virani gnosis
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e
ason
nd
I
nsp
irati
on
in
Islam
d
rt
ed
by TODD
L W
SON
RE
A SON
ND INSPIR
TION
IN IS L
M
THEOLOGY
P H I L
OSOPH
Y
ND
M YSTIC ISM I N
MUSLIM
THOUG
HT
ssays in
Honour ofH erma
nn Landolt
dited
by
TODD
LAWSON
I B Tauris ublishers
LO N D O N • N EW Y
ORK
in association w
ith
The Institute
of Jsmaili Studies
LONDO
N
www.shafiquevirani.org
Shafique N. Virani, “Symphony of Gnosis: A Self-Definition of the Ismaili Ginān Tradition,”
in Reason and Inspiration in Islam: Theology, Philosophy and Mysticism in Muslim Thought,
ed. Todd Lawson, London: I.B. Tauris, 2005: 503-521.
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t iAffQtf >
:of. VUV\Nl
But,
the gin
ns tell us,
de
;
pitebe-ing
t.
bl•S. 001mc1
.
upnn entenng
his bewitching
world. the so1.1l deluded into forgetti ne its primordia) rovf'n:m; :mc1 the gnosis
¥.-th ~ · h i it was e n t r
. ~ ~ t e d
The
n . : . h : ~ n t m ? of he
eorporei. world, l u b b ~
1 1 ~ ~ : : what
ol
(s,'uudh sl:ay Arri) by
th..:
giniins, intoK.ielter:
.:hesouJ
~ n d dri,oes
m
the heart.'l Wh:bt people reFCnt of dr inking v.oioe made from snpes.
they
h
:nc
nCJ inh
llli tioJJS
abOYt
quafflr.g
the
::-·
en
rno>re
de
struc-tive
wint
of
S:.\
t:m.
Th us
deluded. glnan h
:avlng
been driVt:n
< ~ r . t h c
~ o u l l 0 c
. ; Q ~ " U c i o l : . s n e S 3 of U
l o f t y s t ~ h 1 s l . i k
a mig:bty
lio:J whost
lifel
ong
associa
tiiJn
with a l:etd
v{
o a t
has
nu.de
it
forget its owrl n"tnrP.
.
a t.(ocu..tum with
th
e ph}'Sie:al world makes the suul
f.,ll in.to 3 6tate o ignorwce
and
g l ) i s h ~ ~ : ~ u s e of wht
dl
the d.ivtne Beloved Is
lost.
1
1 The fall from gnos:is
is ('t)rj'l
r:tr
P.
d to a. profound slumber from wnicll t:u
h ~ c : d
so
ub
must
sri$1e
. Only c o n t ~ r n r l l ' nf
the
gin
n$ <'an
awaken them
f
rom
th
is sleep by
re
kindling in
thm
a longin for
tht
g·oosis with
...,
.hi
r.h
they
h
ad
been n d o w ~ d JC
Repeatedly. :he pni1t3 fr<:Y ai)
u.pon
tbe \::elieven M t
to
l o u a k ~
the wdent
pn.,.uik
g iTC:Il
while in thewomb.
16
1"1rT
Oj \\l·Din bewails
thesoul
s (ailure to fu.KU
thb promi
se: ;u
:
4.l
t\ C il mvre
dif>mal
refw.al
to
the gi:lins, which would
mak.e
J n : n : a ~ m b c r tbc
gn
<:'$
l$
t i ' . whie:. it was
once
: n t ~ t e d
Speak: nol
to
tt:O:St
wb.o
wn
er
in the ·:mx
nbe
t 1cy
W.•c
h) tl•e
Guid
e.
lftheyre,oice not iu the ginan.s. ful lll no>t tb.dr
C Q v t willl t
hc:
G
uidi:',
What is tt:e pOint o:
h ~ 1 r
e ~ i n e n c e
Thl)t•gk WP MvP. o m p l ~ a i in
the dtapason ofsourxh and modts.
Thf" will not hten
11
Wh
en.
the
loh.
:s of he
~ l)l)t t r . ~
e n M i ~ t
he
mul is
a ~ t
u'rtC) choos
an < .
tt.e bith of
he
b
elievus
spins l ike a
potter
's wbe-tl lt
A t e , · ~
within
d
eepert
rece-;sc'
oi
tha ;oul rE$ide; Great
Cnostk
(btl(fti
glnii,.,f
). a
rt"fl«tion
of
the Guide, room whom a d ivine e n - c b : m t i n ; m e l < l y r ~ t o n a t c n within tbe hcact.
yct
h o s t
lofty
statu
r.:main'i ·.mkncwr.
to
th t hecdlcss
.l9
U
ha
~ o u l
heen; t
he
ct1JI
of the Creot Grxnti<. itc:tpcr:cn:es
a.
r,os1alg.io. Ancllo
ng$
for the P nAn it once
? 0 ~ $ ( . $ : 1 C whi
l-e
in the womb. Hc>
·N
TCr, having cmcrscd from i
ts fe
r'mer t hode, it
..:ow
VJ.l
ly rcil/lcquaillt itself widl that gn0$i1
by
\ubmitting itsdf to the True Guide.
withvut wltCJ
m tlu: r . t t . . b t : I ' . J U ~ OI.I .W of
l V H l f t C t
..
au ue v cr
l•e
.:.t
·
ossC'\1 .....
hi
a ..:harmi
Di
allegory, a glna.n comp-ares the situatlcm of the ddudc:tlliQUJ:r; to
1 g:c·
up
cf
binh
wbose ca?-acity for bas
beto .;n
atche.:i away tnt 1
a.p sc:t
by
the n l ~ e s nc·n-reaU1y.
i.e.
the illusory worl
d.
T11
m a n l f i -
t \ ~ r t < : l l i t ; u il$:
nf t
A.nd
tlle bird$
... en
t
thert to
sit.
One bird, seeing the o thers.
became
.:-uri<1us
A.n:l
b;cat.uc
dthh
,
h<
t
oo
bc:.:l .tllc
c·
ntangld.
T il : ruit u(
lil•et i
l.iou
will
only b< obtained
so6
Wl:.en y.:>u b e < o ~ n e
:a
disciple
of
he
You o
nly
C$.;cpe from th :$
01-ge f:u t
e:ttr:apsyou
1 ) 0 .1
ful
fil
your <CV.:nant
w.th
the True
u i d ~ .
T his iUusiuu will
be
t r ~ c d thkl ha.?lcuwa.'ldcril'16""'iU eea'e
I f 'O'J go a.nd en<PJ:l'C' o the u . . ~ t : C:uidc: abou.t n . o ~ i . ~ ~
The
wor
ld is
a manif
est
n . : : a l i
t y . l l
is nothing more th;,n
a.n
illu$ion,
i r ~ s e
lint 1U
d ~ h g h
are
cc:.st
as a net In which
t.uman
~ m c cutar:gicd.
Th< d·
Iuri
ne r J , y ~ c
existence atttaet human being$, j
u:ll
as tht: U
el
ka c
ies
pbced
in
2
nEt by a u n l ~ t t r a ; : m p e . : i n g birds. DtSPlte
:h
e soul's birthright
of gn.osis. t i . G ~ g : a r its higher lc.nowlede:e bft:tu.(l;e it becomes tasdnated
by
the
go.therins of souls th:t.: have l r ~ " ~ Y wen caugl\1.
c..i
i
nan is
forgotten as tile
wul
a s ~ s
to fly
ond alights
in
the midd:.e oftht tr1p.
In
order
tc es
:.apc
frem
this
ensnare:ncn1
tt e
so
ul
mu.st
lullil its
v ~ : r w:th
l:u Tfue Guide. Its m•stcr is the Lord of P.es11rrec;tion, not di
ct9h'S:
o.t
s l l i o n : > . rr tl1c
SV
l.ll ~ i S h C to
fly once
asa.in, to ~ c o p e from ~ s e and to
be
released from
i l l u ~ i o u ,
il tnust
recch·e
6-c True
Cu
id
e's
giniin
Andanlt
The True Guide and
n o ~ b
O
ffa- eTerythiog-
hnrf:t,
and c ) ; ~
- lo the Guide
So h ~ t
b-i'
gno.s:i.s and throush
h t > r ~
will
tfT1'Uiia nothing but gnom.»
Absolute o.nd utttr submi{.Si
on to th0
Pe
rf
« t
GuidE murshid k
iimH). according
to the giniins. is the (lnly
r e c o u r ~
for the soul plunged in isnorance and dark
nc:M.'J
Gn
os-i:s is
n o b t A i n s b l ~ without him.t• Though o n ~ may l:ave studied. all
(u
.l
tl ttu
Luud
·ICS of
lcam.iJ
l
g.
art and s
d:n<
e,
the
path be found wit.lout
the Gul
cl
e.
In a capth·aung£exl cast as
a
oolloquy w e e n
th
e r : . i l bmai i .•P'ir : l o u ~ \
t.ahir
aJ.
Din,
and
the rEoowned yogic
mute
r.
Kini?i. the
fir
: h
astts.es
KanJpa.
fo
r
ta
iling
to reoog
niit t
he
lsmaili imam
as
the
tiuide of the AVJ:
t.
a( Jpa is raugil t to
teek out lr.
um
, df'SCribP.O ~ thf M.-
n
n: (gind11
p u r u . ~ h and
l d :
0 :uoatic. wheo rou t ~ n c o u n t e r the Guide
He
sha
ll revelll to
:to
o m y G t n i ~
Aft :
(o
ur mi$@'ivings will be
i s p c U ~
C e r t a i n ~ ' • a lo t.u uuuot flourid: ,..ith<'l1 water
...
U
,.h< . :ymbol
Um
in the
'C:x .
~ r i J c i n a . b e ~ ? k t \ d lotu3 tlowtr (kamd{l. "'·ith
:h whitt' ~ U t b . . bloo) if
lS
ill vi] : and putrid sw•mp . Despite its .sord:d
:
labl
tat. it ls
the
ep
i
pha
ny
of pur
ity
a.od
uosuU
i
ed bt:a
uL ,
maj
l:'.s
th
:
a
l}y
r i . s abovt
tl:e muriqrqtJa@mire. It refusts tO feed on
tht
repJJ islve bog
a.nd
lnnead awaits the
no
uri.shm
P.
nt
f c r y ~ a
< e a r
ra·n
fron
the tle
a,
·en$.
The
g:nosti:·s
i r a J I J I . S
107
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