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Chapter 4: A Shādhilī Presence in Shi'ite Islam
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4 A Shådhil¥ Presence in Shiʿite Islam Just as in the hadith literature of Sunni Islam there are many prayers, supplications , and litanies of the Prophet that form the basis for Sunni prayer to this day, so also in the annals of Shiʿism are there numerous prayers recorded from the Prophet and the Shiʿite Imams which throughout history have formed the basis of Shiʿite prayer. Among the best-known of these prayers, most of which are recorded in the standard Shiʿite prayer book, Mafåt¥ḥ al-jinån (“The Keys to the Gardens of Paradise”), is the Duʿåʾ al-ʿArafa (“The Prayer of the Day of ʿArafa”) by the third Imam, Ḥusayn b. ʿAl¥ (d. 61/680).1 This prayer, famous for its great beauty and spiritual nature, is read and chanted by pious Shiʿites every year on the day of ʿArafa during the Hajj—when the prayer was initially recited by the Imam—as well as at other times throughout the year. It also plays a particularly important role in Shiʿite gnosis, and the great philosopher/mystics, such as Mullå Ṣadrå (d. 1050/1640), often refer to it in their works. In the Arabic text Imam Ḥusayn’s prayer covers about thirty pages. When one is reading it, there is a sudden and noticeable change of style in the last three or four pages. The language and concepts of the long first section are presented in a type of synthetic exposition very similar to that found in the sayings of the Prophet, whereas the last few pages present a more analytic exposition along with explicit references to gnostic and mystical themes. When I asked a wellknown contemporary Shiʿite sage about this sudden change in style, I was told that undoubtedly the Imam recited the last part of the prayer only for some of his select disciples. There is, in any case, no doubt that many outstanding theologians and philosophers of Shiʿism have considered this section of the prayer to be an integral part of it. For example, Mullå Muḥsin Fayḍ Kåshån¥ (d. ca. 1091/1680), the son-in-law of Mullå Ṣadrå and one of the great figures of the school of Isfahan , quotes from it a number of times in his Kalimåt-i makn¶na (“The Hidden Words”)2 ; and Mullå Håd¥ Sabziwår¥ (d. 1289/1872), the famous philosopher/ mystic of the Qajar period, refers to it in many of his works.3 39 40 / In Search of the Lost Heart Nevertheless, it is interesting to note the comment of ʿĀllamå Majlis¥ (d. 1111/1699) on Imam Ḥusayn’s prayer. This well-known theologian and jurisprudent of the Safavid period is the compiler of the monumental encyclopedia of Shiʿite Hadith known as the Biḥår al-anwår (“The Oceans of Lights”). In this collection, after quoting the text of the prayer from the Iqbål al-aʿmål (“On Religious Devotions”) of Ibn Ṭåʾ¨s (d. 664/1266), Majlis¥ remarks as follows: Al-Kafʿam¥ [d. 905/1500] has included this prayer in his al-Balad al-am¥n [“The Secure City”] and Ibn Ṭåʾ¨s in [his other work] Miṣbåḥ al-zåʾir [“The Visitor’s Lamp”] . . . but in these works the last folio is not found, from the words, “My God . . .” to the end of the prayer. Likewise, this part of the prayer is not found in some of the old manuscripts of the Iqbål, and the sentences of this folio are not completely in agreement with the style of the prayers belonging to the inerrant members of the Household of the Prophet; rather, they are in keeping with the taste of the Sufis. Therefore, certain of the ulama have believed that this folio was added to the text afterward, and was composed by one of the Sufi shaykhs. In short, this addition was either included by one of the sources used by Ibn Ṭåʾ¨s, or it was added later—this second possibility being more likely, as is indicated by the fact that it is not found in some old manuscripts and in the Miṣbåḥ al-zåʾir. And God knows best the realities of things.4 Despite this reservation by one of the foremost Shiʿite scholars of hadith, the whole of this prayer is included in the standard prayer books and recited on appropriate occasions, undoubtedly because the content of the whole prayer, including...