Who is Abu al-Hasan al-Shushtari?
Abu al-Hasan al-Shushtari, whose full name is Ali ibn Abdullah al-Nimiri al-Shushtari, hails from Shushtir in the Wadi Ash region of Al-Andalus. He was born in the year 610 AH and passed away in 668 AH in Damietta, Egypt. He was a distinguished jurist and Sufi known for his piety and virtuousness. Throughout his life, he traveled extensively across the Islamic world, reportedly accompanied by about 400 Sufis who served him during his journeys. He is also well-regarded for his renowned poetry.
Life and Works of Abu al-Hasan al-Shushtari
Born into a wealthy and respected family, Abu al-Hasan al-Shushtari began his education by memorizing the Holy Quran and studying its interpretation. He also delved into Maliki jurisprudence, earning the title “Bride of Jurists.” As he matured, he dedicated himself to Sufism, learning from its masters and engaging in spiritual practices. He embraced the concept of spiritual tourism, traveling frequently across Al-Andalus.
After his extensive travels in Al-Andalus, he set out for the opposite shore, journeying to Morocco, where he met Abu Madyan al-Ghawth. It is uncertain whether they actually met, but he certainly adopted his path. He then proceeded to Bejaïa, where he became acquainted with Ibn Sab’in, known as Qutb al-Din, and stayed with him for a considerable period. Subsequently, he traveled to Alexandria, Egypt, where he encountered Abu al-Hasan al-Shadhili and Abu al-Abbas al-Mursi.
Abu al-Hasan al-Shushtari undertook numerous pilgrimages to Mecca. It is said that whenever he performed Hajj, he would pass through Syria and Iraq, where he would meet some students of Ibn Arabi and the executed Suhrawardi. On one of his returns from Hajj, he fell ill in Damietta, where he later died and was buried in 668 AH.
As a prolific author, Abu al-Hasan al-Shushtari left behind several notable works including:
- Diwan of Poetry.
- The Book of the Firm Bond Explaining Sunnahs and Enumerating the Obligations and Beliefs of a Muslim Until Death.
- The Book of Existential Keys in the Secrets of Sufism.
- The Book of Holy Epistles on General and Specific Monotheism.
- The Book of Faith, Islam, and Excellence.
- The Scholarly Epistle.
Selected Poetry by Abu al-Hasan al-Shushtari
Among the various poems composed by Abu al-Hasan al-Shushtari, one notable piece is:
- “I See the Followers Catching Up to Their Predecessors”
In this poem, Abu al-Hasan al-Shushtari writes:
I see the followers catching up to their predecessors
With those who follow them in state and rule
And there is no doubt about their presence
It is manifest in the stations of men
And when I saw the existence of my eyes
With the eye of the heart in the darkness of nights
I prostrated to our Lord, in meaning and feeling
The prostration of the heart or the eye of shadows
And I did not rise for what my essence gives
From the following of the lower beings to the higher ones
And the blinds of the distant with the near ones
And the appearance of precedents in their outcome
I said to Him, “I have prostrated my heart”
To my heart like glass among the lofty
And He addressed me, yet my existence rejected
The acceptance of His address for the righteousness of my heart
For I did not know from which stance
He addressed me, said the one inquiring
I said, “I know that You respond to me”
In proportion to the question, clarifying my condition
For I only seek my refuge
In the pleasures of companionship and yielding
O people, fear your Lord
The earthquake of the hour is a great matter
Which the disbeliever fears in his disbelief
Like the upright who fears it too
And if I were to speak of it with what
I know, I would be the knowledgeable and wise
And if we concealed it and did not reveal it
For its sight, I would be the generous divider
The matter is suspended on his poetry
It is removed from the sight of the worthless enemy
And the matter appears with its rulings
As the appearance described by the generous divisor
- “The Drinking of Wine is Pleasing”
In another poem, Abu al-Hasan al-Shushtari states:
The drinking of wine is pleasing in seclusion
Pour for me, O cupbearer, with moments divine
Wine that is forbidden to us
Not in it is guilt nor doubts confine
Aged in the vessels since before Adam
Its essence is pure from the finest wine
Advise me, O scholar, and tell me
Is it permissible to drink it at Arafat?
Or can one perform Tawaf and Sa’i with it
And proclaim the Talbiyah while drinking fine wine?
Or can one read the Quran and remember it
Or is it permissible to glorify during prayers?
The scholar replied, “If there is wine
From grapes in it, something intoxicating by design
Its consumption among us is certainly forbidden
Plus, it contains certain doubts entwined
Ah, O scholar, had you tasted it
And heard the melodies in seclusion’s chime
You would have left the world of this life
And roamed lost until the day of reckoning divine.