A mad b. Ā im ḥ ʿ ṣ al-An ākī(917 words) ṭA mad b. Ā im ḥ ʿ ṣ al-An ākīṭ (d. between 220/835 and 239/853) was a Syrian mystic, who is credited with several works on mystical psychology and introspection. His nisba indicates that he had his roots in Antioch; we know little else about his background. He associated himself with the foremost Syrian ascetic and mystic of the age, Abū Sulaymān al-Dārānī (d. 215/830), as a companion or, more likely, asa disciple. He is said to have met another celebrated ascetic and moralist of Samarqandī origin, Fu ayl ḍb. Iyā (d. 187/803), and the early ūfī theorist of Baghdad, ʿ ḍ Ṣ al- ārith Ḥ al-Mu āsibīḥ (d. 243/857). Although some later sources (e.g., al-Hujwīrī, d. between 465/1072 and 469/1077) describe him as al-

ārith Ḥ al-Mu āsibī's disciple, ḥ al-An ākī was older than ṭ al- ārith and was probably his teacher. In any Ḥevent, the ideas of these mystics are so similar that some writings on ūfī psychology were attributed toṢboth of them. Two of these works, Dawā dā ʾ ʾ al-qulūb (“The cure of hearts' ailments/diseases”) and Kitāb al-shubuhāt (“The book of things that arouse doubts/suspicions” or “The book of [morally] dubious things”) appear to have been lost. The third, Kitāb al-khalwa (“Book of [spiritual] retreat”), is ascribed to al-Mu āsibīḥ in the only manuscript copy that has come down to us, but some indirect evidence suggests that it was composed by al-An ākī. The authorship of all three writings remains in ṭdoubt.

The written works of al-Mu āsibīḥ and the dicta and poetry of al-An ākī transmitted by early ūfī ṭ Ṣbiographers are similar in their overriding emphasis on the self-scrutiny and introspection that are incumbent on every divine gnostic (al- ārif bi-llāh)ʿ who seeks to achieve absolute sincerity before Godand certain knowledge (al-yaqīn) of his providence. Self-scrutiny and introspection are dictated by the believer's fear of the slightest disobedience of a command of God. Fear compels the believer to engage constantly in the struggle against the promptings of his sinful soul (mujāhadat al-nafs). This spiritual warfare is, according to al-An ākī, more praiseworthy than the ordinary ṭ jihād, against an external enemy. Another prominent theme of al-An ākī's (and ṭ al-Mu āsibī's) teaching is disdain for this world ḥand for the company of men. They advised their followers to withdraw from both and to meditate on their shortfalls and imperfections, as well as on the events of Judgement Day and the Hereafter.

These ascetics are described by al-An ākī as “possessors of reason” ṭ (al- uqalāʿ ʾ, or ulū l-albāb), “those who see and ponder” (al-mustab irūn ṣ al-mutafakkirūn), “gnostics” (al- ārifūn)ʿ , “bearers of (religious) science (al- ilm)ʿ and the Qur ān,” and “proponents of wisdom” ʾ (du āt ʿ al- ikma)ḥ . In a world in which Islam has become again the strange notion that it was when it was first revealed and in which Islam has“faded like a worn garment,” (al-I bahānī, ṣ ilyatḤ , 9:296 and 286) such people are few. The world is dominated by “the people of the lowest and basest sort” (al-ra ā )ʿ ʿ , whom al-An ākī labels as “hastily ṭsnatching wolves, ravenous beasts, and sneaking foxes.” Paradoxically, al-An ākī declares the need-ṭridden (poor) ascetics to be the true kings of creation, for, in his view, “The king is not he who blindly follows his (base) desires and seeks the possessions of this world. The (true) king is he who controls his(base) desires and who despises worldly possessions.” The true believer should thus forget this life and instead think always of the life to come, in order to prepare himself for it. Al-An ākī claims that his ṭknowledge is inspired by God (bi-ilhām min Allāh). He viewed it as the fruit of his arduous struggle

against his ego and his striving to obtain God's pleasure by analysing his every act and thought. All these ideas were typical of the ascetic and mystical teachings of his time. Al-An ākī's insistence on ṭmeticulous self-scrutiny and introspection and his profound understanding of human psychology earned him the nickname Jāsūs al-Qulūb (“The Spy of Hearts”), first given to him by Abū Sulaymān al-Dārānī. His ideas were brought to fruition in the teachings of al-Mu āsibīḥ , whose affinity with and possible indebtedness to al-An ākī have already been noted. ṭ Al-An ākī's dicta were initially transmitted ṭby the ascetics and mystics of Syria who were in the circle of Abū Sulaymān al-Dārānī, especially his foremost disciple A mad b. Abī l- awārī (d. 230/845 or 244/860). They later became an integral part ḥ Ḥof the Iraqi ūfī tradition, the canon of which was established in the two centuries after Ṣ al-An ākī's ṭdeath.

Alexander D. Knysh

BibliographyAbū Nu aym ʿ al-I fahānī, ṣ ilyat Ḥ al-awliyāʾ, 10 vols. (Beirut 1967), 9:280–97

Abū Nu aym ʿ al-I fahānī, ṣ Tahdhīb ilyat ḥ al-awliyāʾ, ed. āli A mad Ṣ ḥ ḥ al-Shāmī (Beirut 1998), 3:199–213

van Ess, TG 1:146–7

Alī ʿ al-Hujwīrī, The Kashf al-ma jūbḥ , trans. Reynold A. Nicholson (Leiden and London 1911), 127

Alexander Knysh, Islamic mysticism. A short history (Leiden 2000), 36–9

Louis Massignon, Essay on the origins of the technical language of Islamic mysticism, trans. from the French by Benjamin Clark (Notre Dame IN 1997), 154–8

al-Mu āsibīḥ (attrib. al-An ākī), ṭ Kitāb al-khalwa wa-l-tanaqqul fī l- ibāda wa-darajāt ʿ al- ābidīnʿ (Le livre de l'esseulement et de la montée), ed. by Ighnā iyūs Abdu Khalīfa, Beirut 1955ṭ ʿ

al-Qushayrī, al-Risāla al-qushayriyya, ed. Abd ʿ al- alīm Ma mūd and Ma mūd b. Ḥ ḥ ḥ al-Sharīf (Cairo 1966), 1:100

Margaret Smith, An early mystic of Baghdad. A study of the life and teaching of Hārith b. Asad al-Mu āsibīḥ A.D. 781–857, London 1935

al-Sulamī, abaqāt Ṭ al- ūfiyyaṣ , ed. Johannes Pedersen (Leiden 1960), 227–30.

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Knysh, Alexander D.. "A mad b. Ā im al-An ākī." Encyclopaedia of Islam, THREE. Edited by: Kate ḥ ʿ ṣ ṭFleet, Gudrun Krämer, Denis Matringe, John Nawas, Everett Rowson. Brill Online, 2015. Reference. EMORY UNIVERSITY. 19 March 2015 <http://referenceworks.brillonline.com.proxy.library.emory.edu/entries/encyclopaedia-of-islam-3/ah-mad-b-a-s-im-al-ant-a-ki-COM_23457> First appeared online: 2010

al-An ākī(720 words) ṭArticle Table of Contents

1. Works 2. Bibliography

al-An ākīṭ , Abū Abd Allāh (or Abū Alī) A mad b. Ā im, was a famous mystic of the 2nd/8th and ʿ ʿ ḥ ʿ ṣ3rd/9th centuries. While the exact date and place of his birth are not known, both his nisba and the fact that he was said to be from the frontier lands (thughūr) suggest that he was born in Antioch; he also spent some time in Damascus (Ibn ibbān, 8/20; An ārī, 123; Ibn Ḥ ṣ al- Adīm, 2/848; see Yāqūt, 2/79–80;ʿIbn Man ūr, 3/127; ẓ al-Dhahabī, Ta rīkhʾ , 43; see also Ibn Abī ātim, 1(1)/66). Ḥ Al-An ākī became ṭproficient in the standard disciplines of the time, but was to be best known for his attachment to ascetic practices and his mastery of practical and theoretical mysticism (see e.g. Abū Nu aym, 9/280–289; ʿ al-Hujwīrī, 159; Ibn Kathīr, 10/318; also A ār, 410); his acute awareness and penetrating discernment ʿ ṭṭearned him the sobriquet ‘spy of hearts’ (jāsūs al-qulūb) (al-Qushayrī, 19; A ār, 410; Ibn ʿ ṭṭ al- Adīm, ʿ2/848).

A mad ḥ al-An ākī was a companion of the leading Sufis and ascetics of his day, including Bishr ṭ al- āfī Ḥ(d. 277/890), Sarī al-Saqa ī (d. 283/867), and perhaps ¶ ṭ al-Fu ayl b. Iyā (d. 187/803) (ḍ ʿ ḍ al-Sulamī, 127; al-Qushayrī, 19; al-Hujwīrī, 159). According to Jāmī (p. 91), he was a disciple of al- ārith Ḥ al-Mu āsibīḥ (d. 243/857).

His own disciples included A mad b. Abī ḥ al- awārī, the well-known 2nd–3rd/8th–9th century Syrian Ḥmystic, who transmitted many of his master’s teachings (e.g. see al-Sulamī, 129; Abū Nu aym, 9/281, ʿ282, 293, 295–296; al-Bayhaqī, 199, 358; al-Qushayrī, 90, 155). Al-An ākī was also a scholar of ṭadīthḥ , having heard adīthḥ s from the traditionists of Baghdad and Damascus; and others transmitted

them from him (see e.g. Ibn Abī ātim, 1(1)/66; Ibn ibbān, 8/20; Ibn Ḥ Ḥ al- Adīm, 2/848; ʿ al-Dhahabī, Ta rīkhʾ , 43; idem, Siyar, 11/409).

Some authorities propose the year 215/830 as his date of death (Massignon, Essai, 223; Brockelmann, SI/351; Sezgin, 1/638), Ibn Kathīr, however, suggests a date closer to 239/854 (10/318–319), and al-Dhahabī also thinks it probable that he lived until at least 230/845 (Siyar, 11/409, 10/488).

From sayings ascribed to al-An ākī we know that his teachings dealt with many fundamental mystical ṭand ethical concepts, including gnosis (ma rifaʿ ), poverty (faqr), endurance ( abrṣ ), honesty ( idqṣ ), certainty (yaqīn), fear (khawf), and hope (rajāʾ ) (see e.g. al-Sulamī, 127–130; Abū Nu aym, 9/280–ʿ296; Ibn al-Jawzī, 4/277–279; Ibn Man ūr, 3/127–129).ẓ

Works None of al-An ākī’s works are extant as such; most of his teachings are preserved in the form of ṭquotations in biographical dictionaries and Sufi texts. His teachings have a special importance in that they date from the earliest phase of asceticism and Sufism in Islam. Massignon believes that his

writings preceded those of al-Mu āsibīḥ and that the latter drew upon al-An ākī’s works in his own. Theṭfollowing writings are attributed to al-An ākī.¶ ṭ

1. al-Mu āmalātʿ , on Sufism, which was said to contain penetrating insights (al-Kalābādhī, 32; Massignon, Recueil, 12).

2. al-Shubuhāt (Massignon, Essai, 172 n. 6; Brockelmann, SI/351).

3. Dawā dā ʾ ʾ al-qulūb wa ma rifat himam ʿ al-nafs wa ādābihā (Massignon, Essai, 153; Brockelmann, SI/351; Sezgin, 1/638).

Al-An ākī also composed poetry, some of which is still extant (Abū Nu aym, 9/296–297; Ibn ṭ ʿ al- Adīm, ʿ2/852; Ibn Man ūr, 3/130; Ibn Kathīr, 10/318).ẓ

• Mohammad Javad Shams

• Tr. Matthew Melvin-Koushki

BibliographyAbū Nu aym ʿ al-I fahānī, A mad, ṣ ḥ ilyat Ḥ al-awliyāʾ (Beirut, 1387/1967)

An ārī, Abd Allāh, ṣ ʿ abaqāt Ṭ al- ūfiyyaṢ , ed. Mu ammad Sarwar Mawlā ī (Tehran, 1362 Sh./1983)ḥ ʾ

A ār Nīsābūrī, Farīd ʿ ṭṭ al-Dīn, Tadhkirat al-awliyāʾ, ed. Mu ammad Isti lāmī (Tehran, 1366 Sh./1987)ḥ ʿ

al-Bayhaqī, A mad, ḥ Kitāb al-zuhd al-kabīr, ed. Āmir A mad aydar (Beirut, 1408/1987)ʿ ḥ Ḥ

Brockelmann, SI

al-Dhahabī, Mu ammad, ḥ Ta rīkh ʾ al-Islām, ed. Umar Abd ʿ ʿ al-Salām Tadmurī (Beirut, 1412/1991)

idem, Siyar a lām ʿ al-nubalāʾ, ed. Shu ayb ʿ al-Arna ū et ʾ ṭ al. (Beirut 1406/1986)

al-Hujwīrī, Alī, ʿ Kashf al-ma jūbḥ , ed. V. Zhukovskiçı (Leningrad, 1924

repr. Tehran, 1358 Sh./1979)

Ibn Abī ātim, Abd Ḥ ʿ al-Ra mān, ḥ al-Jar wa ḥ al-ta dīlʿ (Hyderabad, 1371/1952)

Ibn al- Adīm, Umar, ʿ ʿ Bughyat al- alab fī ta rīkh alabṭ ʾ Ḥ , ed. Suhayl Zakkār (Damascus, 1408/1988)

Ibn ibbān, Mu ammad, Ḥ ḥ al-Thiqāt (Hyderabad, 1402/1982)

Ibn al-Jawzī, Abd ʿ al-Ra mān, ḥ ifat Ṣ al- afwaṣ , ed. Ma mūd Fākhūrī (Beirut, 1406/1986)ḥ

Ibn Kathīr, al-Bidāya

Ibn Man ūr, Mu ammad, ẓ ḥ Mukhta ar Ta rīkh Dimashq li-Ibn Asākirṣ ʾ ʿ , ed. Riyā Abd ḍ ʿ al- amīd Murād Ḥ(Damascus, 1404/1984)

Jāmī, Abd ʿ al-Ra mān, ḥ Nafa āt ḥ al-uns, ed. Ma mūd Ābidī (Tehran, 1370 Sh./1991)ḥ ʿ

al-Kalābādhī, Mu ammad, ḥ al-Ta arruf li-madhhab ahl ʿ al-ta awwufṣ , ed. Mu ammad Jawād Sharī at ḥ ʿ(Tehran, 1371 Sh./1992)

Massignon, Louis, Essai sur les origines du lexique technique de la mystique musulmane (Paris, 1968)

idem, Recueil de textes inédits (Paris, 1929)

al-Qushayrī, Abd ʿ al-Karīm, al-Risāla al-Qushayriyya (Cairo, 1359/1940)

Sezgin, GAS

al-Sulamī, Mu ammad, ḥ abaqāt Ṭ al- ūfiyyaṢ , ed. J. Pedersen (Leiden, 1960)

Yāqūt, Buldān.

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Shams, Mohammad Javad; Melvin-Koushki, Matthew. "al-An ākī." Encyclopaedia Islamica. Editors-ṭin-Chief: Wilferd Madelung and, Farhad Daftary. Brill Online, 2015. Reference. EMORY UNIVERSITY. 19 March 2015 <http://referenceworks.brillonline.com.proxy.library.emory.edu/entries/encyclopaedia-islamica/al-ant-a-ki-COM_0284> First appeared online: 2008