The Mystics of IslamIslamScholarly ReconstructionEnglish study drawing on Arabic and Persian Sufi sourcesShareThe Mystics of Islam 3Reynold A. Nicholson 1914 - EnglishMoreVersion - 1 availableReynold A. Nicholson 1914LanguageEnglishEspañol‹The Mystics of Islam 2The Mystics of Islam 3The Mystics of Islam 4The Mystics of Islam 5The Mystics of Islam 7The Mystics of Islam 9The Mystics of Islam 11The Mystics of Islam 12The Mystics of Islam 14The Mystics of Islam 16The Mystics of Islam 18›I. ChristianityThe Mystics of Islam 3ListenPlay this chapter in spoken English.Save chapterListen to chapter1It is obvious that the ascetic and quietistic tendencies to which I have referred were in harmony with Christian theory and drew nourishment therefrom. Many Gospel texts and apocryphal sayings of Jesus are cited in the oldest Sūfī biographies, and the Christian anchorite (rāhib) often appears in the rôle of a teacher giving instruction and advice to wandering Moslem ascetics. We have seen that the woollen dress, from which the name ‘Sūfī’ is derived, is of Christian origin: vows of silence, litanies (dhikr), and other ascetic practices may be traced to the same source. As regards the doctrine of divine love, the following extracts speak for themselves: 2“Jesus passed by three men. Their bodies were lean and their faces pale. He asked them, saying, ‘What hath brought you to this plight?’ They answered, ‘Fear of the Fire.’ Jesus said, ‘Ye fear a thing created, and it behoves God that He should save those who fear.’ Then he left them and passed by three others, whose faces were paler and their bodies leaner, and asked them, saying, ‘What hath brought you to this plight?’ They answered, ‘Longing for Paradise.’ He said, ‘Ye desire a thing created, and it behoves God that He should give you that which ye hope for.’ Then he went on and passed by three others of exceeding paleness and leanness, so that their faces were as mirrors of light, and he said, ‘What hath brought you to this?’ They answered, ‘Our love of God.’ Jesus said, ‘Ye are the nearest to Him, ye are the nearest to Him.’” 3The Syrian mystic, Ahmad ibn al-Hawārī, once asked a Christian hermit: 4“‘What is the strongest command that ye find in your Scriptures?’ The hermit replied: ‘We find none stronger than this: “Love thy Creator with all thy power and might.”’” 5Another hermit was asked by some Moslem ascetics: 6“‘When is a man most persevering in devotion?’ ‘When love takes possession of his heart,’ was the reply; ‘for then he hath no joy or pleasure but in continual devotion.’” 7The influence of Christianity through its hermits, monks, and heretical sects (e.g. the Messalians or Euchitæ) was twofold: ascetic and mystical. Oriental Christian mysticism, however, contained a Pagan element: it had long ago absorbed the ideas and adopted the language of Plotinus and the Neoplatonic school. ‹Previous chapterThe Mystics of Islam 2Next chapterThe Mystics of Islam 4›Similar passagesBy tradition and source labelFind similarCompare selectedCompare with similarAsk Deep ThoughtSelect passages to search for parallels.Tap any verse to select it, then compare selected passages or ask Deep Thought. Public domain in the United States via Project Gutenberg