Bensalem Himmich - The Theocrat

At this point the missionary, Hasan ibn Haydarah al-Farghani, “helper of the Guide,” the one known as “al-Akhram” (because he had a snub nose with a split nostril) took over. He always managed to cover the reedy quality in his voice by resorting to a highly rhetorical style:

“There has come to us from the furthest absence at the glimmer of dawn

Our lord al-Hakim, heir to the secret and the line.

Of his goodness he has bared his head, greeted and glorified his God,

And relayed to us the word of the prophets, as musk and ambergris waft from his presence.

He has told us of blessings, of women, and of words.

He has said: “These are the bases of life;

Whoever ignores them will perish.

He who learns them belongs to the lands of fertility and rebirth

And will gain the supreme bliss and happiness in the hereafter.

When he finished and disappeared.

We shuddered. Clouds covered courtyard and mihrab

And water in the fountain was turned into light.

In a trance of hallelujahs we all stood,

Prayed the prayer of love for our Lord the marker of time,

And asked that he return in peace.”

The devotees sat there in humble silence, entranced. They asked for more. Al-Tamimi, known as ‘the emissary of destiny,’ asked, “When our lord returned from his exalted absence, what did his noble mouth have to say?”

“Our lord came back to us safe and reassured,” al-Akhram the missionary replied enthusiastically. “God inspired him to utter some noble words: ‘You can only gaze on the sun as you consign it to its resting place in the sea or behind lofty hills. Thus it is with life.’ And, ‘The wisest of men is one who in his own heart carries a sun that never sets and who thinks about life while it is available in all its maturity and brilliance.’

“Our lord also brought forth some wonderful pieces of wisdom: ‘Wisdom does not involve adapting oneself to repetition and deaths, but rather discovering the face of God in those motivating enticements whose general law is emanation and incandescence.”

Now ‘the emissary of destiny’ asked another question. “Generous missionary,” he said insistently, yet humbly, “will you convey us all into the world of our lord’s conversations with His Lord? All of us desire it to remain a secret, and we will preserve it as such.”

“I have heard our lord with my very own ears,” responded al-Akhram, his eyes gleaming. “I’ve recorded some of his divine confidences, including the following:

‘Within me is the wind’s own girdle and songs of love for the sandy temples,

And fleeting bubbles.

O You who pass by my distress,

I have no secret within.

Nothing keeps me from you, O my God, nothing distances me from You.

This world is an arena that You have paved with watch-towers and informants,

That you have roofed over with a gloomy, barren trellis.

O You crusher of limbs, whither can I flee with my nakedness?

My calamity takes shape in the evening.

Faced with me all ancient deities have collapsed

And turned into dust and ashes.

My calamity takes shape,

So I have turned to You, O guardian of my power.

From You I await a prophet of great repute,

His eyes the color of cement,

One whose mind will combat fates and thunder in the heavens.

And whose hands all around us will kindle the fires of resurrection and eternity.’”

As al-Akhram recited these words, the group sat beside each other totally entranced. It was at this precise moment that the missionary, Muhammad Isma’il al-Druzi, ‘the mainstay of the Guide’ as he was known, intervened. A tall man possessed of an eloquent turn of phrase and powerful mind, he now recounted some of his experiences. “I myself heard our lord — blessings on his name — after returning from his thousand and first quest into the unknown, ‘My devotees, whenever I consider establishing new theologies, I find it extremely difficult to investigate the topic of the Creator, the eternity of the world and its emergence from nothingness. In dealing with these complex issues and their subfields all I come up with are bland ideas and proofs that in their balance cancel each other out. ‘

“Our lord continued, ‘We should study God’s very self, as though it were possible to analyze its essence and investigate its attributes. All theology that does not acknowledge its defeat and unfeasibility approaches the Most High from a false perspective and fails to render Him honor.

‘“The theologian worthy of the name is one who, when he treats God’s attributes or is driven by curiosity to consider their modalities in detail, does not hesitate to guffaw with laughter at his own folly.’

“Our lord — praise be to Him — also said, ‘I’ve observed theologians going so far in their disputes concerning God’s attributes that they started hurling shoes and stones at one another. Whatever may have been the outcome of these squabbles, I hope they will allow me, as a long-standing servant of the faith, to record discreetly to the credit of God the powerful, the living, the knowing, and so on, the great attribute of subtlety.

‘“Indeed how subtle is my Lord! He is the eye that never sleeps. It is inconceivable that he should see me beset by disasters and various categories of crisis. However, from the pinnacles of His lofty wisdom, he feigns a lack of interest in me and turns away so as not to restrict my actions. This is one of the signs of that subtlety whose savor and meaning He alone enjoys.’

“Such is my Lord’s sense of fun that he decided to joke with me: ‘They say that Sufis are children sitting in God’s own lap. Do you see what they do there? What do al-Hallaj and Rabi‘a al-‘Adawiya have to say to each other when they meet? Do they recite poetry and inspirational sayings to each other, or is it rather jokes, followed by caresses and kisses?’

“Before saying farewell — may he be thanked! — my lord gave me this advice: ‘Muhammad,’ he said, ‘neither greet nor say farewell to people without telling them to do well by the light.’

“I asked my Lord for the rationale behind his advice. He said, ‘If mankind did not set up imaginary pyramids around the light, to the extent that they are beneficial, he would not settle on any opinion or establish definitions of truth and what surrounds it. It is by the light then, in other words through the illusion of discovery, stripping bare, and revelation, everything that points to the infinite, everything that sharpens and confuses the vision, it is by this light that ideas can breathe freely, requesting fruition for their interests and ease and relaxation for their veins.’”

Now Hamza the missionary spoke again, “In that God has given the Commander of the Faithful a noble wisdom, made him heir to the role of imam, consigned to him the role of making known the legal bounds of the religion, of informing those believers who seek refuge under his care and enlightening those respondents who cling to his veins, he therefore proclaims the establishment of an enlightened mission among his saints, Its shadow will extend over his followers and faithful adherents, nourishing their minds with its clear message and sharpening their intellects with its sheer clarity. Its subtleties will train their thoughts, and its learning will rescue them from the perils of doubt. Knowledge of it will lead them to paths of satisfaction and point them toward the spirit of paradise, the sweet breeze of affection, and bliss eternal by the side of the Generous, the Provider.” 14

“You marshals, deputies, and elite devotees.” went on Hamza in a homiletic tone, “you flames of the beneficial memory and glowing conscience, the great mission has been entrusted to your shoulders. So now go forth, interpret with mind and passion, and spread the word wherever is most appropriate and however will best convince others. Now depart, and a thousand farewells go with you from our lord and myself!”