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26That 19th-century princely translation of Jâmî’s work is only one sign of the vigorous,ongoing development in Safavid and Qajar Iran (and the traditional Shiite centers of ‘Irâq) ofthis school whose language and problematic is so deeply rooted in the study of Ibn ‘Arabî—ahistorical development we are fortunate enough to be able to follow in some detail only throughthe coincidence of that area’s relative insulation from direct colonization, plus the devotedefforts of a handful of more recent scholars. However, when one looks at the actual location ofmanuscripts of works by Jâmî or any of the other writers (including Ibn ‘Arabî himself)discussed above—or at the even greater multitude of poets and literary figures who transmutedtheir contributions into so many Islamic languages—it is clear that their influence, at least up tothe 19th century, was probably at least as great and diverse in the higher culture and among theSufi orders both of the Ottoman empire and the Muslim regions of India, Central Asia, and evenChina and Indonesia. 110 In other words, our relative ignorance of those later developments inthose far-flung Islamic regions reflects factors other than any lack of written sources. If the Sufiwritings of ‘Abd al-Qâdir al-Jazâ’irî (d. 1300/1883) discussed in the following section appear tous today as a sudden, mysterious ‘renaissance’ of the creative study of Ibn ‘Arabî in the Arabicworld, 111 that is simply a reminder of how much research remains to be done in this (and somany other) areas of later Islamic thought.among the traditional (i.e., non Western-educated) Iranian philosophers dealing with theseschools of later Islamic thought.110 A case in point is Prof. Richard’s mention of a commentary on the Lawâ’ih by one ofJâmî’s disciples which was recently discovered in a library in Beijing (details on p. 29).Equally far afield is the Indonesian Qâdiri Sufi and Malay poet Hamza al-Fansûrî (latel0 th /16 th century), who ‘belonged to the school of mysticism characterized by names like Ibn al-‘Arabî and ‘Irâkî’ (article ‘Hamza Fansûrî’ by P. Voorhoeve in EI 2 , III, p.155). We may alsomention the study by Syed Muhammad Naquib al-Attas, The Mysticism of Hamza al-Fansûrî,Kuala Lumpur, 1970, cited in A. Schimmel, op. cit., p. 354.Another, historically quite influential example would be the later Kubrâwî Sufi ‘Alî al-Hamadânî (d. 786/13115), author of still another commentary on the Fusûs al-Hikam, whoplayed an important role in the establishment of Sufism (and Islam more generally) in Kashmir;see H. Corbin, Histoire…, Part II (n. 3, Part II), pp. 116-17, and additional bibliographicreferences in the article “‘Alî Hamadânî’ by S. M. Stern, EI 2 , I, p. 392.111 See n. 4, Part II-A above, for recent studies of the 18th-century Moroccan Sufi Ibn‘Ajîba, for whom Ibn ‘Arabî seems to have played a role that more fully reflects the broad rangeof the Shaykh’s actual writings and activities—although it is difficult to know how far one cangeneralize from this single case.
27VI. ‘Abd al-Qâdir al-Jazâ’irî (1222/1807-1300/1883) is today no doubt most widely known, atleast in the nations immediately concerned, as the leader of Algerian resistance to the gradualinvasion and colonialization of that country between 1832 and 1847. However, the two recentFrench translations of parts of his Kitâb al-Mawâqif, a vast work including his lectures, meditations,and a sort of ‘spiritual diary’ from the decades of his exile in Damascus (1857-1883),present a very different aspect of his character and historical persona: an extraordinary Sufiwriter and teacher who—if these selections can be taken as representative—was not onlyresponsible for reviving the teachings of the Shaykh al-Akbar, but was also himself in manyways a sort of Ibn ‘Arabî reborn. 112 Compared to the relatively ‘scholastic’ traditions discussedabove, ‘Abd al-Qâdir’s work (like Ibn ‘Arabî’s) consistently conveys a striking, unmistakablesense of true originality, of the fresh and compelling expression of immediate spiritualexperience, grounded in the most profound personal reflection on the Qur’an and hadith as wellas extensive study of the works of Ibn ‘Arabî and their commentators. That impression ofimmediacy and authenticity is no doubt a reflection both of ‘Abd al-Qâdir’s distinctive personalvirtues and at the same time of his indebtedness to a broader (not merely literary) Sufi traditionof the study and application of the Shaykh’s writings in a practical, effective spiritual context.All of these features are carefully explained in Michel Chodkiewicz’ remarkableintroduction to his selection of shorter chapters from the K. al-Mawâqif (Ecrits spirituels. ByEmir Abd El-Kader. Pp. 226. Paris: Editions du Seuil. 1982.], a text which is itself a mine ofvaluable historical references. To begin with, in recalling the successive external stages of ‘Abdal-Qâdir’s own spiritual initiation—his youthful reception of the khirqa akbariyya from his own112 Among the significant biographical facts noted in the translator’s Introduction (Écritsspirituels, full references below), proceeding from the outward signs inward, are his having livedseveral decades in same the house where Ibn ‘Arabî died in Damascus, his being buried next tothe Shaykh there (until the quite recent removal of his remains to Algeria), his reception of thekhirqa akbariyya (see also n. 113 below) from his father, named ‘Sîdî Muhyî al-Dîn,’ and hisrepeated compelling visions and encounters with the ‘spiritual reality’ (rûhâniyya) of the Shaykhal-Akbar. See the discussion of these incidents, with full references to the specific passages inthe Mawâqif, in M. Chodkiewicz’s book, pp. 28 and 187-88.The deeper resemblance of ‘Abd al-Qâdir’s writing to that of Ibn ‘Arabî, both in styleand content, is discussed in detail below.
Page 7 and 8: 7degree of attainment in the study
Page 9: 9both personally and politically. B
Page 12 and 13: 12key concepts (and their practical
Page 14 and 15: 14or defend them to philosophers an
Page 16 and 17: 16fashion to develop and express ne
Page 18 and 19: 18mutakallimûn and falâsifa. 97In
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Page 24 and 25: 24Jâmî’s al-Durrat al-Fâkhira
Page 28 and 29: 28father, himself a Qâdiri master;
Page 30 and 31: 30so strikingly from many of the in
Page 32 and 33: 32transcendent Unity of Being (wahd
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