|
|
עמוד:11
Introduction 11 Early Sufis emphasize stories of piety related to ablution, such as obsessive engagement with washing one’s body Exaggeration in carrying out ablution was rejected by those who adhered to the spiritual interpretation of ablution Abstinence is shown, for example, in the conduct of Sufis who immersed in cold water in order to perform complete ablution ( ghusl ) Others behaved with pious modesty when bathing in a public bath The difference between the physical, outward ( ẓāhir ) and the spiritual, inward ( bāṭin ) aspects of fulfilling this precept is also found in the treatment of this issue It is analogous to differentiating between the Law ( sharī‘a ) , the external aspect, and the Truth ( ḥaqīqa ) , the internal aspect The Sufis did not deny the importance of the outward perspective of ablution but rather they asserted that both the outward and the inward aspects should be performed simultaneously . Both ways serve the aim of coming close to God . However, some Sufis, like al - Ghazālī, preferred spiritual means to attain this target . Here, also the theocentric approach to ablution is discerned The Sufis also differentiated between the common people who adhered to the outward implementation of ablution as opposed to the elite who preferred the inward way of ablution Ibn al - ‘Arabī’s explanation of the division between the outward and the inward aspects of ablution reflects his admirable thought He argues that since God addresses all the human parts, physical as well as spiritual, one should worship Him by using all his capacities For example, belief resides in the human heart ; it is the purity of the heart and it corresponds to the outward state of purity of the body The theological notion of tanzīh , that is, denying that God has human traits, is incorporated in the discussion of ablution Ablution means freeing oneself from impure things Thus, the state of one’s purity is equal to God’s state of being free from human characteristics . However, whereas God is essentially pure, the human being’s purity is achieved by one’s efforts and is accidental
|
|