Religion and Thought of Shah Wali Allah Dihlawi

231 Pages·1986·25.283 MB·English

by  J. M. S. Balijon

RELIGION AND THOUGHT
OF
SHAH WALI ALLAH DIHLAWI
1703-1762
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STUDIES
IN THE HISTORY OF RELIGIONS
(SUPPLEMENTS TO NUMEN)
EDITED BY
M. HEERMA VAN VOSS • E. J. SHARPE • R. J. Z. WERBLOWSKY
XLVIII
RELIGION AND THOUGHT
OF
SHAH W ALI ALLAH DIHLAW I
1703-1762
LEIDEN
E. J. BRILL
1986
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RELIGION AND THOUGHT
OF
- - - -
SHAH W ALI ALLAH DIHLAW I
1703-1762
BY
J. M. S. BALJON
LEIDEN
E. ]. BRILL
1986
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ISBN 90 04 07684 0
Copyright 1986 by E. J. Brill, Leiden, The Netherlands
All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or
translated in any form, by print, photoprint, microfilm, microfiche
or any other means without written permission from the publisher
PRINTED IN THE NETHERLANDS BY E. J. BRILL
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CONTENTS
Preface VII
Abbreviations . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . IX
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
I. Vocational Visions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
II. Extra-Scriptural Mediums of Divine Revelation . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
A) CA.lam al-mithii.l (World of Prefiguration) . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . 21
B) lfatfra al-quds (Holy Enclosure) .. . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . 24
C) Angelic Categories . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 26
D) Tajalliyyat (Theophanies) . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . .. . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . 31
E) al-Tajalli al-actam (Most Supreme Theophany) . . . . . . . . . 32
III. Metaphysics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 36
A) Concept of God ...................... ......................... 36
B) Cosmology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 45
C) Wa/idat al-wujiid (Unity of Being) . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 56
IV. Psychology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 64
V. Mysticism .................................... .................... .... 78
VI. Ethics . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 86
VII. Life to Come ..... ........................... ........................ 97
VIII. Prophetology . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 102
IX. People of Eminence . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 116
A) lfakim (Wise Man) ............................................ 116
B) Walt (Protege of God) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 118
C) Caliph . ... . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. 121
D) Mubaddath (Inspired Person) . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 126
E) Fard (Singular Man) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 127
F) Mujaddid (Renewer) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 129
G) cutama' (Scholars) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 130
H) Philosophers . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 131
I) Mutakallimiin (Scholars in the Field of Speculative
Theology) . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 133
X. Qur'an . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 136
XI. lfadith . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . ... . . . .. . . . .. . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . 152
XII. Shari'a (Law) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 160
XIII. True and False Religion . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . 171
XIV. Religious Rites and Customs . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 180
XV. Social and Economic Ideas . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 192
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VI CONTENTS
Epilogue 200
Bibliography . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 205
Glossary of technical terms . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 207
Index of proper names . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 7
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PREFACE
Although thoroughly alive to the major contribution Shah Wali Allah
has made to Islamic thought, Western scholarship has not until now con
cerned itself very much with the study of his world of ideas. On the
whole, the Subcontinent, like other peripheral areas of Muslim believers,
is treated in a stepfatherly fashion by European and American
Islamologists. In evidence thereof, university libraries in the West appear
to be slow in acquiring editions of Shah Walt Allah's works. Another
handicap is that the latter's mental products are not only numerous but
also notorious for a terse style and ample use of technical terms mostly
inadequately explained. Their perusal, the present writer must confess,
was much more time-consuming than he had expected.
This work has been undertaken in order to prepare a comprehensive
survey of the concepts the famous Delhi scholar and mystic developed in
almost every field of Islamic knowledge. Some readers may be disap
pointed at the little attention paid to his political views. Their significance
and bearing, however, have been largely overestimated, being chiefly
based on letters of which the authenticity is open to considerable doubt.
In reproducing the purport of the author's expositions proper documen
tation is aimed at by allowing Shah W ali Allah himself to speak whenever
possible, and reticence is exercised with regard to intuitional but unsuffi
ciently warranted inferences and surmises on the part of the researcher.
Full quotations possess the additional advantage that at the same time
some idea of Shah Walt Allah's way of teaching and argumentation is
gained. Nowhere is the application of specific Arabic and Persian terms
avoided since these have a flavour of their own. The main concession
made is that the headings of the chapters are adapted to the taste of the
modern reader.
I am keenly aware of my indebtedness to a large number of friends and
colleagues in the Inda-Pakistan Subcontinent without whose help and co
operation I would never have succeeded in doing this research. First of
all, I am deeply grateful to Dr. A. J. Halepota who spent many hours
initiating me into the subtleties of Shah Wali Allah's thought. He proved
to be a patient teacher and I immensely enjoyed his friendship. Equally,
I have happy memories of the warm personal contacts with al-Ustadh
Ghulam Mu~tara al-Qasimt who is noted for his careful editing of Shah
Walt Allah's writings. The third friend in Hyderabad (Sind), Prof. G.
N. Jalbani, rendered fine assistance by regularly supplying me with his
publications in the same field.
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VIII PREFACE
In India I met a similar readiness to provide me with the required
materials. I am most thankful for the encouragement I received from
Prof. S. A. Ali in New Delhi, Prof. K. A. Nizami in Aligarh and many
other people.
J.
Special thanks are due to Prof. R. Z. Werblowsky who was kind
enough to accept the book as a supplement to NUMEN. Lastly, I would
like to express gratitude to Mrs. V. Schafer-Shute for her thorough
reading of the English text and for valuable stylistic and editorial emen
dations.
Leiden, January 1985 J. M. S. Baljon
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ABBREVIATIONS
A. Works of Shii.h Wali Allii.h:
Anfas Anfiis al-'iirifin, Delhi 1897 /8
A.Q Altiif al-quds Ji ma'rifa latii'if al-nafs, Gujranwala 1964
A/.)lab al-nagham A,ryab al-nagham Ji madb sayyid al-'Arab wa 'l-'Ajam, Delhi 1890/ 1
B.B. al-Budiir al-biizigha, Bidjnawr 1935/6
F.K. al-Fawz al-kabfr Ji ~ii[ al-tafs1r, Karachi 1964
Fuyiir/, one of the visions recorded in the Fuyiir/, al-J:Iaramayn
H. Hama'iit. The Roman numerals refer to one of the 22 chapters
Haw. Hawiimi', Delhi n.d.
H.B. J:Iujjat Alliih al-biiligha, Delhi 1954/5
In$ii] al-In$ii] Ji bayiin sabab al-ikhtiliif, Delhi n.d.
Intibiih Intibiih Ji saliisil awliyii' Alliih, Karachi n.d.
'Iqd 'Iqd al-Jzd Ji bayiin abkiim al-ijtihiid wa 'l-taqlfd, Karachi 1959/60
lziila lziilat al-khafii' 'an khiliifat al-khulafii', Bareli 1869
al-juz' al-latif al-Juz' al-latifJ i tar:jamat al-'abd al-da'if, added in an edition of the
Sata'iit, Delhi n.d.
Ka,limiit-i tayyibiit Kalimiit-i /ayyibiit, Delhi 1891/2. Collection of Persian letters of
Ma~har Jii.n-i Janii.n (d. 1781), Qii.<;li Thanii.' Allii.h al-Pii.nipati
(d. 1810) Shii.h Wali Allii.h (25 in all) and others
Khiziina a chapter of al-Khayr al-kathfr
Lamba one of the 60 Lamabiit (ed. Ghuliim Mu~tafii al-Qiisimi).
Hydarabad, Sind, 1963
Maktiib al-Maktiib al-Madan,, Delhi 1906
M~affii al-Mu$afjii, Delhi n.d.
Musawwii al-Musawwii min abiid1th al-Muwatta', Mecca 1932-4
QD. al-Qp.wl al-jamfl Ji bayiin sawii' al-sab1l, Karachi n.d.
Qurrat Qurrat al-'aynayn Ji tajr/,1[ al-shaykhayn, Delhi 1892/3
Sat. one of the 46 Sata'iit (ed. Ghulii.m MuHafii al-Qii.simi),
Hydarabad, Sind, 1964
Sharb al-tariijim Risiila sharb tariijim abwiib iabtb al-Bukhiirt, Hydariibiid, Deccan,
1949
Ta.fh. Ta.fh1miit-i Iliihiyya, Dabhel 1936
Ta'wfl Ta'wfl al-abiid1thfi rumiiz q~a$ al-anbiyii' ( ed. Ghulii.m Mu~tafii al
Qii.simi), Hydarabad, Sind, 1966
B. Periodicals and Encyclopedia:
AION = Annali dell' Istituto Orientale di Napoli
BOAS Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies
EF Encyclopaedia of Islam, New Edition
IC Islamic Culture
]RAS Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society
MW The Muslim World
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