7. Abu ´l-Qásim `Abd al-Karím b. Hawázin al-Qushayrí.
In his time he was a wonder. His rank is high and his position is great, and his spiritual life and manifold virtues are well known to the people of the present age. He is the author of many fine sayings and exquisite works, all of them profoundly theosophical, in every branch of science. God rendered his feelings and his tongue secure from anthropomorphism (ḥashw). I have heard that he said: “The Ṣúfí is like the disease called birsám, which begins with delirium and ends in silence; for when you have attained ‘fixity’ you are dumb.“ Ṣúfiism (ṣafwat) has two sides: ecstasy (wajd) and visions (numúd). Visions belong to novices, and the expression of such visions is delirium (hadhayán). Ecstasy belongs to adepts, and the expression of ecstasy, while the ecstasy continues, is impossible. So long as they are only seekers they utter lofty aspirations, which seem delirium even to those who aspire (ahl-i himmat), but when they have attained they cease, and no more express anything either by word or sign. Similarly, since Moses was a beginner (mubtadí) all his desire was for vision of God; he expressed his desire and said, ”O Lord, show me that I may behold Thee” (Kor. vii, 139). This expression of an unattained desire seemed like delirium. Our Apostle, however, was an adept (muntahí) and firmly established (mutamakkin). When his person arrived at the station of desire his desire was annihilated, and he said, “I cannot praise Thee duly.”
8. Abu ´l-`Abbás Aḥmad b. Muḥammad al-Ashqání.
He was an Imám in every branch of the fundamental and derivative sciences, and consummate in all respects. He had met a great number of eminent Ṣúfís. His doctrine was based on “annihilation” (faná), and his recondite manner of expression was peculiarly his own; but I have seen some fools who imitated it and adopted his ecstatic phrases (shaṭḥhá). It is not laudable to imitate even a spiritual meaning: mark, then, how wrong it must be to imitate a mere expression! I was very intimate with him, and he had a sincere affection for me. He was my teacher in some sciences. During my whole life I have never seen anyone, of any sect, who held the religious law in greater veneration than he. He was detached from all created things, and only an Imám of profound insight could derive instruction from him, on account of the subtlety of his theological expositions. He always had a natural disgust of this world and the next, and was constantly exclaiming: Ashtahí `adaman lá wujúd lahu, “I long for a non-existence that has no existence.” And he used to say in Persian: “Every man has an impossible desire, and I too have an impossible desire, which I surely know will never be realized, namely, that God should bring me to a non-existence that will never return to existence.” He wished this because “stations” and miracles are all centres of veiling (i.e. they veil man from God). Man has fallen in love with that which veils him. Non-existence in desire of vision is better than taking delight in veils. Inasmuch as Almighty God is a Being that is not subject to not-being, what loss would His kingdom suffer if I become a nonentity that shall never be endowed with existence? This is a sound principle in a real annihilation.
9. Abu ´l-Qásim b. `Alí b. `Abdalláh al-Gurgání
(may God prolong his life for the benefit of us and of all Moslems!).
In his time he was unique and incomparable. His beginning (ibtidá) was very excellent and strong, and his journeys were performed with punctilious observance (of the sacred law). At that time the hearts of all initiates (ahl-i dargáh) were turned towards him, and all seekers (ṭálibán) had a firm belief in him. He possessed a marvellous power of revealing the inward experiences of novices (kashf-i wáqi`a-i murídán), and he was learned in various branches of knowledge. All his disciples are ornaments of the society in which they move. Please God, he will have an excellent successor, whose authority the whole body of Ṣúfís will recognize, namely, Abú `Alí al-Faḍl b. Muḥammad al-Fármadhí (may God lengthen his days!),[[102]] who has not omitted to fulfil his duty towards his master, and has turned his back on all (worldly) things, and through the blessings of that (renunciation) has been made by God the spiritual mouthpiece (zabán-i ḥál) of that venerable Shaykh.
One day I was seated in the Shaykh’s presence and was recounting to him my experiences and visions, in order that he might test them, for he had unrivalled skill in this. He was listening kindly to what I said. The vanity and enthusiasm of youth made me eager to relate those matters, and the thought occurred to me that perhaps the Shaykh, in his novitiate, did not enjoy such experiences, or he would not show so much humility towards me and be so anxious to inquire concerning my spiritual state. The Shaykh perceived what I was thinking. “My dear friend,” he said, “you must know that my humility is not on account of you or your experiences, but is shown towards Him who brings experiences to pass. They are not peculiar to yourself, but common to all seekers of God.” On hearing him say this I was utterly taken aback. He saw my confusion and said: “O my son, Man has no further relation to this Path except that, when he is attached to it, he imagines that he has found it, and when he is deposed from it he clothes his imagination in words. Hence both his negation and his affirmation, both his non-existence and existence, are imagination. Man never escapes from the prison of imagination. It behoves him to stand like a slave at the door and put away from himself every relation (nisbat) except that of manhood and obedience.” Afterwards I had much spiritual conversation with him, but if I were to enter upon the task of setting forth his extraordinary powers my purpose would be defeated.
10. Abú Aḥmad al-Muẕaffar b. Aḥmad b. Ḥamdán.
While he was seated on the cushion of authority (riyásat), God opened to him the door of this mystery (Ṣúfiism) and bestowed on him the crown of miracles. He spoke eloquently and discoursed with sublimity on annihilation and subsistence (faná ú baqá). The Grand Shaykh, Abú Sa`íd, said: “I was led to the court (of God) by the way of servantship (bandagí), but Khwája Muẕaffar was conducted thither by the way of lordship and dominion (khwájagí),” i.e. “I attained contemplation (musháhadat) by means of self-mortification (mujáhadat), whereas he came from contemplation to self-mortification”. I have heard that he said: “That which great mystics have discovered by traversing deserts and wildernesses I have gained in the seat of power and pre-eminence (bálish ú ṣadr).” Some foolish and conceited persons have attributed this saying of his to arrogance, but it is never arrogant to declare one’s true state, especially when the speaker is a spiritualist. At the present time Muẕaffar has an excellent and honoured successor in Khwája Aḥmad. One day, when I was in his company, a certain pretender of Níshápúr happened to use the expression: “He becomes annihilated and then becomes subsistent.” Khwája Muẕaffar said: “How can subsistence (baqá) be predicated of annihilation (faná)? Annihilation means ‘not-being’, while subsistence refers to ‘being’: each term negates the other. We know what annihilation is, but when it is not, if it becomes ‘being’, its identity (`ayn) is lost. Essences are not capable of annihilation. Attributes, however, can be annihilated, and so can secondary causes. Therefore, when attributes and secondary causes are annihilated, the Object invested with attributes and the Author of secondary causes continues to subsist: His essence does not admit of annihilation.” I do not recollect the precise words in which Muẕaffar expressed his meaning, but this was the purport of them. Now I will explain more clearly what he intended, in order that it may be more generally understood. A man’s will (ikhtiyár) is an attribute of himself, and he is veiled by his will from the will of God. Therefore a man’s attributes veil him from God. Necessarily, the Divine will is eternal and the human will phenomenal, and what is eternal cannot be annihilated. When the Divine will in regard to a man becomes subsistent (baqá yábad), his will is annihilated and his personal initiative disappears. But God knows best.
One day I came into his presence, when the weather was extremely hot, wearing a traveller’s dress and with my hair in disorder. He said to me: “Tell me what you wish at this moment.” I replied that I wished to hear some music (samá`). He immediately sent for a singer (qawwál) and a number of musicians. Being young and enthusiastic and filled with the ardour of a novice, I became deeply agitated as the strains of the music fell on my ear. After a while, when my transports subsided, he asked me how I liked it. I told him that I had enjoyed it very much. He answered: “A time will come when this music will be no more to you than the croaking of a raven. The influence of music only lasts so long as there is no contemplation, and as soon as contemplation is attained music has no power. Take care not to accustom yourself to this, lest it grow part of your nature and keep you back from higher things.”