Mystical Dimensions of Islam

«Glory to God Who has not vouchsafed to His creatures any means of attaining unto knowledge of Him except through impotence to attain unto knowledge of Him.» — el epígrafe con que el volumen abre su cuerpo, impreso sin firma: el conocimiento de Dios solo se alcanza por la impotencia de alcanzarlo.

«In recent years many books have been published on Sufism and the spiritual life in Islam.» — Schimmel abre el capítulo primero situando su libro en una bibliografía ya crecida.

«Each of them has touched upon a different facet, for the phenomenon usually called Sufism is so broad and its appearance so protean that nobody can venture to describe it fully.» — la razón que da Schimmel para que ningún libro agote el asunto: el sufismo es proteico y cada estudio toca una faceta.

«Like the blind men in Rūmī’s famous story, when they were made to touch an elephant, each described it according to the part of the body his hands had touched: to one the elephant appeared like a throne, to another like a fan» — Schimmel toma de Rūmī la parábola de los ciegos y el elefante, que cita por el Mathnawī (M 3:1259–68), para decir lo que le pasa a quien describe el sufismo; el tramo corta antes de la enumeración restante.

«That mysticism contains something mysterious, not to be reached by ordinary means or by intellectual effort, is understood from the root common to the words mystic and mystery, the Greek myein, “to close the eyes.”» — la etimología con que Schimmel traza el sentido de misticismo: el griego *myein*, cerrar los ojos.

«Mysticism has been called “the great spiritual current which goes through all religions.”» — Schimmel recoge, sin firmarla, la definición del misticismo como corriente espiritual que atraviesa todas las religiones.

«In its widest sense it may be defined as the consciousness of the One Reality—be it called Wisdom, Light, Love, or Nothing.» — la definición amplia que Schimmel propone: consciencia de la Realidad Una, llámesele Sabiduría, Luz, Amor o Nada.

«Such definitions, however, merely point our way.» — Schimmel acota de inmediato el alcance de esas definiciones: solo señalan la dirección.

«Only the wisdom of the heart, gnosis, may give insight into some of its aspects.» — según Schimmel, ni la filosofía ni la razón alcanzan esa realidad: solo la sabiduría del corazón, la gnosis, y solo algunos de sus aspectos.

«Mysticism can be defined as love of the Absolute—for the power that separates true mysticism from mere asceticism is love.» — la distinción que Schimmel usa en todo el libro: lo que separa el misticismo del mero ascetismo es el amor.

«Divine love makes the seeker capable of bearing, even of enjoying, all the pains and afflictions that God showers upon him in order to test him and to purify his soul.» — Schimmel enuncia la función que el amor divino cumple en la prueba y la purificación del buscador.

«This love can carry the mystic’s heart to the Divine Presence “like the falcon which carries away the prey,” separating him, thus, from all that is created in time.» — la imagen del halcón que Schimmel trae para el arrebato del corazón, con las comillas que ella misma pone.

«The former type has found its highest and purest expression in the system of Plotinus and in the Upanishads, particularly as elaborated in Shankara’s advaita philosophy.» — Schimmel coloca el Misticismo de la Infinitud en Plotino y en los Upanishads, con el advaita de Shankara como elaboración.

«Sufism comes close to it in some of the forms developed by the Ibn ʿArabī school.» — Schimmel sitúa la escuela de Ibn ʿArabī del lado del Misticismo de la Infinitud, con la cautela de *comes close*.

«Here, the Numen is conceived as the Being beyond all being, or even as the Not-Being, because it cannot be described by any of the categories of finite thought; it is infinite, timeless, spaceless, the Absolute Existence, and the Only Reality.» — la descripción que Schimmel da del Numen en ese primer tipo: Ser más allá de todo ser, o incluso No-Ser, por indescriptible con categorías finitas.

«By contrast the world possesses only a “limited reality,” which derives its conditioned existence from the Absolute Existence of the Divine.» — el estatuto que ese tipo de misticismo deja al mundo, según Schimmel: realidad limitada y existencia condicionada.

«This type of mysticism was often attacked by prophets and reformers, because it seemed to deny the value of the human personality and to result in pantheism or monism, thus constituting the greatest threat to personal responsibility.» — Schimmel consigna la objeción de profetas y reformadores sin hacerla suya: que ese misticismo anula la personalidad y desemboca en panteísmo o monismo.

«The idea of continuous emanation in contrast to the unique divine act of creation was considered, by both Muslim and Christian mystics, to be incompatible with the Biblico-Koranic idea of a creatio ex nihilo.» — Schimmel registra que místicos musulmanes y cristianos tuvieron por incompatibles la emanación continua y la creación de la nada.

«In the so-called Mysticism of Personality, the relation between man and God is perceived as that of creature and Creator, of a slave in the presence of his Lord, or of a lover yearning for his Beloved.» — el segundo tipo según Schimmel, que dice más común en el sufismo temprano: criatura y Creador, siervo y Señor, amante y Amado.

«These two types of mystical experience, however, are rarely met with in their purest forms.» — Schimmel desactiva su propia tipología en cuanto la enuncia: los tipos puros casi no se dan.

«A differentiation between the “voluntaristic” and the “gnostic” approaches to mystical experience is somewhat easier.» — la segunda distinción que Schimmel propone, y que declara más manejable que la primera.

«The mystic of the voluntaristic type wants to “qualify himself with the qualities of God,” as the Prophetic tradition says, and to unite his own will completely with God’s will, thus eventually overcoming the theoretical difficulties posed by the dilemma of predestination and free will.» — el tipo voluntarista según Schimmel, con la fórmula de la tradición profética —cualificarse con las cualidades de Dios— dentro de la cita.

«This mysticism can be seen as a practical life process.» — Schimmel resume el tipo voluntarista como proceso vital práctico.

«knowledge of God: he attempts to know the structure of His universe or to interpret the degree of His revelations—although no mystic could ever dare to “know” His Essence.» — el tipo gnóstico según Schimmel, con su límite dentro: ningún místico se atrevería a conocer la Esencia. La frase empieza en la plana anterior con *The mystic of the gnostic type strives for a deeper*.

«Did not Dhūʾn-Nūn (d. 859), usually regarded as one of the founders of speculations about maʿrifa, or gnosis, warn his fellow mystics: “To ponder about the Essence of God is ignorance, and to point to Him is associationism (shirk), and real gnosis is bewilderment” (N 34)?» — Schimmel cita a Dhūʾn-Nūn, muerto en 859 y tenido por uno de los fundadores de la especulación sobre la maʿrifa: pensar la Esencia es ignorancia, señalarla es shirk y la gnosis verdadera es perplejidad. La sigla N remite a las Nafaḥāt al-uns de Jāmī.

«Despite this bewilderment, the gnostic approach often led to the building of theosophical systems with its adherents tending to interpret every aspect of mysticism in the light of their own particular theories, sometimes even denying the simple experience of loving submission.» — Schimmel señala el precio del enfoque gnóstico: sistemas teosóficos que acaban negando la experiencia simple de la sumisión amorosa.

«In Islamic mysticism, both aspects are equally strong, and in later periods they are intermingled.» — la conclusión de Schimmel sobre los dos enfoques: igual de fuertes, y mezclados en las épocas tardías.

«There is a difference between one who is burned by His Majesty in the fire of love and one who is illuminated by His Beauty in the light of contemplation.» — Hujwīrī, muerto hacia 1071, en la traducción que Schimmel cita del Kashf al-Maḥjūb (H 367): quien arde en el fuego del amor por la Majestad no es quien se ilumina en la luz de la contemplación de la Belleza.

«There is a difference between one who meditates upon the Divine acts and one who is amazed at the Divine Majesty; the one is a follower of friendship, the other is a companion of love.» — la segunda distinción de Hujwīrī que Schimmel reproduce (H 373): meditar los actos divinos es amistad, asombrarse de la Majestad es amor.

«to whom the Primordial Grace and Lovingkindness has granted salvation after their being submerged in complete union and in the wave of tauḥīd [unification], [taking them out] of the belly of the fish “Annihilation” on the shore of separation and in the arena of permanent subsistence, so that they might lead the people towards salvation.» — Jāmī, en las Nafaḥāt al-uns (N 8–9) que Schimmel traduce, describe al primero de los dos tipos de sufí avanzado: el que vuelve del vientre del pez de la Aniquilación para guiar a la gente. Los corchetes son de la traductora.

«The others are those who are completely submerged in the ocean of Unity and have been so completely naughted in the belly of the fish “Annihilation” that never a news or trace comes to the shore of separation and the direction of subsistence . . . and the sanctity of perfecting others is not entrusted to them.» — el segundo tipo de Jāmī: los que no vuelven, y a quienes por eso no se confía la santidad de perfeccionar a otros.

«Even the finest psychological analysis is limited; words remain on the shore, as the Sufis would say.» — Schimmel declara el límite del análisis psicológico de la experiencia mística con una fórmula que atribuye a los sufíes.

«the French scholar Henry Corbin, in his book on Ibn ʿArabī, has shown to what depths such a study of structure underlying» — Schimmel nombra el libro de Henry Corbin sobre Ibn ʿArabī como ejemplo de hasta dónde llega el estudio de estructuras; el tramo corta antes de *a specific mystical-philosophical system can lead*, que el troceo parte con guion de fin de renglón.

«Since Sufism is to a very large extent built upon the principle of the disciple’s initiation, the different methods of spiritual education, the exercises practiced in the Sufi orders, the psychological phases of the progress, the formation of orders, and their sociological and cultural role are rewarding fields of research.» — Schimmel enuncia que el sufismo está construido en muy buena medida sobre el principio de la iniciación del discípulo, y de ahí deriva el programa de investigación.

«the works of the Catalanian mystic and scholar Ramon Lull (d. 1316) show a remarkable influence of Sufi literature.» — Schimmel data el primer contacto de Europa con ideas sufíes en la Edad Media y lo apoya en la obra de Ramon Lull, muerto en 1316.

«The first figure from the history of Sufism to be introduced into European literature was Rābiʿa al-ʿAdawiyya, the great woman saint of the eighth century; her legend was brought to Europe by Joinville, the chancellor of Louis IX, in the late thirteenth century.» — según Schimmel, la primera figura sufí que entra en la literatura europea es Rābiʿa al-ʿAdawiyya, traída por Joinville a fines del siglo XIII.

«In 1638 the learned Fabricius of Rostock University edited and translated, for the first time, a poem by the great Egyptian mystic» — Schimmel data en 1638 la primera edición y traducción europea de un poema de Ibn al-Fāriḍ, muerto en 1235, por Fabricius de la Universidad de Rostock.

«Most of the information about oriental spirituality, however, was derived from the translations of Persian classical poetry— Saʿdī’s Gulistān has been one of the favorite books of European intellectuals since Adam Olearius produced its first complete translation into German in 1651.» — Schimmel hace venir de la poesía clásica persa el grueso de lo que Europa supo de espiritualidad oriental, y data en 1651 la traducción alemana completa del Gulistān de Saʿdī por Adam Olearius.

«That is why the interpreters usually agreed that Sufism must be a foreign plant in the sandy desert of Islam, the religion that was so little known and even less appreciated and that could not possibly be related to any finer and higher spiritual movement.» — Schimmel consigna la tesis que dominó entre los intérpretes europeos: el sufismo como planta extranjera en el desierto del islam.

«Amazingly enough, Tholuck—himself a good Protestant and therefore not at all prone to mystical ideas» — Schimmel destaca a Tholuck como excepción a esa tesis, y subraya que era protestante y poco dado a lo místico; la frase sigue con lo que él entendió de la doctrina sufí.

«A truly beautiful book. . . . Radiates an elegance of style. . . . Replete not only with the poetic insight of the author but with her unquestioned scholarly mastery over materials from the vast culture-sphere of Islam.” —International Journal for Philosophy of Religion» — solapa de la edición, no voz de Schimmel: la plana de elogios abre con la reseña del International Journal for Philosophy of Religion, que junta la intuición poética de la autora con su dominio de los materiales del ámbito cultural islámico.

«Combines scholarly criticism with sympathetic appreciation. . . . Progresses historically from the rise of Islam to the modern day, with ample commentary and phenomenological discussion.” —Journal of the American Academy of Religion» — la misma plana de elogios reproduce el juicio del Journal of the American Academy of Religion, que describe el plan del libro como recorrido histórico desde el surgimiento del islam hasta el presente, con discusión fenomenológica.

«Schimmel is an undisputed authority in this field. . . . [This] is the most comprehensive and satisfactory survey of the subject, filled with as much empathy and feeling as erudition. . . . Invaluable.”—History of Religions» — el elogio de History of Religions, con sus corchetes de elisión tal como los imprime la solapa.

«Comprehensive, detailed, and combines sophistication in religious studies with high-level competence in the original sources. . . . Provides far more detail, depth of analysis, breadth of geographical coverage, and sustained clear explication and interpretation of individual topics than can be found in any other survey [of Sufism] in English.” —Journal of Near Eastern Studies» — el Journal of Near Eastern Studies, en la solapa, mide el libro contra los demás panoramas del sufismo en inglés por detalle, profundidad de análisis y cobertura geográfica.

«A major addition to the literature on [Sufism], surpassing in scope and detail all general surveys of Sufism that have hitherto been attempted in western languages. It is destined to become not only a standard introductory textbook, but also a primary source of reference for those who concern themselves, in more specialized manner, with this dimension of Islam. . . . Rich, learned, comprehensive and attractive . . . a waymark in the western schol» — el Journal of the American Oriental Society, citado en la solapa, anuncia el libro como manual introductorio y a la vez fuente de referencia; el tramo se corta donde la plana acaba y sigue *arly study of Sufism* en la misma plana.

«The approach is comprehensive and informal, the style anecdotal and entertaining, the author’s erudition never obtrusive but always reassuringly present.”» — el Bulletin of the School of Oriental and African Studies, en la solapa, califica el estilo del libro de anecdótico y la erudición de discreta.

«A superb achievement. . . . The author has read all the mystics in the original, and all the important works by European scholars. Yet this solid scholarship (evidenced also by the very full bibliography) is completely hidden by a charming and eminently readable style, and by a sureness and lightness of touch which retain the interest of the reader and carry him effortless» — el Journal of Semitic Studies, en la solapa, afirma que la autora leyó a todos los místicos en su lengua original; el tramo corta en el fin de la plana 2 y la frase termina *along* en la plana 3.

«The Martyrdom of al-Ḥallāj / 63 Woman in Trance / 151 Abūʾl-Adyān Passing through the Pyre / 201 Rembrandt’s Copy of a Mogul Miniature / 233 Ṣanʿān Tending the Swine / 269 Saint with Tame Lions / 349» — aparato de la edición: la lista de las seis láminas del volumen, con la página IMPRESA de cada una. Esas cifras no son planas del troceo: el pie de la primera lámina cae en la plana 89 y el de la de Rembrandt en la 267, con diferencias de 26 y de 34 respecto de sus cifras impresas, de modo que no hay constante que convertir.

«The Martyrdom of al-Ḥallāj, from a manuscript of Amīr Khosrau’s Dīwān, seventeenth-century India. - The Walters Art Gallery, Baltimore» — el pie de la lámina, que el EPUB inserta a media frase del cuerpo —entre *the next day they* y *put him on the gallows*— y acredita el manuscrito del Dīwān de Amīr Khosrau y la Walters Art Gallery de Baltimore.

«Readers have appreciated the way the book combines careful and wide-ranging scholarship with a direct and approachable style, making it an excellent introduction to the topic.» — el foreword de Carl W. Ernst explica la fortuna del libro por la mezcla de erudición y estilo directo.

«In the original foreword, Annemarie Schimmel described the dauntingly difficult character of Islamic mysticism as a subject of academic research.» — Ernst recuerda que la propia Schimmel declaró en el foreword original lo arduo del misticismo islámico como objeto de investigación.

«At the same time, she acknowledged that it was the repeated demands of her students at Harvard that caused her to put her lectures into book form.» — según Ernst, el libro nació de la insistencia de los alumnos de Harvard por que las clases se volvieran libro.

«Most academics would agree that no scholar in the last half of the twentieth century had a greater impact on the study of Islamic mysticism than Annemarie Schimmel (1922–2003), formerly professor of Indo-Muslim studies at Harvard University.» — Ernst fecha a Schimmel entre 1922 y 2003 y la sitúa como profesora de estudios indomusulmanes en Harvard.

«Among her many achievements, she earned two doctorates from German universities, the first from Berlin in Arabic and Islamic studies at the age of nineteen and the second, ten years later, from Marburg in the history of religion.» — la formación que Ernst le adjudica: dos doctorados alemanes, el primero en Berlín a los diecinueve años y el segundo en Marburgo en historia de las religiones.

«She authored over eighty books and countless articles on all aspects of Islamic culture, but clearly Sufism was her first love.» — Ernst cifra en más de ochenta los libros de Schimmel y señala el sufismo como su primer amor.

«Schimmel’s deep familiarity with Sufism, and her obviously sympathetic approach, clearly distinguished her book from the learned but pedantic publications on the subject that had previously characterized English-language scholarship.» — Ernst opone el trato simpatético de Schimmel a la erudición pedante que, dice, caracterizaba antes a la bibliografía en inglés.

«While R. A. Nicholson and A.J. Arberry had been careful and dedicated scholars in this field, they had their limitations, including a somewhat remote scholarly perspective based in classical» — Ernst nombra a Nicholson y a Arberry como predecesores cuidadosos y les objeta una perspectiva remota; el tramo corta en el fin de la plana y sigue *European Orientalism* en la siguiente.

«Unlike armchair scholars, throughout her career Schimmel traveled extensively and had numerous close friendships in Muslim countries.» — Ernst la separa de los eruditos de gabinete por el viaje y la amistad en países musulmanes.

«She relied upon the formidable tools of philology and history for research, and she used the comparative language of the phenomenology of religion to explain her insights thematically.» — Ernst nombra el método que le atribuye: filología e historia para la investigación, y el lenguaje comparado de la fenomenología de la religión para exponer.

«She was able to discuss this complex material in a lively and engaging fashion, which made even the most obscure references intriguing and fascinating.» — Ernst describe el efecto de su exposición sobre las referencias más oscuras.

«In short, it is an excellent example of how a well-honed classroom presentation can become the basis for a book that will appeal to a wide range of readers— both inside and outside the classroom.» — el juicio de Ernst sobre el género del libro: una clase pulida convertida en libro para lectores dentro y fuera del aula; el troceo imprime el guion de la raya pegado a *readers*.

«Given the penchant of German Orientalists for daunting displays of intimidating philological minutiae, it is remarkable that Schimmel not only translated poetry (including that of John Donne) into German verse, but also wrote her own poetry in both German and English.» — Ernst registra que Schimmel tradujo poesía al verso alemán, John Donne incluido, y escribió la suya en alemán y en inglés.

«Other European translators of the texts of Islamic mysticism wavered between painfully literal versions intended for students and effusive versions in high Victorian style.» — según Ernst, la traducción europea de los textos místicos islámicos oscilaba entre el literalismo escolar y la efusión victoriana.

«Introducing his collection of translations of the poetry of Rumi, for example, Arberry grimly remarked that his versions would be “as literal as possible, with a minimal concession to readability» — Ernst cita a Arberry declarando en su colección de poemas de Rumi que sus versiones serían lo más literales posible; el tramo se corta antes del signo de admiración y la llamada de nota que siguen.

«Moreover, in contrast to the markedly anti-Islamic attitudes that characterized much of European scholarship in the twentieth century, Schimmel had a deeply intuitive appreciation of the spiritual importance of the Prophet Muhammad, which she discussed in many studies.» — Ernst contrapone la actitud antiislámica que atribuye a buena parte de la erudición europea del siglo XX con la apreciación que Schimmel tenía del Profeta.

«Schimmel’s aesthetic and literary approach to Islamic culture drew upon the rich heritage of German Romanticism, going back to Goethe and his profound and underappreciated response to the Persian poet Hafiz in the» — Ernst hace venir el enfoque estético de Schimmel del romanticismo alemán y de la respuesta de Goethe a Hafiz; el tramo corta en el fin de plana y sigue *collection of German poems known as the West-Eastern Divan* en la siguiente.

«No doubt, Schimmel had an extraordinary command over the languages of the Middle East and South Asia, but her poetic sensibility and aesthetic engagement made her work appealing and influential.» — para Ernst lo decisivo no fue el dominio de lenguas sino la sensibilidad poética.

«She commonly did this in public lectures, confounding listeners who expected her to be following detailed notes, but instead she appeared to be reading them from the insides of her eyelids.» — Ernst cuenta como testigo el modo en que Schimmel daba clase con los ojos cerrados.

«Although the generally overheated Cambridge lecture halls that she preferred could sometimes encourage the sleep-deprived to nap, these classes were absorbing demonstrations of the erudition and sympathetic approach that she was famous for.» — el recuerdo de Ernst de las aulas de Cambridge donde ella enseñaba.

«Schimmel held her students to high standards, impersonally correcting grammatical and interpretive errors while at the same time being thoroughly supportive.» — Ernst describe su trato con los alumnos.

«Her writings do not address terrorism or the conflicts that followed the end of the Cold War.» — Ernst acota de entrada lo que la obra de Schimmel no trata, al preguntarse por su vigencia después del 11 de septiembre.

«Instead, she focused on the mystical interpretation of prophecy, the aesthetics of calligraphy, and the expression of spirituality in both the classical tongues of Arabic and Persian and the local languages of the Near East and South Asia.» — lo que Ernst declara que sí es el objeto de Schimmel: la interpretación mística de la profecía, la estética de la caligrafía y la espiritualidad en lenguas clásicas y locales.

«While it seems that, in a post-9/11 world, most journalistic accounts of Islam and public discourse about Muslims in general focus on fundamentalism, most scholars of Islam would agree that Sufi-style spirituality still draws the loyalty of the majority of Muslims today.» — Ernst sostiene que la espiritualidad de cuño sufí sigue siendo la de la mayoría de los musulmanes, frente al foco periodístico en el fundamentalismo.

«The difference is that Sufism is characterized by personal connections to God, the Prophet, and the saints, rather than just authoritarian appeals to scripture.» — la distinción que traza Ernst: vínculo personal con Dios, el Profeta y los santos frente a apelación autoritaria a la escritura.

«Characteristically, Schimmel remarked that her work avoided “sociology,” perhaps acknowledging that she focused on the poetic and the ideal rather than the realm of society and politics where Sufism has in fact been contested and transformed;» — Ernst cita a Schimmel diciendo que su trabajo evitaba la sociología, y lee ahí el precio del enfoque: lo poético y lo ideal por delante de lo social y lo político.

«her adoption of Evelyn Underhill’s highly personal approach to mysticism gave little consideration to mysticism’s social history.» — Ernst adjudica a Schimmel el enfoque personal de Evelyn Underhill y le objeta la poca atención a la historia social del misticismo.

«Reviewers have noted that the book did not cover the extensive history of Sufism in East and West Africa, it provided more attention to Eastern areas (Turkish, Persian, and Indian) than Arab regions, and it did not reflect on problems of Orientalism in» — Ernst recoge las ausencias que los reseñistas señalaron; el tramo corta en el fin de la plana y sigue *Sufi studies or contemporary Sufi groups moving outside of traditional Islamic identifications* en la siguiente.

«Schimmel herself produced an expanded German translation of the book in 1985.» — Ernst consigna la traducción alemana ampliada que la propia autora hizo en 1985.

«Two other introductions to Sufism written in recent years from a historical and scholarly perspective, including one by the present author, have attempted to address some of those issues.» — Ernst declara su propia parte en la bibliografía que remedia esas ausencias.

«In addition, other authors have offered insider presentations of Sufism as the normative “heart of Islam.”» — Ernst separa de las introducciones académicas las presentaciones desde dentro que dan el sufismo por el corazón normativo del islam.