The Ancient Sufi Interpretation

The ancient Sufis did not go into anything concerned with (the Mahdi).

All they discussed was:

• their mystic activity and exertion
• the resulting ecstatic experiences and states.

It was the Imamiyah and the extremist Shi’ah who discussed the preferred status of ‘Ali, the matter of his imamate, the claim (made in his behalf) to have received the imamate through the last will (of the Prophet), 949 and the rejection of the two Shaykhs (Abu Bakr and ‘Umar), as we have mentioned in connection with the discussion of Shi’ah dogmatics.950 Thereafter, there originated among them the dogma of the Infallible Imam 951 Much was written on (Shi’ah) dogmatics.

The Isma’iliyah Shi’ah made its appearance. It asserted the divinity of the imam through incarnation. Others asserted that the (dead) imams would return, eitherthrough metempsychosis or (in the very form they had had during their lifetime).

Still others expected the coming of imams who would be cut off from them through death. Others, finally, expected that the family of Muhammad would return to power. They deduced this from the afore-mentioned traditions concerning the Mahdi, and from other traditions.

Among the later Sufis, removal (of the veil, kashf) and matters beyond the veil of sense perception likewise came to be discussed. A great many Sufis came to speak about incarnation and oneness. 951a This gave them something in common with the Imamiyah and the extremist Shi’ah who believed in the divinity of the imams and in the incarnation of the deity in them. The Sufis also came to believe in a “pole” (qutb) and in “saints” (abdal). This (belief) looked like an imitation of the opinions of the extremist Shi’ah concerning the imam and the ‘Alid “chiefs” (nugabd’). 952

The Sufis thus became saturated with Shi’ah theories.

Shi’ah theories entered so deeply into their religious ideas that they based their practice of using a cloak (khirgah) on the (alleged) fact that ‘All clothed al-Hasan al-Basri in such a cloak and caused him to agree solemnly that he would adhere to the mystic path. (The tradition thus inaugurated by ‘Ali) was continued, according to the Sufis, through al-Junayd, 953 one of the Sufi shaykhs.

However, it is not known with certainty that ‘Ali did any such thing. The mystic path was not reserved to ‘Ali, but all the men around Muhammad were models of the (various) paths of religion. The fact that (the Sufis) restrict (precedence in mysticism) to ‘All smells strongly of pro-Shi’ah sentiment. This and other afore-mentioned Sufi ideas show that the Sufis have adopted, pro-Shl’ah sentiments and have become enmeshed in them.

Therefore, the books of the extremist Isma’iliyah (Shi’ah) and the books of the later Sufis are full of ideas concerning the expected Fatimid. They were passed on through dictation and teaching. All (these speculations) are built upon brittle foundations. This applies to both parties.

Some Sufis and Shi’ah occasionally base themselves in this connection on astrological discussions of astral conjunctions. (The result is) a sort of predictions (maldhim), as will be discussed in the following chapter.

Most (prominent) among the later Sufis who discuss the Fatimid are Ibn al- ‘Arabi al-Hatimi, 954 in the ‘Anqa’ Mughrib; Ibn Qasi, 955 in the Kitab Khal’ an- na’layn; ‘Abd-al-Hagq b. Sab’in; 956 and one of (Ibn Sab’in’s) pupils, Ibn Abi Watil,957 in his commentary on the Kitab Khal’ an-na’layn. When they speak about (the Fatimid), they mostly speak in riddles and parables. Occasionally, they make a minimum of explicit statements, or their commentators make explicit statements. According to Ibn Abi Watil, the sum of their beliefs in connection with (the Fatimid) is that (in pre-Islamic times) there had been error and blindness. Then, truth and right guidance made their appearance through prophecy. Prophecy was followed by the caliphate, and the caliphate, in turn, was followed by royal authority. Royal authority, then, reverted to tyranny, presumptuousness, and worthlessness. They said= And since it has been observed to be God’s procedure to have things return to their original state, prophecy and truth will by necessity be revived through sainthood (wilayah). Sainthood will be followed by the stage that properly comes after it (caliphate). (This,) in turn, will be followed by the time of the Antichrist (dajl), which will take the place of royal authority and the rule of power. Then, unbelief will return to the old position it occupied before the coming of the prophecy (of Muhammad).This refers to the caliphate which came after the prophecy, and to the royal authority which followed the caliphate. These are three stages. Likewise, the sainthood of the Fatimid, who will revive prophecy and righteousness, the stage (caliphate) that properly follows upon the Fatimid, and then the time of the Antichrist, which will follow after it and which is that state of worthlessness alluded to in the expression “appearance of the Antichrist” - these are three stages corresponding to the first three. Then, unbelief will return to the existence it had had before the prophecy (of Muhammad).

The caliphate, they continued, belongs legally to the Quraysh, according to the general consensus which cannot be weakened by the disapproval of people who have insufficient knowledge. 958 Therefore, the imamate belongs, of necessity, to a person who is even closer to the Prophet than the Quraysh. (This he may be) either externally, by being a descendant of ‘Abd-al-Muttalib, or inwardly, by belonging to Muhammad’s “family,” according to the real meaning of “family,” which means those at the time of whose presence the one who is their “family” is not absent.

In his Kitab ‘Anqa’ Mughrib, Ibn al-‘Arabi al-Hatimi called (the Mahdi) “the Seal of the Saints.” 960 He is known under the name of “the silver brick,” with reference to a tradition reported by al-Bukhari in the chapter on the Seal of the Prophets (in the book on Mandqib), which says= “Muhammad said= ‘I and the prophets before me are like a man who built a house and finished it save for one brick still to be placed. I am this brick.’ "

Therefore, the (scholars) interpret “the Seal of the Prophets” 962 as the brick needed for the completion of the building. It means the prophet who has obtained the perfect prophecy. Sainthood in its different degrees is compared (by the Sufis) to prophecy. The perfect (saint) is considered to be the “seal” of the saints, that is, the saint who is in the possession of the rank that is the final (“sealing”) stage of sainthood, exactly as “the Seal of the Prophets” was the prophet who was in possession of the rank that is the final (“sealing”) stage of prophecy. In the tradition quoted, the Lawgiver (Muhammad) used the phrase, “the brick (that completes) the house,” for that final stage.

The 2 things correspond to each other.

Thus, (they may be compared) to bricks (of different materials). In the case of prophecy, the brick is gold. In the case of sainthood, the brick is silver. The difference in importance existing between the two stages corresponds to the difference (in value) that exists between gold and silver. “Gold brick” is used as a name for the Prophet, and “silver brick” as a name for the expected Fatimid saint. The one is “the Seal of the Prophets,” and the other “the Seal of the Saints.” Ibn al-‘Arab! 963 said, as reported by Ibn Abi Watil= This expected imam is a member of the family of Muhammad and a descendant of Fatimah. His appearance will take place when kh-f-j years have passed after the Hijrah. -He wrote down three letters. He meant their numerical value, 964 kh being 600, f 80, and j 3.

This makes 683 years, or the end of the 13th century.

When this time had passed and (the Mahdi) had not appeared, some of those who accepted the tradition were forced to assume that the number meant the date of the birth of (the Mahdi) - “appearance” meaning birth - and that he would come forth in 710 [1310]. He would be the imam who would come forth from the region of the Maghrib. He said= If, as Ibn al-‘Arabi thinks, his birth is in the year 683 [1284/85], he must be 26 years old at the time of his appearance. He said= They (also) thought that the Antichrist would come forth in the year 743 [134243] 965 of the Muhammadan day. In their opinion, the Muhammadan day begins with the day of the death of the Prophet and lasts to the completion of the year 1000.

In his commentary on the Kitab Khal’ an-na’layn, Ibn Abi Watil said: The expected saint who will take charge of God’s command, who is referred to under the names of Muhammad al-Mahdi and Seal of the Saints= He is no prophet. He is a saint, sent by his spirit and his friend.

Muhammad said= “The scholar is among his people what the prophet is in his nation.” He also said= “The scholars of my nation are like the prophets of the children of Israel.”

The glad tidings of his (coming) will never cease (to be heard) from the beginning of the Muhammadan day to shortly before the year 500 [1106/7], which is the middle of (that) day. They will become stronger and more numerous as the result of the shaykhs’ jubilant announcements of the approach of (the Mahdi’s) coming and the coming of his period, from the end of (the year 500) onward.

Al-Kindi continued and mentioned that that saint will be the person who will say the noon prayer with the people. He will renew Islam and cause justice to triumph. He will conquer the Spanish peninsula and reach Rome and conquer it. He will travel to the East and conquer it. He will conquer Constantinople, and rule over the whole earth will be his.

The Muslims will become strong, Islam will be exalted, and the pristine religion (din al-hanifiyah) will come forth. From noon prayer to afternoon prayer, will be (one) prayer time. Muhammad said= “(The time) between the two is a (prayer) time.” 967

Al-Kindi also said: “The sum total of the numerical value of the Arabic letters that have no diacritical points - he means, the letters at the beginning of certain surahs of the Qur’an 968 is 743 Antichristian (years). Then, Jesus will descend at the time of the afternoon prayer. The world will be prosperous. The sheep will go with the wolf. After the (non-Arabs) have become Muslims with Jesus, the non-Arab kingdom will last 160 years in all-that is; (the sum of the letters) q -y-n. Forty of these 160 years will be the rule of justice.” Ibn Abi Watil said= Muhammad’s statement, “There is no Mahdi except Jesus,” means that there is no one who is guided (mahdi) as well as Jesus. It has also been said (to mean that) nobody spoke in the cradle except Jesus. This (interpretation, however,) is refuted by the story of Jurayj and other (stories). 969 It has been mentioned in (the sound tradition of) the Sahih that Muhammad said= “This (Muslim) state will not cease to be until the Hour arises,” or= “. . . until the (Muslims) have been ruled by twelve caliphs”-that is, from the Quraysh 970 The facts suggest that some of them were at the beginning of Islam, and that some of them will be at its end. Muhammad said= “The caliphate after me will last for thirty, 971 or thirty-one, or thirty-six (years).” It ends with the caliphate of al-Hasan and the beginning of the caliphate of Mu’awiyah. The beginning of the rule of Mu’awiyah is a caliphate only according to the original meaning of the word. He is the sixth of the caliphs. The seventh caliph is ‘Umar b. ‘Abd-al-‘Aziz. The remaining five (of the twelve caliphs mentioned in the tradition) are five of ‘Ali’s descendants, members of Muhammad’s family.

This is supported by (Muhammad’s) statement, “You are the possessor of its two periods (garn)"-meaning (the two periods of) the nation (the beginning and the end). That is, you (‘Ali) are the caliph at its beginning, and your descendants will be caliphs at its end. The tradition is often used as evidence by those who believe in “the return” (of conditions). 972 The first (to return) is the person to whom they refer in connection with “the rising of the sun from the west.” 973 Muhammad said= “When the emperor of the Persians has perished, there will be no Persian emperor after him, and when the Byzantine emperor has perished, there will be no Byzantine emperor after him. By God, I assure you, the treasures ofboth of them will be spent in God’s behalf.” - ‘Umar b. al-Khattab spent the treasure of the Persian emperor in behalf of God. “He who will destroy the Byzantine emperor and will spend his treasures in God’s behalf will be the expected (Mahdi) when he conquers Constantinople. The ruler of Constantinople will be an excellent one, and the army (that will conquer Constantinople) will be an excellent one.” 974

This was said by Muhammad. “And the duration of his rule will be a few (years).” A “few” means between three and nine, or up to ten. Forty is also mentioned.

In some recensions, it is seventy. “Forty” refers to the length of the period of (the Mahdi) and of the period of the four remaining caliphs of his family who will be in charge of his affairs after him -all of them be blessed. He continued= The astrologers mentioned that the duration of his rule and that of the members of his family after him will be 159 years.

The form of government will thus be a caliphate and a rule of justice for forty or seventy years. Then conditions will change, and (the form of government) will be royal authority. End of the quotation from Ibn Abi Watil.

In another passage, he said= “The final descent of Jesus will be at the time of the afternoon prayer, when threefourths of the Muhammadan day have passed.” He said= “Ya’qub b. Ishaq al-Kindi stated in the Kitab al-Jafr 975 in which he mentioned the conjunctions= When the conjunction reaches Aries at the beginning of d-h 976 that is, in the year 698 [1298/99] of the Hijrah-the Messiah will descend.

He will rule the earth as it pleases God.” 977

He continued: “It has been stated in the tradition that Jesus will descend at the white minaret east of Damascus. He will descend between two yellowish colored ones, that is, two light saffron-yellow colored garments. 978 He will place his hands upon the wings of two angels. His hair is as long as though he had just been released from a dungeon.

When he lowers his head, it rains, and when he lifts it up, jewels resembling pearls pour down from him. He has many moles on his face. Another tradition has= ‘Square built and reddish white.’ Still another has= ‘He will marry in the gharb’-(the word) gharb meaning ‘bucket as used by Bedouins.’ 979 Thus, the meaning is that he will take a woman from among (the Bedouins) as his wife. She will bear his children.” (The tradition also) mentions that (Jesus) will die after forty years. It is (also) said that Jesus will die in Medina and be buried at the side of ‘Umar b. al-Khattab. And it is said that Abu Bakr and ‘Umar will rise from the dead between two prophets (Muhammad and Jesus).

Ibn Abi Watil continued: “The Shi’ah say that he is the Messiah, the chief Messiah from the family of Muhammad. Some of the (Shi’ah) referred to him the tradition: ‘There is no Mahdi except Jesus.’ That is= There will be no Mahdi except the Mahdi whose relationship to the Muhammadan religious law is like the relationship of Jesus to the Mosaic religious law, in that he follows it and does not abrogate it.”

There are many similar such statements. The time, the man, and the place are clearly indicated in them. But the (predicted) time passes, and there is no slightest trace of (the prediction coming true). Then, some new suggestion is adopted which, as one can see, is based upon linguistic equivocations, imaginary ideas, and astrological judgments. The life of every one of those people is spent on such things. Most of our contemporary Sufis refer to the (expected) appearance of a man who will renew the Muslim law and the ordinances of the truth. They assume that his appearance will take place at some time near our own period. Some of them say that he will be one of the descendants of Fatimah. Others speak about him (only) ingeneral terms. We have heard that from a number of them. The greatest of these Sufis is Abu Ya’qub al-Badisi, the chief saint of the Maghrib. He lived at the beginning of the eighth [fourteenth] century. His grandson, our colleague, Abu Zakariya’ Yahya, told me that on the authority of his father Abu Muhammad ‘Abdallah, on the authority of his father, the mentioned saint Abu Ya’qub.980 This is all we have read or heard about (such) discussions by those Sufis and all the information hadith scholars relate concerning the Mahdi. As much as it has been in our power, we have presented the material exhaustively. The truth one must know is that no religious or political propaganda can be successful, unless power and group feeling exist to support the religious and political aspirations and to defend them against those who reject them, until God’s will with regard to them materializes. We have established this before, with natural arguments which we presented to the reader.981