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Some people regard this annihilation as the ultimate goal reached by those who know Allah in their spiritual journey. This view is even weaker [than the preceding one] (1).
As for what is related of Abū Yazīd al-Bastāmī (2)—that he said, “There is nothing inside the robe but Allah,” and, “Where is Abū Yazīd? I have been searching for Abū Yazīd for so-and-so many years,” and similar statements (3)—they construed it as belonging to this category. Hence, it is said of him that whenever he regained his senses, he repudiated this.
Such statements constitute disbelief. However, if a person loses his reason for an excusable cause, such as sleep,
(1) The text in square brackets is absent from N and M.
(2) Abū Yazīd Tayfūr ibn ʿĪsā al-Bastāmī, also known as Bā Yazīd, was a famous Sufi to whom numerous *shatahāt* (ecstatic utterances) are attributed. Al-Ziriklī states: “Some Orientalists maintain that he espoused *wahdat al-wujūd* (the unity of being), and that he was the first proponent of the doctrine of *fanā* (annihilation), or Nirvana. His followers are known as the Tayfūriyya or the Bastāmiyya.” He was born in 188 AH and died in 261 AH. For his biography and doctrine, see *Tabaqāt al-Sūfiyya*, pp. 67–74; *al-Tabaqāt al-Kubrā*, 1:65–66; *Sifat al-Safwa*, 4:89–94; *Shadharāt al-Dhahab*, 2:143–44; *Mīzān al-Iʿtidāl*, 2:346–47; *al-Risāla al-Qushayriyya*, 1:80–82; and *al-Aʿlām*, 3:339.
(3) Dr. ʿAbd al-Rahmān Badawī authored *Shatahāt al-Sūfiyya*, in which he cited many of Abū Yazīd al-Bastāmī’s ecstatic utterances and published the treatise *al-Nūr min Kalimāt Abī Tayfūr*, attributed to al-Sahlajī (Cairo: al-Nahda al-Misriyya, 1949). On page 65 of that treatise, I found the following passage: “A man from among Dhū al-Nūn’s companions sought out Abū Yazīd. He asked him, ‘Whom are you seeking?’ The man replied, ‘Abū Yazīd.’ He said, ‘My son, Abū Yazīd has been seeking Abū Yazīd for forty years.’ The man returned to Dhū al-Nūn and informed him, whereupon Dhū al-Nūn lost consciousness.” This closely resembles the second passage cited by Ibn Taymiyya; see also p. 110. I was unable to locate the first passage, which is generally attributed to al-Hallāj; see Dr. Abū al-Wafā al-Taftāzānī, *Madkhal ilā al-Tasawwuf al-Islāmī*, p. 129 (Cairo: Dār al-Thaqāfa, 1979). Al-Bastāmī, however, made similar and even more reprehensible statements, such as: “Glory be to me! How mighty is my sovereignty!” (*Shatahāt*, p. 111). When a man came to him and recited, “Indeed, your Lord’s grip is severe,” he replied: “By His life, my grip is more severe than His” (*Shatahāt*, p. 111). He also said: “I was circumambulating the Sacred House of Allah. When I reached it, I saw the House circumambulating me” (p. 108).
وَمِنَ النَّاسِ مَنْ يَجْعَلُ هَذَا الْفَنَاءَ هُوَ الْغَايَةُ الَّتِي يَنْتَهِي إِلَيْهَا سَيْرُ الْعَارِفِينَ. وَهَذَا أَضْعَفُ
[مِنَ الَّذِي قَبْلَهُ]
(١)
. وَمَا يُذْكَرُ عَنْ أَبِي يَزِيدَ الْبَسْطَامِيِّ
(٢)
مِنْ قَوْلِهِ:
" مَا فِي الْجُبَّةِ إِلَّا اللَّهُ "
وَقَوْلِهِ:
" أَيْنَ أَبُو يَزِيدَ؟ أَنَا أَطْلُبُ أَبَا يَزِيدَ مُنْذُ كَذَا وَكَذَا سَنَةٍ "
وَنَحْوُ ذَلِكَ
(٣)
،
فَقَدْ حَمَلُوهُ عَلَى أَنَّهُ كَانَ مِنْ هَذَا الْبَابِ ; وَلِهَذَا يُقَالُ عَنْهُ:
إِنَّهُ كَانَ إِذَا أَفَاقَ أَنْكَرَ هَذَا.
فَهَذَا وَنَحْوُهُ كُفْرٌ، لَكِنْ إِذَا زَالَ الْعَقْلُ بِسَبَبٍ يُعْذَرُ فِيهِ الْإِنْسَانُ، كَالنَّوْمِ
(١) مَا بَيْنَ الْمَعْقُوفَتَيْنِ سَاقِطٌ مِنْ (ن) ، (م) .
(٢) أَبُو يَزِيدَ طَيْفُورُ بْنُ عِيسَى الْبَسْطَامِيُّ وَيُقَالُ: بَا يَزِيدَ، صُوفِيٌّ شَهِيرٌ لَهُ شَطَحَاتٌ كَثِيرَةٌ، يَقُولُ الزِّرِكْلِيُّ: " وَفِي الْمُسْتَشْرِقِينَ مَنْ يَرَى أَنَّهُ كَانَ يَقُولُ بِوَحْدَةِ الْوُجُودِ وَأَنَّهُ كَانَ أَوَّلَ قَائِلٍ بِمَذْهَبِ الْفَنَاءِ Nirvana وَيُعْرَفُ أَتْبَاعُهُ بِالطَّيْفُورِيَّةِ أَوِ الْبَسْطَامِيَّةِ "، وُلِدَ سَنَةَ ١٨٨ وَتُوُفِّيَ سَنَةَ ٢٦١ انْظُرْ تَرْجَمَتَهُ وَمَذْهَبَهُ فِي: طَبَقَاتِ الصُّوفِيَّةِ ص ٦٧ - ٧٤، الطَّبَقَاتِ الْكُبْرَى ١/٦٥ - ٦٦، صِفَةِ الصَّفْوَةِ ٤/٨٩ - ٩٤، شَذَرَاتِ الذَّهَبِ ٢/١٤٣ - ١٤٤، مِيزَانِ الِاعْتِدَالِ ٢/٣٤٦ - ٣٤٧، الرِّسَالَةِ الْقُشَيْرِيَّةِ ١/٨٠ - ٨٢، الْأَعْلَامِ ٣/٣٣٩
(٣) للدكتور عَبْد الرَّحْمَن بَدَوِي كِتَابُ " شَطَحَاتِ الصُّوفِيَّةِ "، أَوْرَدَ فِيهِ الْكَثِيرَ مِنْ شَطَحَاتِ أَبِي يَزِيدَ الْبَسْطَامِيِّ وَنَشَرَ فِيهِ رِسَالَةَ " النُّورُ مِنْ كَلِمَاتِ أَبِي طَيْفُورٍ " الْمَنْسُوبَةَ إِلَى السَّهْلَجِيِّ (ط. النَّهْضَةِ الْمِصْرِيَّةِ) ، الْقَاهِرَةِ ١٩٤٩ " وَوُجَدْتُ فِي هَذِهِ الرِّسَالَةِ النَّصَّ التَّالِيَ ص ٦٥. قَصَدَ أَبَا يَزِيدَ رَجُلٌ مِنْ أَصْحَابِ ذِي النُّونِ فَقَالَ لَهُ: مَنْ تَطْلُبُ؟ قَالَ: أَبَا يَزِيدَ، فَقَالَ: يَا بُنَيَّ أَبُو يَزِيدَ يَطْلُبُ أَبَا يَزِيدَ مُنْذُ أَرْبَعِينَ سَنَةً. فَرَجَعَ إِلَى ذِي النُّونِ وَأَخْبَرَهُ فَغُشِيَ عَلَيْهِ. وَهُوَ نَصٌّ مُقَارِبٌ لِلنَّصِّ الثَّانِي الَّذِي أَوْرَدَهُ ابْنُ تَيْمِيَّةَ (وَانْظُرْ ص ١١٠) . أَمَّا النَّصُّ الْأَوَّلُ فَلَمْ أَجِدْهُ، وَهُوَ يُنْسَبُ فِي الْغَالِبِ إِلَى الْحَلَّاجِ (انْظُرْ كِتَابَ " مَدْخَلٌ إِلَى التَّصَوُّفِ الْإِسْلَامِيِّ " للدكتور أَبِي الْوَفَا التَّفْتَازَانِيِّ، ص ١٢٩ ط. دَارِ الثَّقَافَةِ الْقَاهِرَةِ ١٩٧٩) ، عَلَى أَنَّ الْبَسْطَامِيَّ لَهُ عِبَارَاتٌ مُشَابِهَةٌ بَلْ أَكْثَرُ شَنَاعَةً مِثْلُ قَوْلِهِ: " سُبْحَانِي مَا أَعْظَمَ سُلْطَانِي "، " شَطَحَاتِ ص ١١١ " وَقَوْلُهُ لَمَّا جَاءَهُ رَجُلٌ فَقَرَأَ عِنْدَهُ إِنَّ بَطْشَ رَبِّكَ لِشَدِيدٌ قَالَ: " وَحَيَاتِهِ إِنَّ بَطْشِي أَشَدُّ مِنْ بَطْشِهِ "، (شَطَحَاتِ ص ١١١) وَقَوْلِهِ: " كُنْتُ أَطُوفُ حَوْلَ بَيْتِ اللَّهِ الْحَرَامِ، فَلَمَّا أَنْ وَصَلْتُ إِلَيْهِ رَأَيْتُ الْبَيْتَ يَطُوفُ حَوْلِي " ص ١٠٨