Najmeddin Kubra
Encyclopedia
Najmuddīn-e Kubrā or Najm al-Din Kubra, (Shaykh Abū al-Jannāb Ahmad ibn ‘Umar) was a 13th-century Persian Sufi from Khwarezmia, the founder of the Kubrawiyya or Kubraviyah Sufi order, influential in the Ilkhanid
and Timurid
. His method, exemplary of a "golden age" of sufi metaphysics, was related to the Illuminism of Shahab al-Din Suhrawardi
as well as to Rumi's Shams Tabrizi
. Kubra was born in 540/1145 and died in 617/1220.
and kalam
. His interest in Sufism began in Egypt where he became a murid of Shaykh Ruzbihan Baghli Shirazi, who was an initiate of the Oveisy order. After years of study, he abandoned his exploration of the religious sciences and devoted himself entirely to the Sufi way of life. Sufi shaikh Zia-Al-Din-'Ammar Bedlisi was Kubra's teacher, who tried to present Sufi thought in a new way to provide contemplation and influence for the reader. After receiving his khirka, Kubra gained a large following of gnostics and writers on Sufism It is because his followers are predominantly Sufi writers and gnostics, that Kubra was given the title "manufacturer of saints," and his order was named the Kubraviyah. Kubra's main body of works concerns the analysis of the visionary experience. He wrote numerous important works discussing the visionary experience, including a Sufi commentary on the Qu'ran that he was unable to complete due to his death in 617/1220. Kubra died during the Mongol conquests after refusing to leave his city, where he fought in hand-to-hand combat against the Mongols. Overall, Kubra is remembered as a pioneer of the Sufi tradition and explanation of spiritual visionary experiences. Kubra's work spread throughout the Middle East and Central Asia where it flourished for many years, until it gradually was taken over by other similar more popular ideologies and Sufi leaders.
His works discuss the analysis of dreams and visions, such as the "significance of dreams and visions, the degrees of luminous epiphany that are manifested to the mystic, the different classes of concept and image that engage his attention, and the nature and interrelations of man's 'subtle centres.'" The interpretation and understanding of dreams was important because the Prophet Muhammad
had developed the Islamic faith based on dreams and visions, so the Qu'ran was seen a a visionary text. The Kubraviya order were avid practitioners of seeking the meaning of visions through ritual performances and meditation. Kubra, being the manufacturer of saints, led him to analyze popular dream episodes from Muslim hagiographical works, and his disciples would follow in his analyzation of these well known and important works.
, Sayfeddin Bakhezri
, Majd al-Dīn Baghdādī, and Baha'uddin Walad, father of Jalaluddin Rumi. However, one of his most well-known and influential disciples though was Sa'd al-Din Hamuwayi. Kubra informed Hamuwayi to leave the city in which they resided with the impending Mongol invasion on the horizon. However, Hamuwayi stayed with Kubra and received his ijaza from him, which shows his favorable reputation with the Sufi Master, as not only a student, but as a friend. Hamuwayi wrote over thirty important manuscripts and other works concerning the work of Kubra, and the influence of the Kubraviyah.
Ilkhanate
The Ilkhanate, also spelled Il-khanate , was a Mongol khanate established in Azerbaijan and Persia in the 13th century, considered a part of the Mongol Empire...
and Timurid
Timurid Dynasty
The Timurids , self-designated Gurkānī , were a Persianate, Central Asian Sunni Muslim dynasty of Turko-Mongol descent whose empire included the whole of Iran, modern Afghanistan, and modern Uzbekistan, as well as large parts of contemporary Pakistan, North India, Mesopotamia, Anatolia and the...
. His method, exemplary of a "golden age" of sufi metaphysics, was related to the Illuminism of Shahab al-Din Suhrawardi
Shahab al-Din Suhrawardi
Other important Muslim mystics carry the name Suhrawardi, particularly Abu 'l-Najib al-Suhrawardi and his paternal nephew Abu Hafs Umar al-Suhrawardi."Shahāb ad-Dīn" Yahya ibn Habash as-Suhrawardī was a Persian...
as well as to Rumi's Shams Tabrizi
Shams Tabrizi
Shams-i-Tabrīzī or Shams al-Din Mohammad was a Persian Muslim, who is credited as the spiritual instructor of Mewlānā Jalāl ad-Dīn Muhammad Balkhi, also known as Rumi and is referenced with great reverence in Rumi’s poetic collection, in particular Diwan-i Shams-i Tabrīzī...
. Kubra was born in 540/1145 and died in 617/1220.
Biography
Born in 540/1145, Najm al-din Kubra began his career as a scholar of hadithHadith
The term Hadīth is used to denote a saying or an act or tacit approval or criticism ascribed either validly or invalidly to the Islamic prophet Muhammad....
and kalam
Kalam
ʿIlm al-Kalām is the Islamic philosophical discipline of seeking theological principles through dialectic. Kalām in Islamic practice relates to the discipline of seeking theological knowledge through debate and argument. A scholar of kalām is referred to as a mutakallim...
. His interest in Sufism began in Egypt where he became a murid of Shaykh Ruzbihan Baghli Shirazi, who was an initiate of the Oveisy order. After years of study, he abandoned his exploration of the religious sciences and devoted himself entirely to the Sufi way of life. Sufi shaikh Zia-Al-Din-'Ammar Bedlisi was Kubra's teacher, who tried to present Sufi thought in a new way to provide contemplation and influence for the reader. After receiving his khirka, Kubra gained a large following of gnostics and writers on Sufism It is because his followers are predominantly Sufi writers and gnostics, that Kubra was given the title "manufacturer of saints," and his order was named the Kubraviyah. Kubra's main body of works concerns the analysis of the visionary experience. He wrote numerous important works discussing the visionary experience, including a Sufi commentary on the Qu'ran that he was unable to complete due to his death in 617/1220. Kubra died during the Mongol conquests after refusing to leave his city, where he fought in hand-to-hand combat against the Mongols. Overall, Kubra is remembered as a pioneer of the Sufi tradition and explanation of spiritual visionary experiences. Kubra's work spread throughout the Middle East and Central Asia where it flourished for many years, until it gradually was taken over by other similar more popular ideologies and Sufi leaders.
His Work
In addition to his work centering around the Sufi commentary of the Qu'ran, Kubra wrote other important treatises including :- Fawa'ih al-djamal wa-fawatih al-djalal
- Usul al- 'ashara
- Risalat al-kha'if al-ha'im min lawmat al-la'im
His works discuss the analysis of dreams and visions, such as the "significance of dreams and visions, the degrees of luminous epiphany that are manifested to the mystic, the different classes of concept and image that engage his attention, and the nature and interrelations of man's 'subtle centres.'" The interpretation and understanding of dreams was important because the Prophet Muhammad
Muhammad
Muhammad |ligature]] at U+FDF4 ;Arabic pronunciation varies regionally; the first vowel ranges from ~~; the second and the last vowel: ~~~. There are dialects which have no stress. In Egypt, it is pronounced not in religious contexts...
had developed the Islamic faith based on dreams and visions, so the Qu'ran was seen a a visionary text. The Kubraviya order were avid practitioners of seeking the meaning of visions through ritual performances and meditation. Kubra, being the manufacturer of saints, led him to analyze popular dream episodes from Muslim hagiographical works, and his disciples would follow in his analyzation of these well known and important works.
The Kubraviyah (His Order)
The Kubraviya was Kubra's Sufi order, focusing on explaining the visionary experience. The influence of the Kubraviya can be seen on the Islamic world as a whole because of its relationship to the strong influence of Shi'ism in Iran. The Kubraviya was not largely popular until after Kubra's death in the 16th century. The Kubraviya found great development outside of Central Asia, but it's influence and presence only lasted till the 19th/20th century, when it was replaced by the Nawshbandiya (another, more attractive Sufi group) during the Ottoman Empire. The Kubraviya's influence in Central Asia established many political, social, and economic activities there, but the Naqshbandiyah developed these ideas to their fullest potential. The Kubraviya's main teaching was a "well-developed mystical psychology based on the analysis of the visionary experience." They focused on explaining the spiritual visionary experiences that Sufis underwent in everyday life. Their largest concern was the total focus on the zikr as a means of allowing for the perception of spiritual visions. Today, the Kubraviyah is almost non-existent, but groups such as the Naqshbandiyyah and Yasawiyyah continue to practice similar Sufi rituals and ideas about analyzing spiritual visions.His Disciples
Among his twelve students one can mention Najmeddin RaziNajmeddin Razi
Abū Bakr 'Abdollāh b. Moḥammad b. Šahāvar b. Anūšervān al-Rāzī commonly know by the laqab, or sobriquet, of Najm al-Dīn Dāya, meaning "wetnurse"...
, Sayfeddin Bakhezri
Saif ed-Din Bokharzi & Bayan-Quli Khan Mausoleums
Saif ed-Din Bokharzi & Bayan-Quli Khan MausoleumsIn the settlement called Fathabad, to the east from medieval Bukhara city, in the past was situated vast religious complex. The initial core of the complex was the grave of Saif ed-Din al-Boharsi - very popular poet, sheikh, and theologian - who...
, Majd al-Dīn Baghdādī, and Baha'uddin Walad, father of Jalaluddin Rumi. However, one of his most well-known and influential disciples though was Sa'd al-Din Hamuwayi. Kubra informed Hamuwayi to leave the city in which they resided with the impending Mongol invasion on the horizon. However, Hamuwayi stayed with Kubra and received his ijaza from him, which shows his favorable reputation with the Sufi Master, as not only a student, but as a friend. Hamuwayi wrote over thirty important manuscripts and other works concerning the work of Kubra, and the influence of the Kubraviyah.