Sanctity and Mysticism in Medieval Egypt: The Wafa Sufi Order and the Legacy of Ibn Arabi

261 Pages·2004·3.87 MB·English

by  Richard J. A. McGregor

Sanctity and Mysticism in Medieval Egypt
SUNYseries in Islam
Seyyed Hossein Nasr, editor
Sanctity and Mysticism
in
Medieval Egypt
The Wafå< Sufi Order
and
The Legacy of Ibn >Arab•
Richard J. A. McGregor
State University of New York Press
Published by
State University of New York Press, Albany
©2004 State University of New York
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Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
McGregor, Richard J. A.
Sanctity and mysticism in medieval Egypt : the Wafå<Sufi order and the
legacy of Ibn >Arab•/ Richard J. A. McGregor.
p. cm.
Includes bibliographical references and index.
ISBN 0-7914-6011-8 (alk. paper)
1. Sufism—Egypt—History. 2. Wafå, Mu˙ammad, 1302 or 3-1363. 3. Ibn
al->Arab•, 1165–1240. 4. Muslim saints—Egypt—History. I. Title.
BP188.8.E3M34 2004
297.4'0962—dc22
2003059027
10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1
To Antoinette, Ginny, Liz, and baby Liz

Contents
List of Illustrations ix
Acknowledgments xi
Note on Transliteration xiii
Introduction 1
1. Tirmidh•, Ibn >Arab•, and Others on Sanctity 9
Tirmidh•onWalåya
Sahl Tustar•onWalåya
Lesser Treatments of Walåya
Walåyaand Sh•>ism
Ibn>Arab•andWalåya
2. The Early Shådhiliyya and Sanctity 27
Literature and History of the Shådhiliyya
Al-Shådhil•, Tirmidh•, and Ibn >Arab•
The Early Figures of the Order
The Writings of Ibn Båkhilå
Proximity to the Divine
The Levels of Walåya
Sanctity and Prophecy
3. The Wafå’iyya in Time and Space 49
Arriving from the Maghreb
Among the Elite of Cairo
4. The Writings of the Wafå’s 71
Poetry
Supplications (du>å)
viii Contents
Jurisprudence (fiqh) and Exegesis (tafs•r)
Mystical Treatises (Mu˙ammad Wafå’)
Mystical Treatises (>Al•Wafå’)
5. Sanctity and Mu˙ammad Wafå’ 89
Absolute Being and Its Self-disclosure
The Preexistential and the Everlasting
Spiritual Anthropology
Cosmology
The Teaching Shaykh and Beyond
The Mu˙ammadan Reality and the Pole
Sanctity, the Renewer, and the Seal
6. Sanctity according to >Al•Wafå’ 119
Divine Oneness, Self-disclosure, and Creation
The Teacher and Oneness
OnWalåyaandNubuwwa
The Seal of Sainthood
The Seal and the Renewer of Religion
Conclusion 157
Notes 163
Bibliography 219
Indexes 239
Illustrations
Figure 1. Cairo cemetery (City of the Dead) 63
Figure 2. Entrance to Wafå’Mosque 64
Figure 3. Tombs in Wafå’Mosque 65
Figure 4. Grave marker, >Al•Wafå’ 66
Figure 5. The Wafå’house 67
Figure 6. Remains of fountain in Wafå’house 68
Map The Wafå’s in Cairo (del. N. Lacoste) 69
Table 1.0 The Early Wafå’iyya 70