Annihilation as Transmutation
What you see above is a depiction of the Urdu love poet and drunkard, Mirza Asadullah Khan Ghalib, better known by his pen name Ghalib, carrying a Persian verse ascribed to him by Maulana Hali in his memoir, and the Urdu Magazine Nuqoosh in their edition on him. It reads:
“Ghalib-e-naam-awaram, naam-o-nishanam ma-purs, hum Asadullahem-o-hum Asadullahi-em.”
Translation: I am the renowned Ghalib; do not ask of my name and fame/I am both Asadullah and Asadullah’s man.
This translation is proposed by those who view that Ghalib was referring to Islam in general — Shi’i Islam as Hali notes Ghalib converted to it in his life; becoming a Tafzeeli — but it hints at something else. To see that connection look at another one of his Persian verses:
“Mansoor-e-firqah-e-Ali-allahiyan manem, Awaza-e-anaa Asadullah der afganem.”
Translation: (If) there is a sect of those saying Ali [RA] is our lord, (then) I am their Mansoor, For I chant that I am the (lord) Asadullah.
Coupling the two of them, alongside Ghalib’s infrequent mentioning of himself as a Saint, you see a different picture. He quotes Mansur al-Hallaj, a Sufi put to death for his exclamation of ana al-Haq or “I am the Truth (Allah Ta’ala)” thus proposing the concept of hulul or incarnation within Islamic mysticism. Ana Asadullah is preceded not only by a direct reference to Mansur but also has the same implications. This can be attributed to Ghalib’s rhetoric and way with words or the prevalent Sufi influence in both Persian and Urdu poetry, however, what is important is that this exists as a proposition of fana. Contrary to the dominant belief, fana can be done differently than the norm.
The oldest Persian treatise on Sufism, the Kashf al-Maĥjūb by Shaykh ‘Alī B. ‘Uthmān al-Jullābī al-Hujwīrī, identifies fana with the transmutation of will, shifting from the will of the individual/self to the Divine Will. The Tamhīdāt by Ayn al-Qudāt Hamadhani defines discipleship as: “Discipleship is to adore the master (murīdī pīr parastī buwad) and to gird oneself with the cincture of Almighty God and his Prophet (peace be upon him!).” It is expected for the disciple to first lose himself in his master, who plays the role of mediation between Allah Ta’ala and the disciple, and then lose his will in the Divine. Instead of ending with one transmutation, it has two, while others see three from Disciple → Master → the Prophet Muhammad (SAW) → Allah Ta’ala. Areas where Shi’ism was dominant (in particular Twelverism — the Ni’matullahi Order comes to mind) raise the number of transmutations to four, by placing Hazrat Imam Ali (KA) prior to the Prophet (SAW). Hence, the continuous annihilation into a higher intermediary to finally seek Divine Proximity. This relation is mentioned in a quote by Abu Yazid, in the aforementioned treatise by al-Hujwiri:
“I went to Mecca and saw a House standing apart. I said, ‘ My pilgrimage is not accepted, for I have seen many stones of this sort.’ I went again and saw the House and also the Lord of the House. I said, ‘ This is not yet real unification.’ I went a third time and saw only the Lord of the House. A voice in my heart whispered, ‘ O Bdyazid, if thou didst not see thyself, thou wouldst not be a polytheist (inushrik] though thou sawest the whole universe; and since thou seest thyself, thou art a polytheist though blind to the whole universe.’ Thereupon I repented, and once more I repented of my repentance, and yet once more I repented of seeing my own existence.”
The House and its slow transition to only seeing the Lord (i.e. Allah Ta’ala), subsequently hints at the discovery through some other medium. Abu Yazid has somewhat different ideas on the matter, given that he sees love as having duality and that it requires a desirer and desiree. As unity implies something else, love cannot reach that which is sought, which can either be man or God depending on the source of the desire, so it is understood that “the annihilation of the lover in the everlastingness of love is more perfect than his subsistence through the everlastingness of love.”
I bring all of this up because it is in line with a different form of annihilation or fana; it can exist as a chain and move from lower to higher levels. Dr. Muhammad Iqbal, himself a tough cookie, sees Hallaj and Ghaib to be of equal prestige, given their unorthodoxy. In the Javed Nama and Zinda Rud, the two are said to be on the same level at the Sphere of Jupiter, for they had the idea of wandering forever instead of dwelling in Paradise perpetually. I could go on and on, however, the crux of annihilation has already been recounted. It is an annihilation of your self in a Higher Self until it is no more possible. It is the achievement of gnosis and true awareness while being free of any thoughts other than that of the “Higher Self”. I hope this helps. Have a nice day!
