Document Type : Research article
Author
Language and Literature Group of Literature and Humanities Department, Vali-e-Asr University of Rafsanjan. Rafsanjan, Iran
Abstract
Highlights
Introduction
Shah b. Shoja’of Kermani (d. 288 AH) is Kerman's most famous ancient mystic. The article discusses twelve verses of Shah Kermani’s sayings, attributed to several other famous Sufis.
The attribution of Shah B. Shoja’ofKermani's sayings to the Dhu 'l-Nun al-Misri:
Approximately seventy verses attributed to Shah B. Shoja Kermani have survived. Nearly one-third of these sayings follow a triple structure, expressing moral and religious concepts. Conversely, 41 sayings with the same structure appear in the book ‘Hilyat al-Awliya’ waTabaqat al-Asfiya’” by Abu Nu’aym al-Isfahani, where they are attributed to Dhu 'l-Nun al-Misri. Interestingly, seven of these sayings align with those attributed to Shah Kermani. It appears that these words originally belonged to Shah B. Shoja Kermani but were later attributed to Dhu 'l-Nun al-Misri.
Review of Literature and Methodology
The article presents these discussed sayings and provides arguments regarding their attribution to Shah Kermani.No research has been done on the subject of this article.
Discussion
Credibility of Shah’s words narrators:
The sayings attributed to Shah Kermani have reached us either through the works of Al-Sulami or via the book ‘Al-Bayad and Al-Sawad’ by Khajah Ali Hassan Sirjani. These two sources, which quote the words of Shah Kermani, carry significant credibility.
Al-Sulami
He is one of the earliest and most significant Sufi authors and holds the highest reliability among them. What is particularly noteworthy about the transmission of Shah Kermani’s sayings through Al-Sulami and his quotations is that he received these sayings from two distinguished students of Abu Osman HeiriNeishaburi, who himself was the most important student of Shah Kermani.
Abu Osman HeiriNeishaburi
He is one of the esteemed elders of Sufism. Much of the extant information about Shah Kermani’s life and sayings has been preserved and transmitted through Abu Osman Heiri. Abu Osman maintained a book or notebook in which he recorded the words of the master. Al-Sulami, in turn, has relayed Shah Kermani’s words through two of Abu Osman’s exceptional and favored students, Abdullah Razi and Abu Amro bin Najid.
Abdullah Razi
He was one of the esteemed Sheikhs of Neyshabur in his time and a prominent companion of Abu Osman Heiri. Among the twenty triple sayings attributed to Shah Kermani, eight have been quoted by Abdullah Razi, along with his commentary from the book that Abu Osman Heiri possessed containing Shah’s sayings. Out of these eight sayings, three are shared by both Shah and Dhu 'l-Nun.
Abu Amr bin Nujaid
He was one of the esteemed sheiks of his time and a prominent companion of Abu Osman Heiri. Al-Sulami narrated the eighth verse, which highlights the commonalities between Shah and Dhu 'l-Nun, through Abu Amr bin Nujaid. Al-Sulami emphasized that he quoted this saying of Shah B. Shoja’of Kermani from his grandfather’s handwritten notes.
Khawaja Ali Sirjani
Numbers five, six, and seven of the shared sayings between Shah Kermani and Dhu 'l-Nun al-Misri have been recorded by Khawaja Ali Sirjani. Khawaja Ali Sirjani, an esteemed mystic of his era, was a fellow citizen of Shah Kermani and possessed detailed knowledge of the Shah’s spiritual legacy. According to reports, the authenticity of the words Sirjani quoted from Shah Kermani is exceptionally high.
Triple sayings are one of the stylistic features of Shah kermani's words.
The triple structure in Shah Kermani’s sayings is a significant feature. Nearly one-third of his surviving sayings exhibit this structure.
Attribution to the most famous rule:
In this context, a general rule holds that the words of a less famous individual are often attributed to a more renowned figure. Following this principle, it is unsurprising that the sayings of Shah B. Shoja’of Kermani were attributed to Dhu 'l-Nun al-Misri, who enjoyed greater fame than Shah Kermani.
The extraordinary volume of the book Hilyat al-Awliya' and the sayings of the Dhu 'l-Nun al-Misri in it:
The book ‘Hilyat al-Awliya’’ is highly detailed. Naturally, in such a comprehensive work, the likelihood of errors increases proportionally with its volume.
Conversely, the number of sayings attributed to Dhu 'l-Nun al-Misri exceeds that of other individuals. Specifically, the quantity of Dhu 'l-Nun al-Misri’s sayings in this book is three to four times greater than those of other prominent sheiks. This leads to the assumption that perhaps some of Dhu 'l-Nun al-Misri’s sayings have become intertwined with those of other esteemed figures.
Attribution of Shah b. Shoja’of Kermani's words to toAbūSaʿīdAbū'l-Khayr:
In some sources, a saying attributed to Abu Saeed Abul Khair has been quoted, which is a saying of Shah Kermani. ShafieiKadkani addresses this matter, stating, ‘Certainly, it is not Busa’id’s statement, but rather he serves as the narrator of another statement.’ Al-Sulami, following the account of his grandfather Shah, narrated this speech.
Based on the available information, there is no doubt regarding the attribution of this saying to Shah Kermani. It appears that this particular utterance by the Shah was originally spoken by Sheikh Busa’id, and subsequently, his disciples and admirers recorded and attributed it to Sheikh Busa’id.
Attribution of Shah's speech to BāyazīdBisṭāmī:
The saying mentioned in the previous paragraph, attributed to Abu Saeed Abu Al-Khair, has been quoted in three closely related ways in Kitab Al-Nur and attributed to Bayezid Bastami. Al-Sulami, following the account from his grandfather Shah, brought forth this word of the king. Based on our earlier discussion regarding the validity of sayings transmitted through Al-Sulami, the attribution of this saying to Shah Kermani is better documented than its attribution to Bayezid.
Attribution of Shah's speech to Abu Osman Heiri:
In the Qashiriyyah treatise, a saying attributed to Shah Kermani is also associated with Abu Othman Heiri. Khawaja Ali Sirjani quoted this saying, attributing it to Shah. Based on our earlier discussion regarding the authenticity of Shah’s sayings through Khwaja Ali Sirjani, citing this saying to Shah Kermani is more reliable.
Conclusion
According to the arguments mentioned above, twelve verses of ShahKermani’s sayings that were attributed toDhu 'l-Nun al-Misri, AbūSaʿīdAbū'l-Khayr, BāyazīdBisṭāmī and to Abu Osman Heiri,in fact, are verses of Shah Kermani.
Key words: Shah b. ShojaKermani,Dhu 'l-Nun al-Misri,Abu Yazid al-Bastami,Abu 'Uthman al-Hri,Abu Sa'id-i Abu al-Hayr, Attribution of words
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