Windows on the House of Islam: Muslim Sources on Spirituality and Religious Life - Softcover

Softcover

ISBN 10: 0520210867 ISBN 13: 9780520210868

Publisher: University of California Press, 1998

Synopsis

Over the centuries and across the globe, Muslim authors and artists have given moving testimony to their experience of being members of the Islamic community. Their many vantage points come together in this collection, one that represents major Islamic groups from the past through the present and covers a range of themes essential to understanding Islamic spirituality and religious life. More than thirty leading Islam scholars present translations originating from a dozen languages, including Arabic, Persian, Chinese, and Indonesian. Texts include samples of virtually every major literary form of significance to the Muslim faith: the Qur'an, hadith, scriptural commentary, letters, treatises, lyric and didactic poetry, hagiography, historical chronicle, aphorism, endowment deeds, and personal diary entries. In addition, over five dozen illustrations thematically document a full range of artistic forms and historical periods, from ritual objects and architecture to manuscripts of religious texts. This volume and its companion, John Renard's 1996 book, Seven Doors to Islam, are the only books available that integrate such a wide range of Islamic literary and visual forms. Together they offer a superb introduction to the primary religious sources as well as a general understanding of Islamic spirituality and culture.

About this title

About the Author

John Renard is Professor of Theological Studies at Saint Louis University. His previous books include All the King's Falcons: Rumi on Prophets and Revelation (1994) and Seven Doors to Islam: Spirituality and the Religious Life of Muslims (California, 1996).

From the Back Cover

"An anthology of primary source material on Islam and Islamic culture that is far superior in the breadth of its coverage than any other work currently available."―Ali Asani, Harvard University

"[An] important book. Renard's anthology brings together new or hard-to-find materials which showcase the spiritual values, institutions, and communities that are at the very heart of Muslim religious experience."―Daniel Brown, Mt. Holyoke College

From the Inside Flap

"An anthology of primary source material on Islam and Islamic culture that is far superior in the breadth of its coverage than any other work currently available." Ali Asani, Harvard University

"[An] important book. Renard's anthology brings together new or hard-to-find materials which showcase the spiritual values, institutions, and communities that are at the very heart of Muslim religious experience." Daniel Brown, Mt. Holyoke College

Excerpt. © Reprinted by permission. All rights reserved.

Windows on the House of Islam

Muslim Sources on SpiritualitBy John Renard

University of California Press

Copyright © 1998 John Renard
All right reserved.
ISBN: 9780520210868
Texts from the Qur'an

The Qur'an's 114 chapters (suras) offer a wide array of literary styles, lengths, tones, themes, and textures. Some of the earliest suras, dating from the first years of Muhammad's public ministry (610615), are only a few verses in lengthSura 112, for instance: "Say: He, God, is one; God is everlasting; he does not beget and he is not begotten, and there is none like him"; or Sura 110: "When the help of God and victory arrive, and you see humankind entering God's religion in throngs, then break forth with praise of your Lord and seek his forgiveness, for he is ever turning back [to forgive]." After the community left Mecca for Medina in 622, the qur'anic texts gradually shifted in style and tone from more poetic and exhortatory to more prosaic, and in content from pedagogical narrative and apocalyptic imagery to regulatory and practical instruction.

The two complete suras that follow represent the early and later Meccan periods; both are particularly suitable for recitation even in translation. Surat ar-Rahman (55), presented first, needs to be read aloud to be appreciated, while Surat Yusuf (12) offers an excellent opportunity for group dramatization. It is the only sura dedicated entirely to a single narrative, and Joseph is the only one of the prophets whose story the Qur'an tells without interruption.

Surat ar-Rahman, the Merciful
Anthony H. Johns

From the litany of divine blessings in this expansive paean one gets a vivid sense of the earliest Muslim teaching about the creator and sustainer of all, about this world as a theater of God's revelation, and about the ultimate consequences of faith and unbelief. Intensity builds with the insistent refrain.

1   The Merciful

2   He taught the Qur'an.

3   He created the human being.

4   He taught him speech.

5   Sun and Moon follow their courses.

6   Creeping plants and trees both bow before Him.

7   He has raised up the heavens and set the Scale of Justice

8   [so firmly] that you cannot play it false.

9   Apply this scale with justice;
you must not give short measure by this scale.

10   The earth God has set out for His creatures;

11   in it are fruits of every kind

12   and date palms packed with blossom,
unwinnowed grain and fragrant herbs

13   which then of your Lord's blessings can you deny?

14   He fashioned the human being like earthen ware from potter's clay;

15   He fashioned the jinn from fire with smokeless flame

16   which then of your Lord's blessings can you deny?

17   He is Lord of the furthest points of the sun's rising
and  its setting

18   which then of your Lord's blessings can you deny?

19   He has let the two great waters flow to a point of meeting,

20   yet between them rests a barrier they cannot breach

21   which then of your Lord's blessings can you deny?

22   From them come forth pearls and coral

23   which then of your Lord's blessings can you deny?

24   His are the ships on the sea with sails aloft like mountains

25   which then of your Lord's blessings can you deny?

26   Everything upon the earth is to perish,

27   yet the face of your Lord will remain
full of might and honor

28   which then of your Lord's blessings can you deny?

29   Everything in the heavens and on earth is supplicant to Him;
every day He is attentive [to them]

30   which then of your Lord's blessings can you deny?

31   We have ample time to deal with you,
you and your burdens

32   which then of your Lord's blessings can you deny?

33   You, company of jinn and humankind,
try, if you can, to enter the regions of heaven and earth,
try to enter them!

      Enter them you shall not other than with the power

      [We alone can give]

34   which then of your Lord's blessings can you deny?

35   Smokeless flame and flameless smoke will be hurled against you;
no help shall reach you

37   which then of your Lord's blessings can you deny?

38   Then when the heaven is sundered and glows rose like tanned hide

39   which then of your Lord's blessings can you deny?

40   on that day neither human creatures nor jinn need be questioned of
their sins

41   which then of your Lord's blessings can you deny?

42   Evildoers will be known by the marks they bear, then will they be seized by
their feet and forelocks.

43   which then of your Lord's blessings can you deny?

44   Here is the hell the evildoers denied.
They circle between it and scalding water

45   which then of your Lord's blessings can you deny?

46   But for one who fears his encounter before his Lord
there are two gardens

47   which then of your Lord's blessings can you deny?

48   in each of them boughs giving shade

49   which then of your Lord's blessings can you deny?

50   in each of them two flowing springs

51   which then of your Lord's blessings can you deny?

52   in each of them of every fruit two kinds

53   which then of your Lord's blessings can you deny?

54   as they recline on couches, lined with
thick textured silk,
and the fruit of both gardens at hand hanging low

55   which then of your Lord's blessings can you deny?

56   In them are maidens of modest gaze
neither man nor jinn having yet touched them

57   which then of your Lord's blessings can you deny?

58   their beauty like that of jacinth and coral

59   which then of your Lord's blessings can you deny?

60   Can goodness receive aught but goodness?

61   which then of your Lord's blessings can you deny?

62   And below them both are two other gardens

63   which then of your Lord's blessings can you deny?

64   both of deep green

65   which then of your Lord's blessings can you deny?

66   In each of them two springs abundantly flowing

67   which then of your Lord's blessings can you deny?

68   In them are fruit, with date palms and pomegranates

69   which then of your Lord's blessings can you deny?

70   In them are virtuous women beautiful of face

71   which then of your Lord's blessings can you deny?

72   clear black their eyes, set apart in pavilions

73   which then of your Lord's blessings can you deny?

74   no man nor jinn having yet touched them

75   which then of your Lord's blessings can you deny?

76   reclining on green cushions and rich carpets

77   which then of your Lord's blessings can you deny?

78   Blessed be the name of your Lord, full of grace and honor.

Writing Sacred Text

A number of exquisite calligraphic styles developed during the early centuries of Islamic history, largely for the purpose of writing the sacred word. Kufic script, named after the Iraqi city of Kufa, was the first important style. Its chief distinguishing mark is bold, thick letters with flat bottoms that do not descend much below the horizontal line; Kufic's low profile lends itself to a horizontal format. Figure 2 displays the text of Qur'an 2:111112. Noting that Christians and Jews assert that only they will be saved, the text picks up: "Say [to them]: Give proof if you are correct. On the contrary, anyone who surrenders wholly to God and does good will be rewarded in his Lord's presence, and no fear will beset them [and they will not grieve]." The small medallion in the middle of the page is a device used to indicate divisions in the text. Bold dots distinguish various otherwise similar consonants from each other. As later ilustrations will show, Kufic

Figure 2.
Ninth-century Qur'an page, possibly from Iraq. St. Louis:
St. Louis Art Museum, 32:1948.

script developed in a number of stylistic variations but retained its characteristic angularity.

More graceful cursive styles of script, whose elongated forms look best on pages of vertical format, developed alongside of Kufic. Figure 3 displays two of the many "rounded" scripts, showing the end of one sura (83:1836) and the beginning of another (84:13). The Qur'anic text itself is written in rayhani script. The title panel below, in tawqi ' script, reads, "Surat al-Inshiqaq [The Sundering], 25 verses, Meccan," and is followed by the phrase "In the name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful," which occurs at the head of all but one of the 114 suras. The small roundels in the text mark the ends of verses; the medallion in the right margin indicates one of the standard liturgical divisions of the Qur'an; and the small markings above and below the lines of text indicate vowels, added out of a concern for maximum accuracy in reciting the sacred text.

Surat Yusuf
James W. Worris

This "literal" version of the twelfth sura of the Qur'an, "The Most Beautiful of Tales," is designed to convey a more accurate sense of the actual experience of

Figure 3.
Fourteenth-century Qur'an page from Mamluk Egypt. New York:
Metropolitan Museum of Art, Pickering 69.149.

reading the Arabic text. Many of the most distinctive rhetorical, structural, and metaphysical features of the Qur'an become strikingly apparent when one studies this text in comparison with the long biblical narrative of Joseph and his brothers (Genesis 3750).1 One of the most difficult challenges in translating the Qur'an is to bring out the unifying themes, symbols, and vocabulary that are so evident to Arabic readers. To help convey this richness in English, the most important of what are essentially untranslatable spiritual terms have been

presented throughout in small capitals and in "literal" form, to remind readers of their mysterious, multivalent nature. The text lends itself beautifully to dramatic recitation, with parts read by four or more participants. The four basic "levels" or "frames" of discourse are indicated thus: I = Narrator; II = Divine "We"; III = Various Actors; IV = Inner "Asides." Frame III can then be further divided among the various individual characters indicated.

In the Name of God, the All-Loving, the All-Compassionate

I. [1] Alif Lam Ra: Those are the SIGNS of the BOOK making-clear.

II. Indeed, We have sent It down, as a Qur'an [lit., recitation] in Arabic, so that you all might understand. We, We are recounting to you the most good and beautiful of tales through what We have inspired to you, this Qur'aneven though before It you were among the heedless ones.

I. When Joseph said to his father:

III. "O my dear father, I indeed, I have seen eleven planets and the sun and the moon: I saw them to me bowing down!"

I. [5] He said:

III. "O my dear son, do not recount your vision to your brothers, for they are devising a scheme against you. The Shaytan is indeed for INSAN * an enemy making-clear!"

III. [Jacob to Joseph? or possibly "We"/Narrator (to whom)?]: And that is how your RABB picks you out, and causes you to KNOW through

* Throughout Q, the term insan refers to the spiritual reality of every human being, the manifestation of the divine "Breath/Spirit of God" fully realized in the prophets and "friends of God"; always contrasted with the created, part-animal mortal form of "clay," referred to as bashar .

The term rabb is used over a thousand times in Q, usually as an emotionally charged form of address evoking our "personal," most powerfully real and intimate existential relationship to some aspect of the divine. This Arabic root evokes images of a parent lovingly and devotedly "raising" or "taking care of" and educating a dependent child.

"Knowing" as divinely inspired spiritual awareness ('ilm ); a central spiritual virtue in Q (used nearly nine hundred times). The different verb and noun forms of this term usually refer to direct (nonconceptual) human awareness of God and the spiritual world, of the inner nature of things and ultimate realities underlying the phenomenal and historical world; located in the Heart (qalb, lubb ); term also intimately connected with the central symbolic families of images of Sight and Light.

FINDING THE INNER MEANING of what comes to be,* and fulfills His blessing upon you and upon the people of Jacob, as He fulfilled His blessing upon your two fathers before, Abraham and Isaac. Indeed your RABB is ALL-KNOWING, ALL-WISE .

I. [Narrator?/"We"?]: So in Joseph and his brothers there was surely a SIGN for those who question and plead. When they said:

III. "Now Joseph and his brother are more dearly beloved by our father than we, though we are a tight-knit bunch: Certainly our father is clearly gone astray!"

IV. [Who? Shaytan? One of the brothers?]: "Kill Joseph! Or toss him out on some earth, [so that] your father's regard may be left for you all alone. And after that you all can be a group DOING WHAT IS RIGHT !"

I. [10] One of them, speaking, said:

III. "Don't kill Joseph, but throw him in the hidden depths of the well, [so that] some caravan may pick him up, if you all are indeed doing [what you propose]."

I. They said:

III. "O our father, why do you not have FAITH in us regarding Joseph, though surely we are sincerely meaning him well!? Send him with us tomorrow, [so that] he may run around and play. Certainly we are protecting him!"

I. He said:

III. "As for me, it does make me sad for you all to take him with you. And I am afraid that the wolf may eat him up while you all are heedless in regard to him!"

I. They said:

* Ta'wil al-ahadith : The first term of this key phrase means "taking (things) back to the First," to their ultimate source, while the second refers to whatever "comes to be."

The Arabic root s-l-h ordinarily means whatever is "right," but the qur'anic usage consistently joins and precedes references to the "right things" (as-salihat ) with the essential precondition of "having FAITH ."

Iman refers to the condition of faith, inner peace and absolute assurance, implicit confidence and total trust, granted by God. Its most frequently mentioned "contents" or perceptions include the reality and presence of God, the angels, and all the divine "Books" and Messengers.

III. "If the wolf were to eat him up, while we're such a tight-knit bunch, then we would be the ones suffering loss!"

II. [15] Then when they took him with them and agreed together that they would put him in the hidden depths of the well, We inspired in him: "Surely you will inform them of this affair of theirs, while they are [still] unaware!"

I. And they came to their father in the night [or: night-blind, dim-sighted], crying. They said:

III. "O our father, we, we went off trying to get ahead of one another, and we left Joseph back with our possessions. So the wolf ate him up!"

IV. "But you don't have FAITH in us, even if we were SPEAKING TRUTHFULLY !"*

I. And they came with lying blood upon his shirt. He said:

III. "No, on the contrary: your souls have seduced you into some affair!"

IV. "So SABR is beautiful. And it is God [alone] Whose Help must be sought against what you all describe!"

I. And a caravan came along. So they sent their water-man, and he let down his vessel. He said:

III. "O what GOOD NEWS ! This is a young man!"'

I. And they kept him hidden, as trading goods.

II. But God is ALL-KNOWING of what they are doing.

* Sidq (along with related epithets such as as-Siddiq , later applied to Joseph) means acknowledging the truth of what is realand therefore discerning the divine presence and intentions behind appearances.

Like the English expression "the self," the Arabic term nafs has many meanings in Q. This passage and verse 53 below became the locus classicus for later Islamic references to the psycho-spiritual aspect of the nafs as the "carnal soul" manifesting the reprehensible qualities of the human animal (bashar , rather than insan ).

Sabr , exemplified in Q above all by Jacob, refers to faithful perseverance in allegiance to the divine Truth in the midst of difficult circumstances.

' Ordinarily, the term ghulam means simply a boy or youth; however, in Q it usually refers to the spiritual state of a young future prophet, visible as such only to those family members, like Jacob here, who are specially inspired by God (Abraham, Mary, Zacharia). Likewise, the water-drawer's reference to his caravan's serendipitous "good news" (bushra ) contains a similar irony: in Q that same Arabic root is always used more specifically (several dozen times) to refer to the divine "good news" brought by the prophets and Messengers.

I. [20] And they sold him for a cheap price, a number of dirhamsfor they were among those considering him of little value. And the one from Egypt who bought him said to his wife:

III. "Honor his dwelling place. Perhaps he may be useful to us and we may adopt him as a son."

II. And that is how We established a place for Joseph upon the earth, and so that We might cause him to KNOW through FINDING THE INNER MEANING of what comes to be.

I. [Narrator?/"We"?]: And God is prevailing in his affairbut most of the people do not know!

II. And then when he reached his mature strength We brought him WISE JUDGMENT * and [divine] KNOWING : That is how We reward the MUHSINUN .

I. And the [woman] in whose house he was tried to entice him away from himself. She locked the doors and said:

III. "Come here!"

I. He said:

III. "May God protect [me]! He is my RABB , who has made good and beautiful my dwelling place. He does not cause the wrongdoers to truly flourish!"

I. Now she was longing for him, and he was longing for her, were it not that he saw the Proof of his RABB .

II. That is how [it was], so that We might keep away from him evil and indecency. He is indeed among OUR WHOLLY DEVOTED SERVANTS .

I. [25] So they each tried to reach the door first and she ripped his shirt in back, and at the door they met her master. She said:

* Divinely inspired wisdom (hikma ), or the inspired right-judgment and spiritual authority (hukm ) concerning particular circumstances that flows from such inspired Knowing, are mentioned as human spiritual virtues almost a hundred times in Q. See part 3 below for a discussion of wisdom in Surat Luqman.

Muhsinun are "those who do ihsan ," one of the highest spiritual states, typified by the greatest prophets. Meaning literally "doing/making-what-is-good-and-beautiful," its qur'anic usage stresses the deeper, divinely inspired awareness necessary to know concretely what is truly good-and-beautiful.

The virtue of ikhlas refers to purity of intention, doing whatever one does entirely for God's sake. In Q it is often connected specifically with the spiritual state of the prophets and Friends of God.

III. "What is the recompense for someone who intended evil for your family, if not that he be imprisoned or [receive] a painful torment!?"*

I. He [Joseph] said:

III. "She tried to entice me away from myself!"

I. And a witness from her people testified:

III. "If his shirt is ripped in front, then she spoke truthfully and he is among the liars. But if his shirt is ripped in back, then she has lied and he is among THOSE SPEAKING TRUTHFULLY ."

I. So when he [her husband] saw his shirt was ripped in back, he said:

III. "This is from your [fem. pl.] scheming, for your scheming is indeed tremendous!"

"O Joseph, turn away from this!"

[To his wife]: "And you, seek forgiveness for your offense: surely you were among the erring ones!"

I. [30] And some women in the city said:

III. "The wife of the DEAR/MIGHTY ONE is trying to entice her young servant away from himself. He's made her fall madly in love. Indeed, we see she's clearly gone astray!"

I. So when she heard about those women's sly devising she sent to them and prepared for them a cushion, and she brought a knife to every one of them and said [to Joseph]:

III. "Come out before them!"

I. And when the women saw him they glorified him and they all cut their hands [in astonishment], and they said:

III. "God preserve [us]! This is no ordinary mortalthis can only be a majestic angel!"

* 'Adhab alim : Used some seventy times in Q, this term means the sufferings or punishments of Gehenna and the "Fire"; the root referring to "prison" throughout this section (s-j-n ) also refers to a fearful level of Gehenna in many key eschatological passages. Thus Zulaykha's threat here has powerful eschatological resonances that openly set the stage for a more symbolic, metaphysical "reading" of this drama and Joseph's predicament.

Al-'Aziz : one of the more common divine Names in Q, appearing more than a hundred times. Joseph turns out to have this same semiregal title when he is later addressed by his brothers.

Bashar , in contrast with the spiritual insan ; cf. verse 5, and above, notes on pages 8 and 10.

I. She said:

III. "So there for you all is the one because of whom you were reproaching me! I did try to entice him away from himself, only he resisted."

IV. [To herself?] "But if he doesn't do what I order him to, he will most certainly be imprisoned, and then he will surely be among the lowly ones!"

I. He said:

III. "My RABB ! Prison is more lovable to me than what they [masc. pl.] are calling me toand if You do not turn their [fem. pl.] scheming away from me I will give in to them [fem. pl.] and become one of the ignorant and foolish ones!"

I. So his RABB did respond to him and turned their scheming away from him. Surely He is the ALWAYS LISTENING , the ALL-KNOWING . [35] Next, it appeared [right] to them [masc. pl.], after they had seen the SIGNS , to imprison him until a certain time.

And two young servants entered the prison with him. One of the two said:

III. "I am seeing myself squeezing out wine."

I. And the other one said:

III. "I am seeing myself carrying above my head a loaf of bread from which the birds are eating."

[Both of them]: "Inform us both about the INNER MEANING of it. For we see you among the MUHSINUN ."

I. He said:

III. "There does not come to you two any nourishment that is bestowed as your SUSTENANCE ,* but that I have already told both of you the INNER MEANING of it, before it comes to you both. That, for you both, is among what my RABB has caused me to KNOW . I have

* Rizq (sustenance) almost always refers to the universal divine activities of creating and bestowing all the forms of God's "grace" and "bounty," including much more than food and extending ultimately to the very existence of all creatures and forms of manifestation.

indeed forsaken the MILLA * of a group who do not have FAITH in God and who reject THE OTHERWORLD !

"And I have followed the MILLA of my fathers, Abraham and Isaac and Jacob: it was not for us to associate any thing with God. That was through God's favor for us and for [all] the peopleand yet most of the people are not giving thanks!

"O two companions [or 'masters'] of the Prison: Are disparate/separate lords [pl. of rabb ] betteror God THE ONE, THE OVERPOWERING ?!"

I. [40] ["We"? Narrator? Muhammad?]: "What you all are worshipping/serving besides Him are nothing but names that you all have named, you and your fathers! God has not sent down for them any authority. Certainly the DECISIVE JUDGMENT is only for God! He commanded that you all not worship/serve any but Him alone: That is THE UPRIGHT RELIGION 'and yet most of the people do not know!"

III. [Joseph]: "O two companions of the Prison: As for one of you, he is pouring wine for his lord to drink. And as for the other one, he is crucified, so that the birds are eating from his head.|| The matter has [already] been decreed which you are seeking to have me explain."

* The term milla is usually used in Q specifically in connection with the particular monotheistic religious "way" or path of Abraham (or his descendants).

The root k-f-r , here meaning to reject, cover over, or be ungrateful for, often denotes the contrary of faith and mindfulness, as well as of gratitude or thankfulness to God.

The "addressees" here are in the indefinite plural rather than the explicitly dual form used repeatedly in the preceding verses, making it unclear who is speaking to whom or in what situation and time frame.

' Ad-din al-qayyim (also in 9:36, 30:30, and 30:43) affirms the unchanging unity of "religion" (ad-din ) as the proper relation between God and the human soul, the spiritual state of true "worship-and-divine-service" ('ibada , on which see text by Madjid in part 2) exemplified by the prophets and Friends of God.

|| The image of "pouring wine" for one's Lord evokes the eschatological symbolism of "banquets" (fountains, cupbearers, etc.) in the heavenly Garden and the related symbolism of the divine "Court" that is continued in the next few verses. Similarly, symbolism involving birds often suggests the spiritual states of souls or other spiritual beings.

I. And he said to the one of the two who he suspected was being saved:*

III. "Mention/remember me in the presence of your lord [rabb ]!"

I. Then the Shaytan made him forget mentioning/remembering his RABB , so he lingered in the Prison several years. And THE KING said:

III. "Surely I am seeing seven fat cows that seven thin ones are eating, and seven green ears [of grain], and other dry ones. O you dignitaries, explain to me about my vision, if you are [capable of] interpreting the vision!"

I. They said:

III. "Mixed-up dreams! And we are not, with regard to FINDING THE INNER MEANING of dreams, among those who know."

I. [45] And he said, the one of the two who was saved and [only now] remembered after some time:

III. "I [intend to] inform you of its INNER MEANING , so send me out."

[Then at the Prison he said]:

"Joseph, O you TRUTHFULLY SPEAKING ONE [as-siddiq ]: Explain to us regarding seven fat cows that seven thin ones are eating, and seven green ears and other dry ones, so that I might return to the people, so that perhaps they might know!"

I. He said:

III. "You all plant for seven years, tirelessly. But of what you all have harvested, leave it on the ear except for a very little, from which you eat. Then there come after that seven hard ones eating up what you all have prepared for them, except for a very little from what you all are preserv-

* As in God's "saving" the prophets and the righteous in an explicitly spiritual or eschatological sense. Likewise, Joseph's parting words here clearly evoke the imagery of the eschatological intercession (shafa'a ) of the prophets in the divine "Court" alluded to in Q and described in greater detail in many well-known hadith.

"The King" or "Possessor" (al-malik ) of all creation, is one of the most frequent of the divine Names. Curiously, this sura never mentions "Pharaoh" (fir'awn ), the usually pejorative title for the Egyptian ruler in the rest of the stories of Q.

Al-mala' : A term also used in Q (and the hadith) to refer to the highest angels or archangels around the divine "Throne."

ing. Then there comes after that a year in which the people are abundantly helped out, and in it they are pressing [much oil]."

I. [50] And the KING said:

III. "Bring him to me!"

I. Then when the messenger came to him, he said:

III. "Return to your lord and ask him: 'What was the problem with those women who cut their hands?'"

IV. [To himself?] "Certainly my RABB is WELL KNOWING about their schemes!"

I. He [the King] said [to those women]:

III. "What was going on with you all when you tried to entice Joseph away from himself?!"

I. They said:

III. "God forbidwe didn't know any wrong of him!"

I. The wife of the DEAR/MIGHTY ONE said:

III. "Now the Truth has become clear: I did try to entice him away from himself, and surely he is among the TRUTHFULLY SPEAKING ONES ."

IV. [Josephapparently to himself]: "That is so that he* might know that I did not betray him regarding the UNSEEN , and that God does not guide the scheming of those who betray. And I am not absolving my NAFS : Surely the NAFS is commanding [us] to do wrong, except to the extent that my RABB has MERCY . Indeed my RABB is MOST FORGIVING, MOST LOVING AND MERCIFUL !"

I. And the KING said:

III. "Bring him to Me, so that I may have him WHOLLY DEVOTED to Myself!"

I. Then once He had spoken with him, He said:

III. "Today you are in Our presence, well settled and well trusted!"

* Or "He": may refer to Zulaykha's husband, the King, or perhaps to God. In favor of the latter possibility is the fact that in Q the recurrent expression for "the unseen (spiritual) world" (al-ghayb ) has to do with realities far broader (and quite different from) mere worldly "secrecy" and discretion.

See note on page 10 (to verse 18) above.

This phrase evokes eschatological images of people in the presence of the divine judge. Moreover, both the epithets bestowed on Joseph here (amin, makin ) are often applied to Muhammad as divine Messenger.

I. [55] He [Joseph] said:

III. "Place me over the TREASURIES OF THE EARTH . Indeed I am WELL PROTECTING, WELL KNOWING !"*

II. And that is how We established Joseph on the earth, settling down upon it wherever he wishes. We bestow Our LOVING MERCY on whomever We wish. And We do not neglect the reward of the MUHSINUN !

I. [Narrator?/"We"?]: And surely the reward of THE OTHERWORLD is best, for those who had FAITH and were MINDFUL [of God]!

I. And Joseph's brothers came. Then they entered before him and he knew them, while they were DENYING him. And when he had provided them with their supplies he said:

III. "Bring me from your father a [certain] brother of yours. Don't you all see that I fill up the measure and I am the best of those who give hospitality?!" [60] "But if you don't bring him to me, then there is no measure for you with meand you may not come near me!"

I. They said:

III. "We will try to entice his father from [holding on to] him: Certainly we are doing [that]!"

I. And he said to his young servants:

III. "Put their trading goods back in their saddlepacks, so that they may recognize them when they have gone back to their familythat perhaps they may return."

I. So when they returned to their father they said:

III. "O our father, the measure [of grain requested] was forbidden to us. So send our brother with us that we may be given the measure. Surely we are protecting him!"

* The terms hafiz and 'alim , both of which appear often as divine Names, here suggest Joseph's "investiture" with full prophetic attributes. Likewise, the word "treasuries" always refers elsewhere in Q to God's Treasuries (e.g., at 63:7).

"Those who do taqwa " (mindfulness, which could be rendered as "active Godawareness"): it is the consciousness of God's Presence, an inner mindfulness of the divine at every instant, combined with an eager, attentive orientation to do what that spiritual awareness demands.

The term translated here as "denying" (munkir ) connotes a person pretending not to know something that he or she really does know. The Arabic roots of the word convey a broader reference to spiritual "blindness"; here, too, it points by way of contrast to Joseph's inspired recognition of theophany (the divine "Signs").

I. He said:

III. "Can I have faith in you regarding himexcept as I had faith in you regarding his brother before!?"

IV. [To himself?] "For God is BEST IN PROTECTING , and He is the MOST LOVING OF THOSE SHOWING LOVING MERCY !"

I. [65] But when they opened their possessions they found their trading goods returned to them. They said:

III. "O our father, what [more] do we desire? These are our own trading goods returned to us! And we will provide for our family and protect our brother and increase [our provisions] by the measure of a camel load. That is an easy measure!"

I. He said:

III. "I will never send him with you all until you give me a pledge from God that you will most surely bring him back to me, unless you are surrounded!"

I. So when they had given him their pledge he said:

III. "God is TRUSTEE for what we are saying!"

I. And he said:

III. "O my sons, don't go in through a single gate, but enter through separate gates! And I cannot help you, in place of God, with regard to any thing. The DECISIVE JUDGMENT is only for God: in Him have I trusted, and on Him should rely all those who trust!"*

I. And when they entered in the way their father had commanded them, that was not of any help to them, in place of God, with regard to any thingexcept as a need in Jacob's NAFS , which he satisfied. And surely he is a possessor of [divine] KNOWING through what We have made him KNOW and yet most of the people do not know! And when they entered before Joseph, he made his brother his [special] guest. He said:

III. "Indeed, I myself am your own brother! So do not be upset about what they have been doing."

* Tawakkul : the spiritual station of total trust and confidence in God, the inner attitude of sincerely "handing things over" totally to Him, as a departing traveler or pilgrim would entrust his family and affairs to a servant or steward (wakil , as in the previous verse).

I. [70] Then when he had provided them with their supplies, he put the drinking cup in his brother's saddlebag. Next a herald called out:

III. "O you of the caravan, indeed you all are surely thieves!"

I. They said, as they came [back] close to them:

III. "What is it you are missing!?"

I. They said:

III. "We are missing the King's chalice!

[Joseph]: "For whoever brings it there is a camel's load [in reward], and I am responsible for it."

I. They said:

III. "By God, you all surely know we didn't come to do harm in the earth and we haven't been thieves!"

I. They said:

III. "Then what are the amends for it, if you all have been lying?"

I. [75] They said:

III. "The amends for it are the person in whose saddlebag it is foundlet him be the compensation for it: that is how we repay the wrongdoers!"

I. So he began with their sacks before his brother's sack, and then he brought it out of his brother's sack.

II. That is how We contrived for Joseph: he would not have taken his brother according to the religion of the King, except that God wishes [it]. We raise up by degrees whomever We wish, and above every possessor of knowledge is ONE ALL-KNOWING !!*

I. They said:

III. "If he is stealing, then a brother of his had stolen before!"

I. But Joseph kept it secret within himself and did not reveal it to them. He said [to himself]:

IV. "You yourselves are in a far worse situation, and God is MORE KNOWING about what you describe!"

I. They said:

* This famous last phrase may refer either only to God (as translated here), or to the existence of much wider earthly and/or spiritual hierarchies of religious or other knowledge. In Q these frequently mentioned "degrees" or "ranks" (darajat ) usually refer specifically to spiritual qualities, functions, or rewards in the otherworld.

III. "O DEAR/MIGHTY ONE , he has a father, an extremely old man,* so take one of us instead of him. Certainly we see you are among the MUHSINUN !"

I. He said:

III. "God forbid that we should take anyone except the person with whom we found our things! Otherwise we would surely be wrongdoers!"

I. [80] So then, when they had despaired of [persuading] him, they went away to talk in secret. The oldest of them said:

III. "Don't you all know that your father took a pledge from you with God, and before how you were so remiss with regard to Joseph?! So I will never leave [this] earth until my father gives me permission or God judges for me, for He is the BEST OF THOSE WHO JUDGE ! You all return to your father and say: 'O our father, your son has certainly stolen. And we have only given witness to what we have come to know: we were not protecting the UNSEEN !' And ask the village where we were and the caravan in which we came back: indeed, we are surely SPEAKING TRUTHFULLY !"

I. He [Jacob] said:

III. "No, on the contrary: your carnal souls [pl. of nafs ] have seduced you into some affair! So SABR is beautiful. Perhaps God may bring them to me all together. For He is THE ALL-KNOWING, THE ALL-WISE ."

I. And he turned away from them and said:

IV. "O my grief for Joseph!"

I. And his eyes had become white [i.e., blind] from sorrow, for he was restraining himself.

[85] They said:

III. "By God, you won't stop remembering Joseph until you waste away, or join those who pass away!"

I. He said [to himself?]:

IV. "I only complain to God of my grief and my sorrow. And I KNOW from God what you all do not know."

III. "O my sons, go and try to find out about Joseph and his brother.

* Or "a great shaykh."

And do not despair of THE SPIRIT OF GOD ! No one despairs of THE SPIRIT OF GOD , but the group who reject [God]."

I. So when they entered before him they said:

III. "O DEAR/MIGHTY ONE , we and our family have been beset by hardship, and we have brought unworthy goods! So fill up the measure for us, and be charitable with us: surely God rewards those who are charitable!"

I. He said:

III. "Did you all know what you did with Joseph and his brother, when you were foolish and ignorant?"

I. [90] They said:

III. "Is it really you who are Joseph?!"

I. He said:

III. "I am Joseph, and this is my brother. God has been generous with us."

I. [Narrator?/"We"?/Joseph to himself?]: "For whoever is MINDFUL [of God] and shows SABR , surely God does not neglect the reward of the MUHSINUN ."

They said:

III. "By God, God has preferred you over us, though we were certainly erring ones."

I. He said:

III. "No blame for you today! God forgives youand He is the MOST LOVING OF THOSE SHOWING LOVING MERCY . Go all of you, with this shirt of mine, then place it on my father's face, that he may come SEEING .* And come to me with your family, all together!"

I. And when the caravan started out, their father said:

III. "Surely I do feel the smell of Josepheven if you think I'm losing my mind!"

* Basir is used more than a hundred times, with related forms, in Q to refer to spiritual "vision," insight, and discernment, often described as a divinely given grace or inspiration.

Rih (smell) is closely related to the divine "Spirit" or "Breath" (ruh Allah ) of verse 87 and elsewhere.

I. [95] They said:

III. "By God, certainly you are in your old error!"

I. Then when the bearer of good news arrived, he placed it [the shirt] on his face, so that he was returned to BEING-SEEING . He said:

III. "Didn't I tell you that I KNOW from God what you all do not know?"

I. They said:

III. "O our father, ask for our sins to be forgiven for usindeed we were erring ones!"

I. He said:

III. "I will ask my RABB to forgive you. Certainly He is THE MOST FORGIVING, THE MOST MERCIFUL !"

I. Then when they entered before Joseph, he received both his parents as his [special] guests, and he said:

III. "Enter Egypt, if God wishes, in security!"

I. [100] And he raised up both his parents upon the Throne, and they [the brothers] fell down bowing before him. And he said:

III. "O my dear father, this is the INNER MEANING of my vision from before! My RABB did make it real and true. And He was good to me when He pulled me out of the Prison and He brought you all in from the desert, after the Shaytan had incited conflict between me and my brothers. Surely my RABB is MOST GRACIOUS to whatever He wills! Indeed, He is THE ALL-KNOWING, THE ALL-WISE ! O my RABB , You have brought to me some [worldly] dominion and You have caused me to KNOW through FINDING THE INNER MEANING of what comes to be! O CREATOR of the heavens and the earth! You are my PROTECTING FRIEND [Wali ] in this world and the otherworld. Come to receive me surrendered [to You],* and include me with THOSE WHO DO WHAT IS RIGHT !"

II. That was from the disclosures of the UNSEEN We inspire in you. You were not present with them when they agreed together about their affair, while they were slyly devising. And most of the people, even though you greatly desire [it], do not have FAITH .

* "Surrendered," from tawaffa , refers to the divine or angelic "reception" of each soul at the moment of death.

Nor do you ask of them any reward for it. It is only a REMINDER to the worlds!

[105] And how many a SIGN there is in the heavens and the earth which they pass on by, turning away! And most of them have no FAITH in God, except while they are associating [other appearances with the One]. So do they feel safe from their being overwhelmed by a dark shroud of punishment from God, or from the HOUR suddenly overcoming them while they are not even aware?!

Say: "This is my Path: I am calling/praying to God with CLEAR INSIGHT ,* myself and whoever followed me. And Praise be to God! I am not among those who associate [others with the One]."

And We did not send [any as Messenger] before you except for some men whom We inspire among the people of the towns. Have they not traveled through the earth, that they might observe how the ultimate end of those before them has been?! Indeed the Abode of the otherworld is best, for THOSE WHO ARE MINDFUL ! So then do you all still not understand?! [110] Until, when the Messengers despaired and supposed that they had been rejected, there came to them Our TRIUMPHANT SUPPORT and whoever We wish was saved. Nor can Our Affliction be kept from those who do harm.

I. Surely in the tales about them there was a deep lesson for THOSE WHO HAVE HEARTS ! It was not a made-up story, but a confirmation of what was [already] before him, and a proper distinguishing of every thing, and RIGHT GUIDANCE and LOVING MERCY to a people who have FAITH .

* 'Ala basira (clear insight) refers to the divine guidance of prophets and Friends of God; it recalls Jacob's restored "vision" or spiritual insight above (basir , at v. 96; see first note on page 21).

The phrase "those who have hearts" (ulu i-albab ) occurs sixteen times in Q, always in reference to those who are ready to realize the spiritual virtues, who alone are truly capable of recognizing the divine "Signs" and thereby "remembering" and returning to God.

Hadith: Prophetic and Sacred
John Renard

Since later texts will include scores of thematically apposite examples from the massive treasure trove of hadith, I include only a few samples of the genre; and I locate them here rather than later in part 1 because of the prominent role of hadith in exegetical commentary.

Muhammad's Sayings

Sayings of Muhammad cover a vast gamut of topics, from the most mundane to the most ethereal. In the thousands of sayings attributed to the Prophet, Muslims have a nearly inexhaustible source of examples and guidance. Some hadiths function as miniature commentaries on individual texts of the Qur'an. In the following example I include the complete chain of transmitters (the isnad ) for illustrative purposes; other examples will omit the isnad. The final link in the chain of transmitters here is Abu Dharr (d. 653), a man known for his lofty piety:

Muhammad ibn Yusuf stated that Sufyan had narrated, from al-A'mash, from Ibrahim at-Tamimi, from his father, from Abu Dharr, may God be pleased with him, who said: The Prophet, may God bless him and give him peace, said to Abu Dharr: "When the sun sets, do you know where it goes?" I [Abu Dharr] said, "God and his messenger know better." He [Muhammad] said: "It goes until it prostrates itself beneath the Throne [of God], then it seeks permission [to rise], and it is given leave [to do so]. But [one day] when it is about to offer prostration, [the gesture] will not be accepted from it. It will seek leave [to go forward] but permission will not be granted. Instead it will be told: Return whence you came, so that it will rise in its setting place (i.e., the west). And that is [the meaning of] the saying of the Most High: And the sun follows a course set for itthat is the determination of the Mighty, the Knowing One" (36:38).2

Many hadith speak of the spiritual and moral responsibilities of Muslims toward one another. Abu Hurayra (d. 678) was one of Muhammad's foremost companions and transmitters of hadith. He reported these two sayings:

The Messenger of God, may God bless him and give him peace, said: Let one who believes in God and the Last Day be hospitable to his guest; let one who believes in God and the Last Day be considerate of his neighbor; and let one who believes in God and the Last Day speak positively or hold his tongue.3

And again, a saying beautiful and moving in its simplicity:

The Messenger of God, may God bless him and give him peace, said: A man used to loan money to people, and would say to his employee, "When you come to a person on hard times, go easy on him; perhaps God will go easy on us." [Muhammad] said [further]: And when he came to meet God, God went easy on him.4

Sacred Sayings

Tradition ascribes some sayings not to Muhammad but directly to God. Some allude to God's transcendent unity by playing on Arabic words. For example, to understand the saying "I am Ahmad without the m ," one has to know that Ahmad is an alternate title of Muhammad and that the word ahad means "one" in Arabic. Similarly, the saying "I am 'Arab without the 'ayn " means that if one removes the initial consonant ('ayn ) and its vowel sound (a) from the word 'arab , what remains is rab [b ] or Lord.

Other sayings suggest aspects of God's relationship to human beings, conveying the essence of some interaction between God and the servant. "Were it not for you [Muhammad], I would not have created the heavens," for example, hints at Muhammad's critical importance in God's own motives for action. Others are more inclusive: "I and my faithful servant are united in in undiluted goodness: even as I am removing his soul from within him, he praises me"; and "For my devout servants I have in store what no eye has seen, no ear has heard, and what has not occurred to any human heart"; and "Those who love each other in me, and who keep each other's company in me, and who visit each other in me, and who share unstintingly with each otherthese are entitled to my love." In a slightly longer saying, God speaks to the whole community:

A thousand years before he created the universe, God inscribed a text on his Throne and declared: Observe, O Community of Muhammad, that my mercy comes before my anger. Before you ask, I bestow; before you seek forgiveness, I forgive you. I will usher into Paradise each of you who comes before me and says, "There is no god but God and Muhammad is the Messenger of God."

Finally, a charming hadith combines key aspects of these first two kinds of sacred sayings. God says he has divided the first sura, al-Fatiha, between himself and his servant, recalling sacred hadith that refer to God's own qualities as well as those that describe the human servant's relationship to God. According to that hadith, the first three verses of the sura belong to God:

Praise belongs to God, Lord of all beings,

The Merciful, the Compassionate,
Ruler of the Judgment Day.

The fourth, or middle verse"Only You do we serve; only from You do we seek aid"belongs to both because of its reference to asking and granting. And the last three verses belong to the servant:

Guide us along the straight path
The path of those whom you have blessed
Not those against whom You have sent Your wrath, nor those who are
     astray.5

Sacred Text and Architecture

Architectural inscriptions of both Qur'an and hadith texts have long revealed how Muslims interpret both their religious structures and their sacred texts. Facades and domes are the most visible features of major religious buildings. Sometimes even lengthy suras of the Qur'an appear in their entirety on facades, as in figure 4. The Taj Mahal's extensive qur'anic inscriptions in monumental thuluth script are of inlaid black stone; here on the east arch is the end (verses 6783) of Sura 36 (Ya Sin), whose full text begins on the south arch and continues around the west and north sides. Around the doorway within the iwan is the full text of Sura 98, al-Bayyina (The Clarification), on the eschatological theme of final accountability, all in keeping with a funerary monument.

Shorter complete texts also occasionally appear on the exteriors of domes, as in figure 5. Three Qur'an texts in thuluth script encircle the upper register of the drum of the dome of the Safavid mosque of Shaykh Lutfullah. In three pairs of contrasting natural phenomena (sun/moon, day/night, heaven/earth), Sura 91, al-Shams (The Sun), calls the created world to witness to God's power, then refers to the individual soul's capacity for moral discernment. Then Sura 76, ad-Dahr (Time), explores the theme of contrast between people who opt for good and those who prefer evil. Finally, Sura 108, al-Kawthar (Abundance), the shortest sura of all, reminds believers to acknowledge God's beneficence with prayer. Larger Kufic inscriptions on the drum give repeating texts of the kind often found on Timurid and Safavid monuments: "Noble one, Merciful one, Compassionate one"; and "God is supreme, to God belongs sovereignty, praise God, God, Muhammad and 'Ali."

Sometimes, as in figure 1, a text on the dome is chosen because of its explicit reference to mosques and their religious significance. Monumental thuluth script, with some upright Arabic letters over ten feet in height, around the drum

Figure 4.
Taj Mahal, Agra, India (16321654, Mughal). The four  pishtaq  facades
and two-tiered arcades of the Taj Mahal adapt Iranian forms (see fig. 31),
but achieve an entirely different effect by using whitemarble as basic
building material and inlaid semiprecious stones for decoration.

of the dome of the Sultan's mosque (seen from half a mile away through a long lens) in Shah Alam, Malaysia, reads: "They will maintain God's mosques who believe in God and in the last day, and observe the ritual prayer, and give alms, and fear only God. It is these who are among the guided. Do you regard offering drink to pilgrims or the upkeep of the Mosque of the Sanctuary [in Mecca] as on a par with [the devotion of] those who believe in God and the last day and [who] strive in the way of God? They are not on a par in God's opinion; and God does not guide people who countenance injustice" (9:1819).

Inside the mosque as well, the dome over the niche that marks the direction toward Mecca (mihrab) often receives special inscriptions (fig. 6). In glittering mosaic, Qur'an texts in foliated Kufic script on the interior of the dome of the Great Mosque of Cordova emphasize God's sovereignty and power to forgive, as befits a spectacular dome: "On no soul does God place a burden greater than it can bear. Each receives every good earned, and likewise every evil earned. Our Lord, do not condemn us if we should become heedless or fall into error. . . . Blot out our sins and forgive us; have mercy on us for you are our Protector; aid us against those who deny the faith" (2:286). Built on the site of a former Christian church in the midst of a society long Christian, the mosque also features

Figure 5.
Mosque of Shaykh Lutfullah, Isfahan, Iran (16031619).
Thanks to Jonathan Bloom for identifying the texts.
(Further on Safavid architecture, see figs. 36, 53 below; and SD fig. 23.)

texts that distinguish Islamic from Christian notions of deity: "It is not fitting that God should beget a son. Glory to Him. When He decides on an affair He merely says 'Be' and it is" (19:35). And "To Him belong the origins of heaven and earth; how can he have a son when he has no wife? He created everything and knows all things completely. That is God your Lord. There is no god but He, the Creator of all; so worship Him who is in charge of all matters" (6:101102). Finally, the dome recalls the goal of human existence and reminds believers of the appropriate demeanor: "Those who hold up God's Throne and who surround it sing 'Glory and Praise' to their Lord, believe in Him and ask forgiveness for believers: Our Lord, your control extends over all things in mercy and knowledge. Therefore forgive those who repent and follow your way and save them from the Fire's torments; give them, Lord, entry to the Garden . . . " (40:79).

Continues...

Excerpted from Windows on the House of Islamby John Renard Copyright © 1998 by John Renard. Excerpted by permission.
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Edition details

• Publisher: University of California Press
• Publication date: 1998
• Language: English
• ISBN 10: 0520210867
• ISBN 13: 9780520210868
• Binding: Paperback
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 458
• Editor: Renard John