فی
تفسير حديث
الحقيقه
Tafsīr
Ḥadīth al-Ḥaqīqa
1
The Tafsīr
Ḥadīth al-Ḥaqīqa
its Shi`i Origins and
Commentators
[I]
IN
PROGRESS
2009-10
STEPHEN LAMBDEN
(UC-MERCED)
The Commentary on the Ḥadith al-Ḥaqīqa
(Ultimate Reality) for Kumayl ibn Ziyād ibn Nahīk al-Naka'ī
(d. c. 81 / 701) of Sayyid `Alī Muhammad Shirazi, the
Bāb (d.1850 CE).
Dr. Stephen Lambden (Ohio University)
Presented at the Irfan Colloquia
Session #48
(English)
Center for Bah�'� Studies: Acuto, Italy, July 10-13,
2003.
|
Abstract:
The Had�th al-haq�qa ("Tradition concerning Ultimate Reality")
or Had�th ma al-haq�qa, (very loosely) the `Had�th Kumayl' is the record of an alleged (Arabic)
conversation between the first Sh�`� Imam, `Al� b. Ab� T�lib
(d.40/661) and his Sh�`� associate, the one-time governor of H�t
(Iraq, 130 miles from Baghdad), Kumayl ibn Ziy�d ibn Nah�d ibn
Haytham ibn Sa'd ibn Malik ibn al-Nakh�'�. (d. c. 81 / 701) whose
shine is located at wad� al-sal�m near Najaf (Iraq) (al-Muf�d,
K. al-Irsh�d). It has to do with the nature and definition of of
al-ḥaq�qa which is often (loosely) translated "Reality" or
"Ultimate Reality". The had�th al-haq�qa is a well-known
tradition much discussed and highly influential in Sh�`� Islamic
philosophy and mysticism as well as many times registered in
Babi-Baha'i scripture. It has been commented upon by the early
Shaykhi leaders as well as many gnostic (irfani) or esoterically
minded thinkers among them Hajji Mull� H�d� Sabziw�r� (d.
c.1295/ 1878). He had occasion to comment upon the Had�th
al-ḥaqīqa in various of his works including the recently
republished (new edition) of his `Commentary on the Most
Beautiful Names of God'. The had�th al-haq�qa has several times
been (partially) translated into English, once by the Cambridge
orientalist Edward G. Browne (d. 1926) and again by the American
Presbyterian missionary Dwight M. Donaldson (d.1976) whose
article has been published in the periodical Muslim World .
In his commentary on the had�th al-haq�qa the
Bab introduces it as follows: Regarding the Commentary upon the
`Tradition about Reality' (hadith al-ḥaqīqa) which has it that
Kumayl ibn Ziyād al-Nakha`i was riding one day behind [imam]
`Alī (upon Him be peace) on his she-camel (naqa). And Kumayl
said `O my Master, what is al-ḥaqīqa ("Reality")?' [Imam]
`Alī
upon Him be peace replied, `What have you to do with Reality?'
He [Kumayl] responded, `Am I not a custodian of thy secret
(sahib al-sirrika)? He [`Alī] said, `Yes! but what merely
sprinkles down upon you overfloweth abundantly through me.'
Subsequently `Alī gives several somewhat cryptic definitions of
al-haqīqa (Reality). The final definition refers to the subḥ al-azal
("Morn of Eternity") and is the ultimate source of the title of Mirza Yahya (c. 1834-1912) (Per.) Subh-i Azal. Among the
imamological and other senses given the Hadith Kumayl by the Bab
is that it revolves around the high station of Imam `Alī, whose
Logos-Self is represented as the creative genesis of Being and a
divine effulgence which mediates divine realities in the world
of creation. The Bab from very early in his mission cited and
gave importance to the Had�th Kumayl. He cited it in his early
Ris�la fi'l-suluk ("Trestise on the Path") as he did later in
his Sahifa bayn al-haramayn (Epistle between the two shrines)
and his (Persian) Dala'il-i sab`ah (Seven Proofs) where it is
also given an interesting imamological exegesis.
In this presentation an attempt will be made
to sum up the Bab's interpretations of al-ḥaqīqa (Ultimate
Reality") in the light of their Shi'i-Shaykhi background. A few
of Baha'u'llah's interpretations of passages in the Hadith
al-ḥaqīqa will also be briefly presented (Abstract Slightly Revised
2009)
|
THE TEXT AND URLs BELOW ARE BEING REVISED AND COMPLETED
- 2009-10
See Further:
Introductory Note
on Kumayl ibn
Ziyād
(c.18/639 -c. 85/704?)
"al-Kumayl ibn Ziyad ibn Nahik ibn Haytham ibn Sa'd ibn Malik
ibn al-Harith ibn Suhban ibn Sa'd ibn Malik ibn al-Nakhā'ī
was from the tribe of Madhhij. He related traditions from 'Uthman
and 'Ali and 'Abd-Allah. He was present with 'Alī at the Battle of Siffin and was accepted as a noble among his people. But when al-Hajjaj
ibn Yusuf came to Kufa, he summoned Kumayl and put him to death" (From
the Ṭabaqāt of Ibn Sa`d (d. 230/844).
An excellent summary of the
life of Kumayl ibn Ziyād is given by Hossein Modarressi in the first
volume of his Tradition and Survival I (Oxford: Oneworld, 2003,
see pp. 74-77). The paragraphs to follow are taken from this
learned and important source (some footnotes and other details are
omitted):
" Kumayl b. Ziyād b.
Nahīk al-Nakha'ī, a close disciple of 'Al� and a nobleman and
leading notable in the community of Kūfa. He was among the first
Kūfans who publicly spoke out against 'Uthmān and his policies, and
were consequently banished from Kūfa to Hirns in Syria by the order
of the caliph in the year 33 or shortly after. Later, Kumayl joined
the camp of the followers of 'Al� in Medina and was among his close
associates from the very first days of his caliphate. He was later
appointed by 'Al� as governor of Hit, a strategic region to the
north of Kūfa, where Kumayl successfully repelled an early foray by
Mu'awiya's troops into Iraq. He served as a commander with 'Al� at
the battle of Şiff�n. Later in his life, he joined the revolt of 'Abd
al-Rahmān b. Muhammad b. al-Ash'ath against Hajjāj in the year 82.
He was executed by Hajjāj in the same year, or a year later, at the
age of 90 for his part in the rebellion, as well as his activities
against 'Uthmān half a century before and his continued devotion to
'Alī..."(2003:74)...
He is described by most earlier authorities on the transmitters of
had�th as reliable and pious. In the revolt of Ibn al-Ash'ath, he
was a senior member of the regiment of the Qurra (the Reciters of
the Qur'an, at least by then), a group renowned for their faith and
piety (Tabar� 6: 350). A number of mainly later Sunnī authorities
criticize him for his excessive love for 'Al� or, in other words,
for his Shfite sympathies. Shī`ite sources unanimously praise him
(see Khu'i 14: 128-9).
For his early activities as a member of the anti-'Uthmān camp of
Kūfa and his subsequent exile to Himş, see Ibn Sa'd 5: 24; Balādhurī
5: 1 31, 150, 159; Tabar� 4: 318, 322, 326 (also 403 where a report
claims that Kumayl later went to Medina in an early, unsuccessful
attempt on 'Uthmān's life); Ibn 'Asākir 50: 247. Kumayl's name
appears among the close aides of 'Al� early in his caliphate. He
was, for instance, 'Alī 's envoy to 'Abd Allah, son of the former
Caliph 'Umar, sent to persuade him to join 'Al� for what became
known as the battle of the Camel (Tabar� 4: 446).
For his appointment as governor of Hit and his repulsion of the
Syrian troops, see Balādhurī 2: 339^40; Ibn A'tham 4: 48 (and its
sixth century Persian translation: 714�16 with a much fuller
account). The texts of two letters of'Al� to Kumayl as governor of
Hit are preserved, one in reprimand (Balādhurī 2: 339; Nahj
al-balāgha: 450-51 [letter 61]), the other in admiration (Ibn A'tham,
Persian: 716).
For his participation in Ibn al-֊Ash'ash's revolt, see Tabar�, Dhayl:
663-4; idem, Ta'rīkh 6: 350; Abu 'l-'Arab: 204-5.
For the year he was killed by Hajjāj, most early authorities of
biographical material on Kumayl suggest the year 82 (see the
citations in Ibn 'Asākir 50: 257; Mizzī 24: 222; Ibn al-'Imād 1:
335), though Tabar� 6: 365 (whence Ibn al-Athīr, Kamill: 481�2)
lists it among the events of the following year, a more plausible
date as the revolt was suppressed by Hajjāj in the middle of the
latter. Yahya b. Ma'īn is said to have suggested the year 84 (Ibn 'Asākir
50: 257; Mizzī 24: 222) or 88 (Ibn Hajar, Tahdhīb 8: 448). Şafad�
24: 370 gives the date as around the year 90.
His age at the time of death is given as 100 by Ibn Kathīr {Bid�ya
9: 46); most others have it as 90 but Madā'inī (as quoted by Ibn 'Asākir
50: 257 and Mizzī 24: 222) as 70. Ibn Hajar, Tahdhīb 8: 448 ascribes
this to Yahya b. Ma'�n, too. This latter must have been a corruption
of tis'tn to sab'tn, very common in Arabic script, as an old age is
also implied by several remarks of Hajjāj, Kumayl himself, and
others, both before and after his capture by the government (see
Tabar� 4: 404; Ibn A'tham 7: 142; Abū 'l-'Arab 204-5; Fasaw� 2: 481;
Irsbād 1: 327; Ibn 'Asākir 50: 256; Ibn Hajar, Isāba 5: 654).
There is a tomb in Kūfa that the Shi`a identify and visit as that of
Kumayl (see the description in Hirz al-Dīn 2: 219-20). This
identification, however, does not seem to go back more than two
centuries. The first author to mention the tomb, in the late
thirteenth century (Khwansan 6: 66), noted that it had been found,
built upon, and become a place of visitation "in these recent
times".
There is a post-mortem aspect of Kumayl's character to be noted
here, that is, as a symbolic figure in medieval Islamic Sufi
literature. As mentioned above, Kumayl is described by many of his
biographers as pious and devout. That, plus the pitiful story of his
killing at a very old age because of his attachment to 'Al�,
naturally generated a great deal of svmpathy for him and later
created an aura of holiness around him. Already at the time of his
killing, a poet mourns him and blames Ḥa||āi for the cruel act (Tabar�,
4: 404). Later, some Muslim mystics saw him as one of the main
channels of esoteric light of the House of the Prophet and came up
with a chain of authority for their ceremonial Sufi robe, known as
khirqa, that went through Kumayl to 'Alī and then to the Prophet.
This seems to have started in the sixth century. The earliest major
figure in Sufism whom I have found to claim the authority for his
robe through Kumayl is Najm al-Dīn Kubrā (d. 618) who mentions this
in a certificate he issued for a student on 4 Shawwal 598 (Hāfiz
Husayn 2: 306-8). After Najm al-Dīn, many Sufi orders and major
mystics who trace the authority for their robe through him have
Kumayl as one of their last links in the chain of authority linking
them to 'Al� and the Prophet (see Havdarkhānī [1989]: 18-22, 30-38,
53-8 where the names of many orders and more than thirty sources are
listed; also Haydarkhan� [1992]: 58�60; a few examples: Bākharzī:
27; Simnānī, Manāzir. 136; idem, Tadhkira: 153; Haydar al-Āmulī,
Jāmi': 223^t, 614; idem, Muhīt 1: 521-2; idem, Nasŗ. 218, 222-3;
Asīrī: 350).
Ibn Hibbān, who lists Kumayl among the reliable transmitters of
hadith in his Thiqat 5: 341, blames him for his excessive love for 'Al�
in Majrūhīn 2: 221 and reports that he quoted "complicated"
statements (ти dalāt) from 'Al� including miracles. None of this
genre seems to have survived in S�nn� literature with the possible
exception of his alleged statement at the time of his execution that
'Al� had told him that Hajjāj would be his killer (Ibn Hajar, Isāba
5: 654; also Irshād 1: 327). There are in fact only a few quotations
in the collections of had�th on the authority of Kumayl, a fact
which goes well with Ibn Hajar's description of him in Tahdhīb 8:
448 as qal�l al-hadīth..." (Modarressi, 2003:74-77).
ADD HERE
The Discourse to
Kumayl in the Nahj al-Balagha
The recent volume of Reza Shah Kazemi entitled Justice and Remembrance,
Introducing the Spirituality of Imam `Alī (London: I.B.
Tauris and Co. Ltd. 2006), contains a translation of an esoteric
discourse of Imam `Alī headed `The Discourse to Kumayl' which is found
around the middle of the sayings section of the famous Nahj al-bahagha compiled by by
al-Sharif al-Radi (d. 406/1015). Therein are recorded statements of
great mystical significance uttered by Imam `Alī to Kumayl in a
graveyard outside of Kufa (see Nahj al-Balagha, ADD HERE
Shah-Kazemi, 2006: 36ff) See also URL:
http://www.nahjulbalagha.org/searchproc.php
The Du`ā of
Kumayl
   
The Ḥadīth
al-ḥaqiqa ("Tradition
concerning Ultimate Reality") sometimes referred to as the `Ḥadīth Kumayl'
(see below) should not be confused with the
Du`ā Kumayl (Supplication of Kumayl) also attributed to Imam `Alī through the same
pious Shi`i companion Kumayl ibn Ziyād. This supplication is usually recited on Thursdays after the
Ishā' prayers, especially on the 5th of Sha'ban. The text of this
Du`ā Kumayl is, among other things, a powerful prayer for forgiveness
the text of which can be found, for example, in various Shi`i devotional
compilations including the
Mafātīḥ al-jinān,
(Keys to Paradise) of `Abbās
al-Qummī, (d. 1359/1940).
It has been published numerous times and several times been translated
into English. The
book Hadith al-Kisa and Supplication of Kumayl (Karachi: Khurasan Book Centre,
n.d.) contains an English translation alongside the Arabic text
(pp. [39] 40-103). See further :
http://www.islamicdigest.net/v7core/2007/09/20/dua-kumayl-english-translation/
In his Tradition and Survival I Modarressi
writes about the Du`ā Kumayl : "A long text quoted on the authority of Kumayl as the religious supplication that 'Al� taught him (Misbāḥ
844-50; Ibn Tawus, Iqbal 3: 331-8). This is a very popular supplication
among the ShTa who recite it on Thursday nights. Many commentaries are
written on this text. For a list, see Āghā Buzurg 13: 258-9; also 'Abd
al-Jabbār al-Rifā'ī 6: 50-52, 53, 56, 91)" (Modarressi I:79).
The Ḥadith Kumayl
("The Traditon of Kumayl") on `Ilm ("Religious Knowledge").
"This report that starts with
a reference to hearts as containers (al-qulūbu aw'iya) is a long and
eloquent text on the merits of true religious knowledge. It is
quoted, with certain variations, in many Sunn� and Shi'ite
sources... What made this text of special interest to the Shī'a was
a sentence that said that the earth would never be devoid of
individuals who stand as proof of God, bear the knowledge of truth
and, as such, represent God on the earth..." (Modarressi I:79).
An early version of this `Hadith
Kumayl' can be found in the 9th century CE., Tarikh (History) of Ibn
Wāḍith al-Ya`qūbī (d. c. 292/905), the Tarikh al- Ya`qūbī (ed. `Abd
al-Amir al-Mihna, 2 vols. Beirut: Mu`assat li'l-Matbu`at,
1413/1993, vol. 2 pp. 110-118; see also Tarikh ed. Houtsma, 1883, vol.
II:242ff). Aspects of it may have inspired dimensions of the probably
later Ḥadīth
al-ḥaqiqa as Donaldson seems to assert (see below).
ADD HERE
The translation of the `Ḥadith
Kumayl on `Ilm' ("Religious Knowledge") that follows is from the
Arabic text of the Tarikh al- Ya`qūbī (ed. `Abd al-Amir al-Mihna)
vol. 2:110ff. In making this translation I have benefited through often
differed from the translation printed in the 1938 Muslim World (see vol.
28 pp. 253-4) article by the Christian missionary Dwight M. Donaldson
(d.1976) :
"Kumayl ibn Ziyād said:
`[Imam] `Alī took my hand and led me out into the desert quarter
(nāḥiyya al-jabbāna). When he [entered] the desert (al-ṣaḥrā') he
sighed heavily (tanaffasa al-ṣu`uda') three times and exclaimed: `O
Kumayl! the hearts (al-qulub) and containers (aw'iya), the best of
them are vessels (awā`)'. Recollect what I say unto you for
humankind (al-nas) are of three types : [1] those of erudite lordly
disposition (`āllama rabbānī), [2] those who are learning (muta`llim)
on the path of salvation (sabīl najāt) and [3] those who are
worthless ravenous upstarts (hamaj ra`ā`). ADD
HERE
(trans. Lambden)
ADD: Sources Translations + URLs
The Ḥadith Kumayl
("The Traditon of Kumayl") on the nafs (Soul) and its powers.
ADD: Sources Translations + URLs
حديث
الحقيقه
The Ḥadith al-Ḥaqīqa
-- (loosely) the `Ḥadīth Kumayl'.
The Ḥadīth al-Ḥaqīqa (= for some the Hadith Kumayl) is the record of an alleged
(Arabic) conversation between
the first Shī`ī Imam, `Alī b. Abī Ṭālib (d.40/661) and his associate, the
one-time governor of Hīt (Iraq), Kumayl ibn Ziyād
ibn Nahīd ibn Haytham
ibn Sa'd ibn Malik ibn
al-Nakhā'ī.
(c.18/639 -c. 85/704?) whose shine is located at Wadī al-Salām near
Najaf (Iraq; al-Mufīd, K. al-Irshād, add). The Ḥadīth
al-ḥaqīqa or Ḥadīth
mā
al-ḥaqīqa (`What is al-ḥaqīqa?), is a tradition which
includes several statements from Imam `Ali about the meaning (s) of
الحقيقة
al-ḥaqīqa.
This in response to repeated questioning from his disciple Kumayl ibn
Ziyād al-Nakhā'ī.
In general terms الحقيقة
, al-ḥaqīqa
has many meanings. It is not an easy word to define. Its well-known
senses include `Trurh', `Reality', `Ultimate Reality' and the `Divine Reality'
or God. A key question in understanding the Ḥadīth
al-ḥaqīqa is knowing what Kumayl was asking when he enquired about
al-ḥaqīqa and what Imam `Ali intended to clarify.
The Arabic text of the Hadith al-haqiqa exists in sometimes variant
forms found in sources dating from the 7th/13-14th centuries. There is
no established chain of transmission going back to the 7th century when
it was allegedly uttered by the first Shi`i Imam.
One version of the text
of the Hadith al-haqiqa :
ADD source
حديث كميل (رض) المعروف حين كان أمير المؤمنين (ع مردفا إياه خلف الناقة في صحراء الكوفة ليلا
فسأله كميل:
ما لحقيقة؟ الإمام علي (ع):ما لك والحقيقة
كميل (رض):"أولست صاحب سرك؟
الإمام علي (ع):"بلى، ولكن يرشح عليك مايطفح مني
.
كميل (رض): أو مثلك يخيب سائلا.
الإمام علي (ع):[1]
الحقيقة
كشف سبحات
الجلال من غير إشارة
.
كميل (رض): زدني بيانا
.
الإمام علي (ع):[2]
محو الموهوم، مع صحو
المعلوم
كميل (رض): زدني بيانا.
الإمام علي (ع):[3]
هتك الستر، في غلبة
السر.
كميل (رض):"زدني بيانا".
الإمام علي (ع):[4] جذب الأحدية، لصفة
التوحيد".
كميل (رض):"زدني بيانا".
الإمام علي (ع):[5] نور يشرق من صبح
الأزل فيلوح على
هياكل التوحيد آثاره
كميل (رض):"زدني بيانا
الإمام علي (ع) أطفئ السراج، فقد طلع الصبح
ADD NOTES
ADD other
Arabic texts + sources
The Ḥadith al-Ḥaqīqa
[loosely, one of the `Ḥadīth
Kumayl'] is a well-known tradition
much discussed and highly influential in Shī`ī Islamic philosophy and mysticism
as well as many times registered and interpreted
in early Shaykhī texts and Bābī-Bahā'ī scriptural literatures.
As will be seen below, it was variously commented upon by Shi`i mystics and
philosophers, by the first two Shaykhi leaders, Shaykh Ahmad al-Ahsa'i
(d.1241/1826) and Sayyid Kazim Rashti (d.1259/1843) as well as by Sayyid
`Alī
Muhammad Shirazi, the Bab (1819-1850) and Mirza Husayn `Alī Nuri (1817-1892),
entitled Baha'-Allah (the Splendor of God), the founder of the Baha'i religion.
The Bab wrote a detailed Arabic commentary on the Ḥadith al-Ḥaqīqa [Ḥadīth
Kumayl] and Baha'-Allah cited it quite frequently (see below).
The Hadith al-ḥaqīqa or Hadith
Kumayl is not contained in the 11th cent CE Nahj al-Balagha. I have
bypassed the early, pre-`Abd al-Razzāq sources of the Hadith al-haqiqa
mentioned by Donaldson his MW 28 (1938) article on this Hadith (p. 252)
-- namely, Ibn Wāḍith al-Ya`qūbī (d.c. 292/905), Tarikh (ed. Houtsma,
1883, vol. ii p. 242ff) and Ibn Babuwayh al-Saduq al-Qummi (d. 381/991),
Kamal al-Din (Lith. Tehran 1301, pp. 169-171) -- as they are not
exaxctly earlier forms of this hadith but possible texts which
contibuted to the eventual emergance of the Hadith al-ḥaqīqa
and other materials relating to Kumayl.
The Hadith al-ḥaqīqa apparently first
occurs in texts dating after the 13th century. Its textual
history cannot be traced back earlier than the century or so after Ibn al-`Arabi
(d. 638/1240). Among other sources the
Arabic text of this somewhat esoteric dialogue between the `Alī b. Abī Ṭālib (d.
40/661) and his associate, Kumayl ibn Ziyād al-Nakhā'ī
(c.18/639-81[8]/701[7]) are,
Ḥaydar al-'Amulī = Rukn al-Din
Ḥaydar ibn `Alī al-Husayni (d.726/1325) :
-
Jāmi` al-asrār (ed. Corbin &
Yahya, Tehran, 1969), 170 and
-
al-Muqaddamāt min kitāb
naṣṣ al-nuṣūṣ (ed. Corbin & Yahya, Tehran 1974), 440.
`Abd al-Razzāq
al-Kāshānī (d. c. 736/1336-7)
Shāh Ni`mat-Allāh Walī (d. c.
834/1431):
Muhammad ibn al-Husayn, Baha al-Din al-Amili, Shaykh
Baha'i (d. 1030/1621)
-
Kashkul vol. 2 (ed. M.S. al-Nasiri, Qum 1378/ 1958),
219-20.
The citing of a version of the hadith al-ḥaqīqa by Shaykh Baha'i in his
Kashkul made this hadith available to a wide readership
throughout the post 17th century CE Islamic world.
-
ADD
Mirza Muhammad Bāqir al-Musawī Khwānsārī
(d. 1313/1895):
It will be evident from the above
that there would seem to be no known mss. or textual evidence for the
existence of the Hadith al-ḥaqiqa prior to the 7th century AH /
12th-13th centuries CE. In the light of this (the above cited) Hossein Modarressi in his Tradition and Survival
I has written :
"A text with the tone and
terminology of the mystic school of Muḥy�'l-֊Dīn Ibn 'Arabī (d. 638)
that surfaced in the seventh century as 'All's response to Kumayl's
inquiry about the nature of truth. The text [Hadith al-Haqiqa], a
very popular one in Sh�'ite Sufism, ... is quoted, without any
formal chain of transmission, in Sufi literature (e.g. Haydar al-'Amulī,
J�m�: 170; idem, Naşş. 440), and whence in some anthologies (e.g.
Jung-i Mahdaivī: 136-7; Bahā' al-Dīn al-'Āmilī 2: 219-20) and late
biographical works (e.g. Khwānsārī 6: 62). Numerous
monographs have been written during the past eight centuries as
commentaries on this alleged "had�th" For lists of many of these, see Aghā Buzurg 13:
196-8; Dānishpazhūh 3: 461^4; Mun/.aw� 2: 1331 (see also Ḥājī
Khalīfa 2:1041). It should be borne in mind that in the school of Ibn 'Arabī, mystical knowledge can be received directly (i.e. ex
nihilo) through revelation, rather than by formal transmission
through a chain of authorities. Ibn 'Arabī's own Fuṣūṣ al-hikam is,
in fact, a prime example of this phenomenon (see his introduction to
the book: 47). It seems therefore unnecessary to look any further
for a possible earlier source for the text in question" (Modarressi
vol. 1 : 79-80).
ADD HERE
Translations of the
Ḥadith
al-Ḥaqīqa : the
five disclosures by `Alī regarding
الحقيقة al-ḥaqīqa,
Truth, Reality, Ultimate
Reality [God].
The
Arabic word
الحقيقة
al-ḥaqīqa, indicating `The Real', Reality' or
`Ultimate Reality [God]' occurs repeatedly in Imām `Alī's five definitions of
reality" (al-haqīqa) disclosed to Kumayl ibn Ziyād ibn Nahīk al-Nakhā�ī
(d. c. 85/704) in well-known versions or recensions of the Ḥadith registering
questions of Kumayl regarding ما
الحقيقة
(= mā� al-ḥaqīqa,
`What is the Reaity / Ultimate Reality?�. In various sources It is entitled
the Ḥadith
al-Ḥaqīqa
Versions the Ḥadīth al-ḥaqīqa have several times been (partially) translated
into English. Firstly, by the Cambridge orientalist Edward G. Browne (d.1926) in
Appendix II of his edition of the so-called Tarikh-i Jadīd (New
History), p.329 :
"Now although certain
knowledge is essential to happiness, its attainment is of all things
most difficult, even to the favoured companions of God's saints.
Thus Kumeyl ibn Ziyād, one of 'Alī's chosen disciples, once demanded
of his Master, behind whom he was seated on a dromedary, "What is
Truth?" "What hast thou to do with the Truth?" answered 'Alī ,
"for
verily it is one of God's mysteries, and a jewel out of His
treasure-house." Then said Kumeyl, when 'Alī had spoken for some
while after this fashion, "O my Master, am I not worthy to share thy
secret?" "Yes," answered 'Alī , "but the matter is a great one."
"O
my Master," said Kumeyl, "dost thou desire those who beg at the door
of thy bounty to be turned away?" "Nay, verily," answered 'Alī
, "I will answer the call of such as are troubled, and will sprinkle
upon thee somewhat of the overflowing fullness of the Station of the
Truth; receive it from me according to thy capacity, and conceal it
from such as are unworthy to share it. O Kumeyl, the Truth is the
revelation of the splendours of Divine Majesty without a sign." "O
my Master," said Kumeyl, "I understand not thy meaning; explain it
to me further." "The effacement of the conjectured, and the clearing
of the known," continued 'Alī . "Explain more fully," demanded Kumeyl.
"The rending of the veil by the triumph of the mystery,"
said 'Alī . "O my beloved Master," rejoined Kumeyl, "tell me more."
''The attraction of the Divine Unity through the nature of the
apprehension of its Oneness,' added 'Alī . "Tell me more clearly,"
repeated Kumeyl. Then said 'Alī , "A light shining forth from
the Morning of Eternity and irradiating the temples of the Unity."
A
second English translation was given by the American
Presbyterian missionary Dwight M Donaldson (d.1976) in his still useful 1938 article
published in the Muslim World 28 (1938), 249-257 (= DMD).
"[Mirza Muhammad Bāqir Musawī]
Khwānsārī's version of the tradition fī ḥaqīqat is taken from the
Rijāl, or book of biography, by Nīshāpūrī. He says that Kumail was
one of the particular friends of 'Ali, in fact had him ride with him
on his camel. And once he asked 'Ali this question; "O Amir al-Mu'minin,
what is essential reality (al-ḥaqīqat)?" 'Ali answered, "What have
you got to do with al-ḥaqīqat?" Kumail said, "Am I not a companion
of your secret?" 'Ali said, "Yes, but what overflows (yaṭfaḥu) from
me will only ooze (yarshahu) on you." Kumail said, "Is it like you
to discourage a question?" Then 'Ali gave the answer, "Essential
reality (al-ḥaqīqat) is revelation of the garments of glory without
comment (isharat)" Kumail requested, "Explain to me further," 'Ali
continued, "It is the effacement of ignorant superstition and the
awakening to facts (sahw al-ma'lum)" Kumail said again, "Explain to
me further." 'Ali answered, "The rending of the curtain depends on
the mastery of the secret (ghalabat al-sirr)." Kumail repeated,
"Explain to me further." Then 'Ali said, "Light shone forth on the
morning of the first day and its effects glimmered forth upon the
forms of unity (hayākil al-tawḥīd)." Still Kumail said: "Explain to
me further." And 'Ali answered, "Put out the light (al-siraj) and
behold the morn has arrived (tola' al-subḥ)."(Donaldson,
1938:255-6).
My own translation of one version of this hadith, which
only partially attempts to bypass other interpretative renderings, is as follows:
كميل ابن زياد
فقال يا مولاى و سيّدى
مَاالْحَقيقة؟
فَقالَ (عليه السلام): مالَكَ و الحقيقة؟ قالَ: اولست صاحب سِرَّكء؟
قال: بلى! ولكن يرشح عليك ما يطفح مِنّى فَقالَ اومثلك يُخيّب
سائلاً، قال الإِمام (عليه السّلام):
�الحقيقة كشف سَبَحات
الجلال من غير اشارة�، قال زدنى فيه بيانا، قال:
�محو الموهوم مع صحو
المعلوم�، قال زدنى فيه بيانا، فقال:
�هتك الستر لغبلة السّر�،
قال زدنى فيه بيانا، قال:
جذب الاحدية لصفة التوحيد�، قال زدنى فيه بيانا، قال:
�نور يشرق من صبح الازل
فتلوح على هيا كل التوحيد آثاره�، قال: زدنى فيه بيانا، قال:
�اطف السراج فقد طلع
الصبح�.
Kumayl ibn Ziyad asked `O
my Lord and my Master [= the Commander of the Faithful,
Amir al-Mumunin = Imam `Alī, d. 40/661)... What is al-Ḥaqīqa? (The
Real / Reality' / `Ultimate Reality [God]'). He
[`Alī] replied, upon him be peace, `What have you to do with al-Ḥaqīqa
(Reality)?'.
So Kumayl replied,
`Is it not that I am a
[sharing] companion [custodian] of your secret
(sahib sirrika)?' He [Imam `Alī] replied, `Yes! But what [gnosis merely]
sprinkles down upon you, billows over through me'. He, the Imam, upon him be peace,
[then] said,
al-Ḥaqīqa [ Reality is] `The
disclosure of the splendors of the Majestic One [God] (subuḥāt al-jalāl)
devoid of intimation [of His Ultimate Reality] (min ghayr al-ishāra)'.
He [Kumayl] said, `Expound it to me further'. He [`Alī] said,
`It [al-Ḥaqīqa `Reality' ] is the annulment of
speculation (mahw al-mawhum) [consonant] with an awareness of
[what is] the established' (saḥw al-ma`lūm)'. He [Kumayl] said, `Expound
it to me further.' He [`Alī] said, `It
[al-Ḥaqīqa `Reality']
is
the rending of the [Divine] veil (al-sitr)
through the mastery of the secret (ghalabat al-sirr)'.
He [Kumayl] said, `Expound
it to me further.' He [`Alī] said, `It
[al-Ḥaqīqa `Reality']
is the Enticement (jadhb) of the Divine
Unicity (al-aḥadiyya) through the instrumentality of the Divine
Oneness (al-tawhid)'.
He [Kumayl] said, `Expound
it to me further.' He [`Alī] said, `It
[al-Ḥaqīqa `Reality']
is `A Light (nur) radiating from the Dawn of
Eternity (subh al-azal) with its traces (athar) beaming forth
[shimmering]
upon the Embodiments [Temples] of the Divine Unity (hayākil al-tawhid)'.
He [Kumayl] said, `Expound
it to me further.' He [`Alī] said, `Quench
the lamp (al-sirāj)! for the Dawn (al-subḥ) hath indeed
arisen'...
(Trans. Lambden, 1998 rev. 2008).
Some English
Translations of the five key definitions of al-ḥaqīqa in the Hadith al-ḥaqīqa.
The centrally
important statements about al-ḥaqīqa made by `Alī are responses to the
repeated enquiry of Kumayl as to what constitutes al-haqiqa -- ما
الحقيقة
(= mā� al-ḥaqīqah),
`What is Ultimate Reality?�. After an introductory exchange with Kumayl, the
dialogue continues with five somewhat abstruse disclosures by Imam `Ali.
The following are the five
definitions of al-haqīqa ("Reality") given by Imam `Alī in the Ḥadīth
Kumayl as translated by Browne in Appendix II of his edition and translation of
the New History .. (1893 [1975]: 329), [= EGB 1893] and by Donaldson = in his Muslim World article
[= DMD 1938] along that of Todd Lawson (19XX) and my own version
(sometimes with a nother alternative). I have assumed the equivalence of
the Arabic text translated for the five key sentences defining al-ḥaqīqa
-- cited in Arabic above the various translations listed below:
The
five statements of Imam `Alī about
الحقيقة
with comparative translations
[1]
كشف سبحات
الجلال من غير اشارة
- "The revelation of the splendours of Divine Majesty without a sign"
[EGB 1893]
- "Essential reality (al-ḥaqīqat) is revelation of the garments of glory without
comment (isharat)" [DMD 1938]
- Lawson
-
`The disclosure of the splendors of the Majestic
One [God] / the [Divine] Glory
(subuḥāt al-jalāl)
devoid of [any] intimation [of His Ultimate Reality] (min ghayr al-ishāra)'
(Lambden).
- "The uncovering of the vainglories of Majesty (subuḥāt al-jalāl) without any
intimation" (min ghayr al-ishāra)
(Lambden alternative rendering no.2 )
It should be noted here that early Shaykhi and Babi-Baha'i
interpretations and translations of the above line of the Hadith are
not literal in the sense that they interpret the
سبحات
الجلال
subuḥāt al-jalāl as indicative of veils or human
limitations which are expressive of mere conjecture or idle fancy.
...
[2]
محو
الموهوم و صحو المعلوم
- "The effacement of the conjectured, and the clearing of the known"
[EGB 1893]
- "It is the effacement of ignorant superstition and the
awakening to facts (sahw al-ma'lum)" [DMD 1938]
- ADD Lawson
-
`It [al-Ḥaqīqa `Reality' ] is the annulment of
speculation (mahw al-mawhum) [consonant] with an awareness of
that which is established [confirmed]' (saḥw al-ma`lūm)'
(Lambden) or
-
- �The nullification of idle
speculation [about Ultimate Reality [God] (maḥw al-mawhūm) and the
[consequent] realization of that which can [appropriately] be known (ṣaḥw
al-ma`lum)" (Lambden alternative rendering no.2 )
[3]
هتك السر لغلبة السر
- "The rending of the veil by the triumph of the mystery"
[EGB 1893]
- "The rending of the curtain depends on the mastery of
the secret (ghalabat al-sirr)" [DMD 1938]
- ADD Lawson
-
`It
[al-Ḥaqīqa `Reality'] is
the rending of the [Divine] veil (al-sitr)
through the mastery of the secret (ghalabat al-sirr)' (Lambden)
or
- `The dissolution of the covering through the
ascendancy of the mystery (hata al-sitr li-ghalbat al-sirr)'
(Lambden alternative rendering no.2)
[4]
جذب الأحدية لصفة التوحيد
- "The attraction of the Divine Unity through the nature of the
apprehension of its Oneness" [EGB 1893]
- MISSING [DMD 1938]
- ADD Lawson
-
`It
[al-Ḥaqīqa `Reality'] is the Enticement (jadhb) of the Divine
Unicity (al-aḥadiyya) through the instrumentality of the Divine
Oneness (al-tawhid)' (Lambden).
[5]
نور يشرق من صبح الأزل فيلوح على هياكل
التوحيد آثاره
- "A Light shining forth from the Morning of Eternity and irradiating
the temples of the Unity" [EGB 1893]
- "Light shone forth on the morning of the first day and
its effects glimmered forth upon the forms of unity (hayākil al-tawḥīd)."
[DMD 1938]
- ADD Lawson
-
"A Light (nur) radiating from the Dawn of
Eternity (subh al-azal) with its traces (athar) beaming forth
[shimmering]
upon the Embodiments [Temples] of the Divine Unity (hayākil al-tawḥīd)'
(Lambden).
Note on (5)
صبح الأزل
:
Used in Arabic or Persian by the Bāb
as a title for
Mīrzā Yaḥyā Nuri, the half brother of
Baha'u'llah. His title was derived from the gentive phrase (Ar.)
صبح
الازل (Per.)
صبح ازل
Subḥ‑i Azal within the
Hadītḥ Kumayl
(see above). It was thus
that the supporters of Mīrzā Yaḥyā
became known as Azalīs (lit. loosely, "Eternalites") and their religious
orientation Azalī Bābism ‑‑ today a religious faction more or less extinct in
concrete terms but very much alive in the arena of modern written neo‑Azalī anti‑Bahā'ī
polemic.
Shī`ī and
Shaykhī Commentaries on the Ḥadīth
al-ḥaqīqa
In writing about the commentaries I have consulted
al-Dhar`ia of Aqa Buzurg al-Tehrani, an early version of the excellent Persian article on the Ḥadīth
al-ḥaqiqa by ADD HERE and the abovementioned detailed notes by Hossein Modarressi in the first
volume of his Tradition and Survival I (Oxford: Oneworld,
2003, see pp. 74ff, esp. 77ff).
Ḥājī
Khalīfa, Kashf al-Zunun... 2:1041).
Tehrānī, Āqā Buzurg,
Muhammad Muḥsin (d.
1389/1969),
See al‑Dharī`a
vol.13: 196-8.
ADD HERE
Dānishpazhūh 3: 461^4;
Mun/.aw� 2: 1331
Many commentaries in Arabic and some in Persian on the Ḥadīth
al-ḥaqiqa have been written over the 800 or more years since the hadith al-haqiqa
became known. A few of then have been published though most remain in manuscript.
The following is a very selective list of such commentaries in loosely
chronological order
(0) ??
Abu Manṣūr al-Ḥasan
ibn Yūsuf al-Ḥillī, `Allāma al-Ḥillī (d.648/1250)
شرح
خبر كميلSharḥ khabar
Kumayl by Ḥasan ibn Yūsuf Muṭahhir, `Alamah al-Hillī.
An important Shi`i writer on legal and imamological and theological
questions... see Dharia 13: 196. It would appear that this
commentary is not authentic or not on the Hadith al-Haqiqa. It is not listed in the 1991
bibliographical analysis found in Sabine Schmidtke's `The Theology of
al-`Allama al-Hilli (d. 726/1325) (See esp. p.73ff). ... ADD HERE...
(1)
Ḥaydar al-'Amulī
= Rukn al-Din Ḥaydar ibn `Alī al-Husayni (d.726/1325)
-
Jami` al-asrar (ed. Corbin &
Yahya, 1969), 170.
-
al-Muqaddamāt min kitāb naṣṣ al-nuṣūṣ
(ed. Corbin & Yahya, Tehran 1974), 440.
-
(2)`Abd al-Razzāq
al-Kāshānī (d. c. 736/1336-7).
See URL :
http://www.hurqalya.pwp.blueyonder.co.uk/BIBLIOGRAPHY-HYP/011B-SUFISM2/Abd%20al-Razzaq%20al-Kashani.htm
شرح حديث حقيقتSharḥ
ḥadith ḥaqīqa ('Commentary upon the Hadith of Ultimate Reality')
by `Abd al-Razzāq al-Kāshānī (d. c. 736/1336) an important Shi`ite Sufi
of the school of Ibn al-`Arabi (See Dhari`a 13:196 + 18:140.
Very well-known,
though it has repeatedly been published under the name of his master Ibn
al-`Arabi (d. 638/1240), is his deeply mystical Tafsīr al-Qur'ān al-karīm,
(2 vols. Beirut: Dār al-Yaqzah al-'Arabiyya, 1387/1967 + 2 Vols edited
by Mustafa Ghalib. Beirut: Dār al-Andalus, 1399/1978 and Tafsīr
al-Qur�ān al-karīm lil-Shaykh al-akbar... al-`Allāmah Muḥyi al-Dīn Ibn
al-`Arabī, ed. Mustafa Ghālib, 2 vols., 3rd printing, Beirut, 1401/198
and Tafsīr al-Qur'ān al-karīm [Tafsīr Ibn `Arabī on cover], 2 vols.
Beirut: Dār al-kutub al-'Ilmiyya, 1422/2001. On this work see Pierre
Lory, Les Commentaires �sot�riques du Coran d�apr�s `Abd al Razz�q al
Q�sh�n� (Paris: Les Deux Oc�ans. 1980).
`Abd al-Razzāq al-Kāshānī was
also the author of other works upon qur'anic exegesis as well as an
Isṭilaḥāt al-Ṣufiyya ("Lexicon of Sufi Technical Terminology") which has
several times been published and translated. Isṭilaḥāt al-Ṣufiyya.
Lithograph. Bombay: 1312/1894-5 and Isṭilaḥāt al-Ṣufiyya. ed. introd.
Fawzī al-Jabr, Damascus/ Beirut: Add.,1415/1990; also, [al-Qāshānī, `Abd
al-Razzāq] Isṭilaḥāt al-Ṣufiyya. A Glossary of Sufi Technical Terms,
completed by (tr.) Nabil Safwat Rev. & ed. David Pendlebury. The Octagon
Press Ltd. London. 1991.
A manuscript of `Abd al-Razzāq's `Commentary on the
Hadith al-Haqiqa' can be read online in the `Princeton Digital
Libray of Islamic Manuscripts' as `Sharḥ al-Fuṣūṣ ...
[etc.]..' item 6 or ms.
3604y
"fol. 126a-b: Sharḥ Suʼāl
Kumayl ibn Ziyād li-Amīr al-Muʼminīn / ʻAbd al-Razzāq al-Qāshānī":
A
recently printed major, 771 page compilation of `Abd al-Razzāq al-Kāshānī writings is the Majmu`a-yi
Rasā'il Muṣannāfāt, Shaykh Kamal al-Din `Abd al-Razzāq al-Kāshānī (died
736 A. H.) edited by Majid Hadizadeh (Tehran: Āyene-yi Miras, 2000). It
contains an over 250 page introduction on `Abd al-Razzāq and his
writings followed by the publication of more than 16 of his Persian and
Arabic writings including (item 15 pp. 237-245) his fairly brief Sharh
Hadith al-Haqiqa. This printing includes important mss. variations
of the Hadith al-Haqiqa (see fn.1 pp.639-40) and of al-Kāshānī's early
Tafsir. See also for further important details on the commentary
al-Kumayliyya pp. 130, 228-9.
(3)
Shāh
Ni`mat-Allāh Walī (730-834 AH = c. 1430-1431 CE) buried Mahan (India).
شاه نعمتاللهِ ولی
.
شرح حديث حقيقت Sharḥ
ḥadith ḥaqīqa (Commentary upon the Hadith of Ultimate Reality) by Shāh
Ni`mat-Allāh Walī, the founder of
the Ni`matu'llāhi Sufi order.
ADD HERE
Muhammad ibn
Muhammad ibn `Abd-Allah al-Nurbakhsh, (795-ADD = 1392-1464 CE)
Dwight M Donaldson in his above cited 1938 article published in
the Muslim World 28 (1938), has it that "Muhammad al-Nurbakhsh,
(d. 1464 A. D.) the author of the Nadjma al-Huda (lith. Shiraz, 1329 A.
H.) a Sufi commentary in verse on passages from the Qur'an and on well
known traditions from the Apostle and the Imams, considered Kumail of
fundamental importance to the Sufis. He wrote of him:18
"Kumail b. Ziyad was a
companion of the secret of the Amīr al-Mu'minīn, of his doctrines (haqā'iq)
and mystic revelation (mukāshafat)* and this was without any
intermediary agency (bila wāsiṭa). There is no need to comment on
his life, for it is enough to say that he was both perfector and
perfected, and that our devotee's robe (khirqa), our rank and our
authority, they all come from him" [= Fn.18. [as cited] Khwansari,
Rawdat al-Jannat, p. 538).
(4)
al-Shustarī,
Sayyid Nur-Allāh Marashi al-Shushtari (956 -1019 AH = 1549-1610 CE),
buried Agra (India).
Known as the Shahid-i Thalith
("Third Martyr") he moved from Khurasan (Persia) to Moghul India at the
time of Jalal al-Din Akbar the Great (d. 1605 CE). One time Qadi of
Lahore was buried ADD.
(5)
Baha al-Din al-Amili,
Muhammad ibn al-Husayn, Shaykh Baha'i (d. Isfahan 1030/1621).
ADD HERE
Kashkul vol. 2 (ed.
M.S. al-Nasiri, Qum 1378/ XXXX), 219-20. The citing of the hadith al-ḥaqīqa
by Shaykh Baha'i in his Kashkul made this hadith available to a wide
readership throughout the post 17th century CE Islamic world. The citing of the hadith al-ḥaqīqa by Shaykh Baha'i in his
Kashkul made this hadith available to a wide readership
throughout the post 17th century CE Islamic world. Its learned
author had a high reputation in both the Sunni and Shi`i Muslim world. From the 19th century the Kashkul has been several times published in
Bombay, Cairo and Tehran though sometimes in bad non-critical editions without its Persian content !
(6)
`Izz al-Din
Muhammad Ibn Abī Tahir Kashani
See Aqa Buzurg Tehrani, Dhari`a 13:196; 18:190)
(7)
Muzaffar `Alī Shāh Kirmānī
(c.1125/1713)
Commentary by Muzaffar
`Alī Shāh Kirmānī
(c.1125/1713) in Persian (unpublished ms.) so Aqa Buzurg Tehrani,
Dhari`a 13: 97+18:140.
(8)
Shaykh Aḥmad al-Aḥsā'ī (d.1241/1826)
and Early Shaykhism
Shaykh Aḥmad al-Aḥsā'ī (d.1241/1826) the important
Shi`i philosopher, theologian and mystic who wrote a detailed commentary
on the Hadith Kumayl and sometimes commented upon this tradition
in other works such as his commentary on a form of the delphic maxim ascribed to Imam
`Alī...
See URLs
below
(9)
Sayyid Kazim al-Husayni al-Rashti (d. 1259/1843).... ADD
(10)
Sayyid `Alī Muhammad Shirazi, the Bab (d. 1850) see below.
ADD URL HERE
__________________
(11)
Hajji Mull� H�d� Sabziw�r� (d. c.1295/ 1878)
Hajji Mullā
Hādī ibn Mahdi Sabziwārī (d. c. 1289[95]/1878) commented upon the Ḥadīth
al-ḥaqiqa in various of his works including his
(12)
Khwānsārī
, Mirza
Muhammad Bāqir al-Musawī (d. 1313/1895)
Born Khwānsār, 27 Safar 1226/ 23rd
March 1811. Died 8th Jamadī I 1313 / 27 October 1895. Khwānsārī moved in late 1253/ 1838 to
Najaf. He wrote around 20 (largely Arabic and a few Persian) works mostly
relating to Shī`ī doctrine, ethics and legalism (aqā'id, adab, fiqh uṣūl al-fiqh...).
His 8 volume rijāl work has been frequently printed.
Arabic text above as cited in
Khwānsārī, Rawḍāt al-jannat
Vol. 6:60.
(13)
Mirza Husayn `Alī Nuri, entitled Baha'u'llah (d. 1308/1892) See URLs below.
(14) Ikmal al-hujjat fi sharh al-hadith al-haqiqa by Sayyid `Abd al-Rahim
ibn Ibrahim Husayni al-Yazdi (d. c. 1315/19XX). See Dhari`a 2:282.
_________________
ADD HERE
See Further:
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