The Sublime Revelation (al-Fath ar-Rabbani) pdf download

The Sublime Revelation (al-Fath ar-Rabbani) – Shaikh ‘Abd al-Qadir al-Jilani

THE SUBLIME REVELATION

Translator’s Introduction

Of all the linguistic problems to be resolved in the process of translating these sixty-two discourses from the original Arabic of Shaikh ‘Abd al-Qadir al-Jilani (may Allah be well pleased with him), few presented such difficulty as the title of the book: al-Fath ar-Rabbānī.

These were, in fact, the last of the many thousands of words to be rendered into English! The Sublime Revelation, if not a strictly literal equivalent, is nevertheless acceptable, we trust, as faithful to the spirit of the original title. The following explanations may assist the reader to endorse this conclusion or to suggest an alternative:

First of all, it should be noted that a perfectly literal translation of the Arabic for “the big book” would be “the-book the-big.” In other words, the Arabic adjective follows the noun–and the definite article is prefixed to both elements. Thus, assuming that we accept our choice of English equivalents, al-Fath ar-Rabbani comes out word for word as “the-Revelation the-Sublime.” Let us keep to the Arabic order for the moment, as we explore the full significance of the key terms Fath and Rabbant:

Like most words in the Arabic language, Fath is derived from a root of three consonants in this case f-t-h. Each root contains, as it were, a particular germ of meaning, or a basic idea, which develops and displays various aspects through the ramifications of the root. Since the germ of meaning contained in the root f-t-h is the basic idea of “openness,” we may expect to discover various aspects of this concept in the many branches the actual words-growing out of this root.

To give just a few everyday examples: FaTaḤa = he opened; FuTiḤa = it was opened/an opening was made; yaFTaḤu = he opens/will open;

For more general background information, including an explanation of the names and titles of Shaikh ‘Abd al-Qadir, a short account of his life in Baghdad, and a brief survey of his literary works, please refer to”Concerning the Author” (p. 465), where the editor has reproduced a slightly modified version of the Translator’s Introduction to Revelations of the Unseen, a companion volume in this series.

FaTiH = opener; maFTüḤ= open/opened; miFTäḤ = a key; iFtiTäḤ= an introduction. From these few examples alone, it should already be apparent that the three root-letters weave a common thread of meaning, spinning a web of words to form the vocabulary of “openness.”

Of course, when it comes to translating any given derivative of the root f-t-h, the context is liable to remind us that useful derivatives of the English word “open” are far more limited in number and scope. Faced with the word miftah, we must discard “an instrument-for-opening” in favor of “a key.”

It is probably true to say that the simple verb fataha almost always conveys the meaning “he opened”-in some sense. For the purpose of translation, however, the sense may require the choice of an English expression in which the idea of “opening” is merely implicit, as in: “he conquered [a country]” or “he allowed [access to…]” or “he solved [a problem]” or “he revealed [a secret]” or “he informed [someone about…].” When the subject of the verb is Allah (Exalted is He), the sense in which “He opened” may call for the rendering: “He helped [someone] to be victorious,” or “He bestowed [great blessings upon someone].”

In grammatical terms, fath is the infinitive noun or substantive corresponding to the simple verb fataha. Its basic meaning is therefore “to open” or “an opening.” At the risk of shifting the focus of attention away from this primary signification, however, the translator must sometimes respond to the context by choosing an etymologically unrelated word, such as: “a beginning” or “a conquest; a victory” or “a gift of grace” or “a revelation” or “a solution; an elucidation”-to mention but a few of the many possibilities. Let us consider two of the many verses [ayat) of the Qur’an in which derivatives of f-t-h occur:

They say: “Do you speak to them of what Allah has opened/disclosed/ revealed [fataha] to you…” (2:76)

Surely We have opened for you a clear opening/given you a clear victory [innā fataḥnā laka fatḥan mubīnā]. (48:1)

The 48th Süra of the Qur’an is entitled al-Fath-usually translated “Victory.” Yet another derivative of the root f-t-h appears in the well- known title of the very first Süra of the Book: al-Fatiha “The Opener.”

The plural of the noun fath is futuḥ-as in Futuh al-Ghaib [Revelations of the Unseen), the title of another collection of discourses by Shaikh ‘Abd al-Qadir al-Jilani (may Allah be well pleased with him).

 There is even a kind of superplural, futühät, a plural of the already plural futuḥ—as in al-Futüḥāt al-Makkiyya [The Meccan Revelatory Disclosures], the title of a famous work by Shaikh Ibn al-‘Arabi (may Allah bestow His mercy upon him).

One very intriguing feature of The Sublime Revelation is the inclusion, here and there within the body of the text, of several notes and observations by the recorder of Shaikh ‘Abd al-Qadir’s words.

Although most of these parenthetical remarks are quite brief, they do enable the reader to savor the atmosphere of those long-ago sessions [majalis] in the schoolhouse or the guesthouse in Baghdad, by supplying impressions with something remarkably like the effect of a modern audio-video recording!

In the only extensive passage of this kind, at the end of the Twenty-sixth Discourse (pp. 187-188), the recorder has provided us with a beautiful account of how the Shaikh would conduct himself at the beginning of a session, describing the physical movements he used to make while uttering various prayers and invocations.

 After this preamble, we are told, “he would start speaking about whatever revela- tions of the Unseen [futüḥ al-ghaib] Allah might cause [yaftaḥu] his tongue to utter, without notes or prepared text….” Surely an important key [miftah] to understanding more than just the titles-significant as they undoubtedly are-of both Futuh al-Ghaib [Revelations of the Unseen] and al-Fath ar-Rabbani [The Sublime Revelation]!

We may now turn our wide-open eyes to a scrutiny of the second element in the Arabic title of the book in our hands: ar-Rabbani.2

In this case, the three-consonant root of the word is r-b-b. It is difficult to find a single English word with which to pinpoint the germ of meaning, or the basic idea, contained within this particular root. The expression “caring ownership” may come fairly close.

The simple verb RaBBa assumes the form taRuBBu in the second person singular of the present tense, and occurs as such in a tradition [hadith] of the Prophet (may Allah bless him and give him peace):

You have wealth which you preserve, and of which you take care, and which you foster as a man fosters his child [lakum ni’matun tarubbuhā].

The prefix ar- is simply the definite article (equivalent to the English word “the”). In the Arabic script itself, whether handwritten or printed, it always appears as al. In the system of transliteration adopted for this publication, however, the romanized spelling reflects the actual pronunciation, in which the l is assimilated (in certain cases) to the sound of the following letter

According to the Arabic lexicographers, the primary signification of the noun rabb is “bringing [a thing] to a state of completion by degrees.” Depending on the context, the word then comes to mean: “a lord, possessor, owner, or proprietor” or “a lord, master or chief, to whom obedience is paid” or “a rearer, fosterer, bringer-up, feeder or nourisher” or “a completer or accomplisher.”

With the definite article, ar-Rabb is properly applied only to the One Almighty God, Allah, who is Rabb al-arbab [The Lord of lords].

The addition of the intensive adjectival suffix -änt gives us Rabbänt, “pertaining to the Lord.” Some dictionaries offer “divine” as a one- word alternative to this exact, though rather clumsy phrase. Divine indeed is that which pertains to the Lord, but the word is more appropriately reserved for use as the equivalent of Ilahi.

Can we not avail ourselves of the Anglo-Saxon elements in our English vocabulary? Suppose we take the noun “lord” as corresponding closely enough to the Arabic rabb, add our own adjectival suffix “-ly,” and then capitalize the initial letter of the word—will “Lordly” suffice! For certain purposes, possibly, but The Lordly Revelation does not seem quite fitting for our title. Perhaps the elevation of that initial to upper case status is not enough to dispel the pejorative meanings “haughty, imperious, lofty, disdainful”-that cling to the ordinary word “lordly”?

How about our Classical resources, then? Maybe our Greek or our Latin can help us out! Well, the Greek invocation Kyrie eleison [O Lord, have mercy!] is listed in serious dictionaries of the English language, but we have devoted the corresponding adjective, Cyrillic, to the Slavic alphabet. The Late Latin adjective Dominicus is formed from Dominus [The Lord], and the Medieval Latin derivative dominicalis has found its way into the English dictionaries as “dominical”—but its usage is confined to ecclesiastical contexts.

The choice of “Sublime” to represent Rabbänt may not be the perfect solution, but it does proclaim attributes “pertaining to the Lord,” for He is surely Noble, Majestic, Awe-inspiring through His Grandeur and Beauty, and Exalted is He!

O Lord, open our minds, open our hearts, and open our innermost beings! O Lord, open the gates of Your mercy to all sincere readers of The Sublime Revelation! Amin. Muhtar Holland