罢丑别听Bayan al-sa’ada fi maqamat al-‘ibada听is a Qur’anic commentary (tafsir) by the Sufi master Sult腻n 士Al墨 Sh腻h (d. 1909), which represents a synthesis between Twelver Shi’ism and听Sufism.
In the first detailed study of this work in English, Alessandro Cancian explores the intellectual contexts of Iranian Shi’ism and听Sufism听and introduces the author and the text.
We sat down with Alessandro and asked him about his subject, his motivation to study the text and its relevance today.
We also link to a teaser video featuring Alessandro as well as Dr Omar Al铆-de-Unzaga of 鸟大大影院 and Professor Sajjad Rizvi from the University of Exeter.
Could you tell us a little about Sult腻n 鈥楢l墨 Sh腻h Gun腻b腻d墨: who was he and why is this work significant?
Sult腻n 士Al墨 Sh腻h was a rather interesting personality, though very little known, and I explain why in the book. In some religious circles there was an anti-Sufi prejudice that until very recent times prevented him from being as renowned as he deserves. In the intellectually and religiously vibrant time that was nineteenth-century Iran, he was able to accomplish a phenomenal synthesis between many streams of the intellectual history of Islam: classical听Sufism, Akbarian metaphysics and Twelver Shi鈥榠 doctrine. In a way, these are typical features of the Qajar intellectual milieu. But it is Sult腻n 士Al墨 Sh腻h who best brought them to fruition in a coherent system within the framework of an organised Sufi order.
What inspired you to write this book?
Perhaps the question would be better framed as 鈥淲ho inspired you?鈥. More than two decades ago, a friend and colleague, a living member of the Gun腻b腻d墨 Sufi order, presented me with a copy of the commentary (Bay腻n al-sa士腻da f墨 maq腻m腻t al-士ib腻da)听that became the subject of my study, encouraging me to work on it. At the time, I was working on religious higher education in Shi鈥榠 Islam, and I put aside the commentary for a while, reading parts of it from time to time and starting to intuit its potential. When I came to the 鸟大大影院, I was further encouraged to work on it by Omar Al铆-de-Unzaga, the Head of the Qur鈥檃nic Studies Unit. I made it my main line of research and it finally became a monograph.
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Why was Sult腻n 鈥楢l墨 Sh腻h’s Qur’an commentary so little known to date?
Sult腻n 士Al墨 Sh腻h inherited the charisma of the first generation of masters; adding to that, a formal scholarly education and a philosophical pedigree enabled him to potentially appeal to a wider, and more influential, audience. However, the听Bay腻n听was the summa of his erudition and spiritual insight and, as such, it was met with scepticism, ostracism and even an accusation of plagiarism. It became somehow taboo among scholars and exegetes, often read and looted, but rarely openly acknowledged.
The commentary and its author were also subject to anti-Sufi prejudice 鈥 sentiments that were common among certain exoteric-minded Twelver Shi鈥榠 circles and have a long history. When the Ni士matull腻h墨 masters returned to Persia from India in the late-eighteenth century, they were perceived as competitors in authority by some religious leaders, whose symbiosis with the court, since the Safavid times, meant prestige, wealth and influence. Among the reasons for the recrudescence of anti-Sufi sentiment at the turn of the eighteenth to nineteenth century, which often resulted in violence and persecution, was probably the fear of losing that clout at the hands of the popularity of the charismatic masters of the Ni士matull腻hiyya.
How are听Sufism听and Shi鈥榠 Islam connected and how does this text throw light onto the development of Shi鈥檌 Sufism?
The history of the relationship between听Sufism听and Shi鈥榠 Islam is a complex and to some extent vexed one, and coming 听up with a definitive answer would be problematic, and perhaps not even desirable. Yet the number of studies tackling various aspects of the relations between Shi鈥榠 Muslims, including IsmailisAdherents of a branch of Shi’i Islam that considers Ismail, the eldest son of the Shi’i Imam Ja士far al-峁⒛錮iq (d. 765), as his successor., and Sufis, show how crucial this subject is to the intellectual history of the Muslim world and of Shi鈥榠 Islam especially. In my book, I have tried to show how the听Bay腻n听may be looked at as a sort of foundational act of a new phenomenon in the history of Islam: the emergence of a Twelver Shi鈥榠, organised Sufi order, fully encompassing both the classical tradition of听Sufism听and all the doctrinal pillars of Twelver听Shi鈥榠sm.
In what ways are the text and its author relevant to today鈥檚 Iran?
The Sufi order of which Sult腻n 士Al墨 Sh腻h Gun腻b腻d墨 听was eponymous 鈥 the Gun腻b腻diyya 鈥 is still alive and active in today鈥檚 Iran. It is probably the Sufi order in the country that has the most followers across the spectrum. From the working class to intellectuals, from the arts to the media, from the bazaar to the ruling class and the madrasa, openly or discreetly, members of the order are ubiquitous. It is an influential socio-religious community. The masters of the order command a huge amount of respect from the followers. While the order鈥檚 notables are not interested in politics as such, it is easy to understand how they can be frowned upon by parts of the state that hardly tolerate a competing authority. Therefore, everything related to the order and its intellectual life, in particular, such a powerful work as the听Bay腻n, can be relevant to the intellectual and religious life in Iran today.
How does your work fit into the activities of the Qur鈥檃nic Studies Unit and the Qur鈥檃nic Studies Series?听
Our unit is committed to showing and celebrating the plurality of approaches to the听Qur鈥檃n听through history and across a confessional spectrum and geographical breadth. My book taps into that aspect of the Qur鈥檃nic Studies Series, by analysing a neglected work and its approach to the听Qur鈥檃n. It is, in a way, the point of view of a minority within a minority.
What’s next on the topic?
There is a lot to do! A systematic study of the many other works of Sult腻n 士Al墨 Sh腻h awaits, as does the vast written corpus of the other masters of the order. The character of Sult腻n 士Al墨 Sh腻h鈥檚 son appears to be particularly promising. The interactions of the Gun腻b腻d墨s and the other branches of the Ni士matull腻hiyya with the Nizari Ismailis and with the 鈥楢lid communities of western Iran and other forms of Shi鈥榠 mysticism also look like fascinating avenues of enquiry. I would personally like to find the time and the opportunity to produce a visual companion to the study of Shi鈥榠听Sufism, possibly an ethnographic documentary on the existing communities and their reality in and outside Iran. On the historical dimension, parts of the history of the Ni士matull腻hiyya in its Indian period remain obscure. Some research in this area has been recently carried out, but there is an untapped wealth of manuscripts in public and private collections in the Deccan that should be unearthed and studied.
