The Historical Background of 'Ayn al-Quzāt Hamidāni's attitude towards the hadith "Utlubu al-‘Ilm wa lu Biṣīn" (Seek knowledge, even though it is in China)
Subject Areas : -
1 - Assistant Professor. Department of Quran and Hadith Sciences, Quran University, Faculty of Quran Sciences, Amol, Iran.
Keywords: 'Ayn al-Quzāt Hamidāni, Gnostic Ideas, Secret Ideas, History Of Sufism,
Abstract :
The Sufis and Muslim philosophers have in many cases provided a different understanding of the traditions. Among such Muslim scholars is 'Eyn al-Quzāt Hamidāni (killed in 525 AH). He does so in discussing various traditions. For example, in discussing the narration of "Utlubu al-‘Ilm wa lu Biṣīn" (Seek knowledge, even though it is in China) he says that the meaning of the narrative is to go to a spring called "Ṣād" to learn interior and secret knowledge, a source that implies a secretive meaning. It is appropriate to ask what historical roots existed in his time to cause him to have such attitude to this narrative . As we shall see, this notion is rooted in his Gnostic and mystical thinking. According to the Gnostic thought - partly on the path of its transmission through Christianity and Manoit to Iran and subsequently to Iran after converted to Islam - the material world and material science are worthless. Gnostics give authenticity to the metaphysical world and 'Eyn al-Quzāt was influenced by them as well. Another mysterious thought that 'Eyn al-Quzāt was influenced by is the one presented by Plato, who believed in the universe of the forms and that the principle of all things existed in the higher world and regard material objects as shadows and darkness. Although his viewpoints of hadiths have historical roots outside of the Muslim world, aspects of such beliefs can be viewed in various religions and schools of interest to esoteric interpretations of Shiite Islam in particular.
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