Winds of Change.NET: Sufi Wisdom: Mansur al-Hallaj

October 11, 2003

Sufi Wisdom: Mansur al-Hallaj

by Joe Katzman at October 11, 2003 9:24 AM

As militant Islam does its level best to discredit the religion, it's important to remember that there are other voices within the faith. One such is the Sufis, a branch of Islamic mystics who live islam [submission], iman [faith] and ishan [awareness of G-d, "to act beautifully"]. Every Saturday, therefore, we spend some time with the Sufis and their 'crazy wisdom'.

The 2003 Nobel Peace Prize brought to mind a name mentioned to me by Kaveh last time we met: Husayn ibn Mansur al-Hallaj. Born in 858 A.D., al-Hallaj was a Persian Sufi master who inspired many subsequent Sufi mystics, including the famed poet Rumi. His burning desire for complete oneness with the essence of Allah, and growing understanding of that experience, shaped his work and his life:

"I do not cease swimming in the seas of love, rising with the wave, then descending; now the wave sustains me, and then I sink beneath it; love bears me away where there is no longer any shore." (Diwan al-Hallaj, M. 34)

It also shaped his death....

Al-Hallaj was martyred in 922, as a result of the following saying that expressed the nature of his mystic union:

ana'l �Haqq ("I am Truth")

It's important to note that "al Haqq" can also mean G-d as the embodiment of one of the 99 Attributes of God, and in the Muslim faith calling oneself G-d is a capital heresy. It did not help matters that his doctrines were already regarded with both religious and political hostility.

If Sufis no longer proclaim such ideas publicly, however, some still believe them. From the point of view of Truth, the divine is in each person, and each person has the potential to make of themselves and their life a temple to God. As the Sufi saint Junaid is reported to have replied when asked about this incident afterward:

"What should he have said, 'I am Falsehood'?"

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Comments

#1 from Melanie at 4:54 am on Oct 12, 2003

Joe,

This Roman Catholic Christian loves it that a Jew is posting Sufi wisdom on the Jewish Sabbath every week. I come here for it. I'm reading Hafiz right now.

In the Eschaton (no, not Atrios, the other one) we all will be one with the Incomprehensible Mystery.

#2 from Joe Katzman at 7:00 am on Oct 12, 2003

Attempting to immanentize the Eschaton is a difficult and often dangerous process. At least the Sufis are smart enough to package it with tests and warning labels... and perhaps al-Hallaj's experience helped teach that lesson, too.

Thanks for joining us every Saturday. One day, I'll have to tell my Jewish-Islamic Christmas story.

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