Dhofar: A Spiritual Wayfarer's Garden

The Tombs in the City

Assad Hariz

It has been quite a few times that I have travelled to Salalah off-work as well as on work and it has alluded me to the spiritual past of this place. The Dhofar region stands at the edge of Oman and is neighboured by the country of Yemen which is known for its religious and spiritual doctrines and the scholars who have travelled across from Yemen to far off lands to propagate Islam to the world are renowned. Most prominently the south Indian states of Kerala and the south east Asian countries like Indonesia and Malaysia owe their Islamic culture to Yemen and this is seen by the fact that majority of these places have followers of the Shafee Madhab and Tareeqa of the Ba Alawiyya and Shaduliya.

Even today places like Tarim are famous for the spiritual madrassas and Sufi scholars. Salalah has a lot of historical sites that bring the spiritual and magical stories of the past that were Pre-Islamic or biblical as well as the stories of the Sahabas (comrades of the prophet) and other religious scholars who travelled to Dhofar to preach and spread Islam.

The Famous among them are the Tomb of Job ( Nabi Ayoub’s tomb) which is on a mountain top and Nabi Imran’s tomb which lies in the heart of the city. Among the scholars, the Tomb of  Muhammad Bin Ali Al Alawiyya in Mirbat is quite famous for its beautiful white twin domes and Arabic inscriptions. He was a great scholar and teacher of the Alawiyya order. 

One unique Mosque that caught my thought was at the 23rd july street ( The Ba Alawi Maqbara). The Mosque looked old with white domes and was surrounded by a large cemetery. There were three or more walkways to the mosque through the cemetery. As I stayed nearby I went for my prayers to the mosque and found it very prepossessing. The Mosque and the Prayers reminded me of the mosques in my town in kerala. There were loud chants and praises of the prophet Muhammad (SAWS) were sung in between the regular prayers and i felt the connection between this place and south India. The Mosque had a small room (shrine) with a beautiful dome adjacent to the mosque. This Shrine looked more intriguing and fascinating. The building had a white beautiful dome which looked incandescent at night with the dark  night sky in the background. It had a dark green door and was closed most of the time. After prayers I went towards this shrine out of curiosity. As I opened the door I saw the graves of a number of the people shrouded in black and green velvet cloth. There were also graves of small children. There was Bakhour (incense) burnt and had a spiritual aura. I started visiting the place frequently and during the Friday evenings, I could smell the beautiful scent of jasmine in the room.

In my zeal to find out who this saint was I started asking people nearby and also found some details in the shrine itself. I talked with the caretaker of the mosque and found that this was a descendant of the Prophet. This graveyard was known as the Ba’Alawi Maqbara and had the graves of the Ba Alawi family who were descendants of the Prophet through Ali r.a and were sufi saints and their disciples. There still exists this sufi order of Ba Alawiyya in parts of Yemen and Kerala.  Soon I found who this great saint was.

He was Imam of scholars Habeeb Ali Ba Umar, a revered scholar of his time and a great saint. His name was Syed Ali bin Umar bin Ali bin Abdullah Ba Umar and was born in the year of 1619 A.D (1030 hijri). His mother was Sharifa Saliha Alawiya binth Abdullah bin Ibrahim bin Umar Fadak and he had a brother Muhammad and several sisters. His lineage is traced back to Hussain (r.a) the grandson of Prophet Muhammad (SAWS) and son of Ali (r.a).

He began his studies in the Islamic science under his father Syed Umar and after that under the guidance of the great scholar and his sheikh, Habeeb Aqeel Ba Umar (sha’eer Ba Umarain) . he had intended to go to Makka and also visited and met the scholars there and among them was Syed Muhammad bin Abubakr Ashili Almakki.

He was a great teacher and a Daaee (caller to faith) and had travelled extensively to India and the south east Asian countries for missionary works as well as a teacher in the Madrasas there. He also taught at Rabat for a living and travelled to Mecca and met the great scholar Alshilli Almakki there. His knowledge spread through his students to other parts of the world and among them were his sons and followers, Ahmed Mulaqab  Ba Qashkash, Mohammed and Umar.

He was a saint, scholar and a social worker who was known in the Arabian Peninsula for his contribution to the society. Syed Muhammad Abubakr Alshilli talks of him as a noble person who was close to God and followed the path of the haneef. He taught religion, propagated his faith, educated the masses and fought against all types of innovation and called people to the straight path, the path of the guided. He is known to have the face of the full moon enlightened with knowledge. He was a sanctuary for the oppressed, refugees, orphans and the like.

This great saint has left several traces of his works and among them the most notable is the Islamic library that he built. This library contained a lot of Islamic and scientific books as well as references for research. This includes one of his important piece of work which deals with the explanation of the creed of Ahlu Sunna wa Aljamaa under the systems of his sheikh/teacher Sheikh Habib Aqeel bin Umran named “الفيض المقسوم شرح الدرالمنضوم “. It also included a collection of Prose and Poetry.

Sheikh Habeeb Ba Umar was from the lineage of the prophet and he propagated the way of the prophet through his works and knowledge thus giving himself a great status among the people of salalah and other countries that he travelled to. He was a staunch critic of innovations in religion and tread the straight path, the path of the Prophet and his family. He passed away in the year 1685 A.D (1095 hijri).

May he be granted Jannah in the hereafter.

Explaining Kitab Jawahir al-Quran: A reader's understanding of the Book Part-2

Part Two

In Part Two, we look into detail regarding the divisions of the surahs and verses of Quran as described by the author and its beautiful explanation.The author explains the Six aims of the Quran. He compares and metaphorizes the aims to brim stones and jewels. The Highest of the aim is like the red brim stone which is dazzling and precious. This is the “Knowing of Allah Swt himself”. It is known as Al Maarifa ( The Knowledge). It is the Epitome of knowledge and the highest stage a person can achieve. The Al Maarifa comprises of sub sections which are the Knowledge of the essence of the true One, His attributes, and his words.

These topics of the knowledge are like corundum and as the corundum have grades, knowledge is of different grades and stages. Among these the most precious is the knowledge of his essence and the most difficult to understand and comprehend. Then comes his attributes which is explained in the Quran. It is like the Bluish-Grey corundum and last is God’s work (The Yellow ones). The knowledge of his essence is the most puzzling and difficult to acquire and one needs to attain a level of maturity in the ilm of quran to understand it as Allah himself says “Laisa kamisli shaiyan”.

As for the attributes, the scope is wide and a lot of details are present. The divine works are compared to the sea whose shores are wide and long. He says that among the works of Allah there are some which are prevalent and which are hidden from senses and the noblest of his works are that which are invisible ( Alam al-malakut). He mentions about the (Al karubiyun) or the Arch angels who are among the noblest and purest of the creatures of Allah ,who know nothing but to serve Allah. This brings to the topic of the arrogance and haughtiness of the human beings when they think that they are the fullest of the creations of Allah to whom there is no comparison. But to show the insignificance of the human population, Imam Ghazzali mentions about the white earth were there are creatures thirty times more than earth’s and they know nothing about this disobedient creature called humans and nor do they know about iblis. They follow the orders of Allah and that is their aim. This Hadith is narrated by Ibn Abbas (r.a).

The emphasis is on the fact that humans are limited by senses and imagination and this is just the rind of the pith and the pith contains much much more .The second division concerns the definition of the path to God.Allah says in the Quran “ Devout yourself to him very devoutly”(Quran 73:8) and this is achieved by advancing towards him and betraying the things that are against and not from his principles. To achieve it one needs to be in constant remembrance of Allah and be in prayer. This is defined as a journey( As Safar) to God and the remarkable feature of this particular journey is that there is no moving of ones self towards Allah nor Allah comes to him as both are in reality together. This principle of Sufism is a key fundamental point of spirituality where it shows Allah’s omnipotence and the secret lies in finding this so that both are together in spirit and the journey is successful. This is mentioned in Quran 50:15 where Allah says “We are nearer to him than his jugular vein”.

Imam Ghazzali beautifully exemplifies this notion by the use of Mirror. The seeker and the sought are like a picture in the mirror. It is because of rust or dirt that one does not see the picture but if you polish and clean, the image is revealed. This is not by any movement to the sought after but by polishing. By removing the veil, Allah’s essence is revealed and is not concealed as light cannot be concealed and God is the light of the heavens and the earth. This is also an explanation of the verse “Allahu nooru samawathi wal ardh”. The only reason one does not see light is because of a veil that does not allow the light to hit our eyes or by some kind of defect in the vision and this is the same way one sees Allah. Imam Ghazzali also explains this concept in view of the questions of the traditionalists, literalists and the like ( and also some erred concepts in Islamic Mysticism) by saying that once the light is revealed people imagine Allah is in the soul as the picture is in the mirror and the human nature (nasut) has put on divine nature (lasut) but Allah confirms with his words ( Quran 14:27) and it is seen that the picture in the mirror in actuality is not present inside the mirror but only reflected in it and the reflection is not the thing. Allah is revealed to different people at the same time and hence it is the essence which is experienced by humans. It depends upon your closeness to Allah and the amount of Ibadah and iman a person has.

The third division defines man’s condition at the time of his meet with God. It includes the humiliation and punishment that one will face for their evils and also the good things awaiting the believers. He explains it by saying that the most painful of the punishment is the veil or hijab that will separate the person from Allah.Allah distance himself from such people and this is the toughest of the punishments that the disbelievers will face. This division explains about the properties of the people of hell and heaven , the attributes, the events etc and these are regarded as the green christolytes.

The fourth division concerns about the condition of the people who are with Allah and those who denied him, like the prophets of Allah and the evil people like  Firoun,Qarun etc. This divisions illustrate the descriptions of the people who deny Allah and also of the secrets of the people of Allah like the prophets. This division is compared to the Grey ambergris and aloe wood found in the seas.

The fifth division consists of the arguments of the infidels against the truth and  explanation of their errors by obvious proofs. Their falsehood is of three kinds. One is that they speak of God in terms of Human qualities such as associating daughters with him or partners. Secondly they deny the Prophet saws and accuse him of being a liar and soothsayer.And the third is the denial of the day of resurrection and the last day.

The sixth division is the fulfillment of the commitments, and the way the path has to be trodden. It consists of the way in which a person can follow Islam, the laws binding a person to Islam, the legal nuances, the rules and regulations etc which will keep a Muslim in the right path. The topics of usury, charities, marriage, the laws of dowry , nikah, divorce, financial laws and all that governs the Islamic way of life is mentioned in the verses of this sixth division. These are numerous and are straight forward and easy to understand and implement so that the ultimate aim of reaching to Allah swt is achieved.

Explaining Kitab Jawahir al-Quran: A reader's understanding of the Book Part-1

Explaining Kitab Jawahir al-Quran

A readers understanding of the Book Part-1

 

 

A valuable Book for all Quran researchers and lovers and a beginning for those who would like to dwell into the pearls of this magnificent holy treasure , Kitab Jawahir al-Quran is a fine piece of allegorical explanation of the content and heart of Quran, why it is to be read and what to find as a logical thinker and as a spiritual soul. More of a soul’s thirst quencher this is a phenomenon in spiritual writing.

Abu Hamid Al Ghazzali (d.505 AH/1111AD) was a prominent islamic philosopher most famous for his milestone work Ihya Uloomuddin which made the sufi doctrine acceptable to the mainstream islamic circle. He was known as the Proof of Islam ( Hujjah al islam) and the ornament of religion (Zain ud din).In his later years after the completion of the major works , Al-Ghazzali explained his understanding of quran with this book “ Kitab Jawahir al-Quran” The Book of Jewels of Quran. The Book is a source of much of our understanding on Al-Ghazzali’s view and knowledge of the quran.

This is the translation of his glorious work by the scholar Muhammad Abdul Quasem who has beautifully reflected the text into english.

The Book is a great explanation on the beauty of Quran and its theory with an elaboration on the division of its contents and core value of its text. It includes the Maqasid (aims) of the Quran and its theory .The first chapter explains the contents in brief.

The Book consists of 3 parts: 1.) Introductory matters

2.)On the aims of the Quran

3.) Matters connected to the aims

In the first part the section is divided into 19 chapters explaining this section in detail. The 19 chapters are listed in the content and a brief is given on it.

1. The quran is like an Ocean which covers many types of jewels.
2. The limiting of the aims of the Quran and its valuables to six divisions of which three are important principles and the other three follow them and complete them.
3. The explanation of the six divisions and its branching into Ten.
4. The process by which all branches of sciences branch of from these ten divisions. The sciences are divided into the science of the outer shell and inner jewels.
5. how sciences of the ancients and modern branch off from the Quran.
6. The concepts of Quran comprising of red Brimstone,greatest antidote and the strongest musk and all other jewels and pearls.
7. The reason of why all the entities of the invisible world is explained with similitude in the visible world.
8. The understanding of the connection between the visible and invisible worlds.
9. Analysis of the allegories.
10. Its benefits.
11. How some verses of quran excel others.
12. The secrets of Surah Fathiha, description of Arrahman and Araheem.
13. The eight doors of heaven with the surah Fathiha being the key.
14. Why the verse of throne is regarded as chief of quranic verses.
15. An investigation into why surah Ikhlas is equal to a third part of Quran.
16. Why surah Yasin is considered to be heart of Quran.
17. Why Prophet (saws) considered Surah Fathiha as best surah of quran and verse of throne as chief of quranic verses
18. Condition of the gnostics (Aarifun)
19. Secret reason for stringing the jewels of quran on one string and its pearls on the other.

The second part deals with the aims and comprises of the essence of the quranic verses which are of two kinds. The first consists of jewels which are verses concerning the essence of Allah and his attributes. These are known as cognitive part ( al qism al ilmi) .The second consists of the pearls which are verses regarding the straight path, the way of life ,the works which need to be done to achieve the straight path. This is the practical part ( al qism al amali).

The First Chapter begins with the verse

“Do they not ponder over the Quran in order to understand its deep meaning , or is it that their minds are locked up from within? “(Quran 47:24)

The author beautifully requests the readers to arise from sleep and describes the people who only read the Quran at the surface or only know the meaning of it as the ones who are at the shore of the ocean and has not dived into the ocean to find the treasures of Quran. He motivates to sail into the ocean and gather all the jewels of the Quran to understand the significance and royalty of the Quran.

The Impressiveness of the book is due to the fact that it is based on the concept of jewels and precious allegories and metaphorical representation of the topics and verses into pearls and jewels imbibing a keen fantasy and worldly image in the minds of the reader which helps in understanding the concepts of the much deep and invisible meanings and interpretations of the Quranic language. The book explains the jewels as red brimstone, shining pearls, green chrysolite and strongest of the musks, and other metaphors.

In the second chapter the aims and the valuables are explained in a clearer fashion. The Surahs of the Quran are divided into six types. Three of them are the important ones and the other three follow them. The three important ones are the definition of God, the definition of the straight path, and the definition of the condition at the time of attaining to him.

The other three divisions are the conditions of those who answer the call of God. It describes the dealing of God with man. It also describes about the people who do not answer to call of god and about the punishment they will face. The second narration describes the condition of who deny the God and their disgrace in denial of God and in being on the side of falcity. The third division defines the path to god, the preparation and the provisions.

The Book is as though a journey through the sea in a ship, cruising through the beauty of Quran and the author takes you into the world of holiness through this journey….