The Metaphysics of Khawaja Farid A thesis presented by Shahzad Qaiser in fulfilment of the requirements for the Degree of Doctor of Philosophy in the subject of Philosophy to Bahauddin Zakariya University Multan 1992 — ae a ~ - JDedication To my Murshia Sufi Muhammad Tufayle who initiated me in the doctrine of Oneness of Being.aii Acknowledgement I am thankful to my guide Dr, Abdul Khaliq for providing me invaluable guidance in the course of writing this dissertation. His deep understanding of Muslim Philosophy has made me learn a lot about the fundamental issues of the muslim tradition. His nobility of character remains a constant source of inspiration for all those who happen to meet him. I owe my deepest gratitude to Dr. Mehr Abdul Haq who not only directed me to write this disserta- tion but also provided me with the authentic literature on the subject. He was kind enough to clarify certain concepts and was always readily available for any discussion on the subject, He has opened limitless vistas of my mental horizon. I have no words to express my profound gratitude to my father, Dr. Nazir Qaiser, who initiated me in the world of philosophy and encouraged me to traverse the road where angels fear to tread. How can a son thank his loving-mother who constantly prays to God Almighty that her son remains on the Straight Path. - I am indebted to my wife Shahida for providing me a peaceful atmosphere which has enriched my creative endeavour, I feel so happy in thanking Haji rftikhar Ahmed for typing the manuscript with patience, interest and perfection. It is great delight to thank Mr. Ahsan Ullah Khan for his beautiful writing of the verses, My thanks are due to Mr, Muneer Ahmed Shaikh for assisting me in checking the references.iv Preface Oneness of Being or “the doctrine of non-dualit is the highest metaphysical stage beyond which no human endeavour, in principle, has been possible. It is the ripe fruit of traditional wisdom which has been tasted by all ages. The doctrine of Islam, in the metaphysical form of Shahadah, teaches the reality of the Absolute and the attachment of all things to the Absolute. It is not merely a doctrine but has corresponding means of effective realization. It is the realization of the Sacred Knowledge itself which means deliverance and union. The modern man captivated by inner and outer contradictions needs to learn the metaphysical lesson that the Supreme Reality is both absolute and Infinite and that there is nothing outside the Absolute. Neither there was nor there is anything beside Him. The cosmos is the theopany of the Supreme Reality which resides in the depths of man himself. The world of multiplicity or the myriad of mirrors reflects the Face of the Beloved. It is the seizure of this intellectual possibility which is totally realizable that the contemporary man can come out of the modern Cave. If he loses this possibility, then he may not be able to realize it for ages to come. The ‘dark night of the world’ certainly needs to have its dawn. Shahzad Qaiser 15TH SHABAN-UL-MUAZZAM, 1412 A.H. THURSDAY, PEBRUARY 20, 1992.Foreword The choice to write on the metaphysics of Khawaja Farid has been made in order to re~instate the truth of Oneness of Being by dispelling the general impression that the ‘servant-Lord' polarity is absolute. rt is not merely a theoretical truth but is essentially realizable and here lies the veracity, rightness and authenticity of the metaphysical doctrine. Khawaja Farid essentially chooses to express the metaphysical truths in poetic form. Metaphysics as such is opaque to any form of systematization but when it uses the poetic form to express the inexpressible, then it becomes more elusive. Such an elusiveness is bound to leave certain gaps which if not filled create insurmountable difficulties in the understanding of the doctrines. I have attempted to fill these gaps by relying heavily on Ibn' Arabi who is a prosaic writer and whom Khawaja Farid acknowledges as his Master. In the process of filling the gaps a need has been felt to bank upon certain contempo- rary writers of the same tradition who have made original contributions in explaining these metaphy- sical doctrines. I have quoted extensively from the writings of Rene Guenon and Frithjof Schuon in particular, in order to build a contemporary perspective. The underlying idea of this methodolo- gy has been to combine certain ancient and modern writers for exploring, expounding and elucidating the metaphysical doctrines of Khawaja Farid which reiterate the traditional lesson with fresh vigour. Such an integrative study tends to lay the edifice for the formulation of metaphysical truths according to the spirit of the times.vi Contents ACKNOWLEDGEMENT PREFACE FOREWORD INTRODUCTORY The Meaning of Metaphysics The Absolute as the |Essence 2 TN-Abediyan) end ag the Divinity (al-waniaigan) 3. The Cosmos As Diving Mirror 4. Metaphysical Status of Man. 5. Metaphysical Conception of Tawhid 6. Oneness of Being 7. Metaphysics of Love 8. Metaphysics of Beauty : Metaphysics of Good 10. Metaphysics of Light 11. Metaphysics of Freedom 12. Metaphysics of Knowledge 13. Metaphysical Realization CONCLUS TON avpennsegX BIBLIOGRAGH Y SHORT ABSTRACT iii iv 23-42 43-66 67-94 95-127 128-145 146-169 170-191 192-211 212-225 226-241 242-259 260-273 274-313 314-327 328-333 334-356 357-364vii Withersoever ye turn, there is the Face of God. quran. God is, and no thing is with Him, The Prophet.viii 'O0 God, deliver us from preoccupation with worldly vanities, and show us the nature of things ‘as they really are’. Remove from our eyes the veil of ignorance, and show us things as they really are, Show not to us non-existence as existent, nor cast the veil of non-existence over the beauty of existence. Make this phenomenal world the mirror to reflect the manifestation of Thy beauty, and not a veil to separate and repel us from Thee. Cause these unreal phenomena of the universe to be for us the sources of knowledge and insight, and not the cause of ignorance and blindness . Abdul Rehman Jami