•• Sayyi<l l;lay<lar AmulI

(719-787 /1319-1385):

an Ovcrvi.::w of his Doctrines

hy

Morteza Agha Tehrani

Dccemher 1995

A thesis suhmitted to the Faculty of Graduate Studies and Research,

McGill University

in partial fullillment of the requirements of the degree of Master of Arts

Institute of Islamic Studies

McGill University, Montreal

• © Moncza Agha Tehrani t995

 2

• Author:
Title:
AJJSTRACT

Morteza Agha Tehrani

Sayyid ~laydar A.mull (719-787 /1319-1385): an Overview of
hi•: Doctrines
Department: Institute of Islamic Studies, McGill University
Degree: Master of Art~ (M.A.)

One or the outstanding scholars or his time, Sayyid l;laydar A.mull (719-787 /1319-

1385) played an important role in the development of Shi9 Cfrl'iin, a tradition which

traces its roots hack to the Prophet Mul;lammad and the Imams. He gave his attention

to the suhject ut a time when the Shica Islam began to develop its characteristic set of

doctrines through the efforts of cAllama l;lilli and his son Fakhr al-Mul;laqqiqin in Iran

and Iraq.

Sayyid l;laydar lived at a time of great political and social upheaval. This thesis

places A.mull within this context and describes his life in some detail. Moreover, a

number of problems surrounding the corpus of his writings arc resolved by a complete

listing of his works.

Finally, we provide an overview of his doctrines, most especially his ideas

concerning the people of sharica, ,tariqa and J;aqiqa. A.mull put~ great effort into

reconciling these three groups, although he consistently maintains a mystical approach

in his works. While Amuli accepts lbn CArabi's metaphysical doctrines he criticizes his

teachings on wa/ilya and lmiima. This thesis deals with the issue of lmiima from the

point of view of A.mull in detail.

•
 4

• ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

All praises arc due to Allah who made mankind the best of his creation. I My great

respect is due to Imam Mahdi (peace be upon him) to whom all people will one day be

cal!ed,2 to those who sacrificed their lives, for the sake of the establishment and

progn:ss of the Islamic Republic of Iran, and to those who continue to struggle in this

cause, without whose efforts this work would never have been accomplished.

I would like to express my thanks to the Institute of Islamic Studies, and

especially to Professor Hennann Landolt whose supervision and valuable suggestions

contributed to the development of this study. My deepest appreciation goes the Baqir

aJ-CUJiim Cultural Foundation, iL~ president Ayatulliih M. Taqi Me~blil;t, and its staff

for encouraging and supporting my studies.

I would like to extend my thanks to the Library staff of the Institute of Islamic

Studies, to my friends and colleagues Mr. M. Javad Zarecii.n, Mr. M 1;I Miisavizii.deh,

Mr. M. Shukriye and Mr. J. Darreshiri, who provided me with help and advice, and to

Mr. M. Abu!ii.libi who assisted me by sending several sources from Iran. I would also

like to thank to Mr. Stephen Millier for translating the abstract into French and editing

this work.

I am deeply grateful and indebted to my dear parents, my w;1e and children,

Narjis, Mahdi and Zahra' who suffered so much during the time it took to complete

this task. May Allah accept this small work and reward us with His grnce.

• 1 The lloly Qur"an. trans. M. Shakir (Qum: An~riyan. 1992). Surat a/-CA/aq. verse 5 .

2 Ibid .• Surat a/-lsr.i : verse 71.

• ABSTRACT ........................................................................................................................................2

Ac•-•!nw1.imoMENTS ......••.................................................................................................................~

INTRODUCTION ........................................................................................................................... 7

AMULi'S INTELLECTUAi. 8ACIWROUND .............................................................................................. 7

OtrrLINE OF Tiiis STUDY ....................................................................................................................8

PART I: AN OVERVIEW OF SAYYID l,IAYDARAMUL1'S LIFE .......................................... 12

CHAPTER I. BIOGRAPHY .................................................................................................................. 1:1

I. I. Who was Amull? ............................................................................................ ................ 13

I. 2. A11111/i·· Era ........................................................................................................................ 18

I. 2. I. Gcogrnphicul llackgroun<l ..................................................................... . .. .... IK

I. 2. 2. The Sh1<1 an<l the ~uti Posilions .......................................................... .. ...... I IJ

I. 2. 3. The Sarhi<lari<l Movemcnl ................................................................. .. ... I 'I

I. 2. 4. Amuli un<l Amul's Govcmmenl ........................................................... . ..24

CHAPTER 2. THE LIFE OF SAYYID 1,IAYDARAMULI ............................................................................ 29

2. I. The First Period ................................................................................................................. 30

2. 2. The Second Period, Spiritual Life ....................................................................................... 31

2. 2. I. Amuli's Masters in tl10 Sccon<l Pcrio<l ...................................................................................... 37

2. 2. 2. Licc'IlSCS Rcccivc<l by Amuli .................................................................................................... .'IB

2. 2. 2. I. Educational ljazlit (Licenses)............................................................. .. ....... .40

2. 2. 2. 2. Spiritual ljazat (Such us Dliikr an<l Khirt/ll) ................................................................. .44

2. 3. The Third Period, Amull's Works ...................................................................................... .49

2. 3. I. Amul!'s Books & Trcutiscs ..................................................................................................... .49

2. 3. 2. llooks and Treatises Attributed to Amuli ............................................................................... 67

2. 3. 3. Transcripts (lsti11s"'111il) ........................................................................................................... 10

PART U: AN OVERVIEW OF THE DOCTRINE OF AMUL1 .................................................. 73

• CHAPTER 3. THREE APPROACHES TO TIIE TRlJTH AND THEIR RELATIONS ............................................ 74

• .l. /. 1he /Jifferences /Je/we<'n the People ofShanq1, tariqa and flaq1qa .................................. 75
1
3. I. I. Arnl'l1 s View of the Solution ........... ............ .

3. I. 2. Rclution llctwccn 'ilql un<lSharc.

l 1. 3. Meanings of Shar1'C1, Turfqa & ~!aqiqu ..

.. ................ 75

.. ................ 77

.. ....................... 79

3. I. 3. Rclution Between ~\'har1'<1. '.f'arlqa & ~faq1qa ................................ . .. .............. 83

3. I. 4. The l.>omain of Shar1'C1, ?'ariqa un<l ~faqtqa ....................................... . .......................... 87

3. I. 4. I. Sliar1'i1 in the View of i\rnuh .................................................... . .............................. 88

3. I. 4. 2. Tariqa in the View of i\rnuh .......................................................................................... 90

3. 1. 4. 3. ~/aq1qC1 in the View of Amuli .......................................................................................... 92

Cttt.l'l'ER 4. Tt IE LlotlT OF /Miil/11 ..................................................................................................... 96

4. I. u,,·u/ a/-/Jm ancl lm:una in the View of Amuli. .................................................................... 96

4. I. I. R~lntion Bctw1.-cn Tuw(ud and lnuin1a ....................................................................................... 97

4. I. 2. N11h11li'w<1, ln11111a and IVal~'O in the Vic\\' of the Shica ............................................................. 99

4. I. 2. I. Kulayni'sH.lcaon/"•lrtb1nnl'aand/n11in1a ........................................................................... 99

4. I. 2. 2. Ihn <i\ruhi's Ideas on llali!\'ll ......................................................................................... I02

4. I. 2. 3. ll'a/1~·a in the View of Amuli ........................................................................................ !03

4. :?. The Meaning of the Term fmdma in the View of Amuli..................................................... 108

4. J. /mama in lire View of tire Three Peoples .......................................................................... 115

4. 3. I. brl!lrtll in the Vic\\' of the Pc..-oplc of Shari"u ............................................................................ l 15

4. 3. 2. lmmia in the View of the People of Tarlqa ............................................................................. 111

4. 3. 3. lmmw in tl1e View of the People of {laqiqa ............................................................................ 119

CoNCI.llSION ................................................................................................................................. 120

APPENDL'X: ..................................................................................................................................... 123

SOURCES ................................................................................................................................... 143

1. CtTF.D BOOKS ............................................................................................................................ 143

2. Booi;s CONSULTED BUTJ\'OTCITED ............................................................................................ 151

•
3. ARTICLES A,'ID MANUSCRIPTS: .................................................................................................... 154
 .,

• Introduclion

AMULi'S INTELLECTUAL BACKGROUND

Sayyid l;laydar Amuli3 was one of the spiritual masters and mystical scholars ,ir
the lthnii cashari (Twclver) Shica, 4 as well as a gnostic of great standing, who lived in

Iran during the eighth century A.H.S He was born in Amu[6 in 719/Dl9 and he died

after 787 /1385. He travelled in search of knowledge to many cities ol' Iran and Ira4.

These studies lasted for twenty years and eventually took him to I~fahan, whence he

returned to Amul.7

3 For more information sec Amuli's own autobiographical nolcs, which have been colleclccl by II. Corbin
and 0. Ya(Jyii in their introduclion to his Jamie a/-llsror wa-M:111h11'' 11/-ll11w:1r (Tehran: lnslilUI
Franco-Iranicn, 1969). Sec also Mul)ammarl Kh•ajav1's in1rod"c1ion 10 Amuh's /l...r.1n1/-.~1mrtca w11-
ll/w;ir al-Tartqa wa ll11w;ir a/-ljaqiqa (Tehran: Mu'assasa-yi Mu1ali<a1 va Tal)q1qa1-i Farhangl,
1983).
4 The Twclvcr Shi<a believe that after Mul)ammad CS.). the seal of the prophe1s, lhe leaclef',;ip of lhe
world of Islam fell lo Imam <Ali and then to his clcvrn pure progeny.
5 M. Kb.ajavi, introduction to llsnir a/-Shanca, p. iiii.

6 Amul is the name of a town in the nonh of Iran. on the nonhcm slopes of 1he Albur1. moumains. 'Ibis
ci1y is located in the south-west comer of the casl Ma1.andar.in plain. Today Amul is one of the
cities of Mazandaran province. It stands on the west bank of 1hc Ilarhaz river, 12 miles south of the

•
Caspian Sea. L. Lockhan, "Amu!," in First E11cyclopacdia of!slam/913-19.16, eel. M. '11t. Iloustma
(New York: E. J. Brill, 1987), vol. I, p. 459 .
7 Kh.ajavi, introduction to llsnira/-Shart"a, p. xxi.
• During his stay in l~fahiin, he studied under Nor al-Din Tihriini, from whom he

eventually received a khirq11 and dhikr (remembrance) of Alliih. 8 While in Iraq he

studied with Qudsi,'J and read under him various subjects dealing with mysticism.

During twenty-four years Amuli studi.:d many books on sulism and wrote abcmt

twenty-four books on this subject himself.JO

Besides pursuing his education, Amuli concentrated his effi.irts on the spiritual

journey and - according to his introduction to Nu,~,~ 11/-Nu,~tJ,~· - he arrived at many of

the deepest spiritual truths.II Amuli is also known to have gone to l;lilla, Iraq for a

meeting with Fakhr al-Mu!;iaqqiqin (d. 771/1370), which took place in the year

759/1357.12

OUTLINE OF THIS STUDY

This thesis consists of two main parts, each exploring a different aspect of Amuli's

career.

The first part deals with the life of Sayyid l;laydar Amuli and attempts to provide

an in-depth biography. In doing so it will also explore the times in which he lived. One

8 Sec 0. YnQya, introduction to J;Jn1ic al-Asrar, p. 44. citing from Amuli. al-Mu(1if ,1/-A clAl11 (Qum:
Khat.ana-yi Ki1ahkhana-yi Ayatollah al-Mar<ashl al-Najafl, 1969), vol. 2. p. 190.
9 CAhd al-Ra9man ihn AQmad al-Quds1 was one of the perfect curalii' (mystics) and saints (awliya-yi
ilah1) who lived in obscurity. hul Amuli found him to be more excellent in knowledge than other
<u/ama' (scholars). M. Khwajavi, introduction to Asr.ir a/-Shanca, p. xxix.

10 Ibid .. pp. xxiv-xxx.

11 Sec Amull, al-Muqadd.w11it min Kitab Na?? al-Nu?O?, ed. H. Corbin and O. YaQya (Tehran: lnstitut
Franco-lranicn, 1974), pp. 112-113 .

• 12 Sec appendix no. 13, and also O. Yal)ya. introduction to J11m;c al-Asr.ir, p. 45, citing Amuli, al-Mu/Ji!
al-A cµm, v. 2. p. 152.
 .,

• may distinguish three more or less distinct phases in Amuli's life: 1he lirst period,

when he began his studies in Amul and l~fahfm: the second period, when he changed

his mind and travelled from his homeland to Arabia and lra4: and the third period,

when he was as a great master, author and 'lirit: The latter phase is documented in thl'

licenses issued to him hy his masters, showing his high t..:vcl ol' piety and knowledge.

However, the main feature ol' this part is a description ol' the works ol' Sayyid

Amuli. He wrote over 30 hooks and treatises on different subjects: for instance, a

highly symbolic interpretation or the Qur'an in his work entitled ;J/.f\1u!1if ;i/-A '(.m11, 11

and commentaries on the works or lhn CArahi (d. 638/1240), Kh"f1ja Na~ir al-Din Tusl

(d. 672/1273), ~adr al-Din Qunawi (d. 627/1273), etc. 14

The second part of this thesis is entitled "An overview or the doctrine of Amuli."

Here I will discuss why Sayyid Amuli's thought is import:mt, what kind of work he

did, how he differed from Ibn CArabi (d. 638/1240), Qay~ari am! CAhd al-Razzii4

Kashani (d. 735/1335) and why, inasmuch as he was an 'lirit; a ,•·u// and a li1<tih, he

was so critical of his fellow ''urafli: ,5ufiyya (~ufis) and luqaha '.

As is well-known, certain conflicts existed between li.Jqaha: ~uns and 'um/ii'.

Sometimes ~ufis rejected shari'a law, while many !Uqaha 'considered some 'i1ralii 'to

be kafirs (unbelievers). l;laydar Amuli attempted to solve many problems in this

•
13 Khwajavl, in1roduc1ion to Asr.ir a/-Shan"a, p. xxxiv .

14 Ibid., p. xxxiv.
 10

• regard. To hcgin with, he put all the groups m the Shici community under one

umhrella.1.5

Likewise, according to Amuli, .\·hni'a, fariqa and J;aqiqa arc not different in origin

hut arc rather several aspects of one rcality. 16 In other words, we can say they arc in

fact three levels or stations of faith; thus, the people of J;aqiqa arc at a higher level than

the people of fariqa, and the people of fariqa arc at a hight0r level than the people of

sl1:1ri'l1. Amuli adds that the shari'a must he based on the intcllcct.1 7

For Amuli, the Roots of Religion ( U.,~iil a/-Din)IM as they arc understood hy Shill

thinkers may he explained in three ways:

I According to the people of sharica.

2 According to the people of fadqa.

3 According to the people of J;aqiqa.

As a result of these different understandings, it is no wonder that connicL~ arose

between the proponent.~ of each of them.

I will also explain the signilicancc of .A.muli's views about the doctrine of imiima,

concentrating on one a~pcct of his thought, that is, his uniquely mystical approach to

the problem of imiima. Amuli refers to the imiim using not only the Shill term but also

such terms a~ Jilqih, ,\·OJ/ and C;JrjJ: All of these seem to feature more or less the same

15 Sec Amuh. JamiCa/-Asror. pp. 4, 5. nos. 4. 5. 6.

1" Am uh. Asror al-Shan"a, p. 8.

•
17 Anmh. lnn"r Sc:crcts ofthe /':Jth. lrnns. A. ad-Dhaakir Ya1c (Loogncnd: Element Books, 1989), p. 9 .

IR Amuh. Asror a/-Shan<a, p. 68.

 II

• characteristics as the wor<l imiim l'rom the ShJ<I point of view. This fact raises a

numhcr of issues. For instance: What, in Amull's view, is the relation hctwccn these

terms an<l thc ShJ<I notion of imilmd! Do they really have the same meaning, although

employing <lil'fercnt approaches'! These arc the hask 4ucstions that this part of the

thesis will seek to answer.

In the course of my research I will also study other signilicant aspe<:ts ol' Amuli's

thought, such as his views on the relation hctwccn <;1q/(rcason) and s/wr''(divinc law) .

•
 12

• Part I: An Overview ofSayyidlJay_dar_L\mµ_lt~~-Life

This part inr.:ludcs two chapters, the first dealing with the background lo the life of

Amuli. The second chapter is wnccmed with some a.~pccls of his biography, education

and works, making rcll:rcncc lo many biographical sources and Sayyid l;laydar's own

aulobigraphy.

Chapter i.

Biography

I. I. Who wa.~ Amuli?

I. 2. Amuh's Era

I. 2. I. Geographical Background

I. 2. 2. The Shi"! and the ~ufi Positions

I. 2. 3. The Sarbidarid Movement

I. 2. 4. Amuli and Amul's Government

•
 I.I

• CHAPTER 1. BIOGRAPHY

The majority or the details regarding the hiography or Amuli, his search ror

knowledge, his teachers, his writings, and the date or his death arc recorded

inaccuratcly. This chapter represents an attempt to correct this situation.

1. 1. WllO WAS AMUL1'!

Sayyid I;Iaydar's genealogy may he seen in the l'ull t'orm ol' his name, which he

himself reports in his ta/sir entitled al-Mu/:Iit al-A '(.;un: "Ru kn al-Din ~laydar ihn al-

Sayyid Taj al-Din CAii Piid~hiih ibn al-Sayyid Rukn al-Din ~laydar ihn al-Sayyid Taj

al-Din CAJi Piidshiih ibn al-Sayyid Mul;iammad Amir ihn CAii Piid\'hiih ihn Ahi JaCl'ar

Mul;iammad ibn Zayd ibn Abi JaCfar Mul;iammad ihn al-Da'1 ihn Ahl .1acrar

Mul;iammad ibn Ibrahim ibn Mul;iammad ibn al-l;lusayn al-Kusajihn lhrahim ihn Sana'

Allah ibn Mul;iammad al-l;larun ibn I;Iamzat ibn CUbayd Allah al-A ''raj ihn al-~lusayn

al-A~ghar ibn al-/miim cAli ibn al-l;lusayn Zayn al-''Abidin ihn al-l;lusayn al-Sh;ihid

ibn Amir al-Mu 'minin CAii ibn Abi Talib cAl;iyhi ;il-Saliim (peace he upon him)." 19

Bio-bibliographers refer to Sayyid I;Iaydar Amuli by a variety of names, eleven

examples of which arc listed by al-Sayyid Mul;isin al-'Amin (d. 1371/1951);20 in

19 0. Yai).ya, i01roduc1ion 10 ffimjC a/-Asnir wa Manbac al-Anwar, p. 42, ciling 11/-Mu(uf 11/-A c7,1111 (Qum:
Ki1abkbana-yi Ayarnllah al-Mar"ashi al-Najafl), 2nd shelf, no. 1, serial no. 301, vol. 2, p. 190 A. For
more infonna1ion sec also al-Sayyid Mul)sin al-Musaw1 al-Tabnz1's inlroduction to Amuh's 'l'nl1·1r
a/-MulJ~t al-A "?am wa a/-BafJr al-Khat;lamm Ii Ta 'wJ/ Killib Allah a/-CAzlZ 11/-Mu(1ka111 (Tehran:
Mu'assasat al-Tiba<a wa al-Nashr, 1414/1993), as well as Mul)ammad Kh.ajav1's intruduclion lO
Asr.ir a/-Shari"a.
20 (!) al-Sayyid l;laydar ibn <AU ibn l;laydar ibn <Ali al-<Alaw1 al-1,lusaym al-Amuh al-Ma7imdaranl 11/-
$iifi al-Ma'hlf(known as) al-Amiili.

• (2) al-Sayyid l;laydar al-Amuli .

(3) al-Sayyid l)aydar al-Mazandarani.
 14

• a<l<lition to these, other hio-hihliographers refer to him hy six other names.21

CAh<lulliih al-Afan<li al-I~fahani (<l. 1137/1724) suggests the possihility that there is

confusion over this issue, stating: "sometimes the multiplicity of th1.:se names may b1.:

imagin1.:<l, hut in fact, all of them allude to th1.: sam1.: pcrson."22 But h1.: cautions us not

to confuse Sayyi<l l;lay<lar Amuli with th1.: Amuli who int1.:rpr1.:te<l lbn Sina's (<l.

(4) al-Sayyid IJaydar ihn CAii ihn IJaydar al-CAlnw1 al-1.fusayni.

(5) al-Sayyid l.faydar ihn l.laydar al-Amuh.
(6) 1.laydar ihn CAii al-ClJbaydll al-1.fusaynl al-Amull.
(7) al-Sayyid Rukn al-Dm 1,laydar ihn Taj al-Din CAii Badsilall ihn Rukn al-Din f;laydar CAlawi al-
1.fusaynl.
(8) al-Sayyid 1,laydar ihn CAii ibn l;laydar al-CAlawi al-~lusaynl al-Amoli al-ClJbaydli.
(9) nl-Sayyid IJaydar ihn CAfl ibn f;laydar al-cAlawl al-f;lusaynl al-Amuli.
(10) l.faydar ihn CAfl ibn l.faydar al-cAlawi al-f;lusaynl al-Amoli $#ib (the author oO al-Kasllklil fi
ma Jam "a/a Ali a/-R11s11/.
(II) l.faydar al-,~·un. al-Sayyid Mul)sin al-' Amin, A 'YM a/-Slli"a (Beirut: Dar al-Tacaruf Ii al-
Mathuca1, 1986), vol. 6, p. 271.
21 (12) al-Sayyid l.faydar ihn CAii ihn IJaydar ibn CAfl al-CAlawl aHlusayni al-CUbaydli al-Amo Ii al-
Ma7.andamnl 11l-$ufi. Sec CAbd al-Razi.aq al-Musawl al-Muqarmm. in1roduc1ion 10 al-Amuli, al-
K11sllku/ fi ma Jam "a/a It! a/-Rasu/(Bcirul: Mu'assasal al-Baliigh, 1987), p. 5.
(13) Baha' al-Din ~laydar ibn CAif ibn l:laydar al-CAlaw! al-l;lusayni. Sec ~amad Muwal)(lid, "Amuli"
/Ja 'imt al-Ma":irif-i Buzurg-i /s/3111, ed. 'Al-i Rashid. lbn Azmq (Tchmn: Markaz-i Da'im al-Macarif-
i Buzurg-i lslami, 1989), vol. 2, p. 214.
(14) l.faydar ihn cAll ibn l:laydar al-cAlawi al-l;lasanl al-Amuli. Sec Khayr al-Din al-Zirikli, al-f\ </;Jm
(Bcirul: Dar al-Cflm Ii al-Mala'ln, 1980). vol. 2, p. 290.
(15) l.faydar ibn CAii ihn ~laydar al-Amuli al-f;lusaynl al-•Ubaydi al-$1ifi. Sec Mul)ammad Mul)sin
Agha Bu1.urg al-Tihmni, Tabaqat A</;Jm al-SllJ"a, a/-1.faqii';q a/-R;illina n al-Mi'at al-171amina
(Bcirul: Dar al-Ki1ab al-•Ambi, 1975), p. 66.
(16) al-Sayyid l;laydar ibn •AU ibn l:laydar al-•Alawi al-l;lusaynl al-Amuli. Sec M. M. Agha Buzurg
al-Tihmnl. al-D!uut<a i/a Taµnif a/-Slli"a (Beirlll: Dar al-A\lwii', 1983), vol. 2. p. 72.
(17) Snyyid l.faydar ibn •Ali ihn l.faydar •Alawl l:fu.>ayni CUbaydi Amuli (known as) $1ifi. Sec
Mul)ammad 0 Ali Tabrtzl (Mudarris), RayfJiinat al-Adah fl Tanijim al-Ma"nlfin bi a/-Kunyat wa al-
Alqab (Tabrtz: Chapkhaoa-yi •llmi, 1967), vol. 3. p. 498.
(18) Sayyid 1.faydar ihn CAii CUbayd! al-~lusayni al-Amuli. Sec Qa\11 Sayyid Nor Alliih-i Shushtarl,

•
Majalisal-Mui11in1n(Tchmn: Ki1abfuroshl-yi lslamiyya, 1955), p. 51.
•Abdullah 'Afandi al-l~fahani, Riyacf a/-<Ufamii' wa 1.fiyiicf al-Fucfa/ii' (Qum: Ma1baca1 al-
22 Mii-1.a
Khayyan1, 1981). vol. 2. p. 219.
• 428/1037) ;1/-QiintJn. This Amflli is al-Shaykh Shams al-Din Muf:iammad ihn Maf:imfld

Amuli al-Farsi al-Sunni.2.1

The exact dales of the hirth and death of Shams al-Din Amuli, who was from ihc

same town as Sayyid l;laydar, arc unknown. Some of the remarks of Shams al-Din,

who lived in the eighth/fourteenth century, have hccn determined as coming

sometimes from a Shica and sometimes from a Sunni. A mcmhcr of the circle of

Sultan Muf:iammad Khudabanda24 in 716/1316, Shams al-Din was a master at the

Sul/iiniyya Madrasa in Adharbayijan. He is hcst known for his great cncyclopcdic

reference work, entitled Nafii 'is al-FuntJn,25 as well as the ahovcmcntioncd

commentary on QiintJn of Abfl CAii Sina and another on the medical cncyclopcdia of

Sharaf al-Din Iraqi.26

Shaykh Agha Buzurg Tihrani (d. 1389/1969) believes that there were more than

one Amuli "one of whom asked many fiqhi Uurisprudencc) and kaliimi (theological)

questions of Fakhr al-Muf:iaqqiqln al-l;lilli27 in 759/1357 and gathered them in a

23 Ibid .. vol. 2. pp. 218-219.

24 SuI1an Mu9ammad Khudabanda, known as lJijaytu, brother of SuI1an Mul)anmrnd Ciha"m Khan.

25 Sec Shams al-Din M. al-Amuli, Na/ii 'is a/-Funlin fi cAra 'is a/-Clfyun, ad. M. /\. Shatrmu (Tehmn:
Kitiibfurushi-yi lsliimiyya), 1337/1918.
26 Henry Corbin, History of Islamic P/Jilosophy, tmns. Liadain Shcrmd (New York: Islamic Publications
Limited, 1993), p. 277.
27 Fakhr al-Mu9aqqiqin was the son of <Allama l;lilli. lie was born in 681/1283, and passed away in
771/1369. He was one of the great jurists. Carl Brockclmann. Gcschichtc tier arabisc/Jcn J.ittcratur
(Leiden: E. J. Brill. 1938), vol. 2, p. 209. He completed some books of his father and he wrote scveml
of his own on liqh and kalam such as: a/-Fakhriyya fi Niyya. Sec al-Kamuri, I<ja,, l.fusayn, Kas/Jf al-

•
l;lujub wa al-Astar <an Asma' a/-Kutub wa al-Asliir. ed. M. Hidayat IJusayn (Calcutta: the Asiatic
Society of Bengal, 1935), p. 397, no. 2195. He also wrote cAqa'it! and f;imic a/-Fawa'it!. Cf. Carl
Brockelmann, Gesc/Jichte der arabisc/Jcn Litteratur. vol. 2, p. 209.
 16

• treatise entitled al-As //ii/ 11!-Amuliyy;i." 28 Aghii Buzurg adds that the author of al-

As/fat al-Amuliyya differs from Rukn al-Din, the author of Jawiibiil al-Masii'll al-

Muhannii/yy;/29 (written in 761/1359). He also asserts that he docs not agree with

'Afandi (d. 11:17/1724) who says that "all of them arc the same pcrson.30"31

To sum up, according to Aghii Buzurg, there arc at least four known scholars who

horc the name l;laydar:

I. al-Sayyid l;laydar ibn cAli the author of al-Kashkiil, a work completed in

735/1334.32

2. al-Sayyid l;laydar ibn CAii ibn l;laydar Amuli, the author of al-As/fat al-

'Amu/iyya in 759/1357; even though Tihrani claims that these two authors were

difli:rent, they nevertheless both lived in the same period. 33

3. al-Sayyid Rukn al-Din l;laydar ibn Sayyid al-SaCid Taj al-Din CAii Padishiih

ibn Sayyid al-SaCid Rukn al-Din l;laydar al-CAlawI al-.l;lusaynl, the author of Jawiibiit

al-Masii'il al-Muhannii'i;ya, written in 761/1359.

4. al-Sayyid l;laydar al-$iifi af.C/.rif, the author of several works; he lived a few

years after the second and the third individuals mentioned above.34

28 Agh'i Buzurg al-Tihn\ni. al-Dh.7Tl"a i/a Taeiinlfa/-Shica, vol. 2, p. 72.

29 Ibid., vol. 2. p. 73.
30 'Afand1 al-l~fahani, R1y;i(f a/-Cll/amii' wa {/iya</ al-Fu(fa/ii: vol. 2, pp. 218-219.
3I al-Tihninl, al-Dhar1ca i/;J Taeanlfa/-Shi"a, vol. 2, p. 73.
32 Ibid., vol. 2. p. 73, sec also O. Yal)ya. introduction to Jlimica/-Asr.iJ; (1969). p. 49.
33 al-Tihninl. al-Dhar1ca ilii T:ieiinlf a/-Shi"a. vol. 2, p. 72; see also 0. Yal)ya, introduction to flimic al-

• Asnir, p. 51.
34 al-Tihranl. al-Dhari"a ilii Tapnlfal-Shi"a. vol. 2, p. 73.
 17

• Agha Buzurg adds that there arc still others who horc this name, scholars or the

eighth century, who arc mcntiom:d in his l;laq1i 'iq al-R1ihim1,.1s

However, Agha Buzurg states in 1;!11q11 'iq 1il-R1ihina that, after the puhliclllion ol'

Sayyid l;laydar's works Jiimi" al-Asriir and Naqd 111-Nuqud, he changed his mind, and

came to believe that all of the abovcmentioned name~ refer to one person who was

both a ,s-ufiand a faqih. According to Agha Buzurg's new assessment, Sayyid l:laydar

was like Abii l;lamid Mut:iammad Ghazzali (d. 505/1111 ), who was a (111s/11vi

(literalist)36 and a Sunni in his youth, but who at the end of his life hccamc a

researcher, mystic, ,~ufi and mujtahid.37 Agha Buzurg also suggests that Sayyid

l;laydar was known by many forms of his name, and may have referred to himself

differently as his ideas developed, as can be seen from his works Kashkul, As i1at 11/-

Amuliyya and Na,s-,s- ai-Nu,s-u,s-.38

35 Ibid .• vol. 2. p. 73.

36 Jjashwiyya was a contemptuous tcnn for those among the n,,(wb ol-(uul11/i (men of tradition). who
recognised the coarsely anthropomorphic traditions as genuine. without criticism and even with a kind
of choice. and interpreted them correctly. Sec I!. Gibb. Kramers "al·l.Iashwtyn," .\1wrtcr
Encyclopaedia of/slam (London: Lu1.ac, 1961 ). p. 137.
37 al-Tihriinl, Jjaqli 'iq al-Rahinn. p. 68. Fay<_l-i Kasham, in the introduction to 11l-Mu(ulflit111l-/J11y1l11 'Ii
Ta/idhib al-J(lya 'says: "when Abu ~!amid wrote this book he was Sunni. hut at the end of his life he
n
became Shi<a. "Ghazzali himself states this in his book Sirr nl-CAlamoyr1 wn K11s/ifu 11111 nl-/J1m1yr1
(Beirut: Dar al-Kutub al-CJlmiyya, 1988), pp. 10-12, of which Ihn al-Jawzt al-1.Ianhalt says: "I am a
witness that this book is from Ghauilli," (nl-Tadlikir.r, p. 36). Sec al-Fay<.l al-Knshant, nl-Mu(1ajj11t 11/-
Bay(lli 'fi Tahdhtb al-l(lya: 2nd ed. (Qum: Daftar-i lntisharat-i Islaml, 1980), vol. l, p. 1. But as Watt
says, Ghazzali also wrote one or two smaller books on panicular points. How influential these were i•
difficult to say, but they doubtless contributed to the defeat of lsma<tlism. Although in his own
account of bis development Ghauilli speaks as if he began to study sufism only after rnmplcting his
studies of philosophy and Ismacilism, he had been in contact with sufis from an early age. l!e also
rcpons that Gbazzali gave himself up completely to extreme fonns of mysticism and abandoned both

•
canonical duties and Sunnite dogma. Montgomery, Watt, l<lnmic Phi/o.mpliy 111ul 171cology
(Edinburgh: University Press. 1979), pp. 119, 121, 122.
38 Agbii Buzurg al-Tibranl, Tabaqiit A Clfim al-Sh1"a, al-(laqac;q al-Rnliinn n al-Mia nl-1bnmina, p. 68.
 18

• I. 2. AMULI 's ERA

The events of thu yuars 719-787 /1319-1385, i.u. the period hutwcen the birth and

death of Amuli, should he considered in our discussion, for a knowledge of thu

geography and history of this period can help us to know Sayyid l;laydar Amuli better.

I. 2. I. Geographical Background

According to Lockhart:

In Muslim times Amul became an important industrial and trading

cunter. The great historian al-Tabari and the famous jurist Abii al-
Tayyib al-TabarI were born there. The anonymous author of the f;fudud
a/-CA/am (134, 135) described Amul a~ a great town and the capital of
Tabaristiin. It wa~ then very prosperous, and many merchants and
scholars resided there. It had a number of industries, and the
surrounding district produced large quantities of fruit of various kinds.
W riling at much the same time, Ibn l;lawqal stated that Amul was larger
than Qazwin.39
More than this, Amul wa~ located in the time of AmulI near the Jiidda Shahi

(Royal Road), and the later Jiidda Ahrisham (Silk Road) coming from China. 40 This

significant geographical location made the city an international trade ccntcr, and one

of the richest cities of Iran. The culture of this city was international in scope.

•
39 L. Lockhan, "Amul." p. 459 .
40 Sec V. G. Lukonin, "PoliJical, Social and Administration Institution: Tues and Trade," in Cambridge
llistory of/ran, vol. 3(2, ed. Ehsan Yarshatcr (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 1983), p. 739.
 t•>

• 1. 2. 2. The ShiCJ and the 1'tiifi Positions

During the Mongol and 'll-Khanid pcriods,41 Twclvcr Shill theology developed

into the form which was to become canonical. The two leading representatives or ShiCj

thought during this period were Khwiija Na~ir al-Din Tusi (d. 672/1274) and his

disciple CAlliima J:lilli (d. 726/1326), both or whom were religious scholars,

philosophers and jurists. 42

During this time of political instability in Iran, two /uric/US were the most

successful in attracting followers: the Kubruviyya in the cast and the Suhravardiyya in

the wcst.43

1. 2. 3. The Sarbidiirid Movement

Another ShiCi ~ufi movement was the Shaykhiyya-Juriyya silsilu in Khuriisiin,

which had an important political role since it was a.~sociatcd with the Sarbidarid

movement. The Shaykhiyya of Khuriisan were followers of Shaykh Khalifa (d.

736/1334). The latter was originally from Mazandaran, and wa.~ also a disciple or

Shaykh Balu Zlihid,44 cAla' al-Dawla Simnani (d. 736/1336)45 and Khwaja Uhiyiith

41 The 'llkhanid period began with Hulaku Khan (d. 663/1265) and ended with Sultan Ahu Sa<1d (d.
736/1335). See Ya<qub Azhand, Qly:Jm·i Shi9-yi Sarbid:ir.in (Tehran: Nashr·i Ciostari, 1985), p. 15.
42 A. Bausani, "Religion Under the Mongols," in Cambridge //istory of /nm, vol. 5, ed. J. A. Boyle
(Cambridge: Cambridge UniversityPrcss, 1968), p. 544.
43 Ibid., vol. 5, pp. 544, 545.

•
44 Azhand, Qlyiim-i Shi9-yi Sarbidiir.in, p. 73, citing l:lafi?- Abril, "Dhikr-i Khuruj·i Sarhidaran wa
lbtidayi l;luklimat wa Dawlat-i Anita." chap. in Jughr.iliya, manuscript, Kitabkhana-yi Malik. Tehran.
45 Bausani, "Religion Under the Mongols," in Cambridge History of Iran, vol. 5, p. 546.
 20

• al-Din Hihat Allah l;lamawi,46 with whom he seems to had certain disagreements .

Shaykh Khalifa founded a school of mysticism at Sahzivar in Khurasan.

Although, we know very little about the teachings of Shaykh Khalifa,47 one thing

we do know is that Sayyid CJzz al-Din Soghandi claimed to have received the khirqa

from him through his teacher Shaykh J:Ia~an JOri; the accounts of this event list

SOghandi's masters:

Sayyid C(zz al-Din SOghandi, Shaykh l;la~an JOri, Shaykh Khalifa, BalO
Zlihid Shaykh Shams al-Din Mu~ammad Mujarrad, Shaykh Fae)! Allah,
Shaykh Taj al-Din CAii, Shaykh Shams al-Din Kafi, Shaykh CJsa Thani,
Sayyid Shaykh Shams al-Din Mu~ammad $iddiq, Shaykh CJsa Kami!,
Shaykh Mu~ammac.l CJbad, Shaykh Adam Qudsi, Malik GhafOr Shaykh
Jamal al-Din Tayfor, Shaykh Bayazid Bastami, Imam .1acrar $adiq
l'Afayhi a/-Saliim.48
He wa~ eventually killed on the 22nd of Rabic a/-Awwa/ 736/1335, apparently

secretly murdered hy local Sunnis.49

Shaykh l;la~an Jori lived after Shaykh Khalifa. His movement wa~ more markedly

ShiCJ military than the others. The names of its adherents were never recorded in

writing, and these were advised "to keep themselves concealed or secret until the day

of the rising."50 The Sarbidarid movement, unlike the other fariqas, which were far

46 Azhand. Qtyam-i ShN-yi Sarbid;ir.in, p. 74, citing l;lafi?- Abril, "Dhikr-i Khurllj-i Sarbidaran wa
lbtidayi l,luktimat wa Dawlat-i Anha," in Jughr.iliyti, Manuscript.
47 For more information about him sec Azhand, Qiyam-i Shi9-yi Sarbidtir.in, pp. 76, 77.

48 Sayyid ~lr al-Din Mar"ashl, Tarikh-i Tabarist;Jn wa Ruyan wa Mazandar.in, ed. CAbbas-i Shayan
(fchmn: Chapkhana-yi Firdavsl, l333s.). p. 243, see also Azhand, Qiyan1-i ShN-yi Sarbid;ir.iJJ, p.
269.
49 Bausani, "Religion Under the Mongols." 7be Cambridge History of Iran, vol. 5, p. 546, and also
Al.hand, Qiyam-i ShN-yi Sarbidtinin, pp. 75, 76, citing l;lafii Abril, "Dhikr-i Khurllj-i Sarbidaran wa

•
lbtidliyi l,Iukilmat wa Dawlat-i Anha," chap. in Jughr.iliya, Manuscript .
50 Azhand, Qty4m-i ShN-yi SarbidJirJn, p. 78, sec also A. Bausani, "Religion Under the Mongols," The
Cambridge History of/ran, vol. 5, p. 547.
 :.?I

• more peaceful in their manner towards the ruling powers, had all the characteristics or

soci~.I rebellion. It would appear that l;lasan .Juri was in !'act or peasant origin.SI

The dominance or ShiCa thought, the spread or sonsm and the revolution or

Sarbidii.rid, more particularly the movement led by Shaykh tlasan .JOri, were

considerable issues at the time or Sayyid l;laydar Amuli. However, Shaykh l;lasan .JOri

was injured during the war of Ziiva between the Al-i Kurt52 and Sarbidarid, and died

shortly afterwards on the !6th of ,S'a/izr743/1342.53

Even after the death of l;lasan Juri, his ftll'iqa attracted a large number or new

supporters in Nishiipur, Tus, Khabushan, Abivard, and so on. Many of these supports

were connected militarily with the Sarbidiirids and helped to establish the so-called

'ShiCi Republic' of Sabzivar.54 The Juriyya movement thercli.ire did not end, but only

become more entrenched with the death of Shaykh l;la~an.55 The uprising of

Sarbidiirid between the years 736-784/1335-1401, which featured the MarCashiyyan

movement in Mazandariin, is an obvious proof of this (sec figure I).

51 Bausani, "Religion Under the Mongols," 'fl1t: Cambridge llistory of /nm. vol. 5, pp. 546, 547.
52 This dynasty was funded in Harat and lasted from 643/1245 until 788/1386; its memhers were Sunnite.
Malik Mu<izz al-Din l;lusayn, the seventh king, attacked Sarbidarid forces at Zava in 788/1386, and
was victorious. Azhand, Qiyam-i SbiCf-yi SarbidlirJn, p. 32.
53 Azhand, Qiyam-i ShJCf-yi Sarbid.7nin, p. 267, citing Amir Dawlatshah ibn <Ala' al-Dawla Bakhushah
al-Ghazi al-Samarqandi, Tad/Jkirat al-Sbu"ant' (Tehran: n. p.. 1338s.), p. 210. However, Bausani
states that he was arrested in about the year 739/1338. Sec "Religion Under the Mongols," 171c
Cambridge History ofIran, vol. 5, p. 547.

•
54 A. Bausani, "Religion Undcrthe Moogols." 171e Cambridge llistory 1•flran, vol. 5, p. 547 .

55 Azliand, Qiyam-i Sh!Cf-yi Sarbidlinin, p. 267.

 22

•
The Last Oiviim of
Shi'i
Sarbidarid
784/1401
........................ Qiyiim
l~fahanagainst
.•.••.••....••.•.•......• Taymur-i
Qiyiim Gurkan
P11h/ivli11 787/1386
Asad
Kirman :
775-76/1373-74 : ......
........................

Qiyiim
(movement)
Sarbidarid Qiyiim
Samarqand Al-i Kiya-yi
766/13364 Giliin

Qiyiim
(movement)
..····· Mar"ashiyli11
Mazandaran
762/1360

~~~~~-'-~~~~~
·······················
Bcgining of Qiyiim
Shr:J Sarbidiirid
736/1335

Figure I.

'Inc Qiyam (movement) of Sarbidarid56

• 56 Ibid .• pp. 219-243.

• l;lasan Jiiri had granted the title of Shaykh to c1zz al-Din Silghamli, the father of

Qavam al-Din, upon his return from Sahzivf1r to Miizamlariin. Qavf1m al-Din

succeeded his father as head of the hraneh of the Mazandarfmi ,1:mi1:1: thus Qavam al-

Din founded a miniature Shi"a state at Amul and heettme the head of a mass

movement in about the middle of the century. Qaviim al-Din's Clinfratemity is

described in the sources as a hranch of the Shaykhiyya-.Jiiriyya order. The Mar'-'ashis

for their part were a family of Sayyids descended from Imam CAii ihn al-l;Iusayn /.ayn

al-CAbidin (d. 92nl 1)57 (peace be upon him).58

There were, at the time of Sayyid l;laydar and under the reign of the

MarCashiyyiin, two schools of Islamic thought, i.e. Sunni, for the most part represented

by the noble families, and ShiCj, whose adherenL~ were young and revolutionary.

However, ShiCj thought was dominant, and had a history stretching hack a hundred

years.59 Amul, at that time wa~ one of the few cities in Iran with a deep Shill

background. 60

57 Imam Zayn a/.CAbidln was the founh Imam of the Sh1<a, and was the second son of the third Imam
(J:lusayn ibn <Ali ibn Abi Talib). lie was born on Tuesday, on the 5th of S/111C/Jan, 38 A.II. in Matlinat
al-Nabl This great Imam was manyred by l,lisham ibn <Abd al-Malik on the 25th of Mu/111mJ111, 95
A.H. He was buried in the graveyard of Baqt~ in Madina, beside the grave of Imam l,lasan (peace he
upon him). For more information about him sec Kulaym's book, al-Kali; ,1/-ll,<tJ/ w:i :1/-R11w(la
(Tehran: Manshurat al-Maktabat al-Islamiyya. 1962). Kitab al-1,lujja, passim.
58 A. Bausani, "Religion Under the Mongols," 7hc Cambridge l!islory ofIran, vol. 5, p. 547.
59 Azhand, Qtyam-i Sh/Cl-yi Sarbid:ir.in, pp. 254, 292.

• 60 Sec Maniichehr Muna<)awi, Masa 'il-i CA~r-i ///ch;;niln (rabnz: lntisharat-i Danishgah, 1358/1980), pp.
230-31, and also Azhand, Qiylim-i ShiC/-yi Sarbidilr.in, p. 292.
 24

• I. 2. 4. Amu/i and Amul'.1· Govcmmcnt

Amuli had a good relationship with the Biiwandi dyna~ty, one of the most famous

families of Miizandariin, and the rulers of Tabarisliin for seven centuries, 46-750/666-

l:l49/•I This dynasty was a continuation of the Sasiini Kingdom of Iran. Of the

family's three branches, the one known as Kinkhwiiriyyiin held power in Amul during

the years 635-750/1237-1349. The forefather of this branch was f:lusiim al-Dawla

Arda~hir ihn Klnkh wiir. 62

The eighth successor of f:lusiim al-Dawla Arda~hir and the ultimate representative

ol' this dyna~ty wa~ Fakhr al-Dawla f:la~an ibn Shiih Kaykhusraw ibn Yazdagird who

governed for sixteen years from 734-750/1334-1349, 63 and who invited Sayyid

f:laydar Amuli to join him al his court; later on Sayyid f:laydar becam•~ his prime

minister.M

Al some point in Amuli's youth (perhaps in his fourteenth year), Fakhr al-Dawla

succeeded his brother Shraf al-Muliik ibn Shiih Kaykhusraw,65 who had governed with

61 II. Corbin, "Sayyid l,laydar Amoli," Bibliothcque lr.micnc (Tehran: lnstitut Franfais de Rcchcrchc en
Iran, 1989). vol. 16. p. 13.
6 2 Corbin, intmducliun to Jamie al-Asr.ir (fchran: Shirkat·i lntishar.lt·i cnmi va Farhangi, er Institut
Franco-lranicn. I 368s./l 989), p. 19.
63 Ya"qirb A1.hand, Qiy:im·i Shi"t-yi Sarbidanin, p. 247, and also H. Corbin, Bibliothcque Jranicne, vul.
16. p. 13.
64 11. Corbin. introduction to J;unic al-Asnir. (1368s./1989), p. 19; sec also: E. Kohlbcrg. "Amoli."

•
Encyclopaedia /r.wica(London: Routledge & Kcgan Paul. 1982). vol. 1. p. 983 .
65 Sec Corbin. Bibliotheque lranicne, vol. 16. p. 13. and also Azhand. Qiy:im-i Shi9·yi Subitkir.in, p.
247.
• great success for six years until he was killed in 750/134S·.66 For more infommtion

about Kinkhwiiriyya Al-i Bavand sec ligurc 2.

The kingdom of Kinkhwiiriyya Al-i Biivand

Names Rcig.m·

l. l;lusiim al-Dawla Ard:ishir ibn Kinkhwiir 635/1237 647/1249

2. Shams al-Muliik Mut:iammad ibn Arda~hir 647/1249 665/1266

3. CAla' al-Dawla CAii ibn Arda~hir 665/1266 670/1271

4. Taj al-Dawla Yazdagird ibn Shahriyar 670/1271 698/1298

5. N~ir al-Dawla Shahriyar ibn Yazdagird 698/1298 714/1314

6. Rukn al-Dawla Kaykhusraw ibn Yazdagird

- 714/1314 728/1327

7. Sharaf al-Muliik ibn Kaykhusraw 728/1327 ""' 734/1333

8. Fakhr al-Dawla l;lasan ibn Kaykhusraw 734/1333 ""' 750/1349

Figure 2.

See Sayyid 7,:ahir al-Din Mar"ashl. Tarik/1-i ?"abaristan wa Ruyan wa Manuulanm. pp. 193;

and also Ya0 qub Azhand. Qiylim-i Shi'l-yi Sarbidanm, p. 247.

66 Sayyid 7,:ahir al-Din Mar"ashl believes that Fakhr al-Dawla was kilJL-d by sons of Kiya Afr•siyab (CAii

•
and Mul)ammad) on the 27th of Mu/;Janam, 750/1349, Tarikh-i ?"abaristan wa Ruyan wa Ma;,.andanJn,
pp. 191, 192; sec also Corbin. introduction to Jamie al-Asrilr (1368s./1989). pp. 19. 20; Al.hand.
Qlyam-i Shi"I Sarbec/Jinin, p. 291.
 26

• When Fakhr al-Dawla in his tum died and Isfandiyar established his dynasty in

Mazandaran, Sayyid l;laydar left Amul for Iraq. However, one might conclude that

Amuli had ahandoned his town before the death of Fakhr al-Dawla.67

To conclude our point about the relationship between Sayyid l;laydar A.mull and

the Sarbidarid movement, while it is true that we have little information, nevertheless

one can deduce from the historical explanations of that time two things worth

mentioning;

The lirst is that Tugha TaymOr Khan,6K the enemy of Sarbidarid, wa~ protected

aficr the battle of Zava by Fakhr al-Dawla,69 who, in his tum, wa~ praised by Amu!I

even some thirty years later.70 One may conclude from Fakhr al-Dawla's protection of

Tugha Taymor Khan, who had a long enmity with Sarbidlirids,71 and the positive

attitute of Sayyid l;laydar toward Fakhr al-Dawla, that a kind of disagreement existed

between Amull and the Sarbidarids.

The second is that when Kiya Afrasiyab became a pupil of Sayyid Qaviim, he

invited Fakhr al-Dawla to become one of the followers of the latter as well, but Fakhr

al-Dawla rcfused.72 More than this, we know Sayyid l;layar himself was familiar with

67 Corbin. Bibliodwqu<' /n111icnc, vol. 16. p. 14.

68 'j'ugha Taymur was one of the grandson of Chengiz Khan's brother, Juji Qasar. he seulcd in Khurasan
in 705/1305. Azhand. Q1ya111-i ShN-yi Sarbid;Jr;Jn, p. 34.
69 A1J1and, Q1ya111-i SllN-yi SarbidlirJn, pp. 154, 155, citing Sayyid 7,ahir al-Din Mar"ashi. Tlirikh-i
li1b.1ristiln '"' Ruym1 ,.,. Maundar.111, p. 105.
7o·111is was in 781/1379. when Sayyid I,laydar was sixty-three years old, as he states in his
amobiography. Sec AmuU. a/-Muqaddamat min Kitab Na$$ a/-Nu$li$, p. 535, no. 1122.
71 Ai.hand, Q1ym1-i ShNcy; Sarbcd;Jr;Jn, p. 154.

• 12 Ibid., p. 250, citing Sayyid ?.ahlr al-Din Mar"ashl, Tarikb-i Tabaristm wa R/Jym wa Ma?.andanin, p.
267.
• political issues because he al times served as prime minister (sec hclow). Nevertheless,

it is more than likely that Amuli did not become involved as a supporter of the

Sarbidarid movement but instead tried lo hring all Shill and also Sunni brothers umlcr

one roof as we shall sec below.

Furthermore, Shicism and Sulism were the two intellectual trends with which

Amuli was most concerned. He was inllucnccd hy both these systems of thought, and

thus set out to resolve the duality of Shiqsm and Sulism. The taller interest led Amuli

to his later theory regarding the relation between shari":1, /ariqa, and J:mqiqu. We will

explain this theory al some length in the coming sections of this thcsis.7.l

• 73 Sec the second chapter of this thesis.

•

Chapter 2.

The Life of Sayyid I:Iaydar A.mull

2.1. The f'irst period

2. 2. The Second Period, Spiritual Life

2. 2. I. Amuli's Masters in the Second Period

2. 2. 2. Amuli's Licenses From His Masters

2. 2. 2. I. Educational /jazilt (Licenses)

2. 2. 2. 2. Spiritual /jazilt (such as Dhikrand Khirqa)

2. 3. The third Period, Amuli's Works

2. 3. I. Amuli's Books and Treatises

2. 3. 2. Books and Treatises Attributed to Amuli

2. 3. 3. lstinsilkh:lt (Transcripts)

•
• CHAPTER 2. THE LIFE OF SA YYID UAYDAR AMUL1

Sayyid l~aydar was born in A.mu!, but the exact date of his hirth is uncertain.

However, one may assert that Amuli was born in 719/1319,74 as he himself says at the

end of al-Muqaddamiit min Kitiib Na,~,~ al-Nu,,.ii,,.:75 "I have completed this commentary

in 782/1380 while at the age of sixty three years."76

There is also uncertainty over the date of his death, which must have occurred in

any case after 787 /1385, because the latest work known to have heen written hy him

was completed in 787 /1385,77 as he likewise mentions in Ri.1·ii/at /"i "Uliim ul-''Aliyu.7K

The life of Sayyid J:laydar may be divided into three periods:

-The first period (the Iranian period) represents the time when he was a student in

Iran and when he held a government post under the Bavandi dynasty.

-The second period (the first Iraqi period) covers the time when he began to

change his views and decided to emigrate to Iraq.

-The third period (the second Iraqi period) is when Sayyid l;laydar heeame a great

master in Iraq. It was during this time that he wrote most of his works.

74 According 10 Corbin, Amuli was born in (720/1320): sec Corbin. llislory of /slm11k' Philosophy. p.
334.
n
75 Sayyid l;laydar Amuli. al-Muqaddamlil mi11 Kitlib Naee al-Nueue Sharfl-i Fueu,r 111-(/ikam li-Mu(1yt
al-Din ibn al-CArabi, ed. Othman Ya\lya and H. Corbin (Tehran: lnslilul l'ranco-lranicn, 1974). 'Ibis
book is a commcmary on lhc Fueue al-1;/ikam by al-Shaykh al-Akbar Mul.1y1 al-Dm ihn cArah1 (d.
638/t240). For more information sec work no. 22 in lhc lisl of Amull's writings included below in lhis
chapter of lhe thesis.
76 l;laydar Amuli, al-Muqaddamlit min Kimb Naei al-Nueue. p. 537.

• 77 H. Corbin, History ofIslamic Philosophy, p. 334.

78 Khwajavl, in1roduc1ion 10 Asnlr al-Shari"a, p. 26.
 30

• Muf:i~t
2. I. TllH PIRST l'l!RIOD

As Sayyid J:laydar Amuli explains in his interpretation of the Qur'an entitled al-

al-A cr,am, and as well in his al-Muqaddamiit min Kitiib Na,s,s al-Nu,sii~ and

Jiimic al-Asriir, his education from the time of his childhood to the age of thirty or

thereabouL~ consisted in studying the religion of his forefathers, the ma~siimin

(infallible ones).79

In search of knowledge, so Amuli pursued some of these studies in the city of

Amul, and the rest in such places in Iran as Khurasiin, Astar Abad, and I~fahan. 8 1

These studies lasted for twenty years and eventually took him to I~fahiin, whence he

returned to Am u I.82

At this time, Fakhr al-Dawla invited Arnuli to take up duties in his service, and he

subsequently rose to a position of great rank (that of prime minister) in his

government. Under the reign of Fakhr al-Dawla and his brother (Jaliil al-Din), Amuli

came to live a life of honor and luxury for some years. 83 Finally, "a light of God"

illuminated his heart and changed his way ofthinking.84

79 Othman Yal)ya. introduction to Jamie al·Asr.ir wa Manbac a/-Anw:il; p. 42. citing from al-Muf.il! a/-
A cf.Jl/11, A., vol. 2, p. 190.
80 Sec facsimile no. 4 in the appendix to this thesis. It consists of an autobiography of Sayyid l;laydar
Amull inscribed at the end of the first introduction to al-Muf.il! al-A "µ.m.
81 0. Yal)ya, introduction to Jamie al-Asr.ir wa Manbac a/-Anw;;r, p. 42, citing al-Muf.ii! al-A "µ.m, A.,
vol. 2. p. 190; sec also appendix, no. 4.
82 Sec appendix, no. 4, and Kh•ajavi, introductio!I to Asr.ir a/-Sbari"a, p. xxi.
83 Yal)yii, introduction to J:imic al-Asr.ir wa Manbac a/-Anw:ir, p. 43, citing a/-Muf.il! al-A "µ.m, A., vol.

•
2, p. 190. Sec also Amuli, al-Muqaddamiit min Kitiib Na$$ a!-Nu$1i$, p. 535 .
84 See appendix, no. 4, and see also 0. Yal)ya's introduction to Jlimic al-Asriir, pp. 42-43, citing from
Amull, 1/-Mu(llf al-A "?.J1111, A .. vol. 2, p. 190.
 .ll

• As he himself states, he no longer wished to keep the company of p;ic/ish1ihiin

(kings), nor to continue living in his own homeland or place of birth. Thus, il became

clear to him that he was following a way of carelessness, ignorance, and was falling

into oblivion and far from the straight path; it became manifest lo him lhal he was

treading the path of error, close to the precipice of crime and sin. It was at this moment

that he started to pray to the Lord from deep within himself. He implored God lo free

him from these troubles; all his desire was to leave this world and its pleasures. It

seemed to him that the best thing to do was to abandon them completely ;w.cl go85

where he could fullill those duties essential for one who would live a fully developed

life in God and give attention to his Lord Whose divine unity is of the highest order. 86

2. 2. THE SECOND PERIOD, SPIRITUAL LIFE

In 749/1348, at the age of thirty, Sayyid l;laydar underwent a profound spiritual

crisis. He broke with all worldly ambitions87 and a~ a consequence of this, left his

home and went to settle in the ShiCJ holy places in Iraq.88 As he put it, he changed his

clothes and wore the most valuable clothes that he could find; their price wa~ less than

one diniir. 89

85 One may think that Amuli was trying to follow the counsel of the 24th verse of Sunit 11/-Tawba "Say lo
Mul)ammadJ: If your fathers and your sons and your brethren and your mates and your kinsfolk and
property which you have acquired, and the stackness of trade which you fear and dwellings which you
like, are dearer to you than Allah and His Apostle [Messenger! and striving in llis way, then wait till
Allah brings about His command; and Allah docs not guide the transgressing people."
86 See appendix, no. 4; see also Khwajavl, introduction to Asnir a/-Shan"a, p. xxii.
'if1 See appendix, no. 4; see also Corbin, History of/slamic Philosophy, p. 334.

• 88 Corbin, History of/s/amic Philosophy, p. 334.

89 See appendix, no. 4.
 32

• However he set out via Khuriisan,90 Rayy, Qazvin and I~fahiin

countries with the intention of going as pilgrim to such holy places and cities as Bayt

Alliih al-f;lariim (the Sacred House of God),91 Bayt al-Muqaddas (Jerusalem),92 and
to travel to other

the shrines of his forefathers and the A lmmat al-ma~5iimin (infallible lmiims).93

When he reached I~fahiin he met Nor al-Din TihranI94 and went to stay with him

in the village of Tihran95 for about one month, at the end of which he received the al-

khirqa al-,5iiriyya ("formal" cloak, i.e. the cloak symbolic of a $ufimaster's approval

of his studcnt)96 and the al-dhikr al-khii~~ of Allah (special remembrance) from his

tcacher.97 As Amu!I himself reports, even though his stay with him was very short,

nevertheless he believes that he derived benefit even from performing the ~u/;lba with

his ma~ter.98

90 I). Amuli. al-Muqaddamat min Kitab ND$$ a/-NU$0$. p. 535, no. 1122.

91 Ibid., p. 535, no. 1122.

92 Sec appendix, no. 4, and 0. Yal)ya's introduction to JiimiCa/-Asnir, p. 44.
93 Sec appendix, no. 4, and also Khwajavi, introduction to Asniral-Shari"a, p. niiii.
94 According to Sayyid l)aydar. Nitr al-Din Tihrani was a famous mystic (Clirif) and an ascetic such that
all of the people, both the elite and common, accepted him and become his disciples (murid). Sec
Amuli's autobiographical essay in the appendix, no. 4, as well as 0. Yal)ya's introduction to Jiimic al-
Asnlr, p. xxiii.
95 Tihrnn -not to be confused with the name of the present-day capital city of Iran- is a village located in
the west of the province of l~fahiin, near Damn. which is commonly called today Tiriin. Sayyid
~laydar mentions that Tihran was a village on the way to !~Cahan in the region of Dardasbt which is
pronounced by common people as Tiran. but that originally it was known as Tihriin. See appendix,
no. 4. And 0. Yal)ya, introduction to Jamie a/-AsriiJ; p. 44. citing Amuli, al-Mu/Ji! al-A "pm, A .. vol.
2, p. 190.
96 The tcmt "khirqa al-~uriyya" is not commonly used in Sufism; Amuli coined the phrase to introduce a
more complete definition of the term khirqa. See below our discussion of Amuli's interpretation of it
in section "2. 2. 2. 2. Spiritual ijiizaf. Sec also Amuli, JamiCa/-Asnir, pp. 227-231.
97 Sec appendix, no. 4. and also Khwajavi, introduction to Asr.ir al-Shari"a, p. niii. Dhikr al-KhA$$ is to

• be distinguished from the dhikr a/.CAmm (general remembrance). a more common benediction.
98 Sec appendix, no. 4.
 .IJ

• After this he went on from l~fahiin to Dihistiin and the town of Tdhaj (also known

as Mai Amir);99 while there, he made the acquaintance of another man who was one

of the perfect "uralii' (mystics).100 He spent some days waiting for the caravan that

was bound for Baghdad, but the caravan never materialized. On account of this and a

sudden illness he decided to return to l~fahiin again.101

Amuli eventually reached Baghdad and from there went on 7.iyiirat ul-M11sh1ihid

al-Muqaddasa (a visit to the tombs) of Imam Amir al-Mu'minlr. CAii (p.), the Imams

.l;lusayn, Musa and Jawadl02 and the Imams of Samarra' (or Surra man Ra'ay, i.e.

Imams Hiidi and CAskari p.). He spend a whole year in visiting these holy places.IOJ

Afterwards, he finally completed a pilgrimage to the Kaaba, alone this time; he

explains in his al-Muqaddamiit min Kitiib Na,5,5 a/-Nu~ll,5 that this was the course or his

own sayr a/-ma"nawi(spiritual journey), and that since Allah commanded him to give

up everything other than Him and to concentrate his heart on feelings or divine

inspiration, he chose the noblest and sublimest localities on earth as his place of

worship and residence. Thus it was that he set out for Mecca.I°" Amuli states that it

99 Jdhaj or Miil-Amir is a town in western Iran, situaled on a tribu1ary of lhe upper reaches of the Karon
river, in southern Luristan. In medieval limes it was reckoned 10 be part of the province of Khlll.i•lan.
According to geographers this city is in the garmsir (hot wnc), hut the nearby mountains give it a
pleasant and healthy climate. The winter snow from these mountains was gathered and exported from
ldhaj to the torrid, low-lying parts of Ahwal.. See C. E. Bosworth, "Idhadj" 111c Encyc/opcdia of
Islam, New Edition(London: E. J. Brill, 1994), vol. 3, p. 1015.
100 We do not know who be was except that he was one of the masters of AmuU. The sourc~-s provide no
funber information about him. Perhaps be is Mul)ammad ibn Abi Bakr Simnani'I (See here pp. 47, 48,
49)
IOI See appendix, no. 4.
102 Imam Jawad al-A'imma was the ninth Imam of Shi"a Islam.

• 103 See appendix, no. 4, and Kh.ajavi. introduction to Asnira/-Shanca, p. 14.

1041;1. Amuli, al-Muqaddamiit min Kitiib Na$i al-Nu~ii~. p. 534.
 34

• would be impossible to contain in a whole set of books the trials and hardships, the toil

and misfortunes that he underwent on the journey from

eities.105
I~fahan to that holiest of

Despite all these problems, however, as he says, the words of Allah were always

on his tongue a~ he wa~ reciting:

... and whoever goes forth from his house, flying to Allah and His
Apostle, and then [before he reaches his destination] death overtakes
him, his reward is indeed with Allah; and Allah is Forgiving,
McrcifuJ. ICl6
Why docs Sayyid l:Iaydar quote this verse of the Qur'an? One may explain it in

two ways: the first in an esoteric sense, in that Sayyid l:Iaydar having changed his

beliefs and having left his property, became like a dead person without any worldly

attachment, and was thus going toward Allah and His Prophet; 107 the second in an

exoterie way, in that he left his home (Amul, Iran) and wa~ going toward the Sacred

House of God and the shrine of his Prophet.

He also repeats the line of that Gnostic lover 108 of the Truth:

I have left all creation for the sake of Your satisfaction.

I have abandoned my own sons as orphans in order to 'see' You.

Thus even if You cut me into pieces,

IOS 1.1. Amuli, al-Muqaddamiit min Kitiib Na~~ al-Nu~ii~. p. 535; see also 0. Yal)ya, introduc1ion 10 Jiimic
al-Asr.ir, p. 11, and Kh"ajavl, introduction to Asriira/-Shart'il, p. 17.
106 l/o/y Qur 'an, Siirat al-Nisa : verse I 00.
l07 a/-Mawt can mean struggle with the soul. See CAbd al-R321.iiq al-Qasbani, Dictionary of the

•
Technical Tem1s ofthe $11Ds (Calcutta: Asiatic Society of Bengal, 1845), p. 70, no. 235, and also for
more infom1ation sec pp. 71to74 of the same work .
!OS Sayyid l.laydar docs not refer to this poet by name.
 .II

• my heart would be still longing for no one hut You.1oo

This was his state when Amuli was 30 years ok!l IO and newly arrived in Mecca (in

751/1350) to complete the obligatory pilgrimage, together with 11/-limll{I (necessary

rites) and al-nawiilil (supererogatory rites). He conceived the desire and intention to

stay forever in the proximity of that illustrious house. However, it was not long hel'nrc

there arose within him the desire lo live in the city of M11din11t 11/-N11h1~ 111

It was for this reason that he set out for this city, where he visited the tomh of the

Messenger of Allah (peace be upon him) and conceived the intention of staying there.

However, he was forced to leave Medina due lo ill health, and appears to have spent

the rest of his life in Iraq, where he took up residence in the familiar surroundings of

Najaf.112

While in Najaf, Amuli says that he was constantly occupied with religious

exercises, pious seclusion and acts of worship of a severity and an intensity which he

had never achieved before. By this means, and throughout this period, realities, gnosis,

meanings and truths flowed into his heart from the direction of Allah and f:l11{111riitihi

al-Ghaybiyya (the unseen Imams). It would be impossible to reckon these things for

109 Amuli, a/-Muqaddamlit min Kitab Na,<$ al-Nu$1i$, p. 535, no. 1123; sec also 0. Ya~ya. inlrrnluction to
J11111ical-Asnir, p. II, and Khwajavl, introduction to Asroral-Shan't1, p. 18.
110 Aglla Buzurg al-Tihriinl, Tabaqat A c111111 al-Shtca, al-{laqa lq al-Ra/Jina n al-Mi'at 111-17mrni11n, p. 67,
citing Amull's Mu/.11/ al-Ac.I am.
111 Amull, al-Muqaddarnat min Ki1ab NB$$ al-Nu$ii$, p. 536, no. 1124.

• 112 Ibid. p. 536, no. 1124; sec also Yal}ya, introduction to J11111;c al-Asrar. p. 12, and Khwajavl,
introduction to Asrar a/-Sluui"a, p. I 8.
 36

• they arc divine utterances and as such cannot be contained within clearly defined

limiL~.113 Thus Allah commanded some of them to appear to His special slave,114

Finally, Sayyid l;laydar started to write some of his works during this period, such

as Jiimi" al-Asriir wa Manha" al-Anwiir and so on. As he himself mentions, he

completed forty treatises and books in both the Arabic and Persian languages.115

Having settled in Najaf, where he lived for over thirty years, AmulI pursued his

education, concentrating his efforts on the spiritual journey and -according to his al-

Muqaddamiit min Kitiib Na,1·,y al-Nu,~u,~- he arrived at many of the deepest spiritual

truths.116

According to Sayyid l;laydar, just a~ lbn CArabi commemorated Mecca as the

cause of a/-fa/.fi (the spiritual victory)ll7 in his al-Futii/;Jiit a/-Makkiyya, and similarly

113 'Ibis poim is cited in the Qur'an: "... and If you count Allah's favors, you will not be able to number
them ... " Suro/ /br.i/Jfm, :iya 34.
114 AmuU, al-Muqaddamat min Kit.1b Na,,, al-Nu,o,, p. 536. no. 1125.
115 Ibid., p. 536, no. 1125.
116 Sec Amuli. al-Muqaddamat min Kitab Na,. al-Nu,o,, under the second pan of wilaya of Shaykh
Mu~yt al-Din ihn <Arab1, ed. II. Corbin and O. Y~yii (Tehran: Institut Franco-Iranicn. 1974), pp.
112-113.
117 Jn the tcmtinology of Cfrliin, al-fatfJ (spiritual victory) has three aspects:
• al-F.11/.1 al-Qartb. (the door of the bean opens at this level); this term is taken from verse 13 of siirot,
al-,~'aff; "na,ron mir1al/;J/J wa fat/Jun qartb, " "help from Allah and victory arc near at hand." The Holy
Qur'arr. Sec <Abd al-Rau.liq al-Qashani, Dictionary oft/Jc Tcc/Jnical Temrs of the $iifis, p. 129, no.
407.
• al-Fatl,1 al-Mubtn. (at this level. he who is in the path of God receives the name and attributes of
llim and also he is in wal:iya station). is obtained from verse I of Siirot al-Fat(r: "lnna liltterltnii lake
181/.lan Mublna •"Surely We have given to you a clear victory.• The Holy Qur'arr. See al-Qashiini,
Diction:uy ofthe Technical Tcm1s ofthe $ii0. p. 129, no. 408.
• al-Fatl,1 al-Futu/.J or al-Fatl,1 al-Mu/laq, (where men become possessors of waliiya and also receive the
a
essence of God), is based on the first verse of Siirat al-Naµ-: "ldhii jfl na•roll:ih-i wa al-Fatl,1,"

•
"Where !here comes the help of Allah and the vic1ory." 'lbe Holy Qur'arr. al-Qashiinl, Dictionary of
the Technical Tcmrs of the $ii0. pp. 129, 130. no. 409, for more information see also Riil}ullah
Khumaynl. Chihil l,ladith (Tehrnn: Markaz-i Nashr-i Farhangl-i Raja', 1368s). pp. 291, 292, 293.
 .17

• Medina in his al-Futuf;uit ul-Madaniyya, so did he, Sayyid l;laydar, regard Najar, the

city containing the holy shrine of CAii ihn Abi!alih, as the cause or the unseen victories

in his heart, prompting him to entitle his work dcscrihing these developments as :1/-

FutufJiit al-Ghaybiyya.118

2. 2. J. Amuli'.~ Masters in the Second Period

As Amuli asserts, the first period of his life was spent in Iran (Amul and l~fohan).

According to Ayatull:lh al-MarCashi al-Najall (d. 1411/1990)11 9 in his notes on al-

MufJi! al-A c?am, Amuli studied during this time under his father and some of the other

Cufamii' of Amul and I~fahan.120 However, since he himself' docs not provide much

information about his education in this periou, no details have emerged ahout what

books he studied or who his teachers were.

We do, however, know more about his intellectual development during the time

he spent in Iraq. In Baghdad, Amuli studied with Na~ir al-Din al-Kashani al-~lilli

(755/1354), one of the great ShiCi seholars.121 Prior to that, in Iraq in 753/1352, he

studied with CAbd al-RaJ:imiin ibn Al;imad al-Qudsi,122 and read under him such works

as Kitiib Fu~u~ al-lfikam by Mul;iyi al-Din ibn cArahi (d. 638/1240) with the

interpretation or Qay~an. and Maniiz1/ al-Siiirin hy Shaykh Aho lsma<il Hirawi (d.

118 Amuli. al-Muqaddamat min Kitab Na~~ a/-Nu~u,r, p. 534. no. 1121.
119 Ayatollah al-Marashi al-Najafl was born in $afar. 1315/1897 in Najaf. and passed away in Ute nighl
of the eighth of $afar. 1411/1990. in Qum. For more information about him sec: Na~ir. llaqin Bui
Hindi, "Ayatullah al-Mar"ashl al-Najafl." Nur-i Cf/m, no. 37 (1411/1990). p. 50.
120 See appendix. no. I.

• 121 'Afandi al-l~fahanl. Riy;i(/ a/-CUfama: vol. 2, p. 222 .

122 See n. 9, above.
• 481/1088)12> with the interpretation or cAnr al-Din Tilimsiini,124 as well as other

hooks or the same naturc.125

It is rcwrdcd that Amuli received an i}iiza to transmit J:wdith from al-l;lasan ibn

l;lamzat al-Hashimi.126 This would indicate that he also learned under this master

certain (wdith hooks. However, there is some doubt as to whether the Amuli referred to

in this report is the same as Sayyid l;laydar Amuli.

When Sayyid ~laydar Amuli wa~ in Iraq, he went to l;lilla and met Mul;laqqiq al-

l;lill'. Amuli mentions that he learned under Fakhr al-Mul;laqqiqin (d. 771/1369), the

son or CAllama l;lilli (d. 726/1325), all the key works written in Arabic.127 As this

ma~ter himself mentions in an i}iiza given to Sayyid l;laydar Amuli, the latter learned

under him many hooks in several subject-area~ of u~u/ and filriiC. ,\muli furthermore

states that he studied under Fakhr al-Mul;laqqiqin (d. 771/1369) many books that he

had not read while he wa~ in Iran, 128 such a~:

12.l Kh"aja <Abdullah al-An~an passed away on Friday, the 22nd of Dhl al-/jajja, 481/1088 in liar.it, two
weeks before Nuwruz. Sec cditors's intrud. to An~rt. Kh'':ija <t.bdulliih. 7'abaqfJI a/-~'u/iyya. ed.
Mu~ammad Sarwar Mawla'1 (Iran: lntishiimt-i Tits, 1362s/1983), pp. 4-10.
4
12 Sec appendix, no. 5.
125 Ibid .. no. 5: sec also al-Sayyid Mul1sin al-Musawi al-Tabrtt.i, introduction to Amuli's Tafstr a/-Muf.ii!
al-A <ram "" al-Bal,ir al-Khatj.1111111. p. 30, and M. Kh"ajavi. introduc1ion to Asr.ir a/-Shar.i"a, p. xxiv.
126 al-hfaham, Riy:u,I a/-Clflama' wa ~/iya{I al-Furjala'. vol. 2, p. 219.

• 127 Sec appendix, no. 4 .

128 Ibid., no. 4.

 ,411

• I) Kitiib Juwiimi" ;i/-Jiimi<' J'i T;i/,\ir ;i/-Quriln :11-M:{iid. This work is an

interpretation or the
548/1153 or 552/1157).129
Qur'an wriuen hy Shaykh An1ir. al-Din 'j'ahrisi ('J't1ht1rsi) (d.

2) Kitiib Shanlyi''a/-l~·/fim hy Sht1ykh St1l1d Najm al-Din ihn Su 'id.1.10

3) Kitiib Maniih(i ;i/-Y;iqin J'i al-Kaliim, a work on k;i/:lm wrillcn hy CA!lama l:lilli

(d. 726/1325).131

4) Tahdhib a!-Af,ikiim hy Shaykh al-Tii 'ira Ahi JaCfar 'j'C1si (d. 460/1067). 1.12

5) Kitiib Nahj al-/Ja/iigha, the sayings of Imam c Ali ihn Ahi!alih Amir ;if-

Mu 'minln (d. 40/661 ), compiled hy Sharif Ra<)i (d. 406/1015).1.1'

129 Ibid., nos. 4, 5. Shaykh Ahli Ja<far Abu al-Fai,11 Mul.1amm:ul ihn al·l,lasan ihn al·F:u,11 al·Tahris1,
known as Amin al-Islam and Amin al-Dm. lle was hom around 470/1077 in Tahris. which is loca1e1I
bc1wccn l~fahan and Kashan. When he grew up he scnled lirs1 in Khur.isan, 1hen in Sahziwar. lle
passed away in ci1hcr 52h/1133, 548/1153 or 552/1157 and his hody was carried 10 Mashhad and
buried !here. His works arc as follows: 1. Majma< 11/-/lay:m, 2. Jaw:imi< :il-J:uui'; 3. 11/·K11fi 11/-S/1:1/i,
4. al-ltd:ib a/-Dlniyya, 5. ICJ:im a/-War.i bi A C/11111 11/-llud111, 6. nl-Nur nl-Muhm, 7. Ri.m/;11 ~lm111 l1111l-
Un11ir; 8. a/.COmda fi lletila/-Dm wa al-Faroi1l wa n/-Nawali/, 9 . .'>1mw11//id 11/-1/1 'w1/, and many 01hers
!hat arc anrihulcd 10 him; sec Kamil Sulayman, in1roduction lo al·Taharso (al-Tahriso), al-F:u,11 ihn al-
l;lasan, Jaw:Jmic a/-J;Jmic fi Tafs1r al-Qur'an al-Majul (llcirul: Dar al-A1,lwa', 1985), vol. l, pp. 10·14
and also sec Ayatullah zada al-Ma1.andaram's in1roduc1ion to al-Musaw1 al-Mayamawo I'!!. al·Sayyid
Ka(.im, S//ar{!-i S//aw:illid-i Majma< al-Bay;Jn (Tehr.in: Dar al·Ku1uh al-lslamiyya, I 338s.). p. 9. Also
sec at-Sayyid Mahdi al-Raja'o's introduction 10 al-Tahriso (al·Taharso), al·l':u.11 ihn al-1,lasan. Ki/;/h
Muntak//abal-K//i/;if(Mashhad: Majma' al-Bul)u1h al-lslamiyya, 1410/1989), vol. I, pp. 31·35.
130 Sec appendix, no. 5, and al-Sayyid Mul)sin al-Musawo al-Tahnll, in1ro1luc1ion 10 1'nl.<1r 11/·Mu/11111/-
A c7.am wa a/-Ba!Jr al-Kllatjam;:i, p. 28.
131 Sec appendix, no. 5, and also al-Musawo al-Tabnzl. i111n1tluc1ion 10 1'al.\'1r;1/-Mu(11f :il·A'(nm w:i 11/-
Ba!Jr a/-Khatjamm, p. 28.
132 Sec appendix, no. 5. Mul)ammad ibn al-1,lasan ihn <Ah al-Tus1, whose nickname was Ahu JaCfar, was
known as Shaykh al-Tllsi aud Shaykh a1:ra'ifa anu some time Shaykh al-lmamiyya. llc was one of
1bc great Sh1!.'1 scholars in liqll. fJad1ill. rijal. tafstr; ka/om, and litcmlun:. llis teachers were Shaykh al-
Mufld and Sayyid al-Shanf Morta1,la. lie narmlcd some (1atf11//s from lhn al-Gha1,la'ir1, lhn <AMun,
Shaykh al-Mufid, and lhc 01hcr Mu1Jadd1i//111. lie was founder of 1hc Najaf Sch<M>I. llc wrolc ahnu1 37
books in scveml subjects. Sayyid Bal)r al-<Ulum rcpons that a/-Ni/111ya was his lirsl work and Mah.<U/
the last. Finally, on the night of Monduy, 22nd of Mul;amm, 460/10('>7, when he was 75 years nld, he

•
passed away in Najar. Sec Mudarris, RoyfJ:m~t al-Atfah. vol. 3, p. 325.
133 Sec appendix, no. 5, and al-Sayyid Mul)sin al-Musaw1 al-Tabn1.1, inlr<Mluc1ion In Tafs1r 11/-Mu(u/ a/-
A '(.am wa al-Bal;r al-Klla{iamm, p. 28.
 40

• 6) Kitiih SharfJ Nahj a/-/Ja/iigha, an explanation by Kamal al-Din Maytham ibn

CAii al-llal;irani (d. 679/1280)134 of the previous work.13.5

In 761/1359, Fakhr al-Mul;iaqqiqin wrote a license for Amuli according to which

he could teach all the above mentioned books.

i\muli v-•ritcs elsewhere that over the course of twenty-four years he studied most

of the ,1·u//works available to him.IJ6

2. 2. 2. license.~ Received hy Amu/i

In reviewing the educational and spiritual life of Sayyid l;laydar, the evaluation of

him made by some of his teachers may help us to arrive at a better understanding of

his position. There arc many rcllcctions of their views in the form of ijiiz;Jt (licenses)

which they issued to Amull. Following arc some brief descriptions of a number of

these licenses.

2. 2. 2. 1. Educational /jBZat (Licenses)

I. As Sayyid l;laydar mentions, one of the ijiiz;Jt that he received in Rajab of

753/1351 wa.~ given to teach Kitab Manii7.il al-Sa'irin by Shaykh Abii IsmaCJl al-

Hir..iwi an<l Fu,ftis al-l;likam by Ibn cAntbi, together with their commentaries. In this

13-1 His full name is Kamal al-Um May1ham ibn <Ali ibn May1ham at-Bal)rani. He died in 679/1280. He
was a famous Sh1°1 philosupl•cr and mystic who wrote many books in several subjects. among them
n
l<tiq~ 'al-Nar.ar /mama/ al-A lmmat al-lt/m;i &Ashar. Sec (<jaz ~Iusayn al-Kantilri, Kashf al-f;lujub.
p. 43. n. t98. However, 10 my knowledge. Shar(i al-Nahaj a/-Baltigha is Bal)rani's most famous work.

•
135 Sec appendix. no. 5. and at-Sayyid Mul)sin al-Musawi al-Tabrizi, imroduction to Tafsir a/-Mu(li/ al-
Acr.w11 wa al-Ba(lral-Kha{lamm. p. 29; sec also M. Khwajavl. imroduction to Asr.iral·Shari"a, p. xx .
136 Khwajavi, introduction 10 Asr.ira/-Shari<a, pp. xxiv-xxx.
 41

• license, which was issued hy cAhd al-Ral;lman ihn Al;lmall al-Qudsi, 1.11 one reads the

following evaluation of Amuli's talents: "I henelit from Sayyid l;lllydar more than he

has benelited from me." 138

Sayyid l;laydar is known lo have gone ;o l;lilla, lra4l.1'> in order to meet am! learn

from Fakhr al-Mul;laqqiqin (d. 771/1369), from whom he obtained several [i:ir.:ul·IO as

follows:

2. One of them is for al-As'ilat al-Amuliyya, wrillen in R'!i:1h ol' 759/1356-57.

This risiila (treatise) includes several questions and answers on liqh and k:1/:im

exchanged between master and pupi!.141 Fakhr al-Mul;laq4iqin writes in the margin of

this Risiila that: "In fact this (discussion) is true and he (Amuli) read my answers (lo

me) and I hope that he made ~"fw/ifCat (intercession) for me with his forel'athers, and l

have therefore given Amuli permission to repeal and leach to others my answers."142

13? Sec appendix, no. 4, and also al-Sayyid Mul)sin al-Musaw1 al-T:ihnzi, in1roduc1ion 10 1:1ti.'1r 11/-Mu{ll/
al-A "(.am wa al-Bal;r al-Khailamm, vol. I, p. 535.
138 Sec appendix, no. 5, and al-Sayyid Mul)sin al-Musaw1 al-Tahnzi, illlroduction IO 1)1[\'/r 11/-Mu{ll/ a/-
A cµm wa al-Baf.1r al-Khar,lamm, p. 30: sec also Kh"ajav1, in1roduction to Asmr 11/-Slmn'i1, pp. xxi.
This license is in the same manner as Fakhr al-Mul)aqqiqm's license wrincn fur Sayyid 1.l:iyd:ir
Amuli.
13 9 Carl Brockclmann, Geschichtc der ambischcn Lillcmtur. vol. 2, p. 20<J.
140 E. Kohl berg, • Amoli, • p. 983.

141 Sec appendix, no. 15, and also 0. Yal)ya, introduction 10 JamiCaf-Asmr. p. 48, where he ci1cs some

•
of these .
4
1 2 Sec appendix, no. 15, and al-Mirt.il •Abdullah Afand1 al-l~faham, Riyait 11/-CIJl;111u1' w11 (liy111l a/-Fuit
a/Ii: vol. 2, p. 224.
 42

• 3. The other license issued by Fakhr al-MuJ:iaqq:qin to Amuli is written at the

end of the al-Masii'il al-Madaniyya143 (Masii'il Muhannii'iyya),144 and reads in part as

follows:

In the Name of Allah the Compa~sionate the Most Merciful. These

questions and answers that I read to my father and narrated from him, I
permit to mawliinii (our master), Sayyid, al-imam ... Sayyid Ru kn al-Din
l;laydar... al-l;lusayni, that he narrate, compose, and give a latwii from it
by me and my father.
Finally, Fakhr al-MuJ:iaqqiqin on the outside of the back cover of this treatise

mentions that he wrote this license at the end of Rabic al-Akharin 771 /368.145

4. Amuli, as he himself reports, began to accompany the great Shaykh Fakhr

al-Mul)aqqiqin before starting his different activities in Iraq. Using this opportunity, he

studied many books which contained both the u~iil (foundations) and furiic

(ramifications) of the knowledge of the Ahl al-Bayt (the Family of the Prophet). As

Sayyid l;laydar also states, the Shaykh bestowed on him an ijiiza (license) in which he

addresses him a~ "Zayn al-CAbidin al-Thiini" (the second Zayn aJ-CAbidin),146 This

143 al-Mas:i 'ii al-Madaniyya, sometimes referred to as al-Masa 'ii al-Muhanna 'iyya includes some
questions posed by Sayyid Muhanna' ibn Sanan al-l;lusayni al-Madani to •Alliima al-l;lilli, with the
lancr's replies. Today, this treatise is better known as al-Mas:i 'ii al-Mubanna 'iyya. •Abd al-Razzaq al-
Muqarram, introduction to al-Kasbkul. p. 6. & Agha Buzurg, al-/:faqa 'iq al-Rahina, pp. 67-68.
144 Agha Buzurg al-Tihnini, al-Uaq:i ';q al-R:ihina, pp. 67-68.
145 al-Masa 'ii al-Madaniyya is included in the Kitab-i dastur(containing 45 treatises) collected by certain
~acid, now part of the manuscript collection of the Library of the University of Tehran (catologue
number G.6, A. I. serial no. 1022). I do not know why Aghii Buzurg in al-Dhartca, vol. 2, pp. 72, 73,
and Amin in A ')':in al-Shi"a, vol. 6, p. 272 state that Fakhr al-Mul)aqqiqin wrote this license in
761/1359.
146 Imam Zayn ai-Ci\bidin was born on the 5th of ShaC/Jiin. 38/658. He was named CAii, and later on
given the title Zayn al-cAbidin (the best example of the worshippers) and Sajjad (one who performs
much prostration). One of the special features of Imant Zayn ai-cAbidin's character was his abstinence
and piety, of which Imam 1/iidiq (peace be upon him) said: "CAii ibn al-l;lusayn (peace be upon him)

• resembled most of all the sons of Bani Hashim, with CAii ibn Abi!iilib." He was obliged to state his
objects and motive in the form of prayers. These prayers, wrincn down by his son (Imam Baqir), were
compiled in the fomt of a book entitled $a/Jifat al-Sajjadiyya. On the 25th of Mul;arram. 95/713, he
 4.1

• i}iiza provides the best witness or Sayyid J:laydar' s accomplishments, for according Lo

it his station was second only to </,~ma/ (infallibility).147

5. Fakhr al-Mul;iaqqiqln also issued many olher licenses to Sayyid J:laydar in

different fields, in one of which Amuli is rel'crred to as follows:

... The most excellent Sayyid, the great Imam, Lhe worthies! or Lhe
scholars of the world and the mosl knowledgeable or Lhe noble amongst
men, the guide to those on the spiritual path, the saviour or Lhe souls or
the gnostics, the rcncwer of the faith and the giver or life to the way or
his forefathers, the one who combines the sciences or tradition wilh
those of reason, and those of the foundations or jurisprudence with its
branches, the possessor of a purified soul and Lhe courtesy or a prophet,
the pride of the family of the Prophet, which is the object or Lhe special
attention of the Lord of the Worlds, the pillar or the nalion, or Lhe Lrulh
and of the religion. J:laydar ibn Sayyid al-Sa<:jd Taj al-Din cAli ... 14N
This i}iiza was written by Fakhr al-Mul;taqqiqln in Rama{lfin al-Muhilr.1k or

761/1359 in J:lilla,149 Sayyid J:laydar received his permission to teach many subjects

such as: /afsir, fiqh, u,~ul al-fiqh, kaliim, dirtiya, rijiil and all or Lhe f:wdilh or Lhe Ahl al-

Bay1.1so

6. It appears that Amuli also received an i}iiza for f:iadilh from al-J:lasan ibn

l:lamzat al-HashimI.151

was killed. For more information about him sec Mu~ammad Baqir al-Majlis1, /Ji(inr 11/-A11w11r. nl-
Jami"a Ii Durar Akhb:ir nl-A 'imn/81 a/-Afhlir(Bairul: Mu'assasat al-Wafa', 1983) in 1hc section 1ilrik/J
Imam CA// ibn a/-f:lusayn.
147 See appendix, no. 4, and also al-Sayyid Mu~sin al-Musawi al-Tahnzf, in1rrnluc1iun IO 'liJ/i;1r 11/-Mu(J/f
al-A "?am wa al-Ba!Jral-Kharfamm, vol. l, p. 28, and M. Khwajav1, in1roduc1io11 to Asr.tr 11/-S/Jnr1C;1, p.
xx.
148 Sec appendix, nos. 4, 5; sec also Khwajavi, introduction to Inner St:crr:ts oft/Jc H1tll. p. xxvi.
149 Sec appendix, no. 5. Khwajavi translates this documL'11t in his introduc1ion to Asmr a/-!>11o1nC.1, p. xxi.

• 150 Sec appendix, no. 5.

151 al-Mimi <Abdullah Afandi al-l~fabani, Riyarf a/-CU/ama' wa {liyarf al-Furia/a', vol. 2, p. 219.
 44

• 2. 2. 2. 2. Spiritual /jazat (Such as Dh/kr and Khlrqa)

Before explaining the nature of the spiritual licenses received by AmulI, it may be

necessary in view of his different views on the subject to review his ideas regarding

the khirqa.

As Sayyid l;laydar himself reports, the khirqa, outwardly a cloak bestowed by a

master on his pupil, is an expression of the secret of waliiya and the hidden wisdom of

taw/;lid He goes on to say that that the main element in this concept is the inherent

relationship to Amir al-Mu 'minin (i.e. CAJi ibn Abi Talib, the first Imam of the Sh1ca)

(d. 40/661) and his ma~~Om (infallible) progeny.1s2

However, AmulI further divides khirqa into two categories, i. c. ,51/ri (formal) and

macnawi(spiritual). He attributes the former category to the following three masters:

I. Imam JaCfar al-$iidiq (i.e. the sixth Imam of the Shica) (peace be upon him)

(d. 14sn65),

2. Kumayl ibn Ziyad al-NakhaCJ (d. 83n02),

3. al-l;lasan al-Ba\jri (d. 110n28). 153

Most of the chains of transmission of the khirqa come from Junayd al-Baghdiidl

(d. 297,909),154 says Amull, because he was the Shaykh of the /iii'fa (community) and

lived soon after the time of th:: infallible Imiirns.155

152 Arnuh, Tafstr a/-M~I! al-A c:µm wa al-Ba!Jr al-Kha{i:Jmm, vol. I, p. 526; Khwajavl, introduction to
Asm al-Sharl"a, p. xxiiv.
153 Amuh, Ta/Sir al-M~i! al-A '?.am wa al-Ba!Jr al-Kha{i:Jmm. vol. I. p. 520.
IS4 Junayd al-Baghdad! was one of the great iiJD masters. He was from the fabaqat al-ThJiniya (the

• second chain) of ill/is. llis kw1ya (patronymic) was Abu al-Qasim, aod he is known as Qawiirili,
ZajjAj aod Kha1.zaz. It is said he was born in Nahavaod aod grew up in Baghdad. He was a pupil of
San al-SaqaJi, l;larith nl-M~asibl aod M~nmmad Q~~b. His death occurred in 297/900. 0 Abd al-
• As for the latter category, Sayyid l:laydar states in his T:1/.\'ir 11/-Mu(li/ al-A '(.mn

that this is the khircjll of the elite among the muwiJl;iflidin, and is an indication of the

sirr al- Walaya and the sirr al-Tawflid that descended from Alliih through Gabriel lo

Adam and then to his son Shayth; this wa/ay11 was transferred Lo Noah through a chain

of prophets until it reached Imam Mahdi, who is the seal of the mvliyii 'and .myyid iii-

muwillJflidin.156

Thus, the khircja is not simply, as ignorant people imagine, something made of

wool or colton.157 It is obvious from Amuli's perspective Lhal there is no relation

between sirr al- Wa/aya or spiritual perfection and a piece of cloth. Sayyid l;laydar

points out that the khircja is comparable to the libas al-Taqwa in the Qur'an, 15K which

is used as an isu'ciiro (a kind of metaphor) or majaz (metaphor): "O children of Adam!

We have indeed sent down to you clothing to your shame, and (clothing) for beauty

and clothing that guards (against evil); that is the hest ... "159 Surely one may

understand that taqwa (piety) does not derive from material or cloth, hut rather it is in

fact a symbol for those actions th<!t purify mankind.1 60

Ral)man ibn Al)mad Jami, /'iafalpil al-Uns (Tehran: Kitabfurush1-yi Sa«h. 1358). p. 80, sec also A. J.
Arbcry. "al-Djunayd," in the Encyclopaedia of/slam. new ed. vol. 2. p. 600.
155 A.mull, Tafslr al-Mu(lif al-A ".La111 wa al-Ba(lr al-Khatfamm, vol. I. p. 520.
156 A.mull. Tafsir a/-Mu(lif al-A"{,am. vol. I. p. 524; Kh"ajavi translates this point into Persian in his
introduction to Asnir a/-Sharica, p. xxiii. Sec also 1,1. Amuli, J;imic ;i/-Asmr, p. 230, no. 446.
1571;1. A.mull, JJimjC al-Asnir, p. 230, no. 445; Amuli, Tafstr al-Mu(lt/ al-A c711111 wn al-Ba(1r al-Klla1lamm,
vol. I, p. 524; idcm, lnncrSccrr:ts ofthe Path, London: 1989, trans. A. ad-Dhaakir Yate, p. xx.
158 Tafslr a/-Mu(ll/ al-A "?am wa a/-Ba(lr al-Khat)amm, vol. I, pp. 524, 25.

• 159 Holy Qur'an, Surat al-A "r.if. verse 26 .

160 1;1. A.mull, JJimjC al-Asnir, p. 230, no. 445.
 46

• 7. Sayyid l:laydar also received an i}iiza for wearing al-khirqat a/-~iiriyya.161

Regarding this kind of ijiiza he states: "the form of my ijiiza to wear al-khirqat al-

5iiriyya, which I received from the hand of Shaykh Nor al-Din Tihriini,
1 wa~ in

accordance with the same conditions under which he received i}iiza from the Shaykh

of this realm. The end of this chain of wearing the khirqa is CAii ibn Musa al-Ric)ii

(peace be upon him), 162 who received his from his forefathers who had received theirs

from the Prophet, who in tum had received his from Gabriel and thus ultimately from

Allah." 163

8. Amuli also relates how he received Dhikr-i Khii,5~ from Nor al-Din Tihriini.

Sayyid l:laydar explains that his interest in Tihriini is thought developed as a result of

the time which he spent with him.164 In conclusion, Sayyid l:laydar Amuli also

maintains that:

My arriving at the Truth and my unveilings were not dependent on the above; my

arrival wa~ first and foremost because of God rather than on account of my own

161 Sec appendix. no. 4, and Kh.ajavl, introduction to Asniral-Sbani"a, p. xxiii.

162 Imam Ri\1'1 was the eighth Imam of the ShiCa, born on the I Ith of Dhiqa"da, 148/765 in Madinat a/-
Nab/. 'Ibc seventh Imam (Mtisa al-Kii?-im) was his father. who repeatedly told his friends and
followers that: "You will be witnesses that this child (son) is my executor, and successor." At last
Ma'mun al-Rashid poisoned the Imam in TOs, on the way back from Marw to Baghdad. This tragedy
occurred on the last day of $afar, 203/818, when he was 55 years old. Today his shrine may be found
in Mashhad, known as Tus in Iran. Hashim, Ma"n:if al-l:lusayni, Zandigl-yi Dawtizda Imam. trans. M.
Rakhshanda (rehran: Mu'assasa-yi lntisharat-i Amir Kabir, 1370s.), vol. 2. pp. 357-441, in the
chapter entitled lmiim-i Hashtum.

•
163 Amuli. Tal<tra/-Muf.Iifa/-A<>r.am waal-Baf.Iral-Kba{lamm, vol. J, pp. 534. 535 .
164 See appendix, no. 4: see also Amull, Tafstr a/-Muf.11! al-A"?Jlm. vol. I, p. 531, and M. Kh•ajavl,
introduction to Asrtira/-Shart"a. p. uv.
 ·17

• spiritual progress. I was a majdhuhl65 amongst spiritual truvdlc.:rs: I was ol' the

beloved of Him rather than of those who love Him and the former have precedem:e

over the latter just like the prophets, the saints and their followers in the correct path

for Allah says: [Surely, (as far) Those for whom the good has uln:ady gone forth from

Us, they shall be kept far off from it; J166 1 had achieved the desired goal through the

care and grace of God, not through any action on my part nor through any knowledge

I possessed.167

9. A special aspect of the bestowal of the khirqa is that ol' ,rnbha (company), in

which Amuli affirms his relationship to Shuykh Mu(Jammud ibn l;lumflya l<>K who

accompanied Khir)r, an apostlc.169 l;lumflya received his khirqa from his shuykhs, who

had theirs ultimately from Imam ul-Rir):'i (peace be upon him).170 Then Sayyid l;laydur

relates the chain of transmission of the khirqa of Shuykh sued al-Din l;lamflya, and

thereafter that of Shahab al-Din Suhruwardi (d. 587/1191), both of which reach hack

to the Amir al-Mu ininin (the first Imam of the Shica).171

10. Amuli refers to a method of dhikr favoured by Mu(Jummad ibn Ahl Bukr-i

Samn:'ini. It is possible that Suyyid l;laydar wa~ instructed in this method by Sumniini

165 Majdhiib refers to a person spontaneously intoxicated by divine attraction toward God. C/\bd al·
Razzaq al-Qiisbani, Dictionary ofthe Technical Tcm1s oft/Je $ufis, pp. 50, 51, no. 178.
166 Amuli, Tafsir al-MulJi! al-A "pun, vol. I, p. 535; l!oly Quriw. Surat (21) ,11-Anbiya: IOI.
167 Amuli, Inner Secrets ofthe Path, pp. xxx. xxxi.
168 Sec below for more information on Jbn l;lamllya.
169 Amuli, Ta/Sir al-Mu(1/f al-A '7.am. vol. I, p. 520: M. Khwajavi, introduction to Asnlf 111-.\11ar1ca, p.
xxiv.

• 170 M. Khwiijavi, introduction to Asnlr al-Sbar/Ca, p. xxiv .

171 Ibid., p. xxiv.
 .\ll

• himself', because the latter wa~ one of his contemporaries. Sayyid l;laydar goes on to

say: "some of the fuqarii'have explained their own way of dhikr." He continues the

silfila (chine) of SamniinI a~ follows:

MuJ:iammad ibn Abi Bakr-i Samniini, Shaykh ~iiliJ:i al-Din Abi al-
Khayr Shams al-Din MuJ:iammad ibn CAii ibn MuJ:iammad-i
l~fahiini, 172 Shaykh ~aliJ:i Zayn aJ-Clbiid, MuJ:iammad ibn AbI Bakr-i
lsfarayinI, Shaykh Sayf al-Din Abii al-Macali SaC(d ibn Mu~ahhar ibn
Sa~'Id-i Bakhart.i,173 Shaykh Najm al-Din AJ:imad ibn MuJ:iammad ibn
CAbd Alliih-i Khayiiqi,174 Shaykh lsmacil-i Qa5ri, Shaykh MuJ:iammad
ibn Miinkil, Shaykh Dawiid ibn MuJ:iammad known as khiidim-i fuqarii'
(the servant of the Poor) Abii al-CAbbiis ibn Idris, Abii al-Qasim ibn
Ramac)iin, Abii Yacqiib-i Tabarsi, Abii CAbd Allah ibn CUthmiin, Abii
Yacqiib Nahr-i Jiiri, Abii Yacqiib-i Siisi, cAbd al-WiiJ:iid ibn Zayd,
Kumayl ibn Ziyad-i Nakhaci, Amir al-·Mu'minin CAii CAlayhi al-Saliim,
Messenger of God (peace be upon him), Gabriel the Guardian of
Revelation, Rabb al- Cfzza (Lord of Power) may He be exalted.J75
1I. Another indication that MuJ:iammad ibn AbI Bakr-i Samniini may have been

one of Amuli's ma~lers can be seen from a passage in the latter's al-Mu/Ji! al-A c:r,am,

where there is a suggestion that he received the khirqa from Samniini. Amuli quotes

SamniinI as having said:

I (MuJ:iammad ibn AbI Bakr-i Samniinl), Shaykh a/-Shuyllkh (the

Shaykh of the Shaykhs) Abi al-l;lasan ibn cumar ibn AbI al-l;lasan, have
been invested with the khirqa from CJmad al-Din cumar ibn CAbI al-
l;la~an CAii ibn MuJ:iammad l;lamawi and he held company with his
grandfather Imam MuJ:iammad ibn l;lamawi.' 76

172 He n:ceved his ij:iZa on the Cfd al-F~tr 703 AH in Khanqa's assembly ($1iD spritual n:tn:at) of
Samlsa11 and in the Bayt al-Al)zan quaner near the Jami< mosque in Damascus.
173 Not BadkharLi as Khwajavi in his introduction to Asr.lrmcntiones.

174 Hc is the same as Shaykh Najm al-Din Kubra.

• 175 M. Khwajavl. introduction to Asr.lra/-Shart"a, pp. xxi-xxii.

176 Ibid., X.'U.
 4'1

• This statement may have been made in the context of a presentation of the khi1t/il

to Amu!I by Samniini.177

2. 3. Tim TillRD PERIOD, AMULt's WORKS

Amuli was a prolific writer, and composed some forty works on different suhjects

whose titles arc known to us. According to Henry Corbin:

However, with regard to the phenomenon of integration, considered

from the point of view of its methodical elaboration, it is Sayyid l~aydar
Amuli's work that stands out as being of decisive importance. It is only
recently that it has been possible to reconstruct his biography and part of
this work, which is currently being studied and edited: its scope is
overwhelming, even though it consists of only thirty-live or so titles (in
both Arabic and Persian).178

2. 3. 1. Amuli's Books & Treatises

In what follows, I have tried to compile a complete list of Amuli's works, hut

certain points should be mentioned beforehand:

a. Sayyid I:laydar implies that the titles listed in the a/-Muqadd11m•ll min Kitiih

NE¥~ al-Nu~ii~l79 are arranged chronologically but in some cases this is doubtful. IKO

b. In spite of my best efforts, this list cannot pretend to be exhaustive. Other

scholars may in future be able to discover other sources of information regarding the

works of Sayyid I:laydar.

c. Unless specified otherwise, the works listed below arc not known to be extant.

177 Ibid., xxv.

178 Corbin. History of/s/amic Philosophy. 334.

• 179 Arnuli. a/-Muqaddamat min Kita/J NB$$ al-Nu$1i$, pp. 9-13 .

180 See below in this section, "Amuli's Books and Treatises," nos. I, 2, 3, 4 and 15.
 so

• 1. Risiilat al-Tawflid.181 Amuli in his Jiimic al-AsrJr, when he explains about the

asmii' Alliih (names of God), refers to some points in his Risiilat al-Tawflid.182 This

means that this work wa~ written by him before JiiJnjC al-Asriir. The subject of this

hook is close to two other writings of Amuli, i.e. Amthilat al-Tawflid wa Ahniyat al-

Tajricfl 83 and Nihiiyal al- Ta w(licfl 84 II Bidiiyat al- Tajrid.185

2. R!'.fiilal al-Tanhih II al-Tanxih, a work about Allah (may He be exalted).186 This

hook wa~ wriuen in Persian, and Sayyid J:Iaydar indicates in the epilogue of his Jiimic

al-Asriirwhy he wrote it in Persian.187 He obviously wrote this book before the Jiimic

al-Asriir.188

3. Amthilal al-Tawflid wa Ahniyat al-Tajrid, a work wriuen after the manner of

Kitiih al-Lamaciit by CJriiqi.189 Amuli mentions that he wrote this book in the Persian

language, 190 before JiiJnjC al-AsrJr.191

4. Kitiih Majmac al-AsrJr wa Manbac a/-Anwar.192 This was written al the

beginning of the third period when Sayyid J:Iaydar was in Iraq.193 The book was

181 O. Yal)ya. introduction to J;;m;c al-Asr.ir, 24.

182 Amuli, J:imical-Asr.ir, p. 551, no. 1134.
183 Sec below in the list of Amuli's works. no. 18.
184 Amuli, J11miC11/-Asr.ir. p. 551.
185 Sec below in the list of Amuli's works. no. 15.
186 Amuli. al-Muqaddamat min Kitiib Naff a/-Nuflif, p. 11.
187 At the end of Amull, J:imiCa/-Asr.ir, under the wafiyya and khiitima, p. 614.
188 Sec appendix, no. 18 and also Amuli, J:imiCa/-Asr.ir, p. 3.
189 Amull, al-Muqaddmn:it min Kit:ib Naff a/-Nufiif, p. 11.

•
190 Sayyid l;laydar makes this point at the end of his J;imic al-Asr.ir, under the wafiyya and khiitima, p.
614.
191 Amuli, Jamie al-Asr.ir, p. 551.
 ll

• completed in about the year 752/1351. 11)4 It is divided into three hooks, each called an

a,~! (source, principle), with every hook consisting of four qii'/d;i (!urge chapters). The

whole structure of this book is founded upon the number twclve. tlJ~ This work is an

explam•.tion of what constitutes the essence and the truth of tmvl;id (the unity of God).

It establishes the difference between /awf:iid-i u/uhi (theological or exoteric

monotheism), and tawf:iid-i w~judi(ontological or esoteric monotheism). This hook is

the best-known among Amuli's writings.196

Sayyid l;laydar implies in his al-Muqaddamiil min Kitiih Na,\·,~ al-Nu,\·J,\', in a

passage devoted to a chronological listing of his books, that M:.Jjm;i" ;if-A.ffiir wus his

first work.197 However, in the Jiimic af-Asrdr, which is, according to Othman

Yal;lya,198 the same as Maj111ac af-Asriir, he states that he, at the re4uest or some

Persian students, wrote various books such as Jiimi" a/-lfaqii 'iq, Risii/al al-Tan:dh and

Al11thi/at a/-Tawf:iidin this language.199 Moreover, Asriir al-Shari''a is also mentioned

192 Tiiis book was edited by Othman Yal)ya and Henry Corbin under the title of Janue al-A>·mr wa
Manbae al-Anwar. In Risa/at Naqd al-Nuqutl it is referred to Jamie al-Asmr w:i M:111b11e 11/-A11w11r, p.
693, but in al-Muqatltlamat mi11 Kitab Naee al-Nueue it is called as M:ljm:1e 11/-Asmr w.·1 M11111111e 11/-
A11war, p. 9.
193 Henry Corbin, ShiCJsm, Doctrines, 'flwught, a11tl Spirituality, ed. l,lamtd Dabaslu. Scyycd l,luscyn
Na~r. and Scyyed Vall Reza Na~r (Albany: State University of New York Press, 1988), p. 189.
194 This is the conclusion reached by H. Corbin in introduction to Jamie 11/-A.<r.tr, t 368s/l 989, p. 37; sec
also Dir. H'.nry Corbin, Bibliothcque Jra11icrmc, vol. 16. p. 22.
195 Corbin, ShJCJsm, Doctrines, Thought, and Spirituality, p. 189.
196 Koblberg, "Amoli," p. 983.
197 Amuli, al-Muqaddar111il mi11 Kit:ib Naee a/-Nu~ue, p. 9.

• 198 O. Yal)yii, introduction to Jamie al-Asnir, p. 21.

199 Amuli, Jamie al-Asriir wa Manbac al-Anwar, p. 614.
 52

• twke in Jiimi" 11!-A.l'rfir.2<KJ It seems therefore that Jami" al-Asriir, and these latter

works were written at ahout the same time.201

5. Ri.l'iilal al-Wujud /'i Ma''rifat al-Ma''hud. This treatise is a discussion ahout the

nature of existence and its connection to the issue of understanding God. Sayyid

l;laydar (in his introduction to Risiilat Naqd a!-Nuqud) declares that he had just

finished a great Ri.l'ii/a in which he had envisaged all the aspects of heing and

explained the opposition hetween the mutakallimiin (scholastics) and the philosophers

who profess the trnnscendental unity of being, and furthermore had produced

testimonies from the Word of God, the Word of the Prophets and the ;Jw/iyii'

(saint~).202 In fact, no manuscript of this work has yet been found.203

Amuli explains in his Ris;Jfat Naqd a/-Nuqud that it is a summary of his other

work entitled Ri\·fi/at a/-W;,;iJd.W~ Thus, the content~ of Risii/at a/-Wujud and

information about it may be found in several pages of Risiilat Naqd al-Nuqiid /'i

Ma'iitat al- Wu;u<f.205 The same may be said of the long chapter on wujud in al-

Muqaddamiit (part 3, rokn 2, pp. 406-470), since Amuli himself states that most of this

is taken from his own Risii/at a/-Wujud /'i Ma"ritat al-Macbud (cf. al-Muqaddamat, p.

406, 12-22).

2lXJ lhid., p. 88, no. 178, and also p. 367, no. 730.
201 'Ilic appcndL' to this thesis includes facsimiles or '"'o manuscripts of this book. No. 17 was wriuen
on 16 Rajabin 1281/1864 by <Abu al-Qasim al-Na'lni. whereas no. 18 was wriuen in 1285/1868.
202 Amuh. Ris:J/at Naqd al-Nuqud. pp. 620. 621.
203 II. Corbin. Sb1i:is111 Doctrines, Thought and Spirituality, p. 190.
20-I S.

•
f.I. Amuh, Ria/at Naqd al-Nuqud D Ma"rifat a/-Wujud (fehran: lnstitut Franco-lranien, 1969). p.
620, also sec his a/-Muqadd:umil min Kit:ib Na~ a/-Nuf/Jf, p. 11. no. 29 .
205 Amuh. Ri<:l/at Naqd al-Nuqud. pp. 621. 629, 638, 639, 699.
• On the other han<l, Sayyi<l ~lay<lar writes in .himi'' u/-A.mir thm he hopes to write

a Risa/a (treatise) about wujud (existence),206 One may conclude l'mm this statement

that this hoo!r was written al\er J1imi" ul-Asr.ir, i.e. al\er 752 A.H. Since Nuqd ;ii-

Nuqud was written in 768 A.H.,207 it appears that the Rfoi/111 :J/- IV~iud was written

sometime between 752 and 768 A.H.

6. Risfi/;it u/-M;i''fid J'j Ruju" :1/-'1hfid. 'Chis work is u study of </iy1in111 (the

hereafter). In the view of Sayyid l;laydar its three aspects arc:

*,5ughr.I(thc minor <lay),

* wus/fi (the intermediate day), an<l

* kuhr.l (the major <lay).208
7. Kt~fih a/-l},50/ wa al-Ark:in Ji Tahdhih al-A,\"fiiih w.:1 a/-lkhwiin. Each of the live

principles of belicf209 is examined in this hook with regard to the three classilicutions

of shan-ca, /llf'iqa an<l fwqiqa.210 This hook c!sn explains lhii" 11/-Diri!'' in relation to

shan-Ca, /llf'iqa and i;iaqiqa.212

206 Amull. Jamical-Asr.Jr. p. 125, no. 241.

200 Appcn<i;x, no. 16.
208 Amuli. ai-Muqaddanuil min Kitlib Na~ al-NufUf, p. 9.
209 Sayyid J:laydar' s views regarding the uful al-Dtn (roots of Religion) will be discussed below.
210 Amull. JamiCal-Asrar, p. 3.
2t I In the view of Sayyid l.laydar the furuc al-Din included live principles such as: al-!/alat, al·.:>'awm, al-
Zakat, al-/jajj and al-Jihad Jamie al-Asrar. p. 3. But furuc al-lltn, according to the view of 01hcr

•
scholars make ii eight principles with the addition of al-Khums, al-Amr hi al-Ma"rufaml al-Nal1y 'lln
al-Munkar. while still others believe them to consist ~f 1en principles, adding Tawalla and Taharra .
212 Amuli. al-Muqaddamat min KitahNa~al·NUidf, pp.~·. JC.
 54

• 8. Ri.~iilat al-C/lm. This treatise discusses knowledge from the point of view of

three groups; namely, the ,~Olis, the 1Juk1JI11ii' (philosophers) and the mutakallimun

(scholastic theologians),211

9. Ri.1·iilat al-CAql wa al-Na/?.". This Ri.1·iila is about the difference between the ''aql

(reason) and naf,;· (soul) of man in relation to various issues of l'aith.214

I 0. Ri.1·iilat al-Amiinat al- '!liihiyya II Tacyin al-Khiliil'at al-Rahhiiniyya. This

treatise is mostly concerned with the 72nd verse of Surat al-A/;lziih and its mystical

interpretation: "Surdy We offered the trust to the heavens and the earth and the

mountains, but they !shrank from bearing] it and feared from it, and man [assumed) it;

surely he is unjust, ignorant."215 This book was written by Sayyid J:!aydar in the

Persian languagc,216 and is also known by the title Risa/at al-Amiina II al-Kh1/iifa. 211

11. Ri.1·iilat al-lfujuh wa Khul~at al-Kutuh. This work contains a study of the

32nd verse from Surat al-lfiiqqa: "Then thrust him into a chain the length of which is

seventy cubit~,"218 and includes some a/;liidith about the "70, OOO" /;lujuh (veils) and

the few other traditions implying symbolic numbcr.21 9

213 lhid., p. 10.

21 4 Ibid., p. 10.
215 l/oly Qur:w, 72nd verse of Surat a/-A(lz.?b.
216 Amull, JamiCat-Asnir, p. 3.
217 Amull, Risatat Naqd al-Nuqud Ii Ma"ri/iJt al-Wujud. p. 693.
218 Holy Qur iw, 32nd vers~ from Surat a/-1;/:iqqa.

• 219 These a(18d1tharc as follows: "//11111 /i/l:ih sabCJn a/f(lijlib min nur wa ?Ufma~ "Ana aqal/ miu rabbi bi
san.ttayn"and "Laysa baynt wa bayna rabbi farqun ii/ii ann/ taqaddamtu bi/ CubUdiyya~
• Sayyi<l l;lay<lar adds that Ghazzali (<l. 505/1111 ), Fakhr al-Din Raz! (544-

606/1149··1209), Najm al-Din Kubra (540-618/1145-1221),220 Najm al-Din Daya

(564-654/1168-1256), Fakhr al-Din c1raql (<l. 688/1289) and many other scholars tried

lo solve the confusion surrounding the same verse and these :1f.1:idith (traditions) hut

were unable to <lo what he achieved with the help of God. In addition to this Rfol/:1, he

wrote a second Ri\·ii/a in Arabic and another in Persian about the same maller.221

12. Risii/at a/-Faqr wa TaJ;iqiq al-Fakhr. This work contains a comparison between

three aiJiidith about l'aqr (poverty) and l'akhr (glorilication) narrated hy the Prophet

Mul;lamma<l (~).222

13. Risa/at al-Asma' a/-1/iihiyya wa Ta"yin Mar.:ihirihii min :1/-Ashkhii,~ :ii-

lnsiiniyya. The book is an account of the prophets from Adam (the lirst prophet aml

human being) to Mul;lammad the last prophet (peace be upon them), and explains in

detail their lives and missions.223

14. Risiilat al-Na!S fi Ma"ril'at al-Rabb. This treatise contains an explanation of

three sayings of the Prophet, among them, ''man <'ar.ifa na/.\·ah /aqad ''arafa rahhah"

(who recognized himself, he knew his Lord), the 4th verse from Surat a/-ljadkfl2.\ and

220 He is the author of Faw:i 'iiJ al-Jarn:il wa Fawo1i(1 al-Ja/a/ (ed. Yusuf Zaydan, Carin. 1993) and many
other treatises.
221 Amuli, al-MuqaddJJrnat rnin Kittib Naff a/-NufUf, p. 324. no. 716.
222 These afJadilh are: "al-Faqr fakhri: "al-Faqr sawad a/-Wajh Ii a/-/Jamyn" and "Kml 11/-Faqr an
yakdna kufran~ See al-MuqaddJJrntil rnin Ki1ab Naf,< 111-Nufllf, p. JO, no. 24.

• 223 Amuli, al-Muqaddarnlil rnin Killib Naff a/-NufUf, p. 11, no. 25 .

224 " ... and He is with you wherever you are; ... "
 56

• the 21 st verse of Surat a/-Dhiiriyiit.225 This book investigates the relation between the

soul's knowledge and knowledge of the Lord.226

15. Asriir al-Shari'':J wa Anwiir al-l;laqiqa. This book contains a description of the

people of sharica, /ariqa and J:wqiqa. In this regard, AmulI quotes some iilJiidith of the

Prophet Mu~ammad (~) pertaining to each of the groups, such a~: "a/-Shiiricat aqwii/i,

wa al-Tiiriqat aft'iili, wa al-l;laqiqat af:iwiili." There is also an interpretation of the 48th

verse of Surat a/-Mii 'ida227 and of the 7th verse of Surat a/-Wiiqica.228

This work discusses each of the five theological principles, of the Shica, i.e.

tawf:ud (divine unity), cad/ (justice), nubuwwa (prophecy), lmiima, and maciid

(hereafter). Sayyid l;laydar also explains wurju' (minor ritual ablution), ghusl (major

ritual purification), tayammum (purification with earth), micriij (the ascent of the

Prophet), and then discusses the five pillars as follows: ,rnliih (prayer), ~awm (fasting),

ziikiih (purifying tax), fwjj (pilgrimage), jihad (holy war). As mentioned before, all of

the subject~ arc considered from the points of view of the peoples of shan-ca, /ariqa and

l;iaqiqa.229

In addition to this, A.mull explains some principles such as the relationship

between sh~ and Caq/ (rea~on), the gencr.i.l precepts of the prophets in their guidance

225 "... And in your own souls (too); will you not then sec."

226 Amuh, 11/-Muqaddamat min Kitilb NB$$ a/-NU$ii$, p. 11.

227 "... For every one or you did We appoint a law and a way ... ."

•
228 Amull. 11/-Muqaddam:it min Kit;Jb Na'f a/-NU$ii$. p. 11 .
229 Fonunatcly. this book has recently been published and edited by Mul)ammad Kba•ajavl. (For
bibliographical details, see footnote 3. above).
• and instruction, and Allah's designation

thing.230
or a specific perfection for each existing

There arc several different titles for this hook, all of them more or less rescmhling

each other:

a. AsrJr a/-SharN1231 is mentioned twice by Sayyid ~laydar Amuli in his J1imi"

al-Asriir, 232 and he also refers to it hy title in 11/-Muq11ddam1it min Kit1ih Na,,-,~ :ii-

Nusiis·233
."
b. AsrJr a/-Sharl''a wa Anwiir a/-/faqlqa; 2J4

c. Anwiir al-/faqlqa wa Asriir a/-Sharl"a; 2.15

d. Anwiir al-!faqlqa wa Afwiir al-T:uiqa wa AsrJr a/-Shari''a. 2.1r.

16. Risii/~t a/-Jadiiwil. This work is also entitled lvfadiiri.f af-Slilikln /'i Marlitih al-

<'.ifrifin.237 It describes one hundred basic stations of the mystic journey and how a

chain of one thousand stations is formed with every ten stations representing one

mystical principlc.238 This book is very similar to the Maniizil a/-S1i 'irln hy Khwaja

230 Amuli, Asr.ir al-S/1ari"a, pp. 45-65.

231 Amuli, JamiCa/-Asr.ir, p. 88.
232 Ibid., pp. 88, 367.
233 Amuli, al-Muqaddamat min Kitab Na,, a/-Nu,u,, p. 11.
234 See Amuli, Jamie al-Asr.ir, p. 367; this title is listed in the catalogue of the Centml Libmry of Tehmn
University; Amuli, al-Muqaddamat min kitab Na,,al-Nu,u,, p. 11.
235 Khwajavl, introduction to Asr:ira/-Shan"a, p. xxx, and cited in the catalogue of Ayatullah-i MarCJsht-
yi Najafi's Library in Qum.
236 Amuli, Asr.ir al-Shari"a, p. 5.

•
237 0. Yal)ya, introduction to Jamie al-Asr.ir, pp. 25, 31, and Amuli, al-Muqaddamat min Kitab Nas$ 11/·
Nu,o,, p. II .
238 Amull, a/-Muqaddamat min Kitab Na~ al-Nu,a,, p. 11.
 58

• CAbdulliih al-An~iiri al-Hirawi (d. 481/1088).239 Finally, this Risiilais referred lo twice

in al-Muqaddamiil min Kiliih Na,1·,f a/-Nu,1·ii,f.240

17. Ri1·ii/a1 Naqd al-Nuqiid II MaCrifal al-Wu}iid. This is a work summarizing

Rifiilal al-Wu}iid ff MaCrifiil al-Machud241 Al the end of this book Amuli writes that

he completed il on the 15th of Jumiidii al-Akharin 768/1366 al Mashhad al-Sharita/-

GhiJJ7Jwi (Najaf).242 The composition of the Rifii!a (treatise) was motivated by the

request of a friend, with whom the author had ties of deep affeclion.243

18. Nihiiyal al-Taw(Jid Ii !Jidiiyat a/-Ta}rid This is a selection from Majma" al-

A.mlr wa Manhac al-Anw~44 which was also wrillen by Sayyid l:laydar Amu!i.245

19. Munlaqii al-Ma''iid II Murtarjii al-C/biid The book is a selection from Kitiib al-

Ma''iid (The Book of the Hereafter) which was also wrillen by Sayyid l:laydar

AmuJi.246 Othman YaJ:iyii, in his introduction lo Jami" al-AsrJr. calls it Muntaqii al-

Ma"iid II Murtaqii al-C/hiid,247 probably mistakenly.

239 O. Ya~ya, in1roduc1io11 to JamiCa/-Asr.u; p. 25.

240 Amull. al-Muqaddamat min Kitab Na$$ a/-Nu$1i$, pp. l I, 336. Amuli menlions on lhe lauer page
(336) lhal in lhe khufba (opening address) of (his Risa/a he clearly acknowledges his authorship.
241 Sec appendix, no. 15: Amull, al-Muqaddamat min Kitab Na~ al-Nu$1i$, p. II. and E. Kohlbcrg,
• Amoll." pp. 983, 984.
242 Sec appendix, no. 16: Amull. Risa/at Naqd al-Nuqad 11 Ma"rifat a/-WujtJd, p. 710.
243 II. Corbin. Sh/9sm, p. 190.
244 Anluir. in the printed text, appears lo be a priming mislake.
245 Amuli, al-Muqaddarnat min Kitab Na$$ al-Nu$0$, p. 11.

• 246 Ibid., p. 11: sec aim Kh•ajavl. in1roduction to Asnir a/-Shart'il, p. 30.

247 Sec 0. Y~ya. introduction lo JamiCa/-Asr.ir, p. 32.

 ~I)

• 20. Risiilat Kanz al-Kuniiz wa Kashf al-Rumiiz.24K Because Ann1li docs not give

us any inforr.iation other than the title of this work, it is not possihlc to s:1y whut its

subject-matter wus.

21. Kitiib Ta"J'in al-Aq,liib wa :11- A wtiid. This work contains an explanation uhout

the number of the "poles" or signiticant ligurcs in Islamic history und descriptions of

the nineteen persons who lit this description:249 seven grcut prophets and twelve

lmiims. 25°

22. 111-Mul;li,t al-A er.am wa 111-Tawd 111-Ashamm /'i Ta 'wil Kitiih Alliih 111-"'Axix 111-

Mul;lkam,251 a highly symbolic interpretation of the Qur'an. This Tu/.\'iris known under

several names, sm:h as:

a. ai-Mul;lf,t al-A er.am wa al-Tawd al-Ashamm ff Ta 'wll K1~:Ib Alliih :il-''Axiz 11/-

.
Muhkam·252
'

. . al-A ezam
b. al-Muhil . n al-Bahr
. al-Khadamm·
. , 253

c. al-Mul;lf.l al-A er.am fl Tafslr al-Qur'iin al-Karim; 254

248 Amuli, al-Muqaddamiil min Ki1ab Na$$ al-NU$1i$, p. 11.

249 Ibid., p. 12.
250 Amuli, Inner Scercls of/he palh, p. xxxvi.
251 Amuli, al-Muqaddamat min Ki1ab Na$$ al-Nu$1i$. pp. 12, 536.
252 Ibid., p. 12.

253 Amuli, in bis commentary on Surat al-/Jamd (the beginning chap1cr) of lhc Qur'an: sec Sayyid
n
l:laydar Amuli, Tafstr a/-Mu(ltf al-A Cpm wa al-Ba(lr al-Kharfamm T• 'wil Ki1ah Allah a/-CAzlZ a/-
Mu(lkam, ed. al-Sayyid Mul,lsin al-Musawl al-Tabrl7.t (fehran: Mu'assasal al-'f'iba<a wa al-Nashr,
1414/1993), vol. I, p. 198.
254 al-Sayyid Mul,lsin al-Musawi al-Tabrlzl says 1ba1 this 1i1le is wrinen on lhc first page of 1i1fs1r al-

•
Mu(IIJ al-A "Pm by lhe band of a person who was 001 Sayyid l,laydar Amull. One may sec in lhc
appendix, no. 2, that Sayyid l:laydar' s scripl bas been eaten by tcnniies, thus preventing us from
reading the title.
• d. al-Mu/;li! al-A '{.am wa al-/Ja/;lr al-Kharjamm fi Ta 'wi/ Kitiih Alliih a/.CAziz

al-Mu/;lkam. 255

But the first and the second titles arc better known than the others, because Amuli

used them himself.

This work is a spiritual and mystical commentary on the Qur'iin of the variety

known a~ taR.'ir CirJ'iini, in seven large volumes.256 The first volume includes seven

introductions. The first and the second volumes exist in manuscript copies preserved in

Ayatulliih al-Mar:ashi al-Najafi's Library in Qum, but we do not have any infolll1alion

about the 5 others.257 Recently, al-Sayyid MuI:tsin al-Miisawi al-Tabrizi edited the first

volume of this work; he slates in his preface that the two volumes will be published in

4 volumcs.25K

Sayyid l;laydar Amuli composed it in the manner of the ta 'wil (interpretation) of

the great Shaykh Najm al-Din Riizi, known as Daya (d. 654/1256),259 who wrote a

further six volumes of Qur'anic commentary after completing the volume called Ba/;lr

al-lfaqii/q wa Manhac al-Daqii/q.260 The whole work is known as Ta'wiliit-i

255 Sec. al-Musawl al-Tabrizl. introduction to Tafslr a/-Mu(lif al-A "lam. p. 14.
256 Amuli. a/-Muqaddamlit min Kittib NB$$ al-Nu$0$. p. 536. no. 1126.
257 "lbcsc five volumes contain a tafsir(intcrprctation) of all the Qur' an. except for slimt al-lfamd; see al-
Milsawl al-Tabrizl. introduction to Tafsiral-Mu(lif al-A~zam. p. 14.
258 al-Sayyid Mul)sin al-Musavi al-Tabrizl. introduction to Tafsir al-Mu(l~t al-A "µm, p. J2.
259 "lbcrc arc many theories as to the authorship of this work. entitled Ba(lr al-lfaq:i 'iq wa al-Macarifor
al-Najmiyya. Some scholars believe that it was written in its entirety by Nnjm al-Dtn Kubrii. Other
scholars belive that it was written by Najm al-Din Riizi (Daya). while others state that the former
began the wrote. and that it was countinud by Daya and complited by cAlii al-Din Samnani. For more

•
information sec Corbin in introduction to Jamie al-Asnu; i 368s/l 989. pp. 53-56. sec also Corbin.
Bibliothcquc lnmienne, vol. 16. pp. 48-53 .
260 Amuli. al-Muqaddam:it min Kit:ib Na$$ al-Nu$11$. p. 12.
 til

• Najmiyya.261 Sayyid J:Iaydar for his part completed

777 /1375262 and 781/1379.263 At this time Amuli was 63 years old.264
al-Mul,1~1 al-A '!.am hetween

Shaykh al-Baha'i (d. 1030/1620)265 bcliL:ved that this taf.\oir of the Qur'an shows

the Culuww-i sha n (sublime station) and irti{fiL~j nWk<in (high position) of its

author.266

This is how Amuli, in his introduction to his commentary on the Fu,~ii,~ of Ihn

CAfabi, describes al-Mul,li/ al-A c?am in the course of discussing the hooks he had

written:

As lo our own books, they form two categories: there arc those that can
be considered as effusion from above, and those that emanate from
within us. As to the effusions from above, these arc the la 'wiliil of the
Holy Qur'an, which include the most precious and the most venerahle of
the sciences and the divine doctrines of the Qur' an and which gather
together the symbols and the figures particular to the Prophet, the suhtlc

261 Khwajavi, in1roduc1ion lo Asr.ir al-Sl1.1rica, p. 32.

262 Sayyid l;laydar Amuli mentions al the beginning of lhe second volume: "I complcMI this al lhc end
of lhc monlh of Shawwiil (777/1375), in Najaf." Sec al-Sayyid Mul)sin al-Mllsawl al-Tabr11.1,
imroduclion lo Tafsir al-Mu/JI/ al-A <>pm1, p. 14.
263 0. Yal)ya, imroduclion 10 Jnmical-Asr.ir. p. 16. Amuli slates after 30 years of cffon he finished lhis
Tafsir. As we know lhal Sayyid l,laydar was born in 720/1320 and travelled lo Iraq in 750/1349, lhcn
If afler 30 years in Iraq he wrole this Tafsir ii means 1ha1 Sayyid f;laydar complclcd ii in aboul 780-
781/1378-79. See Amuli, al-Muqadd111mit 111i11 Kitlib Na~'!f al-NU$U~; p. 12.
264 Agha Buzurg al-Tihrani, Tabaqat A c1am al-Shtca, al-flaq;;ciq al-Ra/Ji1111fJal-Mii1111-171.1111ir10, 67.

265 His full name was Shaykh Baba' al-Din Mul)ammad ibn C(l.Z al-Din l,lusayn ibn <Abd al-Samad ibn
Shams al-Din Mul)arnmad ibn <AU ibn al-~fusayn ibn Mul)ammd ibn !;alil) al-1,larilhl al-ffamadanl al-
cAmili al-JabaCJ. He was born in Lebanon in 935/1528; his father was one of lhe siudenls of al-Shahid
al-Thiini. Shaykh Baha'l 1raveled 10 many cities and region.• such as Cario, Palestine, Adharbayijan
and Hirai. He was a skilled writer. poel, philosopher, ma1hcma1ician, engineer, lilqt/J, Qur'an
inlerpreler and doctor. Shaykh al-Baha'i succeeded his father-in-law Shakh 0 Ah Min.•har in lhe posl of
Shaykh al-Islam under lhe Safavids. His pupils were Molla !;iadra Sh1raz1, Mul)ammad Taq1 Majlis1,
Mul)aqqiq Sabziwari, and Fa<)il Jawad. He wrote more than one hundred books and !realises. Finally
in 1030/1620 he died on lhe way lo Mecca and was buried in Mashhad al-Ri<)a. Sec 0 Aqlql.
Bakhshayishl, Fuqaha ~i Namdnr-i Sht"a (Qum: Jn1ishara1-i Ki1abklllna-yi Aya1ullah-i Mar"ashl,

•
1985), pp. 209-214.
266 al-Mlrzii 0 Abdullah Afandl al-l~fahanl staies that he saw a copy of Shaykh al-llaha't's introduction lo
Jiimic al-Asr.ir. al-l~fahani, Riyafl al-CUfamii: vol. 2, p. 221.
 62

• doctrines and MuQammadan realities that have their faithful expression

in what God says about those who form the elite of his scrvanl~: "I have
prepared for my servants, the just ones, what the eye has never seen,
the car [has [ never heard, what has not yet reached the heart of any
man." Consequently this book wa~ entitled: al-MufJI! af-aCr.am wa al-
/awd a/-ashamm Ji ta 'wi/ Kitiib Alliih a/-Caziz al-mufJkam. It wa~ divided
into seven volumes in order thus to be able to put it under the auspices
of seven great prophets, the seven poles, and the seven abdiil, in such a
fa~hion that the prolegomena and the FiitifJa (first Surah) form one
volume together, while each sixth of the Qur'an in tum forms another
volume. This ta/sir is to us like what the Fu~u,s a/-fJikam arc to Shaykh
MuQyl al-Din ibn cArabl, and like what the Qur'an is to the Prophet.
The plan of our tafsiris the following: We st..rt by establishing nineteen
premises and circles, corresponding with the external world and the
spiritual world, with the Book of Horizons and the Book of Souls, each
of these universes being limited to nineteen.267
23. Sayyid l:laydar Amuli also wrote an important commentary on the works of

MuQyl al-Din ibn CArabl (d. 638/1240),268 knows as Kitiib Na~~ al-Nu~O~ fi SharfJ

Fu~u,s al-lfikam. This same work is referred to by Sayyid MuQsin al-Amin as Fa~~ al-

Fu~u,s Ii SharlJ Fu,su,s al-lfikam.269 Although there were some othe.- famous

commentaries on the Fu,su~ before that of Sayyid l;laydar,270 among them the works of

Mu'ayyad al-Din Khujand1,211 Kamal al-Din CAbd al-Razzaq Kashani (died between

267 II. Corbin, Sili"tsm. p. 192. Sec also Amull, al-Muqaddamiit min Kitiib Na$$ a/-NU$U$, p. 147, 148.
268 His full name was. as Sayyid l;laydar records it: al-Shaykh Mul)yi al-Din <Abi <Abdillab Mul)ammad
ibn Mul)ammad ibn Mul)ammad al-Maghribl al-Undulusl al-l:lataml al-Ta'l. Amull, a/-Muqaddamiit
min Kitlib Na$$ a/-NU$li$, p. 12.
269 Sec al-Sayyid Mul)sin al-Amin. A')'lin a/-Sili"a (Beirut: Dar al-Ta<aruf Ii al-Ma\bfi<at. 1986). vol. 6,
p.273.
270 In the introduction to al-Muqaddamlit min Kitiib Na$$ al-Nu$li$, Othman Yal,lya summarizes the
research into the silumifJ (commentaries) of Fu,li$ al-lfikam, and lists about 195 of these works from
the 7th until the I Ith century (pp. 16-48).

•
27 t Mu'ayyad al-Din Khujandis actual name was Jandi. He was one of the pupils of Shaykh ~adr al-Din
Qunavl. lie commented on some books by lbn <Arabi such as FU$U$ and Maw:iqic al-Nujam. See,
<Abd al-Ral,lntan Jami, Nafaf.l:it a/-Uns, p. 558.
 h.\

• 735/1334 and 751/1350-1351),272 and Sharar al-Uin Mal;imfld Diiwfld

751/1350-1351),273 our author chose to write this commentary hecause he did not

consider the others to be accurate, particularly the Sunni approach in the works or
al-Qay~ari (d .

Khujandi and Qay~ari, and especially on the problem or w11/:iy11.21-1 For Sayyill

l;laydar, the work of Kamiil al-Din CAbd al-Razziiq Kashani, regardle:;s or some

criticism, came closest to the mark.275

The introduction to his commentary on lbn cArahi's Fu,•u,•· 11!-!Jik:lm also

constitutes a remarkable doctrinal summ11 taking up the whole of a large volume.27 6

This work, as Sayyid l;laydar states, was begun in 781/1379 and completed in Najar in

782/1380-8 J,277 A.mull says that he wrote it in less than one year when he was sixty-

three years old.278

This work of Sayyid l;laydar was contained i11 two large manuscript volumes. The

first volume includes some introductions and five fa~,,. of the Fu,<il,<; one /i1,,·,• from this

volume is lost, i.e. the kalimiit al-lbriihimiyy11. The second volume includes the other

272 Kamal-al-Din CAbd al-Razzaq Kashi (Kashani) was one of the great ~·ufi.rnnd wrote many works such
as Ta./Sir-i Ta 'wi/at. Kitiib-i Ie.til;ifJiit-i ellfiyya, S/Jarf.1-i Fuelle a/-{likam and S/111rf.1-i Mamw'l 11/-Sa inn
and so on. See CAbd al-R.al)miin Jami, Nafalpit al-Uns, p. 482.
273 Amuli, a/-Muqaddamiit min Kitiib Na,_ a/-Nuelle. p. 13.
274 Corbin, History ofls/amic P/Ji/osop/Jy, p. 296.
275 Amuli, J:imic a/-Asrar. p. 435.
276 Corbin, History ofls/amic P/Ji/osop/Jy, p. 278.
277 The oldest Persian interpretation of Fuelie al-{likam was written by Rukn al-Din Shtrazt, who died in
744/1343. This was not long before Sayyid ~laydar wrote his commentary on Fueu,r nl-{liknm

•
(781/1379 to 782/1380-81). Sec Corbin, introduction to al-Muqaddamnt min Kitnb Nn,r,• 11/-Nueu,•
(1368s./1989), pp. 11, 12.
278 Amuli, al-Muqaddamlit min Kitiib Na,_ a/-Nuelie. p. 537; E. Kohl berg, "Arnall," p. 984.
 64

• /"a,1·,1· of Fu,~u,y;219 unfortunately, we have no infonnation about this volume, as it is

now lost.2KO To distinguish between the text of Ibn CAfabi and his commentary, Amuli

wrote the text by lbn CAfabi in red ink and his own commentary in black ink; thus

when Fac,11 Allah ibn Mu~ammad al-clbiidi made a copy from it, he wrote it in two

colors in the same manner as Sayyid l;laydar. This transcription was completed on the

20th of Muflarram in 784/1382, i.e. during the lifetime of Sayyid l;laydar Amuli.281

In a word, the subject of this work is the interpretation of all problems arising in

the Fu,YO,~. Sayyid l;laydar has much to say on such topics as: tawflid, nubuwwa,

lmiima, the forgiveness of Pharaoh, the seal of waliiya and some comments on the

three great interpretations that preceded his.282

These are the books and rasii'il that Sayyid l;laydar wrote up to 782/1380, and

which have been described by him in al-Muqaddamiit min Kitiib Na~~ al-Nu~u~.283 He

ha.~ made no reference in his writings to any other essays, but other works written by

his graceful hand have been recorded by the biographers, as follows:

24. Risiilat al-Ta 'wiliit. A Qur'anic commentary which is a selection from his book

a/-Baflr al-Kha{iamm fi Tafsir al-Qur'iin al-Muflkam, and which is known as

Muntakhab al-Ta'wfl284 Sayyid l;laydar in Jiimic al-Asr.:irstates that when the Risii/at

279 Amuli, al-MuqaddamatminKitabNaeeal-Nuefif, p. 17. no. 84.

280 Corbin, introduction to al-Muqaddamat min Kitab Naef al-Nuefif, pp. 15, 16.
281 Ibid., p. 35.

282 Amuli, al-Muqaddamat min Kitab Naef al-Nueiif, pp. 17. 18. no. 49. 50.
283 This account extents from p. 9-13 of Corbin's edition of al-Muqaddamat min Kitab Naee al-Nuefif.

•
Sayyid l:laydar also mentions briefly smoe titles of his works at the end of this book. pages 536 to
537 .
284 Kh"ajavl. introduction to AsrJr al-Shllli"a, p. x.uii.
• al-Ta 'wiliit was completed, he started to write Risiilat ul-Ark•in, Ris•il•ll ul-Timr.ih aml

Kitiih Jiimic ul-AsrJr.285

Risiilut al-Ta 'wiliit includes an explanation or kutuh Allfih u/-A{ii11iyyu and u/-

Anfusiyya, i.e. the signs and portents or God.286 Amuli rcrcrs his readers occasionally

to the points that he made in the pages or this work.287

25. al-Masii'il al-Amuliyya. Mut:mddith-i Nuri, in the khiilim:1 or his Muswdmk ul-

Wasii'il, refers to it as al-Masii'il al-lfayduriyyu.288 The hook includes twelve

questions pertaining to fiqh Uurisprudence) and kaliim (theology) that Sayy1d ~laydar

a~ked of Fakhr al-Mul;iaqqiqin, the son of CAlliima l:Hili. This essay is ahout six pages

in length, and exist~ in an autograph manuscript of the author.Wl

Sayyid l:laydar mentions in this book that the answers arc hy Fakhr al-

Mul;iaqqiqin. Amuli continues that the first session, which took place at the end of the

month of Rajab in 759/1357 in the town of l:lilla, was in the form of istil/ii :29o At the

end of this essay Amuli reports: "!, the questioner, am the cahd (slave) and liiqir,

I:Iaydar ibn CAii ibn J:Iaydar al-cAlawi al-I:Iusayni Amuli."291 All of the questions with

285 See Amuli, liimic al-AsrJr, p. 3.

286 Ibid., p. 3.
287 See Amuli, JiimiCaJ-Asnir, pp. 108, 116, 549, and also Amuh, Naqtl al-Nuqutf. p. 695.
288 °Abd al-Razzaq al-Milsawl al-Muqarram, in1roduc1ion 10 al-Kas//ku/, pp. 8-9, ci1ing M1m1 l.lusayn
Niiri in Kbiitimat of Mustatlrak a/-Wasa 'ii (l'ehran: Mu'assasa Al al-Bayl), p. 459, and also Agha
n
Buzurg, al-Haqii 'iq al-Rlihina al-Mi'at al-'f7wmina, p. 70.
289 This book is available in the Central Library of the Universi1y of Tehran (under the ca1alogue no.
1022). See two pages of this work in appendix, no. 12.
290 al-MirZii CAbdulllih Afandi al-I~fahiini, Riyii(f aJ-CUfama wa (liyat,f al-Furia/a' (Qum: Ma\bacat al-

• Khayyiim, 1981), vol. 2, p. 224.

291 Khwajavi, introduc1ion to Asnlr a!-S/1artca, p. 33.
• Lhc accompanying treatises arc in the Arahic language, written in the hancJ of SayyicJ

~laycJar Amuli; Lhc n:plics in the form of

Mu~a44i4ln,2'12 except for one Lhal is

liitwiis arc in the hancJ of Fakhr al-

written hy AmuJi.293 The <late of Lhe

transcription of the masii'il (4ueslions) is 761/1359, ancJ Lhat of the ras:i'il (treatises)

762/1360.2 94

26. Jiimi<" a!-lfac{ii /q. At the encl of Jiimi<" a!-AsrJr, Amull mentions that he wrote

this essay in the Persian language hcforc Jiimi'° a/-Asriir.295

27. Risiil:J/ Ji a/-''U/Om a!-'°Ji.liya. A manuscript copy of this treatise is preserved in

Najaf.2% This essay was the last work of AmulI, written in 787 /1385,297 possibly just

before, the encl of his Iifc.29K We possess no more information about the life of SayyicJ

l:faycJar after this point.

:?'>:? Sec appendix. no. 12.

29·1 Ibid .• no. 12.
2'14 Sec the introduction of Sayyid IJaydar to these questions in appendix. no. 12; sec also al-Mimi
<Abdullah Afandl al-l~fahanl. Riyarf a/.<£1/ama wa {liyarf a/-Fur/JJ/a: vol. 2. p. 224. and M. Kh-ajavt.
introduction to Asrnr al-Shan"a. pp. 32-33.
2°5 Amull. J;U11i< a/-Asr.u. p. 614.
2% E. Kohlbcrg. "Amo It." p. 984.
2Q1 Sec Mu1,tan1mad <Alt Tabnzl (Mudarris). Rayl.uinat al-Adab Ii Tarajim al-Ma~T1Jli11 bi a/-Kunyat wa

•
:i/-Altpb (l"abn1; <llmi. 1945). vol. 2. p. 498. or (l"abnz: Kitabfbnishi Khayyam). 2nd. Ed .. vol. 3. p.
475. s •.., also E. Kohlbcrg. "Amolt." p. 983 .
298 O. Yal,tya. introduction to J:imi< al-Asnu. p. 17.
 h7

• 2. 3. 2. /Jooks and Trr:ati.w:s Allrihutcd to Amuli

The above-mentioned list contains the hooks and lrcatiscs which arc mentioned hy

Sayyid l;laydar himself. There arc, however, several other works which arc allrihutcd

lo Amuli hy some biographers, as follows:2•l•>

28. Ri5ii/at Riili''at al-Khilii/' ''an W<tih Sukut Amir al-Mu ;ninfn 'im al-lkl11iwl:

This work is also called Raft' al-Mumlxa''a)<Xl Qiil,li Sayyid Ni:m1llC1h Shllshtari (d.

1019/1610) auributcs this work to Sayyid l;laydar Amuli and states that it was wrillcn

at the request of his teacher Fakhr al-Mul:ia44i4·111, and remarks besides that in fact this

work is one of the most na/ui:5(prccious) of Amuli's works.-llll

This essay investigates the topic of khiliiliJt al-1/iihiyya. The author explains

therein why Imam cAli remained at home for long alicr the death or Prophet

MuI:iammad, o;ily to become caliph twenty live years latcr.3°2

29. Talkhi~ /~/iliiJ:iiit af-,<;tJJiyya. This is a selection from the f:\Jil:l/1;il ;1/-,<;ufiy;w of

Shaykh CAbd al-Razzaq Kiishi (d. ea. 735/1335), but classilicd according to a different

schcmc.303

30. Risiilat al-Muctamad min a/-Manqul fi mii A :vf1ii ilii a/-Rt.L50/. This work was

finished in 733/1332.3°"

299 In the following I also allcmpt lo follow choronological order in listing lhc lilies.

300 Agha Buzurg, 11/-{faq:i 'iq al-Ral1ina fi al-Mi'at a/-7h:imin:i. p. 70.

301 Shllshtari, Majalis al-Mu ininin, vol. 2. p. 53: 0. Ya(lya, inmxluction to Jamie al-A.n'1r, p. 25: /..fanch
al·l~fahani, Riyar,J 11/-CUJama: vol. 2. p. 225.

302 Shushtari. Mafa/is 11/-Mu inimn, vol. 2. p. 53.

•
303 Sayyid CAbd al-Rau.aq al-Mllsavt al-Muqarram citing Kashfa/-(unun, vol. I. p. 107. Sayyid 0 Ahti JI·
Razzaq al·Mllsawl al-Muqarram' s introduction 10 Sayyid l,laydar Am uh, 11/·Kas/lku/ fi·ma Jara ea/a Al
a/-Rasll/(Bcit'llt: Mu'assasat al·Balagh. 19K7). p. 9.
 Coll

• 3 I. ilf-Kilshku/ fimii lilrii 'a/ii Ali 11l-Rilsl1l305 This work is referred to by its

author as ilf-Kilshkul limii hrii Ii Ali 11/-R11sl1/ min 11/-Jumhur h11"d 11/-R11su!.3°6 It was

wrillen in Najal' in 735/IJ33-34,307 and eventually published in 1987 in Beirut 3°K with

a short introduction containing a biography of Amuli by Sayyid CAbd al-Razziiq al-

Musawi al-Muqarram. The authorship of this work has been in dispute for a long

time.3<1J Corbin has adduced convincing evidence that it is by a different author.JIG

But Shushtari (d. 1019/1610), in his Mil}iilis 11/-Mu 'minin, states that this book was

written by Sayyid l;laydar ibn CAii al-Abdili l'!I al-l;lusayni al-Amuli because it is like

his other works ..111 Similarly, Afandi al-I~fahiini claims that this book is certainly the

work of Sayyid l;laydar and none other.312

The subject-matter of Kashku/ is an argument about the succession of lmiim CAii

and the twelve lmiims (peace be upon them) according to Shica belief. From it one

may deduce th:ii ihe author supported the Shica and had some problems with the Sunni

school.313

304 Isma<1( Pasha al-llaghdad1, llidayat a/-C/irilin Ii Asma' al-Mu 'a!lili11 wa a/-Mu~annilin (lslanbul,
195t), vol. I, p. 341.
3os Snyyid 0 Abd al·RauA1q al-Muqarram 1rics to make the case that this book was wrincn by Sayyid
I,Iaydnr Amuh. Sec his in1roduction to al-Kashkul Ii ma Jar.i ea/a Ali al-Rasul. pp. 9, ID .
.lO<> Snyyid 0 Abd al-RauA1q al-Muqarram, in1roduc1ion to a/-Kashkd/ Ji mli Jar.i C3f;J Ali at-Rasul, p. 14.
·107 Ibid .• p. 13.
30K By Mu'assasa1 al-Balagh.
30'1 nl-Muqarram. in1mduc1ion to al-Kashkul Ii ma Jam "a/a Ali al-Rasul, pp. 9, IO.
3 ICJ Corbin. I.a l'/Jilo»ophic Sh1ci1c (f'chran & Paris. I969), p. 46, sec also E. Kohl berg. "AmoIi." p. 984.
311 Qa\h Sayyi<I Nur Allah Shushtan, Maja/is al-Mu 'minm. vol. 2. p. .; ;; f<jaz l.fusayn al-Kanturt. Kash!
al-Uujub wa al-Astar 'an A.<ma 'al-Kutub wa al-Asliir. p. 470.

• 312 al-l~fahan1, Ri)'3{1 at-<lflama: vol. 2. p. 225 .

313 Amult. al-Kashku/, Ii mli jar.i "a/a Ali al-Rasul, pp. 5-6.
• 32. Muntakhahm Anwiir al-Shari'':J. This work seems to consist or a selection from

a lill.i"ir by Sayyid l;laydar entitled l\;/unt;ikh:ih ;1l-Ti1 'ivil,ll·t also referred lo as /U~;i/i1

Muntakhah al-Ta 'wil JI hayiin Kitiih Alhih w;1 burvlih.·1 1~ The suhjcct ol' this essay is

that ol' the u,1·01 al-Din (the mots ol' religion), the ;irkiin :il-lshim (pillar or Islam) and

the f'uro"al-Din(the fundamental principles) ol' lslam.-11<•

33. Rifiilat Xiid al-Musiilirin. The general index or Kitilhkh;im1-yi Mi!ili1·-i

Jumhuri-yi !sliimi-yi lriin (Lihrary of the Congress ol' the Islamic Repuhlic ol' Iran),

(Tehran: 1984) possesses a manuscript, no. 1468, which the compiler considers lo he

one of Sayyid l;laydar Amuli's writings,317

It mig~.t have been expected that Sayyid l;laydar would have mcntioned these

attributed works (nos. 27 lo 33 above), particularly al-Ka.1·hkul which wa.~ wrinen in

735/1334, in his Muqaddumiit min Kitiih Na,~,~ ;J/-Nu,~u,~. ii' they had actually heen

written by him. For the Muqaddumiit wa.~ composed in 782/1380,-llM i.e. 47 years after

th·~ time of al-Kashkul.

34-35. There is no trace of any of the other works allrihuted lo our writer, such a.~

the books entitled "Anqii'and Simurgh-i Qut; hut for their titlcs..11'1

314 0. Yal)ya, introduction to J;imiCa/-Asr.Jr. citing II. Corbin, pp. 32. 56.
315 Yal)ya, introduction to JamiCa/-Asror. p. 32.
316 Sec appendix, no. 11.
317 Yal)ya, introduction to Jarm·c al A>ror. p. 54, and Kh"ajav1, intn•luction to A.v:rr a/-S/1an"a, p. 35.

• 318 Sec Amuli, a/-Muqaddamat min Kitab Na$$ al-Nu$U$, p.

319 M. Kh"ajavl, introduction to Asroral-Shan<a, p. 26.
537.
 70

• 2. .1. J. Transcripts (l~tinsiikhiit)

Another significant contrihution of Sayyid l;laydar was his efforts at i1·tinsiikh, i.e.

transcrihing older writings and i1·tiflii '. Apart from the al-Masii ii af-Amuliyya, there

arc twelve other treatises, all of which arc in his handwriting.320 The first of these

works wa~ copied at the end of the month of Rajah in 759/1356-57,321 in the city of

l~illa. The writing of the Masii 'ii occurred in 76 I /1358-59 and that of the other rasii 'ii

in 762/1359-6(),322 The rasii'iltranseribed by Amuli arc a~ follows:

I. A.1· 'ila, i.e. some questions posed by Shaykh ~adr al-Din Qunawi (d. 672/1273)

to Kh"iija Na~ir al-Din Tlisi (d. 672/1273).323

2. /,~filii{liit-i f:lukamii ',324

3. Sh:irfl-i Kitiih-i ClJyiin al-l;likma, of Fakhr al-Din Razi (d. 606/1210). Kh"ajavi

suggest~ that ''Uyiin al-l;likma iL~clf is by Fakhr al-Din Riizi;325 however, it is clear that

ClJyiin al-l;likma wa~ written by lbn Sina and Sh:irfl-i ClJyiin al-l;likma by Fakhr al-Din

Riizi.326

320 Ibid .. p. 33.

321 Sec 0. Yal)ya's intnxluction to Jamie al-Asr.ir. p. 56, and also al-Mira <Abdullah Afandi al-I~fahani,
who says that he saw this infomiation in copies or al-Masa 'ii al-Fiq.~iyya and al-Masa 'ii al-
Kal:1111iyya. Sec al-Isfahani, Riyarf al-CUfam:J' wa {liy:Jt;J al-Fut;Jal:i: vol. 2, p. 224.
322 Kh"ajav1, introduction to Asr.u al-Sb:inCa_ p. 33.
3:?.1 Ibid .. p. 34.

324 Ibid., p. 34.

3:?.~ Ibid., p. 34.

• 326 Fakhr al·Dm Razt wrote more than 67 treatises on several subjects, according to lbn Khalliklln (d .
68111282). Sec lbn Khalliklln's biographical notice included as an introduction to al-Fakhr al-Din al-
Rall, al-TafsJral-Kablr(Egypt: al-Matba<a al-Bahiyyat al-Mi~riyya, 1302/1884), pp. H.. W. No. 51.
 71

• 4. al-Masfi 'ii al-Madam)')'l.l (Madinan Qm:stions). This hook was wrillen hy

CAlliima l;lilli.327 There is an {ifixa from Fakhr al-MuQa44i4in on the hack cover or the

manuscript when: he corrects some or the opinions or his father ..12K

5. Masfi 'il-i Mutal'arriqa.·12<J

6. Rasii 'il-i Kh".iija Na,\·ir al-Din Tiisi,.1.10

7. Risiila J'i aJ-f:la.fj al-Mutamaui" hihi wa Wfijih~itih1: This treatise was wriuen hy

Fakhr al-MuQaqqiqin.

8. Risiilat al-f:ludiid. This risiila was written by Abi.i CAii ihn Sinf1 (Avicenna) (d.

428/1037),331

9. Risiilat al-C/Jm,332

10. Ris:ilat Mi<'rJj al-Saliima wa Minhiij al-Karfima, written by CAii ihn Sulayman

al-BliQrani (d. 690/1291).333

11. Risiilat al-Qa<jii' wa al-Qadar, written by l;lasan al-Ba~ri (d. 110/728).·B·I

327 His full name was Jamal al-Din 1.Iusayn ibn Yusuf ihn <A. lhn al-Mu1ahhar Ay:uullah al-<Allanmh al-
~lilli. lie was bom on the 20th of R:ima(ian al-Mub;irk. 648/1250 and died on the ((hit/I Ith of
Mu[Jarr.irn al-{/ar.iJn, 726/1325. lie was one of the great Sh1<1 li1q1/J, u,<uli and k:1/m111, mul wro:c
about 39 books in several subjects. Sec Brockclmann, aesc/Jic/Jtt', vol. 2. pp. 206-21~J.
328 Kh"ajavi, introduction to Asnir a/-S/Jan"a. p. 34.
329 Ibid., p. 34.
330 Ibid., p. 34. M. Kh"ajav1 docs not ind;catc which works.
331 M. Kh"ajavi, introduction to Asroral-S/Janca, p. 34.
332 Ibid., p. 34.
333 Ibid., p. 34. Jamal al-Din cAh ibn Sulayman al-llal)mm (or Bal)mym) was one of the great
philosophers of Islam in the seventh century {/ijro. I le was one of the pupils of Kamal al-Din Shaykh
Al)Jnad al-Bal)rnnl and lbn Maytham al-Bal)mm. lie was contcmpomry to K!i"aja Na~ir al-D1n Tus1.
The exact dale of his death is unclear, bu1 ii was probably before 1ha1 of Jhn May1ham, ahoul

•
690/1291, in Bal)rayn. Jurfariqam, Az Kulaynt ta Klwmaynr, p. 63; for more infomia1io11 ahou1 CAii
ibn Sulayman al-Bal)rani and May1ham al-Bal)rani sec CAil al-Oraih1, "Sh1c1 Renaissance," M. A.
thesis (Montreal: Mc Gill University, 1992).
• 12. RJ'.1'ii/u-yi TuwfJid335

3.l4 M. Kh"ajavi, in1roduc1ion 10 AsrJJ' al-Shari"a, p. 34. His full name is Abll Sa°ld ibn Abi al-l;lasan
Yasar al-Ba~n. lie was born in ~l/ti42 in Medina. lie grew up in Jlliidi al-Qur.J' and. one year afler
lhe Baule of $iffln (between Mu<awiyal ibn Abi Sufyan and Imam <Ali). he wem to Ba~ra. He !Ook
pan in lhe canipaign.< of conquest in eastern Iran (43/663). Thereafter, he lived as a famous w;;c;l

•
(preacher) in B~ra umil his dea1h in 110n2s. ll. Riner, "l;lasan al-Ba~n," in 7bc Encyclopaedia of
Islam. vol. 3, pp. 247 .
335 M. Kh"ajavl. in1roduc1ion 10 Asr.ir al-Shari"a. p. 34.
 7.1

• l'Jirtll; A_n_O_y~ryie\,Y or_theDoctrine of Amuh

The main objective of this part of the thesis is to clarify two views of Sayyid

J:!aydar Amuli. The first view is his solution of the dilTercm:es existing between the

three groups of the people of sh11ri''a, furiqa and !;wqiqu, which fom1s the third chapter.

The last chapter of this part is concerned with Amuli's view of lrminw, by making

reference to several of his works, such as A.mlr 11/-Shuri'i1 1v:1-Afwdr u/-'(;1ric/U 1v;1

Anwar 11/-lf11qiqu, Jiinu·c 11/-AsrJr w11-Milllb11" 11/-Amviirand etc.

Chapter 3.

A.mull on the Relation Between Shari''a, Tarf<[a and f:laqiqa

3.1. Solution to the Difference Between the. people of Slwnc11, Tunqu and U11quju

3. I. I. Amuli's View of the Solution

3. I. 2. The Relation Between cAql and Shur"

3. I. 3. Meaning or Shun ea, Tunqa and Uaq1qa

3. I. 4. Dominance of Shilrica, Tilriqa and ~laqiqa.

3. I. 4. I. Shilri"a in the According to the View of Amuh

3. I. 4. 2. TarJi'Ja in the View of Amuli

3. I. 4. 3. lfaqiqa in the View of Amuli

•
 74

• CHAPTER 3. THREE APPROACHES TO THE TRUTH AND THEIR RELATIONS

It should he noted that most of the Shi'1 ''ulamii'who used technical ,~O//tcrms did

not belong lo any specific path of Sulism. Neither Sayyid l:laydar Amuli, nor

philosophers such as Mir Diimiid (d. 1040/1630) or ~adr al-Din Shiriizi (d. 1050/1640)

belonged lo any /uriqa.

It would seem lo be the case that it was lirsl and foremost the congregalional

organization of Sulism that the ShiCj critics had in mind when they rejected it as an

institution, particularly the shaykh's role as a substitute for the Imam and even more so

his status as Imam al-Ghii'ih (hidden Imam), since he is invisible a~ the inner ma~lcr

and g11idc.J36

Among ShiCj Cu/amii '. Sayyid l:laydar Amuli had a signilicanl role in offering a

new solution to the conllict between Shi'1sm and Sufism.

To sum up, the significance of Sayyid l:laydar lies in the following major areas: .

I. His solution lo the differences between the peoples of sharica, ,tariqa and

fwqiqa;

2. Giving a clear explanation of the relation between caql and sharC;

3. This clarification ol' the views on Waliiya and !mama held by the three peoples .

• 336 Corbin. History of Islamic Philosophy, p. t 90.

 7!

• 3. I. THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN Tiii! PEOPLE OF SllARtcA, TARIQA AND

i;IAQiQA

As is well-known, certain conflicts have existed between /uq1lh1/: ,~tills and

curafii'. Sometimes ,mfis rejected shariC:1 law, and one may also point to those /uq1lh1/'

who considered some Cura/a' to be kiilirs (unbelievers). A.mull attempted to resolve

these conflicts. To begin with, he tried lo put all groups existing within the Shill

community under one umbrella.

As a matter of fact, Suhrawardi (d. 587 /1191 ), years before Sayyid l;laydar, took

the initiative to unite philosophy with sulism; the initiative of A.mull in the

eighth/fourteenth century brought together Shiers who had forgotten their origins and

vocation. In his view the concepts of l;ikmat-i iliihiyya (theosophy) and 'irliin-i .\'hl'I

(Shica gnosis) overlapped.331

3. J. 1. Amull's View ofthe Solution

In his introduction to Asr.ir al-Shan-ea, A.mull, before proceeding to a discussion of

shan-ca, /anqa and fJaqiqa, explains why he wrote this book:

[I see] most of the elite and the common of this time think that shari''ah
is at variance with /ariqah and /ariqah is at variance with IJaqlqah; they
imagine that there are real differences between these various levels and
they attribute certain things to each of them which arc inappropriate, in
particular to the group which affirms the Oneness of Allah, namely the
group known as $11fis. The reason for this is their lack of knowledge of
the various spiritual states of each of the three groups and their deficient
understanding of their beliefs and principles. Thus I desired to make

• 331 Corbin. History ofIslamic Philosophy, 217.

 76

• clear these different states to those who had misconceptions about them;
..,338

Sayyid Uaydar also explains in his Jiimi" al-Asriir why he engaged in an attempt

to resolve the conflicts between the above-mentioned groups: "I und.:rstood that one of

the best ways of obtaining grei•l prosperity is to be engaged in Divine knowledge and

to be concentrated on that, which in its own tum is one of the causes that can solve

differences between believers. "339

Amuli confirms this point with the following words of God: "There is no good in

most of their secret counsels except (in his) who enjoins charity or goodness or

reconciliation between people ... "340

Similarly, he was inspired by the words "Most surely this is the mighty

achievemcnt"341 and also the verse "For the like of this then let the workers work."342

According to Amuli, he would deserve to be considered a bakhil (miser) if he did

not involve himself in such issues, for stinginess in knowledge is even worse than

ordinary stinginess. 343 Amuli found support for this attitude in the fo!:owing Qur'linic

verse: "And there arc those of them who made a covenant with Allah: If He give us out

of His grace, we will certainly give alms and we will certainly be of the good."344 And

33S Amull, Asriir a/.Sflan<a, p. 5, and idem, Inner Sccrr:ts oftile Patli, pp. 5-6.
339 Amuli, J;in1ic a/-Asnir wa Manba< al-Anwar, p. t 2, under no. 20.
340 Sec //oly Qur 'an, Sumi al-Nis:i ', tl 4.
341 Ibid., Sumi al-$:iflill, 60.
342 Ibid., Samt al-$:ifliit. 61.

• 343 Amull, Jm1ic•·/-Asnir wa ManbaCa/-Anw;;r, p.

344 Sec Holy Qur'.i;a, Samt a/-Tawba, 75.
t2, undcrno. 20.
 77

• also "But when He gave them out of His gruce, they hecamc niggll;dly nf it tmd they

turned back and they withdrew. "345

Amuli was an early proponent of the thesis that lmami Shi"ism, which comhincs

the .1'harica, /anqa, and f;Jaqiqa, is identical with sutism. Every tme Shi"! rel'crred tn hy

AmOli as iii-Mu 'min iil-Mumt;li;um (an examined heliever), is also a ,~al~. and vice

versa.346

3. I. 2. Relation Between CAql and SharC

One signiticant feature of Amuli's idea of lmiimil is his view that the .l'hilri':1 must

be based on the caql (intellect). Fakhr al-MulJaqqiqin, the snn of CAllama al-l;lilli, was

one of the great l'aqihs Uurispmdences) who taught Amuli. In an 'ijiizil (license) which

he wrote for the latter he mentions: "Sayyid l;laydar is one of the great scholars who

combine the sciences of tradition with those of reason, and those of the foundations of

jurispmdence with its branches. "347

When one looks at some of the works authored by Sayyid l;laydar, one quickly

sees that this claim is tme.348 One example of this can be found in his discussion in

the third aspect of the AsrJr ii/-Shiiricil, which Sayyid l;laydar entitles as follows:

How the caq/ (intellect) is dependent upon the sharC (divine code of
laws) and how the latter is dependent upon the 'aql (intellect) and how
each is dependent upon the other. 349

345 Ibid., Siirot al-T:iwba. 76.

346 Sec AmuU. Jiimic al-Asr.ir wa Manbac al-Anw:ir. pp. 46-48; and sec also appendix, no. 17.
347 Sec appendix. no. 4, and M. Khwajavl. introduction to Asr.ir al-Shari"a. p. xx.

• 348 See AmuU. Tafsfr al-Mu/,li! al-A "pm, vol. I, pp. 203-206, 293-300 .
349 AmuU. Asr.ir al-Shari"a wa A/w:ir al-Tartqa wa Anw:ir al-~laqfqa, p. 36.
 7K

• Amuli investigates here the claim that the shar': is contrary to the 'i1q/, and comes

to the conclusion that, in fact, the whole system of legal duties and ordinances with all

iL~ details and ramifications is hased on the intellect and is within the true grasp of the

thinking man.350

More than this, he believes that all the workings of existence arc based on the

intellect and the C;iqil (the man of intellect). These parameters of existence came into

being and so will end with the annihilation of existence. Thus it has been said:

Glory to whom so ever brought ex!stcncc into being with the intellect
and scaled it with the 'iiqi/(thc men ofintcllcct).351
In a J:wdilh of the Prophet it ha~ also been narrated:

The first thing that Allah created wa~ the caq/ (intellect) there upon He
said to it: 'Come close'; then immediately, it came closer. Then He said
to it: 'Go back'; immediately it went back. Then He said: 'I swear in My
Glory and My Power, I did not create any creations more beloved to Mc
than you (intellect): By you I take, and by you I give, by you I reward
and by you I punish .. .'352
Sayyid l;laydar likens the relation and interdependence of intellect and shar

(divine code) to that of body and soul. What he means by this is that just as the

workings of the soul and the manifestation of its attributes and perfection arc not

possible without the body, so are the workings of the sh;uC (divine code) and the

350 Ibid .• p. 39.

351 Ibid .. p. 39.

• 352 Amull, A.mir :J./.Sh:ut"a. pp. 39, 40; this /;l:J.d!lh is recorded in MuJ:tarnmad Baqir Majlisi. Bilpir :J.1-
Anwar. vol. I. p. 97, and also Kulaynl. :J.l-Kiifi :J.1-ll~al W:J. al-Rawt,f:J.. vol. I. p. 67.
 7•>

• manifestations of its various levels not possihle without the 't1t//.353 So in om: word

the intellect is not independent of the .sh:1r': nor the sh:ir'' independent of the 'il<//)54

According to Sayyi:.1 l:laydar, intellect consists nl' s.:veral different levels: the 't1t//

:il-h:l)'iiliini (material intellect), the ":iql hi <1/-m:1hlki1 (faculty or intellect), the 'l1t// hi

al-Ii"! (active intellect), and th.: 'liq/ :1/-mus/:1/':iJ (acquired int.:llect).355 He cxplains

that the first and thc second levels arc those nl' the common pcoplc, thc third level

( "aq/ bi al-Ii"/) that of the khii,,·,s (elite) and the fourth that of the khii,s,,· :i/-khii,s,s (elite of

elite) from amongst the prophets and ;iwliy:i' (saints).356 A.mull follows lhn Sinrt

(without saying so explaining) by dividing intellect intn four levels.357

3. I. 3. Meanings of Shari"a, Tariqa & lf:iqiq;i

The original definition of shari"a and also that of sh;ir'' is "road to the watcring

place;"358 hence by extension it came to mean the clear path to he lcillowed, the path

which the believer has to tread, and as a technical term,35 9 the totality of Allrth 's

353 Amuli. Asr.Ir al-Shart'il wa A/wliral-Tartqa wa Anw;Jr;1J-~/3qiqa, p. 40.

354 Amull, Jlimic al-Asriir. p. 372, no. 74 J
355 er. Amuli, Asr.Ir al-Shartca. p. 135 and Jamie af-Asriir. p. 372, # 740. Nevenhelcss, a different order
can be found in Asr.ir.Jl-Shart'il, p. 40, where 3/-'ilql bi 3/.ffI corresponds to shal and al-"aq/ hi al-
malak:i to /artq3. This is more likely a mL<takc by the editor or a misprint.
356 Amuli. Asriir af-Shart'il, p. 135, and also Jamie al-Asriir, p. 372 no. 740.
357 Originally Sayyid l;laydar borrows these four kinds or 'ilql from lhn Sina. Sec lhn Sina, l</1ani1 wa
Tanblhat (Tehran:· Kitabkhiina-yi Farabl. 1360). nama1. 3.
358 Isma"il ibn l;lammiid al-Jawharl. al-,'>ifJ~; Taj al-Lugh3 wa ,'>il,I~ af-CArabiyya, ed. Al)mad "Ahd al-
Ghariir "A!!iir (Egypt: Dar al-Kitab al-"Arabl. 1955), vol. 3, p. 1236.

• 359 Sec Joseph Schacht. "Shari"a." in First Encyclopaedia of Js/3m 1913·1936, ed. M. 'In. l!oustma (New
York: E. J. Brill 1987), voL 7. p. 320.
 ""

• commandments to worship,Jr.cJ the religion ol' Islam, the </<lnOn (canon or law) ol'

lslftm.Jr>i

Tun"<p anti also /;m"</ arc Arahic terms, meaning "path, way, roatl," anti ha•:c in

Muslim mysticism two technical meanings:

I. In the Jrtl-5th centuries A.H., they tlcnotc a method of morai psychology for the

practical guidance ol' intlivitluals who hat! a mystical call. Thus a!-Jawhari (tl.

J96/I 005 ), a very lcamctl scholar, states that /•m"q;i/ ;i/-R'!iul means "the religion of the

man'';362

2. Aller the 6th century A.H., they stantl li.lr the whole system ol' riles for spiritual

training laitl tlown in the various Muslim religious orders which hcgan to he l'ountlctl

at this timc.J<>J

f;l;iqiq;i, (pl. l;wqii 'iq) is a noun meaning literally "reality"; thus i< i.s saitl, /;i

f:wqiq;i/;i f;ihO of a thing that has no reality or truth.3'>4 A "reality" is a thing which of

course exists; thus ;ih/ ;1/-/;wqiq;i describes those mystics who know the real nature ol'

JC.O al-Jawhan. :1/-,\'U,:1!,r, vul. 3. I'· t23<>. Sh:1n'';J can al«> mean a single l,rukm (rule) just as the plural
.<h•r.i 'y;« can mean :il,rk:im. Sec Joseph Schacht, "Shanta." in First Encyc/op:mli:i of ls/:Jm. /9/J-
/IJJ6, vu!. 7, p. 320.
3111 Joseph Schacht, "Shan<a," in First Encyclvp:mlia of/s/:Jm, 19/.1-1936, vu!. 7, p. 320.
3<•~ al-Jawhan. :il-,~U,:11,r, vu!. 4, p. t513.
Jr,3 Tu thi: daim that thi: wunl /:Jnt/3 in the first scnsi: (cf. texts by Junayd, l,lalliij, Sarr~j. Qushayn and
llujvtn) i.< still vague, unc may explain that f:inq:1 means perfect and ideal method or (riC3y:i), wcrcas
.<u/uk i.< belier suited to describe the succession psychological stage (maq;Jm:i/, 31,rw:lt, leading one
whu has been called to pmcccd fmm the shari'':J to the /,r3qiqa. Sec Massignon, "Tari~a." in Firs/

• J:nqdop:lcJi:J of l<l·m. /9/J-1936, vol. 8, p 667 .

364 AL<u, al-llaq1q3 is the opposite of 3/-maj:lz(mctaphur). al-Jawhari, af-,Wl,r:il,r. vol. 4, p. 1461.
 Kl

• Uod, as apposed Ill ah/ iil-IJ:1<J<J, the m:ccplcd t'ollnwcrs or the Sumw. U•l</l</<I is also the

goal at the end of the d;mvish {ilri</ii.·16.I

Amuli descrihes several different views ahout thcsc tem1s, and tinally dahorall'S

his own ideas.

According to one or them, shilri'i1 is the name or the Gml-givl'n path whid1 lies

before man. It encompasses hoth the principles and the branchcs or thc paths: it also

includes hoth the nlkha,•· (the special dispcnsations) and thc 'i1;1.:l 'i111 (incani.itions): it

also encompasses all those actions which may he 4ualiticd as (w.~;m (good) or ii(l.•·:m

(morc excellent). Tariqa is the way or maximum pmdem:e, the p:ilh or thc hest and

surest behavior, and thus is any path which leads a man to the hcst specch or m:tion

whether, in the attrihutes he ac4uires o• the states he experiences. U:u{llFJ is an

affirmation of the existence of something, whethcr through ki1sh/'(t111vciling), ''iy:ln

(dircct vision), or /Jfilatun wa wijdfinun (mystical consciousness).w'

Thus it has also been said the meaning of shilri'a is that you worship God, f:iri</'1,

that you attain His presence, and fJaqi<Ja, that you witness Him. 167

365 Allah can be (laq1qa1 al-(1aqa 'iq as the stage of unity which emhrnee' all realitie\. The (lilt/It/II uf
Allah is distinguishcd by the ,\'ufi masters fmm his (wqt{. in that the fonuer i111licates his ·.'if;tl
(qualities) while IJaqq indieatcs his cl/Ja/. Sec Mul1ammad A'la ihn "Ah al-Tahanaw1, Maw.m'ill
fslila/Jal a/.CUJum a/-ls/amiyya, al·Ma"ruf bi Kas/Jsllaf l,'tila(wt a/-Fu11u11 (l!cinn: al-Mak1:1h;11 al-
lslamiyya Khayyat. 1966), vol. 2. p. 333. Sec also D. II. Maedunalil, "l,la~1~a." /'int l.i1Lydop;1L'tli11 of
Islam, 1913-1936, vol. 3, p.223.
366 Amuh, Asmr al-Sllanca wa A/war al-Tanqa wa A11war al-{laq1qa, p. 8: sec ahu hh J;u11i" 11/-A"mr. p.

•
344, no. 685 .
367 Sec Amuh, JIJJJljC al-Asmr. p. 344. no. 685, and also Asmr a/-.~11an"a wa Afw:1r 11/-l'ant/ll w;1 A11war
al-Haq1q11, p. 8.
 82

• According to some other scholars, the .\·h:1rf<';J means that you tuqimu amrahu

(respect His command),3fi8 /:irlq:1 that you tuqimu hi amrihl (carry out His

commaml),WI and J:wqlqa that you taquma t,ihl (exist by Him).370 Amuli believed

that this rneaning is supported by the Prophet's words: "The sharf<';J is my aqwii/

(words), the /ariiqa is my :i/ta/(actions), and the J:wqiqa is my :i{iwii/(moods) ... " .l71

Amuli continues by pointing to a /pdith of the Prophet, according to which he

asked I;liiritha372 about the strength of his belief and I;Iaritha replied that he had

became a mu 'min:in /;l:iqq:in (a true believer). After that the Messenger stated that there

is a reality for every truth, and asked what was the reality of his belief. I;Iaritha said

!hat he saw the people of Paradise visiting each other and the people of Hell howling

at each other, and he saw the throne of his Lord ... then the Prophet confirmed him.373

Relying on his J:iadilh, Sayyid I;Iaydar asserts that I;Iaritha's faith in the Ghayb

(unseen) was his sharfC:1, that his in difference to this world and the actions undertaken

·168 J:imi''.11-Asror. p.
J<i<> Asror o/-!i/Jon'"a. p.

·1711 Amuh, Asror a/-!>'l1an'':J wa A/war al-7lmqa wa Anwar al-(laqtqa, p. 8; sec also Jamie al-Asror. p.
344. no. 685.
371 Amuh. A.m1ral-!>'l1an<a, p. 8; sec also idem, JamiCa/-Asr.lr, p. 346, no. 687 .
.l72 l,larilha was one of lhc companions of 1hc Prophcl who was manyrcd in a baulc against 1hc enemies
of Islam. llis full name was I,larilha ihn Malik ihr. Nu<man al-An~ari, and his ku11ya was Aho
<Ahdillah. Sec Kulaym. al-Kan al-ll~ul wa al-Rawrfa, al-Mazandar•ni's commcmary, vol. 8, p. 167,
and Majlis1, Bif.rar al-Anwar. vol. 22. p. 126, no. 6 .
.1 7.1 M. Kulayni, al-Kan a/-U~ui wa a/-Rawrfa, vol. 8. pp. 167, 168. sec also /;JmjC al-Asr.ir, pp. 345. 346,
no. 685. for more infommlion ahou1 ibis f.radilh in Sbi<a sources sec M. D. Majlisl. Bif.rlir al-Anw;ir,

• vol. 22. pp. 126. 146, 304, and also vol. 67, pp. 286. 287, 299. 313. One may know l,lari1ha f.radith is
also famous in Sunm sources sec II. L.andoll. imroduc1ion and commentary 10 Nur al-Din Isfarayini,
fr Rcn•/atcur /Jes Mystcrr:s. Kashifal-Asr.ls (Lagrasse, [France[: Vcrdincr. 1986). p. 96f.
 "I

• by him such as merited this degree were his .turic/il, and LhUL his unveiling and

consciousness of Hell, the throne, and l'aradise were his l;wc1i<t:1. 11.1

ll has also been said that the lslamil.; legal code is like an almond nut: i.e. it

includes oil, a kernel and a shell, thus lhe almond as a whole is the slwri'it, the kernel

represents the fariqa and !he oil is lhe J:wqiqa. A similar comparison has been made on

the basis of ,~a/fit (prayer); the prayer consists of khidnw (service), i.e. slwrN1, •111rh:1

(coming closer), i.e. fariqu. JJld wu,~lil (arrival), i.e. l;wqiq:1. Moreover. the word prayer

includes all of them.J75

Amuli rcaHzcd that sh;irf'a means man's at'lirmation or the prophets sayings in his

heart and his action. Till'iqa is the fullillment and reali~.alion or the prophets' deells and

ethics together with the putting into practice of the prophetic pattern of hehavior.

f;l;iqfqa is the witnessing of the stations and slates of the prophets through

unveiling.376

3. I. 3. Relation Between Sharica, Tariqa & f;laqfqa

Ba~cd on Lhc different definitions offered by Sayyid Amuli, one may conclude

that, according to him, sharica, fariqa and J:wqiqa arc not different in origin hut arc

several JSpccL~ of one reality.377 In other words Amuli wanted Lo consider shari'a,

374 Amuli. Asrar al-Shanca wa Afwar al-f'anqa wa Anwar al-llaq1qa, p. 9; sec :ilsu his J;u11i<' a/-AsrJr,
pp. 344. 345.no.685.
375 Amuli. Asr.ir al-Shan"a, p. 9; sec also his Jamie af·Asrar, p. 345, no. li86.

• 376 Amuli. Asr.ir al-Shanca, p. 9; sec also idem. Jamie a/-Asrar. p. 345. no. 687 .
377 Amuli, Jamie al-Asr.ir, p. 354. no. 704; sec also idem. Asrar af..~11anca. p. 8.
 K4

• /nriqil an<l l;lilqfqil as synonyms for one truth, hut in different terms.378 We can say that

they arc in fact three levels or stations; thus, the people of (U1C/ic;:1 arc at a higher

position than the people of /ilrfqil, just as the people of filrfqil arc at a highc1 level than

the people of shi1rN1.J1 9 Figure J may help to illustrate Amuli's i<lca:

378 S. I). Amult, .4sror a/-Shan"a, p. 5; sec also his hmcr Secn:ts of the Path. trans. A. ad-Dhaakir Yatc.

•
p. (1,
·17 Q I.I. Amult. lnnt·r Sccn:ts oftht• Path. tran.•. A. ad-Dhaakir Yatc. p. 9; sec also idem. J:itnic a/-.4.mir, p.
354. no. 704.
 Kl

• .. . ",.
.iJ.11
(Allah)

l'cnplc
nr
Uaq1qa
..... . '\

l'cnplc
or
Tanqa

People
of
Shan-ea

.... ,, .....................................................,. ......

.........
. .................... ,.,. ...........................,,,. ·····-

Figure: 3. This ligure shows the relation between thre<· groups of Muslims:

the peoples of shan""'a, fariqa and fwqiqa.

Therefore the sharica is the initial level, fariqa the intermediate stage and J;aqiqa

the final level. And whereas the perfection of beginning lies in the mean or the

•
intermediate, so doc.' the perfection of the intermccl;,;1.e lie in the end; and just as the
 K6

• intermediate is not allained without the beginning, so the end is not allained without

the intermediate. By this, Amuli means that just as the existence of that which is above

is not possible without that which is helow, so Loo existence at the intermediate level is

not possible without the beginning stage, nor existence at the final stage without the

intermediate.JKO

Thus, sharl'ilh is possible without fariqah, although farlqah is not

possible without shari'ilh; likewise, fariqah is possible without fJaqiqah,
hut fJaqlqah without fariqah is not. This is because each is the perfection
of the other. Therefore, although there is no contradiction between the
three levels, the perfection of sharicah is only possible through fariqah
and that of fariqah only possible through fJaqlqah. Accordingly, the
lkiimil 111-mukammil (the perli:ct who perfects others) is the one who
joins together! all three levels, for the sum of two things, or two states
when joined together, must be belier and more perli:ct than the two
when separ.ite: the people of IJaqiqah arc therefore superior in relation
to the people of sh;irfcah and /ariqah.381
Although most adherents of sulism arc to be found among the Sunni majority, it is

regarded in Shill Islam as the thought and the spirituality which originated in the

teaching of the holy Imams. Sayyid J:laydar Amiili took it upon himself to remind us

of this very fac:t.382 Based on this, Amuli gives his opinion on the relation of fariqa

and fJaqlqa with the shar1-ca of the Ahl al-Bayt_.18.l

.l 80 S. I.I. Am uh. Asr.u al-!i11ar1c11, p. 31: sec also his Jamie al-Asr.ir, p. 354, no. 704.
381 IJ. Amuh, llm<r St'crets of tilt• Pat/I, trnns. A. ad-Dhaakir Yote, p. 36: scr olso his Asr.lr al-S/JanCa, p.
31.
382 Corbin, l/istory of Mamie P/lilosop/ly, p. 261.
38.l The Ahl al-Bayt includes the Pmphet and his progeny. such as Imam <Ah, Fa1ima-yi Zahni'. Imam

• l.lasan. and Imam IJusayn. The Ahl al-Bayt in the view of Shi<a must he ma~lim (infallible); the
Sht<a believe that the Prophet, Fa1ima-yi 7Abni' and all .,fthe twelve Imams are mac$Ul11 and that they
belong to the Ahl al-Bayt.
 H7

• To have a belier understanding or the relation hetween these three notions, let us

consider each of them from Amuli' s standpoint.

3. I. 4. The Domain ofSharica, Tariqa and l;laqlqu

Sayyid l:laydar demonstrates his understanding of these three approaches tu the

truth by drawing various examples from Islamic teachings.

One such example involves the different ways in which Muslim scholars seek

understanding, an example which is reinforced hy a fwdilh from Imam cAli: slwrt':1 is

a river and /jaqiqa a sea. The Juquhii' keep to the hanks of the river; the fwk:umi •

(sages) for their part dive for dur..ir(pcarls) in the sea; and as for th<J 'iir..i/it'(gnostil:s),

they travel on the surface of the water in "boats of salvation".384

Another example involves the relation of the prophets lo their peoples. Sayyid

l:laydar states that relation of Moses to his people is like sh<1ri'i1, that of Jesus to his

people like /ariqa and that of Mul)ammad to his people like /jaqiqu.-18 ~

Sayyid l:laydar also speaks extensively of the relations between sharN1, /:1rlqa,

/jaqiqa and taw/jid in works such as AsrJr a/-Sharica and al-Muq;l(/damiil min Kitiih

Na~,s a/-Nu,sii,s.386 He point~ out that only the ah/ al-ljuqlqu/ulii al-alhiih arc those ahle

to be mushiihidat al-kul/ Can al-r..ibh a/-/jaqiqi(witnesses of the total "existence as from

the true Lord)" without imperfection this witnessing is ha~ed on absolute unity and

384 Amuli, Asr.ir al-Shari"a, 34; sec also his JIJlllic al-Asror. pp. 358. 359. no. 712. and 11/-Muqllfltlamct
mfn kitab Naff al-NufUf, p. 486. no. I 024. As far as I know this (wd1til is not mention in /Jilrar a/-
Anwar. a/-Jtimi"a Ii Duror Akhb:Jr al-A 'immat al-Afharhy <AIJama M. Aaqir Majlist (d. 1111/16~,,.

• 385 Amuli. Asr.ir al-Shan"il. pp. 34. 35.

386 Amuli. al-Muqaddamtit min Kittib Naff a/-NufU$, under al-Ha(lth a/-1ha/ith from p. 359.
 88

• perfect understanding of tawl;lid-i /jqf(unity or drive action),

(essence ).JH7
wa,~//(allrihute) and dhiii

3. 1.•~. 1. Shafl'B in the View of Amult

Un4ucstionahly, when Sayyid l;laydar comes to the representatives of kaliim

(theology) in Islam, he is more severe. But when Amuli condemns the weaknesses of

the oflicial sciences, he has in mind principally all those for whom Islamic thought

consists merely or 4uestions or law, or knowledge of liqh, he th·~y ShI'I or Sunni.3 88

Amuli believed that all knowledge is of two kinds: irthiyya (inherited) and

kasbiyya (acquired).JH9 The first kind which means basically inspired knowledge, does

not need to he acquired from the external wodd by means of effort und human

teaching.~90V,.hen Amuli speaks of ir:.'1ivya knowledge, it is important to know to

whom he believes these IJadith or Prophet applied: af.CUJamii' warathat al-Anbiyii'

(Those who have 'knowledge' me the heirs of the prophets);391 Midiid aJ.CU/amii'

ashra/' (ali:jal) min dimii' al-Shuhadii' (The ink of the sages is more delicate and

precious than the blood of martyrs); CU/amii' ummati ka anbiyii 'bani IsrJ i1 (The sages

of my community crc equivalent with the prophets of Israel).392

387 Ibid., p. 35, sec also J:imic al-Asr.ir, pp. 354. 355. no. 705.
388 Corbin. 7mkh-i Falsaf.1-yi Islar111, vol. I. p. 84.
38'l On Ihc other hand sometimes the Cu/arm1' of the (wqlqa called it rasmiyya or J.iaqlqiyya. Sayyid
l.faydar himself refer to it as rasmiyya and J.iaqfqiyya in his J:imic a/-Asr.ir, p. 228. no. 440, sec also
the whole chapter on this, staning on p. 472.
390 Amull. Jamie a/-11sror wa M811bac al·Anw;ir, p. 426.

• 39 1 lbid., pp. 42:-422 .

392 Corbin. l/istory ofls/8111ic Philosophy, p. 60.
• Sayyid l;laydar Amuli excludes a priori any interpretation which is derived from

lhe four great Sunni lmfuns,-193 in that this would make them the heirs of the prophets.

They themselves never made such a claim, and their knowledge is all of the type

"acquired from the external world."3 94 lrthiyya (inherited) knowledge presuppos<~S

nishat ul-Ma'hawiyya (a spiritual al'liliation), the model of which is the case or :tl-

A 'immal a!-ma'~·umin (infallible imfuns), who received their knowledge from the sons

of imfun CAii (p.) and no others.3''5

However, more than one person followed them and became :~Hflih :tl-Sirr; such as

Salman-i Fiirsi (the Pcrsian),396 because it was said or him that :mta minml :t/1/ :tl-

Bay/397 (you arc a part of us, a member of the HoL<se of the Prophet).-1''8 Our author

states that the "family" of the Ahl a!-Bayl is not the external family, hut rather is the

Bayt a!-Cflm wa al-MaCriJ'al wa a!-l;likma (the family of knowledge, gnosis and

393 Here lhc four Imams mean lhe four founders of lhe legal school of Sunm Islam: Al.unad ihn J,lanhal,
Abu ~Janifa, Malik and Shalici.
394 Amuli, J;imic a/-Asr.lr wa M1mb11c 11/-A11w11r. pp. 425-426, no. ~34.
395 Ibid., p. 426, no. 855.
396 Salman-i Farsi is said lo have been bom in or around 1hc year A.D. 568, in Fars, perhaps in
Ramhurmuz or Jiyy near l~fahan. His Persian name was Ruzbih. Many years later when he hecame
Muslim lhe Prophcl changed his name lo Salman. While he was a hoy he Jefl his father's house lO
follow a Christian monk bul aflcr meeting lhc Prophet he Jefl everything and forgnl every conncclion
for lhe sake of Islam. Thus he was lhc besl companion of Prophel Mul.iammad (~). lie was named
'Abu <Abd Allah, bul when he was asked about his father, he replied lhal his name was Salman lhe
son of Islam. lie plays an imponam role in lhe futuwwa, the workman's corporalions of lradilion, one
of lhc principal links in lhe mystic silsi/a (chain) and is one of lhe memher of Afl/ 11/-//;Jyt. llis death
is placed in 35 or 36 A.H. lbn Abi al-JJad11I "1-Mu<tazih, Sllarf.1Naflaj11/-/Jnl.7/f/l:I, vol. 18, p. 34. For
more information sec Sayed A. Razwy, ,,,J/1111111 El-Fars/, Sa/mall the l't•rsi1111 frit·11t! of l'mpflct
Mu(lammcd (Qum: Ao~ariyan Publicalions, 1372s); sec also G. Levi Della Vida, "Salman al-Fars1,"
First Encyclopaedia of/slam 1913-1936, vol. 7, pp. 116, 117.

39? Mul)ammad ibn al-Nu<tmin al-Mufld al-Baghd:idi, al-lkht#li$ (J'ehran: Mak1aba1 al-~aduq, 1959), p.

• 341, and Amuli, flilllical-Asr.lr wa M811baCa/-A11wlir. p. 500, no. J023 .

398 Amuli, flilllic al-Asr.lr wa Manbac al-Anwar. p. 25, no. 46.
 90

• wisdom).l'J'J This prophetic House is constituted by the Twdvc Imams, who,

originally and even before they appeared on earth, had this basis of' rdationship and

afliliation.

Amuli, analyzing the first of the above phrases dealing with the prophetic
heritage, warns us against the ambiguity of' the Arabic form "ulamii '. He translates it as
follows: those who have external knowledge arc not heirs lo the prophets.
Furthermore, those who arc not heirs arc not sages. The 4uality of' being an heir means
that good and truth comes lo one automatically and is not acquired from outside. 400

3. 1. 4. 2. 7'ariqa in the View of Amuh

According to Corbin

The bii/in isolated from the ?iihir, rejected even, produces a situation in
which philosophers and mystics arc out of true, engaged upon a path
which becomes increasingly 'compromising'. We gain a clear idea of'
this phenomenon, which up to now has not been analysed, from the
protests of' all those Shiites (with l;laydar A.mull at the head) who
understand full well the chief rea~on for Islam's descent into a purely
legalistic religion. They deny that 'four imams' can be the heires of the
Prophet, firstly bccm.:sc their knowledge is wholly exoteric, and so is in
no way a knowledge which is a spiritual heritage ( "ilm-i irt/11); and
secondly, because the function of the waliiyah is precisely to make the
Imams the heirs of the biifin...401
As mentioned before, A.mull is among those who have dwelt at length on the

dilTcrcnccs between the ''ultlm al-kasbiyya (official sciences), and knowledge in the

399 Amuh. J.1111ic al-AsrJJ; pp. 500, 501, no. 1023. 'lbus one of 1hc proofs of lhis meaning for Amuli is a
(13dJth of lhc Prophe1 where he s1a1cs "l11w calima Abli Dluur m;J Ji baµ1i Salman min al-(1ik111a la
k.1ffarohu." (If Abu Dharr knew whal is 1hc wisdom 1hc Salman's bean surely Abu Dharr would
believe thal Salman is an unbeliever). For more information sec J;Jmic al-Asr.ir, p. 501. nos. 1024,
1025.
400 Sec Amuh, Jami" al-AsrJr. pp. 499, 450, no. 1022. and also Corbin. History of l</,1111ir: P/Jilosophy,

• pp. 60, 61. and Corbin. Tankb-i Falsalil-yi lslami. vol. I. pp. 86, 87 .
401 Corbin. l/isrory of!slamir: Philosop/Jy, p. 51.
 "'

• true sense, received hy way or a spiritual heritage ( ''ulom ;1/-irtl1~1:1•:i or (W</f</~1:1·;1), all

at once or gradually through divine training.402

Sayyid J:laydar tries to show how the knowledge or the sccoml category can grow

separately of the lirst, but not the other way around. It is not so much 1'1c philosophers

who arc being envisaged, for in a sense his own work is a masterly summing-up ol' the

philosophical situation in Islam.403

Amuli brings together the conclusions or many scholars on this point: At<,lal al-

Din KashI, 4 Q.I Na.5Ir al-Din KashI and Kamal al-Din cAhd al-Razzfiq Kf1shfmi;to~ the

two Bal;lrlinis,406 Na.5Ir al-Din TusJ,407 Sadr al-Din l~fahani known as Turka;toK Al~lal

al-Din KhunajJ,409 MuQammad ibn MuQammad Ghazza!i,4lll Fakhr al-Din Rf1zl and

even Shaykh al-Ra'Is Abu CAJI ibn Sin:J.411 In short, all the philosophers referred lo

arc a.~ one in agreeing that speculation docs not lead to knowledge ol' oneself; to

402 Amuli, Jamie al-Asrar wa Ma11ba•';i/-A11w11r, p. 42<:.

403 Corbin, History ofIslamic P/Jilosop/Jy, p. 58, and Corbin, Tank/J falmfa-yi l\1;11111, vol. I, p. 83.
4().1 Amuli, Jlimical-Asrar wa Ma11b;i<a/-A11war. p. 496, no. IOIS.

405 Ibid., p. 496, no. 1014.

406 One of them was Kamal al-Dm Maylham ibn <Ah ibn Maylham Bal,1r.1111. who <lied in (179/1280. I le
was a famous philosopher and mystical thinker of the Sluca. who wrote 111any hooks on several
subjects. Sec (<jaz l,lusayn Kamun, Kashf al-Uujub, p. 43. n. 198. 'Ilic other is 1hc masicr of Kamal
al-Din known as <Ah ibn Sulayman Bal)rani. Sec Amuh. J;imi<;i/-11.mir w:1 M:111b11'';i/-A11w;ir, p. 498,
nos. 1017, 1018: for more infomiation about <Ah ibn Sulayman al-Bal1ra111 and Maytham al-Bal.mull
sec CAii al-Oraibt, "Sh1°i Renaissance," 1992.
407 Sec Amuli, J11m;c al-Asr.ir wa Manbac al-Anw:Jr, p. 492, no. llXJ7.
408 Ibid., p. 496, no. 1016.
~~Ibid., p. 495, no. 1013.

• 410 Ibid., p. 493, no. 1010.

411 Ibid., p. 495, no. 1012. and Corbin. llis/01)' of Islamic l'/Jilosop/Jy, p. 58.
 92

• knowledge, that is, of the soul and of its essential quality.412 In other words they were

among those thinkers who more or less combined the Cjrfiin (mysticism) of the Shica

with kaliim or philosophy. Sayyid l:faydar numbered all of them among the true

philosophers who arc heirs to the prophets and who arc not content with r.iihiri

(cxotcric) knowledge. 413

Sayyid l:faydar Amuli's teaching about waliiya (sainthood) resembles irlhiyya

knowledge, for according to him it is narrated of Imam JaCfar al-~iidiq (d. 148n65)

that he stated repeatedly: " Wiliiyati Ii Amir al-Mu 'minin calayhi al-Saliim Khayron min

Wiliidati minh (My spcritual relation to the commander of believers [the first Imam)

Imam CAii is better than my physical descent from him)".414

Once the waliiyah is thus uprooted from Imamology [/miima], a serious

consequence ensues. The 'four Imams', founders of the four juridical
rituals of Sunni Islam (l:fanbalite, l:fanafite, Malikitc, ShafiCite), are
credited with being the heirs of the prophets and of the Prophet. The
organic link, the bi-polarity of sharicah and l;aqiqah, was broken and, by
the same token, legalistic religion -the purely juridical interpretation of
Islam- was consolidatcd.415 We find ourselves here at the source of an
altogether typical phenomenon of popularization and socialization.416

3. 1. 4. 3. JJaqtqa in the View of Amul1

In Jiimic al-AsrJr wa Manbac a/-Anwiir Sayyid l;laydar Amuli demonstrates,

against lbn CArabi, that it is impossible historically and structurally to accept along

412 Corbin, llistory ofIslamic Philosophy, pp. 58-59.

4 13 (bid., p. 321: sec also, Amuli, J:imiCa/-Asnir wa ManbaCa/-AnwliJ; pp. 490-500.
414 Anrnli, Jiimic al-Asnir wa Manbac al-Anwar, p. 500, no. I023.

• 415 Ibid., p. 425 .

416 Corbin, History oflsis.mic Philosophy, pp. 50-5 I.
 OJ

• with some of his disciples that Ibn cArahi was himself the Seal of the particular, or

MuQammadan, waliiya (sainthood), or to accept that Jesus, Son of Maryam, was the

"Seal" of the absolute waliiya:ll1

Sayyid l;Iaydar is strongly critical of this view, and states that the Seal of the

MuQammadan waliiya can b.: none other than the twelfth Imam, the Imam ;i/-Oh1i 'ih

(the Hidden Imam), Mahdi a/-Munt~ar (the awaited Mahdi), son of the lmiim l;lasan

CAskari (i.e. the eleventh Imam of Shica Islam); similarly, the sc.il of the absolute

walaya can only be the first Imam CAii ibn Ahi!iilib.418

Some thirty years later, the discussion is taken up again, by Amuli, in even g;catcr

detail, in the al-Muquddamiit min Kitiib Na#,s al-Nu,1·0,s. Because the work of Sayyid

l;Iaydar draws all its conclusions from the fact that the wal:iya is the esoteric aspect of

prophecy, it is a great moment in the "prophetic philosophy" of Shill Islam.41 9

To conclude this section, it might be worth while to explore whether Sayyid

l;Iaydar borrows thf ':ree terms sharica, fariqa and fwqiqa from ShiCi tradition or from

the ~iifis? One might say that Sayyid l;Iaydar borrows these terms from the ~Ol'is,

because he himself states in his Jiimic al-AsrJr that they (the ;irhfih ;i/-T;ifJqiq here

Amuli means ~iifis) are his witnesses that the shaykh is one who is a perfect man in

three areas of knowledge; shan-ca, fariqa and fJaqiqa.420 Nevertheless, one docs

417 Sec Amuli, JamiCa/-Asnir wa ManbaCa/-Anwm; p. 395, no. 791.

418 Henry Corbin, ShJCjsm, Doctrines, Thought, and Spirituality, ed. l)anud 1Jabash1, Scyyid l.luscyn
Na~r. and Seyyid Vall Reza Na~r (Albany: State University of New York Press, 1988), p. 190.

•
419 Ibid., p. 190.
420 Amuli, Jamie al-Asnir wa Manbac al-Anw;Jr, p. 353, no. 702. See Nasafl, Kitab ol-fnson al-Ktimil, ed.
Mole (fehran: Anjuman-i Iranshinlisi-yi Fariinsa), 1980, p. 4.
 ,,,

• encounter the tem1s slwri'i1 and /:iricf:I in Shiel trnditions. Iloth words rnn hl· t'numl in

Imam CA!i's N:ihj :1/-/Jiiliigh:i,421 and slwri'i1 appears in lrniim ~lidiq's tradition in u,~01

;i/-Kii/J. 4 22 Thus, while Sayyid l;laydar may have round snrne in.~piration for the llSC or

these words !'or ~un tradition, he invests them nonetheless with new signilicancc

derived from their use in the Qur'an, .rnnn:i. 'iu1l and k:1shl.'

421 Sec his use or the word s/Jan<a in kalam 224, p. 346; his use or the word f11rll/ in k11/11111 201. p. 319,
kalarn 220, p. 337, k/1ufba 224, p. 346, and also klwfha, 95, p. 140. About f:mq11 sec k11/11111 224, p.
346 and also ,turuq, kalarn 198, p. 314. Sayyid Ra~t Sharif, Na/Jj ai-B11/ag/m, ed. !)uhl.u al-!)alil) (Qum:
Dar al-Hijra. 1980-L.).

•
4 22 Kulayni, Kali, comment. anJ trans. Sayyid Jawad Mu~\afawt (Tehran: Daftar-i Nashr·i Farhang!·;
Ahl al-Bayt •Alayhimu al-Salam, 1966), Kitab al-'lman wa al-Kufr, Bab al-Sharayi0 , vnl. 3, p. 28,
2nd ~aduh.
 •JS

Chapter 4.

The Analysis of lmiima by I:Iaydar A.mull

4. I. 'U,m/ al-Dm and /m;Jma in the View of Amuli

4. I. I. Relation Between TawlJid and fm;Jma

4. I. 2. Nuhuwwa. /m;Jma and Wa/aya in the View of Shica

4. I. 2. I. Kulayn1's Idea on Nuhuwwa and fm;Jma

4. I. 2. 2. Wa/aya in the View of lbn CArabi

4. I. 2. 3. WiJ/aya in the View of Amul!

4. 2. /m;Jma According to the Three Different Perspectives

4. 2. I. !mama According to the View of the People of Sharica

4. 2. 2. !mama According to the View of the People of Tariqa

4. 2. 3. !mama According to the View of the People of Ijaqiqa

•
• CHAPTER 4. THE LIGHT OF IMaMA

Amuli's views arc to a great extent representative of the position taken by the

Shica; for instance, he explain.~ that the live principal forms of u,~O/ 1il-D1i1 (the roots of

rcligion)423 may be explained in three ways:

1) according to the people of Shuri'i1;

2) according to the people of Turlqu;

3) according to the people of f:laqiq11.

As a result of these different understandings, it is no wonder that contlicts arose

between the proponents or each or them.

In view of the great number of Amuli's writings, and hecausL: of thL: limitL:d scope

of this thesis, I will try to concentrate on one aspect of his thought, that is, his uniquely

mystical approach to the problem of imiima.

4. I. U~OL AL-DIN AND lMfiMA IN THE vmw OF i\MlJLJ

Sayyid I;laydar Amuli's interpretation of the concept or imilmu is a highly

significant one.424 lmiima, as the third a,5/ (principle) of the u,5u/ 11/-Dln in the view of

the Shica is an essential doctrine. Sayyid I;laydar's contribution in this area was made

in connection with his criticism of lbn CAfabi's understanding of imiima.

423 According Jo Sayyid l;laydar Amuli, 1hc roots of religion (U$U/ 11/-dm) arc limilcd lO five principles:

•
Divine Uoily ( Tawf.ild). Divine Justice ( CAd/), Prophelhnod (Nuhuww.1), Succession 10 lhc l'rophcl
(lmiima). lhe Hereafter (MaC;Jd). I.I. Amult, Asr.ir al-Shan"a, p. 68 .
424 The firsl was discussrd a1 1he very beginning of chapter 3, above.
 97

• In commenting on Ihn CArahi's explanation of this principle, Sayyid l;laydar tries

to offer further clarification of it according to the Shi''i approach. In the following, I

will deal with the issue of imiima and it~ relation to some of the main principles of the

4. I. /. Rclation !Jc:twccn Taw/;Jid and lmiima

Sayyid l;laydar Amuli was an early example of a long line of /miimithinkcrs who

incorporated th:.: thought of Mu~yi al-Din ihn cArahi (d. 638/1240) and his followers

into their writings. In particular, Amuli perfects and elaborates upon the difference

hetwecn exoterie tawflid a/-uliihi (divine unity), which is illustrated by the phrase Iii

iliiha ii/ii Alliih (there is no god but Allah), and the bii/in (esoteric), known as tawflid

al-wujiidi or /awflid al-/;Jaqiqi, according to the formula Jaysa fi al-wujiid siwii Alfiih

(nothing exists except God). The first (the exoteric) wa~ taught by the prophets,

wherca~ the secret~ of the latter (the esoteric) were mentioned by the awliyii' (saints)

and a 'imma (Imams) from Shith (seth) to Mahdi (p.).425

Amuli explains the meaning of tawflid al-wujiidi by the illustration of ink and its

relationship to writing, which is merely the locus of the mar.iihir (manifestations) for

the ink. Similarly, the material world is merely a focus of manifestation for the

attrihutes, divine names, and acL~.426

425 Amult. Jamie al-AsnJr. p. 65. no. 65 and pp. 86-88, oos. t75-178; sec his Asnlr al-Shart"a, 70; sec

•
also E. Kolberg. "Amoh." p. 985 .
426 Amull, Jamie al-Asr.u; p. 97, no. 194, and pp. 107-08, nos. 212, 213, and p. 312. no. 609; sec also
Kolberg, "Amoli," p. 985.
• Sayyid l;laydar Amuli juxtaposes the tW(l forms or /mvJ:iid with two kinds or shirk

(polytheism or associating othc!rs with God): one shirk is jaliJ:v (explicit) involving the

companionship or others with God, while another shirk is khaliyy \hidllcn); 1 ~ 1

resulting from the failure to sec that "everything is God, is through Him, from Him,

and to Him."42K

Sayyid l;laydar explain;, that beside these two kinds or tuw(lid there arc no other

kinds because shirk which stands in opposition to it, is also conlim:d to two kinds: that

i;; jaliyy (explicit) and khaljy (hidden).429

The tuwf:iid a/-wujiidi will finally be vindicated with the coming or the lm:im

Mahdi (peace be upon him).430 According to the system or Amuli, the Imam Mahdi

(p.) must be a wah~ not a prophet, for Mu~ammadan im:Ima is the manifestation or the

esoteric aspect of the eternal prophetic Rcality.43t

Finally Amuli in his AsrJr a/-Shari''a begins to expound ea.:h or the dilfort:nt kinds

or tawf:iid (jalyy and khafyy) particular to each or the three groups; people or sh:iri'i1,

fariqa and f:iaqiqa.432

427 One of the proofs of Amuli for this kind of shirk is the 39th and 40th verses of Surat Yusuf. Sec
Amuli, Jtimic al-Asr.ir. p. 85, no. 172.
42S Amuli, JtimiCaf-Asr.ir. pp. 65-6/i. Amuli's concept of taw(ltdand its sL-vcral variL1ics may he found in
the section devoted to the qac;dat al-thalilha (the third principle) in this book. pp. 77 to IOS.
429 Amull. Asr.ir a/-Shart"a. p. 70.
430 Amuli. Jlimic al-Asr.ir wa Manbac al-Anwar. p. I 02. no. 202.

•
43t Ibid .• p. 104. no. 206 .
432 Ibid., sec under the qa'ldat al- 'OJ;;; Taw(ltd ah/ a/-Sharl"a, Taw(ltd ah/ al-7'artqa, Taw(1/tl ah/ 11/-
/;laqtqa. pp. 73-81.
 99

• 4. I. 2. Nuhuww:J, lmtlm:J :Jnd W:Jltly:J in thv Vivw ofthv Shic:J

An issue that arises in Amuli's discussion of imilma is the relationship between

msul (messenger) or nahi (prophet) on the one hand, and waif on the other.

Discussinns concerning the difference between "nubuwwd' and "ri1·tI/d' i.e. the office

of a messenger or prophet and "imtima," i.e. the office of a muJ:wddath or waif, dall:

from the first two centuries of Islam. Following is an attempt to grasp the ideas of

Kulayni and of Ihn CArahi, as well as these of Sayyid l:laydar Amuli in relation to this

issue.

4. 1. 2. 1. Kulaym's Idea on Nubuwwa and lmama

One may find several l'Xplanations by the ShiCi Imams in answer to the above-

mentioned questions cited in the work of Kulayni (d. 329'940-41 ), the great ShiCi

mul;wddith (traditionist). Kulayni narrates four J:wdith on this issue in his U~ul a/-Ktlfi,

the contents of which may summarized as follows:

I. A nahi is one who sees and hears the angel while asleep, but docs not sec the

angel while awakc.433

2. A msul is one who not only sees the angel while a~lcep, but also sees and hears

him while awake.4.'14 According to Imam Mut:iammad Baqir (d. 115/733) and also

• 433 Mul)ammad ibn Ya<qub Kulaynl, al-Kan, a/-Uful wa al-Raw{ia. the first (ladlih. vol. 5, pp. 140-141.
434 Ibid., pp. 141-143.
 ltll

• Imam $adiq (p.) both nuhuww:i (proph<·thood) and rfoil:i (mcsscngcrship) can he

combined together in a single person.4.1~

3. An imam is one who hears the angel's voice hut never sees the angel, whether

he is asleep or awakc.436

Nevertheless Kulaynl, while explaining in another passage the tcm1 Imam,

narrates various f:wdilh from the ShJt'j Imams according to which the lmf1m, like the

n:ibi and rasul, ha~ several stations. He narrates from the ;.ixth lmf1m, who states that

the prophet Ibrahim (Abraham p.) at tirst was taken a~ an 'l1hc/ (slave). Then Allf1h

took him as His prophet before He took him as rasu/ (messenger), and as His

messenger before making him a~ His kha/i/. Finally Allah, alicr taking him as His

khalil, next appointed him a~ an Imam. When all or theses stations had been

combined, Allah said "behold, I make you an Imam for the pcople."4·17 Thu~. we may

conclude that although the Imam (according to some f:iaclith) is not the one who hears

or sees the angels, his divine stations arc in no way inferior to those of a prophet or

messenger. One may even understand from this that an imam occupies a higher rank

than does a prophet.

4. A muf:iaddalh is one who is spoken to and who hears hut who docs not sec the

angel either when awake or dreaming.

435 Kulaynl, al-Kan. al-U~ul wa al-Rawl/a. vol. 5, the 4th h.u/Jt/J, p. 145. For more infomiation about the
auributes of the ltnams one should consult the text fmm bab MaCrifat al-Imam to the end of b.1b nl-
Jfujja. vol. 5-6. pp. 159-403.

•
436 Ibid., pp. 141-143 .
437 The Holy Qur'an, Surat al-Baqara, verse 124; see also Kulaynt, al-Kafi al·ll~ul w11 al-Rawt,111. vol. 5,
pp. 136-137. no. 2.
 IOI

• In addition to these four definitions, there is another (ladilh in U..1·01 al-Kiili

concerning a waif. One may define wali as one who is given divine mastership (in

Persian: .mtp:m1.fl1). This may be understood from the (ladilh which is narrated by

Kulayni from the Sixth Imam (d. 148{765). b thi~ IJadith, Imam Sadiq reports Imam

CAii as having stated: "al-f:lasana m:1''rifal al-wiliiya wa (luhhunii Ahl al-/Jayl, wa al-

s:iyyi'a ink:lr al-wihiy:i w:i hugh{lunii Ahl al-Bayt 4.18 (A good tked is knowing our

wiliiya (mastership) and loving us, the Ahl al-Bayt, and an evil di:cd is the denial of

our mastership and hatri:d for us, the Ahl al-/Jayl). "4 39 Although Kulayni does not

ofli:r any explanation for this (ladilh, one may confirm the same meaning of

"mastership" for waliiya, whi:n it is applied alone. Howi:ver, some different qarJ 'in

(specifications) may change its meaning to IJuhh (love), na,sr(friendship), etc.440

Raghib al-l~fahiini (5th/l Ith century) says that the term waliiya on some occa~ions

is an i1·1i'"iira (metaphor) of two things that arc close to each other, e.g. physically,

spiritually, etc. He differentiates bl'lwecn wiliiya and waliiya, saying that the former

contains the concept of help while the latter implies the meaning of ma~tership, but at

the end he says that both of the words have the same mcaning.44 1

4.18

.:.,.,)1 ~I ~J ;,, ~,JI ;~I l.:.,-)1,

439 M. Kulayni. al-Kan. al-lf~lil wa a/-Rawr,k. "Bab Ma<rifat al-Imam wa al-Radd Ilayh". vol. 5. the 14th
hlltl//11. pp. t 79-180.
440 Fer more infonnation about the meaning of wa/:iya sec llcnnann Landolt, "Walayah." in The

•
E11cyc/opcdia ofRcligion(Ncw York: Macmillan Publishing Company. 1987). vol. 15. pp. 316-323 .
441 Abu nl-Qasim al-1,Iusayn al-Paghib al-I~fahani, al-Mufratl3t n Gharlb al-Qur'.m (Cairo: Mu~tafa al-
Bab1 nl-1,lalabl wa A~Jiawayh. 1906). p. 555.
 Ill~

• 4.1. 2. 2. lbn <Arab1's Ideas on Wa"1ya

Another explanation of the issue is offered hy lhn <'A1.1hi (d. 638/1240) in his

Fu,~ii,~ al-f:likam, where he states the meaning of w:1li. n:1/Jl and r;1stil as follows:

When you sec a prophet expressing himself in words which do not arise
from his kgislativc authority, it is hecausc he is a iv;1/i and an 'ilri/'(a
gnostic or knower); and the station which he occupies hy virtue pf hcing
''alim (wise) is more complete and more perfect than the station he
occupies hy virtue of being a messenger or a legislative prophet.
Likewise, when you hear a man of Uod saying -or when someone tells
you that they have heard him say- that ivulaya is superior to nuhuiviv;1,
you must know that he means by this exactly what we have just said.
Similarly, if he says that the wa/i is superior to the nahi or the msiil, he
implies that this is so in the person of one and the same hcing. In other
words, the rasiil is more perfect in his capacity as a 1v;1/i than in his
capacity as a nab1: So this docs not mean that the iva/i who follows a
prophet is superior to the latter, for he who follows can never catch up
with him whom he follows, ina~much as he is his follower. If it were
otherwise, he would not he a follower. Therefore understand! The
source of the rasiil and nabilics in walii)'il in Knowlcdgc.442
The meaning of Willii)'il according to the view of lhn CArahi is clear: he explains

that waliiyil is superior to nuhuwwil, and that the source of the r.isiil and n;1hi lies in

waliiy" in Knowledge. As Sayyid Jalal al-Din Ashtiyani states, Wilhi)'il itself is a m;1qiil

bi al-tashkik (ambiguous category),443 thus whoever attains a high level in it, is

referred to as khillifilt ill-A "r.am, qu/h al-Aq/iih, insiin ill-1,mqiqi, Adilm al-A ww;J/,

qala.m al-A "Iii, Riifl al-A "r.a.m and q11,tb a/-awwa/ or qu,1h ill-wiiflid:'44

44 2 Michel Chodkiewic-t., Seal ofthe Saints(Cambridgc: The Islamic Tc.is Socic1y. 19'13), pp. 51-52.
443 Sayyid Jalal al-Dm Ashtiyam. SharfJ-i Muqadclama-yi Qaypn (Mashhad: Ki1ahfrush1-i llastan,
1385/1965). p. 593.

•
444 Ibn •Arabl, Fut1*at af.Makkiyya (Carlo: al-Maktaha al-•Arahiyya, 1392/1972), vol. 2 pp. 363, 365,
nos. 568, 571: for more infonnation about wa/;iya in the view of lhn •Arahl sec Sayyid Jalal al·Dln
Ashtiyanl, S/uutl-i Muqadclama-yi Qay$MI. 1385/1965, pp. 610 - 651.
 J()J

• lhn CArahi's idea seems so close to the hclicfs that some Shill scholars like

Kulayni hold, that one may claim a Shi9 origin for his understanding of this doctrine.

Nevertheless lhn CArahi hclicvcs that waliiyil is or two kinds: iil-muflilqa

(universal) and iil-muqayyadii (particular), but his explanations ahout the application

of' w11/i in his several works arc so amhiguous that it caused interpreters of his Fu,~Os

iil-f:likilm hoth in the Sunni and Shill schools to search for different justifications.

One may sec these different commentaries from hoth Shill and Sunni authors in

the works of Amuli and Qay~ari. What follows is Amuli's idea in this regard.

4.1. 2. 3. Walaya in the View of Amuh

A third explanation (hesidcs those of Kulayni and lhn cArahi) is given by Sayyid

J:laydar Amuli. Even though the mystical theosophy of lbn CArabi was immediately

adopted hy the Shlca theosophcrs, who found that their own ideas aroused conflict,

such as happened with Sayyid J:laydar Amull, Kamal al-Din Kashani, ~adr al-Din

Turka l~fahiinJ,445 etc., Sayyid J:laydar found much to criticize in Ihn cArabi's stance

on this issue.446

Muslims generally agree that the Prophet Mu~arnmad is the khiitam ;J-A11biyii'

(Seal of prophets); this means there will be no other prophet after him. Sayyid JJaydar

illustrates the relation between nubuwwa and waliiya in an elaborate diagram,447

445 !;adr al-Dm ihn Turk.1 l~fahant was one of the famous mystical philosophers who lived in the same
century as Sayyid l,laydar Amuli. He wrote Risa/at fi al-Wujud al-Mu/laq. Sec Corbin, introducticn to
Jamie al-Asrar. p. 13.

•
446 II. Corhin, Tankh Falsafa-yi l<Jamt. vol. I, pp. 95, 96 .
447 Shams al-Din Lah1j1 (d. 918/1506) develops ibis theme at length. See Corbin. Tarikh Falsalil-yi
l<laml. vol. I. pp. 92-93.
• showing the circle of wuh/ya

circle (sec ligurc 4 ).

<IS heing inside the circle that represents the prophetic

•
•

Figure: 4. This diagram is drawn by Sayyid l:laydar Amuli showing the relation between a/-asm:i 'al-
il:ihiyya. a/-anb(vii 'and a/-aw/(vii: by three circles. 44 8

• +IS Amult. a/-.\luqaddam:it min Kitiib Na~~ al-Nu~u~. circle no. 6. see also an explanation of Sayyid
~laydar Amuli about this diagram in. p. 181 of this work.
 1011

• Corbin, in discussing the "superiority or the IVilhiyil" accnrding to the dnctrine or

Sayyi<l l;lay<lar Amuli, states as follows:

Nevertheless, in thus al'lirming the supenonty or the w:iliiy:1h, the

Twclver Shiites <lo not mean lo imply that the person or the 1v:i/i pure
an<l simple is superior to the persons or the n;1/>i and the Messenger.
What is meant is that of the three qualities, viewed in the single person
of the Prophet of Islam, the w;1/iiyilh is pre-eminent, because it is the
source, foundation an<l support of the two others. Hence the apparent
paradox: that even though the Wilfilyilh is pre-eminent, in concrete tem1s
it is the prophet-Messenger who takes precedence, because he contains
all three qualities: he is Wilfi-nilhi-rasul. We may ohserve with l;laydar
Amuli that on this point Twelver Shiism differs from Ismail ism:"'''
lmiinw is the esoteric aspect of all earlier prophetic religions. This is why the

circle of waliiya prepares the way not for the appearance or a new ,,·/wri'i1 hut for the

r.uhur(appearance) of the Imam al-Ghiilb (hi<l<len Imam).450 Sayyid l;laydar says that

Imam Mah<li is the heir of the Prophet in both bloo<l an<l spirit;l5 I

Even a~ early a~ the lirst years of his Iraqi perio<l, Amuli disagreed with lhn

CAfabi an<l his follower Sharar al-Din Qay~ari (<l. 751/1350), who i<lentitie<l the

Khiitam al-waliiyat al-muJlaqa (seal of the universal waliiyil) with Jesus (peace he upon

him) an<l who consi<lere<l Ibn CArabi a~ the Khiitam al-w:1hiy:it ill-muq:iyyuc/;J (seal of

the particular waliiya).452

The discussion was taken up again by Sayyid l;lay<lar some thirty years later

(towards the end of his life) in even greater detail, a~ can he seen in his :ii-

449 Corbin, History of Islamic P/Jilosop/Jy, pp. 44-45. Sec also Sayyid l.Jaydar's observation in his J:imi<
al-Asr.ir, pp. 237, 238, no. 466.
450 Corbin. History of Islamic P/Jilosop/Jy, p. 67.

• 451 Sec Amuli. al-Muqaddamat min Kitab NO$$ af-NU$U~~ pp. 241, 242, nos. 543. 544 .
452 Amuli. Jiimi"al-Asr.ir, p. 385, no. 791 and pp. 395 to 448.
 IU7

• Muquddiimiil min Kit:ih Nii,\':\' ul-Nu,\·u,\'. The work or Sayyid J:laydar Amuli, which

ohtains all its conclusions from the fact that the Wiiliiyil is the esoteric aspect or

prophecy, can he wnsitk:red as a great moment in the history of "prophetic

philosophy" in Shici Isliim:l53 Amuli must have hcen taken ahack hy Ihn cArabi's

assignment or the characteristic of the Seal of the wuliiy;; in its general and absolute

sense to Jesus, and his prohahle attrihution of the quality of hcing the Seal of the

Mul:mmmadan w11My11 to himsclf,454

Amuli states that he bases his arguments on cuq/ (reason), nuql (tradition) and

kushf(intuitive unveiling).455 He also follows sacd al-Din J:lammu'i (d. 650/1252)456

in his iil-Muf.ihuh, in accepting that the Khiitum al-A wliyii' ul-mu/luqu (seal of the

universal wahiya) is CAii ihn Ahi!iilih (d. 40/661). Amuli declares that his conclusions

arc the same ones arrived at hefore him by the first interpreter of Fu~u,5 al-lfikum,

Mu'ayyad al-Din Jandi (d. 700/1300), who stated that the Seal of the universality of

w;J/iiya (sainthood) is Imam CAii; and also by the second interpreter of Fu,50,5 al-

l;likam, Kamal al-Din CAhd al-Razzuq Kii.~hiini (d. 730/1330), who stated that the seal

453 For more examples sec Amuh, al-Muqadd:umit min Kitiib ND$$ a/-Nu$li$. under a/-Q;JCidat a/-Thaniya
wa al-771.1/itha (lhc second and lhc third principles). pp. 182-261: sec also Henry Corbin, Sh/Cfsm,
lltH. tri11<·s. 77wu11h1••111d Spirituality, p. 190.
0

454 Sec Amuh. a/-Muqacldamat mill Kit:ib ND$$ al-Nu$li$, p. 238. no. 536.
455 lhid .. p. 182. no. 411.
456 Sa<cl al-Dm al-1,lammu't al-Juwaynt was one of the famous !)itfi shaykhs of lhc firsl half of lhe
7lh/l 3lh ccnrnry: he died in Khurasiin during lhe year 649. Sa<d al-Din is primarily known in ~itfi
history as a disciple of Najm al-Dm al-Kubni (d. 618/1221 in Khwarazrn). Kubni wrote an ijaza for
him, and is said 10 have "brothered" him wilh Sayf al-Dtn al-Bakhani (d. 65911261 or earlier in

•
llukhara). Finally, he spcm the last cighl years of his life mainly in Amul and various places in
Khunlsan including Bal)nibad, where he died during one of his visits. For more information sec II.
l.andol1. "Sa<d al-Dm al-1,lammu't" The Encyclopaedia of/slam, vol. 8, p. 703.
• or the particular Wilfiiyil is Imam Mahdi;1~7 who, for Amuli, as a Shi"! heli<:vcr, is

identical with the Twelfth Imam; the Imam al-Oh:i 'ih (Hidden Imam), the lmrm1 ill-

Munl~ar (awaited Imam), and the son ol'thc Imam l;lasan at-rAskari:l~K

4. 2. Tllll MEANING 011 Till! Tl!RM /Mi/MA IN Till! Vll!W OF /\Mlll.1

Amuli rcl'crs to lmiima using not only Shi"! terms hut also such ,'>Ot'i terms as

Insiin ill-KiimiJ,459 Khalifa,460 Kh:itum ill-A wliy:i :461 Kih:lr al-A wliyii ;.ir.2

Murshid,463 Qu/h,464 Qu/b al-Aqf:ih,465 Shaykh,4 66 and Willi ill-A w/iy:i :.i67 all or

which seem to feature more or less the same characteristics that the word lmiinw docs

from the ShiC"i point of view. This fact raises a number of 4ucstions, among them:

What is Amuli' s view on the relation between these terms and the Shi"! notion or

!mama? And do they really have the same meaning alhcit through di ITerent

457 AmuU, al-Muqaddamat min Kitab Nag a/-Nu~u~. pp. 230-231, no. 520. h is lruc 1h111 Kasha111 in lhc
passage of his commenlary on lhe Qur'an in 7i1 'w1/at, vol. 2, p. 728, (in conncclion with verse 17:79)
makes an ambiguous slalcmcnt which could jus1ify 1his i111crprc1a1io11.
458 Amuli, Jamie al-Asr.ir. p. 395, no. 791.
4 59 Amuli, al-Muqatldam:ll 111i11 Kiliib Na~,< al-Nu,.u,<, p. 271, no. 608: sec also Amuh, A.m1r 11/-Slum'i1, p.
37.
460 Amuli, Asr.ir al-Sflanca, p. 94: sec also Amuh, al-Muqatltlamat mi11 Kiwh N11,•,1· 11/-Nu,.u,•; p. 271, no.
608.
461 Amuli, Asr.ir al-Sflarlca wa Afw:ir al-Ta1tqa wa Anwar al-(laqtqa, p. 94

462 AmuU, Jamie Asr.ir, pp. 34, 35, no. 79.

463 Amuli, Asr.iral-Sflarlca wa Afw.1r al-Tarlqa w11 Anwar al-(laq1qa, p. 37.
464 AmuU, Jamie Asr.ir. p. 9, no. 14.
465 Amuli, Asr.ir a/-Sllarl"a, p. 99; sec also AmuU, al-Muqatltlamal mill Kitah N.1,<,< al-Nu,.u~; p. 273, no.
612.

• 466 Amuli, Asr.ir a/-Sflart<a wa A/war al-Tarlqa wa Anw:ir al-(laqtqa, p. 37.

467 Ibid., p. 99.
 JO<)

• approaches'! These arc the hasic questions that this section of the thesis deals with and

wi II seek lo answer.

The simplest explanation may he that the term Imam is just one of many different

words having the same signification and application. Sayyid l;laydar Amuli claims that

the words kh11lila, n11hi, rasul and Imam all mean "111-insiin 11/-Kiimil (the Perfect Man),

i.e. the one in whom God, the more power True Light, appcars."468 Some of the

individual meanings arc as follows.

A 'im/]1_11:ind_f<.ihJir11l:_A~Jiyjj_~· Amuli states that the A 'imm11 (Imams of the Shica)

arc themselves the kihiir 111-A wliyii' (greatest saints), and any attribute applied to one

of the A 'imm11 would also he true of all the others, since they arc collectively several

manifestations of one souI.469 Moreover, the Prophet and the A 'imm11 (p.) arc as one

soul and one realily,470 because waliiya in his view is rooted in nubuww11 and risii/11,471

H11drat 11l-Ah11diyy11 (presence of Oneness); Sayyid l;laydar reminds us more than

once that J:i11rjrat al-AJ:iadiyy11 (presence of Oneness), al-ultihiyya (the unity of the

multiple), dhiit (essence), wujud (existence), al-J:ia(irat al-JamCiyya (presence of all-

one), and so on arc different words and terms for one reality. More than this, Sayyid

says that none of them arc different from ntir al-~iidir al-awwal (the light of the first

divine emanation), aJ-C11ql 11/-JiJCC;J.J (active intellect), aJ-riiJ:i al-kulll (universal spirit),

11l-n11ls 11/-kulliya (universal soul), abu al-anwiir (the master of light~). iiyat al-Jabbiir

468 Amuli. al-Muqaddanuil min Kil:ib NB$$ al-Nu$1i$, p. 74, no. 184.
469 Anmh, JamiCa/-Asnir. pp. 35, 36, no. 79.

• 470 Ibid., p. IO, no. 14 .

471 Ibid .. p. 238, no. 466.
 \Ill

• (the sign of the Almighty), 11sad Alhih 11/-gh1Uih (the victorious lion or God), m11,t/lih

kulli !iilih (the ohjcct or all search); hccausc all or them arc the several attrihutes or

Imam Aho al-l:lusayn CAii ihn Ahillilih (p.).472

Jjpjjg;_ according to Sayyid l:ladar Amuli, (11.1.fi11 (authority) is, in the Muslim

community, possessed by the Prophet, the Imam and kit:ih (Qur'an). One may daim

that Amuli borrows this term from the Shill tradition.473

al-!nsiin al-Kiimil (!be 111;rl~L!!1Jl!}); Sayyid l;laydar employs this Sun tem1 more

than 14 times in slating who is an insiin 11/-kiimil, or who is an example or this 4uality,

etc. Amuli, in his a/-Muq11ddamiit min Kitiib N11,~,1· 11/-Nu,~li,1', dclines ins1ln 11/-k1lmi/ as

one who ha~ reached the highest point of perfection. He is also perfect in knowledge

of sharJCa, /an"qa and J:iaqfqa; moreover, he is a mu~·hid (spiritual director) in hoth the

esoteric and cxoteric senses, because the insiin 11/-kiimil is one who knows the cure for

disca~es and sicknesses of souls, and ha~ the power to heal souls and to guide them to

better health.474

This definition of insiin a/-kiimil is common to other Soll writers. For example,

CAziz al-Din Nasafi defines the perfect man a~ one who hccomes t;uniim (complete) in

shan-ca, /arfqa and J;iaqiqa.415 He continues that when a man hecomes perfect, he may

be referred to by one or another of many names, such a~: Shaykh, l'ishwii, H:idi,

472 Amuli, Jamie a/-Asr.ir, p. 296, no. 4f.

473 Amuli, Jamie a/-Asr.ir, p. 383, no. 7658; sec also p. 3 t, no. 57 and p. 223, no. 431, and Kulay111, I f,1·ul
al-Kiili, Kltlib al-IJujja (fchran: Daftar-i Nashr wa Farhang-i Ahl al-llayl CAJayhimu al-Salam), vols.
I and 2, passim.

• 474 Amull, al-Muqaddamlit min Kitdb NB$$ al-Nu$U$, p. 274. no. 614.
475 Nasan Kiuib al-Insan al-Kami/, t 980, p. 4.
 Ill

• M11hdl, /Jiifigh, Kami/, lmiim, Kh11/if11, Qu,th, 1'>ii1Jih x11miin, Jiim-i lllhiin N11mii,

yi gill n11miiy, Twyilq-i /Juxurg, lksir-i A '{.11m, 'Z\'ii, Khi(lr and Su/11ym1in; he also

states that this perfoct man lives forever, and is one person no mon::176
A 'in11-

Thus Sayyid l;laydar clearly states that the perfect man is an Imam and no one

else.477 He also says that the insiin 11/-kiimil, called insiin 11/-k11hir(the great man),47 8 is

the essence and reality of the 'liq/ 11/-11wwa/ (First intellect), or the r.ill 11/-11ww11/ (given

shadow).479

Amuli mentions in his Jiin7i" 11/-Asriir that a Shaykh is one who is insiin af-kiinlif

(the perfect man) in the science of shari"11, ,tariq11 and IJ11qiqa;480 he also believes that

the 'ilyn Alliih (eye of God) is the same as insiin af-kiinlif.481

KhJJ/ilil_(£alipJ!); Sayyid l:laydar, like other Muslims, thinks that humanity requires

a caliph, but sets some conditions on it in relation to the Shica view. He mentions, in

several of his works, that the caliph should be subject to certain conditions, such as

knowledge of truth, heritage, "i~m11 (infallibility), and so on; this idea is ba~ed on the

Qur'an, sunn11, "11ql and k11shf. He also states that the caliph of the Islamic world is

Imam Mahdi, who is himself J;iujja, imam, wall a/-Muqayyad and so on.482

476 Ibid., p. 5.
477 Amull, Jamie al-Asr.lr, p. 535, nos. 700 10 705.
478 Ibid., p. 179, no. 342.
479 Ibid., p. 179, no. 342.
480 Ibid., p. 402, no. 806.

• 481 Ibid., p. 380, no. 758 .

482 Ibid .. pp. 440, 441, nos. 886, 887, 888.
 11 i

• _QpJ'1; according to Amuli the qu/h is a unique person upon whom i\llflh looks m

all times. In fact he is "accountec.J to the heart of the l~r.il'il (Sernphiel);"·IKI

that the quJb is the cause of l;wyiil a/-ma'iwwi(spiritual life), as this angel is the cause
this means

of l;wyiit a/-,~Ori(matcrial lifc).4K4 As a matter of fuel this dclinition hy Sayyid l;layd:1r

resembles that of CAhc.J al-Razzaq Kashani, who makes a simil:1r stalcmcnl in his

I,~tilii/;liit al-,'>Oliyya. 4K5

When Amuli c.lclincs the meaning of lm•irna according to the view of J11ritp1K<> and

f;wqiqa, 4 87 he explains that the imams arc the same as qu/hs. Elsewhere, he says lhtll

the A 'imma (Imams) arc the aq/iib (p. qu/b) or pillars of f;wq1qa. and they arc the lords

anc.J ma~lers of shari"a.488

Furthennorc, he states that the qu/biyya al-kulmi (hcing the greatest pole) is the

rank of the qu,tb al-aq,tiib (arch-pole), anc.J that it is the hii/in of the Mul;lammadan

Nubuwwa (prophecy). The qu,tb wa~ hanc.Jcc.J c.Jown hy Mul;lammad lo those who

followed because this perfection wa~ reserved for the Prophet alone. Thus 1he Khiilllm

al-A w/ifii '(Seal of the Saints) and qu,tb a/-AqJiih arc the esoteric a~pccl of the seal of

483 This is an old lbn CArabi 1radi1ion. Sr.c Landolt, "walayah," 171t: t:nqdopctli11 of Rt:li/(ion, vol. 15, p.
321.
484 Sayyid 1:1. Amuli, al-Muqatldamat min Kitab Na$$ al-Nu$U$. p. 273, no. 611.
485 CAbd al-Razz.aq al-Qasbanl. Dictionary ofthe Technical Tcm1s oft/1e $ufls. p. 141, no. 442.
486 Amul~ Asnir al-Shan"a, pp. 99-102.

• 487 Ibid., pp. 102-104.

488 Amull. JJimjC a/-Asr.ir, p. 9, no. 14.
 I 13

• nuhuww11.4HIJ We might mention here that CAbd al-Raz7.iiq refers to these tcnns in

exactly the same way as docs Sayyid l;laydar AmuJi.490

Sayyid l;laydar explains that the attributes of KhiitillT1 111-A wliyii' (seal of the

saints) and qu/h 111-Aq/iih (Arch-pole) may be applied to the Mahdi 111-Maw•ud

(awaited Mahdi) at the iikhir 11J-x11miin (the end of timc).491 Furthcnnorc, Sayyid

l~aydar claims that Imam Mahdi (p.) is in fact the qu/h 11/-wujiid (pole of existence)

and Imam 11J-w11qt (the Imam of' the time), that this world is supported by his existence

and that the pa.~sagc of time is due to him. ShICis and true ~ons believe that there

cannot he any time without the al-mac~om al-qu/b (infallible pole), as he is imam or

Clearly, Amuli believes that qu/h and ma~siim or qu/b and imam arc synonymous;

that in fact they arc the different attributes for one person who is the khalifa (caliph) of

Allah on His carth.4 9J Sayyid l;laydar cites lbn cArabI's Futii/;Jiil al-Makkiyya, wherein

it is explained that the station of al-Qu/bi is certainly that of the perfect man whom

Allah (The Almighty) wanted to become qu/b and His caliph of the world. It is worth

mentioning that this qu/b will look after all human beings in this time and in the

9
48 Amuh. 11/-Muqt:ddamat min Kitab Na$$ al-Nu$1i$, p. 273, no. 612.
4QO <Abd al-Rawiq al-Qashanl. Dictionary ofthe Technical Tcnns ofthe $tJfis, p. 141, no. 443.
49 1 Am uh, Jami< 11/-Asr.ir, p. 384 • no. 766. and also p. 446, no. 899.

• 49:? Ibid .. pp. 222. 223. no. 430.

493 Ibid.. p. 223. no. 431.
 114

• hereafter. Sayyid l;laydar continues hy slating that this statinn is reserved for lmf1m

cAn and his progeny (p.).494

Thus Sayyid l;laydar Amuli helicves that qufh and lmiim arc two cxprcssinns

possessing the same meaning and referring lo the same pcrsnn. Amuli hnrrows lhc

name and term of qufh from the Suns,495 hut tries to comhine the Shl"'i idea with lhc

Sun, both of which he knows at the highest level. We might recall his famous

statement: "every true son is a Shill and every true Shill a son."4%

One may conclude from all this that Sayyid l;laydar's approach is the same as that

of Ibn CArabi, who believed the Prophet MuJ:tammad to be the ''Aq/ Aww11/ (the lirst

intcllcct),497 the ultimate of 11/-Jins 11!-''iili, Riil; 11/-ilahi (soul of the Lord), Anwilr 11/-

$illTladiyya,498 Anwar Al;wdiyya;199 !faqiqat a/-Mul;il/Tlmadiyy11.-~m /m'fin 111-Kilmi'l.-~ 01

Qufb,502 Wa!Jj,.503 and so on. The main difference here between Amuli and lhn cArahi

is that Amuli believes that the Imams arc at the same level as the Prophet, and tliat

they have the same attributes.

494 Ibid .. p. 402, no. 806.

495 Amuli mentions that his definition of qu/biyyat 11/-Kuhro is the same as that of Kamal al-Dan •Ahcl al·
Razzaq Kashani. Sec his Jamie al-Asr.lr, p. 446, no. 899.
496 Amult. Jamicaf-Asr.lr. p. 41. no. 80.
497 Sec Michel Chodkicwicz. Seal ofthe Saints. p. 69.
498 Ibid., p. 69.
499 Ibid .. p. 69.

500 Ibid., p. 69.

50 1 1bid., p. 70.

• 502 Ibid., p. 71.

503 Ibid., pp. 71,72.
• 4. 3. IM:JMI\ JN Tiii! VJI!W OJI Tiii! TIIRJ!J! PI!OPI.l!S

The Imams, who arc endowed with mystical knowledge, arc the leaders not only

ol' the Shfls, hut also or all those who follow the mystical path. Amuli is as critical or

those Shi"ls who reduce their religion lo the system or shar'(lcgalism) as he is of ~Ul'is

who dispute that 'heir origins and hclicfs go hack to the lmiims.S04 Thus in this part

attention will he paid to his explanation or lmiimil according to the views or three

different groups within the Muslim community.

4 . .1. I. lmiima in the View of the People 0J'Shar1ca

Sayyid J:laydar defines imiima from the standpoint or sh11rfC;i as follows: in

absolute terms, imiima rcrcrs to religious governance, which includes the pcrsua~ion or

the common people to sarcguard what is or benclil to them, gives advice a~ to what is

hest for them in holh the present and the next world, and aims lo protect the common

people rrom that which might harm them.SOS

Amuli explains imiima lo the people or Shan-Ca by employing C;iq/ (intellect) and

naql (lmdition); thus he appeals to various interpretations or the Qur'iin, especially or

such Qur'iinic terms a~ li/ra.sr,x, lmiima, according to sha,C, is a position or great

5().1 E. Kohlbcrg. •Amo h." p. 985.

SOS Amull, l\sraral-Shan<a wa l\fwliral-Tartqa wa Anwliral-f./aqtqa. p. 95.

• sex, Fifra in shon means the natural harmonious condition of men. It may be said to mean innate
disposition. natural position and primordial nature. For more information about fi{ra see Ru~ullah-i
Khumaynl. Chihil f.ladith (Qum: Daftar-i Tabllghat-i lslaml). pp. 179-187. under the I Ith (ladtth.
 llh

• responsibility, in the same way that prophethood is for a person in a state of /~/m and

in the state of Islam, both from the point of view of m1ql and •;1t//.~07

In order to clarify this issue, one may summarize Amuli's explanation ;1s follows:

in the beginning men were in need of the establishment of the slwr1';1, and thus were

also in need of its continued maintenance and protection. Likewise, if the sending of a

prophet is an example of the /u//'(grace) of Uod to His people, then the same case

would be true for the establishing of an lmiim.~OK

The Imam must be a ma';~am (infallible) leader of the nation of Islam, for like one

who is a Prophet (as one of those in authority) it is not legitimate for him to make

mistakes,509

Thus the twclver Shica position aflirming the superlative nature of the Imam was

aimed at establishing an equilibrium: any r.ilhir(exoteric) lL~pcct which is not protected

by a bii/in (esoteric) is in fact a kuk(inlidclity), but, equally, any exotcric lL~pect that

docs not at the same time maintain the existence of an esoteric aspect is Ii.~</

(libertinism).510 On the other hand, one may be considered to be a mu 'min (believer)

507 Amult, Asr.ir al-Sharl"a wa Afwar al-7'anqa wa Anwar ,1/-~laq1q.1, p. %.

508 Ibid., p. 96.
509 See al-Muqaddamat min Kilab Na$$ al-NU$U$, p. 240, no. 540. Amuh gives some aneminn to this
issue and he states that in fact the majorily of Muslims are opposed tu the notion of "i,•11111
(infallibility) because of their poor understanding of the religion and Islam, and therefore do not count
/mama as one of lhc pillars of Islam; they claim thal the u/u a/-1\mr (those who are in au1hority) can
include su//iins or kings of this world even if they are known to be unjust, sinful and iniljuitous.
Moreover they do not accep1 thal this infallible Imam should come fmm the a/JI a/-/Jayt (the family of
the Prophet), despite the validity of the Imam's claim, supponed as it is hy textual evidence from the

•
Qur'an and the Prophet's Su11111J. Amult, /\smr a/-Shan•a wa /\/war al-7'artqn wa /\nwar a/-{111q1t/11, p.
97 .
510 Corbin. Histol)' of/slamic Philosophy, p. 45.
 117

• only when one comhincs hoth the esoteric and cxoteric together. The Imam as a

perfect mu 'min should meet this comhination, whose manifestation is Ci._1ma.

Moreover, Amuli reports that the Imam must he designated and appointed through

the authority of the Prophet and during the latter's lifetime; otherwh;c the term of

imiima is not applied. This is hccausc if the lmiim were not chosen, would it mean that

Alliih was inade4uatc in what was incumhent upon Him, as in the case of

J>rophcthood.511

Correspondingly, no one may become lmiim unless he is of the Prophet's

infallihle progeny: ''i.,1ma is a condition of imiima and wa/iiya. There arc no others but

these dcscrihcd as possessing infallibility, even according to their opponents. This is

also suggested in the Qur'an.512

4. 3. 2. lmiima in the View of the People of Tariqa

According to Amuli, imiima for the people of /ariqa refers to the caliph who is sent

on the authority of Allah by the qu/b (pole) of the time, and who is called wali. There

arc two types of wa/i; the wa/i whose waliiya (governance) is essential, azaliyya

(endless) and real; he is called wali af-Mu/faq; he is also the Qu/b 3/-A c?am (Greater

Pole). The other kind of wa/iiya draws its power from the wali al-Mu/faq and is called

5l I Sec Amult. a/-Muqaddam:it min Kitab Na~ al·NU$1i$. p. 272, no. 610; sec also his Asr.lr a/-Sbari"a,
p. 98.

• S 12 Amull, As.r.tr al-Shan"a, p. 98; 7bt: l/u/y Quriin. Surat al-A(u:ib, verse of 33; sec also those verses
about !mama mentioned by Sayyid l;laydar Amull. as follows: al·Mli 'ida, 54, a/-Qaµ$. 5, al- ii "r.if.
57.
 1IH

• al-Wa/i al-Muqayyad. Amull adds that this kind of w;i/iiya is rcccivc,I hy

inhcritancc.513

Sayyid l:laydar has already drawn attention to the importance of correcting the

application of both types of w;i/iiy;i, inasmuch as he states that hoth w:1hiy:1.•· arc

dependent upon the Prophet Mul:iammad and upon Amir ;if-Mu 'minin and upon

whomsoever of his progeny (the Ahl ;i/-/J;iyt) inherits from him.51·1

It is important that this station be distinguished hy three actions: the lirst, the

indication of wa/iiya, the second, the designation of the w;i/i ;if-Mufl:tq and the third,

the appointment of the wall a/-Muqayyad. According to Amull:

As for the first, wiliiyah [according to the people of fariqal is the

[ta,sanvf(control)] among created beings after annihilation in the Hwqql
Real and subsistence in Him: in reality, it is nothing hut the inward
dimension of prophethood whose outward manifestation is the hringing
of news and whose inward is [control of souls by I imposition of the
laws. Prophcthood is scaled, since there arc no new tidings from Allah
and no prophet after Mul:iamMad. Only wi/:Jyah continues among men
until eternity; the souls of the awliyii' (plural of wa!J) from the prophet
of Mul:iammad are the bearers of responsibility for the execution of
wiliiyalr, thus wiliiyah is executed by them in creation unti I the Final
Day or rather, forever without cnd.515
Amuli briefly refers to the second and the third of the ahove actions, hut these arc

the same as we explained earlier in our discussion on "Relation hctwccn Nuhuww;i

and lmiima".516

513 Amuli, Asnir al-Shari"a wa Afw;Jr al-Tariqa wa Anw;Jr al-lfaqiqa, p. 99.

514 Ibid., p. 99.

•
515 Amuli, Inner Secrets of the Path, pp. 120, 121, and sec also his Asrar a/-S/lart<a wa A/war nl-liirtqn
wa Anwar al-/faqtqa, pp. 99, 100.
516 Amuli, Asnir al-Shari"a wa Afwiiraf-Tartqa wa Anw;Jr a/-1.faqtqa, p. 99.
 119

• 4. 3. 3. !mama in the View of"the People of" f;laqiqa

According to Amuli, in the view of the people of lpqiqa, the Imam and wali arc

the same as the Imam al-A '{am (Greatest lmiim) and the wali al-Mufl:1q (the universal

wali). He is also seen as the Qufh (Pole) and the Imam al-A 'imma (Imam of the

Imams), around whom revolves the circle of cxistcnc.: and the qiyiim (cstahlishmcnt)

of the shari''a, fariqa and J;aqiqa. The stations of all, the nahi, rasOI and wali refer to

this lmiim.517

Sayyid l:laydar refers to lbn cArabi's explanation of the J;adilh of the Prophet

wherein the latter, when someone a~ked "When were you a prophet?" replied, "I was a

prophet when Adam wa~ between water and clay." lbn CArabi also states that "the Seal

of the Saints wa~ a waliwhile Adam wa~ between water and clay."518 Sayyid l:laydar

also explains regarding the wa/iiya of Imam cAli, that the latter is credited with a

J;adith that is cxm:tly the same as the one attributed to the prophet MuJ:iammad; Imam

CAii states that: "I wa~ a wa/iwhile Adam wa~ between water and clay".519 This l;adith

means thaL the Seal of the waliiya (sainthood) is Imam CAJi and that he was a wa/i

when Adam still wa~ in a state between water and clay, whereas all the other prophet~

were only prophet~ at the time of their mission. 520

517 Ibid .• 102.

518 Ibid .. p. 103. sec also lbn <Arabi. Fu$1i$al-l;likam, trans. Rauf. chap. 2. vol. I. p. 230.

• 519 Sec Amuh. JamiCaf-Asnir, p. 382. no. 763. p. 401. no. 804, p. 460, no. 927.
520 Amuli, Asr.ira/-Shari"a wa Afw'1ral-Tartqa wa Anwaral-l;laqlqa, p. 103.
 l!O

• Thus, according to Sayyid l;laydar the relationship hetween the K/11i1;1111 :1/-msu/

(Seal of the prophets) and Khiitam a/-wa/iiya (Seal of the Saint) is comparahle lo ,'rnt

between the aw/iyii' and the messengers with respect to the Prophet. Thus, he

(Mul:mmmad p.) is everything: the wa/i, the rasill (messenger) and the rw/>f (prophet).

And so the Seal of the aw/iyii' who is the wuli, the heir, the one who imhihes his

strength from the source, is one of the fwsanfit (good deeds) of the l'rophet.~21

Finally Amuli concludes that the Seal of the mvliy:i' a/-/1111//:Jc/ is Amir :ii-

Mu'minin Imam CAii, who is descrihed as having the same good qualities aserihed to

the Lord of the Messenger.522

As Sayyid I;!aydar Amuli says, "All the Imams arc one and the same nilr (light),

one and the same fraqiqa (essence), exemplilied in twelve persons. Everything that

applies to one of them applies equally to the othcr"52J

CONCLUSION

The majority of the details regarding the biography of Amull, his search for

knowledge, his teachers, his writings, and the date of his death arc recorded

inaccurately. This conclusion attempts to draw together some of the points made above

in this regard.

521 Ibid., p. 103.

• 522 Ibid., p. 103.

523 Corbin, History ofIslamic Philosophy. p. 48.
 121

• First, we have seen how some of the confusion relating to Sayyi<l l;lay<lar Amuli

stems from the many names by which he was known in the sources, leading some

scholars to allributc some or his work s lo non-existent persons.

Sewn<l, as we have shown, the <late of Sayyi<l l;lay<lar's <leath, while still a

mystery, was placed much too early by these some sources, partly out or ignorance as

to which wdt:ng~ were by his han<l.

Thir<l, none of Sayyici l;lay<lar's biographers ha~ really placed him in the context

or his era, nor o!Tere<l an explanation or his relationship to Sarbi<lari<l anti especially

Shaykh l;lasan Juri. In this thesis however we have tric<l to ca~t some light on this

question.

Forth, the confusion over which works were truly written by him hat! to be

resolved. We have listed about 35 treatises written by Sayyi<l l;lay<lar, which may be

separated into three main categories: I) works which he himself states that he wrote; 2)

works which have been attributed to him by others; anti 3) works by other authors

which Sayyi<l l;lay<lar transcribed .

Fifth, we have trie<l to show the level of knowledge that Sayyi<l l;lay<lar Amuli

possessed, anti this by citing no less than six ijiizaiil (licenses) given to him by hi~

ma~ters in different subjects.

Six, in his mystical works l;lay<lar Amuli ha~ trie<l to explain the idea~ of !Ihm/

'':ishari shica with the aim of correcting the views on lmiima and wa/iiya shared by

Mu~yi al-Din CArabi and Qay~ari, a~ well as the views of those ShiCJs who reject

•
'7rliin!
 12!

• Seventh, he made a signilicant allempt al recPnciling the helict' or three groups or

ShiCa: the people or the shari'i1, the people or the f:irii/U and the people or b•U/i</:J.

•
 12J.

APPENDIX:

AmulI's Handwritings:

Figure: Figure:

--------: 1 --------: 10

--------: 2 --------: 11

--------: 3 --------: 12

--------: 4 --------: 13

--------: 5 --------: 14

--------: 6 --------: 15

--------: 7 --------: 16

--------: 8 --------: 17

--------: 9 --------: 18

•
 124

Figure: I. A specimen of the handwriting of Ayatollah al-Marashi al-Najafl found on the back
cover of a manuscript of al·M~fl a/-A "?am by Sayyid l;laydar Amull, consisting of a biographical note
on the la11er. 524 Whal should be remarked upon in this note is the name of the teacher of Amull when
be was in Amul and !~Cahan.

•
524 Ayatollah al-MarCashl al-Najafi. al·M~t/ al-A "?am wa 11.l·Ba/u 11.l-Kba(lmun D Ta 'w1/ Kitab Al/Ah
a/.CAziz 11/-M~. :?nd shelf, no. I, serial no. 301, Kitabkhaoa-yi Ay:itullih al-Mar"ashl al-Najafi,
Qum.
 125

Figure: :?. This is the first page of autograph manuscript of al-Muql/ al-A cpm wa al-BllQr a/-Kbafl
amm fi Ta 'wi/ Kitab Allah 11/.CAziz al-Mu{Jkam hy Sayyid l:laydar Amuli. t'nfortunaiely. the lower
portion of the page has been eaten by terrniies.5:?5

•
5Z~ Sayyid l:laydar ..\mull. 3/•.lfu(1i/ al-.-l '{3111 ";, al-B3(1r a/-Khai;Iamm Ji Ta 'wil Kitdb Alldh a/-C..J.ziz a/-
.itu/,Jk11111, manuscript. :?nd category. no. 1. serial no. 301. Kitabkbana-yi Ayatullab al-Marashi al-
Najafi. Qum.
•

Figure: 3. 1l1is is the first page of the introduction to al-Mu/pf a/-1\ C;t:Jm wa al-Ba(1r al-K/Jar,J
:unm ff Ta 'wfl Kitlib A/lab a/.CAzlz al-Mui)k:Jm in the handwriting of Sayyid l.laydar :\mull.
Unfonunately. the ponion s of the pages have been eaten by tem1itcs.;:r,

• 5~6 Ibid .• 2nd shelf. no. I. serial no. 301.

 1~7

Figure: 4. The first page of 1hc au1ograph manuscrip1 {If Ta 'wt! al-Mul;kam containing the
autobiography of Sayyid 1.laydar Amuu.5:7 This page of his work is so imponant because it is included
some Amull's ij.1z.1t(licenses), teachers name. trips and so on.

• 527 Ibid., 2nd shelf. no. I. serial no. 301.

•

Figure: 5. The second page of Sayyid l:laydar Amull's au1obiography in Ta 'wll al-Mu1Jkam.S2a

• 528 Ibid .• 2nd shelf. no. 1. serial no. 301.

 129

Figure: 6. he last page of the first introduction lo a/-Mu/;li,t al-A "?am in the handwriting of Sayyid
l:laydar Amuu.5:9

• 529 Ibid .• 2nd shelf. no. I. serial no. 30 I.

 1,\0

Figure: 7. The first page of Tafsir al-F:itil;a wa Ta ·wll:itihl <the opening verse of the Quran and its
interpretation) in the bandwritinB of Sayyid l:laydar Amull. 530

• 530 Ibid .• 2nd shelf. no. I. serial no. 301.

 IJI

figure: 8. The last page of Tafsu al-Faci/;Ja wa Ta 'w1/acihi I the opening chapter of the Qur:ln and
its interprel3lion) in the handwriting of Sayyid l:faydar Amun.531

• '31 Ibid .. 2nd shelf. no. I. serial no. 301.

•

Figure: 9. The first page of the interpretation or Sdrat al-Baqara wa Ta 'wtlatibl (lhe second
Sura/chapier or the Qur'an and its intcrprciationl in 1he handwri1ing or Sayyid l.fay<lar Amuu.53:

•
53: Sayyid J:laydar Amuh. al-.Vui}if al-A ~?am wa al-Bai,lr al-K/Ja!famm li Ta 'wi/ Kitab Al/d/J aJ-CAzlz a/-
Mui,lkam, manuscripl. 2nd shelf. no. 1. serial no. 301, Kilabkbana-yi Aya1ullab al-MarCashl al-Najafi.
Qum.
 133

Figure: 10. This is 1he last page (303) of Tafsir a/-Mufli! al-A ~m in the handwri1ing of Sayyid
l:faydar Amuli. 533

• 533 Ibid.• 1nd shelf. no. 1. serial no. 30 I.

 I .\.I

Figure: 11. The fim and last pages of Muotakbbiil Aow.1r 11/-Sbarlca by Sayyid J:laydar Amull in
the transcription by "All ibn Sbaykh Fa~I Allah al-Jllanl al-Rahidl.534

•
53.; Sayyid l:laydar ,\mull. Muotak/Jab:it .-IDl+llr a/-Sbarf'":r, ruanscript. serial no. I 088, Ki1Ahkllana-yi
Markazl-yi DanishgAh-i Tchr:ln. Tchr:ln.
•

.
F" ure· I' These arc the first and second pages of qucsuons by say y"d
I Haydar
• A.mull from Fakhr
ig · -· . f h fi
al-Muhaqqiqln al-Hill! in al-Masa 'ii al-Amuliyya. On the margm o t e trst page can be seen Fakhr
. al-
·
Muhaqqiqln's ·
handwritten • 1I. 0 n t he s:cond page there 1s a 1so
Jj3z3 (license) given to Sayyid Uaydar :\mu
.
a handwritten defiance of Sayyid 1.laydar Amuli written by Fakhr al-.\l u1)aqq1qm.
. . ' --
"

• - .
S3S Sayyid l;laydar Amuli. al-Masa 'ii al-Amu/Jyyat,
yi D~nishgah-i Tehran. Tehran.
· sen·a1
manuscnpt. 00 · 10"
--· Kit4bkMna-yi Markazl-
 1)6

Figure: 13. The first and last pages or al-Masd'il al-Amuliyya (Masd 'il-i Amuliyydl) by Sayyid
l:laydar A.mull. as transcribed by C!nayat Allah. The lauer may be he the s:ime as Abu Mu~ammad <AU
lbn "lnayat All!h Bastaml who wrot~ 11 Ta/Siral-Tab//gh al-Wa/dya. In which he collected all the verses
about walaya in <Arabic. He was named Mawhi l:lusayn ~a"ld and wrote this interpretation in Tabr1z on
the twelrth or lumadi al-Akbar. 98911581.
Masd'il-i /lrnul~vyat is a shon pan or kit:Jb-i Dastur that is included 45 treatises: about three pages
of this book arc al-Masd 'ii al-iimuliyya. 536

• 536 Ibid., ad. <IoAyat Allah. serial no. 2144.

 137

Figure: 14. A specimen of the handwriting of Sayyid l:laydar Amull wrinen by him on the back of a
manuscript of bis work Naqd al-NuqrJd n Ma"ri.fat al· WujrJd. 531

• 537 Sayyid l:laydar Amull. Naqd al-NuqrJd n Ma"ri!IJt al- Wujl1d. mauscrip<. no. 1764. KitAbkbAna-yi
Marbzl-yi DAnishglh·i Tehran. Tebran.
 1)8

Figure: IS. The first and second page of Sayyid l:faydar Amuli's autograph manuscripl of RisA/111
Naqd 111-Nuqrld 0 Ma"rifat 11/- Wujrld. 538

• 538 Ibid., no. 1764.

 139

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Figure: 16. The last page of Naqd a/-Nuqild n Ma"rifat al-Wujrid in the handwriting of Sayyid
l;laydar Amuu.539 Amull mentions that this work completed by l;laydar ibn °AII l;laydar al-<Alawl al-
l;lusaynl al-Amull on the 15tb of Jum4di al-Akbar in 768 A.H. at Masbbad a/-Sbarila/-GbarawJ(Najaf) .

• 539 Ibid .• no. 1764.

 140

Figure: 17. Jwic al-Amr wa Mmbac al-Anwar. These an: the first and last pages of this treatise
written by Sayyid l;laydar A.null. This transcription was made by Jawad ibn Mulll Abil al-Qlsim al-
NA'lnl, and was completed on Friday, 16th of Rajab a/-Murajjab, 1281/1864.540

• S40 Ibid., serial no. 1515, p. I.

 141

"'r--i
"\!"II 'I'
f.':J::t'J
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.

Figure: 18. The first and last pages of J4JniC a/-A.rr.fr wa Manbac a/-ADwar by Sayyid J:laydar
Amull. This manuscript was completed &jab of 1285/1868. by Sayyid Mahdi Sadr <AlimJ MilsaWI
l~fabll.nl. 541

• 541 S. J:I. Amull. J4mi<aJ-Asnlr wa ManbaCaJ.Anwll; manuscrip<, serial no. In index 5172, Ki!Abkhana-
yi Markazt-yi Diinisbgah·i Tehran.
•

Sources:

I. Cited Books

2. Books Consulted but not Cited

•
3. Articles and Manuscripts
 143

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• 3. ARTICLES AND MANUSCRIPTS:

Agha Tehrani, Morteza. "A translation or a Part of Book Thirty Six of al-Ghazzf11i's

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• Amuli, Sayyid l;laydar. Masii'il-i Amuliyyiit. Manuscript .~erial no. 2144, Kitiibkhana-

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Wn mli tnwfiqt ilia billn/J