389

C O N C L U S I O N

Th« philosophy of Shah Waliullah» as we concXudt,

i s a sufi philosophy. We have admitted i t elsewhere and

so we do here that the Shah was a practising Sufi and i t

i s therefore, that his epistemology, metaphysics and ethics

are dominated by sufism but i t does not mean that he has

nothing to do with philosophy as such. Shah Waliullah

even in the explanation of sufi problems presents rational

arguments. Moreover, he takes to cr i t ic ise the sufis at

many places.

The thesis at hand tr ies to present a comprehensive

philosophy of shah waliullah. We have begun i t with

epistemology. As we are aware, the philosophers in

general, c<»isider the reason and the sense experience

as the two sources of knowledge. Regarding their veracity

and truth, there i s a controversy among the philosc^hers.

we have taken to discuss i t in the beginning of his

epistemology. Shah Waliullah neither challenges the

authority of the senses nor does he defy the validity of

reason as the sources of knowledge but he does enphasise

on a hierarchy. To him the lowest kind of knowledge i s

inparted by the senses. The reason gives a higher kind

390

of knowXtdgt. Apart from those sources he also considers

the heart» the soul and the hidden power (slrr) as the

sources of knowledge, and one yields higher knowledge

than the other, shah wallullah being a sufi gives imich

enphasls to the soul (juh) and considers i t to be the

highest source of knowledge. Besides, he lays imich

emphasis on the forms of intuitive knowledge. Meditation

(Kashf), insplrati(»i (Xlhaot), contemplation (Maraqba)»

revelation (Wahi) and hidd«n power (sirr)» all of thi^

are the forms of intuitive knowledge. Here he shares

many oth^ sufls l ike Ghazall* Ilurai etc. Like him they

also believe in these forms of intuitive knovdedge.

In the light of his views on epistemology we come to

conclude that shah Waliullah emphasises on the knovdedge

of the dispositions for the attainment of the knowledge

of the world and that of the divine being (God).

According to him the dispositions bring out a discipline

in the l i f e of a sufi meaning thereby that i t stands as

indlspensdble for the pcrsuit of Sufi course. Shah

Waliullah i s of the view that the ignorance of the

dispositi<X)s prevents his progress and whatever he keeps

on practising lacks experience. Shah sraliuliah, therefore,

speaks of the advantages of their knowledge and also

391

Infoxms of th« harms of their Ignorance. The advantages

of the knowledige of dispositions that he speaks of are

(1) The sufi knows the right way to remanber God,

(2) he becomes aware of the fact that the knowledge of

the things falling out of the span of senses can be attained

by the dispositions* Describing the harms of their

ignorance Shah waliullah holds that (1) in case of the

ignorance from dispositions the weak senses cannot be made

strong. As a matter of fact he i s unable to know as to

which of these dispositions i s weak and how i t can be made

strong, i t i s indeed essential for him as any such

ignorance would hamper his progress. Moreover, he should

be aware, which of the dispositions should dominate the

others so that he might control the strange powers in him,

(2) the other harm consists in the fact that the sufi

passing through the alternate stages of annihilation and

subsistence finds himself in a complete astonishment and

wonder, for he i s at a loss to understand as to what i s

going on with him and «^en he i s at a particular stage*

S t i l l another harm of the ignorance of these dispositions

l i e s in the fact that the sufi i s unable to understand

the stage of his predecessors and considers i t as the

highest or the final one. Here i t may be pointed out

392

that Shah WaXlullah 8«emt t o c r i t i c i s e the followers of

unitlsm (Wahdatul VIUjud). It can be established on the

bas is of his ideas regarding the stage of wahdatul wujud

which he considers as lower than *Shuhud*. We have

discussed i t in his metaphysics. However, we shall bring

i t to l ight in the proceeding passage. But we may repeat

that Shah Wallullah, though does not reject unitism, yet

considers i t as the lower stage. Thus the knowledge of

the disposit ions i s indispensable for a sufi because of

i t s advantages on one hand and <m the other that he can

save himself of the harms in the case of ignorance from

them. As a matter of fact saving oneself of these harms i s

a l so an advantage."^

Shah Waliullah proceeds on the diecussicKi and gives

us an analytical approach by describing the meanings of

different terms used by the suf i s . He i s of the view that

the meanings should necessarily be determined so that the

context may be clear and there should be no d i f f i cu l ty in

understanding and comprehending the underlying thought.

Discussing the problem, he takes up the term *nafs* which

i s sometimes used as the nature of man and sometimes as the

lower soul and at others as the heart* in each case i t

wi l l have different implicationsf defects and qual i t i e s .

393

In the same way the heart i s also used t o mean different

things* Sc»netiines i t i s used t o mean a bi t of flesh in

the body, and at others the power that controls the

ttnotions. In the l a t e r case i t i s a disposit ion, shah

Waliullah also uses them in different meanings but the

context helps us t o determine them, we shall not be wrong

t o assert that no philosopher in the east takes up th i s

analytical approach and even in the west t h i s i s one of

the modern approadies which has recently been emphasiset4

Thus having gone through h i s discussion on the terminology

we must acknowledge his i n i t i a t i v e in adqpting t h i s

approach. It i s not only here that he mphasises on the

c lar i ty of terms but at many places he infoxms the sufis

to avoid the confusion arising out of the difference of

meaning implied by the terms*

Shah Waliullah also discusses in h i s ^istemology

the l imitat ions of the sources of knowledge. It stands as

a fact that each one of them imparts the knowledge but in

i t s limited span. He takes them t o discuss so that people

may not re ly on any (xie of them as every one of them has

i t s own area of perc^t ion and cannot be understood as

suff ic ient for the knowledge of everything. He begins i t

with the external senses (Jawarih). They give us the

394

knowledge of the worldly objects as they are seen and

perceived but the real i ty there In cannot be known. The

heart gives us the knowledge of emotions* The reason in the

same way has also i t s own domain. It perceives the

opposites. By them he means the actual and the abstract.

Explaining i t expl ic i t ly we should assert that Shah Waliullah

repeatedly brings i t out that every object in the world has

i t s form in the world of forms* Thus the object present

in the world i s the actualisation of the forms present in

the world of forms* The reason perceives their difference

and the relation as well . 2t also comprehends the d i f f e r ^ c e

of the attribute and the substance and along with t h i s a lso

sees through their relat ion. Higher than the reason in

the system of Shah Waliullah there i s yet another soiree

of knowledge known as the hidden power or the * s irr*. I t ,

as we have pointed out in the beginning, i s a form of

i n t u i t i v e knowledge. Shah Waliullah l ike many other sufis

r e l i e s on the val idity of the in tu i t ive knowledge,

meditation, contemplation, inspiration and revelation. All

of them have been given due place as the sources of knowledge*

As i t has been said that many of the sufis rely on intu i t ion ,

adding to i t we should assert that philosophers also

be l ieve in i t s priority. Supporting our contention we can

395

refer t o Iq^al and Bergson. For Iqbal Intuition probes

into the matters where the reas<»i i s struck with wonder

and unable t o see which i s which. Zt wil l be apt t o quote

hin : :^U;^^yJ^^'j^^ ^ /> ^

Many other verses can be cited but we need not go into

the de ta i l s for we have just menticmed him. The quotations

are enough t o prove that Iqbal l i k e Shah Waliullah, believed

in the va l id i ty of the intu i t ive knowledge and rel ied on

i t more than any other source of knowledge. Ghazali and

Rumi also emphasise on intui t ion. For them the revelation

i s one of the forms of in tu i t ive knowledge, has priority

over al l of the sources of knowledge, ^o i t i s in the case

of Shah Waliullah. He also does not challenge* as nentiontd

before, the authority of other sources, yet the knowledge

imparted by the Intuiticn i s the most sure and the most

correct. S i tr being the hidden power in man makes him

r e a l i s e the secret of truth which i s the highest type of

knoivledge. But i t should be kept in viev/ that even t h i s

hidden pov<rer ( sirr) i s not prior to revelation. He again

and again tfnphasises on the lieed of the prophet and

considers the inst i tut ion of prophethood as the soiree of

human welfare. Thus Shah Waliullah, l ike other sufls and

396

phlIot<^h«T8, accepting the va l id i ty of other sources of

knowledge, emph««ise« on i n t u i t i m as the source of

a knowledge.

«

Having spoken of the l imitat ions of the sources and

the importanco of the hidden power (s irr)« Shah Waliullah

comes t o discuss the dist inct ion between reason and *zauq'«

Here again he wnphasises on the c lar i ty of the terms and by

doing so removes the confusion that arises otherwise. Both

reas<Mi and Zauq impart t o us the knowledge of the (Ejects .

Vet they are not one and the same and are distinguished on

the basis of their domain. The reason conceives the quali­

t i e s of objects and Zauq i s the power throu^ whidi the

exist ing object with i t s contradictory q'lalities i s comprehen­

ded. Reason f a i l s to understand the contradiction of the

qual i t ies existing in the objects. As a matter of fact

i t i s the error of the senses which apparently perceive

the contradiction of qual i t ies , otherwise* in actual i ty ,

as Shah Waliullah thinks* there exists no such contradiction.

Supporting his assertion he argues that no two individuals

are alike and yet they are not different from each other.

It i s obvious that they are not al ike due to the individual

qual i t i es and not different from each other due to foraal

and essential qual i t ies . Besides* i t also stands as a fact

397

that neither of these qualit ies make the individual what

he i s . Explaining i t he gives the example of some of

the qual i t ies existing in man, yet only these qual i t ies

do not go t o make him a man, for even without th«B he

would have been the same what he i s due t o their presence

in him. Looking through the difference in the individuals

he comes t o conclude that the world exhibits opposites

meaning thereby that every cdbject i s present in abstracta

and i t i s i t s form. I t i s evident that they are neither

al ike nor different from each other. Even after being

separate they are related with one another and th is relation

i s established in the foiin of manifestation by the universal

soul which i s devoid of a l l qua l i t i e s . Cri t ic is ing the

followers of wahdatul wujud he asserts that they are at a »

l o s s t o understand the relation between the external world

and the human beings and the universal soul, in the

l i gh t of t h i s discussion we may conclude that the 2^uq

perceives th i s relation and gives us i t s knowledge.

Shah waliullah being a practising sufi eaphasises much

on the soul. He i s of the view that the essence of man

and other things i s the soul though i t d i f fers in category.

Keeping i t in view he describes different categories of

soul namely the animal soul (zuh«halwani) the rational

398

•oul (nafs« natiqa), universal soul (nafs« tculliyah),

divlna 8cul (zuha a lav i ) , angelic $oul (nafae realakiyah),

world soul (ruhe samavi), heavenly soul (nafsa falakiyah)

and perfect soul (nafse kamila)* Apart from them there

are some other categories l i k e the mineral soul (nafst

madaniya)* vegetative soul (nafse nabatiyah). Each of th«fB

resides in the matter related t o i t s capacity and i s the

being of the object. We have discussed these categories

in his epistemology, for i t stands as the source of knowledge.

At present we should point out that there Shah Waliullah

echoEs Aristot le who» in his boc^ *De Anima* speaks of

different souls end thus discusses the heirarchy of souls*

Here Shah v;aliullah takes i t uo partly, for l i k e Aristot le

holds that the entire existence comes from one form and

i t i s the universal soul (nafse kull iyah). But, unlik*

Ar i s to t l e , Shah waliullah does not regard i t as the absolute

form. He believes in God as the creator of a l l things.

He does not consider God as the form of forms or the

absolute form but understands him transcending a l l . Thus

we may conclude that Shah Waliullah seems to be influenced

by Aristot le but he Is not a mere follower. He has something

to add as his own.

Discussing the categories of soul Shah Waliullah a lso

399

describee the nature of every one of them and in accordance

with t h e i r nature they have t h e i r ovm functions t o perform.

To begin with every on© of them i s d iv ine but t he element

of d i v i n i t y i s in accordance with t h e i r grades* The animal

soul i s created out of the tenpera ture and controls the

animality* The ra t iona l soul i s c<»ifined t o man and controls

him as a man. Man possessing both the animal and ra t iona l

tendencies a l so has both the souls viz,t t h e animal and

the r a t i ona l and each of them controls the tendencies

r e l a t ed to than. As a matter of fact the former i s the

element of the l a t t e r . The universal soul i s more d iv ine in

na ture and manifests i t s e l f in d i f fe ren t garbs of exis tence.

The mineral , the vege ta t ive , t he animal and the ra t iona l

souls are i t s manifestation and i t manifests i t s e l f in

accordance with the universal expediency (masl ihate k u l l i ) .

In h is epistemology we have discussed in d e t a i l t ha t

Shah Waliullah bel ieves in th ree types of d i spos i t i ons

namely t he external ( jawar ih) , t he in te rna l (hea r t , reason

and sou l ) , the secret d i spos i t ions - the d iv ine soul and t h e

world soul . Wt have mentioned i t here t o point out that

Shah Waliullah includes the soul in two d i s p o s i t i o n s , t h e

i n t a rna l and the secret ones. By doing i t he on one hand

d i scusses the hierarchy of soul and on t h e other poin ts cut

400

that th« knowledge of more subtle things cannot be gained

by the soul of lower capacity. The divine soul and the

world soul thcHigh are present in man, yet are not realised

unt i l the internal dispositions are not purified and with

the help of these disposit ions the sufi enables himself to

know the secrets of the world and heaven.

Discussing the divine soul Shah waliullah speaks of

a point known as *hajre bahat* and i t i s the essence of

the divine soul and i s realised by a sufi who reaches the

stage of pure consciousness (sahwe bahat), Having realised

the point he sees through many other secrets which so far

remained unknown to him. On the basis of the discussion

regarding *hajre bahat* we may conclude that i t i s the 7

source of the highest type of in tu i t ive knowledge.

Xt i s obvious that the point mentioned above can be

the source of knowledge for the few only. Here again i t

depends on the stage reached by the suf i . As we know the

divine soul i s a composite of (1) n t i o n a l soul, (2)

the world soul and (3) the hajre bahat. One of the three

dominates the others and the stage of the sufi i s determined

on the basis of the domination which has betfi discussed

in his episteraology. At present i t wi l l suffice to say

that the «jf i in any of these stages understands the fact

401

that i t i s the universal soul which manifests i t s e l f in

different garbs. Crit ic is ing the followers of Wahdatul

Mijud Shah waliullah points out that they could not

compr^end t h i s fact and considered the existence to be the

manifestation of the One beyond our reach. Besides, he

a lso c r i t i c i s e s the followers for not having perceived the

relation between the attributes and the substance. Although»

as he thinks, there i s a unity underlying the divers i ty ,

yet i t i s not of the kind which marges into One. To him

the unity i s hidden in the opposites. The reason must

understand It by seeing the cwitradictory qpaalities of the

objects «^ich are inh«c^ent in their being. The qual i t ies

of one are shared by others. It i s because that all of them

are manifestations of universal soul and being i t s

manifestation there i s a resemblance with each other, and

on the basis of these s imi lar i t ies the / are bound up in a

unity. And on the basis of t h i s unity they are related

with each other. Thus i t i s neither the relationship, at

understood by the followers of viahdatul ^ jud nor i s i t

the one grasped by the people of wahadatul shahud. Here

Shah Waliullah partly supports the unitlsm by understanding

the objects to be the manifestation though not of God but

of the universal soul (nafse kulliya) and he di f fers fron

4G2

the school by asserting that the complete knowledge of God

i s a matter of Impossibility, we only know a part of the

txuth.^

It i s but natural that i f these sources of knowledge

are perverted, the l i f e as a whole s^tould be affected.

During the perversion a pttrson wi l l be unable to know

the right thing and thus the wrong would guide his l i f e .

It i s therefore that Shah Waliullah emphasises on the

purification of these di8po8iti<»is* In case they are

properly purified and trained man would lead a virtuous

and moral l i f e and the otherwise would perform the evil

deeds. Shah ViTaliullah i s of the view that any of these

disposit ions can be perverted and the perversion of each

of them would influence the other. Besides, the perversion

of one would result into the creation of a particular

e v i l . Explaining i t he holds that i f the soul i s perverted,

man would lead a sexual l i f e ; i f the heart i s perverted,

he wi l l be guided by h i s emotions and the perverted reason

would not l e t him discern the right and wrong. He

r ight ly asserts that the perversion of any of them would

etffect the other, for a l l of them work in coordination

and^any of them goes astray, the others wil l a lso folJUow it*

The purified and trained disposit ions would help man

403

inculcatt a l l th« K<rn<l vlrtu«t namtly pl«ty (taharat),

attention to God (khuzu), detachment (Samahat) and Justice

(adalat) . On the basis of th i s discussion we may conclude

that the correct knowledge depends on the right sources

and i f they are untrained and unpurified they cannot lead

us to true knowledge. Xn the case of not being able t o get

the txrue knowledge i t wi l l be d i f f i cu l t iot man t o lead a

good and virtuous l i f e .

There has been a controversy regarding the Shariah and

*tariqat*. some of the sufis are of the view that *tariqat

i s more important than the *Shariah*. It wi l l be worthwhile

t o mention here, as Shah waliullah has himself discussed,

that the ftaqshbandis in particular laid emphasis on i t and

did not give due importance t o Shariah. But as Shah Waliullah

thinks that Khwaja Naqshband indeed did not mean i t , his

followers rather misunderstood him and misinterpreted his

thought. It was, therefore, that Shah Waliullah tock up

t o explain the importance of Shariah but i t should be

borne in mind that he s t i l l pers i s t s t o follow his method

of synthesis and consequently affirming the inportance of

Shariah does not, however, defy the relevance of »tariqat».

But i t stands as a fact that the Shariah being the spir i t

o of Islam i s more important.

404

We dean i t t o be a very paxtlnent remark tha t Shah

Wallullah had a great insight i n t o human na ture . He was

completely aware of the fact t h a t in sp i t e of the nature

of human beings, which i s good in i t s e l f , tha t may be

perverted due t o t he weakness inher i ted by man from his

ances tors . I t i s for t h i s reason tha t he vehemently

emphasises on t h e pur i f ica t ion and t r a in ing of t he

disposi t icms possessed by man. To him, Shariah i s only

the way t o purify and t r a i n these d i s p o s i t i o n s . Discussing

i t he holds tha t the re are two aspects of Shariah namely

t he in te rna l and the external one. The external aspect

pu r i f i e s t he five sense (Jawarih) . I t keeps man ref ra in

from the s ins and es tabl ishes a system of values . The

inteiYial aspect of Shariah pur i f i e s man* s soul and makes

him understand the meaning of v i ce and v i r t u e . On t h i s

bas i s we may conclude that by following the external

aspect man t r ave l^s on the path of r ighteousness without

any conception and penetrat ion in to the v a l i d i t y of h i s

act ion and following the in ternal aspect he pursues the

r igh t course by being cc»vinced of i t s righteousness* I t

comes t o mean tha t Shah Wallullah suggests t h a t r ighteousness

i s based on shariah and i t i s r a the r advisable for man t o

be convinced of leading a l i f e of v i r t u e and goodness, which

4C5

as «rt may conclude, i s a niattttr of impotslbll i ty If th*

disposit ions are not purified and trained. Ttnis the

external and the Internal aspects purify different

disposit ions and in accordance with the purification of

the disposit ions the stage of the salik i s determined.

For example one whose heart i s purified and trained i s

txuthful ( s iddiq) , one whose animality i s trained i s a man

of penitmice (zahid), one whose reason i s purified i s a

learned man (rasikhul i lm), and one virtiose disposit ions

and senses are hot trained but he avoids a l i f e of senses*

i s righteous (Sahibul yamln).

The chief importance of the Shariah l i e s in the fact

that there are two tendencies in man, namely the animal

or sensual tendencies and the rational or angelic twidencies.

The former inst igate man to the l i f e of sin and profanity

and the l a t t e r help man to the l i f e of piety and virtue.

Shariah being a disc ipl ine helps sublime the former

tendencies and due t o the ir sublimation man becomes pure

and pious. Thus i t may be concluded that Shariah enjoys

a priority in the inculcation of v irtue in the l i f e of

man. Moreover, i t helps man impart the knowledge. Being

the complete d i sc ip l ine i t informs roan about the right and

the wrong. Thus i t i s established that the Shariah has

4C6

• th i ca l and •pist«(nological importance and easen t l a l ly

be acted upon. ^

Shah WallullaJi a lso emphasises <» the habitual

obediance t o God. Man must obey God not because tha t Ht

has conmOinded for i t but because we feel an urge of obedience.

I t can be cul t iva ted in him by worship and prayer. I t i t

necessary, then t h a t the worship and prayer should

ca tegor ica l ly be performed by man, Me have discussed i t

in d e t a i l in h i s epict<wiology. I t wil l suff ice t o say

t h a t speaking on the importance of worship Shah Waliullah

i s of the view tha t i t pu r i f i e s the d ispos i t ion and helps

man reach a s tage. He i s r ight t o understand i t in t h i s

way, for many suf is l i k e Ghazali and others have emphasised

on the performance of worship and prayer. Islam i t s e l f

l ays a great emphasis on i t s performance and considers I t

t o be the duty of man.

Love has a great in^Jortance in the sufl d i s c i p l i n e .

I t i s r a the r indispensable for the r ea sw as i t begets

the f l i c k e r of de s i r e in the care of the heart of the sufi*

I t wi l l not be wrong to say tha t without love the pursuance

of the sufi course for the sal ik i s a matter of in^osel*

b i l i t y . Like Ghazali and other s u f i s . Shah Waliullah i s

a l so convinced of t h i s fact and tha t i s why he mentions

407

i t as on« of the stages of sufi course (suluk).

Having explained the sources of knowledge Shah

vraliullah takes up the dangers of getting fa lse knowledge*

The f irs t one of them l i e s in the misunderstanding.

Shah Waliullah i s of the view that many of the sufis

are not capable of understanding the stages of annihilation

and subsistence and i t i s therefore that the scholars of

shariah have not explained them. But Shah Waliullah

considering i t as indispensable takes up to explain them

because the sufis of h is time were rather confused about

these stages and he saw in i t a poss ib i l i ty of miscompr^en-

s i on and chaos.

Discussing the dangers the Shah points out that they

are rooted in the sources of knowledge namely the heart,

reason and soul. We have described them in h is epistemology

and need not repeat them here. Shah waliullah i s convinced

of the fact that every event has i t s cause, i t should

however not be mistaken that he bel ieves in the correspon­

dence theory of causation. Every danger rooted in the

sources of knowledge can be eradicated by analysing i t s

cause and, as a matter of fact , as inferred on the basis

of his views, the best possible way of i t s eradication

l i e s in the purification of the dispositions.*^^

4C8

speaking of the dangers shah Waliullah also atsertt

that the sufi should be able to know the divine motive.

Discussing i t he asserts that the urge i s created in the

world of forms by the universal expediency (maslihate

fculli) and i s brought to the individuals by the higher

angels in the world of forms. The salik must have the

capacity of admitting i t . He however i s informed of the

divine motive in different ways. Shah Waliullah speaks

of different p o s s i b i l i t i e s which have already been

described in his epistemology. Concluding i t we may

assert that shah Waliullah presents a complete epistemology*

He does not only speak of the sources of knowledge but also

suggests as t o how the correct and true knowledge can be

gained. Alongwith this* he informs of the confusion

regarding the use of terminology and also warns of the

dangers in the attainment of true knowledge." '̂̂

At the outset of metaphysics of Shah waliullah we

have taken the problem of synthesis which may rightly be

considered as his main contribution in the realm of

metaphysics and s u f i w . By bringing out the synthesis he

not only resolved the c(mtroversy but also reformed

sufism. And t h i s brings us to conclude that he should be

given the status enjoyed by Ghazali and others in the

4C9

hittoary of Muslim thought. w« ar« of the view that

Shah Waliullah was dn epoch making person. He did not only

influence the people of h i s age but also l e f t a great

deal of i t on the generations coming after him. He

dominated the po l i t i ca l and the social scene of the time

and also pondered over the philosophical problems regarded

as actue in the history of Muslim philosophy. One of

them was the controversy between the two schools of sufism,

namely wahdatul wujud and wahdatul shahud. He tocric up t o

resolve the controversy neither by rejecting any of them

nor by propounding any other school but by seeking a

reconcil iation between the too. And, as history witnesses*

he was successful in his efforts . His philosophical

writings could earn for him a good deal of fame and

reputation. Besides* he was honoured as a r«nowned

14

traditicmist and an erudite scholar of jurisprudence.

Shah waliullah did not attempt only at finding out

s imi lar i t i e s between the above mentioned schools of

sufism but he also tried to resolve the controversies in

different realms, namely shariat and tariqat and various

schools of jurisprudence ( f iqah) . We have mentioned i t

t o prove that for Shah waliullah synthesis was a method

and he applied i t in his various writings on different

410

subjects. This work only discusses the synthesis of ths

described schools. Shah Wallullah puts forward convincing

arguments to point out that wujudlyat and shahudlyat are

the two stages and as the shahudlyat has been propounded

In a latjller period of history. It I s a higher stage. I t

should be borne In mind that Mujaddld Alf Thanl also holds

the same opinion but h i s followers reject one and propound

the other. But Shah Wallullah does not take himself t o any

such thing. Contrary to t h i s , he explains that they,

being the stages should not be rejected. Shah Wallullah -

I s of the view that the place of a thought In the history

should be determined and having determined It we should try

t o understand the development of knowledge. He holds that

every age has I t s own span of knowledge and whatever Is

written In It I s undoubtedly In accordance with the

comprehension made possible on the basis of I t s development.

Putting It more expl ic i t ly he asserts that the people b*>

longing t o different ages have their own domain of

perception which categorically deptnds on the standard of

the knowledge developed In that age. In brief, one come

t o conclude that Shah Wallullah does not reject the

thought of any of his elders. Instead of I t he respects

a l l of th«n and resolve the controversy by saying that

411

thty should be undtrstood by placing in history, th«ir

tlmt i s the most suitable detexmlnant of their value.

It i s suggestive of the fact that Shah Waliullah believes

in the development of knowledge in a posi t ive direction

and i s a lso convinced of the increasing complexities of

the ages and knowledge itself.*^

Discussing the s imi lar i t ies between the two schools

Shah waliullah proceeds on saying that Truth i s one and

so Vast that i t cannot be claimed t o have achieved i t

fu l ly . As a matter of fact the truth even after being one

i s an ocean in i t s e l f and the seeker, inspite of his a l l

e f for t s , gets only a drop and i s contiMited with i t .

Explaining i t he presents the traditional analogy of the

birds taking water from the spring drop by drop with

the ir beaks and a traditional example of blind men having

f e l t the parts of the tree . Bach of them considered

the part as wtiole. By presenting these examples Shah

Waliullah aims at asserting that in the f i r s t case the

truth stands beyond our reach and in the second phase i t

has been mistakenly understood. The anology shows the

vastness of the truth and the example gives us a clue of

the miscomprehension of i t s seekers, in the f i r s t case i t

undoubtedly stands as convincible and in the second, as

412

shah Waliullah hlmstlf asserts , a man of sound vision may

correct the mistaka. This assertion i s suggestive of the

fact that the followers of *wujud« and * shuhud* have not

grasped, as they cannot, the whole truth and have mistaken

by considering i t as a whole when in fact, i t i s only a

part. In the man of sound vision we see the projection

of Shah Waliullah* s personality. In (Hir opinion he does

not only claim t o have understood the t ruth but he infact

did probe in i t and apprehended i t s rea l i ty . He realised the

vastnees of the truth on one hand and i t s misinterpret at i m

based on, i f we can say in Moore* s language, natural ist ic

falacy on the other. He was the f irs t man to point out

that the controversy carried no weight and could easi ly be

resolved i f the philosophy of the two schools was placed

in the historical perspective. Thus Shah waliullah helped

the scholars a great deal by making them rea l i se the

f u t i l i t y of the controversy.

Explaining the s imi lar i t ies between wujud and

shuhud shah waliullah brings to l ight a very important

discussion. He begins i t by asserting that the existence

and concept are separable and are different on the basis

of the qual i t ies . The existence in concept i s an abstract

existence and the existence perceived i s characterised by

413

torn* cfualitles and the roost important of them are the

objectivity and the existence i t s e l f , shah Waliullah

has made a contribution by pointing out the Gjualities

in the objects. It should also be borne in mind that

he does not speak of the coronon and essoritial qual i t ies

but i s a lso aware of the qual i t ies which make an object

an individual* TNjs i t i s suggestive of the fact that

the objects possess two types of qual i t ies namely i

(1) the common and essential qual i t ies and (2) the individual

qual i t ies and both running through the dbjects make i t what

i t i s p«rceived. The existence i s a common and essential

quality of the objects. I t runs through al l the bodies

and thus i t unites them all* I t i s cm t h i s basis that the

unityism or wijudiyat i s supported by J*>ah waliullah.

writing about the Shuhudiyat, Shah Waliullah agrees with

the Mujaddid on the point of the existence of the opposites

but he does not agree with him when he asserts that the

world i s not the manifestation but the reflection of the

at tr ibutes . To Shah waliullah the difference between

the two ijnr statements i s the difference of interpretations.

Shah waliullah again points out that the Mujaddid i s right

t o assert that the appeared and the appearing, i . e . ref lected

and the reflecting are different. It i s on the wil l of

414

the ref lect ing to reflect as long as I t des ires . That i s

t o say that the image formed after reflection res t s in the

body reflecting and i t remains in the mirror so long as

foody i s present before i t . In spite of i t s being the

image of the same body i t cannot however be asserted that

the two are ident ical . Ibne Arabi, as Shah Waliul l^

thinks I perceived th i s identity in the state of ecstacy

on which the dist inction between the two namely God

and the world i s not clear due t o the over powering of

the rapturous condition of the suf i . Thus Shah Waliullah

points out that the followers should understand the s tate

of Ibne Arab! and pass on to others by considering i t to

be one of the many states of the sufi course (Suluk) and

i t can be possible only by the right placement of the thcught

17

in the historical perspective,*

Writing about sufism Shah tPl iul lah points out the

importance of sufi practices. He philosophically explains

the two aspects of Islam namely the external and the

internal , the shariah and Ihsan (beauti f icat ion) . JEach

one of them i s formed by different types of people i . e .

(1) the reformers, Mujaddids e tc . and (2) by suf i s . I t

wi l l not be out of place to mention here that the sufis

have real ly rendered a great service for the advent of

415

Ztlam. It i s not mere a proposition but a fact based

on the historical evidences. I t should be taken as a

contribution that shah Waliullah discusses the development

of sufisiB. Not only this* he also points out the nature

of the phases and also informs us about the ir importance.

Having described i t he comes to the important problem of

travel l ing (SUXUK). uixxmxin^ Uoin Luwt>«» mix^t I«e ^Zi»

not name, he defines suluk as the wil l of aod and also

points out i t s different stages, on the basis of his

discussicm we may conclude that travel l ing (suluk) i s

the course desired by Qod on which a travel ler should go

for the union with him. Shah Waliullah also points out

the importance of r e p e t i t i w (awrad) and prayers (wazaif)

in the sufi course. Apart from i t , he discusses absorption

( jazb) . It i s evident that absorption (Jazb) i s more

significant in the sufi practices.

Having described i t Shah Waliullah comes to discuss

different attributes which are acquired by a sufi with

the help of his repet i t ive ef forts . To present a brief

of them we shall give only their names :

1) attribute of piety : I t i s indeed necessary for a sufi

in particular and for the people in general. Cleanliness

has been adorned by almost a l l the re l ig ions .

416

2) At t r ibu te of Relief (Nisbate sakina) t The secre t of

t h i » a t t r i b u t e l i e s in the contentment and r e l i e f of the

h e a r t . I t can be acquired in three phases; (1) by

rememberance of God, (2) by inclusion of mercy (shumule

rahmat) and (3) by the admittance of the l i g h t of the

d iv ine names.

3) Thereafter he discusses the Owaisia a t t r i b u t e which i s

acquired by seeking the proximity with t h e angelic or t he

sufi souls .

Discussing the a t t r i b u t e of memory Shah sjaliullah

poin ts out a very important th ing . He holds t h a t the

knowledge of the object i s gained with the help of t he

images. I t i s important because the modern psychologists

of our times a l so share the <;ame view and tnhen one ccmes

across Shah wa i iu l l ah ' s thought he fee l s himself bound

t o admire his genius. Shah Wallullah a lso descr ibes t h e

importance of love . I t , as we know, has a great importance

in sufism and almost a l l the sufis have emphasised on i t s

importance. I t i s the only way which leads t o gnosis*

In the philosophy of shah Waliullah we often find the

references of the world of forms. He i s of the view t h a t

every object i s the copy or manifestation of i t s form. I t

goes t o suggest tha t Shah waliullah i s influenced by

417

P l a t o who nam«8 t h e s t foxms as ideas* Like h i s id«as th»

foxms of Shah VPliuXlah are a lso not present in t h i s world

but in another t o which he, however, does not ca l l the

supernatural one. But i t s being supernatural may be

concluded with no d i f f i c u l t y .

Besides, Shah Waliullah often sp&aks of the a t t r i b u t e s

of God, He ne i the r thinks them t o be other than His essence

nor he considers them excluded from His essence, in our

opinion he shares Ibne Arabi and considers essence over

and aobve the a t t r i b u t e s . Put t ing i t in b r i e f . Shah Waliullah

poin ts <^t tha t h i s a t t r i b u t e s should be understood as

21 simile but one should be careful t o unfold i t .

Like many Greek and Muslim philosophers Shah Waliullah

a l so bases h is e th i c s on metaphysics, in the introduction

of the Chapter on h i s e th ics we have strongly supported

our contention by giving the example of Greek and Muslim

philosophers , we need not repeat them here. His e th ica l

philosophy i s rooted in metaphysics. We shall a l so not be

wrong t o conclude tha t the code of conduct he recommends,

i s mystical in na ture . I t i s r a the r Indispensable for he

himself was a p rac t i s ing sufi and thereby must have

prescribed the sufi way of l i f e .

£thics by def in i t ion i s tne science of r ight and

418

wrong meaning thereby the vice and v i r t u e . Shah Waiiullah

understanding i t s nature begins i t with the def in i t ion of

v i r t u e . He i s of the qpinion tha t every cA>ject whether

animate or inanimate possesses some a t t r i b u t e s (Kamalat).

Discussing them he holds tha t there are two types of

a t t r i b u t e s (Kamalat) namely the natural or the innate ones

and the acquired ones. In the case of inanimate object i t

may evidently be inferred tha t t he r e a r i s e s no question

of any acquired a t t r i b u t e s . They must possess only t h e

innate or the na tura l ones. I t i s In t h e case of man and

some other higher animals t h a t some a t t r i b u t e s are acquired.

The presence of innate a t t r i b u t e s i s essen t ia l in a l l the

species though i t i s evident that there would be a difference

in accordance with the nature of the t h ings . B'̂ en a f t e r

tha t there are some q u a l i t i e s (Kamalat) which are common

in the species . Shah Waiiullah gives many examples of

these common and essent ia l qua l i t i e s in d i f ferent species^

and in them he speaks of the common and essen t ia l qua l i t i e s

inher i ted by d i f fe ren t species . Some of them are shared

by man and inanimate objects , some of them are ccmmon in

man and p lants t and others are shared by man and animals*

These common and essen t ia l qua l i t i e s shared by d i f fe ren t

species cannot be counted »9 t h e i r v i r tues for they a re in

419

th«lr very being or in other words innate. Their possession

cannot be ccmsidered as something specif ic which can

separate them (Xi their basis as virtuous or v ic ious .

These qpalit ies can be regarded as virtues in the case

of species without which their existence i s a matter of

impossibil ity, in our opinion a h i l l without height cannot

be imagined. Thus height can be taken as the virtue of a

h i l l . But, as Shah waliullah rightly remarks that i t cannot

be taken as virtue, for i t i s present in the very nature

or innate in i t , and i f at a l l i t i s counted as virtue

the h i l l possesses i t the most. On t h i s basis we may infer

that man also shares the attribute of height. But on the

very same grounds i t i s not a virtue at a l l . Similarly

the qualit ies ccsnmon between plants, animals and man

can a l s o not be counted as virtue, for they also are

innate and their presence i s essent ia l . We have described

these attributes in his ethics and i t wil l be mere repetition

i f we discuss them here again.

Having spoken of the convnon and essential qual i t ies

Shah Waliullah discusses the attributes particularly

possessed by man alone, some of them are, for example

the high morale, courage and good efforts . To Shah Waliullah

they are pi r t ia l v irtues , for many of them are possessed

4^U

by higher animals. Courage I t one of the examplet. There

comes then the question as t o what the virtue i s . The answer

t o t h i s qiiestii^ as Shah Waliullah tiiinks* i s that virtue

i s one controlled by soul and desired by reason, we may

conclude that the acquired attributes are the virtues . They

too are present in the nature of man but are not realised

unless attempted at and hence are counted as the acquired

ones. Moreover, they are virtues because they control

the animal and sensual tendencies harmful for the conduct

^ 22

of man.

It i s but indispensable that the virtue i s embodied

in the action, and every action cannot, however, be

regarded as v i r t u s . I t i s obvious and requires no

c lar i ty . 5hah Waliullah, admitting the fact , speaks of

two types of actions namely one related t o the world and

the other related to div ini ty . Both the types of action

are potential in man and he real i ses t o perform them

when the time d^nands. Courage, for example i s shown at

the time of danger, otherwise i t l i e s hidden as potentia­

l i t y and does not come forth unless demanded. Similar i s

the case with other actic»is related to the world. Shah

Waliullah i s of the opinion that these actions are virtues

but not in the real sense. And i t i s also evident that a l l

421

of th«B» cannot be regarded as virtua (Saadat) for many of

them belong to the animal tendencies «»hich in no way do any

good to mankind. The second type of actions, as Shah

Wallullah holds* are also potential in man, and since they

are concerned with divini ty and are the qual i t ies of man

23 aloni^e are held as virtue in the real sense*

Like the modem psychologists. Shah Waliullah speaks

of the two types of tendencies in man, namely, the rational

or angelic tendencies and the animal tendencies. Not only

the psychologists, the philosophers of different ages have

admitted th i s fact . Aristot le , for example, recognises

these tendencies present in man, but he distinguishes th^a

on the basis of reason or in other words the rational

tendencies, and that i s vHiy he c a l l s man as the rational

animal. It i s expl ic i t that he ca l l s him animal due to

the presence of aniroality in him. Shah Waliullah also

acknowledges, as we have earl ier pointed out, these two

tendencies in man but for him as well the reason remains as

the distinguishing force between man and the animal.

Supporting our contention we may point out that i t i s ,

therefore that he lays tmich emphasis on the dominance of

rational or angelic tendwicies and i t i s for th i s reason

that he considers the second kind of actions as the virtue

422

in the real sense as they consist in prayer and penitence

and are related t o the angelic or rational tendencies. I t

i s thus clear that Shah Waliullaht l ike many other

philosophers and psychologists, considers reason t o be

the share of man alone.

It also stands as a £act that for being a man

animality must be sublimated. And i t i s therefore that the

philosophers have suggested different ways for i t s

suppression. The Ishraqis, for example, as Shah waliullah

himself mentions, preferred to destroy i t cc»npletely« But

i t i s rather d i f f i c u l t for a man to do i t and so Shah

tf/aliullah prefers another way wriiich in our opinicn, i s

more psychological and suitable to tiie human nature. Ht

holds that the complete destruction of animality i t a

matter of impossibility but i t i s true that i t can be

sublimated to a great extent and when i t wi l l be suppressed

i t i s evident that the angelic or raticvial tendencies

which we may cal l the divinity would dominate and i t s

doiBination would result into the cultivation of the virtue

in the real sense (saadat) belwiging to the second

category of actions. Here Shah waliuUah shares many other

philosphers which he does not mention. However, the way

which he suggests i s more practicable even for the common

423

man t o nak* hlni virtuous and i t i s , indeed halpful in the

real isat ion of Saada, the virtue in the real sense. As

we know, Ghazali has also used the woid (saadaat* but he

uses i t for the end «^ich also includes in i t s pervlew

the means by which the end i s achieved. For Shah waliullah

*Saadat* i s the virtue which consists in the cultivation

of the habit of performing the second type of actions

25 meaning therday the prayer and the penitence.

The second type of actions lead to the creation of

following virtues which must necessarily be possessed by

a virtuous man. Shah iValiuliah names them as (1) purity

(Taharat), (2) humility ( I j z ) , (3) detachmwt (Samahat),

and (4) just ice . ( Adalat) * All of these virtues are

cultivated voluntarily and when man becomes habitual of

th«n, he fee ls uneasiness in their absence. It should

not however^laken t o mean that Islam advocates for a

complete detachment Qr segregation from desires but i t

does plead that man should not engage himself in the

pursuit of wordly pleasures to the extent that he should

forget the l i f e hereafter, islam, thus being a practical

re l ig ion , prescribes a way of l i f e which touches neither

Of the extremes.

in spite of the fact the sufls in general have

424

preferred the l i f e of detachment or at l e a s t they have not

induigedthemsdlves in the worldly des i res at t h e cost of

the b less ings of God meaning thereby tha t they have led a

l i f e of p ie ty and penitence, AS i t has e a r l i e r been

discussed that many of the sufis believed in t t a r i q a t ^ .

In connection with t h i s the 'Naqshbandis' have already been

re fe r red . Thoss following the path of t a r i q a t always led

a l i f e of complete detachment for the reason that attachmwit

t o the world c rea tes disturbance in t he prayers , p e n i t w c e

and rfflnembrance of God. Detachment thus becomes the most

important v i r tue v;hich i s a must in t he caso of a S^lik.

I t vdl i be v/orthv»hile i f wo mention Ghazali in t h i s

connection. Having taught in the University of Baghdad

for a long time h is doubts regarding the knowledge he

had gained forced him t o leava tha t l i f e and he went t o

seclusion t o lead a l i f e of complete detachment and

segregat ion. Having l ivad for a long in t h i s s t a t e he

came back t o t h e i n s t i t u t i o n with more c l a r i t y and b e t t e r

r o a l i s a t i o n of t r u t h . Thus detachment has been the source

of knowledge not only for Ghazali but a l so for many other

suf i s and s a i n t s . Buddha may a l so be refer red in the same

connection.

Shah Waliullah being a prac t i s ing sufi advocates

425

for th« cu l t iva t ion of t h i s v i r t u* , AS we are aware of

h i s l i f e , he never l ived in a complete detachment and

segregation but i t a l so stands as a fact that he was never

incl ined towards the l i f e of luxury and sensual pleasures*

I t may thus be concluded from his biography tha t the

2ft

detachment he pleads for i s the one advocated by Shariah.

Shah Waliullah i s of the view that man should detach

himself in a l l walks of l i f e . He also speaks of the

d i f fe ren t terms used for i t In d i f ferent f i e l d s we have

already discussed them in h is e t h i c s .

The l a s t of these four cardinal v i r t u e s i s j u s t i c e

( a d a l a t ) . i t i s the v i r tue which enables man for adminis­

t r a t i o n . Regarding i t Shah Waliullah holds t h a t the

object ives of administrat ion are in the world of angels or

t he world of souls (alame malakut). The human soul has

t h e capacity t o acquire the a t t r i b u t e of adminis t ra t ion.

Since man does not possess, the a b i l i t y t o knew the wi l l

of God regarding t h e adminis trat ion, God, there fore , sends

prophets t o teach man His ru les which are in accordance

with His w i l l . I t may be concluded tha t t h e selected

ones, as we know a l l of them do not , a re able t o acquire

t h i s qual i ty and they alone should have the prWil^^ge

t o look af te r t he administration so t h a t the nation may

426

20

thrive and be benefitted by h i s capacitlet and a b i l i t i e s .

Regarding t h i s virtue, i f perusivel/ analysed we can

safely assert that Shah Waliullah s«ems t o echo Plato and

Ghazali. Plato in his 'Republic' holds Justice to be the

highest virtue and on i t s basis'^Us of the opinion that the

philosopher should be the king of his ideal s tate , shah

Waliullah does not advocate the legacy of the Philosophers

in the matter of kingship nor does he consider that Justice

(adalat) i s the highest kind of virtue. To him, however,

i t i s , as i t has been said, ^ e of the cardial virtues and

l ike Plattt he also holds that the selected human souls

are able t o acquire the attribute of Justice which helps

them look after the administration. Inam Ghazali discusses

in deta i l these cardinal virtues and shah Waliullah

repeatedly mentions the book of Ghazali, *Ihya-ul-ulum*•

This shows the impact of Ghazalian thought on Shah Waliullah.

Shah Waliullah considers the above described virtues as the

cardial ones, but along with i t he also ponders over other

actions which are either t o be taken as virtues or as s ins ,

in his ethics he f i r s t takes up the actions held as virtues .

The f irs t one of them i s the bel ief in the unity of

God. He considers i t as one of the essential virtues t o be

possessed by man <xc he would not be taken t o be a Muslim.

427

Describing i t he speaks of the stages* namely the be l i e f in

t h e uni ty of God (X) as the only exis tence, (2) as t h e only

c r ea to r , (3) as the only designer of t h e universe and

(4) as the only one t o be worshipped.

In the l i g h t of h is d i scuss im on the un i ty of God

we sha l l not be wrong t o infer tha t Shah Waliullah advocates

for a perfect be l ie f in His un i ty . By describing the

stages he means t o point out tha t God i s t h e only one in

a l l respects and the re i s none t o share him at any s tage .

Like him, Ghazali a l so speaks of the same s tages .

The second of these vir tuous act iwis i s the be l i e f in

the a t t r i b u t e s of God. All the Muslims and the followers

of d i f fe ren t r e l ig ious bel ieve in His a t t r i b u t e s and have

in te rpre ted them in a very controversial way. In dealing

with Shah Waliullah* s metaphysics we have already referred

t o the controversy regarding the a t t r i b u t e s and t h e

essence in t he schools of Muslim philosophy. Such

cont rovers ies , however, a re found in other r e l i g ions as

wel l . There i s no doubt that they are d i f f e ren t in na ture .

Shankra, for example, advocates the be l ief in the God

without a t t r i b u t e s (Nirgun Bramha) and considers him t o be

r e a l l y Real. Shah Waliullah a l so takes up the problem and

present h is own solut ion. He considers the a t t r i b u t e s t o

438

be the t imi l les which should carefully be unfolded. Due

t o the d i f f i c u l t i e s he agrees with the Islamic view that

the common man should not contemplate over them. Besides,

he also describes their categories namely (1) the

attributes allowed to be thought over by Shariah, (2) the

attributes disallowed to be thought over by Shariah, and

(3) the attributes t o be thought over as per necessity.

For instance, laughing (zahak), happiness (farhat) etc.

belong t o the f i r s t category; sobbing and lamenting are

included in the second category; and the attributes l i k e

that of knowledge such as seeing, hearing etc . come under

the pervlew of the third category. By giving these catego*

r i e s Shah Waliullah means to point out that be l ie f in the

attributes i s necessary but the ponderance on them may

mislead the people. Summing i t up, we may come to

conclude that Shah Waliullah was aware of the controversies

and also had an insight in the d i f f i c u l t i e s t o be faced by

the people in general i f they contemplate over them. And

i t i s , therefore, that he considers them as s imiles , and

thjis he points out the difference between the actual and

l i k e actual. One should not, ho>/«9ver, be mistaken as the

other.^^

Shah Waliullah i s of the opinion that the destiny

429

i s grea tes t of a l l v i r t u e s . In order t o support h is

contentiiM he c i t e s cer ta in t r a d i t i c n s which we have

mentioned in h i s e th ic s . Besides* he a l so speaks of i t s

f ive stages namtly ( I ) the stage of form, (2) the stage

of number, (3) stage of Adam's creat ion of and h i s

p o s t e r i t y , (4) s tage of the fusion of the soul i n t o the

foetus and (5) I t i s the stage when the events happening

in the world of matter are recorded in the world of

heaven. From the discussion of these stages i t i s c l ea r

t h a t Shah Waliullah professes a staunch be l i e f in dest iny

and advocates i t with the same force and firmness. The

s tages ca tegor ica l ly suggest tha t Shah waliul lah does not

be l ieve in complete freedom of wil l but i t should a l so

be taken in to account that he ne i ther denies the freedoa

of man. He i s of the view t h a t In s p i t e of the determlni«B

man has been given the power of choice and t h i s Implies

t h a t he i s responsible for h i s r igh t and wrong dtedf. I t

can, however, be affirmed tha t in a l l stage of des t iny

described here every thing regarding man has been dest ined.

The affirmati(»i would be t rue and i t would lead us t o

conclude tha t the pow^r of choice i s a l so destined and

being the des t iny of man he should be held responsible for

t h e r igh t and wrong. Put t ing i t in b r i e f , i t may be

430

concluded that Shah Waliullah, l ike Asharltest advocates

32 semi determinism or the determined freedcm.

m the discussion of virtues* Shah Waliullah also

takes up worship. He regards i t as one of the greatest

virtues man should cult ivate in him for i t benefits hia

and s a t i s f i e s his nature. Shah Waliullah repeatedly

emphasises on the importance of worship. He regards i t

essential for the training of senses and i t but has also

brought to l ight i t s types. He regards the pagans as

polythels ts . He thinks those t o be the same who worship

the planets, and what actually draws our attention i s that

he also considers Christians as polythelsts . Christianity,

as we know, i s one of the semetlc re l ig ions and has

preached monism but there i s no doubt that the monism in

Christianity i s much l i k e the monotheism, for i t advocates

the bel ief in the unity in Trinity. Shah Waliullah and

other Muslim thinkers, however, could not agree with th i s

unity for the Holy Quran categorically asserts that there

i s none to share God. He has neither begotten anyone nor

has been begotten by anyone. The followers of Christianity

bel ieve that the Christ i s the son of God. The be l i e f i s

against the contents of the Holy quran and cannot, therefore,

be held by Muslims. Moreover being the son means sharing

431

Godhood and any such proposition would certainly lead

t o polytheism. I t i s therefore that shah Waliullah

considers Christians as pctlythtists.

As Islam categorises. Shah Waliullah also c l a s s i f i e s

33 the sins as the major and the minor ones.

Apart from i t , he speaks of other virtuous ac t io i s

l i k e prayer ( s a l a t ) , fasting (saun), holy tax (zakat)

pilgrimage toMecca (haj) , holy war (Jahad), ablution

(wazu), bathing (ghusl) . In additi(vt t o th is he also

34 describes the secrets lying behind these v irtues .

Shah Waliullah has given a complete system of ethics*

He has not discussed the virtues alone but has also

described the v i ces . At the outset of the discussion of

the vices he takes up polytheism. It means that to him i t

i s the greatest evi l and must, therefore, be eradicated

fron the society. We shall not be wrong t o assert that

many of the re l ig ions , particularly the Semitic ones have

attonpted at i t s eradication and become successful t o a

great extent. As a consequeee to t h i s , a great number

of people profess a bel ie f in monism or uni tar ianim,

but even after that polytheism i s practised and has invited

the attention of the philosophers l i k e Shah Waliullah. He

has not only discussed dispositic»)s, and also considers i t

432

necesear / for building up a higher moral conotuct. He i t

of the view tha t the worship should be performed by wi l l

and not by hahrit* Here he explains the meaning of w i l l . The

power of wi l l l i e s in the power of choice. He explains i t

by c r i t i c i s i n g t he philosophers t h a t the wi l l implies doing

and not doing of an ac t ion , and before i t i s done or not

done i t does not mean anything, meaning t h e r ^ y tha t t he

ac t ion i s p r io r t o w i l l , i t s performance depends on i t .

Thus he explains tha t t h e action i s p r io r t o w i l l . I t i s

created by God, f i r s t in world of forms and then in t he

world of c&jacts and man chooses i t s doing or not doing.

And worship being one of the vi r tuous actions should be

chosen by man by h i s ovm w i l l . Rationalising i t fur ther

he a s s e r t s tha t (1) God should be worshipped as He has

created man, (2) He should be worshipped as He rewards t h e

v i r tuous and punishes the v ic ious . In addition t o t h i s ,

he a l so takes up the problem whether the s i n n ^ wil l be

redeemed. Explaining i t he i s of the view tha t t h e r e

should be a difference between an a t h e i s t , a pagan, and a

be l i eve r , and as they are d i f ferent in s tages , they i^ould

be dea l t with d i f fe ren t ly in the l i f e hereaf te r . In t h i s

c o n n e c t i ^ he presents an analogy of a bi rd in a cage. We

need not repeat i t here , however, on the basis of t h i s

433

discussion Shah waliullah comes to conduct* that the

bcliftver and tht non«b«liever cannot be treated on ecjual

footings. His view i s supported by the tradition that

some wil l be burnt in the f ire of h e l l , others wi l l face

i t s blazes and s t i l l others wil l be tortured for sometime

and thereafter rede«aed. Thus i t i s evident that the sinner

i s distinguished from the non-believer and wil l be redeemed

after a sufficient torture for his misdeeds. The same

controversy he resolves by pointing out that there are two

types of actions namely (Ja) voluntary, Qb) involuntary and

(2) laws. They are also of two types, ( i ) necessary and

( i i ) probable. Explaining i t he gives the example of a

statement of a person declaring that the poison necessarily

causes death. The other defies the statement and challenges

i t s necessi ty . To him a person taking poison may survive.

Thus in one case i t i s necessary, and in the other i t i s

probable. The example suggests that the necessity and

probability a re la t ive . What i s necessary in the case

of man may be probable in the case of Qod. To make i t

expl ic i t we should take up the proposition that God

rewards the virtue and punishes the vice but Htf v.<ir> iz

otherwise. L«t us refer here to Mutazilites who considered

i t as necessary, and, again, t o Asharites who thought i t

434

t o be prc^able meaning thereby what i t necessary may e i the r

be probable in t h e case of God as He I s a l l powerful and

cannot be bound. On t h i s bas i s we may conclude tha t Sh«h

tfaliullah suggests tha t a sinner may be forgiven. The

pos i t ion that he takes up i s the one taken by the Ashar i tes .

35

but the difference l i e s in i t s explanation.

In addition to the other perversions brought abojt

by the s in , i t ctffects the outward behaviour of man. As

he l i v e s in t h e society he must behave in a way which

does not affect the i n s t i t u t i c s t , and i f he does not do so,

not only the society but he too wil l be affected and the

developmont of both, man and society wil l be hampered.

Thus the referjtoation in t h e outward behaviour i s a must.

In our opinion, most of the re l ig ions attempt at wiping 36

out the social e v i l s , so that man and society may progress*

The second cause cons is t s in the b less ing and curse

of t h e higher angels in »khat i ra tu l quds*. Their b less ing

i s reward and t h e i r curse i s punishment. Shah Waliullah

c l a r i f i e s i t saying tha t f ina l ly God blesses the v i r tuous

and penal ises the v ic ious . Man having the power of choice

earns any one of them for himself. Rat ional is ing i t , ht

holds t h a t every creature fee l s contented and rel ieved i f

i t does in accordance with i t s nalttre and i f i t ac t s

435

otherwltft i t f««Xt suffocation and tortur*. Tht sam«

i s t iue in the case of man. He possesses the divine

dispositicm (Latifae noorani) which i s the case of his

nature, consec|uently, he must perform the actions satisfying

t h i s disposit ion. If his actions correspond t o his nature,

he f e e l s sat i s fact ion, and i f the case i s otherwise, he

f ee l s torture and pain. On the basis of t h i s discussion

we may conclude that Shah Waliullah i s of the view that man

i s good by h is nature, and he may ranain so i f the sensuality

does not dominate his d iv ini ty . But the mundane pleasures

often lead him to indulge in the acts of sensuality and

so he f ee l s d i s sat i s f i ed and discontented. Shah Waliullah

also points cut that the rewaard brings delight and the

37

punishment leads t o abhorrence and torture.

In the l i ght of the previous discussion we may

conclude that Shah Waliullah presents a complete system of

e th ic s . Regarding virtue he i s of the view that i t *dll

be determined in accordance with the species . The virtue

in the case of other species of animals wil l be the

innate attributes (Kamalate naui) and in case of man i t

w i l l be determined on the basis of acquiring those

qual i t ies helping the dominance of d iv in i ty present

in the essence of man. Regarding destiny i t has been

436

ascertained that he advocates s«Bi-detexmini«n. shah

Waliullah does not reject the principle of reward and

punishment( instead of i t he holds that God being the

knower of a l l things also knows the dastiny of man which

he wi l l choose for himself in his future. Shah Waliullah

i s also of the view that blessing and curse of God

depends an His w i l l . Like Asharites he never l i k e s to

l imit the powers of God in any sphere. In our opinion

Shah yifaliullah, by considering man to be good by nature*

presents an ideal of man who i s perfect in a l l respects

and that man i s Prophet Muhammad (Xnsan-i-Kamil)*

To c<»^clude the resumef we may assert that Shah

Waliullah presents a compact philosophy which i s dominated

by sufism. He has not only influenced his contemporaries

but also the la ter gorier at ions . And for a long time

the Indian Muslim thinkers have been interpreting h i s

philosophy. Their interpretations require a peruslve

study which I wish to take up thereafter.