The Kashf al-Mahjúb

R. A. Nicholson’s translation of the Kashf al-Mahjúb of al-Hujwírí, the oldest Persian treatise on Sufism (Gibb Memorial Series, 1911). Each chapter is a separate reading page below.

This text is divided into the following 30 parts (also listed in the sidebar):

• Preface
• Introduction
• Chapter I — On the Affirmation of Knowledge
• Chapter II — On Poverty
• Chapter III — On Ṣúfiism
• Chapter IV — On the Wearing of Patched Frocks (Muraqqaʿát)
• Chapter V — On the Different Opinions Held Concerning Poverty and Purity
• Chapter VI — ON BLAME (Malámat)
• Chapter VII — Concerning Their Imáms Who Belonged to the Companions
• Chapter VIII — Concerning Their Imáms Who Belonged to the House of the Prophet
• Chapter IX — Concerning the People of the Veranda (Ahl-i Ṣuffa)
• Chapter X — Concerning Their Imáms Who Belonged to the Followers (Al-tábiʿún)
• Chapter XI — Concerning Their Imáms Who Lived Subsequently to the Followers (Al-tábiʿún) Down to Our Day
• Chapter XII — Concerning the Principal Ṣúfís of Recent Times
• Chapter XIII — A Brief Account of the Modern Ṣúfís in Different Countries
• Chapter XIV — Concerning the Doctrines Held by the Different Sects of Ṣúfís
• Chapter XV — The Uncovering of the First Veil: Concerning the Gnosis of God (Maʿrifat Alláh)
• Chapter XVI — The Uncovering of the Second Veil: Concerning Unification (Tawḥíd)
• Chapter XVII — The Uncovering of the Third Veil : Concerning Faith (Ímán)
• Chapter XVIII — The Uncovering of the Fourth Veil: Concerning Purification from Foulness
• Chapter XIX — The Uncovering of the Fifth Veil: Concerning Prayer (Al-ṣalát)
• Chapter XX — The Uncovering of the Sixth Veil: Concerning Alms (Al-zakát)
• Chapter XXI — The Uncovering of the Seventh Veil: on Fasting (Al-ṣawm)
• Chapter XXII — The Uncovering of the Eighth Veil : Concerning the Pilgrimage
• Chapter XXIII — The Uncovering of the Ninth Veil : Concerning Companionship, Together with its Rules and Principles
• Chapter XXIV — The Uncovering of the Tenth Veil: Explaining Their Phraseology and the Definitions of Their Terms and the Verities of the Ideas Which Are Signified
• Chapter XXV — The Uncovering of the Eleventh Veil : Concerning Audition (Samáʿ)
• Index I — Names
• Index II — Subjects, Oriental Words, and Technical Terms
• Index III

Source. https://archive.org/details/HujwiriKashfAlMahjubTheOldestPersianTreatiseOnSufism

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“E. J. W. GIBB MEMORIAL”

SERIES.

VOL. XVII.

THE KASHF AL-MAḤJÚB

THE OLDEST PERSIAN TREATISE ON ṢÚFISM

BY

ʿALÍ B. ʿUTHMÁN AL-JULLÁBÍ AL-HUJWÍRÍ

TRANSLATED FROM THE TEXT OF THE LAHORE EDITION, COMPARED WITH MSS. IN THE INDIA OFFICE AND BRITISH MUSEUM.

BY

REYNOLD A. NICHOLSON, Litt.D.

LECTURER IN PERSIAN IN THE UNIVERSITY OF CAMBRIDGE; FORMERLY FELLOW OF TRINITY COLLEGE.

AND

PRINTED FOR THE TRUSTEES OF THE “E. J. W. GIBB MEMORIAL”.

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The Funds of this Memorial are derived from the interest accruing from a sum of money given by the late MRS. GIBB of Glasgow, to perpetuate the Memory of her beloved son

ELIAS JOHN WILKINSON GIBB,

and to promote those researches into the History, Literature, Philosophy, and Religion of the Turks, Persians, and Arabs to which, from his youth upwards, until his premature and deeply lamented death in his 45th year on December 5, 1901, his life was devoted.

تِلْكَ آثَارُنَا تَدُلُّ عَلَيْنَا ۞ فَانْظُرُوا بَعْدَنَا اِلَى الْآثَارْ

” The worker pays his debt to Death ; His work lives on, nay, quickeneth.”

The following memorial verse is contributed by ʿAbduʾl-Ḥaqq Ḥámid Bey of the Imperial Ottoman Embassy in London, one of the Founders of the New School of Turkish Literature, and for many years an intimate friend of the deceased.

جمله بارلق وفانيله ايدرکس نطليب

کندی غزنده وفاکردی اول ذات ادیب

کم ايکس اولن ايدی اوج کاله واصل

نه اولوردی باشاندن اولنه ايدی مسترکيب “E. J. W. GIBB MEMORIAL.”

ORIGINAL TRUSTEES.

[JANE GIBB, died November 26, 1904], E. G. BROWNE, G. LE STRANGE, H. F. AMEDROZ, A. G. ELLIS, R. A. NICHOLSON, E. DENISON ROSS, AND IDA W. E. OGILVY GREGORY (formerly GIBB), appointed 1905.

CLERK OF THE TRUST.

JULIUS BERTRAM, 14 Suffolk Street, Pall Mall, LONDON, S.W.

PUBLISHERS FOR THE TRUSTEES.

E. J. BRILL, LEYDEN. LUZAC & CO., LONDON. Page 2, penult. For (p. 3) read (p. i).

p. 3, line 14 and l. 30. For (p. 3) read (p. i).

p. 4, l. 18. For (p. 3) read (p. i).

p. 4, l. 26. For just as the veil destroys revelation (mukáshafat) read just as veiling destroys the unveiled object (mukáshaf).

p. 6, l. 4 and l. 16. For (p. 3) read (p. i).

p. 51, l. 6. For Farg read Burk or Purg, and correct the note accordingly. See Guy Le Strange, The Lands of the Eastern Caliphate, p. 292.

p. 54, l. 28. For the infectious cankers of the age read the cankers which infect age after age.

p. 85, l. 19. For (ṣáḥib al-qulúb) read (ṣáḥi ‘l-qulúb). Ṣáḥi, ” sober,” is the antithesis of maghlúb, ” enraptured.”

p. 127, l. 17. For AL-INTÁḲÍ read AL-ANṬÁḲÍ.

p. 130, l. 27. Although some writers give ” Abú ‘l-Ḥasan ” as the kunya of Núrí, the balance of authority is in favour of ” Abú ‘l-Ḥusayn ”.

p. 131, n. 2. Add, See Goldziher in ZDMG., 61, 75 ff., and a passage in Yáqút’s Irshád al-Aríb, ed. by Margoliouth, vol. iii, pt. i, 153, 3 ff. ; cited by Goldziher in JRAS. for 1910, p. 888.

p. 140, l. 19. For ABÚ MUḤAMMAD ʿABDALLÁH read ABÚ ʿABDALLÁH.

p. 155, l. 26. Omit B. before DULAF.

p. 169, l. i. Omit B. before ʿALÍ.

p. 173, l. 11. For Pádsháh-i read Pádisháh-i.

p. 182, l. 26. Sháhmurghí is probably a mistake for siyáh murghí, ” a black-bird.” Cf. my edition of the Tadhkiratuʾl-Awliyá, ii, 259, 23.

p. 257, l. i. For taʿtíl read taʿṭíl.

p. 323, l. 10. For Missísí read Maṣṣíṣí. CONTENTS.

	PAGES.
Translator’s Preface	xvii–xxiv
Author’s Introduction	1–9
I. On the Affirmation of Knowledge	11–18
II. On Poverty	19–29
III. On Ṣúfiism	30–44
IV. On the Wearing of Patched Frocks	45–57
V. On the Different Opinions held concerning Poverty and Purity	58–61
VI. On Blame (Malámat)	62–9
VII. Concerning their Imáms who belonged to the Companions	70–4
VIII. Concerning their Imáms who belonged to the House of the Prophet	75–80
IX. Concerning the People of the Veranda (Ahl-i Ṣuffa)	81–2
X. Concerning their Imáms who belonged to the Followers (al-Tábiʿún)	83–7
XI. Concerning their Imáms who lived subsequently to the Followers down to our day	88–160
XII. Concerning the principal Ṣúfís of recent times.	161–71
XIII. A brief account of the modern Ṣúfís in different countries	172–5
XIV. Concerning the Doctrines held by the different sects of Ṣúfís	176–266
XV. The Uncovering of the First Veil : Concerning the Gnosis of God (maʿrifat Alláh)	267–77
XVI. The Uncovering of the Second Veil : Concerning Unification (tawhíd)	278–85
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XVII.	The Uncovering of the Third Veil : Concerning Faith
XVIII.	The Uncovering of the Fourth Veil : Concerning Purification from Foulness
XIX.	The Uncovering of the Fifth Veil : Concerning Prayer (al-ṣalát)
XX.	The Uncovering of the Sixth Veil : Concerning Alms (al-zakát)
XXI.	The Uncovering of the Seventh Veil : On Fasting (al-ṣawm)
XXII.	The Uncovering of the Eighth Veil : Concerning the Pilgrimage
XXIII.	The Uncovering of the Ninth Veil : Concerning Companionship, together with its Rules and Principles
XXIV.	The Uncovering of the Tenth Veil : explaining their phraseology and the definitions of their terms and the verities of the ideas which are signified
XXV.	The Uncovering of the Eleventh Veil : Concerning Audition (samáʿ)