The Negative Theology of “Waqfih” in Al-Niffari’s Al-Kitāb al-Mawāqif
Mystics' views on the critique of knowledge is a subject that has been less addressed so far. In essence, it seems that critique of knowledge by those who are mystic
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The Negative Theology of “Waqfih” in Al-Niffari’s Al-Kitāb al-Mawāqif
Mystics' views on the critique of knowledge is a subject that has been less addressed so far. In essence, it seems that critique of knowledge by those who are mystics, that is, are known to have knowledge, to be a contradiction. But this contradiction leads us to reflect on the true nature and structure of knowledge in the eyes of mystics. Muhammad ibn Abd al-Jabbar ibn al-Hasan Al-Niffari in his book, Al-Kitāb al-Mawāqif (The Book of Standings) talks about seventy-seven ‘mawqif’ (standings/stayings) in the process of the mystic's spiritual journey. They do not have a definite order, but they follow a pattern of structure and content. Another term is ‘waqfih’ that refers to a period of contemplation in which the mystic becomes aware of his position. The structure of al-Kitāb al-Mawāqif is based on the negative theology; all of the book is about negation of the position of ‘waqfih’, and in the most positions, the author ends his speech with negative words. The aim of present article is to consider the role of ‘waqfih’ and the elements of the negative theology in the thoughts of Al-Niffari. The research is done from three perspective: existential, epistemological and linguistic by using an analytical-comparative method. The results indicate that Al-Niffari in his book, before Ibn Arabi, have ontologically provided the basis for attention to the Divine essence and the concept of non-existence. According to Al-Niffari, the reality of knowledge is “wise ignorance” and astonishment, and his mute and contradictory language refers to his negative speech.
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