AL ASHARI SCHOOL OF THEOLOGY

 Here’s the English translation:

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*Tazkira Sufiya-e-Kiram Series*

*5) Abul Mughith Husain ibn Mansur al-Hallaj al-Maslub — Part 2*

Hallaj was a great traveler. He had also journeyed to Hindustan to learn the art of rope tricks. In his books it was also written that going to Mecca for Hajj is not at all necessary; Hajj can be performed at home as well. He also wrote that he had derived these things from the writings of Hasan al-Basri. Because of these statements contrary to Sharia, he was executed.[India]

Ibn al-Jawzi wrote that when Hallaj was arrested again, he was seated on a camel in Baghdad and paraded through the markets with the proclamation: “Be aware that this man is a propagandist of the Qaramatians, the enemies of Islam.” According to Ibn al-Jawzi, Hallaj’s grandfather, Shaharbiza, was a Magian. He was raised in Wasit or Tustar, then came to Baghdad and remained in the company of Junayd. After that he traveled to Khurasan and Hindustan. Some people considered him a magician and some declared him a traveler. He had journeyed to Hindustan to acquire magic. He also claimed that he could write a reply to the Quran.[Zoroastrian]

Ibn al-Jawzi also wrote: “I have written an independent treatise on Hallaj in which I have shown that he taught _hulul_, _rij‘at_, and _tajassum_.” Al-Dhahabi also wrote a treatise on Hallaj, which is now lost. In his work he wrote about Hallaj: “He remained for some time in the company of Junayd, Amr bin Uthman al-Makki, and other Sufis, but there was no sincerity in him, so he left the fold of faith. Despite that, many later Sufis exaggerated in his praise—even Hujjat al-Islam Imam Ghazali supported him in _Mishkat al-Anwar_.”[incarnation][return][embodiment]

Abu Sa‘id mentioned him in his _Tarikh al-Sufiyya_ and accused him of sorcery and _zandaqa_. Imam Ibn Kathir (774 AH), in his famous history _al-Bidaya wa’l-Nihaya_, volume 10, pages 132 to 134, mentioned Hallaj. Hallaj used to compose poetry in the style of the Sufis. After his execution, disagreement arose among the Sufis regarding him, but all the jurists [_fuqaha_] were agreed that he was killed in a state of disbelief. His beliefs in _hulul_ were confirmed from his poems composed in prison.[heresy]

A man said to Hallaj: “Give me advice that will benefit me.” He replied: “Guarding my own self is obligatory upon me. If you do not keep it occupied in the remembrance of Truth, then certainly and inevitably it will occupy me away from Truth.”

Al-Khatib also transmitted with a chain of narration his statement: “The crux of the knowledge of the first and the last is these four words.”

Ibn al-Jawzi said: “Hallaj would sometimes wear the garb of the Sufis, sometimes that of the scholars, and he would conform to the views of a man of every religion.”

Abu Bakr al-Suli said: “I met Hallaj and conversed with him, and I found him to be an ignorant man trying to appear wise, a vile man pretending to be holy, a wicked man claiming to be a worshiper, and a worldly man claiming to be an ascetic.”