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IKHWANUS SAFA
A RATIONAL AND LIBERAL
APPROACH TO ISLAM
PART-II
By
Asghar Ali Engineer
There is also the question of the period when the Rasa'il were written or
compiled. The noted scholar Abbas Hamdani who has authored several
research papers on Ikhwanus Safa says:
"The questions relating to the identity of the authors of the Rasa'il
and their madhhab are largely dependent on the question of the date of the
composition of the Rasa'il. A later chronology may suggest a composition
of the encyclopaedia over a long period, by several authors living at
different times and several revisions and re-arrangements of the component
tracts. It can also accommodate the internal allusions of a much later
period.
"An earlier chronology would pre-suppose a shorter period of
composition, the minimum of rearrangements and revision and a committee of
authors writing at the same time under a coordinator or an editor and
working on a planned sequence of composition. Internal references to a
later period would have to be proved as interpolations. "
Abbas Hamdani then comes to the conclusion about the year of publication
of the Rasa'il and says, "To my mind, the dividing line between these
two chronologies is represented by the year 297/909, that is, the
establishment of the Fatimid caliphate. In fact, in much of the scholarly
argument about the dating of the Rasa'il, this has proved to be the battle
line. Having taken their stand on the date of the composition of the
Rasa'il, scholars have argued whether its authors were Sunnis or Shi'as;
if Sunnis, whether they were Mu'tazili or Sufi; if Shi'as, whether they
were Zaydi, Ithna 'Ashari, Fatimid or Qaramatian. The later chronology is
the easier and safer of the two and is generally accepted. I have,
however, preferred the earlier and the more difficult and have argued the
case for it in previous articles." (Journal of Semitic Studies,
Spring 1984, P-98)
There is lot of internal evidence which shows the Shi'a inclination of the
author(s). We find in (IV, 460) the Prophet's saying "I am the city
of knowledge and 'Ali is its gate." So also is emphasised the love (walaya)
of the Prophet's household (ahl al-bayt) (IV, 375). Also, it is said that
the Prophet is reported to have said to 'Ali, "I and you are the
parents (abawa) of this community (umma)" (I, 385).
We also notice salawat for 'Ali (II, 59 and III, 211). Generally this
benedictory expression is reserved by Sunnis only for the Prophet. The
Rasa'il also refer to the progeny of the Prophet as the 'rightly-guided
Imams' (al-a'immat al-Hudat) (II, 377). We also find emphasis on imamah
and also that imamat of prophesy belong to the prophet's family as opposed
to the imamat of domination which might belong to others.
We find further proofs of shades of Shi'as in the Rasa'il. They describe
the four festivals of the philosophic year (IV, 267-272) the third of
which is the 'Id Ghadir al-Khumm, the day on which the Prophet designated,
according to the Shi'a tradition, 'Ali as his successor, but, the Rasa'il
maintain, the "joy (of the occasion) was marred because it was mixed
with the breaking of (the covenant) and treachery" (IV,268). The last
festival, 'Id al-musiba (the day of calamity) is one described as the day
of the Prophet's death and also as the day of the battle of Kerbala (10th
of Muharram when Imam Husein was martyred) which is also described as the
day of 'disgrace of Islam' (IV, 269). This is all unmistakably Shi'ite.
There are also references in III, 511-514 to the esoteric meaning of the
Qur'an i.e. ta'wil which is also a distinct Shi'ite belief. The manifest
meaning of the Qur'an (zahir) is described as the lower level of knowledge
and it is meant for 'awamm (i.e. the common people) who prefer taqlid
(i.e. blind imitation) and the higher form of knowledge is batin
(esoteric, concealed) which is meant for the elite (khwass). This is
distinctly Shi'ite position. Thus we find in the 3rd section, page 379
that "Among people there are groups of intellectuals who would not be
satisfied with taqlid but would demand proofs and the uncovering of truths
(haqa'iq) and the seeking of 'illah (i.e. purpose or the reason of the
religious law)."
Again the important question is to what sect of Shi'a the compilers or
authors of Ikhwanus Safa Rasa'il belong. Obviously they could not be
Zaidis as the Zaidi theology does not accord what is generally maintained
in the Rasa'il. Now let us examine the possibility of the authors being
the Ithna 'Asharis. There is clear statement in the Rasa'il which rules
out this possibility also. For example we find in (III, 523) that "So
also is considered (erroneous a group) that believes that the great and
guiding awaited Imam is hidden and does not appear because of the fear of
the opponents. Know that the holder of such opinion remains all his life
expectant of the Imam's appearance, wishful of his coming, eager for his
advent. He, then, wastes his life and dies in despair and sorrow, not
having seen his Imam, nor having known his person."
The Ithna 'Asharis believe till today that Imam Mahdi is yet to appear
whereas the Isma'ilis or Fatimids believe that Imam Mahdi (Abdullah al-Mahdi)
appeared in the west (North Africa) in early 9th century and founded the
Fatimid empire. The above passage does not accord with the Ithna 'Ashari
belief about the hidden Imam. Thus if we eliminate the Zaidis and Ithna 'Asharis,
the only conclusion is that the Brethren of Purity belonged to the
Isma'ilis.
The liberal attitude of the Brethren is obvious from various passages of
the Rasa'il. There is also emphasis on the youth rather than the old. Thus
we find in one of the epistles, "Do not occupy yourself with
reforming of old men who have kept since their childhood false ideas, bad
habits and evil qualities, for they will weary you and will not be
changed. If they do change, it would be very little and of no avail. Your
concern is with young men of sound heart who incline towards letters,
begin to study the sciences, seek the path of truth and the other world,
believe in the day of reckoning, make use of the religious codes of the
Prophets, study the secrets of their books, renounce passion and polemic
and are not fanatical in matters of doctrine." (IV, 161-168)
As pointed out earlier the Ikhwan had very liberal outlook. It is borne
out by the following passage also. "Know that", the Brethren
state, "the truth is found in every religion (din) and is current in
every tongue. What you should do, however, is to take best and to transfer
yourself to it. Do not ever occupy yourself with imputing defects to the
religions of people; rather try to see whether your religion is free from
them."(III, 501).
Also, "Acquire knowledge, any type of knowledge, philosophical,
legal, mathematical, scientific or divine. All that is nourishment for the
soul and life for it in this world and the hereafter." (III, 538).
There is a long epistle (No.22) on Animals and Birds (II, 178-377) which
is of great interest. In fact it is an allegory in which man's qualities
are compared to those of animals, birds and the jinn (a hidden being
referred to in the Qur'an). Representatives of different species and
nationalities speak in a Conference of Creation. At the end an ideal
individual addresses the Assembly. The description of this ideal
individual clearly indicates the liberalism and openness of the Brethren.
This individual is described as "excellent, intelligent and
possessing insight, (as if) he is Persian in origin, Arab in faith, a
hanif (inclined towards straight path) in religion, an Iraqi in manners, a
Hebrew in tradition, a Christian in conduct, a Syrian in devotion, a Greek
in knowledge, an Indian in vision, a mystic (sufi) in his way of life (sira),
an angel in his morals, a divine (rabbani) in opinion, godly (ilahi) in
gnosticism (ma'arif) and of everlasting qualities." (III,376)
This is the proof of commendable liberalism of the Ikhwan which we find
post-modernist in character today. In the above passage there is respect
for all religions and plurality of culture is accepted. This was written
in the 9th century A.D. when such liberalism could not be thought of. Such
liberalism is rare even in modern society. Narrow sectarianism often
prevails and more often than not politics is also based on such
sectarianism. This is what we witness in most of the countries today. The
Ikhwanus Safa could be described as the manifesto of the Isma'ili
movement.
It is important to note here that the Isma'ili movement at that time was a
revolutionary movement and was subversive of the establishment,
particularly of the Abbasid empire. It was also trying to attract the
support of various sections of society, the nobles, the learned, the
peasants and the merchants. Thus we find a passage in the epistle which
says, "Know O brother, may God aid you and us with His Spirit, that
we have brethren and friends among the noble and gracious people, spread
out in different places; among them is a group of the sons of kings, amirs,
wazirs, secretaries, and governors; among them are sons of notables, the
dihqans (rich peasants), small holders and merchants; and among them is a
group of the sons of 'ulama, men of letters (udaba'), jurists and
religious men; and among them is a group of the sons of craftsmen, local
headmen and leaders of crafts and professions. We have delegated to each
group of them a brother from our brethren, whose knowledge and insight we
approve, to represent us in their service by counseling them with
fellow-feeling (rifq), kindness and affection." (IV, 188)
This clearly shows that the Brethren were leaders of a revolutionary
movement who established cells among different sections of society who
could coalesce together to overthrow the coercive and exploitative
establishment. It is also important to note in the above passage that the
Brethren appointed one brother to be associated with one or the other
group described above so as to lead them. Such a brother had to be
properly chosen for his qualities, experience and knowledge. The
revolutionaries carefully chose their group leaders. They were supposed
not only to prepare these groups for revolutionary change but also play
part in it.
A study of these Rasa'il clearly shows that the author(s) had a grasp over
all available knowledge of their times. As pointed out above they have
written epistles on mathematics, philosophy, politics, religion (including
comparative religion), music, ethics, morality, astronomy, physics and
other sciences. No one could be more informed in contemporary knowledge
then the Brethren of Purity.
Husayn Marwah, the noted contemporary Arab philosopher, referred to above,
quotes observations of a 4th century hijra scholar Zaid bin Rifa'ah who
was supposed to have met the Brethren of Purity and served them for long,
about these epistles. Ibn Rifa'ah says that (the authors of the epistles)
had wide knowledge of prose and poetry, had expertise in mathematics,
communication, history, religions, and had vision of comparative religion.
The Brethren of Purity, as we have seen, were revolutionaries and wanted
to overthrow the Abbasid regime which they considered oppressive and
exploitative. They describe the Abbasids as oppressors and usurpers of the
rights of du'afa and 'masakin (i.e. the weaker sections). They maintain
that the Abbasid do not deserve to be khalifah. Those who defy the Divine
Will to Adam are what the Ikhwan describe as 'khalifat al-iblis (i.e. the
deputy of Satan). The Abbasids were khalifahs as people accepted them to
be khalifahs, not because they deserve to be so. The Abbasids, the
Brethren maintain, killed the friends and children of prophets. (II,303)
It is interesting to note that the Ikhwan al-Safa predict the downfall of
the Abbasids on the basis of astronomical calculations. They calculate the
coming together and parting of certain stars and this period which
according to astronomical calculation is two hundred and forty years and
hence they predict that the Abbasid downfall will occur in 240 years from
the beginning of their rule. And to whom this rule will be transferred
from the Abbasids?
We find answer in the Rasa'il themselves again on the basis of
astronomical calculations. They say this will happen when the dawr al-falki
(i.e. one revolution of skies) takes place and enters the house of Scorpio
which takes, according to the Brethren, 330 years and four months. At that
time the power will pass onto the hands of the Brethren and the period of
their rule will be 159 years. (See al-Risalh Jami'ah, II, p-129-130).
According to the Brethren these changes (in political power) keep on
taking place and it is transferred from one group to another.
The rule of Ikhwan al-Safa is described as dawlah ahl al-khayr i.e. the
regime of people of good-will. This regime began with the people of
knowledge and wisdom ('ulama wa hukama) and meritorious people of goodness
who evolve consensus and agree on one creed and religion (I, p-131). And
those who will establish this regime of goodness and benevolence are
knowledgeable about the religious matters, have intimate knowledge of the
mysteries of prophets and well disciplined in the philosophical matters.
(IV, p-198). The Brethren also declare that their religion, opinion and
knowledge is inclusive of all religions and knowledge. (IV, p-5). The
Brethren also advise the people not to pick holes in others religion but
to see whether such defects are not there in ones own religion. (IV,
p-37-38)
The Brethren also invite the people to be critical of all religions,
including the one they have inherited, without exception. But it should be
attempted with due caution. The Shari'ah, according to them, have two
aspects zahirand batin i.e. exoteric and esoteric, manifest and hidden.
What is manifest is for common people through which they find cure for
their diseased souls and those who are people of strong intellect feed
themselves on deeper wisdom and philosophy, on the esoteric aspects. (IV,
p-46).
For 'ibadat(worship) also the Brethren say they are of two types: one the
Shari'i normative mode of worship and the other is what the Brethren call
- 'ibadat al-falsafiyah al-ilahiyyah (i.e. philosophical divine worship)
(IV, P-301 and what follows). Those who follow the Shar'i worship obey all
the exoteric laws of Shari'ah and all the rules laid down by it. But those
who are disposed towards philosophical worship are what the Holy Qur'an
calls are al-Rasikhun fi'l 'ilm (i.e. great pillars of divine knowledge).
They know the real meaning of the Qur'anic verses and its esoteric
essence. They possess the 'ilm al-batin.
Thus it will be seen that the Brethren of Purity, though they emphasised
the importance of Shari'ah for common people and thought it necessary for
them to abide by its rule, they accorded higher position to those al-rasikhun
fi'l 'ilm who were immersed in higher philosophical knowledge and
knowledge of ultimate reality - 'ilm al-haqiqah. Again, according to the
Ikhwan al-Safa the lower souls cannot extricate themselves from the
materialistic world and remain sunk in the sea of this world. It is
knowledge, philosophy and wisdom (hikmah) which liberates human soul and
accords it higher position in the divine hierarchy.
It would thus be no exaggeration to say that the Brethren of Purity summed
up all available knowledge of their time in their epistles and left a deep
and permanent imprint on the world of learning. The Abbasids tried to
popularise the Greek knowledge through translations into Arabic. All they
did was to make Greek knowledge available in Arabic to Muslim
intellectuals (a great achievement by itself, no doubt) but what Ikhwanus
Safa did was to synthesise the Greek knowledge with Islamic one and this
synthesis was very creative synthesis indeed. The Brethren upheld Islamic
knowledge as well as the Greek one. A much greater achievement for the
world of Islam.
Source: http://www.dawoodi-bohras.com
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