Islam Beyond the Violent Jihadis by Ziauddin Sardar

Author:Ziauddin Sardar [Ziauddin Sardar]
Language: eng
Format: epub
ISBN: 9781785900082
Publisher: Biteback Publishing
Published: 2016-01-15T00:00:00+00:00

In pushing the boundaries of free thought, the mystics were not far behind the poets and philosophers. The most noted mystic of the Abbasid period is Mansur al-Hallaj (858–922). A giant of Sufism, he is regarded as a great spiritual poet. He had utter contempt for authority, disliked the norms and values of orthodox society, and immersed himself perpetually in the love of God. He preferred to preach to the poor in the suburbs of Baghdad, as well as to nomads, robbers, bandits and criminals. Al-Hallaj, who produced highly sophisticated theological and literary works, saw God everywhere and invoked Him constantly, eventually to fatal effect. His most famous public utterance is: ‘Ana al-Haqq’ (‘I am the Truth’), and in one of his mystical poems, delivered in public, he comes face to face with God: Not surprising, the orthodox and pious folks found this a bit shocking. He was accused of heresy, and after a long investigation and drawn-out trial, al-Hallaj was executed. An elaborate mythology has developed around both his trial and his subsequent execution.24

I saw my Lord with the eye of the heart

I asked, ‘Who are You?’

He replied, ‘You.’

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