syed vahiduddin reviews QS by mir valiuddin

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The Quranic fism by Mir ValiuddinReview by: S. VahiduddinPhilosophy East and West, Vol. 32, No. 2 (Apr., 1982), pp. 219-221Published by: University of Hawai'i PressStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/1398723 .

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Each of these Vedantic thinkers is presented in a manner which is clear and concise.Lott's orientation is sympatheticand cautious as is indicatedby his rejectionof De Smet'scomparison of Thomas to Sankara. The author's own opinion is presented when heobserves in the final chapter that Ramanuja's system seems to be the most consistent.However one may wonder if this slightly shifted the weight of his understandingof San-kara and Madhva. Also there is the additional problem of the differencesamong each ofthe various exponents of the teachings of Safikara,or Ramanuja, or Madhva. The bookignores this completely, and one could infer that the interpretationsof these thinkers iswithout controversy. For example, should Safikara's teaching be understood as thattaught by eitherthe Vivarana or the Bhamati school or as somethingdifferentfrom either.This development may not be appropriatefor the text, but it would have been properforinclusion in the notes.

Evenconsideringboth restrictions the book has much to recommend it. The author haspresented an analysis of Vedanta which moves beyond any notion that Vedanta isequivalentonly to Sankara. In addition we arepresentedwith a clear account of Madhva'ssystemwhichhas, for the most part, been ignoredin much writingfor westernaudiences. Ialso agreewith the author's insistence that all three formsof Vedanta must be understoodfrom a soteriological perspective.Thus Vedanta is not just philosophy nor just theologybut is a total vision that incorporates both areas of thought.L. THOMASO'NEILUniversityof Missouri-Columbia

The QuranicSifism. By Mir Valiuddin.Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass, 1977, Pp. 216.This is the second revised edition of the late MirValiuddin's well-known book on Sufism.He calls it Quranic Sufism to emphasize the fact that Sufism properlyunderstood is notalien to Islam but is imbued with the spirit of the Qur'an, and that in its authenticmanifestation there is nothing heretical about it. We wholeheartedlyagreewith the writerthat the use of non-Qur'anic vocabulary in its later speculation and its alleged deviationfrom the strictmonotheistic faith in a transcendent God does not in any way justify theattempt to deIslamize Sufism. However, Valiuddin goes farther and holds that the wholesuperstructureof speculation which laterdeveloped in the name of Sufismcan be under-stood in terms of the Qur'dnand the authentic tradition. His book tries to presentSufismboth in its emotional and doctrinal aspects in the language of the Muslim scripture.Butthe questions which once created heated controversiesand which brought Sufismand the'ulmd'(religious scholars) in open confrontation are not taken into account. No one candeny that Sufism is still suspect among the so-called fundamentalists.The writerwith a doctorate in European philosophy pursuedhis professional careerasa teacher of philosophy for decades in an Indian university. However, he soon realizedthat his interestlay elsewhere,and, consequentlyhe devoted his whole lifeto the studyandpracticeof the Sufi way of life. He claims that the account of Suifismwhich he presentshasno precedentsand that everylineof the book is supported by the Qur dnand the Traditionand that neverbefore has Sufismbeen treatedwith such lucidityand logical sequence, But

Each of these Vedantic thinkers is presented in a manner which is clear and concise.Lott's orientation is sympatheticand cautious as is indicatedby his rejectionof De Smet'scomparison of Thomas to Sankara. The author's own opinion is presented when heobserves in the final chapter that Ramanuja's system seems to be the most consistent.However one may wonder if this slightly shifted the weight of his understandingof San-kara and Madhva. Also there is the additional problem of the differencesamong each ofthe various exponents of the teachings of Safikara,or Ramanuja, or Madhva. The bookignores this completely, and one could infer that the interpretationsof these thinkers iswithout controversy. For example, should Safikara's teaching be understood as thattaught by eitherthe Vivarana or the Bhamati school or as somethingdifferentfrom either.This development may not be appropriatefor the text, but it would have been properforinclusion in the notes.

Evenconsideringboth restrictions the book has much to recommend it. The author haspresented an analysis of Vedanta which moves beyond any notion that Vedanta isequivalentonly to Sankara. In addition we arepresentedwith a clear account of Madhva'ssystemwhichhas, for the most part, been ignoredin much writingfor westernaudiences. Ialso agreewith the author's insistence that all three formsof Vedanta must be understoodfrom a soteriological perspective.Thus Vedanta is not just philosophy nor just theologybut is a total vision that incorporates both areas of thought.L. THOMASO'NEILUniversityof Missouri-Columbia

The QuranicSifism. By Mir Valiuddin.Delhi: Motilal Banarsidass, 1977, Pp. 216.This is the second revised edition of the late MirValiuddin's well-known book on Sufism.He calls it Quranic Sufism to emphasize the fact that Sufism properlyunderstood is notalien to Islam but is imbued with the spirit of the Qur'an, and that in its authenticmanifestation there is nothing heretical about it. We wholeheartedlyagreewith the writerthat the use of non-Qur'anic vocabulary in its later speculation and its alleged deviationfrom the strictmonotheistic faith in a transcendent God does not in any way justify theattempt to deIslamize Sufism. However, Valiuddin goes farther and holds that the wholesuperstructureof speculation which laterdeveloped in the name of Sufismcan be under-stood in terms of the Qur'dnand the authentic tradition. His book tries to presentSufismboth in its emotional and doctrinal aspects in the language of the Muslim scripture.Butthe questions which once created heated controversiesand which brought Sufismand the'ulmd'(religious scholars) in open confrontation are not taken into account. No one candeny that Sufism is still suspect among the so-called fundamentalists.The writerwith a doctorate in European philosophy pursuedhis professional careerasa teacher of philosophy for decades in an Indian university. However, he soon realizedthat his interestlay elsewhere,and, consequentlyhe devoted his whole lifeto the studyandpracticeof the Sufi way of life. He claims that the account of Suifismwhich he presentshasno precedentsand that everylineof the book is supported by the Qur dnand the Traditionand that neverbefore has Sufismbeen treatedwith such lucidityand logical sequence, But

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what is of interest is his frankconfession that much of his mystic insightheowes to theoralexplanations conveyed to him by his spiritual guide.The book is divided into seven chapters, and has as its themes worship in Islam:transcendenceand immanence,descentsof theAbsolute, self-determinism,good and evil,and divine presence. In the introductory chapter he tries to distinguish Sufism which isQuranic from the kind of Sufism which developed under the influence of peripateticphilosophy and Neoplatonism. The peripateticinfluenceworked most decisively amongthe Mu'tazilites, though the Asharites were also not free from it. Under the influence ofNeoplatonism, the writer contends, the "otherness" of objects was questioned and thephenomenal world came to be identified with God. His treatmentof Sufismis guided byhis concern to cleanse Sufism from all that does not conform with the Quranicspirit. It isin the third chapterthat we are led to the realm of mystic speculation. We know that theIslamicconcept of God is generallydecriedby critics as absolutely transcendent withoutany room for immanence. But the Qur'dn also abounds in verses which affirm theomnipresence of God. How is this to be understood? It is here that Mir Valiuddin'spresentation is greatly influencedby Ibn 'Arabi, though the depth and originality of theAndalusian Sufi nowhere comes into its own. In agreementwith the mystic speculationswhich run on idealisticlines he affirmsthat everythingis an idea of God, an object knownby Him. The relationbetween the known and the knower is not that of identitybut that ofotherness. God is both transcendent and immanent. "The Absolute divine Being cannevermanifest Himself without a form. Manifestation is always possible in forms, modesand determinations only." But some disturbing questions here arise. When we say thateverythingis an 'idea' of God what do we reallymean by 'idea', and when we talk of the'mind' of God what do we understandby it?We understand these ideas only metaphysi-cally, whereas, for the writer, they have a metaphysical substratum. A little semanticexercise is needed here to make clear what is really meant by a mystic orientedmetaphysics.A chapterisdevoted to tanazzuldtor thedescentsof the Absolute. Here as elsewhere thewriter is mainly interestedto show that the relation between the creation and thecreatoristhat of 'otherness'and that a Suficannot disown the shar'ah or the Islamic law, howeveradvancedhe may be on the path. Here we are led to the famous Sufi doctrine of the realityof Muhammad. His comments no doubt help us greatly in understandingwhat the Sufisreallymean by a doctrine whichmight have shocked the ultraorthodox. But, as the writerexplains, the reality of Muhammad is not Muhammad as the concrete human being ofhistory but the idea independentof its historical manifestation. To confuse the historicalperson with his metahistorical dimension leads to consequences incompatable with thestrictly monotheistic spirit of Islam. No wonder if some Christian scholars have con-sidered the idea of the preexistenceof Muhammad as "Christianization of Islam" andhave seen in it a surprising appropriation of the logos Christology in Sufic speculation.The writer's treatmentof crucialtheological doctrines from a mystic angle, especially theattempted 'solution' of the antinomy inherent in the freedom of will and the problem ofevil, may not be philosophically convincing. What he offersas "the secretof creation" isnot something startling either. Creation in the perspective which he endorses is not acoming into being from absolute nonbeing but only a manifestation of the divine ideas inconcrete forms. Here, of course, the dividing line between creation and emanation



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becomesvery thin. The concluding chapter bringsout the emotional dimension of Sufism.The writerconcludes that the gnosis of God is not possible without love or devotion.In the end it must be conceded that Mir Valiuddin's work, inspiteof its limitations, hasan enduringvalue. Itgives information which is not available elsewhere. Both in style andcontent it is a good specimen of a form of Sufic thought which has found favor in theIndian subcontinent, even in circles which are wary of Sufism. In any case the mysticthought and devotional piety which Valiuddin representsis superior to easy secularismand legalistic fundamentalism.S. VAHIDUDDINIndian Instituteof Islamic Studies

Heart's Witness. Translated by Bernd Manuel Weischerand Peter Lamborn Wilson.Tehran: Imperial IranianAcademy, 1978, Pp. 178. Price not given.Sufismis a many splendoreddome to which the best approachis throughthe poetrywhichit inspiredand the anecdotes, no matter whetherthey are apocryphal or authentic, whichhave accumulated round the charismatic figure of the Master during his lifetime andcontinued to swell even after his death. Sufic experienceformulated as a doctrine can bevery misleading and may give rise to conflicting interpretations and controversies. Themonumental work of Ibn 'Arabi illustrates it very eloquently. Fortunately we have inAwhaduddin Kirman, no theoreticianof mysticism, a poet who has given expression tohis ecstaticexperiencein quatrainsor rubd'is,a form of poetic composition with which wehave become familiar through Fitzgerald's all too free rendering of 'Omar Khayyam.Brevity is the soul of the quatrainsand surprisinglyenough a ruba'tcan transmitmysticexperience with all its depth in a few verbal intimations. The difficulty with Kirmani,however, is that much that is attributedto him is not his, and many other quatrainsare tobe found in the works of other writers. Some of these nevertheless show the impact of hisgenius unmistakably. This seems to be specially true, as it is pointed out, of the quatrainswhich are given in the last section.Kirmani was deeply influenced by the monistic thought of Ibn 'Arabi. God does notreveal Himself unveiled but through the veil of creation. Human beauty servesas the bestmedium through which the divine may reveal itself. Though the hululi or incarnationisttendencies were imputed to him as to some other Sufis, Ibn 'Arabi did not believe in theincarnationof the divine in human form. It is only the reflection of the "Divine Essence"in creation which provokes ecstasy, and yet its poetic expression gave rise to mis-understandings. But although Awhaduddin Kirmani's preference for the "beardlessyouth" as the locus of divine revelationgave riseto stories which shocked his fellow Sufis,his poetic utterances as recorded in the collection before us have nothing shocking aboutthem. The similaritywith the Platonic vision of beauty is striking,and we cannot but agreewith Ritter that "contemplation of God's beauty in a handsome youth or boy is in thesemitic culturalcontext, a foreign body". Corbin's attempt to find thejustificationof thispracticein an alleged saying of the prophet cannot stand close analysis.

becomesvery thin. The concluding chapter bringsout the emotional dimension of Sufism.The writerconcludes that the gnosis of God is not possible without love or devotion.In the end it must be conceded that Mir Valiuddin's work, inspiteof its limitations, hasan enduringvalue. Itgives information which is not available elsewhere. Both in style andcontent it is a good specimen of a form of Sufic thought which has found favor in theIndian subcontinent, even in circles which are wary of Sufism. In any case the mysticthought and devotional piety which Valiuddin representsis superior to easy secularismand legalistic fundamentalism.S. VAHIDUDDINIndian Instituteof Islamic Studies

Heart's Witness. Translated by Bernd Manuel Weischerand Peter Lamborn Wilson.Tehran: Imperial IranianAcademy, 1978, Pp. 178. Price not given.Sufismis a many splendoreddome to which the best approachis throughthe poetrywhichit inspiredand the anecdotes, no matter whetherthey are apocryphal or authentic, whichhave accumulated round the charismatic figure of the Master during his lifetime andcontinued to swell even after his death. Sufic experienceformulated as a doctrine can bevery misleading and may give rise to conflicting interpretations and controversies. Themonumental work of Ibn 'Arabi illustrates it very eloquently. Fortunately we have inAwhaduddin Kirman, no theoreticianof mysticism, a poet who has given expression tohis ecstaticexperiencein quatrainsor rubd'is,a form of poetic composition with which wehave become familiar through Fitzgerald's all too free rendering of 'Omar Khayyam.Brevity is the soul of the quatrainsand surprisinglyenough a ruba'tcan transmitmysticexperience with all its depth in a few verbal intimations. The difficulty with Kirmani,however, is that much that is attributedto him is not his, and many other quatrainsare tobe found in the works of other writers. Some of these nevertheless show the impact of hisgenius unmistakably. This seems to be specially true, as it is pointed out, of the quatrainswhich are given in the last section.Kirmani was deeply influenced by the monistic thought of Ibn 'Arabi. God does notreveal Himself unveiled but through the veil of creation. Human beauty servesas the bestmedium through which the divine may reveal itself. Though the hululi or incarnationisttendencies were imputed to him as to some other Sufis, Ibn 'Arabi did not believe in theincarnationof the divine in human form. It is only the reflection of the "Divine Essence"in creation which provokes ecstasy, and yet its poetic expression gave rise to mis-understandings. But although Awhaduddin Kirmani's preference for the "beardlessyouth" as the locus of divine revelationgave riseto stories which shocked his fellow Sufis,his poetic utterances as recorded in the collection before us have nothing shocking aboutthem. The similaritywith the Platonic vision of beauty is striking,and we cannot but agreewith Ritter that "contemplation of God's beauty in a handsome youth or boy is in thesemitic culturalcontext, a foreign body". Corbin's attempt to find thejustificationof thispracticein an alleged saying of the prophet cannot stand close analysis.


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syed vahiduddin reviews QS by mir valiuddin