Chapter 1: Remark [on the Stations of the Mystics]
(Ibn
Sīnā
):
In this temporal life, the mystics have certain stations and stages which are specialized to them and not to others. It is as if, while being clothed in the veils of their bodies, they have shed their bodies, become free from them, and attained the world of holiness (‘ālam
al-quds
).
They possess certain concealed states, while other states are manifested by them which are denied by those who do not believe in them and are praised by those who recognize them. We will relate these things to you.
(Ṭūsī
):
I say: Veil(jilbāb
)
means “cover”(milḥafa
)
, and it is what covers, like a garment and so forth. And the wordnaḍā
means “he took it off”(khala‘a-hu
)
. By his words “It is as if, while being clothed in the veils of their bodies, they have shed them, become free from them, and attained the world of holiness,” he means that although their perfect souls are outwardly covered by the veils of their bodies, in fact it is as though they are divested of them, free from all material impurities, and have arrived at the world of holiness, where they are united with those perfect essences that are free from deficiency and evil. They are the possessors of hidden states, which are their states of witnessing that which imaginations cannot apprehend and tongues are incapable ofexplaining,
and their enjoyments of that which no eye has seen and no ear has heard. This is the meaning of the words (exaltedbe
the speaker): “No soul knows what delights of the eye are kept hidden for them.”
The states manifested by them are signs of perfection and excellence that appear in their words and their actions. They include signs that are singled out to them, such as miracles(mu‘jizāt
)
and wonders(karāmāt
)
, which are states “denied by those who do not believe in them.” In other words, the hearts of those who neither recognize them nor are favored by them put no trust in them. And “praised by those who recognize them” means that those who are apprised thereof and favored therewith exalt them.
Salāmān
andAbsāl
(Ibn
Sīnā
):
Should the tale ofSalāmān
andAbsāl
reach your ears among the stories you have heard, and be narrated in detail to you, know thatSalāmān
is a similitude for yourself, andAbsāl
is a similitude for your stage in mysticism, if you are a mystic. Solve, then, the riddle (ramz
) if you are able.
(Ṭūsī
):
I say: …The Learned Commentator [Rāzī
]
has said about this passage:
If what the Master has mentioned does not belong to the genus of the puzzles to which he refers whose sum is not distinguishable by something incomprehensible, so that guidance is possible by them for it, and they are notwellknown
stories, but rather these are two terms which the Master has invented to refer to certain things and their like that are impossible for reason to understand independently, then, in this case, the Master’s charging the reader to solve this riddle is like charging one to discover something concealed….
The best that may be said about this story is thatSalāmān
stands for Adam (peace be upon him), and thatAbsāl
stands for Paradise. Therefore, it is as though he is saying that Adam signifies your rational soul and that Paradise refers to the stages of your happiness. By Adam’s expulsion from Paradise after consuming the fruit is meant the descent of your soul from those stages after indulging in your desires.
I say: The discourse of the Master points to the existence of a story in which these two names are mentioned, whose theme includes a particular seeker of a goal that can only be attained gradually in stages, and through these stages he can achieveone perfection
after another. Thus we can say thatSalāmān
represents the seeker, thatAbsāl
stands for the seeker’s goal, and that the states that occur in between these two refer to the riddle the Master has charged us to solve.
It is likely that this story is one of the stories of the Arabs, because the two terms are sometimes used in their proverbs and their tales. I have heard one of the scholars in Khurāsān
say thatIbn
al-A‘rābī
in his book al-Nawādir
has quoted a story in which it is said that two men became captives of a certain tribe. One of the two, known for his goodness, was calledSalāmān
; and the other, known for his iniquity, belonged to the tribe ofJurhum
.Salāmān
, because of his reputation for goodness, was ransomed and released from captivity. The man from the tribe ofJurhum
, however, because of his reputation for evil, was held captive(ubsila
)
until he died. Because of these two a proverb started among the Arabs whichsays
: “Deliverance isSalāmān
, and imprisonment(ibsāl
)
is his companion.” I do not remember this proverb, and I have not had an opportunity to read the story in the above-mentioned book, which is recounted the way I heard it. This story [as related by the scholar] does not conform to the Master’s intent here, although it does prove the occurrence of these two terms in theNawādir
and the accounts of the Arabs. If this is so, then the Master has not invented the two names “Salāmān
” and “Absāl
” for certain things and charged others to discover what he has invented. Rather, he has said that if you hear this story, understand by the two terms “Salāmān
” and “Absāl
” mentioned therein your soul and your stage of progress in mysticism.
Then begin to solve the riddle, which is the theme of the story, and you will find that it corresponds with the states of the mystics. Therefore, the assignment to solve the riddle is not a charge to discover the concealed. It only depends upon listening to the story. In this case, reason may independently comprehend it and be guided to it.
I should also mention that after writing this commentary, I came across two stories connected toSalāmān
andAbsāl
: In one of these stories, which I heard first, it is said that long ago there lived a king who ruled Greece, Rome and Egypt. One of his friends was a philosopher(ḥakīm
)
.
By following the instructions of the philosopher, the king had conquered all the countries. The king wished to have a son who would succeed him without having intimate relations with a woman. The philosopher managed for the king to have a son from his own seed without relying upon the womb of a woman. He named himSalāmān
, and a woman who was calledAbsāl
breast-fed him and raised him. After the boy became mature, he fell in love with her and stayed close to her. She invited him to herself and the pleasure of living with her. His father, however, prohibited him from associating with her and ordered him to leave her. The boy, however, did not obey the king, and the two ran away together overseas to the west. The king had some sort of instrument with which he could get information about the continents and the things therein and exercise his control over the inhabitants therein. He found the two with that instrument and he began to sympathize with them. He provided them with what they needed to survive and ignored them for a while. Then he became angry atSalāmān
because he continued to live with the woman. The king made each one of them desire the other, but they could not meet with each other despite the fact that they could see each other. They were in grief because this.Salāmān
soon realized what was going on, and he returned to his father and apologized, but his father informed him that after his involvement with the indecent woman(al-fājira
)
Absāl
, and his intimacy with her, he would not obtain the kingdom he was entitled to obtain. Thereupon,Salāmān
andAbsāl
, holding each other’s hands, threw themselves into the ocean. By the order of the king the spirit of the water savedSalāmān
after he was near drowning, butAbsāl
drowned.
Because of thisSalāmān
became extremely sad. The king appealed to the philosopher about his son’s affair. The philosopher called uponSalāmān
and told him that if he would listen to him, he would arrange for him to meetAbsāl
. He obeyed the philosopher, who showed him an image of the woman. This appeased his hope of reunion with her, until after a time he was prepared to see an image of Venus(al-zuhara
)
. The philosopher showed it to him after inviting him to see it. He fell in love with it and kept it always with him.Salāmān
then began to have an aversion for the image ofAbsāl
. By reason of his separation from her, he was now prepared to have the kingdom, and took charge of the kingdom. The philosopher, with the help of the king, constructed two pyramids, one for the king and one for himself, and this story was placed therein along with their bodies. No one could remove it except Aristotle, who removed it with instructions from Plato and closed the door. The story became public, andḤunayn
ibn
Isḥāq
translated it from Greek into Arabic.
This story was invented by a layman philosopher in order to attribute the words of the Master to it. It is not conformable to them, however, because it requires the king to represent the agent intellect(al-‘aql
al-fa‘‘āl
)
, the philosopher to represent the emanation(fayḍ
)
that emanates upon him from above, andSalāmān
to represent the rational soul(al-nafs
al-nāṭiqa
)
. It [the agent intellect] emanates the soul without the association of corporeal things.Absāl
would have to represent the animal bodily faculty that helps the soul to achieve perfection and becomes united with it. The love ofSalāmān
forAbsāl
would stand for his inclination towards bodily pleasures. Ascribing indecency toAbsāl
would symbolize attachment to something other than the specific soul’s attachment to its matter after the separation of the soul. Their running away overseas to the west would symbolize their involvement in worldly matters that are far away from the Truth(ḥaqq
)
Their
carelessness(ihmāl
)
for a time would symbolize the passing of time in their case. Their suffering through desire by their deprivation while they are close to each other would stand for the persistence(baqā
)
of the soul’s inclination despite the weakening of its powers after aging. The return ofSalāmān
to his father would symbolize the comprehension of perfection(kamāl
)
and becoming regretful for indulgence in false matters. The action of throwing themselves into the ocean would represent their being entangled in destruction, whether of the body, because of the dissolution of the [animal] faculties and the constitution, or of the soul, because of its partiality toward the body. The deliverance(khalāṣ
)
ofSalāmān
would stand for its persistence after the death of the body. His acquaintance with the image of Venus would symbolize the soul’s delight and pleasure in intellectual perfections. His taking charge of the kingdom would represent his attainment of real perfection. The two everlasting pyramids would stand for corporeal form and matter. Such is the interpretation of the story.
Salāmān
conforms here to what the Master has intended, butAbsāl
does not represent what the Master means, because he intendedAbsāl
to stand for the stages of the mystic in mysticism. But in this interpretation he is impeded from mysticism and perfection. For this reason the story does not suit what Master has said. This indicates the deficiency of the inventor of the story in understanding what the Master intended by it.
As for the second story, I came across it twenty years after completing my commentary. This story is also attributed to the Master, and it seems that the Master has indeed alluded to it becauseAbā
‘Ubayd
al-Jurjānī
has listed the story ofSalāmān
andAbsāl
in his index of the works of the Master.
The gist of the story is thatSalāmān
andAbsāl
were two intimate brothers, andAbsāl
was the younger one who was brought up by his older brotherSalāmān
.Absāl
grew into a handsome young man, who was intelligent,wellmannered
, learned, chaste, and brave. The wife ofSalāmān
had fallen in love with him(Absal
)
, and she asked her husband to letAbsal
live with his family so that his children could learn from his good manners and knowledge.Salāmān
asked his brother to do so, butAbsāl
refused to associate closely with women.Salāmān
said that his wife was likeAbsāl’s
mother.Absal
went to her home and she was very kind to him, but after some time she expressed her love to him in private.Absal
became upset. She realized that he would not obey her. She [the wife ofSalāmān
] then askedSalāmān
to marry her sister toAbsāl
. She told her sister, “I have arranged this marriage, but not just for you, but so that I can share him with you.” On the other hand, she toldAbsāl
that her sister was a virgin(bikr
)
and very shy, so he must not cohabit with her during the day and must not speak to her until she becomes comfortable with him. On the night of the wedding, the wife ofSalāmān
slept in the bed of her sister. WhenAbsāl
came to her, she could not control herself, and she quickly pressed herself against him. ThereuponAbsāl
became suspicious and thought that timid virgin girls do not behave like this. The sky was clouded at that time by a dark cloud. Suddenly, a flash of lightning shone in which he saw her face. He pushed her away, left her, and determined to separate himself from her.
He toldSalāmān
, “I would like to conquer territories for you, and I am able to do that.” He led an army, fought nations, and conquered territories for his brother on sea, on land, in the east and the west, without a power against him.
He was the first Alexander who conquered the earth.
When he came back home he thought she [the wife ofSalāmān
] might have forgotten about him, but she remembered her love and sought to embrace him. He refused her and pushed her away. Thereafter a war broke out andSalāmān
sentAbsāl
with an army to face the enemy, but she [the wife ofSalāmān
] gave money to the officers in the army not to supportAbsāl
in the fight. They did as she wanted and the enemy overcame him and lefthim
badly wounded lying in his own blood thinking he was dead. A mother beast sympathized with him and breastfed him, nourishing him until he became strong and his wounds healed.
He returned toSalāmān
, whose enemies had surrounded and subdued him while he was grieving for the loss of his brother.Absāl
revealedhimself
unexpectedly, took control of the army and the equipment, attacked the enemy, dispersed them, captured their chief, and secured the country for his brother. Then she [the wife ofSalāmān
] plotted with his cook and his attendant and gave them some money to killAbsāl
, which they accomplished by putting poison in his drink. He was righteous and great in knowledge and practice.
His brother became heartbroken by his death and abandoned his kingdom. He entrusted it to certain ofhis subjects
. He communed with his Lord, who revealed to him the truth of the matter. Then he made his wife, the cook, and the attendant drink what they gave to his brother, and they died. This is what the story is about.
The interpretation of this story is thatSalāmān
stands for the rational soul andAbsal
for the theoretical intellect(‘aql
naẓarī
)
, which develops until it reaches the stage of the acquired intellect(‘aql
mustafād
)
,
which is his station in mystical knowledge if he is progressing towards perfection.
The wife ofSalāmān
represents the bodily faculty that incites(al-ammāra
)
appetite and passion, which is united with the soul and therefore appears as a person. Her love forAbsāl
represents its tendency to control the intellect, as it has controlled the other faculties, so that the intellect will obey it in the acquisition of its passing desires.
Absāl’s
refusal stands for the intellect’s attraction to its own domain. Her sister that she controlled represents the practical faculty called the practical intellect(al-‘aql
al-‘amalī
)
, which is subservient to the theoretical intellect, which is the tranquil soul(al-nafs
al-mutma’inna
)
. Her attiring herself in place of her sister stands for the enticement of the soul that incites to evil, its base pursuits, and its attempts to show itself as the real benefactor. The brilliant lightning in the dark clouds stands for the divine flash that may happen during occupation with mortal affairs. It is an attraction from among the divine attractions.
His rejection of the woman represents the intellect’s turning away from temptation. His [Absāl’s
] conquest of the territories for his brother represents the soul learning through the theoretical faculty about the realms of the dominion(jabarūt
)
and the kingdom(malakūt
)
, its progress toward the divine world, and its power through the practical faculty to properly manage its body and to administer civil and household affairs. This is why he [al-Jurjānī
] calledAbsāl
the first Alexander, because this name stands for one who rules both the East and the West. His betrayal by the army symbolizes the severance of the sensory, imaginative, and estimative faculties from the soul upon its ascent to the higher realm and the weakening of those faculties due to his lack of attention to them.
His nourishment from the milk of the beast stands for the bestowal of perfection on him by the incorporeal substances(al-mufāriqāt
)
which are separate from this world.
The deterioration of the condition ofSalāmān
due to the absence ofAbsāl
represents the perturbation of the soul because of its negligence and its preoccupation with what is beneath it.
Absal’s
return to his brother indicates the intellect’s attention to its beneficial arrangement with respect to its management of the body. The cook stands for the faculty of passion that is inclined to seek revenge. The attendant represents the appetitive faculty that is attracted to what the body needs.The plot of the two to destroyAbsāl
points to the fading away of the intellect near the end of life and the soul’s use of these two because of increasing need and weakness.
The destruction of the plotters bySalāmān
stands for the soul’s giving up its use of the bodily faculties at the end of this life and the disappearance of passion and desire and the defeat of their appetites.The abandoning of the kingdom bySalāmān
and his leaving it to others stands for the discontinuation of the soul’s management of the body and leaving it to the charge of others.
This interpretation agrees with what the Master has mentioned. An evidence in support of this being the intent of the story is that he has mentioned the story ofSalāmān
andAbsāl
in his treatise on destiny and fate(Risāla
fī
al-Qaḍā
’wa’l-Qadar
)
, and has talked about the lightning from the dark cloud that revealed the face of the wife ofSalāmān
toAbsal
so that he then stayed away from her.
This is what has become clear to us with respect to this story. We have not narrated the story in the Master’s own words lest we prolong the book.
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Author: Khwajah Nasir al-Din al-Tusi
