A Vision at the Utmost Boundary

In this chapter another prophetic model for Sufis of travelling to the otherworld and experiencing the vision of God is scrutinized. It discusses the commentaries on the first 18 verses of Surah al-Najm, which exegetes have generally identified with the heavenly journey of Muhammad. A couple of verses that address a visionary meeting between two unidentified entities, receive specific attention. It discusses whether the commentators considered this to be a vision of God by Muhammad, and if so, which modalities of vision they proposed.

Arinī: Declined at the Boundary?

This chapter focuses on the discussion of Moses’ request to God to see Him (Q7:143) in the Qur’an commentaries. It hsows that within some Sufi understandings this story signifies an attempt to temporarily restore a paradisiacal state of constant vision in this world: the yearning for the vision of God promised in Paradise was so strong that they were looking for ways to have a similar experience in the current abode. For some this took the form of a visionary encounter, a foretaste of what was to come in the hereafter.

Excursus: Embodying the Vision of God in Theology and Sufism

After discussing the last and first boundary crossings which together form the first part of our case studies, and before moving to the second part which considers two prophetic case studies of visionary crossings from this world to the otherworld, this chapter offers an excursion into theoretical debates on otherworldly and this-worldly vision of God in theology and in Sufism. This is an important prerequisite to adequately contextualize and appreciate the discussions on the vision of God in the following two chapters. After presenting an overview of theological positions on the vision of God and their main arguments, the positions of the Sufi authors of this study on this specific issue are analyzed through a reading of their non-tafsīr works.

Sufi Qurʾan Commentaries: The Rise of a Genre

This chapter discusses the historical background of the rise of the genre of Sufi commentaries on the Qurʾan in 5th/11th-century Nishapur. It chronologically introduces the five authors that are central to this study: Sulamī, Qushayrī, Daylamī, Maybudī and Rūzbihān al-Baqlī. After highlighting the most important facts from their biographies and placing them within their broader circles of influence, it discusses their works of tafsīr and the hermeneutical practices that they proposed and defended in these works. Based on this analysis it is concluded that it is legitimate to consider these works as part of a ‘genre’ of Sufi tafsīr that takes al-Sulamī’s tafsīr as its collective reference point.

Introduction

The introduction contextualizes the main question and ambitions of the work. It contains a review of relevant literature on Sufi tafsīr and on Sufi eschatology, and a discussion of the key concepts and terms of the study.

The First Boundary Crossing: Adam Descending

After having covered the “ultimate” boundary crossing and having established the God-centeredness and focus on nearness and vision of the Sufi hereafter, this chapter focusus on discussions of the first boundary crossing: Adam’s banishment from Paradise. It shows the importance of the idea of the loss of primordial Paradise in Sufi eschatology. Firstly, it shows why Adam ‘had’ to be banished in the thought of the commentators: how do they interpret it to fit within God’s larger (eschatological) plan with humankind, and how do they deal with questions of predestination and theodicy related to it? Secondly, it shows what these authors exactly held to be ‘lost’ by the banishment: what constitutes the yearning to Paradise during this-worldly life? What do Sufis hope to regain? Is it indeed the typical Sufi-eschatological themes of nearness to and vision of God?

Conclusion

The conclusion recapitulates the main complementary objectives of the book: the wish to construct a history of Sufi conceptions of the vision of God using Qurʾān commentaries as our main source. Sufi Qurʾān commentaries indeed proved to be a useful and varied source for the reconstruction of a (partial) history of Sufi eschatology and the vision of God. The boundary between this world and the otherworld is generally imagined to be porous and crossable, mainly by means of Sufi stations and states, among which communion (waṣla), nearness and vision were most prominent. As for the issue of genealogy and originality, it concludes that the four Qurʾān commentaries following on al-Sulamī all contain elements of both genealogy and originality. These elements appeared not to be mutually exclusive, and could easily coexist within one and the same commentary. There appeared to be a great diversity in style and content, and genealogy generally did not determine the structure and content of the commentaries as much as is generally the case in its conventional counterparts.

The Ultimate Boundary Crossing: Paradise and Hell in the Commentaries

This chapter deals with the theme of “the ultimate boundary crossing” from this world to the otherworld in Sufism. It shows that the most dominant eschatological themes are nearness to God in the hereafter, meeting with Him and the vision of Him. It sketches an as complete as possible picture of the conceptions of the hereafter found in the five main Sufi Qurʾan commentaries of this study. It is the first in-depth study of these sources on this particular theme, and the findings may prove to be relevant for future research on the topic of Sufism and the hereafter.