Chapter I: Front Matter

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“_E. J. W. GIBB MEMORIAL_”
_SERIES._

_VOL. XVII._

THE KASHF AL-MAḤJÚB

THE OLDEST PERSIAN TREATISE ON
ṢÚFIISM

BY

‘ALÍ B. ‘UTHMÁN AL-JULLÁBÍ AL-HUJWÍRÍ

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

BY

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_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 * فَٱنْظُرُوا بَعْدَنَا الي ٱلاَثَارِ

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_The following memorial verse is contributed by `Abdu´l-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 يارانى وفاسيله ايدركن نطييب
کندی عمرنده وفاگورمدی اول ذاتِ اديب
گنج ايکن اولمش ايدی اوجِ کماله واصل
نه اولوردی ياشامش اولسه ايدی مستر گيب

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CORRECTIONS AND ADDITIONS.

Page 2, penult. _For_ (p. 3) _read_ (p. 1).

p. 3, line 14 and l. 30. _For_ (p. 3) _read_ (p. 1).

p. 4, l. 18. _For_ (p. 3) _read_ (p. 1).

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. 1).

p. 51, l. 6. _For_ Parg _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 (_sáḥib al-qulúb_) read (_ṣáḥi´l-qulúb_). _Ṣáḥí_,
“sober,” is the antithesis of _maghlúb_, “enraptured.”

p. 127, l. 17. _For_ AL-INṬÁKÍ _read_ AL-ANṬÁKÍ.

p. 130, l. 27. Although some writers give “Abu ´l-Ḥasan” as the _kunya_
of Núrí, the balance of authority is in favour of “Abu ´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 `ABDALLÁH _read_ ABÚ `ABDALLÁH.

p. 155, l. 26. _Omit_ B. _before_ DULAF.

p. 169, l. 1. _Omit_ B. _before_ `ALÍ.

p. 173, l. 11. _For_ Pádsháh-i _read_ Pádisháh-i.

p. 182, l. 26. _Sháhmurghí_ is probably a mistake for _siyáh murghí_, “a
blackbird.” Cf. my edition of the _Tadhkirat al-Awliyá_, ii, 259,
23.

p. 257, l. 1. For _t`aṭíl_ read _ta`ṭíl_.

p. 323, l. 10. _For_ Miṣṣíṣí _read_ Maṣṣíṣí.

CONTENTS.

CHAPTER. 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 58-61
and Purity

VI. On Blame (_Malámat_) 62-9

VII. Concerning their Imáms who belonged to the 70-4
Companions

VIII. Concerning their Imáms who belonged to the House 75-80
of the Prophet

IX. Concerning the People of the Veranda (_Ahl-i 81-2
Ṣuffa_)

X. Concerning their Imáms who belonged to the 83-7
Followers (_al-Tábi`ún_)

XI. Concerning their Imáms who lived subsequently to 88-160
the Followers down to our day

XII. Concerning the principal Ṣúfís of recent times 161-71

XIII. A brief account of the modern Ṣúfís in different 172-5
countries

XIV. Concerning the Doctrines held by the different 176-266
sects of Ṣúfís

XV. The Uncovering of the First Veil: Concerning the 267-77
Gnosis of God (_ma`rifat Allah_)

XVI. The Uncovering of the Second Veil: Concerning 278-85
Unification (_tawḥíd_)

XVII. The Uncovering of the Third Veil: Concerning Faith 286-90

XVIII. The Uncovering of the Fourth Veil: Concerning 291-9
Purification from Foulness

XIX. The Uncovering of the Fifth Veil: Concerning 300-13
Prayer (_al-ṣalát_)

XX. The Uncovering of the Sixth Veil: Concerning Alms 314-19
(_al-zakát_)

XXI. The Uncovering of the Seventh Veil: On Fasting 320-5
(_al-ṣawm_)

XXII. The Uncovering of the Eighth Veil: Concerning the 326-33
Pilgrimage

XXIII. The Uncovering of the Ninth Veil: Concerning 334-66
Companionship, together with its Rules and
Principles

XXIV. The Uncovering of the Tenth Veil: explaining their 367-92
phraseology and the definitions of their terms and
the verities of the ideas which are signified

XXV. The Uncovering of the Eleventh Veil: Concerning 393-420
Audition (_samá`_)