The Tawasin of Mansur Al Hallaj T r ans lated by Aisha Abd Ar -R ahman At -T ar jumana

7/28/2019 The Tawasin of Mansur Al Hallaj T r ans lated by Aisha Abd Ar -R ahman At -T ar jumana

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T he T aw as in

of Mans ur Al-H allaj

T r anslated by

Aisha Abd Ar-R ahman At -T ar ju mana

T he T a-S in of t he P r ophet ic L amp

1. A lamp appeared fr om the L ight of the Uns een. I t appeared and

retur ned, and it surpassed the other lamps . I t was a rulingmoon, manifesting itself radiantly among the other moons . I t

was a s tar whose as tr ological house is in the Empyrean. Allahnamed him unlettered in view of the concentr ation of hisaspiration, and also consecrated becaus e of the majesty of hisbless ing, and Makkan because of hi s res idence in His vicinity.

2. He expanded his breast, and raised his power, and lifted from histhe bur den that had weighed down thy back, and He imposed

his authority. As Allah made his Badr appear so his full moonrose from the cloud of Yamma and his sun arose on the side of

T ihma (Makka), and his lamp shone fr om the source of alldivine munifence.

3. He did not r eport about anything except according to his inner

vis ion, and he did not order the following of hi s example exceptaccording to the truth of hi s conduct. He was in the presence of

Allah, then he brought others to His Presence. He saw, then he


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related what he was . He was sent forth as a guide, so he definedthe l imits of conduct.

4. No one is capable of discerning his tr ue significance, except the

S incere, s ince he confirmed its validity, and then accompaniedhim so that there would not remain any disparity between them.

5. No Gnostic ever knew him who was not ignorant of his truequality. His quality is made clear only to those to whom Allah

under takes to dis close it . T hose to whom We have given theBook, and the recognize their sons, even though a par ty of them

conceal the truth, and that wittingly. (2.46)6. T he lights of prophecy is sued from his light, and his light

appeared from the light of Mystery. Among the lights there isnone more luminous, more manifest or more uncreate-than-

uncreatedness than the light of the Master of Generosity.7. His aspir ation preceded all other aspir ations , his ex is tence

preceded non- exis tence, his name preceded the Pen becaus e it

ex is ted before.8. T here was never on the hor iz ons , beyond the hor iz ons , nor

below the horizons anyone more graceful, nobler, wiser, morejus t, kinder , more God-fear ing or more sympathetic than the

holder of this role. His title is Master of Creation, and his name isAhmad, and his attribute is Muhammad. His command is more

certain, and his essence is more excellent, and his attribute ismore glorious, and his aspiration is unique.

9. Oh marvel! What is more manifest, more visible, greater, morefamous, more luminous, more powerful or more discerning than

him? He is and was , and was known before created things andexistences and beings. He was and still is remembered before

before and after after, and before substances and qualities. Hi ssubstance is completely light, his speech is prophetic, his

knowledge is celestial, his mode of expression is Arabic, his tribe

is neither of the East nor the West (24.35), his genealogy ispatriarchal, his mission is conciliation, and he has the title of the

unlettered.10. T he eyes were opened by his s igns, secrets and selves

perceived by hi s being there. I t was Allah who made him

ar ticulate by His Word, and being the Proof, confi rmed him. I twas Allah who sent him forth. He is the proof and the proven. I tis he who quenches the thirst of the vehemently thirsty heart, it

is he who br ings the uncreated word that i s not touched by whattouches i t, nor phrased by the tongue, nor made. I t is united to

Allah without separation, and it surpasses the conceivable. I t ishe who announces the end and the ends and the ends of the

end.


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11. He li fted the cloud, and pointed to the S acred House. He isthe limitation, and he is a heroic war r ior . I t i s he who receivedthe order to break the idols , and it is he who was sent to

mankind for the extermination of them.12. Above him a cloud flashed bolts of l ightning, and below

him a bolt of lightning flashed, shone, caused rain, and fructified.All k nowledge is but a drop fr om his ocean, and all wisdom is but

a handful from his stream, and all times are but an hour from hislife.

13 . Allah is with him, and with him is reality. He is the fir s t inunion and the las t to be commis s ioned as a prophet, the inward

by reality, and the outward by gnosis.14. No scholar ever attained his knowledge nor did any

philosopher become cognizant of hi s unders tanding.15 . Allah did not sur render (His Reali ty) to His creation,

becaus e he is he, and his being there is He, and He is He.

16. Nothing came out of the M of MHMD, and none enteredinto his H, and his H is the same as his second M, and his D is ashis first M. His D is his perpetuity, his M is his rank, his H hisspiritual state, as is his second M.

17. Allah made his speech manifest, and enlarged his mark,and made his proof known. He sent down the furqan to him, he

made his tongue adequate, and He made his hear t s hine. Hemade his contemporar ies incapable (of imitating Qur an). He

established his clarification and exalted his glory.18. I f you flee from his domains , what route will you take

without a guide, oh ail ing one? T he maxims of the philosophersare like a s lipping heap of sand before his wisdom.

T he T a-S in of U nder s t anding

1. T he comprehens ions of created natures are not attached toreali ty, and reali ty is not attached to created natur es. T houghts

(which come) are adherences, and the adherences of created

natur es do not attach themselves to reali ties . T he perception ofreality is difficult to acquire, so how much more difficult is theperception of the reality of the Reality. Furthermore, Allah is

beyond reality, and reality does not in itself imply Allah.2. T he moth flies about the flame unti l morning, then he retur ns to

his fellows and tells them of his spiritual state with the most

eloquent express ions. T he he mix es with the coquetr y of theflame in his des ir e to reach per fect union.


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3. T he light of the flame is the knowledge of reali ty, its heat is thereali ty of reality, and Union with it is the T ruth of the reali ty.

4. He was not satisfied with its light nor with its heat, so he leapt

into it completely. Meanwhile, his fellows were awaiting hiscoming so that he could tell them of his actual vi s ion s ince he

had not been satisfied with hearsay. But at that moment, he wasbeing utterly consumed, r educed and dispersed into fr agments ,

and he remained without form or body or distinguishing mark.T hen in what s ense can he retur n to his fellows? And in what

s tate now that his has obtained? He who had ar r ived at thevision became able to dispense with reports. He who arrives at

the object of his vis ion is no longer concerned with the vis ion.5. T hese meanings do not concern the negligent man, nor the

transitory man, nor the man of wrong action, nor the man whofollows his whims.

6. Oh you who are uncer tain, do not identi fy I am with the divine

I - not now, nor in the future, nor in the pas t. Even if the I amwas a consummated Gnostic, and if this was my state, it was notthe per fection. Even though I am His I am not He.

7. I f you have unders tood this , then unders tand that these

meanings were not true fr om anyone except Muhammad, andMuhammed is not the father of any one of your men, but the

Messenger of Allah and the seal of the prophets . He absentedhims elf fr om men and j inn, and he closed his eyes to where

until there no longer remained any veil on the heart nor anyfals ehood.

8. T here was a length of two bows lengths or nearer , when hereached the desert of the knowledge of reality, he reported

from the outward heart. When he arrived to the truth of thereality he left his desire there and gave himself up to the

Bountiful. When he reached the T ruth he retur ned and said: the

inward hear t has prostr ated to You, and the outward hear t hasbelieved in You. When he reached the Furthermost Limit he

said: I cannot prais e You as You should be prais ed. When hereached the reali ty of the reali ty he said: You are the only Onewho can praise Yourself.

He renounced his desire and followed his vocation, the hear t didnot lie about what i t s aw at this s tation near the Lote-T ree of

the Boundary. He did not turn to the right to the reality ofthings, nor to the left to the reality of reality. His eyes swerved

not, nor swept away.


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T he T a-S in of P u r i ty

1. Reality is something very subtle and minute in its description,

the paths of access to it are nar row, and on them oneencounters s ighing fir es bes ide deep deser ts . T he str anger

follows these paths and informs about what he has exper iencedin the for ty S tations such as :

1. manners (adab)2. awe (rahab)

3. fatigue (nasab)4. serach (talab)5. wonder (aj ab)6. perishing (atab)

7. exaltation (tarab)8. avidity (sharah)

9. probity (nazah)10. s incer ity (s idq)

11 . comradeship (r ifq)12. emancipation (li tq)

13 . setting out (taswih)

14. res t (tarwih)15 . dis cernment (tamyiz )

16 . witnes s ing (s huhud)17 . ex is tence (wuj ud)

18. enumeration (add)19. labor (kada)

20 . res titution (r ada)21 . dilation (imtidad)22. preparation (I dad)23 . is olation (infir ad)

24. captivity (inqiyad)25 . attr action (mur ad)

26 . presence (hudur)27 . exercis e (r iyada)

28. cir cums pection (hiyata)

29 . regret for things lost (i ftiqad)

30 . res is tance (i s tilad)31. consideration (tadabbur )32 . perplexity (tahayyur )

33 . reflection (tafakk ur )34. patience (tasabbur )

35. interpretation (taabbur )36. non- acceptance (rafd)


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37 . s tr ong cr it icis m (naqd)38 . observation (r iaya)39. taking a guide (hidaya)

40. beginning (bidaya)

T he las t S tation is the S tation of the people of S erenity ofHear t and pur ification

2. Each S tation has its own gift of which one par t i s conceivableand the other not.

3. T hen the s tr anger entered the deser t and crossed it andembraced and comprehended the whole of it. He did not find

anything familiar or useful, either on the mountain or on theplain.

4. When Musa accomplis hed the term he left his people sincereality was going to take him as his. And yet he was satisfied

with indirect information without direct vision, and there shouldbe a difference between him and the best of mank ind

(Muhammad). T herefore he said: Perhaps I will br ing you s omeinformation. (20.10)

5. I f the Well -Guided was pleased with indir ect information howshall he who searches the route not suffice himself with anindirect tr ace.

6. Fr om the Bur ning Bus h, on the s ide of S inai what he heard speakfrom the Bush was not the Bush nor its seed but Allah.

7. And my role is like this Bush.

8. S o reali ty is reali ty and the created is created. Reject yourcreated nature, that you may become Him, and He, you - inrespect to reality.

9. I -nes s is a subject, and the object defined is als o a subject inreality, so how is it defined?

10. Allah said to Mus a: You guide to the Proof, not to theObject of the Proof. And as for Me I am the Proof of every proof.

11. Allah made me pass by what is r eali tyBy grace of a contract, a pact, and an alliance.

My secret is a witnesswithout my created personality.

T his is my secret and this is reality12. Allah enunciated my knowledge with me fr om my hear t.

He drew me near to Him after I had been so far fr om Him. He

made me His intimate and chose me.


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T he T a-S in of t he Cir cle

1. T he fir s t door represents the one who reaches the cir cle of T ruth.T he second door represents the per son who reaches it , who afterenter ing it comes to a closed door. T he thi rd door represents the

one who goes as tr ay in the deser t of the T ruth-Natur e of thetruth.

2. He that enter s the cir cle is far from the T ruth because the way isblocked and the seeker i s sent back. T he point on high

represents his yearning. T he lower point r epresents his return tohis point of departure, and the middle point is his bewilderment.

3. T he inner cir cle does not have a door , and the point which is inthe center is T ruth.

4. T he meaning of T ruth is that fr om which externals and internalsare not absent, and it does not tolerate forms.

5. I f you wis h to unders tand what I have pointed to here, then

take four birds and twist them to thee, (2.260) because Allahdoes not fly.

6. I t is His jealousy which makes it appear after He hid it . I t wasawe that kept us apar t, it was bewilderment that depr ived us of

it.7. T hese are the meanings of T ruth. I t i s subtler than the cir cle of

the origins, and the designation of the regions. And subtler still

is the internal functioning of the understanding, because of theconcealing of the imagination.8. T his is because the observer observes the cir cle from without not

from within.9. As for the Knowledge of the knowledge of T ruth, he does not

know it, becaus e he is incapable. Knowledge denotes a place butthe circle is a forbidden place (haram).


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10. S o they named the prophet Haram becaus e he alonecame out of from the circle of Haram.

11. He was ful l of fear and awe, and wear ing the garment of

T ruth, he went out and cr ied Ah!! to all creation.

T he T a-S in of t he P oint

1. Finer still than that is the mention of the Primordial Point, whichis the Source, and which does not grow or decrease, nor

consume itself.

2. T he one who denies my s pir itual s tate denies it becaus e he doesnot s ee me, and he calls me a heretic. He charges me with evil,and seeing my glory he calls for help, and it is to the sacred

circle which is beyond the beyond that he cr ies.3. He who reaches the second circle imagines me to be the I ns pired

Master.

4. He who reaches the thr id cir cle thinks that I am at the bottom ofall desires.

5. And he who reaches the cir cle of T ruth forgets me and hisattention is distracted from me.

6. No indeed, not a refuge! Upon that day the recourse shall be tothy Lord, upon that day man shall be told his former deeds and

his latter.7. But man turns to indirect testimony, he flees to a refuge, he

fears the sparks, and his intention is beguiled and led astray.

8. I am absorbed in the sea of the depths of eternity and he whoreaches the circle of T ruth is occupied on the shore of the sea ofknowledge with his own knowledge. He is absent from my vision.

9. I saw a cer tain bird from the selves of the S ufis which flew with

the two wings of S ufis m. He denied my glory as he per s is ted inhis flight.

10. He asked me about pur ity and I said to him: Cut yourwings with the shears of annihi lation. I f not you cannot follow

me.

11 . He said to me: I fly with my wings to my Beloved. I saidto him: Alas for thee! Because there is naught l ike Him, He isthe All -Hear ing, the All -S eeing. S o then he fell into the sea of

unders tanding and was drowned.


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12. One can represent the ocean of unders tanding thus :

I saw my Lord with the eye of my hear t

I saw: Who are You? He said: You!But for You, where cannot have a place

And there is no where when it concerns You.

T he mind has no image of your ex is tence in t imeWhich would permit the mind to know where you are.You are the one who encompasses every where

Up to the point of no-whereS o where are you?

12. A s ingle unique point fr om the cir cle denotes the var iousthoughts of the unders tanding. A s ingle point i s itself the T ruth

and the rest is error.13. He drew near in r is ing - then he came again in

tr ans cending. S eeking he drew near ; enraptured, he came again.He left his heart there and drew nigh to his Lord. He was absent

when he saw Allah, yet he was not absent. How was he presentand not present? How did he look and not look?

14. From amazement he passed to lucidity and fr om lucidity toamazement. Witnessed by Allah he witnessed Allah. He arrived

and was separated. He reached his Desire and was cut off fr om

his heart, and his heart lies not of what it saw.15. Allah concealed him then made him draw near . He

commis s ioned him and pur if ied him. He made him thir s ty andthen fed him. He pur ified him and then chose him. He called him

and then s ummoned him. He afflicted him and then came to hisaid. He armed him and then put him in the saddle.

16. T here was a dis tance of one bow span and when hereturned he reached his mark. When called he ans wered. Having

seen he effaced himself. Having drunk he was satisfied. Havingcome near he was awe-s tr uck. And having separated hims elf

fr om cit ies and helper s , he was separated fr om consciences andlooks and created tr aces (athar ).


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17. Your comrade did not go as tr ay, he did not weaken orgrow weary. Hi s eye did not falter nor was he tir ed by a whenof pure duration.

18. Your comrade did not go as tr ay, in his contemplation ofUs. He did not pass beyond in visiting Us, nor transgress in Our

message. He did not compare Us to others in treating of Us . Hedid not deviate in the garden of dhik r in contemplation of Us , nor

go astray in roaming in fikr.19. Rather he remembered Allah in his breaths and blinks of

the eye, and was resigned to Him in afflictions and thankful forhis gifts.

20. T his is naught but a revelation revealed from the Light tothe Light.

21. Change your speech! Absent yours elf from il lus ions, rais eyour feet high fr om mankind and creatur es ! S peak of Him with

measure and harmony! Be passionate and lost in rapture.

Discover - that you might fly beyond the mountains and thefields, the mountains of cognizance and the hills of security inorder to see He whom you regard. And so the legal fas t i s endedon coming to the S acred House.

22. T hen he drew nigh to Allah li ke the one who is going toenter the I ntention. T hen he announced that i t i s forbidden. I t i s

li ke a bar r ier rather than impotence. He passed fr om the S tationof Cleans ing to the S tation of Reproach and fr om the S tation of

Reproach to the S tation of Proximity. He went nigh searchingand he returned fleeing. He went nigh invoking and he returned

a herald. He drew nigh answering and returned invested withDivine Nearness. He drew nigh as a witness and returned a

contemplative.23. T he dis tance between them was two bow spans . He hit

the mark of where with the ar row of between (ayn and bayn).

He s tated that there were two bow spans to s pecify the exactplace, and or becaus e of the un- delineated nature of E s sence,

a little closer in the Essence of the Essence.24. T he Master of the Extr aordinary Al- Hus adin ibn Mansur Al-

Hallaj said:

25. I do not believe that our expres s ion here will becomprehens ible except to the one who has ar r ived at the secondbow span which is beyond the T ablet of Forms (lawh mahfuz).

26. T here are letter s that are used no longer letters of Arabicor Persian.

27. T here are letters only and that letter is the mim which isthe letter signifying what he revealed

28. T he mim des ignated T he Las t.


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29 . T he mim is als o the s tr ing of the Fi r s t. T he fir s t bow spanis the Kingdom of Might ( jabrut) and the second is the Kingdomof Sovereignty (malakut), and the Kingdom of the Attr ibutes i s

the string of the two kingdom. And the Kingdom of the Essenceof I ntimate (s pecific) I llumination (tajall i khass ) is the ar row of

the Absolute and the ar row of the two spans .30. I t comes from the One who kindles the fir e of I llumination.

31. He said that the adequate form of speech is that speechthe sens e of which is drawing near . T he Author of the meaning is

the T ruth of Allah not the method of Hi s creation. T his near ing isonly obtained in the circle of vigorous exacti tude.

32 . T ruth and the T ruth of T ruths is found in the fines tdistinctions, from previous experiences, by means of an antidote

made by one who loves, in consideration of calamities and thediscernment of distinctions, and it is by a word of deliverance.

T his is the path of the elect in respect to individuals , and the

near ing is seen as a vas t area so that the knower who hasfollowed the observed paths of prophetic tr adition mayunders tand.

33. T he Master of Yathr ib, peace be upon him, proclaimed the

glory of the one who possesses the most excellent of graces,inviolable, preserved in a hidden Book, as He mentioned in a

vis ible book, in a Book inscr ibed on the meaning of thelanguage of the bir ds , when He brought us there.

34. I f you unders tand this , oh lover , unders tand that the Lorddoes not enter into conver sation except with Hi s own, or with the

friends of His own.35. T o be one of His own is to have neither Mas ter nor dis ciple,

to be without preference or dis tinction or affectation or counsel,not having any his or from him. But rather what is in him is

what is in him, but without there being an in him, as a desert

without water in a desert without water, as a sign in a sign.36. Public dis cour se tr ans lates its meanings tr ansplant his

wishes, and his wish is seen from afar. His path is hard, hisname is glorious, his form is unique, his knowledge is denial ofknowledge, his denial is his sole truth, his sin is his source of

confidence. His Name is his Path, and his outward characteristicis his burning, his attribute is Desire.37. T he Road (s har ) is his characteri s tic, the tr uths (haqaiq)

are his arena and his glory, selves are his por tico, S haitan is histeacher, every sociable being became his famil iar animal,

humanity is his conscience, obliteration is his glory, effacementis his subject of meditation, the bride is his garden, and

effacement of effacement hi s palace.


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38. Hi s Mas ters are my refuge, their pr inciples are my alarm,their volition is my request, their aid is my stopping place, theirsorrows are my grief.

39. T heir leaves are a dr ink ing place, their s leeves are nothingbut dust, their doctrine is the cornerstone of their state, and

their s tate is impotence. But any other s tate would be an objectof anger for Allah. S o thi s is enough and success with Allah.

T he T a-S in of B efor e E ndles s -T ime and

Equivocation

(for he who understands, in the understandingof the unders tanding relative to public

discourse as to what is legitimate in regard tointentions.)

1. T he Master Abul-Mughith, may Allah be merciful to him, s aid:T here is no es tabli shed mis s ion except that of I bli s and

Muhammad, peace be on him, only I bli s fell fr om the Es sencewhile Muhammad perceived the Es sence of the Es sence.

2. I t was said to Ibli s : Pros tr ate your self! and to Muhammad -Look! But I bli s did not prostr ate hims elf, and Muhammad did

not look, he did not turn to the right or the left, his eye swerved

nor, nor swept astray.3. As for I bli s , having announced his mis s ion, he did not retur n to

his first power.

4. And when Muhammad announced his mis s ion he retur ned to his

power.5. Wi th thi s s tatement, I t is in You that I am tr anspor ted and on

You that I fling myself, and als o, Oh You who tur n the hear ts and I do not k now how to praise You as You should be praised.

6. Among the inhabitants of heaven there was no unitarian orwor shipper like I blis .

7. For I bli s there appeared the Divine Es sence. He was preventedfr om even a blink of the eye of awareness , and he began to

wor ship the Adored One in ascetic isolation.8. He was cur sed when he reached the double is olation, and he was

questioned when he demanded the ultimate solitude.9. Allah s aid to him: Pros tr ate yourself! ! He said: Not before

another than You. He said to him: Even if my cur se fall s onyou? He said: I t will not punis h me.


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10. My denial is to affir m your pur ity and my reason remainsdis ordered in You. And what is Adam compared to You and whoam I , I blis , to differentiate from You!

11. He fell into the S ea of Majesty, he became blind, and said:T here is no path for me to other- than-You. I am a humble

lover. He said to him: You have become proud. He said: I fthere was one glance between us , it would have been enough to

make me proud and imper ious , but I am he who knew You inBefore Endless -T ime, " I am better than Him" because I have

served You for a longer time. No one, in the two types of beings,knows You better than I do! T here was an intention of Your s in

me, and an intention of mine in You, and both of them precededAdam. I f I prostr ated before another than You or i f I did not

prostrate it would be necessary me to return to my origin, sinceYou created me of f ir e, and fir e retur ns to fi re, according to an

equi libr ium and choice which are Your s .

12. T here is no dis tance from You for me, s ince I becamecertain that dis tance and nearness are one.For me, if I was left, your deser tion would be my companion, s ohow much more are desertion and love tr uly one!

Glory to You in Your Providence and in the Es sence of yourI naccess ibili ty for the pious worshipper who does not prostr ate

before any other than You.13. Musa met I bli s on the s lope of S inai and said to him: Oh

I bli s , what prevented you from prostr ating? He said: T hat whichprevented me was my declaration of a Unique Beloved, and if I

had prostr ated I would have become like you, becaus e you wereonly called upon once to look at the mountain and you looked.

As for me, I was called upon a thousand times to prostr atemys elf to Adam and I did not prostr ate mys elf becaus e I s tood

by the I ntention of my Declaration.

14. S ayedina Mus a said: You abandoned a Command? I blissaid: I t was a test. Not a command. Sayedina Musa said:

Without s in? But your face was deformed. I bli s replied: OhMus a, that i s but the ambiguity of appearances, whi le thespiritual state does not rely on it and does not change. Gnosis

remains tr ue even as it was at the beginning and does notchange even if the individual changes.15. S ayedina Mus a said: Do you remember Him now? Oh

Mus a, pure mind does not have need of memory - by i t I amremembered and He is remembered. His remembrance is my

remembrance, and my r emembrance is His remembrance. How,when remember ing our selves , can we two be other than one?

My service is now purer, my time more pleasant, my


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remembrance more glor ious , becaus e I served Him in theabsolute for my good fortune, and now I serve Him for Hims elf.

16. I li fted greed fr om everything which prevents or defends

for the sake of loss as well as gain. He isolated me, made meecs tatic, confused me, expelled me, s o that I would no mix with

the saints. He put me far from others because of my jealous forHim alone. He deformed me, becaus e He amazed me, and

amazed me becaus e He banished me. He banished me becaus e Iwas a servant and put me in a forbidden s tate becaus e of my

companionship. He showed my lack of wor th becaus e I prais edHi s Glory. He reduced me to a s imple robe of ihram becaus e if

my hij ya. He left me becaus e of my union, He unif ied mebecaus e he cut me off. He cut me off becaus e He had prevented

my des ir e.17 . By His T ruth I was not in er ror in respect to His decree, I

did not refuse destiny. I did not care at all about the deformation

of my face. I kept my equilibr ium thr oughout these sentences .18 . I f He punis hes me with His fire for all of eternity I would

not pros tr ate mys elf before anyone, and I would not abasemyself before any per son or body becaus e I do not r ecognize

any opposite with Him! My Declaration is that of the S incere andI am one of those s incere in love.'

19. Al- Hallaj said: T here are var ious theor ies regarding thespir itual s tates of Azazyl (I bli s before his fall ). One said that he

was charged with a mission in heaven, and with a mission onear th. I n heaven he preached to the Angels showing them good

works , and on ear th preaching to men and j inn showing themevil deeds .

20. Becaus e one does not recognize things except by theiropposites, as with fine white silk which can only be woven using

black fabr ic behind it - so the Angel could show good actions and

say s ymbolically " I f you do these you wil l be rewarded." But hewho did not know evi l before cannot recognize good.

21. T he Master Abu Umar Al-Hallaj said: I deliberated withI bli s and Pharon on the honor of the generous. I bli s said: " I f Ihad prostr ated mys elf I would have lost my name of honor."

Pharon s aid: " I f I had believed in this Messenger I would havefallen from my rank of honor."22. I s aid: " I f I had dis avowd my teaching and my speech, I

would have fallen from the hall of honor.23. When I bli s said: " I am better than him, " then he could not

see anyone other than hims elf. When Pharon s aid " I know notthat you have other Divinity than me," he did not r ecogniz e that


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any of his people could dis tinguis h between the tr ue and thefalse.

24 . And I said: " I f you do not know Him, then know His s igns ,

I am His s ign (tajall i) and I am the T ruth! And this is because Ihave not ceased to reali ze the T ruth! "

25. My companion is I bli s and my teacher is Pharon, I bli s wasthr eatened with the fir e and did not r etr act his allegation. Pharon

was drowned in the Red S ea without r etr acting his allegation orrecogniz ing any mediator. But he said: " I believe that there is no

Divinity but He in whon the tr ibe of I s rael believe, " and dontyou see that Allah opposed Jibr il in H is glory? He said: " Why did

you fill your mouth with sand?"26. And I was kil led, crucified, my hands and feet cut off

without retracting my assertion.27 . T he name of I blis was der ived from his fir s t name, Azazyl

in which were changed: the ayn representing the amplitude of

his endeavor, the zay, representing the growing frequency of hisvisits, the alif - his way in His rank, the second zay - hisasceticism in His rank, and the ya - his wandering walk to hisagony, and lam - his obstinacy in his pain.

28. He said to him: " You do not pros tr ate, oh contemptibleone!" He said, " S ay r ather - lover , for a lover is despis ed, s o you

call me despicable. I have read in a Manifest B ook, oh All-Power ful and S teadfas t, that thi s would happen to me. S o how

could I lower myself before Adam when you created him of ear thand me fr om fire? T hese two opposites cannot agree. And I have

served you longer, and have a greater vi r tue and a vasterknowledge and a more perfect activi ty.

29. Allah, may He be prais ed, said to him: " T he choice is mine,not your s ." He said: " All choices and my choice its elf are yours ,

becaus e You had alr eady chosen for me, oh Creator , I f you

prevented me from prostr ating before him You were the caus e ofthe prevention. I f I err in speech You do not leave me because

You are the All -Hear ing. I f You had wil led that I pros tr ate beforehim, I would have been obedient. I do not k now anyone amongthe Wis e who knows you better than I do."

30. Do not blame me, the idea of cens ure is dis tant fr om me,reward me then, my master, for I am alone.

I f, in being a promis e, Your promise is tr uly the T ruth inpr inciple, the pr inciple of my vocation is s tr ong indeed.

He who wishes to write this declaration of mine, read it, and

know that I am a mar tyr !


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31. Oh my brother! He was called Azazyl becaus e he wasdismissed, dismissed from his primitive purity. He did not returnfrom his origin to his end, because he did not go out from his

end, he left, cursed from his origin.32. Hi s attempt to go out miscar r ied becaus e of the fix ity of

his kindling. He found himself between the fire of his restingplace and the light of his high position.

33. T he source on the plain is a low- lying lake. He wastormented by thir s t in the place where there was abundance. He

cr ied his pain becaus e the fi re bur ned him, and his fear wasnothing but simulation and his blindness is vanity and - here he

is !34. Oh my brother! I f you have unders tood, you have

considered the narrow pass in its very narrowness and you haverepresented the imagination to yourself in its very unreality, and

you have returned distressed and full of anxiety.

35 . T he mos t alert of the Knowers remained s ilent on I bli s andthe gnos tics did not have the s tr ength to explain that which theyhad learned. I bli s was s tr onger that them in adoration andnearer than them to the Presence of the Essence. He exerted

hims elf more and was more loyal to the covenant and was closerto them than the Adored.

36. T he other Angels prostr ated before Adam for support , andI blis refused, becaus e he had been in contemplation for a long

time already.37. But his case became confus ed and his thought went

as tr ay, so he said: " I am better than him. " He remained in theveil and did not value the dus t, and brought damnation on

himself for the After -Endles s -T ime of After -Endles s -T ime.

T he T a-S in of t he Div ine W i l l


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1. Here is the representation of the voli tion of Allah. T he fir s t cir cle

is the Decree of Allah (mashia) and the second is His Wisdom,and the third is His Power, and the fourth is His Before-Endless-

T ime Knowledge.2. I bli s said: I f I entered the fir s t cir cle I would have to undergo

the test of the second, and if I passed into the second I wouldhave to undergo the tes t of the thi rd. And if I passed into thethi rd I would have to undergo the test of the fourth.

3. S o - no, no, no, no, and no! Even if I res ted on my fir s t no I

would have been cur sed until I uttered the second, and rejectedunti l I uttered the thir d so what does the four th matter to me?

4. I f I had known that pros tr ating would have saved me I would

have prostr ated. But I knew that after that cir cle were other

cir cles. I said to mys elf in conjectur e, if I come out s afe fromthis cir cle, how wil l I come out of the second, the third, and thefourth?

5. S o the Ali f of the fifth La is He, the Living God.

T he T a-S in of t he Declar at ion of U nit y

1. He is Allah the Living.

2. Allah is One, Unique, Alone and testi fied as One.3. Both are One and the profession of Unity of the One are in Him

and from Him.


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4. From Him comes the distance that separates others from Hisunity. I t can be represented thus :

5. T he knowledge of T awhid is an autonomous abs tr act cognizance,and is represented thus:

6. T he T awhid is an attr ibute of the created subject who

pronounces it , and it i s not an attr ibute of the Object profes sedas one.

7. I f I being created say I did I make Him als o say I ? My T awhid

comes from me then, not from Him. He is free (munazzah) ofme and my T awhid.

8. I f I say The T awhid returns to the one who profes ses it then Imake it a created thing.

9. I f I say No, the T awhid comes from the Object it test ifies to,then what relation attaches the unifier to his profession of Unity?

10. I f I say T hen the T awhid is a relation which attaches the

Object to the subject, then I have tur ned this into a logicaldefinition.

Diagrams : T he T awhid is separate from Allah,and this symbol of wahdahiya is representedby ali f with several dals in i t. T he ali f being the

Essence and the dals the Attributes.

T he uniqueness : T he pr imordial alif of theessence with the other alifs, which are the

created forms, subsists on the primal alif.

T he T a-S in of t he S el f-Aw ar eness es inT aw hid


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1. T he attr ibute of the T a-S in of the self- awareness in T awhid issuch:

(Alif - the Unity, T awhid. Hamza - the self- awarenesses , s ome

on one s ide some on the other. Ayn at beginning and end - T heEssence.)

T he self- awarenesses proceed from Him and retur n to Him,

operate in Him, but they are not logicall y necessary.2. T he real subject of the T awhid moves acros s the multiplicity of

subjects becaus e He is not included in the subject nor in the

object nor in the pronouns of the propos it ion. I ts pronominalsuffix does not belong to its Object, its possessive h is His Ahand not the other h which does not make us unitar ians .

3. I f I say of this h wah! the others say to me, Alas .4. T hese are epithets and specif ications and a demonstr ative

allusion pierces this so we could see Allah through the

substantive conditional.5. All human individuali ties are li ke a building well-compacted. I t

is a definition and the Unity of Allah does not make exception tothe definition. But every definition is a limitation, and the

attr ibutes of a limitation apply to a limited object. However theobject of T awhid does not admit of limitation.

6. T he T ruth (Al- Haqq) itself is none other than the abode of Allahnot necessarily Allah.

7. S aying the T awhid does not reali ze it becaus e the syntactical r oleof a term and its proper sens e do not mix with each other when

it concerns an appended term. S o how can they be mixed whenit concerns Allah?

8. I f I saw the T awhid emanates from Him then I double theDivine Essence, and I make an emanation of it self , co-exis tent

with it, being and not being this Essence at the same time.

9. I f I say that it was hidden in Allah, and He manifests it , how wasit hidden where there is no how or what or this and there is

no place (where) contained in Him.10. Because in this is a creation of Allah, as is where.11. T hat which supports an accident is not without a

subs tance. T hat which is not separated fr om a body is not

without s ome par t of a body. T hat which is not s eparated fr om


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spir it, in not without some par t of a spir it. T he T awhid istherefore an assimilant.

12. We retur n then, beyond thi s to the center (of our Object)

and isolate it from adjunctions, assimilations, qualifications,pulverizations and attributions.

13. T he fir s t cir cle (in the next diagram) compr is es the actionsof Allah, the s econd compr is es their tr aces and these are two

circles of the created.14 . T he central point symbolizes the T awhid, but it is not the

T awhid. I f not, how would it be separable fr om the cir cle?

T he T a-S in of t he Dis connect ion-F r om-

Forms

1. This is the cir cle of the allegory and this is the figure which

represents it:

2. T his is the whole which can give us phrases and sentences , and

to the adepts , cults and sects , doctr ines and methods .3. T he fir s t cir cle is the literal s ense, and the second is the inner

sense, and the third is the allusion.4. T his is the totali ty of things , created and composed, answered,

trodden upon, seized on, contr adicted, deceived and stupefied.5. He circulates in the pronoun we of subjects of persons. Like an

arrow he penetrates them, provides for them, surprises them,

and overturns them, and He amazes them in crossing them.6. Here is the totality of created substances and qualities. Allah has

nothing to do with these fables .


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7. I f I say: He is He, that s tatement is not the T awhid.8. I f I say that the T awhid of Allah is valid, they will tell me - no

doubt!

9. I f I say without time, they will say: T hen is the meaning ofT awhid a s imile? But there is no compar is on when descr ibing

Allah. Your T awhid is without relation to Allah or to creation,becaus e the fact of express ing the number of times intr oduces a

limiting condition. I n so doing you have added a sense toT awhid, as if it were contingent. However the contingent i s not

an attr ibute of Allah. His Es sence is unique. And both T ruth andwhat is unreal cannot emanate fr om the Es sence of the Es sence.

10 . I f I say: T he T awhid is the word its elf," the word is anattribute of the Essence not the Essence itself.

11. I f I say: T awhid means that Allah wishes to be One thediving volition is an attribute of the Essence and volitions are

created.

12. I f I say: Allah is the T awhid of Es sence proclaimed toitself, then I make the Es sence T awhid which can be spoken byus .

13 . I f I s ay: No, it is not the Es sence, then do I s ay that

T awhid is created?14. I f I say: T he name and the object named are One, then

what s ense does T awhid have?15 . I f I s ay: Allah is Allah then do I s ay that Allah is the

Essence of the Essence and that He is He?16. Here is the T a-S in which tr eats of the denial of secondary

caus es : and these cir cles with no wr it ten in them are its figure:

17 . T he fir s t cir cle is pre-Eternity, and the second intelligibles ,the third is that of dimensions and the fourth of the cognizable.


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18 . T he Es sence is not without attr ibutes .19. T he fi r s t seeker opens the Door of Knowledge and does not

see. T he second opens the Door of Pur ity and does not see. T he

thi rd opens the Door of Comprehens ion and does not s ee. T hefour th opens the Door of Meaning and does not s ee. None say

Allah in His Essence nor in his volition, nor in speech nor in HisHe-ness.

20. Glory to Allah who is holy and by Hi s sancti ty inaccess ibleto all the methods of the gnostics and to all the intuitions of the

people of r evelations.21. Here is the T a-s in of Negation and Affir mation, and this is

its representation:

22. T he fir s t formula tr eats of the thought of the common

people and the second of the elect, and the circle whichrepresents the knowledge of Allah is between the two. T he nos

which are enclosed by the circle are the negation of alldimensions. T he two has are set l ike pil lar s of the two s ides of

T awhid which holds it up. Beyond them the dependencies begin.23. T he thought of the common people plunges into the sea of

images and the thought of the elect into the sea ofunderstanding. But these two seas dry up and the ways which

they marked are effaced, the two thoughts disappear and thetwo pillars fall and the two worlds of being perish and proofs and

knowledge vanis h.

24. On the s ide of the pure divinity of Allah, He remains ,tr ans cending all dependent things, praise be to Allah who is nottouched by any secondary caus e. Hi s proof i s s tr ong, and Hispower glor ious . He, the Lord of S plendor and Glory and Majes ty.

T he Unaccountable One with arithmetical Unity. No definition norcounting nor beginning nor end touches Him. His existence is a

marvel since He is removed from existence. He alone knowsHimself, Master of Majesty and magnanimity. Creator of souls

and bodies.


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The Tawasin of Mansur Al Hallaj T r ans lated by Aisha Abd Ar -R ahman At -T ar jumana

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