Shāh Walī Allaah ad-Dihlawī

Shāh Walī Allah Ahmad ibn ʿAbd ar-Rahīm ad-Dihlawī ( Urdu شاہ ولی اللہ DMG Šāh Walīyullāh , Arabic شاه ولي الله أحمد بن عبد الرحيم الدهلوي, DMG Shāh Walī Allāh Aḥmad ibn ʿAbd ar-Raḥīm ad-Dihlawī , born February 21, 1703 in Phulat near Muzaffarnagar ; † August 20, 1762 in Delhi ) was an important Islamic thinker from India in the 18th century. He came from a family of scholars in Delhi.

Life

Shah Wali Allah family consisted of both known Sufis and qadis and soldiers in the service of the Mughals . His father Shāh ʿAbd ar-Rahīm was a member of the Sufi order of the Chādscha Churd, Shāh Walī Allah himself entered the order of the Chistiyya , Naqschbandiyya and the Qādiriyya in 1718 .

Shāh Walī Allaah was tutored primarily at home by his father. After knowing the Koran by heart at the age of seven , he learned Arabic and Persian . When he learned these two languages, he went to the Rahīmiyya, a school founded by his father. It was characterized by a focus on hadeeth , theology , philosophy , logic and muʿqallāt (rational sciences). This set this school apart from other schools of the time, which primarily taught munqallāt (traditional sciences such as fiqh ). After the death of his father in 1718, Shah Wali Allaah took over the management of the school.

In 1730 he performed the Hajj , in the course of which he remained in the Hijaz for two years, studying with various scholars and coming into contact with many important Islamic works. This stay was important for his further work insofar as he was able to deepen his " cosmopolitan " ideas. After returning to Delhi, he spent more time writing than teaching.

Shāh Walī Allaah was a child of his time. In 1739 Delhi was taken by Nādir Shāh , which divided the Muslims on the Indian subcontinent and allowed non-Muslim communities to grow stronger. This would later influence his teaching. He believed that the main reasons for the decline of the Mughal Empire were high taxes and a rich unproductive class that lived like " parasites " on the majority of the people. In addition, various groups with their extreme views shared Islamic society. He therefore called for moderation. He saw political authority as practical, but only society was really important.

Shāh Walī Allaah described himself in his autobiography al-ǧuzʾu l-laṭīf  as someone whom God "made the opener of the last period up to the Last Judgment". In difficult times, he saw himself in the role of the one who laid the foundation for subsequent religious and intellectual developments.

Teaching

Difference from Muhammad ibn ʿAbd al-Wahhāb

According to the Islamic scholar Ahmad Dallal, it is often wrongly assumed that Muhammad ibn ʿAbd al-Wahhāb's (1703–1792) ideas had a great influence on Shāh Walī Allaah. Proponents of this thesis would argue that these thinkers rejected Taqlīd and wanted to revive both Ijtihād and Hadeeth . Dallas rejects this, however, as in his opinion this line of reasoning is only intended to help students find their way around the complex intellectual world of Islam . In addition, the fact that both studied with Muhammad Hayā as-Sindī is no evidence of one and the same ideas. This is at most a proof of the prominence of some scholars. This thesis is also supported by the fact that as-Sindī warned his disciples about ibn ʿAbd al-Wahhāb and his ideas.

ʿĀlam al-Mithāl or Mundus Imaginalis

Conceptions

Shāh Walī Allāh developed a concept called ʿālam al-miṯāl (world of similarity, the world of similitude ; also ʿālam al-ḫayāl - world of imagination), which the French scholar of Islam and philosopher Henry Corbin called Mundus Imaginalis (world of Idea) wanted to reintroduce it to Europe . Corbin believed that this world, displaced by Cartesianism in Europe, was essential to answer important philosophical questions. Even before Cartesianism, however, it was known by a different name in Europe: the world of angels.

The Islamic scholar Fuad S. Naeem dealt with the concept of Shāh Walī Allaah in an article. Accordingly, the concept appears for the first time in al-Ghazālī . Other scholars such as Sihāb ad-Dīn Yahya as-Suhrawardī , who discussed it for the microcosm and used the term ʿālam al-mithāl for the first time , Ibn al-ʿArabī , who applied the world to micro- and macrocosms , and Mullāh Sadr , who used it integrated into Islamic eschatology , developed the concept further. Shāh Walī Allaah's contribution was to bring all of these concepts together in a synthesis.

Shāh Walī Allāhs ʿĀlam al-Mithāl

Shāh Walī Allaah defined the ʿālam al-mithāl as an intermediate space between the empirical and the divine world. The ʿālam al-mithāl is therefore a transmitter between the divine and the earthly world and can thus transform attributes from the two worlds into the other. Since God is immaterial , everything goes from and to God through the ʿālam al-mithāl. Things from the divine world could only be realized in the earthly world because they were present in the ʿālam al-mithāl as representations (chayāl) . At the beginning of everything, God determines something that is then imagined in the ʿālam al-mithāl and finally manifested in this world. Shāh Walī Allaah describes the function of the ʿālam al-mithāl more precisely: there were only shapes and colors, but no material; besides, fate would arise there. In addition, it is immune to the flaws of this world. Angels are the beings who mediate between God and humans and who populated ʿālam al-mithāl . Through prayer people could reach the angels and thereby block things like sickness and suffering. Nevertheless, people are bound to all worlds.

Human life as a cycle

Shāh Wali Allaah further describes that people emerged from pure intellect - the human form in the divine world. Gradually the intellect would then pass into the ʿālam al-mithāl , where it slowly takes shape and where a time is set for its appearance on earth. When man's time on earth is up, he will go back the same way, throw off impure forms and become pure intellect again. While man is in the ʿālam al-mithāl , he can also think beyond his intellectual boundaries, whereas on earth the needs of food and drink are in the foreground. For this purpose, certain senses such as common sense (ḥiss muštarak) , ability to abstract (wahm) and logical understanding (idrāk) were retained. Thus, the human remains detached from his matter and resembles with his abilities like the hiss muschtarak (common sense) that of the angels and jinn .

Man after death

After death, the angels take care of the people who are now in a kind of dream state. According to Shāh Walī Allaah, a fundamental difference between the state in the tomb and Judgment Day is that the tomb corresponds to the microcosm, while Judgment Day is related to the macrocosm. The purpose of the grave is to reward good and punish bad, but this only applies to the outer body (ẓāhir) . Then on the last day the inner part of the person (bātin) is punished. Humans could now become angels as well as devils.

However, if a person identifies himself completely with his body, then in the ʿālam al-mithāl it would have the impression that his soul is still in the body. So the status of a person in the ʿālam al-mithāl would directly reflect the state of his soul. Since man is here freed from his needs in this world, human rationality would slowly awaken to life and all characteristics of the matter of the body (nasama) would slowly become universals again in the same process . With the disappearance of the nasama man changes accordingly from the individual to the characteristic of all. On Judgment Day, however, the person would once again become an individual and essential features of the individual character remained secured throughout the entire process.

On the last day, according to Shāh Walī Allaah, all desires in this world will be satisfied and man see God in the form in which he imagines him. Then comes paradise, where the person becomes pure intellect (ʿaql) again.

The position of ʿĀlam al-Mithāl in Shāh Walī Allaah's thought

According to Naeem, the ʿālam al-mithāl is the key concept in Shāh Walī Allaah's thinking, since it represents the connection between man and God and everything that wanders between the two has to go through this world. The ʿālam al-mithāl also combines ʿaql (rationality) and naql (religious scriptures). To illustrate this, Naeem gives the example of the various religions. Shāh Walī Allaah is of the opinion that there is an archetype of religion ( dīn ) in the ʿālam al-mithāl . Depending on the people and the environment, religion then manifests itself in different ways - this explains the existence of different religions.

Idschtihād and Taqlīd

Shāh Walī Allaah saw ijtihād as necessary in every epoch. He justifies this view with the fact that in every epoch there are new challenges for people, each of which required a new interpretation of the Islamic system of norms. On the other hand, he refused to follow Taqlīd uncritically .

He saw ijtihād as fard  al-kifāya (collective duty - it is sufficient if part of the community practices ijtihād) to solve the innumerable problems and challenges at any time. The "gate of ijtihad" was therefore not closed for him. Anyone with knowledge of the Koran and Sunna with reference to moral and legal rules, expertise in  idschā , the  compulsory requirements for  qiyās and a basic knowledge of Arabic is qualified for ijtihād. As soon as there is a need for ijtihād, it may then be pursued.

The four Sunni schools of law

As an Indian, Shah Wali Allaah belonged to the Hanafi school of law , but especially before his stay in Mecca and Medina , he did not feel bound by the rules it gave. During his two years of study in hijaz , he changed his mind and tried to reconcile all four. This change of viewpoint was preceded by a vision in which Muhammad appeared to him and informed him that all four schools of law were the same.

He has written many works in Arabic and Persian , including a translation of the Koran into Persian in order to free them from the Koran comments , which in his opinion obscure the meaning, with the aim of bringing the Koran closer to educated Muslims.

Sufism

He rejected the worship of saints graves, which was widespread among the Sufis .

politics

Shāh Wali Allaah saw the main problem of his time in the political sphere - the disunity of Muslims. He therefore built his mindset around the question of restoring unity. To this end, he distinguished between two types of caliphate : an outer caliphate (ḫilāfat aẓ-ẓāhir) and an inner caliphate (ḫilāfat al-bāțin) . The external only has to create a superficial order, while the internal is responsible for the internal order. The ʿUlamāʾ are the protectors of this inner order and it is their task to ensure that life moves in harmony with God's created nature ( fiṭra ) . Political corruption can only arise if the ʿUlamāʾ neglect their duties. The thinking of the ʿUlamāʾ thus acts as a protection for society. With ʿUlamāʾ, Shāh Wali Allaah does not designate an elitist group, but one that is open to all members of society.

He valued the Rohilla leader Najib ad-Daula for his personal commitment to Sunni Islam against the Jāts who were threatening Delhi at the time. Shāh Walī Allaah urged him to dismiss all Hindus from civil service as they would collaborate with the Jāts. It is also worth mentioning in this context that Shāh Wali Allaah saw a reason for the decline in his time in the fact that, in keeping with Akbar's thought of reconciliation, Hindus and Shiites could also hold posts in the government.

marriage

Shāh Walī Allaah examined both the micro level (the family) and the macro level (society) in the social context. He argues that socio-economic life and household economics are the same in any society. The manifestation just changes.

For Shāh Walī Allaah, humans are social beings with specific needs. According to Shāh Wali Allaah , historically speaking, there were four stages in the search for the realization of these needs, which he called irtifāqāt :

1) The man had to find a woman especially for him to satisfy his desires, to have support in raising the children and in the household.

2) Humanity slowly passed into urban societies. Here the family provided the backbone for solidarity.

3) + 4) In the development of the various city-states, the family continued to be an important unit for the organic whole.

Since marriage is the backbone of society in Shāh Walī Allaah's thinking and there is rivalry between men in the choice of women, this makes marriage as an institution necessary to legally secure a man's right to a particular woman. In addition, marriage is also important as a framework for sex . Although women are naturally more likely to have their duties at home, Shāh Wali Allaah emphasizes the need for cooperation and mutual support in marriage. Due to the different characteristics that characterize a man and a woman, both complement each other in their existence.

influence

The Islamic scholar Abu Zayd has published an overview on his blog of such groups and individuals who refer to Shāh Walī Allaah. Among them are Tarīqa-yi Muḥammadīya , Ahl-i Hadīth , Abu-l-Aʿlā Mawdūdī and Tablīghī Jamāʿat .

Works

Ḥuǧǧat Allaah al-Bāliġa

According to his own statement, Shāh Wali Allaah was told by God what he was pleased with in Fiqh . In this work, Shāh Walī Allaah therefore worked out a systematic hadīth science. Among other things, he set out the “implicit and fundamental ideas and intentions of the provisions of the sarīʿa , the calls to action […] and the other teachings contained in the revelations of God and the Prophets” in the hadeeth . Shāh Walī Allaah attaches a central place to this work in his thinking.

Fatḥ al-Raḥmān

It has long been assumed that the first translation of the Koran into Persian came from Shāh Walī Allaah's pen. Although scholars no longer agree whether there was a translation before, Fatḥ al-Raḥmān ("The Victory of the Merciful") is one of the most important works of Shāh Walī Allaah.

literature

• Ahmad Dallas: The Origins and Objectives of Islamic Revivalist Thought, 1750-1850 . In: Journal of the American Oriental Society , Vol. 113, No. 3. (July / September 1993), pp. 341-359.
• Annemarie Schimmel : History, art, culture in the realm of the Mughals . CH Beck, Munich 2000, ISBN 3-406-46486-6
• Fuad S. Naeem: The Imaginal World (ʿĀlam al-Mithāl) in the Philosophy of Shāh Walī Allāh al-Dihlawī . In: Islamic Studies , 44, 3, 2005, pp. 363-390.
• JMS Baljon: 'Religion and Thought of Shah Wali Allah Dihlawi', 1703–1762 . (Edited by Krijn Peter Hesselink and Katinka Hesselink).
• Jens Bakker: Shāh Walīy Allāh ad-Dihlawīy (1703–1762) and his stay in Mecca and Medina, a contribution to research into Islamic reform thinking in the early 18th century (= Bonn Islamic Studies booklets; 18). EB-Verlag, Berlin 2010, ISBN 978-3-86893-019-1
• Muhammad Khalid Masud: al-Dihlawī, Shāh Walī Allāh . In: Kate Fleet, Gudrun Krämer, Denis Matringe, John Nawas, Everett Rowson (eds.): Encyclopaedia of Islam THREE . Brill, suffering.
• Syed Athar Abbas Rizvi: Shāh Walī-Allāh and his Times . Ma'rifat Publishing House, Canberra 1980.

Web links

• Literature by and about Shāh Walī Allāh ad-Dihlawī in the catalog of the German National Library
• Shah Wali Ullah
• Shāh Walī Allaah : Ḥuǧǧat Allaah al-Bāliġa .

Individual evidence

1. ↑ ^{a b} Muhammad Khalid Masud: Shāh Walī Allāh ad-Dihlawī . In: Encyclopaedia of Islam III . Brill, suffering.
2. ↑ Ibid.
3. ^ Ahmad Dallal: The Origins and Objectives of Islamic Revivalist Thought, 1750-1850 . S. 343 .
4. ↑ Muhammad Khalid Masud: Shāh Walī Allāh ad-Dihlawī . In: Encyclopaedia of Islam III . Brill, suffering.
5. ^ Ahmad Dallal: The Origins and Objectives of Islamic Revivalist Thought, 1750-1850 . S. 343 .
6. ↑ Jens Bakker: Shāh Walīy Allāh ad-Dihlawīy , p. 17. Translated from (p. 174) Mawlawi M. Hidayat Husain: The Persian Autobiography of Shāh Walīullāh Abd ar-Raḥīm al-Dihlavī: its English translation and a list of his works . In: Journal & Proceedings of the Asiatic Society of Bengal (New Series), Vol. VIII, No.4, Calcutta: printed at the Baptist Mission Press and published by the Asiatic Society April 1912 (Issued 18th September 1912), p. 161 -175.
7. ↑ Jens Bakker: Shāh Walīy Allāh ad-Dihlawīy . S. 17 .
8. ^ Ahmad Dallal: The Origins and Objectives of Islamic Revivalist Thought, 1750-1850 . S. 341-342 .
9. ↑ Fuad S. Naeem: The Imaginal World , pp. 363-364.
10. ^ Naeem: The Imaginal World , p. 365.
11. ^ Naeem: The Imaginal World , pp. 369-374.
12. ^ Naeem: The Imaginal World , p. 375.
13. ^ Naeem: The Imaginal World , p. 377.
14. ^ Naeem: The Imaginal World , pp. 377-379.
15. ^ Naeem: The Imaginal World , pp. 379-380.
16. ^ Naeem: The Imaginal World , pp. 381-382.
17. ^ Naeem: The Imaginal World , pp. 385-386.
18. ^ Naeem: The Imaginal World , pp. 387-388.
19. ↑ Jens Bakker: Shāh Walīy Allāh ad-Dihlawīy . S. 34 .
20. ↑ JMS Baljon: Religion and Thought of Shah Wali Allah Dihlawi . S. 86 .
21. ↑ JMS Baljon: Religion and Thought of Shah Wali Allah Dihlawi . S. 87-88 .
22. ↑ JMS Baljon: Religion and Thought of Shah Wali Allah Dihlawi . S. 87 .
23. ↑ Unknown: Shāh Walī Allāh. In: Encyclopaedia Britannica. Retrieved August 3, 2016 . 
24. ^ Ahmad Dallal: The Origins and Objectives of Islamic Revivalist Thought, 1750-1850 . S. 344-345 .
25. ↑ Syed Athar Abbas Rizvi: Shāh Walī-Allāh and his Times . S. 307-308 .
26. ↑ Syed Athar Abbas Rizvi: Shāh Walī-Allāh and his Times . S. 304 .
27. ↑ Gulfishan Khan: Shāh Walī Allāh Dihlawī: A Tradionalist's Perspective of Gender Relations . Islamic Studies 45: 4, 2006, pp. 559-578, here p. 561 .
28. ↑ Ibid., P. 563.
29. ↑ Ibid., P. 564.
30. ↑ Ibid., Pp. 564-565.
31. ↑ Abu Zayd: An Intellectual Map of Shāh Walīullah (d. 1176/1763) and Major Figures of Contemporary Islam. February 17, 2012, accessed August 14, 2016 . 
32. ↑ Jens Bakker: Shāh Walīy Allāh ad-Dihlawīy . S. 18 .
33. ↑ Jens Bakker: Shāh Walīy Allāh ad-Dihlawīy . S. 19 .
34. ↑ Muhammad Khalid Masud: al-Dihlawī .