When Sufism Meets Politics (the Pluses and Minuses of Nasafi's Perspective)

74 Journal of South Asian and Middle Eastern Studies Vol. 43, No. 4, Summer 2020 When Sufism Meets Politics (the Pluses and Minuses of Nasafi’s Perspective) Sayed Hassan Akhlaq* The fundamental concept of Insan-e Kamil holds that the perfect human provides a connection point between Sufism and politics. This theory was first formulated by the renowned Sufi theorist Aziz al-Din Nasafi (d. c. 1282), from Nasaf (Nakhshab) in Transoxania (present Qarshi or Karshi in Uzbekistan). He was a spiritual leader (Shaykh) of the Kubrawiya order, which spread across Afghanistan, India, China, and Turkey, as well as a disciple of Sa’d al Din Hamu’i (1191-1252). Nasafi lived at a crucial historical moment; the Mongol invasion of Bukhara caused him to move constantly for seven years, spending “every day in a [different] place and every night in a [different] site,”1 and “unable to rest anywhere.”2 Nonetheless, he had a mediational state within himself that incorporated outer unrest and inner rest. He was an example of his *Sayed Hassan “Akhlaq” Hussaini is an adjunct professor for both Coppin State University and Northern Virginia Community College and a religious advisor for the American Councils for International Education in Washington DC. He earned his PhD in philosophy in 2009 from Allameh Tabatabaii University in Tehran, Iran, and completed his Islamic theological studies (Hawzeh Elmieh) in Mashhad. He has published six books, numerous articles, chapters, editorials, and encyclopedia and dictionary entries. He acted as an academic advisor to the Afghanistan Academy of Sciences in 2010, he taught at many universities in Iran during 2007-2010. Akhlaq is the editor in chief of Paidia a quarterly journal of philosophical, social and cultural studies in Kabul, Afghanistan. 1 Nasafi, Aziz al-Din, Kashf al-Haqaiq (The Discovery of the Truth), ed. Ahmad Mahdawi Damghani, (Tehran: Sherkat-e Entesharat-e Elmi Farhangi, 1386), p. 2. 2 Ibid. 75 ideal that “the human soul is a Dhul-Qarnayn,3 one horn in descending and another in ascending,”4 so that he could contemplate the linkage between the inward and outward worlds. Nasafi was gifted with a quiet, moderate and even didactic character. He practiced various Sufi rites and became familiar with diverse schools of thought in Islam, including falsafa (Philosophy), Sufism, and Kalaam (Theology),aswellasvariedlevelsofreligiouscommitment.Nasafideveloped the core concept of “wilayat,” a central concept among all branches of Shia. Due to his mentor al-Hamu’i, Nasafi gravitated toward particular Sufis called ahl-e wahdat (monists)5 . This social and intellectual background led Nasafi to embrace diversity openly. In his remarkable books, he celebrates the difference among people as a sign of God’s wisdom, saying, “Be aware that the supreme God has created people differently, and has given each one a talent for a particular thing. It should be for the existence of the world system. There should be the urbanite and countryman, the seller and the cleaner, and so on. If He had given everyone the same talent, there would be no world system. [According to this system], those who are the knowledgeable have place every person in a profession – the profession that each was created for.”6 Nasafi also values differences among religious followers. In his view, Muslims are divided into three categories: people of law, or Sharia, people of path, or Tariqa, and people of truth, or Haqiqa. The first group composes ordinary people who love to copy others; the second, less common people who embrace reasoning; and the last even more rare individuals who have an intuitive grasp of the truth. Nasafi suggests a parallel between the human and the world by defining humanasamicro-cosmosandtheworldasmacro-cosmos.Hisunderstanding of the human being – or anthropology – corresponds with his ontology, cosmology and sociology. Nasafi’s accessible explanation of Sufi philosophy has played a major role in spreading Sufism worldwide. 3 Literally “the possessor of two horns,” a Quranic figure (The Quran, 18:83-98) that is described as a righteous, faithful, just and kind ruler. Sufi literature uses it as a symbol for the perfect human and interprets his horns metaphorically. 4 Nasafi, Aziz al-Din, Bayan al-Tanzil (The Explanation of the Revelation), ed. Ali Asghar MirBaqerifard, (Tehran: Anjoman...