What do you think?
Rate this book
The Mysticism of Hamzah Fansuri
- GenresIslam
556 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1970
18 people are currently reading
387 people want to read
About the author
Syed Muhammad Naquib al-Attas
36 books591 followersSyed Muhammad Naquib al-Attas, born September 5, 1931 in Bogor, Java, is a prominent contemporary Muslim thinker. He is one of the few contemporary scholars who is thoroughly rooted in the traditional Islamic sciences and who is equally competent in theology, philosophy, metaphysics, history, and literature. His thought is integrated, multifaceted and creative. Al-Attas’ philosophy and methodology of education have one goal: Islamization of the mind, body and soul and its effects on the personal and collective life on Muslims as well as others, including the spiritual and physical non-human environment. He is the author of twenty-seven authoritative works on various aspects of Islamic thought and civilization, particularly on Sufism, cosmology, metaphysics, philosophy and Malay language and literature.
Al-Attas was born into a family with a history of illustrious ancestors, saints, and scholars. He received a thorough education in Islamic sciences, Malay language, literature and culture. His formal primary education began at age 5 in Johor, Malaysia, but during the Japanese occupation of Malaysia, he went to school in Java, in Madrasah Al-`Urwatu’l-wuthqa, studying in Arabic. After World War II in 1946 he returned to Johor to complete his secondary education. He was exposed to Malay literature, history, religion, and western classics in English, and in a cultured social atmosphere developed a keen aesthetic sensitivity. This nurtured in al-Attas an exquisite style and precise vocabulary that were unique to his Malay writings and language. After al-Attas finished secondary school in 1951, he entered the Malay Regiment as cadet officer no. 6675. There he was selected to study at Eton Hall, Chester, Wales and later at the Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst, England (952 -55). This gave him insight into the spirit and style of British society. During this time he was drawn to the metaphysics of the Sufis, especially works of Jami, which he found in the library of the Academy. He traveled widely, drawn especially to Spain and North Africa where Islamic heritage had a profound influence on him. Al-Attas felt the need to study, and voluntarily resigned from the King’s Commission to serve in the Royal Malay Regiment, in order to pursue studies at the University of Malaya in Singapore 1957-59. While undergraduate at University of Malay, he wrote Rangkaian Ruba`iyat, a literary work, and Some Aspects of Sufism as Understood and Practised among the Malays. He was awarded the Canada Council Fellowship for three years of study at the Institute of Islamic Studies at McGill University in Montreal. He received the M.A. degree with distinction in Islamic philosophy in 1962, with his thesis “Raniri and the Wujudiyyah of 17th Century Acheh” . Al-Attas went on to the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London where he worked with Professor A. J. Arberry of Cambridge and Dr. Martin Lings. His doctoral thesis (1962) was a two-volume work on the mysticism of Hamzah Fansuri.
In 1965, Dr. al-Attas returned to Malaysia and became Head of the Division of Literature in the Department of Malay Studies at the University of Malay, Kuala Lumpur. He was Dean of the Faculty of Arts from 1968-70. Thereafter he moved to the new National University of Malaysia, as Head of the Department of Malay Language and Literature and then Dean of the Faculty of Arts. He strongly advocated the use of Malay as the language of instruction at the university level and proposed an integrated method of studying Malay language, literature and culture so that the role and influence of Islam and its relationship with other languages and cultures would be studied with clarity. He founded and directed the Institute of Malay Language, Literature, and Culture (IBKKM) at the National University of Malaysia in 1973 to carry out his vision.
In 1987, with al-Attas as founder and director, the International Institute of Islamic Thought a
Al-Attas was born into a family with a history of illustrious ancestors, saints, and scholars. He received a thorough education in Islamic sciences, Malay language, literature and culture. His formal primary education began at age 5 in Johor, Malaysia, but during the Japanese occupation of Malaysia, he went to school in Java, in Madrasah Al-`Urwatu’l-wuthqa, studying in Arabic. After World War II in 1946 he returned to Johor to complete his secondary education. He was exposed to Malay literature, history, religion, and western classics in English, and in a cultured social atmosphere developed a keen aesthetic sensitivity. This nurtured in al-Attas an exquisite style and precise vocabulary that were unique to his Malay writings and language. After al-Attas finished secondary school in 1951, he entered the Malay Regiment as cadet officer no. 6675. There he was selected to study at Eton Hall, Chester, Wales and later at the Royal Military Academy, Sandhurst, England (952 -55). This gave him insight into the spirit and style of British society. During this time he was drawn to the metaphysics of the Sufis, especially works of Jami, which he found in the library of the Academy. He traveled widely, drawn especially to Spain and North Africa where Islamic heritage had a profound influence on him. Al-Attas felt the need to study, and voluntarily resigned from the King’s Commission to serve in the Royal Malay Regiment, in order to pursue studies at the University of Malaya in Singapore 1957-59. While undergraduate at University of Malay, he wrote Rangkaian Ruba`iyat, a literary work, and Some Aspects of Sufism as Understood and Practised among the Malays. He was awarded the Canada Council Fellowship for three years of study at the Institute of Islamic Studies at McGill University in Montreal. He received the M.A. degree with distinction in Islamic philosophy in 1962, with his thesis “Raniri and the Wujudiyyah of 17th Century Acheh” . Al-Attas went on to the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London where he worked with Professor A. J. Arberry of Cambridge and Dr. Martin Lings. His doctoral thesis (1962) was a two-volume work on the mysticism of Hamzah Fansuri.
In 1965, Dr. al-Attas returned to Malaysia and became Head of the Division of Literature in the Department of Malay Studies at the University of Malay, Kuala Lumpur. He was Dean of the Faculty of Arts from 1968-70. Thereafter he moved to the new National University of Malaysia, as Head of the Department of Malay Language and Literature and then Dean of the Faculty of Arts. He strongly advocated the use of Malay as the language of instruction at the university level and proposed an integrated method of studying Malay language, literature and culture so that the role and influence of Islam and its relationship with other languages and cultures would be studied with clarity. He founded and directed the Institute of Malay Language, Literature, and Culture (IBKKM) at the National University of Malaysia in 1973 to carry out his vision.
In 1987, with al-Attas as founder and director, the International Institute of Islamic Thought a
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
April 24, 2022
Hamzah Fansuri
This is one of the earlier works of al-Attas that showcases the brilliance of his even in his early years. He might be the first scholar that unpacks the mystical figure of Hamzah Fansuri to its full splendor, elucidating the true meaning of his teachings and to strip away the misunderstandings.
Hamzah Fansuri could be the first Malay mystic that expounds the doctrine of Unity of Existence in the Malay Archipelago systematically. He was also the first one to be misunderstood and his name and works ended up in the bonfires.
The doctrine of Unity of Existence, in its most potent form, could be found in the works of al-Arabi. One could only peek at the first few pages of his work only to retreat in confusion. One could only stand bewildered and wonder, to decide whether his words are poetic in nature, or factual. Should we take his belief that God is both transcendent and immanent in the World, or that God is limited by His creations in some way, as a fact or a lyrical allusion? One could say that one is poetic when he described his lover in a hyperbole. Could we say the same when the descriptions fall short from the lover’s actual beauty, or actually mocking her? At what point the lovely nibbles turned into a painful bite, to what extent intention should excuse action? To what point, the robustness of the law should make a leeway to aesthetic seesaw?
If indeed the experience of the elect ones is the primal truth behind every fiber of existence, why cloth it behind poems and perplexing utterings?
The robustness of the idea of Unity of Existence is an ontological truth, not merely a mystical vision. As I mentioned it many times elsewhere, it is the model that can enjoin two indubitable facts together: that of the Absoluteness of God and the Existence of the World. Hamzah Fansuri, owing his origin to the temperate people of the Malayan Archipelago, has etched his name in the firmaments for his success in introducing the idea to the people in a lucid and logical way. His poetic stanzas served as an embellishment or perhaps a memory or reinforcing aid to help drum his ideas in the heart, never as a tool to cause perplexity.
It is actually quite amazing how the Indian scholar al-Raniri managed to pull a wool to people’s eyes, saying that the teaching of Hamzah Fansuri is a heretical one, while managing to write tomes of books that mirrors exactly that of Hamzah’s ideas.
In this edition, Hamzah presented to the world 3 translated and annotated works of Hamzah’s, Asrar-al-Arifin, Sharab-al-Ashiqin and al-Muntahi; the one and only in the world. One could compare the lucidity of the prose in the Asrar to the basic texts of the pondok like that of the al-Durr al-Manzum, and the Sharab and Muntahi to the more advanced writings of al-Ghazzali in the Misykat. It is incredibly saddening how Hamzah have been sidelined for a simple magic trick of defaming his ideas, through confounding and conflating his specific terms and words to the high heavens.
This is one of the earlier works of al-Attas that showcases the brilliance of his even in his early years. He might be the first scholar that unpacks the mystical figure of Hamzah Fansuri to its full splendor, elucidating the true meaning of his teachings and to strip away the misunderstandings.
Hamzah Fansuri could be the first Malay mystic that expounds the doctrine of Unity of Existence in the Malay Archipelago systematically. He was also the first one to be misunderstood and his name and works ended up in the bonfires.
The doctrine of Unity of Existence, in its most potent form, could be found in the works of al-Arabi. One could only peek at the first few pages of his work only to retreat in confusion. One could only stand bewildered and wonder, to decide whether his words are poetic in nature, or factual. Should we take his belief that God is both transcendent and immanent in the World, or that God is limited by His creations in some way, as a fact or a lyrical allusion? One could say that one is poetic when he described his lover in a hyperbole. Could we say the same when the descriptions fall short from the lover’s actual beauty, or actually mocking her? At what point the lovely nibbles turned into a painful bite, to what extent intention should excuse action? To what point, the robustness of the law should make a leeway to aesthetic seesaw?
If indeed the experience of the elect ones is the primal truth behind every fiber of existence, why cloth it behind poems and perplexing utterings?
The robustness of the idea of Unity of Existence is an ontological truth, not merely a mystical vision. As I mentioned it many times elsewhere, it is the model that can enjoin two indubitable facts together: that of the Absoluteness of God and the Existence of the World. Hamzah Fansuri, owing his origin to the temperate people of the Malayan Archipelago, has etched his name in the firmaments for his success in introducing the idea to the people in a lucid and logical way. His poetic stanzas served as an embellishment or perhaps a memory or reinforcing aid to help drum his ideas in the heart, never as a tool to cause perplexity.
It is actually quite amazing how the Indian scholar al-Raniri managed to pull a wool to people’s eyes, saying that the teaching of Hamzah Fansuri is a heretical one, while managing to write tomes of books that mirrors exactly that of Hamzah’s ideas.
In this edition, Hamzah presented to the world 3 translated and annotated works of Hamzah’s, Asrar-al-Arifin, Sharab-al-Ashiqin and al-Muntahi; the one and only in the world. One could compare the lucidity of the prose in the Asrar to the basic texts of the pondok like that of the al-Durr al-Manzum, and the Sharab and Muntahi to the more advanced writings of al-Ghazzali in the Misykat. It is incredibly saddening how Hamzah have been sidelined for a simple magic trick of defaming his ideas, through confounding and conflating his specific terms and words to the high heavens.
September 26, 2024
The Mysticism of Hamzah Fansuri is a seminal work in Islamic studies, offering a comprehensive analysis of the teachings and philosophy of the 17th-century Malay Sufi master, Hamzah Fansuri. Al-Attas provides a nuanced interpretation of Fansuri's writings, placing them within the broader context of Islamic mysticism and Malay cultural traditions.
The Unity of Being (Wahdat al-Wujud): Al-Attas explores Fansuri's espousal of the Wahdat al-Wujud doctrine, which posits the ultimate unity of all existence in God. He examines how Fansuri reconciles this concept with Islamic orthodoxy, avoiding the pitfalls of pantheism.
The Role of the Prophet Muhammad: Fansuri's teachings emphasize the centrality of the Prophet Muhammad as the perfect exemplar of humanity and the ultimate source of guidance. Al-Attas analyzes how Fansuri integrates this emphasis with his understanding of divine unity.
The Malay Context: Al-Attas highlights the unique cultural and historical context in which Fansuri's teachings developed. He examines how Fansuri's mysticism was influenced by Malay traditions, particularly the animistic beliefs and practices prevalent in the region.
The Significance of Sufism: Al-Attas argues that Fansuri's teachings represent a distinctive form of Islamic mysticism, characterized by its emphasis on divine love, spiritual experience, and the pursuit of inner knowledge. He contrasts Fansuri's approach with other Sufi traditions.
Overall, The Mysticism of Hamzah Fansuri is a groundbreaking work that has significantly advanced our understanding of Islamic mysticism in Southeast Asia. Al-Attas's meticulous analysis and insightful interpretations have made Fansuri a more widely recognized figure in the Islamic world. The book's relevance extends beyond academic circles, offering valuable insights into the rich intellectual heritage of Malay culture.
The Unity of Being (Wahdat al-Wujud): Al-Attas explores Fansuri's espousal of the Wahdat al-Wujud doctrine, which posits the ultimate unity of all existence in God. He examines how Fansuri reconciles this concept with Islamic orthodoxy, avoiding the pitfalls of pantheism.
The Role of the Prophet Muhammad: Fansuri's teachings emphasize the centrality of the Prophet Muhammad as the perfect exemplar of humanity and the ultimate source of guidance. Al-Attas analyzes how Fansuri integrates this emphasis with his understanding of divine unity.
The Malay Context: Al-Attas highlights the unique cultural and historical context in which Fansuri's teachings developed. He examines how Fansuri's mysticism was influenced by Malay traditions, particularly the animistic beliefs and practices prevalent in the region.
The Significance of Sufism: Al-Attas argues that Fansuri's teachings represent a distinctive form of Islamic mysticism, characterized by its emphasis on divine love, spiritual experience, and the pursuit of inner knowledge. He contrasts Fansuri's approach with other Sufi traditions.
Overall, The Mysticism of Hamzah Fansuri is a groundbreaking work that has significantly advanced our understanding of Islamic mysticism in Southeast Asia. Al-Attas's meticulous analysis and insightful interpretations have made Fansuri a more widely recognized figure in the Islamic world. The book's relevance extends beyond academic circles, offering valuable insights into the rich intellectual heritage of Malay culture.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews