Ana al-Haqq | Mansur al-Hallaj and quicksand of Unicity
"If you do not recognize God,at least recognise His sign;
I am the creative truth -
Ana al-Haqq,
because through the Truth,
I am eternal Truth."
"Divine Love is that you remain standing in front of your Beloved: When you are deprived of all your attributes, then His attributes become your attributes, your qualities."
- Mansur al-Hallaj, may God be pleased with him
1.
'Ana al Haqq' meaning 'I am the Truth' was the famous (and controversial) pronunciation of the intoxicated sufi mystic Mansur al-Hallaj (858 - March 26, 922) for which the literalist orthodox establishment condemned him of blasphemy since 'Haqq' or Absolute Truth is a Holy Attribute of the Divine (one of the 99 Sacred and Revealed Name in Islamic Wisdom Tradition). The proclamation of 'Ana al Haqq' was controversially interpreted as his self-proclaim of divinity, and consequently he was executed for heresy charge at the hands of the Abbasid rulers.
This charge was controversial because the proclamation in ecstasy of a mystic in his or her ecstatic state (haal) is not legitimate to be used against, thus some scholars believe that he was charged more because of political reason than theological point (similar to the false charge of blasphemy against Jesus Christ, peace be upon him, which was more of a political move than anything, to protect from the naked challenges that Christ was posing to the then corrupt Jewish orthodox establishment).
2.
Interestingly enough archetypal master of the sufi mystics to whom goes back all sufi lineage, Prophet Muhammad, may God's peace and blessings be upon him is recorded to have said the following: "He who has seen me has seen the Truth (al-Haqq)."
This statement is recorded in the authority of Abu Sa'id al-Khudri and found in sound hadith collection of Bukhari and Muslim. Although there is a qualitative difference between the saying of Mansur al-Hallaj and Prophet Muhammad, yet they seemingly point to the same reality and amidst all of it reside a divine paradox.
The Divine paradox continues and intensifies if we look at the Quranic affirmation that everything that is created, is created with Truth (al-Haqq).
Khalaqa alssamawati waal-arda bi al-Haqqi ..
He created heaven and earthly manifestation with the truth (al-Haqq). - The Quran, 16:3
At the same time in the same place of the Quranic chapter 'An-Nahl', above and below it is warned against the quicksand of unicity. The very verse (16:3) goes on to say, taAAala AAamma yushrikoona, meaning: Highly exalted be the Divine above what they associate. Thus the Highest Divine Essence is beyond comparison and any association with It in any form or shape is falsehood, intense veil of Supreme Divine Reality.
The next verse thus points to that quicksand by reminding the created nature of human being, in a sense to remind that man is man, God is God; creation is always creation, Creator always remains in the exalted status of Creator.
God has created man from a drop of fluid; and behold this same becomes an open disputer! - The Quran 16:04
This charge was controversial because the proclamation in ecstasy of a mystic in his or her ecstatic state (haal) is not legitimate to be used against, thus some scholars believe that he was charged more because of political reason than theological point (similar to the false charge of blasphemy against Jesus Christ, peace be upon him, which was more of a political move than anything, to protect from the naked challenges that Christ was posing to the then corrupt Jewish orthodox establishment).
2.
Interestingly enough archetypal master of the sufi mystics to whom goes back all sufi lineage, Prophet Muhammad, may God's peace and blessings be upon him is recorded to have said the following: "He who has seen me has seen the Truth (al-Haqq)."
This statement is recorded in the authority of Abu Sa'id al-Khudri and found in sound hadith collection of Bukhari and Muslim. Although there is a qualitative difference between the saying of Mansur al-Hallaj and Prophet Muhammad, yet they seemingly point to the same reality and amidst all of it reside a divine paradox.
The Divine paradox continues and intensifies if we look at the Quranic affirmation that everything that is created, is created with Truth (al-Haqq).
Khalaqa alssamawati waal-arda bi al-Haqqi ..
He created heaven and earthly manifestation with the truth (al-Haqq). - The Quran, 16:3
At the same time in the same place of the Quranic chapter 'An-Nahl', above and below it is warned against the quicksand of unicity. The very verse (16:3) goes on to say, taAAala AAamma yushrikoona, meaning: Highly exalted be the Divine above what they associate. Thus the Highest Divine Essence is beyond comparison and any association with It in any form or shape is falsehood, intense veil of Supreme Divine Reality.
The next verse thus points to that quicksand by reminding the created nature of human being, in a sense to remind that man is man, God is God; creation is always creation, Creator always remains in the exalted status of Creator.
God has created man from a drop of fluid; and behold this same becomes an open disputer! - The Quran 16:04
3.
Despite Mansur al-Hallaj's ecstatic proclamation, he sums up his sincerity to Divine Oneness in the following writing: "Allah, Most High, is the very One Who Himself affirms His Unity by the tongue of whomsoever of His creatures He wishes. If He affirms His Unity in my tongue it is He Who does so, and it is His Affair. Otherwise, my brother, I myself have nothing to do with affirming Allah's Unity."
4.
"O God! Strike through me at the false
in all of its manifestations in all places and locations,
that I might refute by the Truth in the Presence of the Most True.
Plunge me into the Seas of Oneness
containing all thing complex and simple.
Remove me from the quicksand of Unicity
to the Undelimited Space of Oneness,
that is far removed from any releasing and binding;
and drown me in the Source of the Sea of Singularity of Witness,
until I do not see and I do not hear and I do not suffer and I do not feel except by it, descending and ascending,
as it is without ceasing to exist."
- from the prayer of Ibn Mashish, the Qutb of his time, may God sanctify his Sirr.
# Reference:
. Doctrines of Mansur al-Hallaj
. Biography of Mansur al-Hallaj by Claud Field
. Prayer of Ibn Mashish
. "I am the Truth" - what did Mansur Really meant?
. What the burning bush spoke, so spoke Mansur al Hallaj
. image: Arabic calligraphy: Al Haqq
. Doctrines of Mansur al-Hallaj
. Biography of Mansur al-Hallaj by Claud Field
. Prayer of Ibn Mashish
. "I am the Truth" - what did Mansur Really meant?
. What the burning bush spoke, so spoke Mansur al Hallaj
. image: Arabic calligraphy: Al Haqq
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| posted by Sadiq Alam @ 1:43 PM
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12 Comments:
i've been reading your blog for some time. and this is your best post yet!! you always elucidate on different subjects but for me, as a spiritual person receptive to all paths, who began with islam and now has decided finally upon islam, i really appreciate the way you bring the formless and formed aspects of GOD/ religion together.
thanks for reading this too.
"Allah, Most High is the very One Who Himself affirms His Unity . . ."
"Remove me from the quicksand of Unicity
to the Unlimited space of Oneness".
This for me makes absolutely no sense whatsoever.
Unity: is a wholeness that is both divisible and limited. It is a thing, a unit of smaller units uniting together.
Unicity: on the other hand is Oneness. It is indivisible and limitless. It is No-thingness. All units, all objects, all demarcation and division has vanished.
And so
"Remove me from this quicksand of Unicity, to the Unlimited state of Oneness"
Mmm! To me this makes absolutely no sense either linguistically or spiritually.
It is not Unity but Unicity that is the Eternal Source, the Ultimate Reality.
Afsha,
thank you for reading and your kind words. Peace and blessings.
Cailean,
Lost in Translation issue and also without context issue perhaps.
I see what your point is. In English Unicity and Oneness doesn't have much difference and as you pointed out Unicity is uniting of smaller units into one. Its not the Unicity from where refuge is seeked, but from "the quicksand of unicity", the pitfall of mental unicity.
Let me quote from the manual of prayer of ibn Mashish where "the quicksand of Unicity" is actually spoken in the context of theology:
Unicity: In the Science of disputation (ilmul jaddali) this is called al-makhazan or reprehensible speech and as such is used to make or drive home a point. In this case the Shaykh is talking about removal from the metaphoric tawhid of kalama (theology) and the mutakallimun (theologians) to the real and the actual experiential (haqiqah) tawhid of the mutasawwifun (gnostics).
To give an example: Oneness is not a function of mind. There are new agies who has made it a mental function and used that to claim divinity (example: Adi Da, may God forgive him and forgive me, i am just using an example for the sake of example of a new age tendency) assigning it to personality ... this problem is what is meant by "Quicksand of Unicity".
Oneness, Unicity is a function of the soul and has to be realized from the soul. It is an reality (haqiqa)which is experiential. For the real gnostics, they want to abandon the false mind delusion of oneness to fly towards the real soul level of undelimited space of oneness.
i hope my weak explanation illuminates the point, Cailean.
Loveliness, thank you for your in-depth response.
However there would still seem to be a difference of understanding herein.
You state - " As you pointed out Unicity is uniting smaller units into one."
No no. This is exactly the opposite of what I said.
"Unity" is the uniting of smaller units into one. And of course that which has become united can once again become divided.
Unicity is NOT the uniting of smaller units into one. Unicity is Oneness. No-thingness. There is no thing herein to be united and it Never can therefore be divided.
The distinction is not semantic, it is spiritually of the utmost importance and it makes what Hallag is saying herein both linguistically and spiritually a nonsense.
i understood the post. i thought it was beautiful. i took unicity to mean what it actually is and didn't have any problems. i sort of read it to mean.. like a harnessing.. i'd like to ask cailean, is this where i'm wrong?
Dear Afsha,
Thank you, I really appreciate your question.
You have said that you took Unicity to mean what it actually is.
Therefore if you replace the word Uncity for Oneness or No-thingness ie;
"Remove me from the quicksand of Oneness to the undelimited space of Oneness."
You will see, it is absolutely nonsensical.
Furthermore and very importantly, the Eternal Source, the Ultimate Reality - Allah is the presence of Unicity. "Allah Most High is the very One Who Himself affirms His Unity" ). Mmm, I question this.
Allah, ultimately does not affirm His Unity but rather His Unicity.
It would appear that Hallaj is not seeking Unicity herein but Unity. And as I have stated, any 'unit' or 'united units'. can become divided.
The " Unicity " of Allah on the other hand is eternally indivisible. Allah is essentially not of united units (Unity) but rather, No 'thing'ness, 'unit' lessness and therefore limitlessness, Boundlessness, Oneness.
I hope my response herein at least goes a little way to help further clarify my point herein.
apologies Cailean for getting that quote wrong.
in this context you can interchange the words unicity for oneness, and still the emphasis remain and the keyword is 'quicksand' or 'pitfall of claiming' oneness. thats where the last prayer i quote from ibn mashish emphasize upon.
and i disagree about the comment that if we replace Unicity with Oneness it becomes "absolutely nonsensical". the reason its not, is again the quicksand or pitfall - which is from practical spirituality point of view important here.
here is another way to look at it:
the unity consciousness (unicity experience, oneness experience, doesn't matter how u wanna label it) that some adept, some truly enlightened beings, mystics achieve or experience is given to them as momentary gift of grace. even when ramana maharshi had his unity experience, he simply was not here. they cease to exist and cease to function. and this state is always a transitory experience they are given. more like 'satori' but at a much higher level, on the soul level we can say.
we know (mentally) that oneness is the reality behind everything, yet, division and distinction is also part of this reality. 'unity is a wholeness that is both divisible and limited' as u mentioned is absolutely right. it has both aspect to it.
the quicksand of unicity is the pitfall we fall into when we try to ignore our human state which is essentially is behind veil, behind divisible state and claim unity or oneness to our being human state, to our personality. thats the pitfall talked here.
thus the only way to make those lines meaningful on the heart level is to account the word 'quicksand'. otherwise it sounds paradoxically, a total zen nonsense.
and thats the fun part too.
peace!
Dearest Salim,
Whilst I really do appreciate your detailed response herein, the very notion of the "quicksand" of Unicty is highly questionable. The quicksand of personality / "egocentricity" on the other hand is of course another matter. But to say the quicksand of Unicity, is like saying the quicksand of God, The quicksand of Absolute Consciousness. Is this paradoxical or rather simply nonsensical?
depends on how and what we make sense of. :)
making sense is a tricky business, isn't it?
quicksand of unicity exists and a very relevant example of quicksand of God would be using God and 'supposedly words from God' as an excuse for terrorist activities. they think they r following God's commandments etc.
quicksand of unicity would be those gurus taking the idea of unicity and making themselves mini god and misleading the followers with extreme ego centric actions.
the crusaders' invasions in the middle age is another example of quicksand of the idea of holy land.
but i do take note of your point.
you are more focusing on the encompassing value of the term unicity (which is perfectly alright), where as 'quicksand of unicity' deals with a specific pitfall in the journey of the path.
thats where the prayer comes into play. and often time its the slips which the seekers need to be more careful of than the bliss. hence the pitfall of unicity is talked about, for the lack of a better term.
what u think would be a good term?
Loveliness,
Quicksand of Unicity - Reality or illusory!?
What a wondrous dance This is.
X
when unity was stated in these verses, i viewed it as communion. and then it came into oneness (unicity), so i viewed it as-- first experience the unity then note the unicity.
but i suppose the discussion of this post proves the difficulty of interpreting or understanding the meaning of the words of Hallaj. it's not surprising that it caused some sort of uproar and strong reactions.
pedo muhammad Piss be upon him and upon ali and ahli bait fuck islam the cult of death
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