Mystical Symbolism in Ḥārith al-Muḥāsibī’s Treatise Al-Tawahhum

Abstract

A substantial body of written and unwritten works, including mystical texts, narrates in various forms and modes of expression humanity’s innate, unconscious, and conscious inclination toward perfection. Miʿrāj-nāmas, or ascension narratives, including Al-Tawahhum, written by Ḥārith al-Muḥāsibī, are among the most prominent examples of this rich and dynamic corpus. This work narrates the author’s path of spiritual perfection along the ascending arc of perfection through symbolic and allegorical language, the understanding and decoding of which is highly important—and indeed necessary—for grasping the author’s message. Accordingly, the aim of this study is to examine this work from the perspective of mystical symbolism. The present article analyzes the treatise Al-Tawahhum in light of the articulated stages of the journey from creation to the Real (sīr min al-khalq ilā al-Ḥaqq) and concludes that three distinct and prominent mystical stages can be identified in this work: awakening and attentiveness, purification of the soul, and encounter with God. Each of these three stages is described through symbolic and recurring concepts and motifs that are directly related to the central theme of the work.