Sufi Social Ethics

Yanguzin A.R.

The principles of Sufi ethics, moral norms and life position of the Sufis differed sharply from the official social and ethical norms and orders that prevailed in the feudal-theocratic society of the medieval era. Sufi ethics, or moral life, was a kind of testing ground for moral actions and tests of the mechanisms of Sufi morality and human improvement. If, for example, a mystical-ecstatic state was realized in the inner world of a person and was a kind of secret self-experience, then the sphere of moral life was the area of ​​his self-manifestation. In other words, the sphere of the moral-behavioral life of the Sufis was the realization of theoretical positions, the implementation of the moral principles of Sufi philosophy. It was a life according to the laws of Divine Beauty, Love and Virtue. Sufis, with their life position, social behavior and poeticization of activity, opposed the reactionary religious and political forces of society, defended the working people, expressed their social aspirations and spiritual needs, which did not please the clergy and spiritual feudal lords of the era and was generally condemned by official Muslim morality.

Thus, Muslim ideas about the insignificance of a person before the supernatural Allah were opposed to the Sufi idea of ​​a god-equal perfect person, independent and free from the shackles of material wealth, social status, narrow national, religious and sectarian affiliation. The moral and religious cult of the authority of the authorities and spiritual feudal lords, which arose on the basis of social and property relations, was opposed by the Sufis' poetic glorification of the virtues of an ordinary, but truly well-behaved person. Orthodox Sufi asceticism, also approved by Islamic morality, was opposed by the Sufi concept of enjoyment (the beauty of nature and the charm of life) and mystical "alcoholism" (mystical intoxication and ecstatic pleasure). The traditional Muslim worship of God and the ostentatious piety of the Sufis were opposed by selfless mystical love, which was undoubtedly associated with earthly love and family loyalty.

Opposing the selfishness and selfish aspirations towards each other common in human relationships, the Sufis propagated sincere friendship and mutual assistance with particular enthusiasm. Contrary to the selfish aspirations of the absolute majority, Sufi poets in their poems sang the ideals of nobility, altruism and other epoch-making progressive and humanistic views. It is noteworthy that all this was part of the norms and principles of their morality, life position, theoretical activity and poetic propaganda by them of humanistic ideas, certainly progressive for their era, on the methodological basis of Sufi philosophy.

Sufi ethics as a moral practice was a kind of sphere for the realization of the ideals of Divine morality, where the pure moral essence of God manifests itself, his ethical plan (idea) is realized, the theory of Divine morality passes into social practice, i.e. there is, as it were, an act of its socialization or objectification in the earthly, socially determined actions of perfect people. And this is the earthly cherished goal of the Sufis, their struggle in the public life of the Middle Ages.

The social ethics of the Sufis has another interesting aspect - the possibility for a person to achieve a single Truth through the moral purification of his “heart” or moral self-improvement, which at the same time means comprehension of the true essence of divine-human morality. This is true, because the purity of morality, from the point of view of the philosophy of Sufism, coincides with the purity of the nature of the deity, and the concept of "truth" - with the concept of "truth" (God). Consequently, this aspect assumed an internal moral and mystical reflection of a person to purify his “heart” in the broadest sense from all “untrue”, vicious moral qualities, which meant the achievement of moral merging with God. In practical terms, this aspect is the actual manifestation of the moral inner essence, the deification of a person in real social life, in relationships with other people (development of intersubjective relations) and, finally, in personal and family life.

As mentioned above, Sufi ethics, by its outward manifestation or expression in the mystically significant actions of perfect Sufis, opposes itself in several respects to official Muslim morality. Let us consider the essential points of this relationship. Thus, Islamic morality (including law), based on the Koran, fully justifies and comprehensively defends the position of material inequality, the property superiority of some people over others. She frankly says that Allah has given some of the people more wealth, while others must put up with such a situation. In other words, Islam defends and encourages political and economic violence, social inequality and, ultimately, the exploitation of man by man. Orthodox Sufism, by its extreme asceticism, expressed in the complete withdrawal from all worldly concerns to the abode of a dervish, tacitly and silently agrees with the feudal exploitation of the working people that prevails in practice. This non-resistance to evil is an indirect approval and support of evil.

Sufi morality was socially opposed to aristocratic morality. Its opposition was manifested, first of all, in the refusal of the Sufis from the presentations of the authorities. Consistent Sufis considered it permissible only to collect thorns in the desert and bring water from the river, because they do not belong to any of the "doubtful" ones, but become a commodity as a result of their own labor. Consequently, the Sufis believed, there is no appropriation of someone else's labor, forcibly obtained good, there is also no violence by the arif on the labor of a person, animal or other creature. Strict Sufis also considered it forbidden to beg for moderate seekers of Truth, believing that it could reflect the share of someone else's labor. Accordingly, any material incentives and rewards from the rulers of various ranks and positions were also considered unlawful, forbidden (“haram”), because all this, as they claimed, was obtained either by violence or deceit. The Sufis themselves called only for honest work and a modest life.

Sufis believed that a person's true or own wealth lies in his "heart" (spiritual wealth: divine love, perfection, virtue), and not in what is on his back, like a beast of burden. Consequently, any "non-heart" wealth is not genuine, and first of all, wealth acquired not by one's own labor.

That is why some researchers of the philosophy of Sufism rightly object to the generally accepted opinion about its "apoliticality": -philosophical trend (and not as an individual manifestation of asceticism, experiencing mystical experience), he played a significant role precisely in the political life of Islamic society.

Many poets, guardians of Sufi morality, came out with merciless criticism, sometimes in a vulgarly rude form, of the official clergy and hypocritical Sufis, who fully defended the secular oppressors of disadvantaged people, and, by the way, were spiritual feudal lords themselves. They were also criticized because, in the opinion of the Sufis, they are very smugly boasting of ostentatious piety, although in fact they are engaged in the dry formalities of faith and, in fact, are very far from the true essence of knowing God with the help of love. Criticism of the reactionary clergy, however, occupies a special place in the poetry of poet-thinkers. It has become, as it were, a moral tradition of showing fidelity and defending one's own dignity and one's path to Truth from the attacks of the reactionary forces of the theocratic power.

Islam and the orthodox Sufism adapted to it in practice fomented fanaticism and hatred towards non-believers and dissidents; they preached the ideas of the exclusivity of Islam and the superiority of Muslims over adherents of other religions, and even the superiority of the East over the West. True, the negative influence of the Christian crusades also had an effect here. In spite of all this, Sufi ethics propagated the dialectical idea of ​​the equality of East and West, of all people of the earth, Muslims and non-Muslims. Therefore, it was not in vain that in Sufi morality the most noble deed of a Sufi was the realization of the unity of the whole world (God-world-man). A perfect person in everything, even in opposites (for example, between heaven and earth, West and East, faith and unbelief, mosque and church), sees the essential unity, connection and harmony.

According to the Sufi teaching, East and West are in unity, since both there and here, in one and the other, God is immanently distributed and manifested as the true essence of the world, and, in fact, without difference, one can see the manifestation of the Divine in them. That is why there is no difference between East and West, mosque and church, when here and there in their own way the faces and eyes of God's friends are turned to him, they all see one Truth (God), and in their hearts speaks love for the one Being, the Only One. beloved. Here one can see the positive idea of ​​Sufi tolerance.

Orthodox Sufism, in agreement with Islam, very strongly promoted the practice of ascetic asceticism among Sufi Muslims, expressed in the complete renunciation of material interests, leaving earthly life for a dervish monastery (“khanaka”), an ascetic life, as an ascetic’s self-preparation for otherworldly communion with a supernatural God. This asceticism, a weak tendency of which was also encountered in mystical Sufism, contains at least two socially significant moments. On the one hand, it expresses in mystical form the protest of the dispossessed masses of the feudal-theocratic society against their oppressors, and on the other hand, under the slogan "do not resist evil", it distracts the working masses from the social struggle, instilling in them a spirit of deep pessimism and despair.

It should be noted that the Sufi renunciation of worldly concerns and entry into the sphere of "spiritual life" for mystical liberation from oppressive cruelties Everyday life for the sake of merging with the Truth (this was supported to some extent by Sufi ethics) had a certain positive significance in that harsh era.

If in the sphere of religion people, without leaving the grip of social (feudal, etc.) oppression in real life, were looking for him "in heaven", i.e. God, in fact, in the afterlife, the afterlife, then the Sufis sought to find him in a sphere that was especially significant for them: in social and moral life and artistic and creative activity; the perfection of virtue (disinterested love, gratuitous help, unrequited friendship, etc.) and the creation of highly ideological artistic (primarily poetic) works was the main goal of their noble life. At the same time, of course, Sufi poets-thinkers in everyday life carefully observed and carried out the generally accepted social and religious norms, rituals, rituals - they considered it their social duty, a sign of decency and nobility, a moment of the moral life of a perfect person, but by no means so significant. , in order to confine themselves to it, as did the ordinary believer and all the official clergy.

The thought of the possibility of a person comprehending the Divine essence, the direct achievement of the Divine and Divine perfection during life, no doubt, instilled in disappointed people the spirit of hope and self-confidence. The practical implementation of this thought (idea) was, paradoxically, the road to spiritual achievement, heroism. Indeed, at that harsh time, the ability to think so freely, to achieve such a moral and psychological liberation from the socio-religious framework of feudal despotism, to find in oneself the strength and courage to rise to such a degree of spiritual perfection as to declare one's identity with God and declare "I am the Truth ”, indeed, was a spiritual feat, which also had enormous ethical and social significance for the moral support of the people of the medieval era suppressed by feudal oppression.

Aversion (ascetic) to life's cares, self-liberation from material attachments in the moral principles of self-improving Sufis does not at all mean either the physical destruction of material wealth, or the final irretrievable flight from the world and worldly unrest. Sufi or mystical self-liberation is the freedom achieved in this world with its worries, joys and sorrows, as they say, in the midst of life's events, i.e. freedom of mind, which essentially means the dialectical denial of everything immoral, ugly, deformed in people and in oneself for the sake of achieving the sublime, perfect.

As God (the Divine Essence) manifests itself outside, in the purity of morality, so the perfect Sufi, following his example, must manifest himself, his Divine essence. And the self-manifestation of a person is expressed really in the way of his life: in thoughts, speech, behavior and activity. In other words, a perfect person cannot completely renounce everything and shut himself up only in himself, in the world of his own fantasies and heavenly abstractions; he first purifies himself, i.e. asserts and then expresses itself, i.e. manifests himself in his own good deeds, shows his moral nature for the sake of his own, exclusively disinterested pleasure without any hope of reciprocity and reward.

The main goal of Sufism is aimed at the reconstruction and transformation of the inner world of a person, and through it - the collective and society. At the same time, the process of improvement is carried out in steps, i.e. consistently, and this sequence leads, ultimately, to self-improvement.

But the main socio-ethical idea of ​​the Sufis, in our opinion, is that a lot in people's lives depends on how they earn their livelihood, i.e. from their moral, ultimately, perfection. No matter how successful social, economic and political transformations may be, the spiritual uplift of a person is still decisive. Success largely depends on the system of absolute values ​​that prevails. At the same time, too hasty progress towards the social ideal leads to the development of processes of inhibition both in the economy and in spiritual life. Sufism makes us think that a lot depends on the degree of spiritual perfection of an individual. Rejecting everything purely personal, selfish and earthly, a person must improve his spirit, strive for higher love. But human love is only a semblance of love for God, but not God himself. Human happiness should not be excessive, for not only the individual, but society as a whole, is too fragile to calmly withstand the tension that arises in our progress towards the social ideal.

Bibliography

Mukhamedkhodzhaev A. Attar's worldview. Dushanbe: Donish, 1974.

Sokolov V.V. medieval philosophy. Moscow: Higher school, 1979.

For the preparation of this work, materials from the site were used.

SUFISM- Muslim asceticism, asceticism and mysticism. The etymology has not been firmly established, although the name is considered to be derived from the word “wool” (ascetic sackcloth), or “bench” (ascetics sat on them), or simply a set of sounds. The first Sufis appeared in the 8th century, shortly after the emergence of Islam. Mystical experience begins to receive theoretical understanding from al-Hasan al-Basri, Zu-n-Nun al-Misri (8th–9th century), al-Kharraz (d. 899), philosophical ideas can be traced from Abu-Yazid al-Bistami ( d. 875), Abu Mansur al-Hallaj (executed 922), Abu al-Qasim al-Kushayri (986-1072), and others. Sufism usually distinguishes between moderate and extreme currents. A kind of "legalization" of moderate Sufism is associated, as a rule, with the name of Hamid ad-Din al-Ghazali (1058-1111), a thinker who belonged to the Asharite school of Kalam and expressed sympathy for the Sufi way of knowing God as the achievement of true knowledge. Al-Hallaj can be considered a prominent representative of extreme Sufism with his famous formula "ana-l-haqq ("I am the Truth"), which identifies the "I" of the mystic with God. Although representatives of strict orthodoxy who merge with fundamentalism, including modern , Sufism has always aroused suspicion, if not open hostility, this trend has remained and remains very popular and covers the widest sections of Muslims.

Sufism also created its own philosophy, which raised the fundamental questions that confronted classical Arab philosophical thought: how can the Origin of the universe, God, be understood strictly as the only one and at the same time generating all the diversity of the world; what is the place of man in the world and his relation to God and the divine; what are its possibilities and limits of knowledge and action. Sufism as a philosophical trend relied on the diversity of experience accumulated by the previous four schools of classical Arabic philosophy (kalam, Arab peripatetism, Ismailism and Ishrakism), used the categorical apparatus of philosophical thinking that had developed by that time, which was the result of both the development of its own tradition and, to a large extent, the assimilation ancient heritage. The philosophy of Sufism enjoyed a tangible influence in the period of the late Middle Ages, retaining it in fact to our time.

The most prominent Sufi philosopher is Muhiyi ad-Din (Mohiddin) Ibn "Arabi, who received the honorary title of "Great Sheikh." He was born in 1165 in the city of Murcia (south of modern Spain), in Andalusia, which was then part of the Arab caliphate and served as a kind of crossroads civilizations, the center of philosophy and culture. The future mystic received the traditional education of a Muslim scholar. In his works there is a lot of evidence of insights that visited him, often about conversations with mystics of the past or prophets. Ibn "Arabi traveled a lot, and from 1223 he lived in Damascus, where he died in 1240. The great sheikh was familiar with the works of the outstanding Sufis al-Kharraz, al-Muhasibi, al-Hallaj, al-Isfaraini.

Researchers trace direct and indirect connections and controversy with the ideas of al-Ghazali. Evidence of Ibn "Arabi's contacts with Ibn Rushd and other famous thinkers of that time has been preserved. Not only almost all well-known Sufi thinkers of subsequent generations, but also representatives of other currents of thought, more than others - late Ishrakism experienced his influence to one degree or another. Sharp criticism and the rejection of the idea of ​​Ibn "Arabi was caused by the well-known faqih Ibn Taymiyya (1263-1328), which received a direct continuation in the ideology of Wahhabism, which traces its ideas to this thinker. At the same time, such a famous faqih as al-Suyuti (15th century) came out in defense of Ibn "Arabi.

The most important philosophical works of Ibn "Arabi are Meccan revelations (al-Futuhat al-maqkiyya) And Gems of Wisdom(Fusus al-hikam). His poetry is presented in the collection Statement of Passion(Tarjuman al-ashvak). It is believed that he wrote more than 100 works. The fame of Ibn "Arabi became the reason for the false attribution of many works. Among the Apocrypha - a two-volume Interpretation of the Quran(Tafsir al-kur "an), tree of life(Shajarat al-qawn), God's word(Kalimat al-lah), God's wisdom(al-Hikma al-"ilahiya).

The Meccan revelations have not yet been fully translated into foreign languages ​​due to the volume of the work, which is rightly called the "encyclopedia of Sufism", containing arguments on almost all issues of the theory and practice of Sufism. In addition to philosophical questions, many other questions are also considered regarding cosmology and angelology, hurufism (the doctrine of the supernatural properties of letters), prophecy and Revelation, etc. Final chapter Meccan revelations is an instruction to mur dam - students of Sufi mentors, made mainly in the form of maxims, although provided with philosophical comments. Philosophical views developed by Ibn "Arabi in Meccan revelations, are consistent with his concepts, set out in a much more concise form in gemmah of wisdom written at the end of the author's life. A work with a similar name - book of gems(Kitab al-fusus) - is considered to belong to the pen of al-Farabi. It expounds the doctrine of the First Principle and its relation to its consequence - the world, develops the dialectic of the manifestation and concealment of the First Principle, proving that one is impossible without the other. Although the ideas of this work are close to those expressed by Ibn "Arabi, it is difficult to state with certainty anything beyond this regarding the connection of the two works. Gems of Wisdom consist of 27 chapters, each of which is correlated with one of the messengers or prophets. The presentation is not systematic in the sense that it would be true in relation to the Western tradition, but it reveals an unconditional internal coherence and consistency both in terms of terminology and concepts and thematically, without deviating from the criteria of rational validity and consistency of the stated provisions. Ibn "Arabi argues with the Arabic-speaking peripatetics on the question of the way of understanding the unity of the First Principle, with al-Ghazali on the question of the possibility of knowing it out of touch with the world, with the Mutakallims on the question of the justification of the concept of "substance" in the light of the atomic theory of time. Some non-philosophical issues such as the symbolism of dreams.

The philosophical innovation of Sufism and at the same time the essence of the concept of this school are associated with a radical reworking of the idea of ​​rowing, which served as a kind of guiding principle in comprehending the question of the relation of the First Principle of things to things, eternity to time, the problem of causality, etc. In Sufism, this externality of the First Principle to the series it generates is questioned, and at the same time, the concept of absolute linearity is abandoned and, as a result, the possibility of unambiguously fixing the place of a thing in the series specified by the First Principle. This means, among other things, the impossibility of unambiguously defining the hierarchical relationship between any two things: each can be considered both superior to the other and superior to the other.

The beginning and the series of things generated by it are understood in Sufism as conditions of each other. When the relationship between them is described in terms of "manifest - hidden" (zahir - batin) or "base - branch" (asl - far), the linearity characteristic of the previous tradition of Arabic philosophical thinking gives way to mutual precedence: both the Origin and derivatives of things can be characterized in a mutual relation both as obvious and as hidden, and as a basis, and as a branch. Sufism's own terminology, which calls the Origin "Truth" (al-haqq), a number of things in the world - "Creation" (al-khalq), and their dual unity - "world order" (al-"amr), emphasizes this relationship, calling the latter "Truth - Creation". The concepts of "precedence" (takaddum) and "following" (ta "ahkhur) play in classical Arab-Muslim philosophical thought the most important role in ordering things, arranging it in a neoplatonic spirit in a fixed sequence on the ladder of perfection: the closer to the Origin , the more perfect being is, surpassing everything that follows it, i.e. located below it. But in Sufism, these concepts lose their fixed ranking and instead acquire the property of passing one into another and, moreover, necessarily presuppose the other as its own characteristic: the antecedent cannot be the antecedent without being also the subsequent, and vice versa.

The philosophy of Sufism proceeds from the atomic concept of time, created in the Kalama. Since at any moment two events, destruction and emergence, are compared, the world of things in each moment returns to eternity and in the same moment arises as a temporary one. Time and eternity in such dual unity are inseparable from each other, and they cannot be imagined one without the other. Moreover, it is impossible to unequivocally resolve the issue of their priority, since time turns out to be not just coeval to eternity, but also a condition and form of its implementation.

The dual unity of opposites, which is discussed in Sufism, is a characteristic of the fullness of truth and does not imply the need to remove antitheses in some kind of synthesis. Comprehension of the fullness of this truth is the goal and, at the same time, the content of the method of cognition, which is called "confusion" (haira) and has nothing to do with the "confusion" that was associated with aporias in antiquity. The dual unity of opposites revealed in “confusion” in the most generalized form can be expressed as a dialectic of affirmation and denial of the “otherness” (gayriyya) of things relative to each other. Their ranking, or mutual "superiority" (tafadul) in temporal existence is removed by their eternal hypostasis, due to which any thing turns out to be both different and non-other in relation to any other thing. Although "confused" knowledge is expressed discursively, it is directly related to the act of direct cognition and in no way contradicts the truth of the latter. In this sense, the theory of knowledge of Sufism and its philosophy based on "confused" knowledge can be seen as an attempt to bridge the gap between direct and discursive knowledge, which was tacitly recognized in classical Arab-Muslim philosophy.

The thesis about the dual unity of the world order, in which Truth and Creation (the Origin and the universe, God and the world) posit each other as conditions of themselves and are impossible one without the other, is central to Sufi philosophy in the classical form that it received in the works of Ibn "Arabi The elaboration of this thesis from the point of view of all the central philosophical problems of the classical period constitutes the content of the philosophy of Sufism, but the meaning of this thesis is not limited to philosophy itself, but extends beyond its borders, embracing, in particular, questions of ethics, everyday morality and dogma.

Sufi thinkers, as a rule, remain faithful to the position of Islam that this teaching is the highest and last expression of the true religion brought to mankind. Expressing the idea that it is the followers of Muhammad who hold the "highest place" in the universe, Ibn "Arabi proves that this exaltation concerns two components of religion - knowledge and action: the general Islamic position on the inseparability of these two sides, neither of which in isolation does not constitute faith.In the same way, Sufism supports the position of Islam that the purpose of sending down faith is the "benefit" (manfa "a) of people. The categorical rejection of the ideas and ideals of Christian monasticism testifies to the equally unconditional rootedness of the ethical thought of Sufism in general Islamic soil, all the more eloquently in the mouths of authors as tolerant as the Sufis are: the fundamental denial of the attitude to overcome the flesh as such (as a source of sinfulness, and not a limitation of carnal excesses, as is typical, say, of rigorous Ismailism) is characteristic of all Islamic authors, with the obvious exception of al-Suhrawardi and some other representatives of Ishrakism, in whom the idea of ​​overcoming corporality has both pre-Christian and pre-Islamic, primarily Zoroastrian, roots.
Another important provision of Islamic ethics is the position on the direct connection between action and intention. Intention directly determines the result of the action: everyone gets what they are looking for. However, such unambiguous judgments are possible only in the field of adab (moralizing instructions), including the Sufi one, since they directly contradict the main thesis of the philosophy of Sufism - the impossibility of unambiguously fixing one or another statement as final. Therefore, Sufi ethics, insofar as it constitutes an organic part of the general philosophical constructions of this school, contains few grounds for the traditional classification of intentions and the actions that accompany them. Moreover, Sufi philosophy, in its most subtle constructions, deprives ethical reasoning of the real basis on which they are built in traditional theories.

Ethical judgment regarding human action presupposes the fundamental possibility of defining the agent, the one who performs the action. It is, further, possible only if the action produces a regular result; if the same action can lead to unpredictably different consequences, no unambiguous assessment of it is possible.

But it is precisely these foundations that are called into question by Sufi philosophy. In Sufism, it is impossible to unequivocally correlate a person's action with his own or with the divine will. The same applies to the definition of the actor himself: since a person is the incarnation of God, it is impossible to directly correlate an action with a person without simultaneously correlating it with God, which means that the question of a person’s responsibility for his actions cannot have an unambiguous answer. The definition of a true agent for actions performed by a person is connected with a problematic that was vividly discussed back in the kalam. In Sufism, both man and God can be called true actors with equal right, and these points of view are not only not alternative, but are necessary as conditions for one another. This refers to the consideration of the relationship between the temporal and eternity sides of existence within one atom of time. As for even two neighboring atoms of time, not to mention more distant ones, they are not connected by causality relations, which creates a fundamental difficulty in substantiating ethics. At the same time, numerous moral maxims have been adopted and developed in Sufism, softening this "ethical nihilism" of high philosophy. In addition, in practical Sufism, especially in its mature period, associated with the formation of various orders, various practices for improving the adept were developed, leading him along the “path” (ar a, also maslak) to the highest levels of knowledge. They are based on the idea of ​​the possibility of a graduated increase in perfection as a result of the adept's purposeful efforts, thereby orienting to the process of improvement, although they have little basis in the philosophical system of Sufism itself, where the concept of a "perfect person" (ins n k mil, also ins n t mm ) is more metaphysical than ethical.
The same ideas are developed in Sufism using one of the central categories of fiqh (religious and legal thought) - the term "amr" ("order"). obedience to him, i.e. obedience as a meritorious action), Sufism distinguishes between a “creative command” (“amr takviniy) and an “indirect command” (“amr bi-l-vasita): an indirect command may not be carried out, but a creative command is always carried out Indirect is the command expressed in the Law, and therefore its execution depends on whether it coincides or does not coincide with the divine will, expressed as a creative command. obedience - disobedience ”(ta" a - ma "siya), so important for Islamic ethics, lose their unambiguity, ceasing to express compliance or inconsistency with a person ical deeds to the divine will. In each of his actions, a person is guided by God, or rather, by himself through God and in God. For example, “passion” (hawan), one of the most condemned qualities of the human soul by Islamic ethics, turns out to be in fact a passionate desire of God: both in the sense that it is directed in any case to God, and in the sense that a person embraced by passion expresses the desire of God himself, and not someone else. The classification of states of the soul is also possible on the basis of the idea that the objects of aspiration, what a person strives for, are different and separated from one another, and some of them are beneficial, while others are harmful; precisely because, in the traditional sense, passion is harmful to the soul, and modesty is useful, because the former turns away from the useful and brings more harm than good, while the second, on the contrary, contributes to the acquisition of the useful. But as soon as nothing is other than God, as soon as no thing in the world freezes within the boundaries of its unconditional difference from everything else, but at any moment returns to God in order to arise at the same moment as something else, then passion does not knock down a person from the only true path leading him to good and happiness, as traditional theories interpret, simply because there is no single true path and every path leads to God. These ideas are directly connected with the position of the totality of the true religion, which is one of the distinguishing features of Sufism.

According to Sufi authors, Islam is certainly the true confession, but just as certainly it is not the exclusively true confession. Islam is the knowledge of God and the action corresponding to this knowledge. However, no thing in the world is different in relation to God, and therefore no knowledge is other than knowledge about God. The same applies to action: no action is done for the sake of something other than God, which means that every action is done in the name of the only God. Therefore, an essential consequence of Sufi philosophy is religious tolerance, expressed in the principle "it is impossible to worship anything but the true God." Any worship turns out to be in essence the worship of Truth, but on the obligatory condition that it does not claim exclusive possession of the truth, thus assuming other confessions (including those that seem to exclude itself, as "polytheism" excludes "monotheism") as its own. condition. This thesis, which causes extreme hostility of some Muslim traditionalist ideologists, appeals, together with the mystical component of Sufism, to modern consciousness, which largely explains the popularity of Sufi ideas.

These general philosophical provisions, when applied to specific episodes in the history of the relationship of mankind with a deity or deities, which are narrated in the Koran, give paradoxical consequences. According to Ibn "Arabi, the truth of any of the religions cannot be denied; the idolatry of the ancient Arabs, the religion of the Egyptians (the Koranic Pharaoh appears as a notorious enemy of monotheism and the true faith), any Laws and doctrinal codes of any religions are true. On the contrary, those who tried to prove their unconditional falsity, acted to the detriment of true confession.The only thing that can be untrue in any of the religions is its claim to the exclusive truth and rejection of the truth of other religions.

Philosophical Sufism after Ibn "Arabi developed under the decisive influence of his ideas. The views of Ibn "Arabi later became known as the concept of wahdat al-wujud ("the unity of existence"), which found supporters in the Sufi environment in the person of such prominent thinkers as al-Kashani (d. 1329) and al-Jili (1325–1428), and met with opposition from al-Simnani (d. 1336), who advanced the alternative theory of wah dat ash-shukhud ("unity of witness"). Sufism rendered big influence on Arab-Muslim philosophical thought, especially in the late Middle Ages, as well as on culture in general. Sufi ideas gained great fame thanks to the work of such poets and thinkers as Farid ad-Din al-"Attar (d. 1220), Ibn al-Farid (1181-1235), Jalal ad-Din ar-Rumi (1207-1273) and others, based on the Sufi symbolism of love, longing for the Beloved, etc.

Smirnov Andrey

«Chapter I. Analysis of the status and role of women in the Islamic worldview..12 Chapter II. The ethical side of the concept of love in Sufism.28 ...»

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Introduction………………………..………………..…………………..…..….....3

Chapter I. Analysis of the status and role of women in the Islamic system

worldview ……………………………………….…………..………..….12

Chapter II. The ethical side of the concept of love in Sufism………………..28

1. Sufism: a brief description and basic concepts……………...….28

2. Moral perfection as the main component

Sufism…………………………………………….……………………….40

2.1. The main provisions of Muslim ethics….………………………..40

2.2. Sufi ethical teaching………………………………………….…48 2.2.1. The Perfect Man……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. Free will and Divine predestination……………….58 2.2.3. Good and Evil…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………62 2.2.4. Moral perfection………..…………...…………67

3. The ethical aspect of the philosophy of love in Sufism………………….…..…71

3.1. Understanding love in Islam………………….…….…………………….71

3.2. Love as a creation of beauty in Sufism

3.2.1. Definition of love…………………………………………..…....88 3.2.2. Basic concepts of love lyrics…………………………....92 3.3.3. Earthly and Divine Love in Sufi Works.....96 Chapter III. The place and role of women in Sufism………………………………..106

1. Medieval Sufi women. Characteristic features of the concept of "love" in women's mysticism…………………………………………...106

1.1. Medieval Sufi women…………………………...…….106

1.2. Characteristic features of the concept of “love” in women’s mysticism……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

3. Sufi women and the "feminine" presence in the Sufi worldview and Sufi practice

Conclusion..……………………………………..………………………….....172 List of used literature……………………………… …….…178 Introduction In the light of the growing pace of globalization and migration, which, in turn, cause a “reassessment of values”, the issue of interaction between different peoples guided by different normative and value ideas becomes relevant. Until now, many people are in captivity of prejudices that distort ideas about Muslim culture. The view of Islam as an exclusively militant religion has led to a very negative attitude towards Muslims and Islamic culture in general. Apparently, such opinions originate in the Middle Ages, in the era of the Crusades. And if the people of that time can be understood, since they had little information about Islam and Muslim culture, then the presence of such an opinion among modern Europeans is difficult to understand. At the same time, Muslim culture for centuries was not only inextricably linked with the culture of Western Europe, but also shared with it very significant achievements in the field of science and art. Thus, it is very important to reveal as objectively as possible the religious, cultural and ethical basis of Islam, which will contribute to the correction of distorted ideas about it.

A more detailed study of the moral foundations of Islam can help reduce the intensity of religious and national hatred, which is very common in our time. This work reflects the important provisions of Muslim ethics, as well as the most difficult to understand issues, which include the issue of the role and status of women in Muslim society. The problem of the rights and obligations of Muslim women occupies an important place in the study of the Muslim worldview. In addition, the analysis of the status of women in Muslim society touches upon a range of issues that are directly related to Muslim ethics and moral standards.

The study of Muslim ethics is impossible to imagine without studying the morality underlying the Sufi worldview. Sufism as a mystical-ascetic movement of Islam has made a great contribution to the formation of the spiritual foundation of the entire Muslim society. The idea of ​​spiritual perfection through love for God opens up new facets of the spiritual world of Islam.

For a long time, the main role in the social and cultural life of Islamic society was given to men. The role of women was insignificant, and, for the most part, was limited to household chores.

The study of women's Sufi experience, as well as the influence that women had on the Sufi worldview and Sufi practice, is not only valuable from a cultural and historical point of view, but also helps to better understand the place and role of women in Muslim society.

These considerations and a number of other equally important factors, which include the insufficient study of this issue in domestic ethics, determine the relevance of the topic of this dissertation research. Three large layers can be distinguished in it: consideration of the place and role of women in Islam; revealing the ethical foundations associated with the doctrine of love in the works of Sufis and other Muslim thinkers; clarification of the place and role of women in the Sufi movement, the meaning of women's Sufi experience, as well as understanding of women and "feminine" in the teachings of the Sufis. Each of these layers occupies a certain place in the structure of the work and is based on significant sources and research.

It should be noted that this paper presents a secular-rational interpretation of Islam and Sufism, which allows, as far as possible, to build a consistent and consistent model of general Islamic and Sufi ethics based on philosophical and religious views.

The study of Islamic philosophy and ethics is impossible without referring to the two main sources - the Koran and the Sunnah. In this work, mainly the Qur'anic narration was used in the translation of M.-N.

Osmanov. The choice of this translation is due to the fact that, unlike other available translations of the Koran, made by I.Yu. Krachkovsky, G.S. Sablukov and E. Kuliev, it is semantic. M.-N. Osmanov tried to reproduce the meaning of the original text and find a suitable translation for figurative meanings, relying on authoritative tafsirs of the Koran. Also, as needed, translations by G.S. Sablukov and E. Kuliev. This work also mentions the materials of the two most significant sources of hadith - "Sahih" Bukhari and "Sahih" Muslim.

The issue of the position of women in Islam is raised in many works concerning the socio-philosophical aspects of Muslim society, but there are not so many objective studies on this topic. Often this topic, one way or another, is touched upon in general studies on Islam.

For example, in the works of A. Masse, G.M. Kerimov. Special attention should be paid to works specially devoted to the consideration of the position of women in Muslim society. For example, a study by G.R.

Baltanova, who considers the place and role of women in Islam as the focus of social and ethical problems. It should also be noted the article by L.N. Frolova, which focuses on the status of Muslim women, a collection of translations by E. Sorokoumova, books by O. Ersan and M. Mutahhari, as well as a dissertation research by Z.M. Baraeva. It is also necessary to mention the works of A. Vadud, L. Silvers, U. Bahrieh, review by D. Vainis, who analyze the role of women in Muslim society not only from the traditional positions of the Koran and the Sunnah, but also give it a modern meaning. Among these works, the research of S. Murata deserves special mention, which is distinguished by a wide cross-cultural analysis and non-standard study of the problem. In addition to scientific works, this study also mentions practical manuals that help to understand and assess the real situation of women in the Muslim world, their place and role. An example is the H. Khattab reference book, a manual of the Moscow Islamic University.

When analyzing the Sufi teachings, the works of A.

Schimmel, M.T. Stepanyants, A.D. Knysh, K. Ernst, J. Trimingham, A.A.

Khismatulina, A.Kh. Zarrinkuba, I.P. Petrushevsky, T. Andre, A.J.

Arberry, V.A. Drozdov, M. Validdin, J. Subkhan. The treatise of al-Hujwiri “Revelation of the hidden behind the veil deserves special attention.

The oldest Persian treatise on Sufism. (Kashf al-mahjub li arbab al-kulub)" and "Al-Qushayri's Treatise on Sufism", which are the oldest summaries of Sufi spiritual experience. General Islamic ethical ideas and ethical teachings of the Sufis were studied on the basis of the works of A.V. Smirnova, A.A. Huseynov, as well as I.R. Nasyrova, W.

Chittika, S. Safavi.

In the study of the concept of "love" among Sufis and other Muslim thinkers, in addition to the studies of modern scientists, of course, an important role is played by primary sources, which include the treatises of Ibn Arabi, Ruzbikhan Bakli, al-Ghazali, al-Jili, Abu Bakr ar-Razi, Ibn Sina, Shihab ad-Din as-Suhrawardi, al-Farabi, as well as the poetic heritage of Nizami Ganjavi, Saadi and Jal ad-Din Rumi.

It is noteworthy that the topic of women's participation in Sufism and "feminine"

element in Sufi teachings is still insufficiently developed, especially in domestic ethical studies. Based on the fact that the topic of women's experience is quite complex and multifaceted, for its analysis it is necessary to use sources that differ in their structure, scientific approach and style of presentation. Thus, it is possible to explain the proximity of fundamental scientific works and articles, which, as it may seem at first glance, deserve less attention, but which are no less important for this work. Here we should mention articles and studies by K. Helminski, J. Nurbakhsh, M. Smith, articles by S. Sheikh, H. Lutfi, L. Silvers, M. Dakeyk. The works of A. Schimmel “The World of Islamic Mysticism” and “My Soul is a Woman”, as well as the studies of W. K. Chittik and S. Murata “The Worldview of Islam” deserve special attention. Interesting remarks about women's Sufi practices are contained in the work of R. Sultanova, as well as in the articles of L. Thomas, G.A. Khizrieva and A.L.-A. Sultygov. The works written by Sufi women themselves deserve special mention, for example, the book by I.

Tweedy's Abyss of Fire: One Woman's Experience of Liberation Through the Teachings of a Sufi Master, based on the diary of her spiritual journey; the works of F. Malty-Douglas, which are based on the records of Sufi women, for example, “A Woman and Her Sufis” and “Medicine of the Soul”;

works and activities and A. Yashlavskaya.

Thus, the object of the dissertation research is the ethical teaching of Sufism based on love for God. The subject of the research is the "feminine" aspect of Sufi ethics, as well as the participation of women in the formation of Sufism and the formation of its teachings.

The purpose of the dissertation research is to analyze the understanding of the place and role of women and the feminine in the philosophy of love and the ethical teachings of the Sufis.

Based on this, the main objectives of the study can be identified:

To clarify general Islamic ideas about the place and role of women in society and compare them with Sufi ideas about women;

Based on the study of Sufi treatises and with the help of research by domestic and foreign scientists, reveal the main provisions of the Sufi worldview and the importance attached to the "feminine" principle in it;

analyze the content of general Islamic ethical ideas and compare them with the ethical component of the Sufi teaching;

Consider the concept of love in Islam and Muslim philosophical teachings, give a comparative analysis of the ethical aspect of the philosophy of love in Sufism;

Determine the place and trace the role of women in Sufi teaching;

To identify the influence and analyze the content of female images in the didactic works of the Sufis and Sufi poetry;

In this study, the hermeneutical method of interpreting available Sufi texts is used as the main method.

General philosophical principles and research methods are also applied:

comparative analysis and systematic approach, the method of ascent from the abstract to the concrete, the methods of induction and deduction. In addition, a comparative approach is used. Theoretical basis studies served as the works of well-known Western European, Arab, Iranian, Turkish and domestic scientists on the topic under consideration.

Scientific novelty of the research:

considered and analyzed the most well-known provisions concerning the place and role of women in Muslim society;

General Islamic ethical concepts and Sufi ideas about morality, which are based on the concept of love and moral perfection, are analyzed and compared;

The spiritual experience of Sufi women has been studied and theoretically generalized;

for the first time in domestic ethics, on the basis of a comprehensive study, including philosophical, socio-cultural and ethical aspects, an analysis of the place and role of women in the Sufi movement and Sufi teaching was carried out;

the features of modern women's Sufi experience and its influence on cultural and moral representations in Islamic society and Sufism are identified and analyzed;

In this regard, the following provisions are put forward for protection:

1. The basis of Sufi teaching can be expressed in the following ideas:

obedience to the Divine Will; the desire to connect with the Beloved; return to the state of "original purity" (fitra); avoidance of "traps" (barriers) of the earthly world;

2. Sufism reworked the basic moral norms of Islam, shifting the focus to individual self-improvement through asceticism and love of God;

3. Love is considered as the basis of Sufism, which links together the moral perfection of man and the beauty of Divine creation;

4. Given the characteristics and traditions of Muslim society, the female Sufi experience is often shown through the prism of the male experience;

Women's spiritual experience had a great influence on the Sufi 5.

worldview in general: predominantly women combined ascetic practices with the philosophy of love, becoming the true embodiment of the “creation of beauty”.

The theoretical and scientific-practical significance of the dissertation research lies in the fact that the conclusions obtained in this work can be used in the process of developing the problems of the methodology for the further study of Islamic mysticism, as well as for teaching social disciplines, preparing and reading special courses on mysticism and ethical teachings of the East. The provisions contained in the dissertation make it possible to expand ideas about the place and role of women in Sufi teaching, as well as in Muslim culture in general.

The main provisions of the work were published by the author in the form of scientific articles in publications reviewed by the Higher Attestation Commission of the Russian Federation, and also presented in reports at a scientific and theoretical conference within the framework of the "Days of St. Petersburg Philosophy" of the St. Petersburg State University, 2009, 2010, 2012; "Women's images and the concept of "feminine"

in the Philosophy of Ibn Arabi and Rumi", International Scientific Conference "The Role of Women in History, Society, Politics and Science" (March 26-27, 2015, St. Petersburg Mining University, St. Petersburg State Technological Institute (Technical University), .

St. Petersburg); when reading a public lecture "Women in Sufism" at the Russian Christian Humanitarian Academy on November 12, 2013

The dissertation consists of an introduction, three chapters, a conclusion and a list of references. The introduction discusses the relevance, objectives, goals and main provisions of this study, as well as the abstracts submitted for defense.

The first chapter analyzes the position and role of women in Muslim society. As a result, it turns out that the variability of Muslim texts leaves room for interpretation, which often depends on the generally accepted norms and principles of a particular group of Muslims, characteristic of a given area.

In addition, women's rights are not properly respected, so the real situation of women in Muslim society, both throughout its history and in the modern world, remains quite difficult.

The second chapter deals with the concept and main ideas of Sufism, and also analyzes Sufi ethics and the theory of love. As a result, the conclusion is formulated that the ascetic practices that underlie the Sufi ethical concept are closely related to the concept of love.

Love is considered as the basis of Sufism, which links together the moral perfection of man and the beauty of Divine creation.

The third chapter analyzes the place and role of women in Sufism throughout its history. It also examines the spiritual experience of modern Sufi women and analyzes the difference between women's and men's Sufi experiences.

As a result, a great influence of women's spiritual experience on the Sufi worldview as a whole was revealed:

predominantly women combined ascetic practices with the philosophy of love, becoming the true embodiment of the “beautiful creation”.

In conclusion, the results and generalizing conclusions of this study are summarized.

The bibliographic list of used literature consists of 200 titles, including 57 foreign language. The total volume of the dissertation is 192 pages.

Chapter I. Analysis of the status and role of women in the Islamic worldview Muslim society (ummah), as a system of social and legal relations, is built on Sharia - religious law expressed in the Koran and Sunnah and supplemented by fiqh (i.e. works on the interpretation of Islamic law various religious schools). The basis of society is the family. The family, according to the Muslim worldview, is a union of a woman and a man who are united together for procreation and observance of religious law.

It is traditionally believed that the life of a Muslim woman is mainly focused on internal social ties, that is, at home, family and numerous relatives, while the life of a man is “outer”, including work, friendships, politics, etc. This understanding often leads to a misinterpretation of the place and role of women in the ummah. In this regard, S. Murata in his study "The Tao of Islam" writes: "According to the deep-rooted, but erroneous opinion of Western scholars, Islam is the most patriarchal of all patriarchal religions"1.

The Islamic religious system and jurisprudence assign certain rights and obligations to men and women. The Qur'an says: “Husbands are the guardians of [their] wives, since Allah gave one (i.e. husbands) an advantage over others (i.e. women) and because husbands spend [on the maintenance of their wives] funds from their property”

(Quran, 4:34). Despite the fact that men have been given the right to dominate the family, especially in those areas that relate to family finances, there are a number of general requirements that must be observed by everyone without exception (though with some reservations).

Murata S. Tao of Islam: a sourcebook on gender relationships in Islamic thought. Albany: Suny Press, 1992.

Cit. according to Baltanova G.R. Muslim. M.: Logos, 2005. S. 78.

There are only five basic requirements: testimony of faith (shahada), prayer (salat), fasting (saum), donation (zakat) and pilgrimage (hajj).

The religious duties of women have their own nuances, which, as a rule, are a consequence of the moral standards of Muslim society. For example, women are exempted from fasting and prayer when they are in a state of "impurity". Pregnant and lactating mothers are also exempt from fasting. Note that in Islam there are so-called “voluntary” fasts, however, “a woman is forbidden to observe an additional fast if this infringes on the rights of her husband and interferes with his affairs; in order to fast, she must obtain the consent of her husband” 2.

With regard to zakat, there are two ways for a woman to make such a donation: take money from the family savings, after asking her husband about it, or pay funds from personal property, which usually consists of mahr (i.e. a gift that a woman received upon marriage).

For women, the Hajj also has a number of restrictions.

A woman must be accompanied by a husband or a relative who belongs to the category of mahram (that is, close blood relatives - men with whom Islam forbids a woman to marry, for example, father, son, brother, grandfather, nephew, as well as father-in-law and foster brother). In addition, “if a woman knows that after the Hajj she will experience material difficulties, and her husband is poor, the pilgrimage is not obligatory for her”3.

Note that for a woman, the hajj replaces jihad, which is often called the sixth pillar of Islam. The commonly accepted translation of this word is " Holy war” is inaccurate, rather, it is “struggle in the way of Allah.” First of all, this refers to the struggle with one's own "I" or "jihad"Kerimov G.M. Sharia: The Law of Muslim Life. Sharia answers to the problems of our time.

DILYA, 2009. P. 129.

There. S. 83.

nnafs”, which consists in the struggle with one’s own egoism and sinful thoughts. In a narrower sense, jihad means war in the proper sense of the word (hence one of the meanings of the word "shahada"

– “martyrdom for the faith”4 and a derivative of this word – martyr, i.e. "who sacrificed himself for the faith, died a martyr's death" 5).

The shahada also includes the testimony “given by a Muslim who fights for the faith and dies for it in a holy war”6. Thus, the reward of a woman who performs Hajj is equal to the reward of a man who fought for the faith. “Pregnancy and the birth of a child can also be equated with one of the forms of jihad, since there is a hadith that says that a mother who dies during childbirth dies the death of a martyr (shahid): “A woman who dies during childbirth along with her baby, becomes a martyr” (narrated by Ahmad and At-Tabarani)”7.

Creating a family is the sacred duty of any healthy Muslim, whether male or female. “And [one] of His signs is that He created you from dust. And only then, having become a human race, you settled [over the earth]. [Another] of His signs is that He created wives for you out of yourselves, so that you find comfort in them, and He established love and favor [mutual] among you ”(Quran, 30: 20-21). As one of the authoritative interpreters of hadith notes, “it is known that conjugal love is much stronger than other manifestations of love.” !

Fear your Lord, who created you from one living being and from it created a mate for him, and from both of them [produced and] settled [according to

Bogolyubov A.S. Shaheed // Islam. Encyclopedic Dictionary / Ed. editor S.M. Prozorov. M.:

Nauka, 1991, p. 296.

Masse A. Islam: Essay on history. Moscow: Kraft+, 2007, p. 99.

Khattab H. A Muslim Woman's Handbook. M.: Umma, 2004. S. 26.

as-Saadi, Abd ar-R. b. H. Interpretation holy quran/ Per. E. Kuliev. M.: Umma, 2008. S. 86.

light] many men and women. Fear Allah, in whose name you claim [your rights] to each other, and [be afraid] to break family ties [between yourselves]. Indeed, Allah is [always] watching over you.”

(Quran, 4:1). Al-Saadi says that it is worth paying attention to the fact that “the revelation of the creation of a couple from a man indicates to him the need for spouses to observe obligations to each other, which are determined by the fact that a woman descended from a man.”9 The social and legal status of a Muslim woman , reflected in the Qur'an and the Sunnah, is grouped around the different roles of women in the ummah, which, in their essence, form a single whole. Firstly, a woman is a direct participant in the religious life of society, guided by moral norms of behavior. At the same time, as L.N. Frolov, “the specific content of the behavior of a woman, as well as other subjects of Muslim society, is largely determined by the system of norms and values ​​developed on the basis of the Koran.”10 It seems that the main role of a Muslim woman is still the role of wife and mother. Sahih Muslim says: “It is reported from the words of Abu Hurairah that the prophet said:“ A woman is taken as a wife because of four [things]: because of her wealth, or origin, or beauty, or religion, seek the one who is committed to religion, [otherwise you will not see the good]!”.

11 The basic rights and duties of a Muslim woman are set out in Surah an-Nisa (Women), which says: “Women of virtue are obedient to Allah and [husbands] to their own and keep the honor and property that Allah ordered to protect. And those wives, of whose infidelity you are not sure, admonish [first], [then] avoid them in the marriage bed and [finally] beat them. If they obey you, then do not offend them, not as-Saadi, Abd ar-R. b. N. Interpretation of the Holy Quran / Per. E. Kuliev. M.: Umma, 2008. S. 310.

Frolova L.N. The status of women in Islam // Bulletin of the Adyghe State University.

Series 1: Regional studies: philosophy, history, sociology, jurisprudence, political science, cultural studies, 2009. No. 2. pp. 148-154.

Muslim. Sahih. Summary compiled by Imam al-Munziri. M.: Umma, 2011. S. 324.

look for reasons to quibble" (Quran, 4:34). As-Saadi commented on this verse as follows: “A wife is dependent on her husband, and it is his duty to take care of the one whom Allah ordered him to protect and protect. She must be obedient to her Lord and her husband.

That is why it is further said that a righteous wife is always obedient to Allah Almighty and obedient to her husband even in his absence. She guards his honor and property, and she succeeds because Allah protects her and provides her with support. Thus, the husband, as the head of the family, is responsible for her, therefore, at first, “he should give his wife instruction, i.e. explain to her the attitude of Allah to those women who obey their husbands, and to those who disobey them; tell her about the reward for obedience to her husband and the punishment for disobedience to him. If the wife stops disobeying, then he will achieve what he wants. Otherwise, he should not go to bed with her in the same bed and not have sexual intercourse with her until this brings the desired result. If such a measure of education also does not bring any benefit, then the husband is allowed to beat his wife without causing her great suffering.

It should be noted that there is a lot of controversy regarding measures to exhort wives, both in the Muslim community itself and outside it, especially with regard to such an aspect as “beating”. "M. Asad, referring to collections of hadiths (Abu Davud, Nasa'i, Ibn Maji, etc.), states that Muhammad condemned the beating of wives, that he recommended it only as a last resort (i.e. in case of adultery), and then only in a “mild form”, without inflicting bodily harm.”14 As O. Ersan writes, “a man should treat his wife with respect. He must allow her to participate in matters relating to the family and take her under his guardianship, like as-Saadi, Abd ar-R. b. N. Interpretation of the Holy Quran / Per. E. Kulieva. M.: Umma, 2008. S. 343.

–  –  –

Quran / Transl. from Arabic and commentary by Osmanov M.-N. O. M.-SPb: Dilya, 2008. S. 143 (Hereinafter, the translation of the Koran according to Osmanov M.-N., unless otherwise indicated).

befits a real man.”15 As noted by A.A. Engineer, "if men make money, then women do homework, and in this sense they seem to complement each other. Such a position is fully justified and must be defended.”16 The family union of a man and a woman is not only a social and legal relationship, but is also based on religious morality and moral social norms. From this point of view, we can say that the concept of "family" in the Muslim context ceases to be only a "private matter", since intra-family relations, one way or another, affect other members of the ummah. In Muslim society, a woman personifies the honor and dignity of the family, which is why her behavior is especially carefully monitored. It is believed that a woman is a temptation for a man, so her image outside the home should be chaste and not attract undue attention. The hijab (female form of clothing, from the Arabic “hajaba”, which means “to hide”, “become invisible”, “protect”)17 creates a veil that prevents free communication between men and women. It represents a kind of border that separates the "forbidden" for each other man and woman. This often creates the feeling that men are unable to cope with the temptation of female beauty, as a result of which women were obliged to wear a certain, asexual type of clothing. As wisely noted by K.

Amin, it turns out that if a woman is a danger to a man, then “women have greater control over their sexual impulses than men; thus, the segregation of women is more likely to protect the male sex.”18 Moreover, “if men are afraid that women may not resist their Ersan O. Woman in Islam. Her rights and dignity. M .: Publishing group "SAD", 2009. S. 49.

Engineer A.A. The Rights of Women in Islam. London: Hurst and Company publishing house, 1982. P. 62.

Baltanova G.R. Muslim. M.: Logos, 2005. S. 272.

Cit. by Sukdeo R. Secrets behind the Burqa. Islam, women and the West. St. Petersburg: VARNAVA, 2005. S. 43.

masculinity, why don't they put on the veil themselves? Perhaps men should be considered less resistant to temptations than women?”19 Thus, if a husband (or any member of the family or community) finds the behavior (or clothing, speech, etc.) of a woman inappropriate or indecent then measures must be taken to reason with the wife. Then the algorithm prescribed in the Koran comes into force: first to exhort, then to excommunicate (which actually means a temporary divorce and possibly separation for some time until all disagreements are resolved), and, finally, the last thing is to strike.

At the same time, some researchers express the opinion that in the above ayat, the verb daraba (Arabic at the door), “knock, set posts”, “think”, “refuse something”, “guess”, “set a date "and so on.

20) may not have quite the meaning that is most often attributed to it. As A. Wadud notes, “daraba does not always mean strength or cruelty. For example, this verb is used in the Qur'an in the phrase “daraba Allah masalyan” (“Allah gave or established examples”). It is also used in the sense of “set off” or “hit” on a journey.”21 This is the phrase () from Sura 66 “Prohibition”: “Allah gives as an instructive example for the disbelievers the wife of Nuh and the wife of Lut.” (Quran, 66:10) In addition, Men justify their cruelty and violence, also referring to the very beginning of the sura, which says that God gave men an advantage (faddala) over women. The term "fadala"

often paired with the term "daraja", which is often translated as "degree". Thus, we are talking about the degree of superiority of men over women, which often serves as the basis for statements about the female Sukdeo R. Secrets behind the veil. Islam, women and the West. St. Petersburg: VARNAVA, 2005. S. 43.

Arabic-Russian dictionary. T.1. M.: Soviet Encyclopedia, 1970. S. 578.

Wadud A. Qur'an and woman: rereading the Sacred Text from a woman's perspective. New York: Oxford University Press, 1999. P. 76.

inferiority and complete dependence of women on men. It can be assumed that in this verse we are talking about the economic dominance of men, which does not at all mean their superiority in all other areas. In particular, the term "faddala" was used to denote the privileged position of the ruler, but in a property context: "It is obvious that the possession of surplus property (fadl) and its use in this way was the most important characteristic of persons who occupied a high social position"22.

The terms faddala and daraja are used in different contexts and, as a rule, they suggest a division according to the degree of any properties or signs: property, the degree of kinship with the prophet, the level of virtue, etc. The relationship between a man and a woman does not stand aside either. Thus, in the interpretation of ayat 4:34, it turns out that “according to the Qur'an, the social inequality of husband and wife, man and woman is due to inequality in property (see also: 4:32).

Here we can also note the use in the Qur'an of the terms ba'l (2:228) and sayyid (12:25) - "master" - in the meaning of "husband".23 L. Silvers, for example, suggests focusing on the personal example of Muhammad, who is a model of moral behavior for all believers. Despite the statement that the Prophet never beat his women, there is one significant exception, which just led to the fact that this ayat was revealed. “Muslim says that Muhammad hit Aisha in the chest after he noticed that she was watching him when he went to his other wife. If we consider the sources available to us, it will become clear that Muhammad hit Aisha before Ayat 4:34 was revealed. When the outburst of anger passed, Muhammad realized what he had done and regretted it. The Prophet was in Rezvan E.A. The Quran and its world. St. Petersburg: Petersburg Oriental Studies, 2001. P. 149.

–  –  –

Silvers L. “In the Book we have left out nothing”: the Ethical problem of the existence of verse 4:34 in the Quran // Comparative Islamic Studies, 2008. Vol. 2. No. 2. R. 176.

confused and even at first did not want to publish this ayat, because he knew from his own experience that such a solution to the problem would not be constructive and would not bring anything but pain and disappointment to both the husband and wife. The solution to this problem can be the interpretation of Ibn Arabi, which is given by L. Silvers: “we should not deny the existence of prescriptions or any Divine intention, but we can reduce their practical application to a prohibition in the system of law and to our ethical disagreements about the many-sided possibilities of the Book , the world and ourselves."

A woman who is responsible for intra-family relations should herself feel warm and comfortable in her own home, being under the care and care of her husband, and not in fear of him. As stated in Sahih

Muslim: “And treat women well, because a woman was created from a rib. Its upper part is the most curvature, and if you [try] to straighten [the rib], you will break it, and if you leave it [alone], it will remain crooked. [Remember this and always] treat women well.”26 Moreover, “the spiritual duties of a husband mean a fair and condescending attitude towards his wife, the creation of conditions for her to be zealous in worshiping Allah, to deepen her knowledge in the field of religious and secular sciences”27. Both a man and a woman are endowed with certain duties in relation to God, to their family and to the ummah as a whole.

“Each, within the framework of the role assigned to him by the Almighty, people should work in accordance with their inclinations and abilities and make a feasible contribution to the formation of the individual, family and society.

Men should do what they are better suited to than women and what suits their masculine nature. The same applies to Silvers L. “In the Book we have left out nothing”: the Ethical problem of the existence of verse 4:34 in the Quran // Comparative Islamic Studies, 2008. Vol. 2. No. 2. R. 177.

Muslim. Sahih. Summary compiled by Imam al-Munziri. M.: Umma, 2011. S. 338.

There. S. 241.

woman. This ensures mutual assistance and cooperation between representatives of both sexes, which are necessary to achieve their goals.”28 A woman has the task of preserving and increasing the members of the ummah, in connection with which the status of a mother is especially high in Muslim society.

There is a hadith narrated by Abu Hurayrah who said:

“One day a man came to the Messenger of Allah and asked: “O Messenger of Allah, which of the people is most deserving of my good treatment?” He said, "Your mother." He asked: "And who then?" He said, "Your mother." He asked: "And who then?" He said, "Then your father." This hadeeth was narrated by Ahmad, Bukhari and Muslim.”29 Thus, “The Noble Quran encourages all believers to be grateful and respectful children to their parents, and recalls the superiority of a mother who bears and nurses children over a father who does nothing no other."30 The Quran says:

You will return to Me." (Quran, 31:14).

Despite the fact that the man is the head of the family and responsible for the religious education of his household, the woman is the spiritual center of the family, responsible for the atmosphere of coziness and psychological comfort. By raising children and shaping basic moral and cultural values ​​in them, a woman makes an invaluable contribution to the development of Muslim society, in connection with which there is a well-known expression: "teach a man - you teach one person, teach a woman - you teach a nation." The main focus of the life of a Muslim woman and her personality in the light of the Koran and the Sunnah / Comp., trans. from Arabic, revised, approx. E.

Sorokoumova. M.: Umma, 2011. S. 97.

E. Kuliev. Notes // Koran. M.: Umma, 2009. S. 661.

A Muslim woman and her personality in the light of the Koran and Sunnah / Comp., trans. from Arabic, revised, approx. E.

Sorokoumova. M.: Umma, 2011. S. 144.

Women are certainly a family, but this does not mean that there is a ban on women's participation in social and cultural spheres of life. "In Muslim society Special attention paid attention to the education of women, on which the moral and intellectual health of future generations largely depends. It is no coincidence that Aisha, the mother of the faithful, reached such heights in theology, literature and other sciences that even prominent associates turned to her for advice.31 Women are not isolated from public life, but in order to take part in it, they must comply with a number of requirements, among which the main ones can be singled out: observance of moral Muslim norms and focusing, first of all, on family responsibilities.

“Women in Muslim societies easily rose to the level of scientists, preachers, public figures. They headed the Complaints Dining Room and held other government posts.”32 In terms of reconciling family responsibilities and social activities examples of the first Muslim women are illustrative.

If Muhammad is an example of an ideal Muslim man, then the image of an ideal woman is embodied in the collective type of “righteous Muslim women” and those women who are revered in Islam along with them. From this gallery of perfect women, four stand out in particular: Asiya, the wife of the pharaoh; Maryam, mother of Isa; Khadija, the first wife of Muhammad and Fatimah is one of his favorite daughters. These women were not saints in the Christian sense - they lived a completely ordinary life, but it was this very life that became an example and a role model. 33 Islamic studies / 2nd edition, Spanish. Tot. ed. Murtazin M.F. Moscow: publishing house of the Moscow Islamic University, 2008, p. 234.

See al-Suhaibani A.A. Pictures from the life of the Companions of the Prophet. M.: Mir, 2009.

The images of the first Muslim women almost immediately began to be mythologized. The high status of the wives of the Prophet and his closest associates gave rise to an unprecedented interest in these women: their every step, word, even thoughts were subjected to careful discussion and analysis.

In different historical periods, the emphasis was either on the heroism and selflessness of wives and the first Muslim women in general, or such typical female qualities as love, compassion, mercy, etc. came to the fore. But no matter what image of the first Muslim women prevailed in one or another period of time, it is impossible not to pay attention to the fact that their life was not isolated from society.

Researchers of the "women's" issue in Islam often limit themselves to describing the household and family responsibilities of a woman, without mentioning her socio-political role. At the same time, I would like to emphasize that from the first centuries of Islam to the present day, Muslim women have not been isolated from public life. Moreover, we can find a rather impressive list of Muslim poetesses, experts in fiqh, women engaged in scientific activity and succeeded in various fields of culture, art and politics. An example is the collection of the scholar-hadith scholar al-Hafiz al-Munziri (d. 656/1258) "Mu'jam shuyuh al-Munziri", in which he lists female teachers; or "compilation of teachers" by Imam Shams al-Din Muhammad al-Dhahabi (d. 748/1348)34.

Thanks to U. Bahriye's book, we can talk about at least twenty female rulers and thirteen regents who ruled in Muslim countries. It should be noted that, according to the author himself, not a single woman was included in the book, “until it was established that she had such signs of sovereign power as minting her own coin or mentioning her name in Friday prayer Useinova S.R. Women Scholars in Medieval Islam // Asiatica: Works on the Philosophy and Cultures of the East. Issue 9. St. Petersburg: St. Petersburg University, 2015. P. 65.

(khutbe) or until information about her elevation to the position of a monarch was found in written sources. 35 The book tells about the prominent rulers of the Muslim world, such as the Delhi sultana Razin (1235-1240), the Egyptian sultana, the founder of the Mamluk-Bahrit dynasty Shajarat ad -Durr (1250) and many others.36 This study concerns only official female rulers, not to mention the secret influence of women in the political affairs of their spouses and lovers. And here, first of all, we mean harem intrigues, about which quite a few works have been written, and among which the book of Sh. Kaziev should be singled out37.

Thus, new studies of the place and role of women in Islamic society add new facets to the image of a Muslim woman.

Despite this, unfortunately, Muslim women continue to be segregated, based, as a rule, on certain ethnic moral and social norms, which can be reduced to local adats - traditions and practical guidelines for life.

As noted by B.K. Larson, “The traditional role of the Arab woman is basically to serve and obey the man, with varying variations depending on her class, lifestyle, and, more recently, the degree of her Europeanization. In general terms: nomadic women were more free than peasant women; lower-class women who worked outside the home were more independent than middle-class women; Europeanized women from high society have more freedom than women from other walks of life”38.

Bahriye U. Women Rulers in Muslim States. M.: Nauka, 1982. S. 17.

See Bahriy U. Women Rulers in Muslim States. Moscow: Nauka, 1982.

See Kaziev Sh.M. Daily life of an oriental harem. M .: Young Guard, 2006.

Larson B.K. The status of women in a Tunisian Village: limits to autonomy, influence, and power // Signs.1984. Vol. 9, No. 3. P. 420.

Based on the status of a woman, repeatedly emphasized in the Qur'an, and also taking into account her rights, such as the right to private property, inheritance, sexual and moral satisfaction, etc., it cannot be overlooked that all her rights are in one way or another in dependence on a man. In this regard, the question that D. Waynes asked in her essay becomes relevant: why do women with their potential to change the situation continue to live in subordination to men? freedoms”, while the Muslim society adheres to other concepts and philosophies. Moreover, Sharia, as the basis of Muslim society, is perceived not only as a legal regulation, but, more significantly, as the cement that does not allow such a motley and multinational phenomenon as the Ummah to fall apart. At present, there is a tendency to "Europeanize" civil and commercial relations, while Sharia remains the basis of the family code and personal self-determination.

Of course, the presented interpretation of the position of women in Islam seems too optimistic and does not coincide with the real state of affairs in the Muslim world. This is often because the Qur'anic narrative and the Sunnah of the Prophet leave room for interpretation. Considering that in Islam there is no single centralized governing body, as, for example, in Christianity, it turns out that Muslim prescriptions are interpreted in different ways, depending on the traditions and cultural characteristics of a given region or group of people.

In addition, the variability of the text allows for the presence of arguments confirming opposing points of view (analyzed above Waines D. Through a veil darkly: the study of women in Muslim societies. A review article // Comparative studies in society and history, 1982. Vol. 23, No. 4. P. 645.

the verses concerning the status of women can be viewed in a completely different light). Moreover, in some Muslim countries (or in Muslim families, regardless of the region of residence), the true situation of women is actually extremely difficult, which, as a rule, is caused by the general low level life, a virtual lack of literacy and other difficult social and political conditions. However, even in countries with a developed economy and a good standard of living (for example, the UAE, Saudi Arabia, etc.), women are an order of magnitude lower than men and are significantly limited in their rights, the possible reasons for this phenomenon were listed above.

Despite a certain “secondary” nature of women in Muslim society, it is difficult to overestimate and ignore her role in it. A woman, according to Muslim doctrine, was created as an assistant to a man, his half and is inseparable from himself. The union of a man and a woman forms the basis of the Ummah. Nevertheless, the rights and socio-religious aspects of a woman's life depend in one way or another on the man: father, husband, son, etc. One gets the feeling that a woman is not able to live independently, outside the constant guardianship of the male society. It cannot be unequivocally said that this observation will be true, rather, such guardianship is apparently caused by concern for a woman, because she is considered to be weaker and emotionally unstable compared to a man. Such a “dependent” status of a woman is also influenced by her physiological characteristics. Often mentioned by Muslim researchers, the legal equality of men and women cannot be interpreted in the European sense, but rather it can be understood as equality of opportunity and justice in relation to each member of the Ummah, whether a man or a woman.

At the same time, the images of the first Muslim women, who are a role model for Muslim women, show that a woman can be not only a mother of a family and a faithful wife, but also a warrior, scientist, transmitter of hadith, etc. In this case, even more ridiculous are the prohibitions on women's education, professional development, politics, etc., which exist in some Muslim societies, but which have nothing to do with Islam itself and represent local moral and religious traditions. Nevertheless, despite the reactionary policies of some Muslim countries, women are rapidly expanding their ideological boundaries, entering the predominantly male spheres of society until recently, form their own organizations, form social movements and regain the rights and obligations that they had the right to receive, but for a long time did not dare to do so.

Chapter II. The ethical side of the concept of love in Sufism

1. Sufism: a brief description and basic concepts “wool”, “since clothing made of wool, being warm and, importantly, wearable, has long been an attribute of an ascetic and hermit way of life.”40 A similar opinion is shared by M.T.

Stepanyants, who writes that “the basis for such an explanation is found in the earliest surviving Arabic treatise on Sufism, the author of which, Abu Nasr al-Saraj, stated that “woolen robes were customary for prophets, saints, and the chosen ones.”41 In addition, “The Arabic verb tasawwafa, which comes from this word, means “put on a woolen garment.” Hence the Arabic verbal pronunciation tasawwuf – “the custom/habit of wearing a woolen garment””42. Some researchers believe that the name comes from the word "saf", i.e. "purity", this is mentioned in the book "Quranic Sufism" by M. Vallidin. Another version of the origin of the term is also given there: from the word "suffa", i.e. “bench”, because “they were called Sufis, because their qualities resembled the qualities of the people of the Bench (ashab as-suffa) who lived at the time of the Prophet. They left the world below, left their homes and left their ascetics.”43 Perhaps the first Sufis, not possessing any property, spent the night on benches in mosques, for which they received such a name. “There is also an opinion that the word saff (row) is at the basis of the name of the Sufis, since they are in the forefront of Muslims, in the forefront of those who serve Allah”44.

The concept of "Sufism" or tasawwuf is connected with the concept of irfan.

“Terminologically, both words, irfan and tasavvuf, apply to all Khismatulin A.A. Sufism. St. Petersburg: ABC Classics, St. Petersburg Oriental Studies, 2008. P. 15.

Stepanyants M.T. Islamic mysticism. M.: Kanon+, 2009. P. 4.

Knysh A.D. Muslim mysticism. M.-SPb: Dilya, 2004. S. 10.

Validdin M. Koranic Sufism. M.-SPb: DILYA, 2004. S. 9.

Muhammad Yu. Encyclopedia of Sufism. M.: Ansar, 2005. S. 13.

three parts of mysticism (social, practical and theoretical. History books usually use the word tasawwuf”45.

Despite all the variety of mystical experience that characterizes Sufism, it should be noted that it exists mainly within the framework of Muslim thought. All non-Islamic elements are explained active interaction cultures in the countries of the Middle East, “where the ideas of Christianity, Judaism, Neoplatonism, etc., were known even before the appearance of the Prophet Muhammad.”46 As A.M. Schimmel, “Muhammad is the first link in the spiritual chain of Sufism. His ascension through the heavens into the Divine Presence, hinted at in the opening lines of Sura 17, was the prototype of the mystic's spiritual ascent to personal intimacy with God. In Sufi writings, Muhammad is portrayed as a true lover and the perfect embodiment of mystical love for God. This was facilitated by the idealization of the image of Muhammad, starting from the first centuries of Islam. “Contrary to the Quranic image of Muhammad as an ordinary person (with his weaknesses and illnesses, making mistakes), sent to people with a prophetic mission, the Sufi tradition endowed him with the ability to “miracles”, supernatural knowledge, wisdom, etc., which logically led to the creation the image of a “perfect man” (an-insal al-kamil, see, for example, the teachings of the intellectual Ibn al-Arabi, d. 1240).48 Moral purity and a passionate desire to know God and draw closer to Him were combined in Muhammad.

Muhammad the Prophet, as well as Muhammad the man, enjoys unchanging authority among Muslims. The Quran repeatedly mentions the special status of Muhammad and his closeness to God: “Whoever obeys the Messenger, he obeys Allah” (Quran, 4:80). Muhammad Birinjkar R. Acquaintance with Islamic Sciences: Kalam, Falsafa, Irfan. M.: Sadra, 2014. S. 202.

Stepanyants M.T. Islamic mysticism. M.: Kanon+, 2009. S. 5.

Schimmel. A. The world of Islamic mysticism. M.: Sadra, 2012. P.40.

Prozorov S.M. The Prophet Muhammad in the Sufi Tradition as the Perfect Embodiment of the Mystical Love for God // Written Monuments of the East, 2009. No. 2. S. 123.

was sent as a "mercy to the worlds", i.e. to all mankind, that is why he closes the chain of prophecies, becoming the last messenger of God.

The situation changed in the 8th century, when the person of Muhammad became one of the main figures in mystical poetry. For example, the famous mystic Hallaj put forward the idea of ​​the “light of Muhammad” as a kind of substance whose light precedes everything and is part of the Divine light. “In the poetry of Hallaj, the Prophet is glorified both as the cause and as the goal of creation... The world was created for the sake of eternal love, which manifested itself in the Prophet Muhammad”49. Love for Muhammad leads the believer to Divine love. Dissolving in this love, a person loses himself (fana), self-destructing in a spiritual mentor, “who acts as the vicar of the Prophet; then fana fi‘r-rasul, “(self-)destruction in the Prophet”; and only then can he hope to achieve (if that happens at all) fana fi Allah, “(self)destruction in Allah”50.

It is assumed that the prototypes of the Sufis were the first Muslims - ascetics. As M.T. Stepanyants, “according to scholars, the first ascetics from Kufa, Abu Hashim (d. 767) and Jabir Ibn Khayyam (d. 867), were the first to receive the nickname al-Sufi.”51 times of the Prophet. Numerous reports have come down to us that Muhammad led a very modest lifestyle and taught his followers to be content with little. According to Abd al-Husayn Zarrinkub, "the asceticism and abstinence that led Muslims to Sufism were to a certain extent preordained by the Qur'an and the life of the Prophet,"52 which at the same time forbade excessive abstinence and complete withdrawal from the world.

Schimmel. A. The world of Islamic mysticism. M.: Sadra, 2012. S. 219.

–  –  –

Stepanyants M.T. Islamic mysticism. M.: Kanon+, 2009. P. 6.

Zarrinkub A.Kh. The value of the Sufi heritage. St. Petersburg: Petersburg Oriental Studies, 2012, p. 43.

Muhammad's moderation in all areas of life is confirmed by many hadiths in which the Prophet praises abstinence and even poverty, saying that his poverty is his pride. It should also not be forgotten that Muhammad was not only a prophet, but family man leading a very ordinary life as a husband and father. Given this circumstance, the fact that later mystics renounced the world and considered it inherently sinful is somewhat puzzling. The explanation can be the split in public consciousness and the "fermentation" of minds that arose during the period of active expansion of the young Islamic state after the death of the Prophet. Abstinence was replaced by luxury and an idle life, which confused the minds of ordinary people and led to a number of protests. Such protest phenomena became one of the foundations of the emerging Sufism. I.P. Petrushevsky confirms this idea, noting that the basis of early Sufism “was asceticism - zuhd and ascetic rejection of the world, “escape from the world” (ar. al-firar min ad-dunya), and at the same time the condemnation of wealth, luxurious and idle life of the ruling elite of the Caliphate”53. Such an alloy of ambiguous phenomena, coupled with the expansion of the territory of the caliphate, the general trend of the decline in morality and the appearance of many borrowed elements from other cultures, caused mystical-ascetic "moods" in society.

As al-Hujwiri (d. 1072 or 1077) notes, “at the time of the Prophet, among the refugees (muhajirin) were the poor (fukara), who spent all their time in his mosque, devoting themselves to the worship of God.

Entirely trusting (tawakkul) in God, they firmly believed that He would send them food.”54 Poverty protects a person from sinful deeds and turns his gaze to Divine grace. ““ A beggar is not Petrushevsky I.P. Islam in Iran in the 7th - 15th centuries: a course of lectures / Ed. IN AND. Belyaev. St. Petersburg: St. Petersburg. un-t, 2007. S. 334.

Al-Hujwiri. Revealing the hidden behind the veil. The oldest Persian treatise on Sufism. (Kashf al-mahjub li arbab al-kulub). M.: Unity, 2004. S. 20.

content with nothing but God,” for he desires nothing else.”55 In addition, “the Sufi owns nothing, and nothing owns him.”56 The dervish must shun the temptations of the earthly world and all its things. As Saadi writes: beautiful woman with a clean face // Let there be no rouge, no ointments, no turquoise ring // A pious dervish with lofty thoughts // Let there be no free bread and alms.57 Early Muslim ascetics attached special importance to moral purity and fear of God. “These ascetics, who can be regarded as the forerunners of the Sufi movement, sought to achieve inner closeness with God through the adoption of vows (especially abstinence from food and sexual relations), humility, performing additional ascetic rituals, long night vigils, pious reflection on the meaning of the Qur'anic text. , as well as complete mental and spiritual concentration on God”58. Fearing not to fulfill all the Divine commands and realizing their insignificance before the Absolute, the ascetics hoped only for the boundless love and mercy of God.

The mystical-ascetic period of Islam that preceded Sufism proper laid the foundations of the Sufi teaching, which can be expressed in the following ideas: obedience to the Divine Will;

the desire to connect with the Beloved; return to the state of "original purity" (fitra); avoiding the "traps" (barriers) of the earthly world. “Thus, the task of the mystic became introspection and strict observance of ascetic restrictions voluntarily imposed on himself in the hope of using them to suppress his own “I”, and Al-Hujwiri. Revealing the hidden behind the veil. The oldest Persian treatise on Sufism. (Kashf al-mahjub li arbab al-kulub). M.: Unity, 2004. S. 26.

There. S. 37.

Saadi. Gulistan. M.: Publishing House of Eastern Literature, 1959. S. 117.

Knysh A.D. Muslim mysticism. M.-SPb: DILYA, 2004. S. 13.

means all the pernicious passions emanating from him. As long as there is one's own "I", true "Islam", i.e. true surrender to the Divine will is impossible”59. Briefly the essence of Sufism (ar.

tasawwuf) can be expressed in the following form: “Kharf “ta” - tavba (repentance), “garden” - safa (cleanliness), “vav” - vilayat (drawing closer to Allah), “fa” - fana (dissolution in Allah) 60 Zuhd (asceticism, renunciation of everything earthly), as a means of moral purification and improvement of a person, implies the presence of a number of self-limitations that a person imposes on himself, thus trying to go beyond worldly life and get closer to God. As I.R. Nasyrov, “thus, it was argued that a person can, under certain conditions, remaining within the empirical world, that is, without changing his ontological nature, gain experience of the transcendent in the form of “unshakable confidence” (yakn) or direct vision of the super-empirical world “as is” ” .61 This stage, having gone through many trials and spent many sleepless nights in prayer, was reached by a few chosen ones: “the ascetics lived in a state of ascetic anxiety and sorrow out of fear of the Lord and fear of severe retribution on the Day of Judgment.”62 Gradually expanding the boundaries of mystical experience and along the way accumulating theoretical material, towards the end of the 11th century. The Sufi tradition was faced with the need to streamline and explain to subsequent generations of mystics the entire body of its knowledge and research. By the same time, the main Sufi conceptual apparatus was formed, and the concept of the “path” (“tariqa”) took shape - a way for the ascension of the mystic to the Absolute. The term "tariqa" means a path, a branch from the wide Sharia road, it symbolizes the beginning of the path of every Sufi.

Knysh A.D. Muslim mysticism. M.-SPb: DILYA, 2004. S. 15.

Muhammad Yu. Encyclopedia of Sufism. M.: Ansar, 2005. S. 14.

Nasyrov I. R. Foundations of Islamic mysticism. Genesis and evolution // Languages ​​of Slavic cultures.

M.: 2009. S. 75.

Zarrinkub A.Kh. The value of the Sufi heritage. St. Petersburg: Petersburg Oriental Studies, 2012, p. 43.

It is impossible to enter the Path without knowing and observing the classical Islamic canons, formalized in the Sharia. The wanderer, called salik, leaves this starting point and moves on - here the actual Path begins, because. thus, in the strict sense, tariqa represents the second stage of progress towards the Absolute. Here, “the mystical traveler acquires the necessary inner calm and confidence to help him overcome the most difficult trials that fate sends him.”63 The third and final destination of the mystic is haqiqa (Truth or true reality) – the traveler seems to see God, every second feels His presence , merging with Him (although the last statement was just the subject of lively disputes between representatives of various Sufi movements and "schools").

One of these obstacles is the world around the Sufi. Peace

A dangerous “trap” on the way to God, therefore “all mankind is separated by a “veil” from the subtlety of spiritual truth, with the exception of God’s saints and His chosen friends…”. that prevent you from seeing Beauty and Truth. The path (or spiritual practice) is needed in order to cleanse the world of "veils" that impede Divine Cognition.

Even though Divine knowledge is considered the ultimate goal of all Sufis, the ways to achieve this goal are different. Each traveler must go through several "stages" or "stations" along the way, but their number could fluctuate greatly depending on the Sufi "direction".

As a rule, the following "parking" are distinguished:

repentance (taubat), turning to the path of Truth (inabat), detachment from the world (zuhd) and complete trust in God (tawakkul). “Parking (maqam) means “staying”, or “finding”, this person on the way to Knysh A.D. Muslim mysticism. M.-SPb: DILYA, 2004. S. 350.

Al-Hujwiri. Revealing the hidden behind the veil for hearts versed in secrets (Kashf al-mahjub li arbab al-kulub). M.: Unity, 2004. S. 4.

God and the fulfillment by him of obligations that correspond to this “station” until he assimilates its perfection as fully as humanly possible.”65 The exact number of stations is difficult to determine: it varies depending on the Sufi and his belonging to one or another "flow".

"The sine qua non of a parking lot is that you cannot reach the next parking lot until you have fulfilled all obligations in that parking lot."66 Abu Nasr al-Sarraj al-Tusi (d. 988) describes the concept of "parking" as follows: the standing (maqam) of a slave before Allah, in accordance with the service of Allah (ibadat), asceticism (mujahadat), pious exercises (riyadat) and turning to Allah (inkita ila-llah), which are determined by him. The Almighty said: "This is for those / / who feared to stand before Me and My threat" (Quran 14:14/17).”67 At first glance, “Station” is quite easy to identify with “state” (hal), but the difference is fundamental. ““State” (hal) is that which descends into the heart of man from God."68 Man cannot "govern" a "state" at his own will. "'States' are a Divine gift, while 'stations' are achieved through human effort."69

The Rules of Worship by Shaqiq al-Balkhi (d. 810) speaks of four main stages (stations) on the path to God: asceticism, fear, striving and love. One of the first who created such a list, Al-Hujwiri. Revealing the hidden behind the veil for hearts versed in secrets (Kashf al-mahjub li arbab al-kulub). M.: Unity, 2004. S. 180.

Al-Qushayri Abul-Qasim. Epistle on Susm. Al-Risala al-qushayriyya ‘ilm al-tasawwuf. London: Garnet Publishing, 2007. P. 77.

At-Tusi, Abu Nasr as-Saraj. Kitab al-luma fi-t-tasavvuf (“The most brilliant in Sufism”) // Reader in Islam / Compiled and otv. ed. CM. Prozorov. M.: Nauka, 1994. S. 141.

Al-Hujwiri. Revealing the hidden behind the veil for hearts versed in secrets (Kashf al-mahjub li arbab al-kulub). M.: Unity, 2004. S. 180.

Al-Qushayri Abul-Qasim. Epistle on Susm. Al-Risala al-qushayriyya ‘ilm al-tasawwuf. London: Garnet Publishing, 2007. P. 78.

was Zu-n-Nun Misri (d. 860). It is assumed that this list included several more sites, from eight to nineteen.

Al-Qushayri (d. 1074) in his treatise listed about fifty stations, al-Ansari (d. thousand and one station.70 To achieve his main goal, the traveler must go through a difficult thorny path, observing certain conditions. In such a journey, it is impossible to do without an experienced mentor and "guide", which is the sheikh. “In Sufi mysticism, the sheikh is the spiritual guide. Having traveled along the mystical path (tariqa), he knows all its traps and dangers, which is important for a novice student or murid, who must completely surrender himself to the teacher. Thus, he becomes the spiritual father of his disciple and his “educator.”71 Therefore, the first step on the path of knowledge acquisition will be the acquisition of a mentor. The second step is considered to be the vow of complete submission of the student to the teacher: “You must follow the feast blindly and in real life obey him as the Prophet Muhammad. The smallest word of a feast is an absolute law for his disciple.”72 Such unconditional obedience was perceived as the murid's rejection of his own “I”, the gradual dissolution of his “I” into the “I” of the mentor.

The relationship between the student and the teacher is the basis of learning, providing the principle of silsila, i.e. transmission of spiritual knowledge.

There are several main methods of transferring knowledge: “The teacher can be the spirit of the deceased (Uvaisi tradition); the spirit of a living sheikh; the spirit of a living sheikh - a father, genetic or spiritual (spiritual adoption).73 Having found a teacher, the murid began to move along the stations of the Path, using the methods suggested by the mentor. Methods, in Ernst K. Sufism: Mystical Islam. M.: Eksmo, 2012. S. 173-178.

Geoffroy E. Shaykh // Encyclopedia of Islam. Vol. IX. Leiden: Brill, 1997. P. 397.

Subhan J. A. Sufism, its saints and shrines. M.-SPb: DILYA, 2005. S. 64.

Khismatullin A.A. Sufism. St. Petersburg: ABC - classics, Petersburg Oriental Studies, 2008. P. 38.

Depending on the preferences of the murshid, they could differ, but their essence was reduced to a few of the most common: salat, tilavat (i.e.

the practice of reciting the Qur'an aloud), mubarakah (observation, analysis of intentions), mujahadah (effort or spiritual struggle), and malamatiyyah, or the method of the "reproached."74 A person's personality is often denoted by the concept of nafs. “When the Sufis pronounce the word nafs, they do not mean existence, and not the physical body. Instead, they mean negative character traits as well as reprehensible morals and deeds.”75 Thus, in Sufism, the concept of “nafs” has a negative meaning, and is often translated as “low soul”, which implies human vices and passions. “In early Arabic literature, nafs denoted the ego or personality of a person, while ruh denoted breath and wind. With the advent of the Koran, nafs also began to denote the soul, and ruh - special messages angels or a special divine category.

Only in post-Qur'anic texts do nafs and rukh come together and can denote both the human spirit and angels and jinn... The early Sufis assumed the materialistic character of rukh. Both al-Qushayri (al-Risala, with commentary by Zakariya al-Ansari and notes by al-Arusi, Bulak, 1290) and al-Hujwiri (Kashf almahjub, compiled by Nicholson, London, 1911) called rukh a substance of the highest category (ayn) or body (jism), placed in a sensually tangible body as life-giving moisture in a green forest. Nafs (al-Risala, alKashf) is a repository of reprehensible characteristics.

All this is a person.”76 The Sufi path of cognition can be considered as getting rid of one’s own “I” or nafs, which leads the Sufi to the cherished goal – Khismatullin A.A. Sufism. St. Petersburg: ABC Classics, St. Petersburg Oriental Studies, 2008, pp. 88-98.

Al-Qushayri Abul-Qasim. Epistle on Susm. Al-Risala al-qushayriyya ‘ilm al-tasawwuf. London: Garnet Publishing, 2007. P. 109.

Calverley E.E. Nafs // Encyclopedia of Islam. Vol. VII. Leiden: Brill, 1993, pp. 880-882.

complete dissolution in God (fana) and further existence in Him (baka). There are different understandings of these terms: some Sufis believe that baka is the final stage of the Path, others are sure that this is only the beginning.

With the development and complication of the conceptual base of Sufism, the following definitions were adopted: “According to the first, fana means the liberation and “emptying” of the mystic’s consciousness from all thoughts, including even thoughts about the mystical path and self-improvement ... According to the second definition, fana is the “falling away” of imperfect qualities of the sinful human soul and their subsequent replacement by the perfect attributes of the Deity.”77 Baka represents a long stay in God. According to A.D. Knysh, “this state presupposes the simultaneous awareness of the plurality of the world and the primordial unity of all that exists.”78 Al-Hujwiri’s treatise provides an explanation of the founder of this approach, Abu Sa’id Kharraz (d. 899): “Abolition is the abolition of human self-consciousness (' ubudiyat), and existence is existence in the contemplation of Divinity (ilahiyat).”79 In other words, “Sufism means a station where human qualities gradually disappear.”80 Thus, the first stage of fana consists in eradicating one’s egoistic qualities, replacing them with divine attributes.

We can say that this is the ethical stage. The second stage of fana occurs when “the soul sees itself surrounded by the eternal light of God.”81 The third stage (baka) involves complete immersion in wujud (the unity of being). At this stage, the mystic becomes “found” by God, however, at the same time, the personality of the mystic completely loses its uniqueness, dissolving in the Divine presence. Kushayri considers these Knysh A.D. somewhat differently. Muslim mysticism. M.-SPb: DILYA, 2004. S. 360.

–  –  –

Al-Hujwiri. Revealing the hidden behind the veil for hearts versed in secrets (Kashf al-mahjub li arbab al-kulub). M.: Unity, 2004. S. 244.

Al-Qushayri Abul-Qasim. Epistle on Susm. Al-Risala al-qushayriyya ‘ilm al-tasawwuf. London: Garnet Publishing, 2007. P. 291.

Shimmel A. The world of Islamic mysticism. M.: Sadra, 2012. S. 150.

stage: “The first annihilation consists in replacing one's self and one's qualities with the attributes of God. Then comes the replacement of the attributes of God with the contemplation of God. Then comes the annihilation of the very process of annihilation, as a person becomes involved in the existence of God Himself.”82 The theoretical and practical developments of the Sufis gradually developed into teachings, and numerous students who gathered around outstanding personalities formed brotherhoods (tarikats, i.e. schools of mysticism). “Usually this happened when a group or circle united around some teacher on a new path and turned into a school, the purpose of which was to promote his name, the methods of training, the rules of mystical exercises introduced by him and the way of life.”83 As a rule, “these could be both small monasteries (zawiya) in which the teacher and his students usually lived, as well as large inns for wandering Sufis (ribat), and giant Sufi “monasteries” (khanaka), in which up to several hundred Sufis could live. 84 Thus , the emergence and further development of Sufi brotherhoods contributed to the development of ethical standards, as well as the rules of spiritual succession and many rituals. At the same time, the formation of spiritual communities contributed to the socialization of Sufism and the attraction of new members of the brotherhoods. The diversity of spiritual centers and the unique vision of the path of knowledge led to the development of its own regulatory framework in each of the Sufi brotherhoods. In addition, the Sufi tariqats collected the best features of the ascetic practice of the first Sufis and supplemented them with new traditions, one way or another adapted to the Muslim spiritual and social paradigm.

Al-Qushayri Abul-Qasim. Epistle on Susm. Al-Risala al-qushayriyya ‘ilm al-tasawwuf. London: Garnet Publishing, 2007. P. 91.

Trimingham J. Sufi Orders in Islam. M.: Sofia, 2002. S. 15.

Knysh A.D. Muslim mysticism Muslim mysticism. M.-SPb: DILYA, 2004. S. 200

2. Moral perfection as the main component of Sufism

2.1. The main provisions of Muslim ethics The Koran expresses such basic ethical concepts as free will and predestination, good and evil, understanding of life and death, responsibility for one's own actions, etc. “Allah calls to the abode of peace [eternal] and guides those whom He wills to the straight path. For those who did good deeds, [there is a reward] generous and even with an addition.

There will be no shadow [of grief] or humiliation on their faces. They are the abode of paradise, where they will abide forever. And those who did evil will be rewarded with the same evil, and humiliation will befall them. They will not have a protector from [the wrath] of Allah, and their faces will be covered as if with shreds of hopeless night. They are the inhabitants of the fire of hell, and will abide in it forever. (Quran, 10:25-27). The ethical instructions of the Koran have a pronounced imperative character: “Do not spread wickedness on earth after righteousness began to be established on it. Turn to Him in fear and hope. Verily, the mercy of Allah does not pass over those who do good. (Quran, 7:56). Hadiths also call people to fear God, improve virtue and strengthen the moral foundations of the ummah.

A person in Muslim culture is the viceroy of God on earth, therefore he has the right to enjoy all its benefits without harming himself or the world around him. Observing all divine prescriptions, a person can gain the pleasure of God and draw closer to Him. By avoiding vices and increasing his virtues, a person follows the right path, which can be expressed in the Quranic term taqwa. Taqwa means piety, piety, i.e. the realization that God sees all the thoughts and deeds of a person, which leads to a deeper awareness of one's own life. Piety becomes the main virtue, absorbing all the others. “O sons of Adam!

We have given you clothes to cover your shameful parts, and garments that adorn you. However, the garment of piety is better. This is one of the signs of God, perhaps it will serve as an instruction [for people].” (Quran, 7:26). Thus, piety can be considered in two planes. On the one hand, this is the personal moral perfection of each person. “Since God is the only source of goodness, man cannot obtain happiness for himself outside of connection with God.

Moreover, he is not able to understand what is true good and true evil, and therefore needs instruction and guidance. “Say: I am not able to dispose of either useful or harmful for myself, if God does not want it.

If I were well aware of the secret, I would be enriched with all good, and no evil would touch me: I am only an accuser and an evangelist for the believers. unseemly deeds by God, which also contributes to raising the level of moral consciousness of its members.

“Indeed, those who believe [in the One God] and do good deeds are the best of creatures” (Quran, 98:7). And also “Thus Allah explains His verses to you, - maybe [yet] you will step on the straight path, and then let a community be formed from you, which will call for good, induce to good and turn away from evil” (Quran, 3 :103-104).

Fearing the omnipotence of God and fearing to be unworthy of His mercy and forgiveness, people created a kind of brotherhood (which, in fact, was the original Ummah) in order to receive support and guidance from its members. “Only absolute submission, obedience (to Islam) to the will of God can save a person from the punishment of the Last Judgment, and, therefore, relationships that ensure the fulfillment of his will, that is, connections by faith, become the most necessary for people. Therefore, the only thing that guaranteed success in the earthly world was the protection of Allah, deserved by unquestioning Smirnov A.V. "Good" and "evil" in the Islamic tradition and philosophy (to the formulation of the question). Selected texts // Ethical thought. Issue 8. M.: IFRAN, 2008. P. 160.

obedience to His will.”86 It is written in the Qur’an: “Say: “No one will save me [from the punishment of God], and I will not find a reliable refuge unless He wills, [and my power does not extend to anything else] except to proclaim the will of Allah and His messages. For those who disobey Allah and His Messenger, the fire of hell is prepared, in which they will abide forever. (Quran, 72:22-23).

In order to correctly fulfill the will of God, a clear understanding of what is “good” and what is “evil” is necessary. According to the theory of A.V. Smirnov, the analysis of actions permitted and prohibited by God led to the emergence of five main categories (there is a fairly clear relationship between ethical teaching and fiqh): obligatory (wajib, fard), recommended (mandub, sunnah), indifferent (mubah), not recommended (makruh) and impermissible (haram, mahzur). Unlike fiqh, ethics involves considering everything that exists in a binary category, namely: “good - evil”. The center of ethical teaching can rightly be considered an act, i.e. a certain ethical act, connecting the intention to perform it with the action itself, aimed at its implementation. Intention and action represent "hidden" and "manifest" respectively (or zahir and batin). As A.V. Smirnov, zahir and batin are equivalent in their meaning. Moreover, “zahir and batin are external and internal, which are pulled together by some process.

The third element that connects them is this process – the process of transition from batin “hidden” to zahir “manifest” and vice versa.”87 Thus, intention and action cannot be considered separately from each other, and only make sense when they interact.

The first step to any action is intention, i.e. the decision to carry out this very act. In "Sahih" Muslim we find Rezvan E.A. The Quran and its world. St. Petersburg: Petersburg Oriental Studies, 2001, p. 141.

Smirnov A.V. Architectonics of Muslim Ethics // Ishraq: Yearbook of Islamic Philosophy. 2010, No. 1. M.: Eastern Literature, 2010. S. 171.

the following: "Umar Ibn Al-Khattab said: "The Messenger of Allah, said:

"Deeds are only by intention and a person is only what he conceived. So, whoever had a resettlement (really) to Allah and His Messenger, his resettlement - to Allah and His Messenger. But the one who migrated beyond the lower life in order to receive her or (behind) a woman in order to marry her, then the relocation of this was only to that to which he relocated." A person is fully responsible for his intention, because. it is completely "internal".

A decisive conviction to commit an act saves a person from unnecessary throwing and doubts, moreover, the intention must be formed before the act is performed, otherwise the correct transition from "hidden" to "explicit" is impossible.

Not only the intention determines the "correctness" of the act. The action itself is no less important, which is constantly emphasized in Muslim literature. According to the accepted commentaries of this hadith, the intention does not entail responsibility if it is not expressed aloud, especially if it is not backed up by action. The relationship between intention and action, when one is not “valid” without the other, explains, as A.V. Smirnov, a kind of "utilitarian" bias in Muslim ethics.

To combine the right intention and action into a truly ethical act is called upon to constantly control one’s thoughts and feelings, as well as to cultivate the most important moral qualities, which primarily include truthfulness, patience, humility, trust in God, mercy and modesty. Islamic classical thought prescribes when communicating with people to proceed from the principle of "outweighing the balance", which means in any disputable situation to give preference to the opinion of Bukhari. Sahih. http://www.islam.by/sh/sb/ another. The logic of reasoning is such that we always perceive the other as "not-I", i.e. different from itself, and, therefore, sometimes hostile.

“That is why, when considering the relationship with the other, Muslim authors consistently emphasize the need for a preponderance in favor of the other:

it is in this “unequal equality” that a correct, from the point of view of Muslim ethics and Islamic law, relationship with another is established.”89 However, this does not contradict the principle of the “golden mean” in the ethical thought of Islam.

The relationship between "intention" and "action" seems to be the basis of all ethical reasoning. As A.V. Smirnov, “the alpha and omega of ethical constructions in the Arab-Muslim culture is the direct connection between intention and action.

The direct connection between intention and action determines the semantic content of these categories and their interaction in theoretical reasoning.”90 In addition, constant control over one’s thoughts and actions, tracking the moral foundations of each act helps to achieve a balance in relations among the members of the ummah. “The Qur'an portrays an idealistic vision of a healthy society that adheres to the middle ground in unshakable moral principles, avoiding all forms of extremes.”91 The complex of encouraged and condemned qualities is an integral part of ethical reasoning. As al-Ghazali (d.

in 1111), “Muslim society is distinguished primarily by such qualities as truthfulness in speech, discipline in performance and restraint in communication.”92 In addition, “truthfulness is a quality that affects all aspects of a person’s life, Smirnov A.V. Muslim ethics as a system // Ethical Thought. Issue. 6 / Rev. ed. A.A. Huseynov.

M.: IF RAN, 2005. S. 59.

There. S. 69.

Dar B.A. Ethical teachings of the Qur'an // A History of Muslim philosophy. Vol. 1/ed. by M.M. Sharif.

Wiesbaden, 1963. P. 156.

Al-Ghazali, M. Morality of a Muslim. Kyiv: Ansar Foundation, 2006, p. 57.

words, neither his deeds, nor his intentions will be accepted if he does not possess this quality.”93 Truthfulness must be sincere and expressed in the observance of Sharia law. “Thus, the reality of the outer side of affairs is determined by following the Sharia, and the inner side is determined by sincerity.”94 Truthfulness is accompanied by the concept of “honesty” (or aman). This concept is considered by Islamic thinkers in a very broad sense. “Amana is a duty (farida) to observe which Muslims command each other, asking for help from Allah, so that He will help them to observe it.” If you are patient and God-fearing, then this is out of firmness in deeds.”

(Quran, 3:186). “Patience is one of the signs of greatness and signs of perfection, as well as one of the indicators of the primacy of the soul over the world around it. That is why As-Sabur (the Long-suffering) is one of the beautiful names of Allah.”96 Patience is associated with courage, generosity and tolerance. “Muslims who live among their own kind and patiently endure all the misfortunes and sorrows that fall upon them are better than those who shy away from the company of their own kind and cannot endure even the most insignificant offense inflicted on him. (Abu Dawud)".97 Thus, "it is necessary to exercise patience, agreeing with the decision and predestination of Allah, which, undoubtedly, is one of the foundations of faith."98 Among the virtues already mentioned, modesty stands out especially, since "modesty is a sign confirming Dagestani A.A. Muslim ethics and morality. Alushta: Muslim community "Alushta" / Per. V. (Abdulla) Nirsha, 2006. P. 98 Ibid. S. 97.

Al-Ghazali, M. Morality of a Muslim. Kyiv: Ansar Foundation, 2006, p. 71.

–  –  –

Dagestani A. A. Muslim ethics and morality. Alushta: Muslim community "Alushta" / Per. V. (Abdulla) Nirsha, 2006. S. 103.

human nature, for it reveals the significance of his faith and the degree of his upbringing”99. Modesty can be compared with an indicator of a person's virtue: if it is present, then a person will not wallow in vice, will not turn off the true path. Modesty is present in all aspects of a person's life, for example, in a conversation a Muslim should be brief, refrain from obscene words and thoughts. Modesty in everyday life consists in the fact that a person is content with only the necessary, avoiding luxury and unnecessary expenses. Moreover, according to a well-known hadith, Muhammad said that if each religion has its own character, then the character of Islam is modesty. “Modesty and faith are inextricably linked: without one, there is no other.”100 It should be noted that Muhammad did not leave behind a systematic moral teaching: “ethics, as it were, dissolved in his worldview: in the theoretical part, it coincides with faith, normative - with the right.”101 The moral teaching in Islam is based on the Qur'anic statements and on the personal example of Muhammad and his inner circle. As A.A. Huseynov, “the originality of Muslim ethics lies in the fact that it took as a model the life of one (and not fictional, as, for example, the sage of the Stoics was, but quite real) person in all the empirically detailed variety of its manifestations. According to Muslim ethics, to live with dignity and righteousness means to live like Muhammad.”102 The ethics of Islam cannot be called rigorous. It is quite "under the power" of an ordinary person, if you make a little effort. In addition, Muslim ethics "comes from a more mundane, but more real image a man who fully understands and - most importantly - accepts Al-Ghazali, M. Morality of a Muslim. Kyiv: Ansar Foundation, 2006, p. 249.

Cit. by Maqsood R. Islam. M.: FAIR-PRESS, 1998. S. 237.

Veche, 2008, p. 177.

There. S. 178.

limitedness of one's human capabilities.”103 Based on this, such fundamental ethical concepts as “good” and “evil” appear in a utilitarian sense, approaching the concepts of “benefit” and “harm”.

Muhammad, as an example of a perfect (including in the moral sense) man, left behind a lot of instructions that show people the way to God and salvation. “Verily, Allah orders to do justice, good deeds and give gifts to relatives.

He forbids deeds that are obscene and reprehensible and impious.

He guides you so that you may follow [His] advice” (Quran, 16:90). The essence of these instructions is as follows: sincere piety, humility and the desire to serve God, which boils down to accepting the Will of God and humility before Him. As W. Chittick notes, “these components are “submission” (Islam), “faith” (iman) and “creation of beauty” (ihsan).”105 The term “Islam” in this context includes the observance of the five pillars of the Muslim religion . Iman is understood as faith in God, angels and messengers, in Divine predestination, on the Day of Judgment and the afterlife. “As for the “creation of beauty”, the Prophet said that it means “to serve God as if you saw Him, for even if you do not see Him, He sees you.”106 M. Legenghausen understands Islam as external obedience, under iman - faith, and ihsan represents it as a virtue.107 The first two components correlate with Sharia and fiqh, respectively. Sharia is a system of rules

Huseynov A.A. Great Prophets and Thinkers: Moral Teachings from Moses to the Present Day. M.:

Veche, 2008, p. 180.

Maqsood R. Islam. M.: FAIR-PRESS, 1998. S. 8.

Chittik W. Sufism: A Beginner's Guide. M.: Eastern Literature, 2012. S. 20.

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Legensauzen M. Modern questions of Islamic thought. M.: Feoria, 2010. S. 108.

which every Muslim is obliged to observe - this is the very first step of religious knowledge. Fiqh is characterized by a deeper understanding of religion, since here we enter the realm of reason. Attempts at rational explanation lead to a better understanding of oneself and the world around. At the third stage of cognition, the believer finds a way of approaching God and strives to “grab” the picture of the world with his inner eye, going beyond the limits of his sensually determined being.

Particular attention is paid to spiritual and moral perfection. “Thus, if the first aspect of Islam concerns the actions that believers must perform because of an established relationship with God and others, and the second concerns our understanding of ourselves and others, then the third points the way to achieving intimacy with God.”108 Transformations that committed at the third stage of religious experience, the next section is devoted to.

2.2. Sufi ethical doctrine The founders of Sufism were mystic ascetics of the first centuries of Islam, which explains the characteristic features of the Sufi worldview. In particular, if in classical Muslim ethics the emphasis is on relations between members of the ummah, while highlighting the idea of ​​moral improvement and the acquisition of basic social virtues, then in Sufism, as a rule, there is a shift in the ethical imperative towards personal improvement as the basis of spiritual search and mystical enlightenment. . Sufism is “a path that purifies the human soul, it is a mirror of the true Islamic life. Its goal is to purify a person from everything negative and adorn Chittik U. Sufism: a guide for a beginner. M.: Eastern Literature, 2012. S. 23.

his soul with all positive qualities.”109 Qushayri gives the following definition of Sufism: “They asked Abu Muhammad al-Jurayri about Sufism: “It means to accept all high moral traits and abandon all base ones.”110 Based on the developed classical Islam the concept of moral perfection, the Sufi worldview introduces new mystical elements into it, thus creating a special ethical theory. “Tasawwuf is the knowledge of how to purify the soul from various shortcomings, diseases and negative qualities, such as hatred, envy, deceit, arrogance, argument, anger, stinginess, greed, neglect of the poor and admiration of the rich. Tasawwuf studies these defects and ways to treat them. That is, Sufism teaches to get rid of vices in order to cleanse the heart and dhikr from everything except Allah.”111 Moreover, as W. Chittick notes, “the actual Sufi path implies a process of internal to God.”112 And Ibn Arabi emphasizes that tasawwuf is primarily ethics, saying that “tasawwuf is the embodiment of explicit and hidden norms of morality prescribed by Sharia.”113 In other words, Sufism shows a person the true path of perfection and Divine knowledge .

Absolute trust in God (tawakkul) is the core of the Sufi worldview. The Qur'an says: "Trust in the One God, if you truly believe" (Quran, 5:23). When Junayd (d. 910) was asked what “trust” means, he replied: “When the heart relies on Allah in all circumstances.”114 Dhu-n-Nun identified Muhammad Yu. Encyclopedia of Sufism. M.: Ansar, 2005. S. 20.

Al-Qushayri Abul-Q. Epistle on Susm. Al-Risala al-qushayriyya ‘ilm al-tasawwuf. London: Garnet Publishing, 2007. P. 289.

Muhammad Yu. Encyclopedia of Sufism. M.: Ansar, 2005. S. 27.

Chittik W. Sufism: A Beginner's Guide. M.: Eastern Literature, 2012. S. 38.

Muhammad Yu. Encyclopedia of Sufism. M.: Ansar, 2005. S. 29.

At-Tusi, A. N. as-S. Kitab al-luma fi-t-tasavvuf (“The most brilliant in Sufism”) // Reader in Islam / Comp. and resp. ed. Prozorov S.M. M.: Nauka, 1994. S. 148.

tawakkul as "perfect certainty", since it is necessary for true tawhid: "God in his absoluteness is the only subject of action, therefore man must completely rely on him."115 Most "moderate" mystics practiced tawakkul as the embodiment of tawhid. This aspect of tawakkul is one of the basic concepts of Sufi ethics. Al-Hasan al-Basri (d. 768) owns the following statement, which best explains the connection between the concepts of “zuhd” and “tawakkul”: ”] trust in God (tawakkul) and contentment [with Him] (rid) [...] Have you not heard the hads [of Prophet Muhammad] that “Zuhd is when you rely more on what is in the hands of God than on what what's in your hands." And this is trust in God (tawakkul). Then [the Prophet Muhammad] said: "And when you will be more glad to the disaster, even if it remained to stay with you." And this is satisfaction with God (reed). Further. God-knowledge (marifa) and love (mahabba) for God are included in the [content] of zuhd. What “station” is higher than the “station” that encompasses these four [“stations”: trust in God (tawakkul), contentment with Him (rid), knowledge of God (marifa) and love for Him (mahabba)] - after all, they are the limit aspirations of “seekers” (Taliban) [Truth, that is, God].”116 Tawakkul is the main virtue in the ethical system of al-Ghazali. “The knowledge on which tawakkul is based is tawhid or awareness of the Wholeness of God.”117 Complete trust in God means that a person realizes God is the true and only Creator of anything in the world, including the actions of the person himself. As stated in Risala

Qushayri: “The one who has completely trusted God is distinguished by three signs:

he does not ask, does not refuse [when he is given], does not hold on [for something, Schimmel A. The world of Islamic mysticism. M.: Sadra, 2012. S. 126.

Nasyrov I.R. Foundations of Islamic mysticism. Genesis and evolution. M.: Languages ​​of Slavic cultures, 2009. P. 80.

Umaruddin. M. The Ethical Philosophy of al-Ghazzali. Delhi: Adam Publishers, 1996. P. 265.

what he was given]”.118 Following tavvakkul, a person accepts the fullness of being, I perceive any event through the prism of Divine Wisdom and Perfection. “And the state of tawakkul is achieved only by faith in the One on whom they rely, and the state of peace of mind is in the correct vision of the one whom He takes care of.”119 The concept of tawakkul, which is perhaps the central concept in the Sufi ethical system, includes several components , the most significant of which will be "poverty" (faqr) and "patience" (sabr). Poverty is understood not only as an ascetic practice - the rejection of worldly goods, but, most importantly, as a method of approaching God, because. “He who looks at the external, stops at the external, unable to reach the goal and having missed the essence.”120 Poverty is also understood in the spiritual sense, i.e. like not wanting to be rich. Junayd said that “Poverty is the liberation of the heart from the forms of being.”121 Such poverty is the destruction of all “stations”, the desire to abolish all other attributes of a person, thereby “die”, to reach the state of fan in order to be able to unite with God. “This interpretation of faqr is expressed in a saying that has become part of the standard set of late Sufism: al-faqr iza tamma khuwa Allah, “when the faqr reaches perfection (completeness), this is God.”122 Al-Ghazali believed that a person should strive for poverty, because

it is a commendable quality; “On the other hand, the poverty of Al-Qushayri Abu l-Q. Epistle on Susm. Al-Risala al-qushayriyya ‘ilm al-tasawwuf. London: Garnet Publishing, 2007. P. 178.

Nauka, 1980, p. 228.

Al-Hujwiri. Revealing the hidden behind the veil for hearts versed in secrets (Kashf al-mahjub li arbab al-kulub). M.: Unity, 2004. S. 20.

There. S. 27.

Shimmel A. The world of Islamic mysticism. M.: Sadra, 2012. S. 131.

described as a misfortune, as a test sent to people"123. In addition, “‘closeness to God’, the chosenness of a Muslim is directly dependent on the degree of his poverty and asceticism.”124 In his book on poverty and asceticism, al-Ghazali writes: Deprivation of what is unnecessary is not called poverty.”125 An equally important quality for a Sufi is patience (sabr). There is a legend that once Hasan al-Basri was asked what “patience” was, and he answered: “Patience is twofold: it is the enduring of troubles and hardships and abstinence from what God commanded to avoid and what he forbade to follow”126. Trials bring a person closer to God, therefore, they should be thanked for as well as for all joys. Gratitude (shukr) is a derivative of tawakkul and is impossible without it. “The realization that all human joys come from God is the root of shukra. The embodiment of this truth or belief in it is shukr.”127 As noted by A.V. Smirnov, “the ethical teaching of Sufism is characterized by the preservation of the original general Islamic principles: the doctrine of intention (niyya) as directly associated with action and determining its nature, and the closely related position on the inseparability of action and knowledge”128. However, these provisions in the Sufi context are subject to transformation: for example, the five basic postulates of the Muslim faith are viewed somewhat differently in Sufism. “The Sufis unconditionally accepted the formula “There is no god but Allah, and Muhammad is the messenger of Allah,” however, from Naumkin V.V. Ghazali's treatise "The Resurrection of the Sciences of Faith" // Al-Ghazali, Abu Muhammad. The resurrection of the sciences of faith (Ihya "Ulum ad-din). Selected chapters. M.: Nauka, 1980. S. 69.

There. S. 73.

Al-Ghazali, Abu Muhammad. The resurrection of the sciences of faith (Ihya "Ulum ad-din). Selected chapters. M.:

Nauka, 1980, p. 192.

Al-Hujwiri. Revealing the hidden behind the veil for hearts versed in secrets (Kashf al-mahjub li arbab al-kulub). M.: Unity, 2004. S. 86.

Umaruddin. M. The Ethical Philosophy of al-Ghazzali. Delhi: Adam Publishers, 1996. P. 269.

Smirnov A.V. Sufism // Ethics. Encyclopedic Dictionary / Pod. ed. R.G. Apresyan and A.A.

Huseynov. M.: Gardariki, 2001. S. 483.

what was said in the previous chapters, it clearly follows that their interpretation of this formula was in many respects radically different from the traditional one: religious monotheism was opposed to a large extent by a pantheistic understanding of God and the created world, which Muslim orthodoxy ranked among the most “harmful” teachings. prayer is an immutable rule for a Muslim, but among the Sufis, opinions differ about the observance of this postulate. “Mystics, who advocate the elimination of intermediaries and a “direct conversation” between a believer and God, recognize in principle the need to comply with the second prescription of Islam - the creation of a prayer. .

Issues related to the payment of zakat and fasting are also interpreted ambiguously: “Fasting was perceived by them as an indispensable condition for their mystical practice: eat little, sleep little, speak little - the principles of everyday life. They did not confine themselves to fasting for a month and sometimes fasted every other day for a year (saum daudi).”131 Junayd said that fasting is half the Way. As al-Hujwiri notes, “fasting is inherently abstinence, and abstinence is a comprehensive rule on the Path (tarikat). ... Abstinence involves many obligations, for example, to keep the stomach without food and drink, to keep the eyes from longing looks, the ear - from attention to slander in the absence of the one they are talking about, the tongue - from empty and swear words, the body - from following the worldly and from disobedience Stepanyants M.T. Philosophical aspects of Sufism. M.: Nauka, 1987. S. 46.

–  –  –

God.”132 In addition, “fasting helps purify the base Self (nafs) and eradicate harmful habits.”133 M.T. Stepanyants notes that “the question of zakat in relation to members of many orders, say Chishti, is in principle inappropriate, because ideally they should be in poverty and live on alms.”134 Al Hujviri believes that “in fact, zakat is gratitude for the income received in the same form as income itself. For example, health is the greatest gain for which every part of the body allocates zakat.

Therefore, a healthy person should engage all members of the body in worship and not give them indulgences in order to fully pay the zakat for the mercy of health. Sufis emphasized that the most important pilgrimage is a journey into the depths of one's own heart. “In other words, to pilgrimage as an external manifestation of religious virtue, the Sufis oppose “pilgrimage” to the depths of their own consciousness, or rather, the soul, which is a true “divine treasure.”136 Therefore, as al-Hujwiri writes, “it is not the Kaaba that is truly significant, but contemplation and disappearance (fana) in the abode of friendship, in comparison with which the vision of the Kaaba is a secondary impulse. 137 The immutable rules of Sharia, mandatory for a Muslim, were inevitable at the first stage of the Sufi path, because an inexperienced student needs guidelines in order not to stray from him. Despite the different opinions regarding the obligatory implementation of Sharia rules, almost all Sufis agree on one thing: there is a landmark, Al-Hujwiri. Revealing the hidden behind the veil for hearts versed in secrets (Kashf al-mahjub li arbab al-kulub). M.: Unity, 2004. S. 321.

Safavi S. Practical mysticism. Irfan-e amali. M.: Academic Project, 2013. S. 36.

Stepanyants M.T. Philosophical aspects of Sufism. M.: Nauka, 1987. S. 50.

Al-Hujwiri. Revealing the hidden behind the veil for hearts versed in secrets (Kashf al-mahjub li arbab al-kulub). M.: Unity, 2004. S. 314.

Stepanyants M.T. Philosophical aspects of Sufism. M.: Nauka, 1987. S. 49.

Al-Hujwiri. Revealing the hidden behind the veil for hearts versed in secrets (Kashf al-mahjub li arbab al-kulub). M.: Unity, 2004. S. 328.

which everyone should look up to. Such a reference point, as a rule, is the Perfect Man, whose ideal is widespread in Sufism.

The Perfect Man In Islam, the Perfect Man (al-insan al-kamil) is considered the mediator between God and people. The Quran says: “Remember how your Lord said to the angels: “I will set up a governor on the earth” (Quran, 2:30). There is an assumption that the theory of the Perfect Man was widespread in the Middle East and the Mediterranean region, and penetrated into Islam from the Neoplatonic and Gnostic teachings about the Logos.

“In Muslim theology, the term al-insan al-kamil was first used by Ibn Arabi. Prior to him, terms close in meaning are found in the pseudo “Theology of Aristotle” - insan awwal (“first man”) and in Abu Yazid al-Bistami - al-kamil at-tamm (“perfect, complete [man]”).”138 The perfect man as the vicar of God on earth, he is called to maintain the world order and instruct lost people: “The best worship, in the opinion of the Perfect Man, is to change the world for the better and spread the truth among the people, eradicate evil and reprehensible deeds, call to the One God, inform people about the greatness and power of the Lord , description of the Day of Judgment, informing people about eternity and the structure of the upper world, about the frailty and fragility of the underworld. "unity of being". In this concept, the desire of the Absolute for self-knowledge is expressed in the act of creating the world, which explains Knysh A. Al-insan al-kamil // Islam. Encyclopedic Dictionary / Ed. editor S.M. Prozorov.

M.: Nauka, 1991. S. 101.

Zarrinkub A.Kh. The value of the Sufi heritage. St. Petersburg: Petersburg Oriental Studies, 2012, p. 244.

appearance of the Perfect Man. Temin vahdat means both a number (one) and something one and only. The one and only God was embodied in the names of his essence, the main of which are three:

Allah, God and Merciful. Consequently, our entire sensuously tangible and intelligible world was born from trinity: “The odd trinity, further, also appeared in that thing, and it was created and received existence from its side also thanks to this trinity. This trinity is the materiality of this thing, obedience and following the order to exist of its Creator. Trinity is “the essence of the root in odd numbers, because the number “one” (wahid) is essentially not a number and does not explain the appearance of plurality in the world: for nothing follows from unity, except unity. And the simplest numbers within the multiplicity are “three.”141 the world becomes a necessary mode of his being.

This existence “depends on the existence of individual objects, and detailed knowledge about these individual objects depends on it.”142 ”(prototypes and possibilities) that have an external and concrete being”143. Divine attributes are gathered together and fully embodied only in the “perfect man” (al-insan alkamil). On the one hand, the Perfect Man embodies all the Divine Names, being the vicar of God on earth. But, on the other hand, “the perfect man is the goal of the existence of all Ibn Arabi. Gems of Wisdom // Smirnov A.V. The Great Sheikh of Sufism (the experience of paradigm analysis of the philosophy of Ibn Arabi). M.: Nauka, 1993. S. 199-200.

354.(...- : 9791. Ghanam T. Fundamentals of Sufism. Cairo, 1979, p. 354).

Ibn Arabi. Image of circles // Ibn Arabi. Meccan revelations (al-Futukhat almakkiya) / Per. HELL. Knysha. St. Petersburg: Center "Petersburg Oriental Studies", 1995. P. 67.

Knysh A.D. Wahdat al-wujud // Islam. Encyclopedic Dictionary / Ed. editor S.M. Prozorov.

M.: Nauka, 1991. S. 48.

of the universe, since God manifests all His attributes only through a perfect person, only in him does Wujud reach its full development.”144 function of the principle that solves the problem of the one and the many, the general and the particular, essence and phenomenon, then in the ideas of later Sufis, the religious functions of the Perfect Man, acting as an intermediary between God and man, come to the fore. 145 Ibn Arabi represented the whole world as a projection of the Divine entities. Having created the world, God proceeded to create man, and, as Ibn Arabi notes, “he made a copy of the entire universe so that there was not a single essence left in it that would not be in man.”146 The attributes of divine perfection are most fully embodied only in a person. Therefore, in the Perfect Man, whose incarnation is Muhammad, the Absolute cognizes itself in all its fullness.147 The follower of Ibn Arabi, al-Jili (d. 1166), considered Muhammad “the most perfect of the perfect” (akmal alkummal).148 “No one of living beings does not have such perfection in terms of his morality and nature as Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him). I know that the “perfect man” is the pole around which all the orbits of being revolve, and this pole is eternal and the only one from the beginning of the creation of the universe.149 As J. Subhan notes, “man is a microcosm in which Chittik W. The doctrine of the unity of being by Ibn Arabi // Sufi, 2012. No. 14. S. 38.

Stepanyants M.T. Philosophical aspects of Sufism. M.: Nauka, 1987. S. 50.

Ibn Arabi. Fetters for those preparing to jump // Ibn Arabi. Meccan revelations (al-Futuhat almakkiya). St. Petersburg: Center "Petersburg Oriental Studies", 1995. P. 168.

Jeffery A. Ibn fl-‘Arabi’s Shajarat al-Kawn // Studia Islamica, 1959. No. 10. P. 46.

Knysh A. Al-insan al-kamil // Islam. Encyclopedic Dictionary / Ed. editor S.M. Prozorov.

M.: Nauka, 1991. S. 101.

Al-Jili, A.K. "Perfect Man" in the mystical knowledge of predecessors and followers. Chapter 60: “The Perfect Man”, or Muhammad (peace and blessings of Allaah be upon him), as the personification of the justice of creation / Per. from Arabic O.I. Nisiforova // Bulletin of RUDN University, Philosophy series, 2010, No. 4. P. 83.

all attributes, and in him alone the Absolute becomes the creator of Itself in all its various aspects.”150 It is believed that the level of al-insan al-kamil can be reached by both prophets and saints. For ordinary followers of Sufism, the landmark of the Perfectly Human was the spiritual and moral ideal that they sought to achieve. Among the Sufis, there is an opinion that “the perfect person is the one who perfectly masters four things: kind words, good deeds, laudable disposition and enlightenment.”151 Moreover, some researchers, for example, M.T. Stepanyants believe that the concept of al-insan al-kamil contains important ethical principles. One of them is the idea of ​​improvement on the path of self-knowledge. But, at the same time, “the very posing of the question of the possibility of an individual reaching the level of alinsan al-kamil contains a challenge to the Muslim idea of ​​fatalism.”152 In this regard, the question arises: are our actions free (including with regard to the desire for improvement) and how then do our actions relate to Divine Will and predestination?

Free Will and Divine Predestination It is believed that the world exists thanks to God and His Will. At the same time, if God created a person, made him his vicar and endowed him with the ability to act, an obvious problem arises: it turns out that the actions of people seem to be autonomous, beyond the scope of “Divine competence”. If you pay attention to the fact that a person is recognized as responsible for his thoughts and actions, because The Qur'an says: “Allah does not impose on a person Subhan J.A. Sufism. His saints and shrines. M.-SPb: DILYA, 2005. S. 54.

Zarrinkub A.Kh. The value of the Sufi heritage. St. Petersburg: Petersburg Oriental Studies, 2012, p. 242.

Stepanyants M.T. Philosophical aspects of Sufism. M.: Nauka, 1987. S. 51.

beyond his capacity. He will get what he has acquired, and what he has acquired will be against him ”(Koran, 2:286, translated by E. Kuliev), then the contradiction seems insoluble. In addition, if a person is not a true agent of his actions, then a moral act would be impossible as such, because an ethical act is based on a free and rational choice: “Recognition of the complete predestination of human actions would make it meaningless to enter the path of improvement, which the Sufis called for. and what formed the basis of their teaching and practice. From this arose the desire to combine the omnipotence of God and the free will of man.”153 Sufis reconcile these two contradictions with the help of a synthesis based on the assertion that God exists and possesses all the fullness of knowledge. Moreover, since God is eternal, the objects of His knowledge are also eternal, because knowledge is an attribute of God and cannot be separated from Him. The ideas of God (or essence) are not created and have their own "nature" (shakila). “So creation is an act of will. The Will of God is subject to the Knowledge of God. Creation is an external manifestation or actualization of the Ideas of God, or essences…. Actualized Ideas are called things»154. God creates things according to their appropriateness, which are uncreated and eternal. Essences of things, i.e. The ideas of God are expressed according to their qualities and characteristics. “This is the aspect of choice and free will, but the Lord alone expresses them – this is the aspect of determinism.”155 The essence of each person includes the whole possible set of his qualities and characteristics. “Man is not predestined in the sense that his qualities can be considered a Divine creation. The essential nature of a person, or, in other words, his essence (ayan), is not created, and, for this reason, he enjoys free will and choice.”156 Stepanyants M.T. Philosophical aspects of Sufism. M.: Nauka, 1987. S. 52.

Validdin M. Koranic Sufism. St. Petersburg: DILYA, 2004, p. 118.

–  –  –

There. S. 122.

The divine plan manifested itself in the deliberate creation of the human will, which is a blessing, a gift to man. The mind of a person, using the data of experience and predicting the consequences of actions, coupled with the will expressed in the desire to achieve a particular goal, constitutes the free will of a person. As al-Ghazali writes, free will should be based on a person’s mind, “after all, just knowing that this or that desire can harm you is not enough to refuse it, you also need a craving for action predetermined by knowledge. By this will you stand out from the animals over which man has an advantage, and in addition, you stand out also in the knowledge of the consequences. human "I", following the inclinations, desires and impulses, especially those emanating from the nafs. It is thanks to reason that “man occupies an intermediate position between animals and angels”. noticed by God.”159 Outside of correlation with God, man and the world as a whole do not have any substantial significance. From an ethical point of view, everything that happens in this world, including the act of creation itself, happens according to the “desire” of God or according to His Will (al-irada), because only He has true being. “Know that predestination (kada) is God’s judgment (hukm) about things, and God judges things according to how He knows them and about them, and God knows things as given by the knowables themselves, what they are. Fate is temporary

Al-Ghazali, Abu Muhammad. The resurrection of the sciences of faith (Ihya "Ulum ad-din). Selected chapters. M.:

Nauka, 1980, p. 167.

Umaruddin M. The Ethical philosophy of al-Ghazzali. Delhi: Adam Publishers, 1996. P. 98.

Shimmel A. The world of Islamic mysticism. M.: Sadra, 2012. S. 268.

the realization (tawkit) of things as they are in their embodied essence, and nothing more. So predestination judges things through themselves, not otherwise.”160 But, at the same time, “every thing in the universe reveals certain aspects of Divine life, knowledge, will and power by the very fact that it is Wujud.”161 Divine Will has established laws favorable to man so that he may worship God and work for his own good. God “created this beneficence solely for our sake, that we might enjoy it and abide in it. And so He put us in charge and gave us complete freedom.”162 As A.V. Smirnov, “only what happens should and can happen, and what happens to a person is determined by what he is, each himself and only himself is responsible for everything that happens to him.”163 The theme of free will and predestination occupies a special place in the work of Rumi (died in 1273). He expresses the idea that a person is able to manage his own actions and bear responsibility for them. As N. Odilov notes, vel “if no one except God has a will, then why are you angry at the culprit, gritting your teeth at the enemy who committed the crime. But does not a piece of wood falling from the ceiling cause you a feeling of revenge and inflict a deep wound on you? Do you hate him?”164 Moreover, Rumi says that the concept of predestination can be dangerous because

completely paralyzes a person, prevents him from acting actively.

Indeed, some zahids (“hermits”) believed that “daily bread is appointed by God forever, the servant of God is not Ibn Arabi by any effort. Gems of Wisdom // Smirnov A.V. The Great Sheikh of Sufism (Experience of Paradigm Analysis of the Philosophy of Ibn Arabi). M.: Nauka, 1993. S. 212.

Chittik W. The doctrine of the unity of being by Ibn Arabi // Sufi, 2012. No. 14. P. 37.

Ibn Arabi. Meccan revelations. Chapter 178 // Ibn Arabi. Meccan revelations. (al-Futuhat almakkiya). St. Petersburg: Petersburg Oriental Studies, 1995. P. 189.

Nauka, 1993, p. 122.

Odilov. N. Worldview of Jalaladin Rumi. Dushanbe: Irfon, 1974, p. 89.

can neither increase his share, nor evade receiving it.

Therefore, one does not need to earn money, one has to wait for what God, by His grace, will send down.”165 "freedom" about which rational theologians argue. To achieve this sublime awareness of both total freedom and total dependence on the Divine will, the believer must exert all his diligence in the service of God, and not wait for this realization to be bestowed upon him by the Lord.”166 Good and Evil The free will of man is often interpreted Sufis not only as a divine gift, but also a test. Initially, Satan was subjected to such a test. Satan (Iblis) - the embodiment of the forces of Evil, appears in the Sufi interpretation in a very unusual light for traditional Islam.

Absolute power over people is not attributed to Satan, he can seduce and tempt them, but he has no power over a person. “Iblis was never perceived by Muslims as “absolute evil”; he is a creation of God and therefore a useful instrument in His hands.”167 Some Sufis present Satan as a true believer, for Satan refuses to worship anyone other than God, even if it violates the Divine will, thus becoming the rejected lover whose Beloved turned away from him. In this regard, al-Ghazali, one of those Bertels E.E. The Origin of Sufism and the Origin of Sufi Literature // Bertels E.E.

Selected works. Sufism and Sufi Literature. M.: Nauka, 1965. S. 17.

Knysh A.D. Muslim mysticism. St. Petersburg: DILYA, 2004, p. 183.

Shimmel A. The world of Islamic mysticism. M.: Sadra, 2012. S. 200.

representatives of Sufism who tried to "justify" Satan, said:

“Those who do not learn tawhid from Satan are unfaithful.”168 Such an unusual interpretation of the image of Satan presents in a completely different light another fundamental story for all Abrahamic religions – the myth of the fall of Adam. This plot completely changes its semantic coloring in the work of Ahmad Samani "Rauh al-arwah", which is interpreted by W. Chittik.169 The relationship between God and man, according to Samani, is based on the inner experience of comprehending the Divine: that was sealed on that day (the day of the covenant) when God declared His dominion, and all the souls of men and women received it in perfect submission.”170 Since God created the whole world, He alone has true being. Things do not have an ontological status in the true sense, so it is appropriate to call them "unrealistically existing" or "relative nonentities". However, “being is not an illusion, but a means by which all creation, especially man, can manifest God, who, according to Sufi ideas, was a hidden treasure and wanted to be discovered.”171 By revealing Himself in His ideas, God expresses Himself, but by imposing His qualities on Ideas, creates things. Essences of things do not have true being, therefore they are involved in relative non-being, or Evil. Creation is a manifestation of Divine qualities, which, being perfect and eternal, cannot be fully embodied in created things. Therefore, “some qualities of the Absolute Being (God) can be revealed in images, forms or essences, and many of them are omitted; qualities, Schimmel A. The world of Islamic mysticism. M.: Sadra, 2012. S. 201.

See Chittik W.K. The myth of the fall of Adam in the work of Ahmad Samani "Rauh al-arwah" // Sufi, 2006.

No. 4. S. 22-35.

Awn P. J. The Ethical concerns of classical Sufism // The journal of Religious Ethics, 1983. Vol. 11, No. 2. P.

Heck P.L. Mysticism as morality. The case of Sufism // The journal of religious Ethics, 2006. Vol. 34, no. 2.

self-expressing act thus according to the qualities of the entities.

Through the qualities that are omitted, Evil can be understood. Evil is another name for non-existence.”172 Thus, the origin of evil is the result of imperfect entities, which, being such, belong to non-existence, which in itself is evil.

As you can see, the world and God are related to each other as "manifest" and "hidden". In such a context, "manifest" and "hidden" are constantly changing and mutually transitioning from one to the other, while neither can exist without the other and is no more "true" or more significant. This approach to the interpretation of two opposites (God the Creator and the created world) is called confusion (khair).

The principle of "confusion" can be applied to characterize the ethical theory of Ibn Arabi. In it, virtue does not have an ontological status, because its definition is not fixed once and for all, but changes along with the rest of the things of this world. Besides, the world as a reflection of God cannot be “imperfect”, just as one thing cannot surpass another in this world. As A.V.

Smirnov, interpreting the ethical theory of Ibn Arabi, “every thing is good (the opposite of good does not exist at all), since it acts as a temporary embodiment of a single being, inextricably linked with its eternal hypostasis, or the Divine “incarnation”. Simply put, every thing is good, for it is the embodiment (narrower or wider) of God.173 If every thing is involved in the good, then evil as such does not exist: or the intentions of an individual person (or other living being): in this case, the attitude towards something as evil Validdin M. Koranic Sufism. St. Petersburg: DILYA, 2004, p. 137.

Smirnov A.V. The Great Sheikh of Sufism (Experience of Paradigm Analysis of the Philosophy of Ibn Arabi). M.:

Nauka, 1993, p. 123.

conditioned by the peculiarities of your character or temperament, or by the institutions of the religious Law, while in itself the thing is unquestionably good.”174 Thus, “every thing as such, taken by itself, is neither good nor bad; ethical evaluation is not a function of the thing itself, but of the correlation of this thing with something.”175 An example is the strict ban on the use of alcohol, which can be violated if a person is threatened with death, but of another liquid, if it is necessary in order not to die, not at hand. It turns out that it is not the act in itself that is important, but its ultimate goal. In the true sense, according to the theory of Ibn Arabi, only God can be the goal. Therefore, “any “correlation” must be turned into a correlation with God. This is the ethical imperative implied by the teachings of Ibn Arabi.176 Rumi's view of the concepts of "good" and "evil" seems more "usual".

In contrast to the concept of Ibn Arabi, which states that everything in the world is good, Rumi believes that God desires both good and evil: “His desire for evil (sharr) would be bad (kabih) if He desired it for its own sake (li-ayni-hi), which would remain a meaningless assertion if evil were not evil “as such” (bi-l-'ayn).”177 Evil is presented as a creation of God that is present in the world. In addition, “contrary to the view that the existence of evil indicates the imperfection of God, Rumi says that the presence of evil demonstrates the fullness of the boundless Divine power, knowledge and goodness.” helps to appreciate the good and recognize its essence. Rumi claims that it is impossible for a person to do good, Smirnov A. Instructions to those who seek God. Foundations of Ethics in the Philosophy of Ibn Arabi // Medieval Arab Philosophy. M.: Eastern Literature, 1998. S. 302.

There. S. 316.

Smirnov A. Instructions for those who seek God. Foundations of Ethics in the Philosophy of Ibn Arabi // Medieval Arab Philosophy. M.: Eastern Literature, 1998. S. 318.

Smirnov AV Dualism and monism: difference and similarity of two variants of Sufi ethics // Comparative Philosophy: Moral Philosophy in the Context of Diversity of Cultures. Moscow: Oriental Literature, 2004, p. 251.

Maurice Z. Evil from Rumi's point of view // In the garden of love. Anthology of the magazine "Sufi". M., 2011. S. 95.

if some evil did not befall him (a well-known example about a baker who needs a person to experience hunger, i.e. evil, in order to feed him - do him good).

God contains all the opposites of this world, which in their essence are the result of the interaction of the two main Divine attributes - Grace and Wrath. “From the point of view of Rumi, the manifestation of Divine mercy and wrath is necessary not only in order to reveal the greatness and perfection of God, but also for the spiritual development of man.” prototype of all existence. Here is how Rumi describes the first man and the prophet: “Adam is the measure // of the attributes of the Sublime // Who describes the orbit of manifestations // of God’s signs.” including the whole set of opposites.

In man, two principles are constantly fighting:

animal or base soul (nafs) and angelic or intelligent (akl). As Rumi firmly believes, “only with the enlightened eye of the mind can one see the Divine unity hidden behind the veil of constant interaction between Grace and Wrath, Beauty and Majesty.” , it is precisely this that constitutes an obstacle on the path of a person following the paths of goodness, an obstacle, if not for which, a person would choose this good path without hesitation.”182 Such manifestations of a man’s base soul are named in the ethics of Rumi hirs.

Maurice Z. Evil from Rumi's point of view // In the garden of love. Anthology of the magazine "Sufi". M., 2011. S. 101.

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Smirnov A.V. Dualism and Monism: Difference and Similarity of Two Variants of Sufi Ethics // Comparative Philosophy: Moral Philosophy in the Context of Diversity of Cultures. M.: Eastern Literature, 2004. S. 248.

Moral perfection The fight against nafs is the primary task of any mystic and a favorite topic of Sufism. Teachers have always warned their students against the tricks of their own self. “When a person obeys God in everything, his lowly soul obeys his master, just as everything in the world obeys one whose will is completely obedient to the will of God.” Dissolution in God (or return to Him) presupposes one's own moral perfection: renunciation of one's own desires, proper behavior, spiritual practices, etc. “Immersed in himself, abstracted from everything external, the mystic learns to recognize his physical and mental abilities, to regulate them, reaching a state of calm or a special type of exaltation. He must free himself from the egoistic “I” and achieve unity with the Absolute: “Reject the created nature from yourself,” al-Hallaj instructs, “why do you need it, who would become Him, and He would become you in reality!” 184 Moral perfection as necessary step approaching God brings to the fore reflection on the laudable and reprehensible qualities of a person. “Their greatest quality is their conduct. His Grace Mulla al-Muwahhin ‘Ali (‘a) said: “And the God-fearing in him - in him - from among the people with advantages: their word is apt, their attire is modest, their step is measured.

Such people keep their eyes away from what Allah has forbidden them, and fix their ears on knowledge that is beneficial to them.

Their souls are immersed [in the abyss] of trials, as if they were indulging in rest. Debauchery is disgusting for him, his speech is condescending, what is disapproved in him is hidden, what is encouraged in him is open, good awaits

Shimmel A. The world of Islamic mysticism. M.: Sadra, 2012. S. 122.

Stepanyants M.T. Philosophical aspects of Sufism. M.: Nauka, 1987. S. 60.

ahead of him, evil left behind him. He is filled with dignity in case of shock, patience in case of oppression, gratitude in case of rest.”185 As al-Hujwiri writes, “the rules of behavior in dealing with people consist in following virtue (muruvvat); from a religious standpoint, they consist in following the custom of the Messenger (Sunnah); from the standpoint of love, they consist in showing respect (khurmat).”186 The rules of conduct can be broken down into three major components.

“The first is the etiquette observed towards the Lord in unity (tawhid). The rule here is to keep yourself in public and alone with yourself from disrespectful acts and behave as if you are in the presence of the king.187 The second aspect of behavior concerns the inner self of a person.

According to al-Ghazali's theory, a person contains both the divine and the animal principles and has a certain set of abilities or aspirations, which, acting under the authority of reason, rush to the knowledge of God, "and the meaning of God is the pinnacle of human perfection."188 Supreme happiness for a person “consists of seven elements:

life without death, pleasure without pain, wealth without poverty, perfection without flaw, joy without sorrow, respect without neglect, and knowledge without ignorance—all this will be eternal and unchanging.

This eternal bliss, the ultimate goal or ideal, can be achieved through the love of God, which reveals itself as right conduct in this world.”189 The third aspect of conduct, according to al-Hujwiri, is association with other people.

“The main principle of Sufi communication is:

Safavi S. Practical mysticism. Irfan-e amali. M.: Academic Project, 2013. S. 50.

Al-Hujwiri. Revealing the hidden behind the veil for hearts versed in secrets (Kashf al-mahjub li arbab al-kulub). M.: Unity, 2004. S. 334.

There. S. 335.

Al-Ghazali at-Tusi, Abu Hamid Muhammad. rebirth religious sciences(Ihya ulum ad-din. M .:

Nurul Irshad, 2007. Vol.1. S. 66.

Umaruddin M. The Ethical philosophy of al-Ghazzali. Delhi: Adam Publishers, 1996. P. 125.

treat a person according to his dignity. The Sufi treats the elderly with reverence, like a son to his father; to equals - with soft courtesy, as with brothers; to the younger ones with love, as to their sons.”190 The Sufi is distinguished by a good disposition, because in him “there is no hatred, malice and envy.”191 Moreover, “moral virtue and fidelity to religious requirements are the hallmarks of the or righteous, derivatives of this root are the words “righteousness”, “kindness”, “peace” and “orderliness”.192 As Saadi (d. 1291) writes: “The way of life of the dervishes is praise and thanksgiving [to Allah] , service and obedience, self-sacrifice and contentment with little, confession of the unity of God and hope [in him], humility and patience.

[He] who possesses these properties is truly a dervish, even if he wears a [worldly] kaba. But a dissolute one who does not pray, an admirer of lust and lust, who spends his days like nights, in the bonds of passions, and his nights like days, in a dream of carelessness, devouring everything that is horrible, expressing everything that comes to mind - [he is] a debauchee 193 The most important moral qualities of a Sufi are humility, friendliness, womanhood, forgiveness, openness, good disposition, avoidance of enmity and anger, and gratitude to God for all His favors. One of the most reprehensible qualities is pride, as it can turn a Sufi away from the true path.

Among the Sufis there is such a belief that if communication does not bring good in the religious sense, then communication should not be, i.e. it is necessary to communicate with those who are better or worse than the person himself in the moral sense. Then “in the first case, you will benefit, and in the second, the benefit of Al-Hujwiri. Revealing the hidden behind the veil for hearts versed in secrets (Kashf al-mahjub li arbab al-kulub). M.: Unity, 2004. S. 339.

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