Abu Ismaïl Abdullah al-Harawi al-Ansari or Abdullah Ansari of Herat (1006–1088) ( fa, خواجه عبدالله انصاری) also known as ''Pir-i Herat'' () "Sage of Herat", was a Muslim

Sufi Sufism ( ar, ''aṣ-ṣūfiyya''), also known as Tasawwuf ( ''at-taṣawwuf''), is a mystic body of religious practice, found mainly within Sunni Islam but also within Shia Islam, which is characterized by a focus on Islamic spirituality, r ...

saint who lived in the 11th century in

Herat Herāt (; Persian: ) is an oasis city and the third-largest city of Afghanistan. In 2020, it had an estimated population of 574,276, and serves as the capital of Herat Province, situated south of the Paropamisus Mountains (''Selseleh-ye Safē ...

(modern-day

Afghanistan Afghanistan, officially the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan,; prs, امارت اسلامی افغانستان is a landlocked country located at the crossroads of Central Asia and South Asia. Referred to as the Heart of Asia, it is borde ...

). One of the outstanding figures of 5th/11th century Khorasan, Ansari was a commentator of the

Qur'an The Quran (, ; Standard Arabic: , Quranic Arabic: , , 'the recitation'), also romanized Qur'an or Koran, is the central religious text of Islam, believed by Muslims to be a revelation from God. It is organized in 114 chapters (pl.: , si ...

, scholar of the

Hanbali The Hanbali school ( ar, ٱلْمَذْهَب ٱلْحَنۢبَلِي, al-maḏhab al-ḥanbalī) is one of the four major traditional Sunni schools ('' madhahib'') of Islamic jurisprudence. It is named after the Arab scholar Ahmad ibn Hanba ...

school of thought (

madhhab A ( ar, مذهب ', , "way to act". pl. مَذَاهِب , ) is a school of thought within '' fiqh'' (Islamic jurisprudence). The major Sunni Mathhab are Hanafi, Maliki, Shafi'i and Hanbali. They emerged in the ninth and tenth centurie ...

), traditionalist, polemicist, and spiritual master, known for his oratory and poetic talents in

Arabic Arabic (, ' ; , ' or ) is a Semitic language spoken primarily across the Arab world.Semitic languages: an international handbook / edited by Stefan Weninger; in collaboration with Geoffrey Khan, Michael P. Streck, Janet C. E.Watson; Walter ...

and Persian.

Life

He was born in the Kohandez, the old citadel of Herat, on 4 May 1006. His father, Abu Mansur, was a shopkeeper who had spent several years of his youth at

Balkh ), named for its green-tiled ''Gonbad'' ( prs, گُنبَد, dome), in July 2001 , pushpin_map=Afghanistan#Bactria#West Asia , pushpin_relief=yes , pushpin_label_position=bottom , pushpin_mapsize=300 , pushpin_map_caption=Location in Afghanistan ...

.S. de Laugier de Beaureceuil, "Abdullah Ansari" in Encylcoapedia Iranic

/ref> Abdullah was a disciple of

Abu al-Hassan al-Kharaqani Abu 'l-Hassan Ali ibn Ahmad (or ibn Jaʻfar) ibn Salmān al-Kharaqāni ( fa, شیخ ابوالحسن خرقانی) is one of the master Sufis of Islam. He was born in 963 (352 Hijri year) from PersianS.H. Nasr, "Iran" in History of Humanity: From t ...

. He practiced the

school of

Sunni Sunni Islam () is the largest branch of Islam, followed by 85–90% of the world's Muslims. Its name comes from the word '' Sunnah'', referring to the tradition of Muhammad. The differences between Sunni and Shia Muslims arose from a dis ...

jurisprudence Jurisprudence, or legal theory, is the theoretical study of the propriety of law. Scholars of jurisprudence seek to explain the nature of law in its most general form and they also seek to achieve a deeper understanding of legal reasoning ...

. The

Shrine of Khwaja Abd Allah The Shrine of Khwaja Abd Allah, commonly called the Shrine at Gazur Gah (or just Gazur Gah) and the Abdullah Ansari Shrine Complex, is the funerary compound of the Sufi saint Khwaja Abdullah Ansari. It is located at the village of Gazur Gah, thre ...

, built during the

Timurid dynasty The Timurid dynasty ( chg, , fa, ), self-designated as Gurkani ( chg, , translit=Küregen, fa, , translit=Gūrkāniyān), was a Sunni Muslim dynasty or clan of Turco-Mongol originB.F. Manz, ''"Tīmūr Lang"'', in Encyclopaedia of Islam, Onl ...

, is a popular pilgrimage site. He excelled in the knowledge of ''

Hadith Ḥadīth ( or ; ar, حديث, , , , , , , literally "talk" or "discourse") or Athar ( ar, أثر, , literally "remnant"/"effect") refers to what the majority of Muslims believe to be a record of the words, actions, and the silent approva ...

'', history, and ''ʻilm al-ansāb''. He wrote several books on

Islamic mysticism Sufism ( ar, ''aṣ-ṣūfiyya''), also known as Tasawwuf ( ''at-taṣawwuf''), is a mystic body of religious practice, found mainly within Sunni Islam but also within Shia Islam, which is characterized by a focus on Islamic spirituality, r ...

and philosophy in Persian and

. He was one of the first Sufis to write in Persian, which he wrote in a local dialect, thus indicating that he wanted to spread his teachings to the common people instead of the ''

ulama In Islam, the ''ulama'' (; ar, علماء ', singular ', "scholar", literally "the learned ones", also spelled ''ulema''; feminine: ''alimah'' ingularand ''aalimath'' lural are the guardians, transmitters, and interpreters of religious ...

'', who knew Arabic. His most famous work is "Munajat Namah" (literally 'Litanies or dialogues with God'), which is considered a masterpiece of

Persian literature Persian literature ( fa, ادبیات فارسی, Adabiyâte fârsi, ) comprises oral compositions and written texts in the Persian language and is one of the world's oldest literatures. It spans over two-and-a-half millennia. Its sources h ...

. After his death, many of his sayings recorded in his written works transmitted by his students were included in the Tafsir of Maybudi, "Kashf al-Asrar" (The Unveiling of Secrets). This is among the earliest complete Sufi Tafsirs (

exegesis Exegesis ( ; from the Greek , from , "to lead out") is a critical explanation or interpretation of a text. The term is traditionally applied to the interpretation of Biblical works. In modern usage, exegesis can involve critical interpretation ...

) of the Quran and has been published several times in 10 volumes. Khwajah Abdullah Ansari of Herat was a direct descendant of

Abu Ayyub al-Ansari Abu Ayyub al-Ansari ( ar, أبو أيوب الأنصاري, Abū Ayyūb al-Anṣārī, tr, Ebu Eyyûb el-Ensarî, died c. 674) — born Khalid ibn Zayd ibn Kulayb ibn Tha'laba ( ar, خالد ابن زيد ابن كُليب ابن ثعلبه, Kh ...

, a companion of the Islamic prophet Muhammad, being the ninth in line from him. The lineage is described, and traced in the family history records, as follows; Abu Ismail Khajeh Abdollah Ansari, ''son of'' Abu Mansoor Balkhi, ''son of'' Jaafar, ''son of'' Abu Mu'aaz, ''son of'' Muhammad, ''son of'' Ahmad, ''son of'' Jaafar, ''son of'' Abu Mansoor al-Taabi'i, ''son of''

. In the reign of the third Rashid Caliph,

Uthman Uthman ibn Affan ( ar, عثمان بن عفان, ʿUthmān ibn ʿAffān; – 17 June 656), also spelled by Colloquial Arabic, Turkish and Persian rendering Osman, was a second cousin, son-in-law and notable companion of the Islamic prop ...

, Abu Mansoor al-Taabi'i took part in the conquest of Khorasan, and subsequently settled in Herat, his descendant Khwajah Abdullah Ansari died there in 1088. The Hanbali jurist ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyya wrote a lengthy commentary on a treatise written by Ansari entitled ''Madarij al-Salikin''. He expressed his love and appreciation for Ansari in this commentary with his statement, "Certainly I love the Sheikh, but I love the truth more!". Ibn Qayyim al-Jawziyya refers to Ansari with the honorific title "''Sheikh al-Islam''" in his work ''Al-Wabil al-Sayyib min al-Kalim al-Tayyab'' Michael Fitzgerald and Moulay Slitine, The Invocation of God, Islamic Texts Society, Introduction, p 4. Also, Ovamir Anjum, University of Toledo, Ohio, Sufism without Mysticism: Ibn al-Qayyim's Objectives in Madarij al-Salikin p. 164 (https://www.academia.edu/2248220/Sufism_without_Mysticism_Ibn_al-Qayyims_Objectives_in_Madarij_al-Salikin)

Works

Arabic

* Anwar al-Tahqeeq * Dhamm al-Kalaam * Manāzel al-Sā'erīn * Kitaab al-Frooq * Kitaab al-Arba'een * Resala Manaqib Imam Ahmad bin Hanbal (Arabic: رسالة مناقب الإمام أحمد بن حنبل) * Zad-ul Arefeen (Arabic: زاد االعارفین)

Persian

* Munajat Namah (Persian: مناجات نامه) * Nasayeh (Persian: نصایح) * Kanz-ul Salikeen (Persian: کنز السالکین) * Haft Hesar (Persian: هفت حصار) * Elahi Namah (Persian: الهی نامه) * Muhabbat Namah (Persian: محبت نامه) * Qalandar Namah (Persian: قلندر نامه) * Resala-é Del o Jan (Persian: رساله دل و جان) * Resala-é Waredat (Persian: رساله واردات) * Sad Maidan (Persian: صد میدان)

References

External links

The Invocations of Abdullah Al Ansari
(in English) at archive.org. {{DEFAULTSORT:Ansari, Khwaja Abdullah 1006 births 1088 deaths Sufi mystics 11th-century Persian-language poets 11th-century writers People from Herat 11th-century Iranian people Najjarite people Atharis 11th-century jurists Mystics from Iran