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At this point my companion surprised me by citing appropriate verses from the Qur'an, which he first recited in a melodious voice, then chanted, "0 people, your Lord is one and your Father is one. All of you belong to Adam, and Adam is of dust. The noblest among you in God's eyes is the most pious. Arab has no superiority over non-Arab, nor white over black; it is only piety that counts." He then proceeded to chant the words of the caliph `Umar, known as "the Arbiter": "When you enslave people whose mothers have given birth to them as free people"; and from 'Ali-may God ennoble his visage!: "People are of two kinds: your brother in faith or your peer in creation; never be the slave of someone else, for God has made you free."

The students all cheered and clapped. I too expressed my appreciation of the excellent way he had responded to my comments.

"Yes indeed, Abu al-Hasan," I said, "as the sayings put it, `People are as alike as the teeth on a comb' and `Women are the sisters of men.' That is precisely what the noble Prophet, indeed the Seal of the Prophets, declared. So in that spirit let us grant Ibn Sina a pardon for his posture in this regard, not to mention his excessive fondness for the pleasures of wine and diversion till he was struck down by colic, at which point his own medical knowledge was of no use and he died. We may perhaps seek some compensation for all this in the theological treatises he left us, by which I refer specifically to Instructions and Indications. `God's forgiveness is broad,' and with Him is mercy."

My companion indicated that he endorsed my opinion and was eager for our discussion to continue, as though sleep had no dominion over him.

"Master," he went on, "I understand that Ibn Sina with his eastern wisdom provided us with a tendentious example to follow. In your view, does Al-Farabi provide us with the means to extricate ourselves from the dilemma and find a way forward?"

"Yes indeed, you can say that he set the way forward, and that's enough. From my perspective, in the Islamic context Abu Nasr al-Farabi is the peerless champion of all the philosophers. Even he may slip up when it comes to discussions of the material mind, the talking soul, and the fact that souls may remain in existence after the death of their bodies. The thing that I admire most about his career is that he devoted himself to contemplation and reflection and studiously avoided the attractions of courts and high places. Even there I have to admit that, for reasons known to God alone, he spent his latter days at the court of Sayf alDawla,* the Hamdanid ruler of Aleppo."

"As a consequence, master," Abu al-Hasan commented, "the only recourse we have in our quest for the higher regions is mysticism and the Sufi path."

"No, my brother," I replied, "not so. I have consistently refused to permit myself to conveniently gloss over the mistakes of the peripatetics, thereby for the most part disagreeing with Ibn Sina. I have adopted the selfsame policy and with even greater determination when it comes to people involved in theology and disputation. What is more, I have not excused jurists from my condemnations. For the most part they are pedants, only interested in details and ancillary matters. They weigh up today's events on the basis of yesterday, stunt Islam within the confines of the existent world, and deprive it of the benefits of independent thought and open-mindedness. In all this I have not been interested in placing the spotlight on Sufism or confining myself to such matters alone. After all, it is fine for Sufis to distance themselves from any process that involves the division of existence per se into logical attributes and postulates and the adoption of a whole variety of forms and statements in dealing with it. It is equally fine for them to devote their best efforts to religious exercises and initiatives as part of a quest for the Almighty and nothing else. All that said, my dear brother, I invite you to join me now in a search for something beyond basic Sufi practice-may the Almighty Judge never lower your status! Join me as we initiate a journey toward real inquiry and ultimate proximity. So come with me on a journey toward what is supremely beautiful and enduring, and you will truly gain the blessing of the One toward whom all ascents and heights aspire, namely God alone. `The leaders, the leaders, they are closest to God.' This is the genuine choice and the genuine path."

Al-Shushtari's voice now rang out in Qur'anic chant. The students followed my lead, as with one emotion-charged voice we all whispered in utter humility, "`If he is one of those closest to God, then there will be for him rest, satisfaction, and a garden of delights"' [Surat Al-Waqi'ah (56), v. 89].

I chose this Qur'anic verse to bring the session to a close and told them all to go and get some sleep. We all stood up, and the students asked to come and see me again next day at noon. With a promise to let them do so, I said farewell to them one by one. With my host, al-Shushtari, I prayed the obligatory prayers; then we bade each other farewell. I now spent some time on my own so that I could cleanse myself and get some rest.

5

NEXT DAY AT NOON I met the students who had come the day before, and there were some additional ones as well. There was no sign of Abu al-Hasan either inside the house or among their number. I presumed that he had gone to do his own work and continue with his laudable activities. With the students I made my way up to his retreat house. Under some leafy trees I created a venue where we could all sit. I was eager to assess their intentions and get some idea about their abilities. With that in mind, I began by pronouncing the "In the name of God" and blessing the Prophet before proceeding as follows:

"Young men, the greatest boon to be gleaned from a contemplation of nature is that of being in touch with its Creator. There can be no exaggeration with regard to the constituent of one fundamental, nor any negligence regarding another. By way of illustration, no intellect will flourish unless it functions within the framework of human sentiment, nor can that same instinct blossom unless it is weighed on the scales of human intelligence. Straight lines and circles all lead upward toward each other. Nothing else exists apart from the Necessary Existent; no true reality can be embraced or have any validity unless it is through that existent and in it. How many forms of knowledge that fail to replicate the unity of the all-existing proceed to abandon us by the roadside, short of breath and with little nourishment, unsupported by any genuine inquiry and creativity! Albeit to a different degree, the knowledge-base of jurists, theologians, the majority of peripatetic philosophers, and others is of the same ilk. That is why I have promised myself that, when it comes to ideas and politics, I will never allow myself to be polluted by the actions of those who would create divides and fissures, people who prefer to submit to the forces of mere compliance and submission. In the same way I've decided, and to a degree even more intensely than previously, to devote my precious time to those figures, both past and present, who address themselves to the recesses of our consciousness and existence and who enhance their aspirations and imaginative instincts through wonderful, uplifting emotions and feelings and by proposing penetrating and insightful questions and ideas. In that way the passage of time will be able to scrape away all the leaden monotony of such static attitudes, so they can re-emerge fully alive, poised and ready to provide enlightenment on the broadest scale."

All of a sudden I stopped talking, and the students likewise stopped taking it all down. I waited for a few moments, assuming that they would ask me some questions and that would give me some idea about the extent to which they were responding and understanding. I would have convinced myself that I was shouting in the desert and beating a drum under water, had not a beardless youth stood up and asked to address a question to me.