THE TEACHINGS OF SHÂH NE`MATULLÂH WALI (1330-1429 CE)
A QUOTATION-BASED PRELIMINARY RESEARCH
Dr. A. G. Ravân Farhâdi
(Afghanistan)
A Presentation to the Shâh Ne`matullâh Vali Symposium,
San Jose State University, October 11, 2002
Nouraddin Shâh Ne`matullâh Wali, who chose to stay and live in the city of Kermân, was a teacher of the Sûfi path. He was born on 14 Rabi-ul-Awwal 731 Hejra (26 December 1330) in Aleppo. His father belonged to an Arab Sayyed clan and his mother was born in Persia, and was probably Persian-speaking. He says:
nozdahom jedd-é man rasûl-é khodâ-st
âshkâr-ast, nêst penhâni
My nineteenth ancestor is the very Messenger of God.
This is manifest and not a hidden secret
When he was young, he was greatly affected by the Fusûs-ul-Hekam (Gems of Wisdom), a profound Sûfi interpretation of the symbolic meaning of the prophets by Sheikh Muhey-yud-Din Ibn `Arabi (d. 1240). Later, when he was finally established in Kermân, Shâh Ne`matullâh translated the book into Persian and provided commentary. Before that, he traveled to many places until he met Sheikh `Abdallâh Yâfi`i in Makkah and accepted him as his Sûfi master. The spiritual guide of Yâfi`i was Sheikh Sâleh Barbari, whose spiritual lineage derived from early Sûfi masters such as Junayd of Baghdâd, Ma`rûf of Karkh, Da'ûd of Tayy, Habib `Ajami, and Hasan of Basrah. Following the later teachings of Shâh Ne`matullâh, this Sûfi path, called "Yafi`i," became known as "Shâh Ne`matullâhi."
By that time, the people of Khorâsân were 85-90 percent Sunnites. We read in a ghazal of Shâh Ne`matullâh (ghazal 1499, Collected Poetic Works, p. 594):
ay ke hasti moHebb-é âl-é `ali
mû'men-é kâmel-i-wo bê-badal-i
Oh you who love the clan of `Ali,
you are a perfect believer and have no equal.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
rah-é sunni gozîn ke maZhab-é mâ-st
warna gom-gashta'i-wo dar khalal-i
Take the way of the Sunni, for this is my religious path.
Otherwise, you will be lost and in trouble.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
dôst-dâr-é SaHâba-am ba-tamâm
yâr-é sunni-wo khaSm-é mu`tazeli
I am a loving friend to all the companions of the Messenger of God.
I am a supporter of the Sunni and the opponent of the Mu`tazili.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
maZhab-é jâme` az khodâ dâr-am
in hedâyat marâ bow-ad azali
I have an all-encompassing creed coming from God.
This has been my guidance from pre-eternity.
In the sixteenth century, the majority of Khorâsân and Iran became Shi`a after the hegemony of the Safavid dynasty. In this poem, the Sheikh speaks about the "all-encompassing creed." This shows that his beliefs are above Sunnism and Shi'ism and free from this dissent.
In regard to admiration and love of the family of the Messenger (peace be upon him), all the great Sûfi poets who were Sunnis, such as Sa`di, Hâfez, Maulânâ Jalâluddin (Rûmi), `Irâqi, and finally Jâmi, maintained it in common.
Sheikh Ne`matullâh lived about one hundred years. He died on Thursday 22 of Rajab 832 (May 28, 1429 CE) in Kerman. His Zeyârat in Mâhân (near Kermân) is a pilgrimage site of the Shi`as, as well as the Sunnis.
No major study exists, in the English language, of the poetic or prose works of Shâh Ne`matullâh. This article is only an introduction to the teachings of Shâh Ne`matullâh. This article being brief, we have used a method mainly based on quotations from Shâh Ne`matullâh's works.
We have adopted poetry as the basis for choosing the quotations, because Shâh Ne`matullâh's prose cannot be easily summarized. We have chosen the poetic form of the quatrain (rubâ`eyât), because it summarizes typical ideas for this introduction to the teachings of Shâh Ne`matullâh. We look forward to seeing a major work of translation in English, or another western language, of Shâh Ne`matullâh's works.
Shâh Ne`matullâh greatly appreciated previous Sûfi poets. He believed that Sheikh Farid-ud-din `ATTâr (d. 1220 CE) was replaced, over the course of time, by Sheikh Fakhr-o-d-din `Erâqi (d. 1282 CE). `Eraqi was a contemporary of Maulânâ Jalâl-ud-din Balkhi, known as Rûmi (d. 1273). The following quatrain of Shâh Ne`matullâh, as well as other sources of cultural history shows that all the poems of Maulânâ, including the Mathnawi were not yet well-known in Khorâsân. Only some of his selected poems were well-known in the East. Shâh Ne`matullâh, like Maulânâ, avoided composing poetry for many years of his life. It is said that all his poems were composed after his sixtieth year of life:
(Rubâ'i 77)
gar qaTra namân-ad, âb bâqi bâsh-ad
war kûza shekast, baHr sâqi bâsh-ad
`ATTâr ba-sûrat az Khorâsân gar raft
âmad `ewaZ-ash shaykh `Erâqi bâsh-ad
Even if a drop has not been left, the water subsists.
If a jar breaks away, the very ocean becomes the cupbearer.
If `Attâr has left Khorâsân in an outward form,
He has been replaced by Shaykh `Erâqi.
Like many early Sûfi masters, Shâh Ne`matullâh appreciates both Tariqat (the way of Sûfism) and Shari`at (the religious law), and recognizes the coexistence of these both as a path towards Haqiqat (the [Divine] truth):
(Rubâ'i 79)
dânestan-é `elm-é din shari`at bâsh-ad
chûn dar `amal âwar-i Tariqat bâsh-ad
gar `elm-o `amal jam` kon-i bâ ekhlâS
az bahr-é reZây-é Haqq Haqiqat bâsh-ad
The knowledge of religious science is "Shari `at (Law).
If you put it into practice, that is "Tariqat" (the Sûfi way).
If you sincerely join the science and the practice
For the sake of pleasing God, that is "Haqiqat" (Truth).
Knowing God and worshipping Him starts with recognizing His Oneness (tawHid). The human intellect (`aql) cannot serve as a guide in the matter:
(Rubâ`i 227)
tawHid ba-tawHid nekô mêdân-êm
khod-râ ba-khodâ-wo ô ba-ô mêdân-êm
khod-râ-wo torâ ba-ô shenâs-êm ay `aql
tâ Zan na-bar-i ke ô ba-tô mêdân-êm
We know well the Oneness of God through the knowledge of Oneness.
We know ourselves through God and we know Him through Himself.
O intellect, we know ourselves and we know you through Him.
Don't hold the opinion that we know Him through you!
One cannot become a Sûfi simply by using rhetoric and eloquence. The taste of Loving God is not secured by the path of the intellectual, but by drinking (spiritual) wine:
(Rubâ`i 61)
nâ-khworda sharâb, Zawq-é may na-t'wân yâft
ân Zawq-o bayâni ze bayân na-t'wân yâft
în laZZat-é `âsheqi ke mâ yâfta'êm
az sofra-wo lût-é `âqelân na-t'wân yâft
Once cannot enjoy the taste of wine without drinking it;
Any taste explanation of it cannot be found by eloquent explanations alone.
This deliciousness of Love, which we have been blessed with,
Is not available in the banquets of intellectuals.
Love is like the infinite ocean, and the intellect (`aql) is unable to resist it:
(Rubâ`i 25)
mâ'êm chonin tashna-wo daryâ bâ mâ-st
andar hama qaTra'ê muHiTê paydâ-st
`eshq âmad-o be-n'shast ba-takht-é del-é mâ
chûn ô be-n'shast, `aql az ânjâ bar-khâst
We are thirsty but the sea is there with us.
And in every drop, we discover an ocean.
Love came and sat down on the throne of my heart.
When Love sat down, the intellect had to get up and leave.
When Love comes, it becomes a monarch and the intellect becomes a slave:
(Rubâ`i 62)
`eshq âmad-o `aql rakht bar-bast-o be-raft
ân `ahd ke basta bûd be-sh'kast-o be-raft
chûn did ke pâdshah dar-âmad sar-mast
bêchâra ghulâm rakht bar-bast-o be-raft
Love entered and the intellect moved away and left.
The intellect was unfaithful to its own promise and left.
When the intellect saw that the king entered joyfully,
It moved away, like a poor slave, and left.
The Sûfi has to recognize himself so that he recognizes God, and has to seek himself so that he finds God:
(Rubâ`i 1)
maTlûb-é khod az khod Talab ay Tâleb-é mâ
khod-râ be-shenâs-o yak zamânê ba-khod â
gar `âsheq-é Sâdeqi, yaki-râ dô ma-gô
kâfer bâsh-i agar ke gôy-i dô khodâ!
Seek from your own self what must be sought, O seeker.
Recognize yourself and come to your self in an instant.
If you are a sincere lover, do not call "two" what is One.
For if you claim there are two Gods, you will be a heretic!
The Sûfi has to seek God and not someone else:
(Rubâ`i 294)
az bahr-é khodâ, agar khodâ mêjôy-i
mêdân ke khodâ-râ ba-hawâ mêjôy-i
ô-râ be-Talab tâ ke be-yâb-i ô-râ
ghayr-ash che kon-i, ghayr cherâ mêjôy-i?
For the sake of God, if you are seeking God,
Know that your are seeking God through your (worldly) desires.
Seek him until you find Him.
Why would you search for other than Him? What would be the use?
Worshipping God cannot be performed by pursuing one's personal ambitions in the world:
bâ ânke tô andar pay-é maqSûd-é khod-i
nê wâjed-é ghayr-i-wo na mawjûd-é khod-i
maqSûd-é tô az Tâ`at-é ma`bûd agar
beh-bûd-é khod-ast pas tô ma`bûd-é khod-i
As long as you are following in pursuit of your own aims,
You will not find another and you will not be present to your own self.
If while praying to the worshipped one, your aim is
Your own personal welfare, then you are the worshipper of your own self.
He advises the novice to choose the state of "non-being," and this will lead him to genuine existence:
(Rubâ`i 129)
hasti yaki-st ânke hasti shâyad
in hasti-yé tô ba-hêch kârê nâyad
raw nêst shaw az hasti-yé khod, hamchûn mâ
k-az hasti-yé tô hêch darê na-g'shâyad
Being is one which is for the person worthy of existing.
This "being" of yours serves no purpose.
Go! Become annihilated from your own being, like me.
For because of that "being" of yours, no gate will be open to you.
The Sûfi has to be able to discover a master able to untie his "knots":
(Rubâ`i 257)
ay dar Talab-é gereh-goshâyê morda
dar waSl fotâda w-az jodây-i morda
ay bar lab-é baHr teshna dar khwâb shoda
ay bar sar-é ganj, w-az gadâyi morda
O you, dying in search of someone to solve your problems.
You are dying in separation, when you have the opportunity for union.
You have been thirsty in your dreams while on the sea shore of pure water.
You are dying from being a beggar while living over a treasure.
The Sûfi has to seek the kernel of the truth in his heart, in order to discover the glorious manifestatoin of God in every atom:
(Rubâ`i 240)
del maghz-é Haqiqat-ast, tan pôst, be-bin
dar keswat-é rûH, Sûrat-é dôst, be-bin
har Zarra ke ô neshân-é hasti dârad
yâ sâya-yé nûr-é ô-st yâ ô-st, be-bin
See that the heart is the kernel of Truth, and the body only a skin.
Observe the form of the beloved in the garment of the spirit.
Any atom which has the sign of existence–
See that it is either a projection of His Light or Himself.
The Sûfi, therefore, has to renounce this world:
(Rubâ`i 152)
be-n'shin be-neshin w-az hama `âlam bar-khêz
`âlam che bowad ze-bûd-é `âlam bar-khêz
dar katm-é `adam be-yâ-wo bâ mâ be-neshin
az bûd-é wujûd-é khwêshtan ham bar-khêz
Stay on, stay on, and relinquish all the universe.
What is the universe? discard its very existence!
Come into the covering of non-existence and stay with me,
And discard your own being and existence.
The Sûfi master speaks to his heart and asks it to not be of "two hues," or dispositions:
(Rubâ`i 50)
ay del ba-Tarîq-é `âsheqî râh yaki-st
dar keshwar-é `eshq banda-wo shâh yaki-st
t â tark-é dô-rangi na-kon-i dar rah-é `eshq
wâqef na-shaw-i ke Ne`matu 'llâh yaki-st
O heart, there is only one path in the journey of being a lover.
In the realm of Love, king and slave stand equal.
As long as you don't abandon being two hues on the path of Love,
You will not be aware that Ne`matullâh is only one.
Love is the source of life, and everything is existent because of love and maintained by it:
`eshq-ast ke jân-é `âsheqân zenda az ô-st
nûrê-st ke âftâb-é tâbanda az ô-st
har chiz ke dar ghayb-o shahâdat yâb-i
mawjûd bowad ze-`eshq-o pâyenda az ô-st
The soul of the lovers is alive because of Love.
The light by which the sun is shining is from Love.
Anything you discover in the hidden or manifest world
Exists because of Love and continues by means of Love.
Love is the way of the "rogues" (= "rend," a word which cannot be rendered in English– especially with the meaning which the Sûfi poets have attributed to it, such as Hâfez of Shêrâz). t
The "rogue" is not attached to worldly desires. He drinks spiritual wine in the way of the rogues, without being intoxicated. However, Shâh Ne`matullâh does not seem to preach the way of the "malâmatiyya" (= those desires to be "blamed" by the common people):
(Rubâ`i 97)
rend ân bâshad ke mayl-é hasti na-konad
w-az khwêsh gozashta khod-parasti na-konad
dar kôy-é kharâbât-é mughân rendâna
may nôsh konad mudâm-o masti na-konad
The "rogue" is one who does not care for existence,
And who quits his self and is free from self-preoccupation.
In the tavern quarter, like a real "rogue,"
He drinks continuously and does not act like a drunk.
The "rogue," like the attractive "idol" of the tavern, drinks from the self-bubbling jar of wine:
(Rubâ`i 260)
dîd-am Sanamê, jâm-é mayê nôshida
az naqsh-o khayâl jâma'yê pôshida
goft-am ze-kojâ sharâb nôsh-i? goftâ:
az khumm-é mayê ke khod ba-khod jôshida!
I met an attractive "idol" who had been drinking a cup of wine,
Wearing a garment of images and imagination.
I asked, "From where have you been drinking this wine?"
The answer was: "From a self-fermenting bubbling jar!"
The "rogue" is free of selfishness:
(Rubâ`i 206)
rend-ast kasê ke az khodi wâ-rasta
paywasta yagâna bâ-yaki paywasta
bar-khâsta az har dô jahân rendâna
dar kôy-é kharâbât-é mughân be-n'shasta
The "rogue" is that one free of selfishness;
He always lives by himself, and is ever the companion of the Single One.
He has renounced, rogue-like, both this world and the Hereafter.
He is dwelling in the tavern quarter of the Magi.
Therefore, the Sûfi master recognizes each "rogue" as his dearest companion:
(Rubâ`i 43)
may-khâna tamâm waqf-é yârân-é man-ast
har rend ke hast jân-o jânân-é man-ast
farmân-bar-é sâqi-yé kharâbât-am az ân
sâqi-yé kharâbât ba-farmân-é man-ast!
The entire tavern is an endowment dedicated to my confidants,
And to any "rogue" who is my companion and dear fellow.
I am obedient to the cupbearer of the tavern because
The cupbearer of the tavern is obedient to me!
The Sûfi makes the chamber of his heart a private residence for the Beloved and does not see anyone else:
(Rubâ`i 180)
tâ khâna-yé del khalwat-é ô sâkhta'am
ghayr az naZar-é khwêsh be-y-andâkhta'am
chûn har che naZar mêkon-am Ô mêbin-am
be-shenâkhta'am chonânke be-sh'nâkhta'am
Since I have made the house of my heart a private chamber for Him,
I have dismissed everything else from my view.
The more I look around, the more I see Him.
I have recognized the manner which I have recognized.
Love transports the Sûfi beyond non-existence:
(Rubâ`i 187)
tâ bâ gham-é `eshq-é ô ham-âwâz shod-am
sad bâr zeyâda bar `adam bâz shod-am
z-ân sôy-é `adam nêz basi paymûd-am
râzê bûd-am, konûn hama râz shod-am
Since I have become the companion of the grief of love for Him,
I have become a hundred times more open to non-existence.
I have travelled so much beyond non-existence,
That I was already a secret,* but now I am totally a secret!
(*If we read this as "I was already Râzi," this quatrain may belong to Najmuddin Râzi, known as "Dâya," d. 1247 CE, the author of Mirsad-ul-`Ibâd. If this is the case, Shâh Ne`matullah may have quoted it as a quotation and a scribe added it to the Divan of the Sheikh.)
The body, heart, and soul of the lover become the Beloved:
(Rubâ`i 82)
tâ dârûy-é dardam sabab-é darmân shod
pasti-y-am bolandi shod-o kufr emân shod
jân-o del-o tan har se Hejâbam bûdand
tan del shod-o del jân shod-o jân jânân shod
Since the remedy for my pain became the cause of my healing,
My low rank became eminence and my disbelief became faith.
The body, heart, and soul were all veils to me,
Until the body became heart, the heart became soul, and the soul became the Beloved.
The wine of Love frees the Sûfi from the bonds of both being and non-being:
(Rubâ`i 203)
z-ân bâda nakhworda'am ke hoshyâr shaw-am
ân mast ne-y-am ke bâz bêdâr shaw-am
yak jâm-é tajalli-yé balây-é tô bas-am
tâ az `adam-o wujûd bêzâr shaw-am
I haven't drunk the kind of wine after which I become sensible and sober again.
I am not that drunkard who later becomes awake and aware again.
A single cup of the affliction of your glorious manifestation is enough for me,
So that I became fed-up with existence and non-existence.
The lover throws away his existence, like a burning moth:
(Rubâ`i 235)
mâ'êm ze-khod-é wujûd pardâkhtagân
w-âtash ba-wujûd khod dar-andâkhtagân
pêsh-é rokh-é chûn sham`-é tô shabhây-é darâz
parwâna-Sefat wujûd-é khod bâkhtagân
We are those who have abandoned self-existence–
Those who have set fire to their own being.
During long nights in the presence of your candle-like visage,
We have gambled away our existence, like moths!
In this stage, the lover discovers the glorious manifestation of God in the entire universe:
(Rubâ`i 201)
dar Zât, hama jalâl-é ô mêbin-am
dar Husn, hama jamâl-é ô mêbin-am
bin-am hama kâ'enât dar `ayn-é kamâl
in niz ham az kamâl-é ô mêbin-am
In being, I behold all His Glory,
And in the attractive, I contemplate all His Beauty.
I see the entire universe in its excellence.
But also, in the universe, I admire His Perfection.
Wherever the lover looks, he finds the Glorious Divine Light:
(Rubâ`i 29)
dar dida-yé mâ naqsh-é khayâlash paydâ-st
nûrê-st ke rôshnâyi-yé dida-yé mâ-st
dar harche naZar konad khodâ-râ binad
rôshantar azin dida degar dida kerâ-st?
In my eyes, there is the image of His reflection.
And there is a light which is the brightness of my eyes.
These eyes see God in whatever they contemplate.
Who has eyes more clear-sighted than mine?
In this spiritual state, the Sûfi is freed from the limits imposed by time:
(Rubâ`i 169)
az dawlat-é `eshq, `aql gashta pâ-mâl
mustaqbal-o mâZi-y-am hama âmada Hâl
ne di-wo na fardâ-wo na SubH-ast-o na shâm
iman shoda `umr-am ze-mah-o hafta-wo sâl
The intellect has been overwhelmed by the fortune of Love.
Both my future and my past are here now present.
There is no more yesterday or tomorrow, morning or evening.
My life is protected and safe from week, month, or year!
The lover, like the legendary crystal goblet of king Jamshêd, becomes a mirror revealing the creation of Adam and the pre-eternal day of humanity's declaration to God of faith:
(Rubâ`i 232)
ham jâm-é jahân-nomâ-yé `âlam mâ'êm
ham âyena-yé rôshan-é Âdam mâ'êm
gar yak nafasê az dam-é mâ zenda shaw-i
mêdân ba-yaqin k-in dam-o ân dam mâ'êm
We are the world, as well as the world-revealing goblet.
Also, we are the bright mirror revealing the creation of Adam.
If you become alive for a single moment with our breath,
Know with certainty, that we are that very "moment" and that "breath."
The lover has the potential to read the secret texts of Destiny in the upper world:
(Rubâ`i 226)
mâ maHram-é râz-é HaZrat-é sulTân-êm
aHwâl-é darûn-o ham berûn mêdân-êm
munshi-yé qaZâ har che newisad mujmal
bar lawH-é qadar mufaSSal-ash mêkhwân-êm
We are the confidants of the secrets of the Sultan of the Universe.
We know both the inward and outward conditions.
Whatever the Angel-Scribe of Divine decrees writes in summary,
We read in full detail in the Tablets of Destiny.
All the Beautiful Names [Qur'ân, 17:110] of God are engraved in the heart of the lover:
(Rubâ`i 30)
may-khâna-yé `eshq-é ô sarâ-yé del-é mâ-st
w-ân dordi-yé dard-é del dawây-é del-é mâ-st
`âlam ba-tamâm jumla asmây-é Ilâh
paydâ shoda'ast az barây-é del-é mâ-st
The home of my heart is the tavern of His Love.
And the dregs of the heart's yearning ache is the remedy for my heart.
The universe, with all the Names of God
Has become manifest for the sake of my heart!
The lover happily discovers that the words of God are guiding his speech:
(Rubâ`i 42)
in haft falak setâda az âh-é man-ast
`arsh-o malak-o setâra hamrâh-é man-ast
in man na man-am jumla az Ô mêgôy-am
in gofta-yé man hama ze-allâh-é man-ast
These seven heavens are sustained by my sigh.
The Throne, angels, and stars are my companions.
This which I am saying is not mine: it belongs to Him entirely.
These sayings of mine all belong to my God.
These are all ecstatic words. One should not imagine that Shâh Ne`matullâh Wali has any other claim. When he is in a state of intimate prayers (munâjât), he is a humble beggar and the slave of God's decrees:
(Rubâ`i 208)
shâhâ naZaré kon ke faqirân-é tô'êm
gar nêk-o bad-êm har che hast ân-é tô'êm
farmân-é tô-râ kamar ba-jân mêband-êm
zêrâ ke hama banda-yé farmân-é tô-êm!
O King, look upon us, for we are Your humble beggers.
Whether we are good or bad, we belong to You whatever happens.
We are fastening the belts of our souls, ready to obey Your commands,
Because we are all slaves obeying Your decrees.