AL ASHARI SCHOOL OF THEOLOGY

 Here’s the English translation:

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*Tazkira Sufiya-e-Kiram Series*

*6) Muhammad ibn Abdul Jabbar ibn al-Hasan al-Niffari (Author of _Kitab al-Mawaqif wal Mukhatabat_) (d. 354 AH)*

*Biography —*

In the history of Islamic Tasawwuf, the personality of Niffari is very obscure. He is counted among the Sufis of the 4th century AH. According to Haji Khalifa, he passed away in 354 AH. Very little is known about the circumstances of his life, and all details are based on the commentary by Afifuddin al-Tilimsani. The details are as follows:

The person who compiled _Kitab al-Mawaqif_ was Niffari’s son. The Sheikh himself did not write any book with his own pen. He used to write down his inspirations and mystical disclosures on various scraps of paper. His son collected these and compiled this book. The respected Sheikh was always engaged in wandering the desert; he did not stay in any one place. He did not like meeting or associating with people at all. If someone met him, he would not inform him of his own circumstances. Some people narrate that he passed away in Egypt, but this matter requires proof. Some are of the opinion that _Kitab al-Mawaqif_ was compiled by his grandson.

From the study of this book, it is established that the respected Sheikh was a sincere and intensely contemplative thinker. He had complete conviction in the truth of his inward experiences and inner observations.

All biographers agree that his correct name was Muhammad ibn Abdul Jabbar ibn al-Hasan, but there is disagreement regarding his nisba [attributional name]. Some have written Niffari, some Nafazi, and some Nafzi. May Allah have mercy on him. Hazrat Muhyiddin Ibn Arabi mentioned his name in four places in _Futuhat al-Makkiyya_, but everywhere wrote only Niffari.

Niffari’s nisba refers to the town of Nafar, which is located in Iraq. The original name of this town was Nafur; the Arabs made it Nafar. In any case, the respected Sheikh spent his life in the cities around his hometown, and in this very seclusion of mountain and desert he discovered the One God. And after this success, during moments of leisure, he recorded for future generations—especially for the travelers of the Sufi path—the spiritual experiences that passed through his tranquil heart.

Besides _Kitab al-Mawaqif_, _al-Mukhatabat_ is also attributed to him, and this book is also a collection of his inspirations. The difference is that every section of the first-mentioned book begins with _Qala li_ [“He said to me”], and the latter with _Ya ‘Abd_ [“O Servant”].

Sheikh al-Akbar Ibn Arabi mentioned _al-Mawaqif_ in five places in _Futuhat al-Makkiyya_. Niffari explained these points in his book in a very excellent manner. It is a lofty book, in which the author has explained the science of disclosures. Some people have interpreted the explanation of the _istila al-maraj_ [elevation of the stations] incorrectly. In Niffari’s view, he is the author of _al-Mawaqif_ and without doubt was a God-realized man. In fact, _Ahl al-Mawaqif_ is the name or title of Muhammad ibn Abdul Jabbar al-Niffari. Like Bayazid Bastami, he held that between every station, descent, maqam, and state there is an intermediate state in which the traveler pauses, and Niffari alluded to this very matter in his book _al-Mawaqif_. Regarding the saying of the Sufis that “I said to God; God said to me,” Sheikh al-Akbar presented the author of _al-Mawaqif_ as an authority.[barzakh]