The Book of the Cure of Souls

Author(s): A. J. Arberry
Source: The Journal of the Royal Asiatic Society of Great Britain and Ireland, No. 2 (Apr.,
1937), pp. 219-231
Published by: Cambridge University Press
Stable URL: http://www.jstor.org/stable/25201496
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 The Book of the Cure of Souls
By A. J. ARBERRY

TN a former number of this journal I published a specimen

translation of one of the Rasd'il of Junayd, as an announce
ment of my intention to make that famous personage the
subject of a monograph.1 It will be useful at this stage to
print the text and translation of what is one of the most
interesting of the little treatises preserved in the Istanbul
manuscript, both because of its contents, and also for the
reason that it is the only work of Junayd for which we have
a second authority.8 It is unfortunately true that the Istanbul
manuscript, as the copyist himself is at pains to admit,9 is
derived from a very faulty archetype, and with such an
author as Junayd the work of emendation is necessarily
attended with countless pitfalls. The Cairo manuscript of
the Kitdb Dawd* aharwah exhibits roughly ninety variants
as compared with the Istanbul manuscript, in the space of
rather less than 2J folios.4 In by far the majority of places
the Istanbul manuscript appears to be the more correct.
The present opuscule is in reality a meditation on the
theme of the vision, or perhaps more properly, the knowledge 6
of God. The author takes a handful of Qur'anic passages in
which God is spoken of as appearing?to Muhammad, or to
Moses?and by applying the principle of istinbdt indicates
their significance for the ?ufi in his dealings with God. He
concludes with a meditation on the familiar theme, " the
true ?ufi." The whole work is well knit together, and forms
a separate and independent treatise.7
1 JRAS. July, 1935, pp. 499-507.
' In tho text, C = Cairo majamt*, 75; I = Istanbul Sehid Ali, 1374.
1 On fois. 676, 606.
4 Equally striking divergences are exhibited by the Kitdb al-Luma*
in those passages which are common to it and the Istanbul MS.
1 For the " vision " of God, literally understood, is a conoeption abhorrent
to orthodoxy.
* Cf. Massignon, Kssai, p. 28, n. 2.
7 A similar meditation on a Qur'anio passage occurs on fois. 58-9 of the
Istanbul MS.

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 220 THE BOOK OF THE CURE OF SOULS

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 THE BOOK OF THE CURE OF SOULS 221

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 222 THE BOOK OF THE CURE OP SOULS

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 THE BOOK OF THE CURE OF SOULS 223

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 224 THE BOOK OF THE CURE OF SOULS
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 THE BOOK OF THE CURE OF SOULS 225
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226 the book of the cure of souls

Translation
In the Name of God, the Merciful, the Compassionate.
Praise belongs to God, Who has made clear with manifest
demonstration, to the people of gnosis and revelation, what
special favours He bestowed upon them, in pre-eternal
eternity, before " before " came into being, when there was
neither " when " nor " where " nor " how " nor " there ",
and when there was neither " not-when " nor " not-where "
nor " not-how " nor " not-there ",l by making them worthy
of His unification, and the separation of His isolation, who
had passed away from the pretence of attaining His limita
tion.2 For they were chosen for Himself, and made under
His eye, and on them He cast a love from Him and of Him:
" and I chose thee for Myself" 3 and " that thou mayst be
made under My eye ",4 " and I cast on thee a love from
Myself".*
Now one of the qualities of those whom God has fashioned
for Himself, making them under His eye, and casting on
them His love from Himself and of Himself, is this: that
their knowledge stays not fixed 6 in one place, nor does their
intellect accord with a fixation of a certain intelligence, nor
is their resolve directed towards the accomplishment of a
single purpose. These are they who are transported by
gnosis whither knowledge never transported them?to an
infinite aim. Intellects would shrink, minds perish, gnosis be
constricted, times pass away, bewilderment would wander
in bewilderment, at the description of the first step taken
1 Suoh descriptions of the indescribable nature of God are common
places in ?ufi literature; see the well-known definition of IJallaj quoted
(anonymously) in Kalabadh!, Kit&b al-Ta'arruj, p. 13.
* Sc. of setting bounds to the illimitable nature of God.
Q. xx, 43. This and the following quotations in their context refer
to Moses ; here they are given a universal application.
* Q. xx, 40. Q. xx, 39.
Literally, " they have no foot (cf. Q. x, 2) of a knowledge . . .'* The
meaning of this and the following phrase is, that the mystics pass on
continuously from revelation to revelation, so that their minds are in a
state of flux.

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 THE BOOK OF THE CURE OF SOULS 227

to accord with the quality of a locus for a love,1 because

of the various degrees of knowledge, appointed by God for
them through Himself and of Himself, which continued
passing over them. For ah ! that, which is His, is His through
Him being with Him2: " whither then will ye depart ? " 8
Hast thou not heard of the knowledge of His folding up
what He Himself displayed, and His revealing what He Him
self concealed ? 4 Of how He chose whom He chose to receive
the secret of His revelation ? " He revealed unto His servant
what He revealed; the heart belied not what he saw " 6
" at the highest horizon ". He testified to him that he
was His servant alone; therefore God did not use him
jealously, because of any secret yearning for a desire, or a
covert gratification of a lust, or a commerce with a glance,
or traffick with.a thought7: he did not stake a claim by
utterance,8 nor outstrip the just claimants by a spoken word,
neither did he for a single instant consider any personal
advantage. " He revealed unto him " then " what He
revealed "?He made his intellect ready for that which He
bestowed on him when He took him to Himself, and chose
him for a certain matter, laying on him " what burden he
has to bear ",9 and he bore it. " He revealed unto him "
then " what He revealed?at the highest horizon " : for space
was too narrow, and created things shrank, before suffering

1 So. the heart of man, which is tho locus of God's lovo.

1 The knowledge that sweeps over tho mystic is not of himself, but of
God, and never leaves Him.
* Q. lxxxi, 26: man cannot escape from God.
* " Folding up what He displayed " is man's non-existence from the
time of the crcativo kun until his birth in time; " revealing what Ho
concealed " is tlio knowlcdgo of God, which was taken from man when he
was disobedient.
1 Q. liii, 10-11. This passage is usually taken by tho commentators to
refer to a vision of Gabriel; it seems that Junayd interprets it as a vision
of God Himself.
* Q. liii, 8.
7 Sc. of other than God.
* By speaking before God spoko to him, as if eager to claim Him.
* Q. xxiv, 53; the burden of Prophethood.

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228 THE BOOK OF THE CURE OF SOULS

the revelation that was made to him to pass through them

or over them, save " at the highest horizon ",* " when
there covered the lote-tfee what did cover it" a?a glance
from the majesty of His glance, which has no object of glance,
falling upon the lote-tree, when there covered it what did
cover it, and it withstood that which did cover it.8
Consider also the mountain, when " He revealed Himself"
to it; "He made it dust, and Moses fell swooning, and
when he recovered, he said, Glory be to Thee ! I have turned
unto Thee " 4?that is, I return to ask of Thee the vision:
after experiencing this station,5 in spite of knowing how enor
mous his petition was, and despite the fact that, had knowledge
met with reality in the time of asking, words would not
have been permissible or appropriate.6 Now in this station
there is a knowledge which may not be inscribed, and which
it is not appropriate to put in writing.7
Consider also how God relates concerning His Beloved:8
" and he saw him yet another time, at the lote-tree of the
utmost boundary." 9 The word " at" here does not imply
place : it only implies the moment of revealing the knowledge
of the " moment ",10 Consider then the excellence of the
two moments, and the variety of the two places, and how
the two stations differed, the one being on high, and the
other below.11 So excel the intellects of the gnostics who
I For there only God could make revelation in space, as explained later.
? Q. liii, 16.
The heavenly tree was able to withstand God's glance, which otherwise
destroys all upon which it falls.
4 Q. vii, 139-140. This is the story of Moses, who asked God to let him
see Him : the mountain turned to dust before the vision of God (not being
preserved, as was the lote-tree).
Speaking of it as a mystical experience.
For the experience of God is ineffable.
7 So the ?ufis ever draw back from writing of their highest experiences.
Sc. Muhammad.
Q. liii, 13 : this is usually taken to refer to the tni'raj.
10 In the mystical sense of the word.
II The two " revelations " described in Q. liii: the first" two bows*
length off or nearer still", an earthly visitation, the second " at the lote
tree ", in highest heaven.

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 THE BOOK OF THE CURE OF SOULS 229

believe. Some of them can utter intimate converse, being

aware how near He is Who converses with them and draws
them unto Him: whether they be on high or below, the
knowledge of the fact does not veil them.1 Others are not
able to do this : with them God makes secondary causes 8
a means to understanding, so that through these they are
able to understand when God addresses them, and answer
Him. Do not pause at God's saying, " and no man is permitted
that God may speak with him, save it be by revelation, or
from behind a veil, or that He sendeth a messenger, to reveal
by His leave what He wills." 8 These are matters4 too
vast for narrow knowledge to comprehend, except a man
consult with those who enjoy neighbourhood,* or occupy
himself with the knowledge of the winding ways that lead
to the sciences of the elect,6 who are solitary even from their
solitudes, and are free of all their desires. For a barrier
has been set between them and the objects of their lusts:
swept along by the winds of understanding, they were brought
down to the seas of wisdom, whence they drew the pure
water of life. They fear no mischief thereof, no visitation
they expect, neither are they avid to seek the attainment
of any end: nay rather, ends are for them beginnings.7
What in other men is hidden, in that they are manifest,
and they are hidden in that in which other men are manifest.8
They are the trustees of God's revelation, the preservers of
His secret, performing His command, speaking of His truth,
acting in obedience to Him. They vie with one another in
good works, hastening beforehand to perform them: in the
1 Permitting converse with God, a feature of much ?ufi experience, as
the Mawaqij of Niffari exemplify.
Sc. phenomena, the " natural" mysticism.
Q. xiii, 60.
4 Literally, " places."
? Sc. with God.
Sc. the ?ufis.
7 Since they rest not in any goal, but take each achievement as a starting
point for higher things.
8 Their souls are as other men's bodies, for by and for them they live.

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230 THE BOOK OF THE CURE OF SOULS

very beginning of their course they preserved excellent

manners in their dealings,1 whatever might be the due which
they were required to pay to God. No wise counsel is there,
which they have not put into practice, no means to winning
God's favour, which they have not employed. Their souls
liberally gave all their strength in paying His first due,
seeking to come to Him, zealous, leaving nothing, and reserving
nothing: rather, they considered that what they owed, at
the time of their payment, was greater far than all that their
payment had of merit. God's manifest signs2 to them point,
and the sciences8 of God in them abound. No reproach
gives them pause at any visitation, no fear hinders them at
any calamity, no covetousness incites them in making any
preparation.4 They preserve God's Book which was entrusted
to them, and to it bear witness, for when they perform any
duty, they do not turn from seeking refuge in turning to
ask God's help, to complete what they set out to do. Their
counselling others does not diminish their listening to God
addressing them,6 so long as there remains in them any
vestige of the life that is in Him : for they fear lest, knowing
what they are required to do for God, they may suffer some
vain conceit to enter into the performance of their dues.8
Therefore they do not hesitate to run forth eagerly when
ever the command comes, that act may follow command,
without sharp, appreciable division, such as would not be
of the nature of the command.
These are the qualities of the elect of God, His beloved
friends, whose eye is ever fixed on the saying, which has
1 They observed adab in their behaviour towards God.
1 Sc. created things, the guides to natural religion.
* Tho intellectual guides to God's religion.
4 Whatever they suffer or undertake, they do it for God alone, with no
other motive.
* The variant reading would mean " others addressing them ", which
less appropriate to the context.
* They continue to listen to God, and are not puffed up by their position
as counsellors of others, into imagining that what they do is by their own
power.

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 THE BOOK OF THE CURE OF SOULS 231

application to them, impressing the duty of servanthood in

true discipline?a discipline which is only condemned1 in
the case of those who undertake it, without performing
their obligations under it, failing to practise it.
The souls of practitioners take hastily the knowledge * they
have, and are veiled by the thought of that knowledge so
that they do not know what tho knowledge of that know
ledge means to them or what God's favour means in revealing
to them the knowledge of what that knowledge is.8 So veil
thickens upon veil, hiding the revelation of the sciences of
the veils,4 and they remain beneath their covering. Then,
when they have emerged from these conditions,5 there appear
to them the sciences of the unveiling of the covering. " Thou
wast in heedlessness of this, and we uncovered thy covering,
and thy sight to-day is keen " 6?such a man understands
the limits 7 of things, for the Creator uncovers them, and
reveals the light of creation in which He clothed them, and
the beauty of will, which was manifested in His pervading
power, concentrating them and separating them, giving them
movement8 and reality. " It tires Him not to keep them
both,9 for He is High, Mighty. No constraint is there in
the faith : guidance has become clear from error."10
1 As in tho well-known Tradition, " no monkery {rahbanfyah) in Islam "
which Junayd thus explains.
* Religious theory?tho law, and its ramifications in religious praotice.
* That is, knowing what God's purpose was in proscribing certain duties
to man. This passage is obscure, and perhaps the reading of I1 is correct.
4 This is the true purpose of ?ufi discipline.
* Literally, " places.'*
* Q. i, 21.
7 A play on words?fuidid and ^udud.
8 Literally, " their courses."
* In the context, heaven and earth.
10 Q. ii, 256. Tho foregoing translation is of necessity somewhat
tentative, and I should welcomo any suggestions for emendation or
clarification.

326.

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