Treatise on Spiritual Journeying and Wayfaring by Sayyid Muḥammad Mahdī Baḥr al-‘Ulūm, edited by Sayyid Muḥammad Ḥusaynī Ḥusaynī Ṭihranī, translated by Tawus Raja (review)
- Treatise on Spiritual Journeying and Wayfaring by Sayyid Muḥammad Mahdī Baḥr al-‘Ulūm, edited by Sayyid Muḥammad Ḥusaynī Ḥusaynī Ṭihranī, translated by Tawus Raja
Tawus Raja’s work entitled Treatise on Spiritual Journeying and Wayfaring (Risalih-yi Sayr wa al-Suluk), is a superb translation of Tihrani’s Persian recension of Bahr al-‘Ulum’s original Arabic treatise, Tuhfat al-Muluk fi al-Sayr wa al-Suluk. This dual-language translation is truly a valuable contribution to the available literature on Islamic spirituality and mysticism and Shi‘a studies in particular. In his introduction, he gives a brief biography of the great sage and gnostic Bahr al-‘Ulum (d. 1797), as well as the prominent gnostic Sayyid Muhammad Husayn Tihrani (d. 1995), who revived, edited and commented on the treatise. Without the latter’s meticulous efforts we would be bereft of this masterpiece in the Islamic spiritual tradition. Tihrani writes in the introduction:
What makes this work stand out in the mystical tradition when peerless mystics such as Ibn ‘Arabi and Rumi among others have produced voluminous works describing every spiritual station and mystical nuance is that this treatise is in effect a practical manual of wayfaring. From the onset Bahr al-‘Ulum sets the stage by describing the significance of the number forty, which is precisely the period of a complete transformation, a renewal or spiritual epoch. Thereafter, he begins to describe the various realms of preceding the realm of sincerity, which is the first real stage of wayfaring. Thus, his primary concern is practical aspect of sayr and suluk (wayfaring) as the first line of the treatise bears witness, after praising God, the Prophet and his holy family, ‘O my fellow travelers to the kingdom of [End Page 105] purity and felicity! O my companions on the path of sincerity and loyalty!’ in essence even if it bears resemblance to some of the discourse of theoretical mysticism.
Another question the reader may ask is the nature of his methodology or mystical school (tariqah) and whether or not Bahr al-‘Ulum’s teachings are derived from or affiliated with some of the well-known Sufi orders. In my view, the forte of this treatise is the abundance of Qur’anic and hadith references in Tihrani’s commentary, which are the primary sources of all knowledge in Islam, while implicit in the treatise itself. Furthermore, even if Bahr al-‘Ulum’s teachings are derivative of some Sufi teachings, given that Tihrani produces solid evidence from Qur’an and hadith, one must overlook superficial affiliation and adhere to the truth value of what is being said, as Imam ‘Ali states, ‘Look at what is being said not who is saying it.’ Bahr al-‘Ulum discusses reflection, invocation, prayer, self-vigilance, self-reckoning, intention, silence, hunger and seclusion, which are all well-known Sufi concepts but are essentially Islamic spiritual practices emphasized in the Qur’an and hadith. Detailed evidence is to be found in Tihrani’s commentary. Yet, if we were to summarise his way we simply turn to the beginning of Chapter 6 in the treatise where Bahr al-‘Ulum writes:
The essence of wayfaring and its key are summarised in two points: first, to bring one’s body and soul under the control and dominion of faith, according to the instructions of the outer law and spiritual law; and second, to annihilate one’s soul in God’s dominion. These two embrace every stage and obstacle of the spiritual journey.
In the translator’s introduction, after placing the treatise in its historical context, the translator promptly raises some key ideas concerning the intimate relationship between Shi‘ism and Sufism. It is perhaps in view of the general milieu within the Shi‘a orthodoxy today that Shi’ism, under the aegis of the infallible Imams, is a complete, self...
