unnecessary hardship for the soul, such as walking barefoot, scattering glass beneath ones feet, or constricting life by removing lawful dispensations. Such approaches contradict Quranic principles, e.g., لَا حَرَجَ فِي الدِّينِ (al-ajj: 78, translation: There is no hardship in religion) and l arar f al-islm (a Prophetic narration), and lead to psychological sadism and deviation from Islamic mysticism. Taarruj, like casting stones into ones shoes or plucking body hair, indicates psychological illness, not mystical perfection.
| Key Point: Taarruj and excessive self-restriction contradict Quranic injunctions لَا حَرَجَ فِي الدِّينِ and Islamic mysticism. War is the nurturing of the soul, not self-mortification. |
War, in its true sense, is the preservation and nurturing of the soul by abstaining from unlawful acts and doubtful matters, thereby purifying the heart and preparing it for divine realization. It is not the negation of the world nor the annihilation of the soul through self-mortification and excessive asceticism. The Prophets own example elucidates this balance, as he engaged joyfully with permissible worldly pleasures and undertook no such hardship as self-mortification. Mystical progression is a journey from the darkness of impurity to the light of divine love through the refinement of the heart. This journey requires wisdom, moderation, and adherence to Sharia, rather than extremism or blind imitation.
The errors of considering the world impure, adopting taarruj as war, or misinterpreting Quranic verses as literal injunctions for self-torture lead the seeker away from spiritual perfection. Instead, war is a mirror polishing the hearts clarity and a fence safeguarding the spirit from sin. The way of the mystics is not the path of destruction but the path of illumination and love.
The clergy, rather than participating in academic and international centres, are predominantly confined to proselytising in rural locales. This circumstance has undermined both their scholarly and social standing, thereby obstructing their influence within global circles. It is imperative that clerics, endowed with knowledge and competence, engage actively within universities and scientific institutions to disseminate religious knowledge on a worldwide scale. Although preaching in villages can be valuable if conducted professionally, it must not be the exclusive domain of the clergy. This critique serves as a cautionary call, urging the clergy towards scientific and global advancement.
| Key Point: The clergy must establish presence in academic and international centres to promote religious knowledge globally. |
War is explicated in four distinct levels, each representing a stage of the soul's spiritual elevation:
These degrees resemble a ladder elevating the seeker from mere avoidance of sin to divine proximity.
| Key Point: The fourfold hierarchy of war, from shunning sin to intimacy with God, constitutes a roadmap for the soul's advancement in mystical practice. |
Taqwa refers to self-restraint and refraining from sin; however, war functions as an advanced, more precise form of spiritual control akin to the ABS brake system in a vehicle. While taqwa represents a moderate and foundational degree of spiritual discipline, war, by evading doubtful matters and practising self-sacrifice of lawful benefits, brings the seeker closer to perfection. According to the narrations, war literally means to desist from Gods prohibitions, which entails avoidance of the unlawful and purification of the heart from defilements.
A reported tradition states that lacking war leads to three consequences: premature death (losing the opportunity for spiritual perfection), servitude to the ruler (worldly dependency), and life confined to villages (scientific isolation). These consequences act as warnings, urging the seeker to remain vigilant of war and preserve the sanctity of the soul.
Tawq al-Mustaq, which Khwja defines as maximal precaution for avoiding sin, instead of proportionate restraint, leads to scrupulosity, suspicion, and psychological affliction. War should function as the brake of a vehicle, adjusted according to the seekers speed and capacity. Excessive braking, like applying the brakes of a Benz on a Zhyn car, results in explosion and overturning. This analogy underscores the necessity of proportionality in war consistent with the seeker's abilities.
| Key Point: Tawq al-Mustaq, rather than proportionate restraint, causes scrupulosity and deviation. War must correspond to the seeker's capacity. |
Islamic disciplines such as fasting, prayer, nawfil (voluntary prayers), and alt Jafar al-ayyr are logical and wise means to strengthen the will and train the soul. Unlike excessive self-denialwhich leads to self-harm and economic weakeningthese disciplines guide the seeker towards spiritual perfection. Excessive self-denial, akin to walking with gravel in ones shoes or wounding the body, is symptomatic of psychological malaise, not mysticism. Islamic spirituality resembles a garden fertilised by wise disciplines, not by self-inflicted harm or deviation.
| Key Point: Religious disciplines such as fasting and prayer are rational and wise, whereas excessive self-denial signals deviation and psychological disorder. |
The understanding of prohibition in Sharah is clear; however, in arqah and aqqah, it requires the guidance of a murshid or a mujtahid who, with mystical insight, delineates its boundaries. Prohibition in the spiritual path encompasses not only legal prohibitions but also non-divine attachments that obstruct proximity to God. The murshid acts as a guiding light, illuminating the seekers path to truth and protecting them from deviation.
| Key Point: Understanding prohibition in arqah and aqqah requires a mystical guide who distances the seeker from non-divine attachments. |
The narration Man ra awla al-im yshiku an yaqa fhi (Whoever grazes around the sanctuary is about to fall into it) stresses avoidance of proximity to dangers (prohibited matters and doubtful issues). This narration presents war as reasonable caution protecting the seeker from the descent into sin. Such caution functions like a fence safeguarding the seeker from falling into sin, without leading to excessive scrupulosity or deprivation.
| Key Point: The narration Whoever grazes around the sanctuary introduces war as reasonable caution against prohibitions and doubtful matters, not excessive scrupulosity or removal of concessions. |
Pessimism toward the selfregarding it as a rabid dogresults in the souls derangement and deviation. Islamic mysticism emphasizes education and reform of the soul, not its destruction or self-inflicted harm. Such pessimism acts as a shadow obscuring the light of knowledge in the seekers heart, thus obstructing their spiritual journey.
| Key Point: Pessimism toward the self leads to its deviation and madness. Islamic mysticism stresses soul cultivation, not destruction. |
In Mib al-Sharah, war is defined as renunciation of desires, passions, and contemplations, likened to the state of a corpse in the hands of the washer. This definition reduces mysticism to a state of death-likeness and self-harm, whereas Islamic mysticism aims at union through love and knowledge (like the lover before the beloved). This approach leads the seeker into darkness of self-torture and degradation rather than guiding towards divine light.
| Key Point: Islamic mysticism represents attainment of love and knowledge, not death-likeness and self-harm as propagated in Mib al-Sharah. |
Excessive precaution (al-itiy, al-awa, al-ajwad) in jurisprudence and mysticism has resulted in misguidance, scrupulosity, and social harm. Such precaution acts as an over-powerful brake that, instead of halting, causes the vehicle of the spiritual path to overturn and explode. War must be reasonable and adapted to the seekers capacity, not maximal and scrupulous.
| Key Point: Excessive precaution leads to scrupulosity and misguidance. War must be reasonable and proportionate to the seekers capacity. |
War, as one of the pivotal stations of mystical progression, purifies the seekers heart from carnal defilements and non-divine attachments. The Quranic verse وَثِيَابَكَ فَطَهِّرْ alludes to the purification of the soul, not the negation of the world or clothing. Critiques of erroneous interpretationssuch as deeming the world impure, scrupulosity, and tawq al-mustaqreveal deviations that have reduced mysticism to self-torture, hair-shirt wearing, and disorderliness. The four levels of war, from avoidance of sin to intimacy with God, provide a pathway for the souls perfection. Islamic mysticism emphasizes soul cultivation through wise and moderate disciplines, rather than self-infliction and debilitation. The clergy too must promote religious knowledge globally by engaging in academic centres. This exposition, emphasizing war as a proportionate brake in spiritual conduct, guides seekers towards ultimate perfection.
اللَّهُمَّ صَلِّ عَلَىٰ مُحَمَّدٍ وَآلِ مُحَمَّدٍ
| Supervised by SSadegh Khademi |
