Safvat as-safa
Encyclopedia
The Safvat as-safa also spelled Safvat al-safa or Safwat al-safa, is a hagiography
of the Sufi shaykh
Safi-ad-din Ardabili (1252-1334), founder of the Safaviya Sufi order.
, who prompted him to write the work. He probably completed it in 1358. Little else is known of his life..
commissioned Mir Abu al-Fat'h Husayni to revise the Safvat as-safa to give it an explicit Shi`i tone. This official version contains textual changes designed to obscure the Kurdish origins of the Safavid family and to vindicate their claim to descent from the Imams.
, edited by Ghulam Reza Tabataba'i Majd. Since Majd based his edition on a larger set of manuscripts of better quality, it may become the new scholarly standard.
Hagiography
Hagiography is the study of saints.From the Greek and , it refers literally to writings on the subject of such holy people, and specifically to the biographies of saints and ecclesiastical leaders. The term hagiology, the study of hagiography, is also current in English, though less common...
of the Sufi shaykh
Sheikh
Not to be confused with sikhSheikh — also spelled Sheik or Shaikh, or transliterated as Shaykh — is an honorific in the Arabic language that literally means "elder" and carries the meaning "leader and/or governor"...
Safi-ad-din Ardabili (1252-1334), founder of the Safaviya Sufi order.
Author
The Safvat as-safa was written by Ebn Bazzaz (d. 1391-2), a disciple of Safi ad-Din's son and successor, Sadr al-Dīn MūsāSadr al-Dīn Mūsā
Sadr al-Din was the son and successor of Safi-ad-din Ardabili. His mother was Bibi Fatima, daughter of Zahed Gilani. Sadr al-Din directed the Safaviyya for 59 years. During this time, the activities of the Safaviyya were viewed with favour by Timur, who provided an endowment for the shrine of...
, who prompted him to write the work. He probably completed it in 1358. Little else is known of his life..
Content
The work is divided into an introduction, 12 chapters (باب), and a conclusion. Only two of the chapters (chapters 2 and 11) deal with the circumstances of his life. Most of the rest of the book recounts numerous episodes of the shaykh performing miraculous feats. The work also includes Shaykh Safi's commentaries on various passages of the Qur'an and hadith. The contents may be summarized as follows:- Introduction: Prophecies by the Prophet MuhammadMuhammadMuhammad |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...
and various holy men foretelling the coming of Sheikh Safi. - Chapter 1: Safi ad-Din's genealogy, childhood, discipleship under Sheikh Zahed Gilani, and succession to leadership of the order.
- Chapter 2: Miracles in which Shaykh Safi saved people from perilous situations in the sea, the mountains, or from enemies or illness.
- Chapter 3: Miracles motivated either by Shaykh Safi's grace or displeasure.
- Chapter 4: Safi ad-Din's explanations of difficult passages or apparent contradictions in the Qur'an and hadith.
- Chapter 5: Miracles of Safi ad-Din involving jinnJinnJinn are supernatural beings in Arab folklore and Islamic teachings.Jinn may also refer to:* Jinn , a Japanese band* Qui-Gon Jinn, a character in the Star Wars universe...
, animals, and non-living things. - Chapter 6: Safi ad-Din's practice of dhikrDhikrDhikr , plural ; ), is an Islamic devotional act, typically involving the repetition of the Names of God, supplications or formulas taken from hadith texts and verses of the Qur'an. Dhikr is usually done individually, but in some Sufi orders it is instituted as a ceremonial activity...
. - Chapter 7: Various miracles performed by Safi ad-Din, such as reading minds, predicting the future, and contact with the dead.
- Chapter 8: Safi ad-Din's virtues and pious acts.
- Chapter 9: Safi ad-Din's final illness and death.
- Chapter 10: Miracles Safi ad-Din performed after he died.
- Chapter 11: The shaykh's greatness and fame throughout the world.
- Chapter 12: Miracles performed by Safi ad-Din's disciples.
Safavid-era revisions
Shaykh Safi ad-Din was a Sunni and an adherent of the Shafi`i school of law. In 1501 the Sufi order he founded became the ruling family in the Safavid empire, but they converted to Shi`ism while at the same time continuing their role as head of the order. Certain elements in the Safvat as-safa, particularly Shaykh Safi's genealogy and his religious views, became inconsistent with the Safavid dynasty's self-image. Therefore in 1542, Shah TahmasbTahmasp I
Tahmasp or Tahmasb I was an influential Shah of Iran, who enjoyed the longest reign of any member of the Safavid dynasty...
commissioned Mir Abu al-Fat'h Husayni to revise the Safvat as-safa to give it an explicit Shi`i tone. This official version contains textual changes designed to obscure the Kurdish origins of the Safavid family and to vindicate their claim to descent from the Imams.
Editions
There have been two published editions of the Safvat as-Safa. The first was a lithographed edition prepared by Mirza Ahmad ibn Hajj Karim Tabrizi and published in Bombay in 1911. This has traditionally been the standard edition used by scholars, who call it the Bombay lithograph. The second published edition appeared in 1994 in TehranTehran
Tehran , sometimes spelled Teheran, is the capital of Iran and Tehran Province. With an estimated population of 8,429,807; it is also Iran's largest urban area and city, one of the largest cities in Western Asia, and is the world's 19th largest city.In the 20th century, Tehran was subject to...
, edited by Ghulam Reza Tabataba'i Majd. Since Majd based his edition on a larger set of manuscripts of better quality, it may become the new scholarly standard.