[IO Islamic 930] Kashf-almaḥjûb

Kashf-almaḥjûb

This manuscript is now IO Islamic 1773 in the India Office collections.

[metadata: Hermann Ethé, Catalogue of Persian Manuscripts in the Library of the India Office, 2 vols. (Oxford: India Office, 1903): volume 1, number 930 here with notations and hyperlinks].

11.ṢÛFISM IN PROSE AND VERSE.

1773

Kashf-almaḥjûb (كشف المحجوب).

The oldest systematical work on the theoretical and practical doctrines of Ṣûfism in Persian, with a great amount of historical and biographical material, styled كشف المحجوب, or with its fuller title, كشف المحجوب لارباب القلوب, ‘Explanation of the veiled (or hidden) things for men of heart (i.e. for Ṣûfis),’ and composed by Abû-alḥasan ‘Alî bin ‘Uthmân bin ‘Alî (in the Vienna, Bodleian, and Berlin copies, bin Abî ‘Alî; in Rieu’s copy, Abî’ Alî) al-Jullâbi al-Hajwîrî (the reading, al-Manjûri, in the Vienna copy, is a mere corruption of the last word), sometimes simply called al-Ghaznawî (since Jullâb and Hujwîr are suburbs of Ghazna), who in the heading of the Vienna copy is designated as a contemporary of the famous Ṣûfic Shaikh and poet Abû Sa’îd bin Abû-alkhair (died A.H. 440, 4th of Sha’bân=A.D. 1049. January 12), whilst in the رسالۀ ابداليّه (see the following copy, fol. 283b sq.) he is called Abu Sa’id’s own brother. According to رياض الاوليا (see Rieu iii. p. 975a), he died A.H. 456 or 464 (A.D. 1064 or 1072, see the Safinat-alauliyâ. No. 298, col. 304 in this Cat.); according to Âzâd’s مآثر الكرام تأريخ بلگرام (see No. 612, fol. 4a in this Cat.), A.H. 465 (A.D. 1073); but as Rieu has proved, the date of his death must be somewhat later still, since Shaikh Abû-alḳâsim Ḳushairî, who is mentioned by the author among those who had passed away before the composition of this work, died in the very year 465, in the month Rabi’-alâkhar, see Safinat-alauliyâ, No. 299 (col. 304 in this Cat.). Other copies of the كشف المحجوب are described in Rieu i. p. 343; G. Flügel iii. p. 440 sq.; Bodleian Cat., No. 1245; W. Pertsch, Berlin Cat., p. 287; Rosen, Persian MSS., p. 291; see also Ḥ. Khalfa v. p. 215. No. 10,753, and Notices et Extraits, xii. p. 360.

Other works of the same author, mentioned incidentally in the present book, are the منهاج الدّين , the بحر القاوب, and الهيان لاهل العيان (comp. Rosen, loc. cit.); he also wrote a diwân . According to his own statement in the preface, he composed this work in answer to some questions addressed to him by Abû Sa’id al-Hajwirî.

Beginning:ربّنا آتنا من لدنك رحمةً و هىّ لنا من امرنا رشداً ‘ الحمد لله الذى كشف لاوليائه بواطن ملكوته و قشع لاصفيائه سرائر جبروته الخ.

On fol. 3a, last line but one sq., the author explains the title of his work thus: و آنچه گفتم كه مر اين كتاب را كشف المحجوب نام كردم مراد آن بود كه تا نام كتاب ناطق باشد بر آنچه اندر كتاب است مر گروهى را كه بصيرت بود چون نام كتاب بشنوند دانند كه مراد از آن چه بوده است و بدانكه همه عالم از لطيفۀ تحقيق محجوب اند بجز اولياء الخ.

It is divided, like all the following copies, into forty bâbs (whereas the Vienna and Bodleian copies contain sixty-four, among which are counted several faṣls and the eleven Kashfs noticed in the following table of contents), viz.:-

1.باب (فى) اثبات العلم, on fol. 7a.

2.باب (فى) الفقر, on fol. 12b.

3.باب (فى) التّصوّف, on fol. 19b.

4.باب (فى) لبس المرقّعات, on fol. 27b.

5.باب فى اختلافهم فى الفقر و التّصوّف, on fol. 36a.

6.باب فى الملامت, on fol. 38a.

7.باب فى ائمّتهم من الصّحابة, on fol. 43b.

8.باب فى ذكر ائمّتهم من اهل البيت, on fol. 47b.

9.الصّفّة (or اصحاب) باب فى ذكر اهل, that is, فى ذكر ائمّتهم من اهل الصّفّة, on fol. 54b.

10.باب فى ذكر ائمّتهم من التّابعين, on fol.56a.

11.باب فى ذكر ائمّتهم من تبع التّابعين, on fol. 60a.

12.باب فى ذكر ائمّتهم من المتأخّرين, on fol. 113b.

13.باب فى ذكر رجال الصّوفيّة من المتأخّرين على الاختصار من اهل البلدان , on fol. 120a.

14.مذاهبهم (or او) باب فى فرق فرقهم فى , on fol. ; 22b. At the end of this bâb there are four different Kashfs (كشف الحجاب) ; 1st, فى معرفة الله , on fol. 188a ; and, فى التّوحيد, on fol. 195b ; 3rd, فى الايمان, on fol. 201b ; 4th, فى الطّهارة , on fol. 204b.

15.باب فى التّوبة و ما يتعلّق بها, on fol. 207a, 5th Kashf, فى الصّلوة , on fol. 211a.

16.باب المحبّة و ما يتعلّق بها, on fol. 214b. 6th Kashf, فى الزّكوة , on fol. 221b.

17.باب الجود و السّخا, on fol. 223b. 7th Kashf, فى الصّيام , on fol. 225b, last line.

18.باب الجوع و ما يتعلق به, on fol. 229a. 8th Kashf, فى الحجّ , on fol. 230b.

19.باب المجاهدة, on fol. 233b. 9th Kashf, فى الصّحبة مع آدابها , on fol. 236a.

20.باب فى الصّحبة و ما يتعلّق بها, on fol. 238a.

21.باب آدابهم فى الصّحبة , on fol. 240a.

22.باب فى آداب الصّحبة فى الاقامة, on fol. 243a.

23.باب فى آدابهم فى السّفر, on fol. 245b.

24.باب فى آدابهم فى الاكل, on fol.247a.

25.باب فى آدابهم من المشى, on fol.248b.

26.باب فى نومهم فى السّفر و الحضر, on fol.249b.

27.باب فى آدابهم فى الكلام و السّكوت, on fol. 252a.

28.باب فى آدابهم فى السؤال و التّركة, on fol. 254b.

29.باب فى آدابهم فى التّزويج و التّفريد, on fol. 256b.

30.10th Kashf, فى بيان الفاظهم و حقائق معانيها , on fol. 261a ; 11th Kashf, فى السّماع , on fol.277b.

31.باب فى السّماع و ما يتعلقّ به, on fol. 278b.

32.باب فى سماع الشّعر, on fol. 282b.

33.باب فى سماع الاصوات و الالحان, on fol. 283b.

34.باب فى كلام السّماع, on fol. 285a.

35.باب فى اختلافهم فى السّماع, on fol.287b.

36.باب فى مراتبهم فى حقيقة السّماع, on fol. 288b.

37.باب فى الوجد و الوجود و الواجد و مراتبه, on fol. 292b.

38.باب فى الرّقص و ما يتعلّق به, on fol. 294b.

39.باب فى الخرق, on fol. 295a.

40.Is missing here in consequence of a small lacuna after fol. 295 (extending to two pages, from fol. 279b, l. 11, to fol.280b, l.7 in the following copy), and may be supplied from the other copies: باب فى آداب السّماع.

Some leaves are slightly injured. Occasionally various readings, notes, and additions on the margin. An index on ff. 297b and 298a. Copied by Junaid of Sirhind and finished the 21st of Shawwâl, A.H. 1019 (A.D. 1611, Jan. 6).

No. 930, ff. 298, ll. 19; Nasta’lîḳ ; a picture, representing probably the author’s portraits, at the top of the MS. ; size, 71/8 in. by 4¼ in.