Ṣûfism and Ethics [IO Bijapur 119]

Ṣûfism and Ethics. 

This manuscript is now IO Bijapur 119 in the India Office collections.

[metadata: Otto Loth, A Catalogue of the Arabic Manuscripts in the Library of the India Office, (volume 1), no. 676 here with further notations and hyperlinks].

676.

B 119. Size 101/2 in. by 6 in.; foll. 215. Twenty-five lines in a page.

Two works of ‘Abd al-wahhâb SHA’RÂNÎ.

I.Foll. 1-180. كتاب البحر المورود فى المواثيق و العهود تصنيف الشيخ الكبير المحقق الربانى العارف بالله عز و جل عبدالوهاب الشعرانى . Rules of Asceticism, gathered from his various teachers, and composed A.H. 941. See Ḥ. Kh. ii. 22; Cat. Mus. Brit. 343; and A. von Kremer, Notice sur Sha’râny, Journ. Asiat. 1868, p.258 sqq. Printed at Cairo, A.H. 1278.

The preface begins:الحمد لله الذى خلع على اوليائه خلع انعامه فهم بذلك له حامدون .... و بعد فهذه عهود و مواثيق الخ.

The Shaikhs from whom these rules are derived are about 150 in number. Their lives are related in the author’s طبقات العلماء و الصوفية . Ten are mentioned as the most prominent, at the end of this work (fol. 178), viz. عبدالقادر الدشطوطی; محمد بن عنان ; محمد السروى ; محمد العدل الطناحى ; محمد النيّرابوبکر; محمد بن داود ; محمد الشناوى الاحمدى علی; عبدالحكيم بن مصلح المنزلاوی;الحدید الخواصّ البولیسی. The last mentioned is the author’s principal Shaikh.

The rules are of two kinds, either such as are contained explicitly in the religious law (الشريعة) , and general, or such as are derived from the law indirectly, and peculiar to the author and his school. The author asserts the orthodoxy of his writings, and especially of the present work. He also mentions the incident, in consequence of which it had been suspected of heresy. 1

He further states that he had already composed two works on the same subject, viz. كتاب (لطائف) المنن ، و الاخلاق فى وجوب التحدّث بنعمة الله على الاطلاق , which was appreciated by his followers, and منهج الصدق و التحقيق في تفليس غالب المدعين للطريق , which was found rather too austere.

This work is divided into five chapters, each of which is inscribed فى جملة (اخرى) من العهود . Each rule is introduced by the words اخذ علينا العهود.

The author’s conclusion runs as follows (fol. 178v.):قال ذلك و كتبه اضعف عبيدالله تعالى و اقلهم استعدادا ليوم المعاد عبدالوهاب بن احمد بن على الشعرانى حامدا مصليا مسلما فى ثانى شوال سنة احدى و اربعين و تسعمائة بمصر المحروسة والله حسبى الخ.

It is followed by four testimonies of approval, which had been written in the original copy: one by Shihâb al-dîn Aḥmad b. ‘Abd al-‘azîz Futûḥî Ḥanbalî, commonly called Ibn al-Najjâr; another by Nâṣir al-dîn b. Ḥasan Laḳânî Mâlikî; the third by Shihâb al-dîn Aḥmad b. Yûnus Ḥanafî, commonly called Ibn al-Shilbî; and the fourth by Shihâb al-dîn Aḥmad b. Aḥmad b. Ḥamzah Ramlî Anṣârî Shâfi’î. These testimonies are alluded to in another work of the author, quoted by Flügel in Zeitschr., l.c.

Plainly written in a large hand, by Muḥammad b. al-Junaid b. ‘Omar Bâ Hârûn. Dated Monday, 24th Jum. II., 1080. Collated in the same year. The birthdays of two sons of the copyist (A.H. 1087 and 1088) are noted at the end.

II.Foll. 181-215.كتاب درر الغواص على فتاوى سيدى على الخواص جمع سيدنا و مولانا .... الشيخ عبدالوهاب بن احمد بن على الشعرانى الانصارى سبط السيد محمد بن الحنفيّة ابن الامام على بن ابى طالب الخ.

Decisions of ‘Alî Khawwâṣ, the principal Shaikh of Sha’rânî, given in answer to questions of the latter, and collected by him. --- Another work of Sha’rânî concerning the same Shaikh,الجواهر و الدرر , is mentioned by Ḥ. Kh. iii. 650. Cf. Zeitschr. D. Deutsch. morgenl. Ges. xx. 1.

Begins:الحمد لله رب العالمين ... و بعد فهذه نبذة صالحة من فتاوى شيخنا و قدوتنا الى الله تعالى الكامل الراسخ الامى المحمدى سيدى على الخواص ... التى سالته عنها مدة صحبتى له مترجما عن معنى بعضها لكونه رضى الله عنه اميّاً لا يقرا ولا يكتب فلسانه يشبه لسان السريانى تارة و العربى تارة فاذا علمت ان الجواب لا يدرك الا ذوقا ذكرت جوابه بلفظه من غير شرح لمعناه نظير الحروف اول سور القران العظيم الخ.

The author, being conscious that this collection is not complete, asks any one of his brethren who might recollect other sayings of this Shaikh, to add them to this book. It has no special subdivisions, Each decision is introduced by و سالته رضى الله عنه .

Written like no. I. Imperfect and injured at the end.

Seal of Ḳâsim, a servant of ‘Âlamgîr.

Cat. 231, vii.

1 See Ḥ. Kh., l.c., and Zeitschr. D. Deutsch. morgenl. Ges. xx. 2.