Make A Shield From Wisdom by Schimmel

Author:Schimmel [Schimmel]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Tags: Social Science, Anthropology, General, Ethnic Studies, Regional Studies
ISBN: 9781136157080
Google: ShkpDnuMv24C
Publisher: Routledge
Published: 2012-11-12T03:41:08+00:00

But how to describe the One God whom the poet-philosopher knows through His prophet and the imams?

In the Rawshanā’īnāma, Nāṣir begins his discourse with a tawḥīd, a poetical praise of God’s unity. This type of introduction became customary with the poets in the Persianate world who often used the tawḥīd elegantly to touch upon the actual theme of their epic poem. Nāṣir feels that God is too great to be comprehended by human efforts. Whatever one may say does not reach Him for He is truly without comparison and without likeness.

After stating this point, Nāṣir makes a highly interesting philosophical attempt to inform his readers how one may try to understand God. Is it not preposterous to claim that He has created the four elements and the seven spheres? He is much too sublime to do such work! Rather, one should say that He gave mankind intellect and nourishes it. Thus, for intelligent, understanding people the outward manifestations in this world are caused by the Universal Intellect, which is the first acting power created by God. It is the First Intellect and his activities that can be observed in the working of nature, in the growth and decomposition of organisms. It would be a pagan attitude to call the all-pervading spirit that makes things grow and move, a ‘deity’. God is beyond such attributions. What we perceive are only the acts that lead our reason to the One, Incomparable Creator who works through the First Intellect.

These ideas certainly did not make him popular with the orthodox theologians of Eastern Iran! But he speaks forcefully what he realized as true:

In the Creator’s name, the Pure, the Ruler,

He, higher far than intellect and thinking!

He is the First, He is the Last for ever;

no one is prior to Him, none is later.

His Essence, an abyss, confuses reason –

know Him as free from stars and from directions.

How could one see Him with the body’s eye?

The soul’s eye only sees the Soul of souls!

His nest lies far behind ‘There-where-no-place’ is –

What can I say? It’s always much too lowly!

His attributes, His Essence are primordial.

To understand that is a mighty journey!

How could one travel there with human feet?

How to arrive there on this earthly steed?

My reason hid its head due to its weakness:

‘How could I dare that, don’t dare to pronounce it –

I am too small to utter such a word!’

The tongue can not express His Unity –

He is too great, beyond comparison!

I don’t say: ‘He created Four and Seven.’

I say: ‘He nourishes the intellect.’

Do sun and moon and spheres have any value?

You cannot attribute these things to Him!

Why do you say that He created rubies

and gold and jewels out of clay and water?

You say: ‘He brings the flowers forth from dust!’

It is not fitting to describe Him thus!

The vegetative spirit does this work

by planting roses, box-trees, cypresses!

Know: Soul and reason are from God – what’s silver?

What’s gold? Don’t worship forms! What’s head and foot?

You also say: ‘It is alone from semen

that He made here appear

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