23 SEP 1997 Seal of the Saints Michel Chodkiewiez Transletedby Liat Sheard (Po) Golden Palm Series THE ISLAMIC TEXTS SOCIETY Camaxtper - 2993 br Yo Te cst aeBlotss ure 6/031 LINSub4o Sietigetersee "Gentine erenstyurinsid” ‘phd Sd Sey edie ‘ioe ge ‘Thoth py Ten Tom ity sGeumSmn iipsc¥srere tama psesus Joc rte Canin De onlogpercnaleatoat name fn Tinka Aigo Nop ie pbeatinma he clue nnine telnet rer yo ‘otra tng sara tte ‘opus "ype Ginn. Cae indy The en re Oc Contents System of tranciteratione vi Edionsand Abbreviations vi Foreword 3 ASharedNome “Hewhosesthe ses Me ‘TheSphereofWelaya “TheMhammadanRelcy “Thee ofthe Prophets ‘TheFoue Pillars “The Higher Degrecof Weliye The ThreeSels ‘TheSelof Mcammodan Sanchood TheDosbleLadder Index 283 y a ” Ey 16 ne uybe te a toe sh id he tr mt it ae no bt sb he me a woe as teaching which ments saudy on he ground of singular greens alone. On cern nts, the sucosding pages furnish facts which have alzedy been Indicated by previous wnters who have explored the vst cpus of ings by the Shay al-Alénr. On oer, ts ou bel that we have introduce! elements which ave eer ccaped tei tenon ‘whose correc sigan they have fale to aprecat-Alhough our sm has buen to deine the main points of the docrne, we ave not _sttemptedogvean exkuustivedeseripion of. woud not be untae tosay that none sense Tb ‘Arai fom the First othe le lin of hs work, never spoke of anything ther than sunthod, oft ways adits agrls and thse ‘ocean without ashore’ Co ae a frm dst t the Sis) wll never be hardin itsentity ere [must adnowladge, wih no hope of repaying the debe that 1 ‘owe to Michel Vila, lewas he who, forty years ago, troduced me to the workof Tn ‘Arabi of which his own owldge sb extensive 5snd peneating, and sided my: groping attempts at understanding, It vas he, t0, who ended me to grap the fundamental aspects of his hagoogy. My grate therefore addressed ist and foremost this memory ‘Several ofthe themes that wil be touch pom here ere fis broached during th course of seminar atthe Eoedes Hautes Exes, ‘en Sciences soles inthe years 982-8) and 198-8. Thanks are de Jin particle to Frans Fare, then president ofthe Ecae, who 0 [nly recived meno andall thee who, ikem, encouraged me jn my work—Aleandre Bennigsen, Flere Nora, Lucete Valet mong thers—or who agred to takepart in our dsusins, nobly Janes W. Mons, J-L Michon and Aled Popovic. Many mare ‘wore assiduous purticpants under condions which were not alway cewnfrable. Teannot name the al, bs they should know that this bookies nbutelototherenaty “The present ein aks court ofremats and suggestions made to me by some readers ofthe orginal edition, among whom 1 must ‘mention my fiend Heonann Landolt and my daughter Chude Chodlcwice-Adds. She lewis coreced the ol lprur clam ot ‘ypogaphialeorwhich hadexcapel my vigilance 6 1 A Shared Name sg ls fom ln Mall ama cps es nhl inne shone ‘esate te a ol el be yo Rae iE Ay Eigoaeacercdramnnayufelown aoc Spades ei rsh wen? Tussvison,aznkg the lik kylie ot Crk 56g oro warn in rit weve Yea fg (oes mys) lM‘ pen de a bad ‘hen poly yas previ? Sever ee, we by Tin 'Anb inser hie aris with aoa dee tut hs ve of wh we wl neon oak gee leh: One of tse eat tlw at he vise sll io Seg On the fin era, fn Aaa he Pps by tem ‘eon tse eon cemintecempany of lth lone, {whem conde a seat ot wal al ‘ean shenb, inthe Rowe ofthe ppean pen whet we le not epi bit pou & pee ‘incl caning sd ini acon be Gs he eae tec Abo eae U wow lu an he fencer? “hs nn, however, porns only ee of ny ‘Astin Ss. Guna “Arab spon tnd ape “Creche a the aby tenner te pf whee he svt among the prophets and ins of te an ce may Somes Beta he who a hat wel fle pita 2 et Berriercen 5 elas Reel me ny wow be el " Chapter Five scenote8, p76. wo pose neh ” Seefrenmse uth pater. 7. 284 & The tah ant mes eed veal i 1948, nd ain in ‘iat fl) Onan ha as ought ut hw don of fh o> ‘nme one by en Son dco in‘ who sly te ‘sth coranenry dered bythe Shah Ar hie eter Seonyaws (ee by Bodluan Abd sr ete Kaif ‘ght (i the ee a Masry 3667). Sel capes ofthe Koh ‘tna gra ecu f mecings wh a whee es of pole who ed plc rere Aa hc ah De oa, ‘> Pathe 457. {op g) Oh the pan fr Arb ring ee mnogo aby pap. 34d epi eB ‘Trt whch orig ei, mdr shim, drt he a at Damen dfn by proper Manathesl P ) 8 AShared Name its implications, The reader must nos be surprised if atte in the ‘course ofthisjourney thewoodcanor be seen forthe tres. bn ‘Arabs chim be divinely inspired (ther dre or as inthe ‘ase ofthe Fi o-hikam which he received from the Prophet’ mn hands inde), his our onslmort every pag, othe evidence of ‘heinvisle wil the diffi, imately, of gasping his doctrine in alls read and shades of meaning though the profsion ofits ‘stent andthe diversity of ts sccsive pts ofVew—thee are ‘sunt, doubles, o explain i part the Velen atacks made on his