the išrāqi revival of al-suhrawardi

The Išrāqi Revival of al-SuhrawardiAuthor(s): Edward J. JurjiSource: Journal of the American Oriental Society, Vol. 60, No. 1 (Mar., 1940), pp. 90-94Published by: American Oriental SocietyStable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/594566 .

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THE ISRAQI REVIVAL OF AL-SURRAWARDI

EDWARD J. JURJI PRiNoEcrON THJ:OLOGICAi SEMINARY

AB1J-AL-FUTfYH YAHYA 1 AL-SUHRAWARDI was born at Suhra- ward near Sultdnlyah, in the Persian area of Jibal, about 1154. Having lived and studied at Mardghah, Isfahdn, and Baghdad he moved on to Aleppo during the reign of al-Zdhir 2 in whose favor lie remained till the year 1191, when incensed by the orthodox party the ruler at the advice of Saldh-al-Din (Saladin) sanctioned the execution of al-Suhrawardi.3 Thus ended prematurely the life of a stalwart mystic of Islam and an extraordinary exponent of Sufi Illumination. His biographers, because of one form of prejudice or another, say of him that "his learning was greater than his wisdom." 4 They levelled at him the accusation of disbelief and allegiance to Greek philosophy. Hence the doctors of jurisprudence (al-fuqahX) decided that his life be terminated, his bitterest critics having been Zayn-al-Din and Majd-al-Din, the sons of Juhayl.5

Abu-al-Fut-dh al-Suhrawardi revived the interest of the East in both the illuminative life and illuminative mysticism. He initiated the so-called hikmat al-isrdq " wisdom of illumination " and his followers gained the sobriquet of Israqiyun (Illuminatics). The most characteristic feature of the isrdqi theory is the metaphysics of illumination.6 It is the Neo-Platonic theory of light, a spiritual light which serves as a symbol of emanation but at the same time is regarded as the fundamental reality of all things. Arab philos-

Or Ahmad, ibn-H.abash ibn-Amirak Shihab-al-Din. 2 A. D. 1186-1216; the son of $aldh-al-Din, and viceroy of Aleppo. 3 See Bah&'-al-Din ibn-Shaddad, Kitab Sirat $aldh-al-Din, Cairo, A. H.

1317, p. 302; the popular name al-Shaykh al-MaqtNl, the murdered shaykh,

is applied to al-Suhrawardi in opposition to shahid, martyr.

' Ibn-Khallikan III 257. 6 Baha'-al-Din, op. cit. 303. 6'On the metaphysics of light see Clemens Baeumker, "Witelo, ein Phi-

losoph und Naturforscher des xiii Jahrhunderts," in Beitrage zur Geschichte

der Philosophie des Mittelalters (Minster, 1908) 357 ff.

90



The " Traqi " Revival of al-Suhrawardi 91

ophers, like al-Fdrdbi, ibn-Sina 7 and al-Ghazzdli, betray the same theory, but al-Suhrawardi makes greater use of the symbol. Neces- sity and contingency, being and non-being, substance and accident, cause and effect, thought and sensation, body and soul, are all explained by the doctrine of is'raq.8 Through the symbol of is'rdq, proof is found for living, moving and being-all are light,9 even the very existence of God is light.10

Like ibn-Sina he was a Peripatetic.1" Yet unlike him, al- Suhra- wardi accepted all the mystic philosophy which Islam obtained from Hellenistic syncretism-the Neo-Platonic doctrine, Hermetic theories, occult sciences, gnostic traditions, Neo-Pythagorean ele- ments. That all religions express one single truth was strongly upheld by him as well as by his followers; also by ibn- Arabi who came on the scene in the subsequent century. Agathodaemon, Hermes,12 the five greatest Greek philosophers-Empedocles, Pytha- goras, Socrates, Plato, and Aristotle-Jamasp and Buzurjumhur were the masters in this philosophic movement.

In their study of illumination, which is one of the most interesting in the history of Neo-Platonism, the Isrdqis used a special nomen- clature based on the use of metaphoric terms. " Light-darkness " thus symbolized the highest and the lowest in the realm of the metaphysical, that is, spirit and matter, good and evil.13 The superior intellects issue from God and are called "lights." God himself is the " Light of lights." The diffusion of this ideal light from its primary source illumines the world of darkness. Plotinus 14

7 See his Rasd'il al-Hikmah al-Mashriqiyah, ed. M. A. F. Mahren (Leyden, 1889); cf. C. A. Naillino, in Rivista degli Studi Orientali, 10 (1923-25) 433- 467, where evidence is deduced to point out that ibn-Slna wrote a work on "eastern philosophy" (4ikmah magriqiyah) not illuminative philosophy.

8 H. Corbin and P. Kraus, " Suhrawardi d'Alep," in Journal Asiatique 227 (Paris, 1935) 2-4.

9 Cf. Max Horten, Die Philosophie der Erleuchtung nach Suhrawardi (Halle, 1912) 48-61.

10 Cf. Muijammad lqbdl, The Development of Metaphysics in Persia (London, 1808) 121 ff.

11 In Arabic the school is called al-Macdi'u7n. 12 Alfred von Kremer, Geschichte der herrschenden Ideen (Leipzig, 1868)

93. 13 In Oriental traditions the dualism of MAni was characterised, precisely,

by this opposition of light and darkness. 14 Died in 270.



92 Edward J. Jurji

had already called this diffusion " irradiation " which corresponds - 15 to the Arabic word Usraq.5

But few Arab writers made a record of Isrdq doctrines. Al- Suhrawardi was soon followed by Fakhr-al-Din al-Rdzi 16 among whose numerous works, which include a voluminous commentary on the Koran, is a book allegedly on illumination, Kitab al-Mabahit al- Mascriqiyah " Book of Illuminative Studies." Yet neither this nor the other scanty writings in this israqi field ever eclipsed the im- pression left by al-Suhrawardi.

Al-Suhrawardi's 17 chief work, Kitab IiEkmat al-I rdq "The Book of Illuministic Wisdom" completed in 1186 was chiefly an attack on Peripatetic philosophy. Manuscript copies of this work are extant in Istanbuil, Vienna, London and Leyden. Of his other books, Hayakil al-Nfir " Temples of Light" is the best known but does not measure up to the former in originality. He also wrote Kittb al-Talwihat "Elucidations," al-Madar, w-al-Mutarahat " Crosswords and Conversations," and al-Lamahat fi-al-Haqa'iq " Glimpses of the Truth." 18

In HIikmat al-Thraq he declares that his philosophy is the same as that of the ancient sages of Greece, Egypt, and Persia, who, he think, expressed metaphorically the same doctrine. He advances a mystical theory of the Imam which leaves little doubt in one's mind as to why he was sentenced to death.19 His statements on the science of light represent what he calls " the teaching of God, the

15 In this paper, however, "illumination" is used as the equivalent of

idragq. "'Died 606/1209. 17 Two other figures carried the same name. First, Aihab-al-DTn al Suhra-

wardi (539/1144-632/1234), descendant of abu-Bakr and companion of the celebrated ascetic 'abd-al-Qadir al-JIlAni whose chief work is 'Awdrif.

al-Ma'drif. Second, ]DiyA'-al-D1n al-Suhrawardi (490/1096-563/1167-8), the

uncle of the present Sufi who also was a celebrated ascetic. He taught at the Nizamiyah College in Baghdad ca. 545/1150/51. Biographical notices of

these two Suhrawardis, who were orthodox Sufis, are more abundant than

those relating to al-Maqtul. 18 See Otto Spies and S. K. Khattak, Three Treatises on Mysticism (Stutt-

gart, 1935) in which three risdlahs of al-Suhrawardi, composed in Persian, are edited and translated into English; on this work, to which is appended

a biography of al-Maqtil as well as a list of his writings, see the present writer's review in JAO 56. 516-17.

19Von Kremer, op. cit. 92.



The " Israqi " Revival of al-Suhrawardi 93

Almighty." The same had also been "' the sentiment of Plato, the chief of philosophy and possessor of force and light (al-'ayd w-al- nuir)." Similarily did those believe who foreshadowed Plato, such as Hermes, father of the sages, and other pillars of wisdom like Empedocles and Pythagoras. "The words of the ancients are symbolic." 20 On the illuminative theory of light and darkness, as a foundation, the sages of Persia such as Jdmasp,21 Farshawashtar 22

and Buzurjumhur 23 (or Buzurgmihr) laid their emphasis. Al-Suhrawardi uses a kind of Platonic induction whereby the

lowest possible may be used to reach the highest possible, that is, a process that leads from this world to another of which this is only a mere reflection. He often confuses Plato with Plotinus,24 for all his doctrine seems to be in common with the latter rather than with the former. He criticizes the Peripatetics, even though he borrows some of their objections to the theory of ideas. At this point he proceeds to elaborate his own theory of illumination which he attempts to associate with the views of the old sages. This is one of the most interesting episodes in the whole process of Arabic philosophic literature.

Al-Suhrawardi taught that the pure governing lights 25 that are in man prove to us the existence of light. The victorious light 26 is

nobler than the governing light, since it is more removed from dependence on darkness. These lights are outside of the pale of the world of contingencies,27 and nothing can prevent them from that which is consistent with their perfection. All phases of darkness are shadows of the phases of ideas.28 Through ascetic exercises one

20 Carra De Vaux, "La Philosophie Illuminative d'apres Suhrawerdi Meqtoul," in Journal Asiatique, ser. 9 tome 19 (Paris, 1902) 69.

21 A companion of Zoroaster. 22 Brother of Jdmasp and father-in-law of Zoroaster according to the

Zend-Avesta, tr. James Darmesteter (Paris, 1892) I 336. 23 Ideal vizir of An-dshirwan the Great. Many sayings and singular

proverbs are ascribed to him. He died at an advanced age during the reign of Hormuz, son of An-ashirwdn, A. D. 580 or 590. See Theodor Nb5ldeke, Geschichte der Perser und Araber aur Zeit der Sasaniden (Leyden, 1879), 251.

24 See reference to Plotinus above. 25 al-anudr al-mujarradah al-mudabbirah, that is, "the spirits." 26 an-nfir al-qdhir, these are celestial intelligences. '27 tdlam al-ittifdqdt. 28 jami' al-hay'dt al-gulmdnwyah zildl li-al-hay'4t al-'dqilah, see Carra de

Vaux, op. cit. 77.



94 Edward J. Jurji

comes to perceive the world of might29 and the royal essences,80 the lights once witnessed by Hermes and Plato, the clarity of ideas,3' sources of thirst and sight about which Zoroaster spoke. Al- barzah 32 stands for an obscure substance which in israq means the human body 33 which is thought of as a barrier because it stands in the way of light. The dualism of this system, therefore, is not between light and darkness for darkness is nothing; rather is it between luminous matter and things obscure.

If we must trace israq to Neo-Platonism, we should remember the Oriental character of the latter,34 which is apparent in the terminology,35 in the dualism of light and darkness and in the metaphors drawn from astral worship. The parentage of Illumina- tion is twofold, Greek and Persian: Plotinus 36 and Mdni.3

29 'dlam al-jabarilt. so al-dawdt al-muliikiyah. 31 al-adIwd' al-ma'nawiyah. 32 Cf. von Kremer 95; Koran 23: 102; 55: 20, where it means "barrier,

transition, interval "; ibn-'Arabi is sometimes called Barzah al-Barazih.

s Carra de Vaux, op. cit. 85. 34 Ibid. 89. 35 Interesting from this point of view are the following New Testament

references to light: John 1: 4; 10: 10; 11: 25; 14: 6; Acts 3: 15; Romans

6: 4; II Corinthians 4: 12; Philemon 4: 3 etc. 86 Cf. W. R. Inge, The Philosophy of Plotinus (London, 1918), I 113-21.

7 Cf. A. V. Williams Jackson, Zoroastrian Studies (New York, 1928),

174-5, 187-93.



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