The Unveiling of Secrets (Kashf Al-asrar): The Visionary Autobiography of Ruzbihan Al-baqli, 1128-1209 A.D. (Islamic History and Civilization) (Arabic Edition) Review

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The Unveiling of Secrets (Kashf Al-asrar): The Visionary Autobiography of Ruzbihan Al-baqli, 1128-1209 A.D. (Islamic History and Civilization) (Arabic Edition) ReviewThe Unveiling of Secrets is the first critical edition of an important twelfth-century Arabic spiritual autobiography entitled Kashf al-Asr'r wa Muk'shaf't al-Anw'r (The Unveiling of Secrets and Disclosures of the Light), by renowned scholar R'zbih'n al-Baql' (522/1128-606/1209). R'zbih'n Baql' was a mystic and prominent intellectual from Shiraz who gained a strong following and political patronage from local elites. He was a monumental figure in the history of Sufism because he represented the stage of coalescence of Islamic mysticism, from diversified individuals and texts to a broadly based social movement. His writings have been examined regularly by Western academics, beginning in the early twentieth-century, after the rediscovery of his mausoleum by Vladimir Ivanow (1886-1970) in 1928 and followed by the foundational work of Louis Massignon (1883-1962) and Henry Corbin (1903-78). Baql' is best known for his `Abhar al-`'shiq'n (The Jasmine of Lovers), Shar'-i Sha'''y't (An Exegesis of Ecstatic Sayings) and his Qur''nic commentary, `Ar''is al-Bay'n f' 'aq''iq al-Qur''n (The Brides of Explanation on the Realities of the Qur''n). Most recently, Carl Ernst introduced R'zbih'n Baql' to the Western audience and demonstrated his importance for our understanding of patterns of early Sufism and local attempts to create spiritually efficacious centers. Ernst also wrote the first English translation of Kashf al-Asr'r. However, despite all of this attention there has yet to be a complete edited version of Baql''s Unveiling of Secrets and hence the need for the present work.
The introduction outlined a brief biography based on Baql''s own works, along with those of his grandsons and `Abd al-Ra'm'n J'm''s (1414-1492) Nafa'at al-Uns (The Breaths of Divine Intimacy) before moving on to describe the text itself. We were first introduced to the structure of Kashf al-Asr'r and its relation to the biographical tradition. It was shown to be unique amongst the typical genres of biographical records, such as s'ra and tabaq't literature, due to its emphasis on the inner life of the author, as opposed to the historical, political or social circumstances of an individual's life. However, unlike the famous spiritual autobiography of Mu'ammad Ab' ''mid al-Ghaza'l' (d. 1111), al-Munqidh min al-'al'l (The Deliverance from Error), Unveiling of Secrets does not focus on the conditions that led to the inner crisis but on the visionary experiences themselves. Throughout the text Baql' introduced us to the unseen world (''lam al-ghayb), where we witness him in the company of God, saints, prophets, and angels. This visionary autobiography developed the concepts and themes from all of Baql''s works and demonstrated how they manifested in the unveilings of a saint. Papan-Matin supplemented her explication with references from Baql''s other writings to indicate how we can understand his overall ideology and the possible intentions for writing Kashf al-Asr'r. She also offered relevant queries addressing the creation of such a text. For example, why had Baql' composed an autobiography when he described these visions in other writings? Was he attempting to validate his own knowledge? Or create a heuristic template for future mystics? And was the use of Arabic and his stylized writing used with specific forethought and desired consequences? The introduction concluded with a substantial bibliography addressing both Kashf al-Asr'r, in particular, and R'zbih'n Baql', in general.
Papan-Matin's edition was based on two complete manuscripts of Kashf al-Asr'r located in the library of Ästän-i Quds-i Raiavl in Mashhad and another in Massignon's private library in Paris. In her editing, Papan-Matin sided with caution. Occasionally, the original manuscript was ungrammatical or unclear because of the omission of diacritical dots (i'j'm) or poor penmanship. Therefore, when addressing Baql''s, or later amanuenses', peccadilloes she offered the manuscript reading rather than attempting to amend or regularize the text. This resulted in a legible text that is both clear and authentic. Overall, Papan-Matin provided us with an exceptional piece of literature from the mystical tradition of Islam. It will be useful to those working on biography, prosopography, Sufism, or the transmission of knowledge. Its thorough introduction and extensive bibliography contextualize this text within larger themes and promotes further worthwhile investigation.
Kristian Petersen
Near & Middle Eastern Studies Program
University of Washington
[...]The Unveiling of Secrets (Kashf Al-asrar): The Visionary Autobiography of Ruzbihan Al-baqli, 1128-1209 A.D. (Islamic History and Civilization) (Arabic Edition) Overview"The Unveiling of Secrets" ("Kashf al-Asr-r") is the visionary autobiography of one of the most significant mystics of twelfth-century Iran, Ruzbihan Baqli (522/1128-606/1209). Written in Arabic, it describes the life of the author primarily as comprised of his mystical visions. Ruzbihan depicts himself in the unseen world (lam al-ghayb) in the company of God, saints, prophets, and angels. His self-portrait in this manner communicates his special status with God. The sublime quality of these visions is well captured in the style of "Kashf al-Asrr": the writing is simultaneously simple and clear, but eloquent and rich with extraordinary images. This is the first critical edition of the manuscipt of "Kashf al-Asr r" which provides an intriguing case in the genre of Islamic autobiographies.

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