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Early Islamic Mystics© Nasim Fatima
The Ascetic Movement
The early catalysts for the development of mysticism in Islam, however were not spiritual in nature. The dramatic social and political changes, brought about by the establishment of Umayyad Dynasty in the mid-seventh century also played a pivotal role. The capital of the empire was moved from Medina to the more opulent and cosmopolitan Damascus, and the rapid spread of Islam introduced enormous wealth and ethnic diversity into what had originally been spartan, Arab movement. In action to the worldliness of the Umayyads, individual ascetics arose to preach a return to the heroic values of the Qur'an through the abandonment of both riches and the trappings of earthly power. The three major canters of the ascetic movement in the eighth and ninth centuries were Iraq, especially the cities of Basra, Kufa and Baghdad; the province of Khorasan, especially the city of Balkh; and Egypt. HASAN al-BASRI A leading figure of the period was Hasan al-Basri, who was born in Medina in 642 but settled in Basra, where he died in 728. Hasan was renowned for his almost puritanical piety and exceptional eloquence. At the heart of his preaching was the rejection of the world (al-Dunya), which he described in a letter to the Umayyad Caliph 'Umar ibn 'Abd al - 'Aziz (r. 717-720) as a venomous snake, smooth to the touch but deadly. Hasan contrasts this world of transience and corruption with the next world, which alone is a realm of permanence and fulfillment. The extreme to which Hasan's anti-worldly stance led him is reflected most vividly in the same letter where he implies that the creation of the world was a mistake. From the moment God first looked on his handiwork, Hasan insists, God hated it. Such a theological position runs counter to the basic understanding of the value of creation that Islam shares with Judaism and Christianity. It is sufficient to say that ambivalence toward materiality remained a significant aspect of later Islamic Mysticism. Hasan's asceticism, although world-denying, did not entail the total abandonment of the society or social structures. On the contrary Hasan functioned as the moral conscience of the state and fearlessly criticized the power structures when he felt that they overstepped moral bounds. He eschewed the role of the revolutionary and refused to sanction movements designed to overthrow irreligious politicians. In Socratic fashion, Hasan preferred to work for the ruler's change of heart through persuasion, not violence. Hasan's dedication to ascetic ideals did not moreover, lead him to forsake family life. Go To Page: 1 2
The copyright of the article Early Islamic Mystics in Sufism is owned by Kersten Rabia Dryden Cohen. Permission to republish Early Islamic Mystics in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.
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