Page viii - Preface:
"I have provided a relatively large amount of translation from primary texts, because
any attempt to understand Sufism in its own context demands looking at its own ways of
expressing itself, not simply at interpretations made in contemporary terms."
Commentary: There
are several presumptions inherent in the foregoing. One of these presumptions is that one
must study the way the proponents of the Sufi Path express themselves if one wishes to
understand this spiritual Path. This presumption is not correct.
A Sufi teacher who was a
close friend of my first shaykh once said: "There have been so many Rumies who
have never uttered a word". The Sufi Path has never been about the literature -
poetry or prose.
Although both the spoken
and written word have important roles to play within the Sufi tradition, this tradition is
not primarily transmitted through either the written or spoken word. The essence of this
tradition passes from heart to heart in a direct fashion, unmediated by words. This is
known as "sina bin sina".
Another presumption
inherent in the foregoing quote is the author’s belief that he understands what he is
translating and, therefore, that he has translated the material correctly. In many cases,
translations tend to reveal more about the translator than they do about the writer’s
work which is being translated, and this is especially true of many renderings of mystical
literature.
Alternatively, an
individual might do a good job of translating a certain text and, yet, still not really
understand the meaning or significance of what has been translated. In other words, the
process of translation entails several components - some of which are linguistic, and some
of which are hermeneutical. An individual might do a very competent job of producing a
proper linguistic rendering of a given text being translated, but, nevertheless, this same
individual might not be able to "merge horizons" (a term used within
hermenutics) with all of the layers and nuances of meaning which are entailed by the
language of the translation.
While one might agree
with the author’s contention concerning the importance of trying to understand the
Sufi tradition in its own context, this context will not necessarily be supplied through
translations. In fact, irrespective of whether, or not, translations draw upon primary
material, they tend to take one away from the true context of the Sufi tradition which is
the relationship between a living Sufi teacher and her or his student.
Anyone who believes one
will come to understand the Sufi Path merely by examining primary source material and
providing translations of such is sadly mistaken. One might just as well argue that one
can understand the reality of a tornado merely by reading and translating primary
scientific literature on this topic.
If a person wishes to
understand the Sufi tradition, then, the individual will have to traverse the Path. There
is no other way.
The author of the quote
on which this commentary is based has said that one cannot understand the Sufi Path merely
by looking "at interpretations made in contemporary terms". This is the second
time within a few paragraphs that the author has spoken somewhat disparagingly of things
of a contemporary nature.
If this allusion is to
those in modern times who would try, from the outside, to impose their own subjective,
conceptual interpretations upon the Sufi tradition, then, one could agree with the author.
If, however, the author is suggesting there is something wrong with authentic Sufi
teachers in contemporary times and that they are, somehow, to be less preferred than
translations based on primary source material when seeking an understanding of the Sufi
tradition, then, the author is, quite simply, incorrect.
The living book is always
preferable to the dead one, and ibn al-’Arabi (may Allah be pleased with him) - a
favorite subject for translation by the author - says as much in his writings.
Consequently, the author might have made a lot more fruitful progress in his quest to
alleviate the confusion surrounding the Sufi tradition if he had taken the time he spent
in translating primary source material and devoted that time to finding a living exemplar
of what he is seeking to understand, and, then, reporting what that exemplar had to say.
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