Submitted in accordance with the requirements for the degree of in the subject at the

251 Pages·2014·4.13 MB·English

BETWEEN ORTHODOXY AND MYSTICISM:
THE.LIFE AND WORKS OF
SHAIKH MUI:IAMMAD IBN TAHIR AL-FATTANI (914/1508-986/1578)
by
MUHAMMAD ASHRAF EBRAHIM DOCKRAT
Submitted in accordance with the requirements
for the degree of
DOCTOR OF LITERATURE AND PHILOSOPHY
in the subject
RELIGIOUS STUDIES
at the
UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH AFRICA
PROMOTER: PROF G J A LUBBE
NOVEMBER 2002
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0001867196
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
I should like to express my deepest gratitude to Professor Gerrie Lubbe, my
promoter, who has ably led my studies in this discipline and whose guidance and
encouragement throughout has been immeasurable. My debt to him is more than
any words of mine can express.
I am grateful to Professor Muinuddin Bombaywala and Dr Habib Kakiwala of the
Pir Mul}.ammad Shah Library in AJ:imadabad for making materials from their
valuable collection available. Special thanks are also due to Mufti Rashid Al}.mad
Mewati of Hariana, India who has time and again gone out of his way to track
down obscure works and has offered useful criticisms. I am also indebted to my
friends Mohammed Iqbal Areff and Abdul Kader Choughley who painstakingly
proofread the manuscript.
Financial support of the National Research Foundation is hereby acknowledged.
I would like to thank my family and especially my parents for their constant
inspiration and support.
My last acknowledgment is to my wife Aamena without whose cheerfulness and
patience this work might never have been completed.
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SUMMARY
This study focuses on orthodoxy and mysticism in the religious thought of Shaikh
MuJ;iammad ibn Tahir al-Fattani (914/1508-986/1578), a sixteenth century Sunni
Bohra scholar. Islam had persistently presented two faces: one that was sharicah
minded and concerned with the outward, socially cognizable behaviour and
another mystical-minded, concerned with the inward, personal life of the
individual. The former was the domain of the cuJamii', whereas the ~iifi pirs
accepted the care of the latter. While there were always those who accepted the
one face of Islam as genuine and mistrusted the other or even regarded it as
spurious, Shaikh al-Fattani succeeded in marrying the two. He was at once both a
mystic pir and an orthodox religious scholar.
A biography of MuJ;iammad ibn Tahir al-Fattani based on ·th-e previous works is
attempted with the aim being to collect the factual information pertaining directly
to the details of his life. The last years of Shaikh al-Fattani's life were devoted to
his reform involvement in his community and particularly to the removal of the
?
Mahdawiyyah thoughts oflSayyid MuJ;iammad Jawnpiiri)who had declared himself {<
the promised Mahdi.
Against this backdrop of the life account of al-Fattani elements of orthodoxy and
mysticism are identified in his scholarly works. Best known for his work Majmiic
bil;iiir al-anwiir fi ghariiib al-tanzil wa Iatiiif al-akhbiir, all the extant works of the
Shaikh are discussed.
To understand the subject within the context of his ethnic identity, aspects of the
Bohra community are studied. It is shown that their occupation as merchants and a
history that emphasised their ancient link to the faith of Islam were some of the
factors that shaped their group identity. Religious affiliation of the Bohras is
explored in detail and after examining the various religious groupings it is evident
ii
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that the principal communities amongst them differ substantially in their belief
systems. Muslims of Sunni Bohra descent are to be found in South Africa. The
Sunni Bohra community in general and their cuJamiP in particular are today
constantly challenged to not only be devoted to orthodoxy but to ~iifi doctrine and
discipline as well.
iii
Notes on Transliteration
The system of transliteration followed in this thesis is as follows:
Consonants
;, I r t gh
~ .)
.
b z ._g f
'-' .)
..::, t s q
'-"" ~
th :. sh d k
~ '-""
~ J '-"'° ~ J 1
h d m
t: '-"'° ~
t kh ..b t u n
d ..L; z h
...I 0
...I dh t c ..J w
y
<.>
1 except when initial
Short Long
Vowels Vowels Diphthongs
a I_-- a aw
<.> - ..J-
0
jl jl
u ..J- u <?- ai
1 <.>- 1
When the noun or adjective ending in tii" marbu!ah is indefinite, or is preceded by the 7
definite article, without following hamzah al-wa#, tii" marbu!ah is transliterated h.
When the word ending in tii" marbu!ah is in the construct state before hamzah al-wa#,
tii" marbu!ah is transliterated h.
lV
The relative a~ective is transliterated 1 and not "iy at the end of a word when not followed
by hamzah al-wa~l.
The al of the article is always transliterated as al whether it is followed by a "sun letter"
or not, i.e. regardless of whether or not it is assimilated in pronunciation to the initial
consonant of the word to which it is attached.
Ibn and bin are both transliterated ibn in all positions.
Note the transliteration of Allah alone and in combination:
Allah
bill ah
lillah
v
CONTENTS
Acknowledgements
Summary ii
Notes on Transliteration iv
CHAPTER ONE
Introduction
1. Orthodoxy and mysticism: two contesting trends 1
2. In the tradition of al-Ghazali 3
3. Relevance of this study 5
4. The differences between orthodox Islam and ~iifism 5
5. Primary sources for this study 13
6. Methodology 15
7. Chapterisation 15
Chapter One: Notes 17
CHAPTER TWO
An account of the life of Shaikh Mul)ammad ihn Tahir al-Fattani
1. Introduction 18
2. Kitah al-manaqih 18
3. Other sources 20
4. The biography of Shaikh Mul)ammad ibn Tahir al-Fattani based
on the sources 23
4.1 Name, genealogy and place of birth 23
4.1.1 The name 23
4.1.2 The family 25
4.1.3 Genealogy 25
4.1.4 Place of birth 26
4.2 Academic career 28
4.2.1 Early education 28
4.2.3 Indian teachers 29
4.2.4 The journey to Makkah and the pilgrimage [/fa .i.J] 30
4.2.5 Studies in Makkah 30
4.2.6 Shaikh <Ali al-Muttaqi 31
4.2.7 The return to Pattan 34
4.2.8 Pupils 35
4.2.9 The successorship 35
4.3 The Shaikh as a reformer 36
4.3.1 Dawiidi Bohras 36
4.3.2 The visit to AJ}madabad 38
4.3.3 The meeting with Shah Waji al-Din 39
4.3.4 Mahdawiyyah 41
4.3.5 Sayyid Mul}ammad: The founder of the Mahdawiyyah 41
4.3.6 Hijrah [Emigration] 42
4.3.7 The Promised Mahdi 46
4.3.8 The Mahdawiyyah in Pattan 53
4.4. Gujarat during the Shaikh's life (1506-1578) 57
4.4.1 The Muslim occupation of Gujarat 57
4.4.2 Muslim rule in Gujarat 57
4.4.3 Political instability 58
4.5 The attack on Shaikh Mu]:iammad ibn Tahir 64
4.6 Akbar and Shaikh Mu]:iammad ibn Tahir al-Fattani: Removing
the turban 65
4.7 Regrouping of the Mahdawiyyah 67
4.8 The journey to Agra and martyrdom 68
4.9 M u]:iammad ibn Tahir 70
Chapter Two: Notes 71
CHAPTER THREE
The literary works of Shaikh Mul)ammad ibn Tahir al-Fattani as a reflection ofh is
religious thought
1. Introduction 72
2. Literary activities 73
3. Shaikh cAbd al-Wahhab's bibliography 75
4. Published works 79
5. Majmac bil)iir al-anwiir fi ghariiib al-tanzil wa la{iiif al-akhbiir 80
5.1 Editions of the Majmac 81
5.2 The composition of Majmac bil)iir al-anwiir 83
5.3 Prolegomena 83
5.4 The Preface/ Foreword [al-khu{bah] 83
5.5 The system of reference 84
5.6 The afl al-kitiib 86
5.7 The khiitimah 88
5.8 The takmilah 90
5.9 The second khatimah 91
6. al-Mughni fi <;lab{ asma~ al-rijal wa macrifah kuniy
al-ruwaah wa alqiibihim 91
6.1 Editions of al-Mughni 92
6.2 The composition of al-Mughni fi <;lab{ asmii, al-rijal wa
ma<rifah kuniy al-ruwaah wa alqabihim 92
6.3 Sources for al-Mughni and al-Fattani's system of reference 92
6.4 The concluding paragraphs of al-Mughni 95
7. Tadhkirah al-maw<;liicat 95
7.1 Editions of Tadhkirah al-maw<;liicat 95
7.2 The composition of Tadhkirah al-maw<;liicat 96
8. Qaniin al-<;lucafa, 98
9. Kifiiyah al-mufritin: sharl) al-shafiyah 98
9.1 The MS. of Kifayah al-mufrifin 99
9.2 The source of Kifayah al-mufrifin 99
9.3 The composition of Kifiiyah al-mufri(in 99
10. Kitiib al-tawassul 101
10.1 Editions of Kitiib al-tawassul 101
10.2 The composition of Kitiib al-tawassul 102
11. Conclusion 102
11.1 Locating al-Fattani's audience 102
11.2 Continuity of a tradition 104
11.3 Transmission of a spiritual influence 104
Chapter Three: Notes 106
CHAPTER FOUR
Identity of the Bohras of Gujarat and beyond: The making of a society
1. Introduction 107
1.1 Theoretical perspective 108
2. Islam in India 111
2.1 The relationship between Arabia and India: India in the Arab mind 111
2.2 Sarandip/Sahandalip (Sri Lanka) 112
2.3 A common sacred place 112
2.4 The first l:fajji was an Indian 112
2.5 The name Hind (India) 113
2.6 The ancient relationship of the Arab world with Gujarat 113
2.7 The opinion of Sayyid Sulaiman N adwi 115
2.8 The arrival of the $al;iiibah [Companions], Tiibiciin [Successors]
and Tabac tiibiciin [Followers] in Gujarat and the Subcontinent 117
2. 9 The inception of Islam in India 117
2.10 King Bhoj and India 118
2.11 The grave of a Companion in Gujarat: the findings of
Mawlana Ashraf <Ali Thanwi 121
2.12 Islam in India during the Caliphate of <Umar (13/635-23/643) 123
2.13 Sa'Qabah [Companions] in India during the Caliphate of
<Uthman (23/643-35/655) 127