Abu Sa'id al-Kharraz
Abu Sa'id Ahmad ibn "Isa al-Kharraz of Baghdad, a cobbler by trade, met Dho 'l-Nun al-Mesri and associated with Beshr al-Hafi and Sari al-Saqati. To him is attributed the formulation of the mysti cal doctrine of passing-away (from human attri-butes) and continuance (in God). Author of sev-eral books including some which have survived, the date of his death is uncertain but probably occurred between 279 (892) and 286 (899).
The doctrine of Abu Sa'id-e Kharraz
Abu Sa'id-e Kharraz was called "the Tongue of Sufism". They gave him this nickname because no one in this community possessed a tongue of mystic truth such as he. He composed four hundred books on the theme of disassociation and detachment, and was indeed a nonpareil.
Originally of Baghdad, Abu Sa'id met Dho 'l-Nun-e Mesri and associated with Besht and Sari-e Saqati. He was the first to speak of the states of "passing-away" and "continuance" in the mystical sense, summing up his whole doctrine in these two terms. Certain of the theologians who followed the exoteric school disap-proved of the subtleties of his teaching, and condemned him of blasphemy on account of certain expressions
which they found in his works. In particular they criti cted his Book of the Secret, especially a passage occur ring in it which they failed to understand properly. This is where Abu Sa'id states, "A servant of God who has returned to God and attached himself to God and has come to dwell in propinquity to God, such a man has completely forgotten himself and all other than God, so that if you were to say to him, "Where are you from, and what do you seek? he would have no other answer but simply "God"."
Another passage in Abu Sa'id's writings to which objection has been taken is where he says, "If a certain one of these mystics is asked, 'What do you want?" he replies "God". If he is in such a state that all the parts of his body become vocal, they all say "God". For his members and joints are fully bathed in the Light of God, so that he is drawn into God. So far has he reached in propinquity to God, that in his presence no one is able to say "God', for whatever proceeds there proceeds from Reality unto Reality and from God to God. Since here, in the state of ordinary men, nothing has resulted from God, how can anyone say "God'? Here all reason of reasoning men ends in bewilder-ment."
"All men," Abu Sa'id once said, "have been given the choice between remoteness and propinquity. I chose
remoteness, because I could not support propinquity. Similarly Lokman said, 'I was given the choice between wisdom and prophecy, I chose wisdom, because I could not support the burden of prophecy."
Abu Sa'id related the following dreams.
Once I dreamed that two angels came down from Heaven and said to me, "What is truthfulness?" 1 replied, "Fulfilling one's covenants." "You have spo-ken the truth, they said, then they both departed to Heaven.
Again I dreamed that I saw the Prophet. He said to me, "Do you love me?" I replied, "Excuse me. My love for God has preoccupied me from loving you." The Prophet said, "Whoso loves God loves me."
On another occasion in a dream I saw Iblis. I took a stick to beat him. I heard a Heavenly voice say, "He is not afraid of a stick. He is afraid of the light which is in your heart. Then I said to Iblis, "Come!" Iblis replied, "What can I do with you? You have cast out the thing whereby I beguile men." "What is that?" I asked. "The world," he answered. Then as he left me Iblis looked back and said, "There is a little thing in you men by which I attain my purpose." "What is that?" I asked. "Sitting with boys," Iblis replied.
When I was in Damascus I again saw the Prophet in a dream. He approached me leaning on Abu Bakr and Omar. I was reciting a verse of poetry, tapping my breast with my hunger. The Prophet said, "The evil of this is greater than its good." He meant that one should not practise audition.
Abu Sa'ide Kharraz had two sons, one of whom predeceased him. One night he saw him in a dream.
"Son, what has God done with you?" Abu Said asked.
"He brought me close to Him and made much of me," his son replied.
"Son, make me testament," Abu Sa'id begged.
"Father, his son answered, "do not entertain dark thoughts of God."
"Tell me more!"
"Father, if I speak, you will not be able to bear it."
"I ask God to assist me," said Abu Said.
"Father," said the son, "do not suffer a single shirt to come between yourself and God."
It is said that in all the thirty years which Abu Sa'id lived after this dream he never wore a shirt again.