Book Reviews 379

relationships created therein were selI-reciprocating, legitimizing and maintained

this Iramework by speaking to a wider body oI reproducible behaviors that extended
beyond the ribs themselves.
The Iinal chapter returned to the historical subtexts oI chapter one and
demonstrated how Suhraward Iunctioned as a religious scholar within a politically
charged environment. Ohlander argued that Suhraward ultimately served al-Nr
by legitimizing sivsa sharivva (government based oI the shara) and the classical
theory oI the caliphate. However, Suhraward`s primary aim was not to support the
caliphate and deIend its policies but to restrict or usurp the authority oI contending
ifas and aIIirm the validity oI his own. Ohlander`s analysis examined three types
oI publications that were eIIectual in aIIirming his public position, 1) a prescriptive
creed written Ior a general audience, Alm al-hud (Banners of Guidance); 2) two
manuals on futuwwa (chivalry), Kitb fi l-futuwwa and Risla fi l-futuwwa; and 3)
two polemics directed against falsifa (philosophy), Kashf al-fai (Unveiling of
Ignominv) and Idlat al-ivn (Justice of Witnessing). These texts bolstered the
political aims oI al-Nr while advancing Suhraward and his ifa above other
competing groups. In general, Suhraward located the fivva as mediators between
the caliphate and the masses. ThereIore, Suhraward engaged in a dual strategy oI
1) deIending al-Nr`s conception oI the caliphate and 2) systematically de-
centering contesting claims oI religious authority by repositioning them with his
own group.
Ohlander produced a well-researched manuscript, which provided us with a
key step in our understanding oI the institutionalization oI SuIism. He demonstrated
that Suhraward created a universal SuIi system that was couched in the broader
virtues oI medieval Muslim religious learning, politics and public liIe. This system
produced replicable and selI-authorizing behaviors and institutions, which would
provide the template Ior arqa-based SuIism. Consequently, this study then
undermined the conclusions oI Trimingham and Hodgson. Ohlander demonstrated
that Trimmingham`s typology limited the theoretical and practical principles oI early
mystics. He also amended Hodgson`s procedure by suggesting we incorporate the
inIluential socio-political, cultural, and religious trends that imbued SuIism during
its Iormative process. Altogether, Ohlander`s methodology oI reading an indivi-
dual`s liIe within the broader historical patterns and employing a detailed inve-
stigation within in a wide array oI sources is laudable and should be emulated in
Iuture studies. From our collective work we can then hope to reassess the peri-
odization oI arqa-based SuIism and better understand the rise oI the Islamic
mystical brotherhoods.
Kristian Petersen

Firoozeh Papan-Matin in Collaboration with Michael Fishbein: The Unveiling of
Secrets (Kashf al-Asrr). The Jisionarv Autobiographv of R:bihn al-Baql
(1128-1209 A.D.). Boston: Brill, 2006 (Islamic History and Civilization. Studies
and Texts 59), x, 182 pp., ISBN 90-04-14408-0, price: t 86.00.
The Unveiling of Secrets is the Iirst critical edition oI an important twelIth-
century Arabic spiritual autobiography entitled Kashf al-Asrr wa Mukshaft al-
380 Book Reviews

Anwr (The Unveiling of Secrets and Disclosures of the Light), by renowned scholar
Rzbihn al-Baql (522/1128-606/1209). Rzbihn Baql was a mystic and
prominent intellectual Irom Shiraz who gained a strong Iollowing and political
patronage Irom local elites. He was a monumental Iigure in the history oI SuIism
because he represented the stage oI coalescence oI Islamic mysticism, Irom
diversiIied individuals and texts to a broadly based social movement. His writings
have been examined regularly by Western academics, beginning in the early
twentieth-century, aIter the rediscovery oI his mausoleum by Vladimir Ivanow
(1886-1970) in 1928 and Iollowed by the Ioundational work oI Louis Massignon
(1883-1962) and Henry Corbin (1903-78)
1
. Baql is best known Ior his Abhar al-
shiqn (The Jasmine of Lovers), Shar-i Shavt (An Exegesis of Ecstatic
Savings) and his Qur`nic commentary, Aris al-Bavn f aqiq al-Qurn (The
Brides of Explanation on the Realities of the Qurn). Most recently, Carl Ernst
introduced Rzbihn Baql to the Western audience and demonstrated his
importance Ior our understanding oI patterns oI early SuIism and local attempts to
create spiritually eIIicacious centers
2
. Ernst also wrote the Iirst English translation oI
Kashf al-Asrr
3
. However, despite all oI this attention there has yet to be a complete
edited version oI Baql`s Unveiling of Secrets and hence the need Ior the present
work
4
.
The introduction outlined a brieI biography based on Baql`s own works, along
with those oI his grandsons and Abd al-Ramn Jm`s (1414-1492) Nafaat al-
Uns (The Breaths of Divine Intimacv) beIore moving on to describe the text itselI.
We were Iirst introduced to the structure oI Kashf al-Asrr and its relation to the
biographical tradition. It was shown to be unique amongst the typical genres oI
biographical records, such as sra and tabaqt literature, due to its emphasis on the
inner liIe oI the author, as opposed to the historical, political or social circumstances
oI an individual`s liIe. However, unlike the Iamous spiritual autobiography oI
Muammad Ab mid al-Ghazal (d. 1111), al-Munqidh min al-all (The
Deliverance from Error), Unveiling of Secrets does not Iocus on the conditions that
led to the inner crisis but on the visionary experiences themselves. Throughout the
text Baql introduced us to the unseen world (lam al-ghavb), where we witness
him in the company oI God, saints, prophets, and angels. This visionary
autobiography developed the concepts and themes Irom all oI Baql`s works and
demonstrated how they maniIested in the unveilings oI a saint. Papan-Matin

1. For a review oI the scholarship on Rzbihn Baql, see Carl W. Ernst, Ru:bihan
Baqli. Mysticism and the Rhetoric of Sainthood in Persian Sufism. Richmond: Curzon Press,
1996, pp. xi-xiii.
2. Ernst, Ru:bihan Baqli.
3. Carl W. Ernst, The Unveiling of Secrets. Diary of a Sufi Master. Chapel Hill: Parvar-
digar Press, 1997.
4. Two previous publications oI an abridged edition oI Kashf al-Asrr are available; see
NaziI Hoca, ed., R:bihn al-Bakli ve Kitb Kasfal-asrri ile Farsa b:i siirleri, Istanbul
niversitesi Edebiyat Fakltesi Yayinlan No. 1678. Istanbul: Edebiyat Fakltesi Matbaasi,
1971; and Paul Nwyia ed., 'Waqa al-Shaykh Ruzbihn al-Baql al-Shrz muqtaaIat min
kitb KashI al-asrr wa mukshaIat al-anwar. ed., Al-Mashriq, vol. LXIV, nos 4-5 (1970)
385-406.
Book Reviews 381

supplemented her explication with reIerences Irom Baql`s other writings to indicate
how we can understand his overall ideology and the possible intentions Ior writing
Kashf al-Asrr. She also oIIered relevant queries addressing the creation oI such a
text. For example, why had Baql composed an autobiography when he described
these visions in other writings? Was he attempting to validate his own knowledge?
Or create a heuristic template Ior Iuture mystics? And was the use oI Arabic and his
stylized writing used with speciIic Iorethought and desired consequences? The
introduction concluded with a substantial bibliography addressing both Kashf al-
Asrr, in particular, and Rzbihn Baql, in general.
Papan-Matin`s edition was based on two complete manuscripts oI Kashf al-
Asrr located in the library oI stn-i Quds-i Raiavl in Mashhad and another in
Massignon's private library in Paris. In her editing, Papan-Matin sided with caution.
Occasionally, the original manuscript was ungrammatical or unclear because oI the
omission oI diacritical dots (ifm) or poor penmanship. ThereIore, when addressing
Baql`s, or later amanuenses`, peccadilloes she oIIered the manuscript reading rather
than attempting to amend or regularize the text. This resulted in a legible text that is
both clear and authentic. Overall, Papan-Matin provided us with an exceptional
piece oI literature Irom the mystical tradition oI Islam. It will be useIul to those
working on biography, prosopography, SuIism, or the transmission oI knowledge.
Its thorough introduction and extensive bibliography contextualize this text within
larger themes and promotes Iurther worthwhile investigation.
Kristian Petersen

Mohsen Zakeri: Persian Wisdom in Arabic Garb, Ali b. Ubavda al- Rayhn
(d. 219/834) and his Jawahir alKilam wa faraid al-hikam, 2 vols, Leiden
Boston: E.J. Brill, 2007. vol. 1: ISBN: 978-90-04-15-168-0, 378 pp.; vol. 2: 90-
04-15275-x, 1124 pp. Price: t 299.00.

The Iirst centuries oI Islamic times Iorm a crucial period Ior the transmission
oI Greek and Persian wisdom in Arabic accounts. This Iield had been relatively
unknown until recently. In the last Iew years some works have been produced
regarding Graeco-Arabic studies but Iar less works have been about Persian heritage
in Arabic accounts at the time. Mohsen Zaker`s edition and translation oI al-
Rayhn`s work Iills a major gap in this Iield.
The book was published by Brill in the Islamic Philosophy, Theology Science,
Text and Studies Series (no 66). It consists oI two volumes: in the Iirst one Zakeri
analyses the historical and literary Irameworks oI the author and the text; in the
second one he deals with the edition and English translation oI the Arabic text. In his
voluminous work, Zakeri oIIers the most updated inIormation on al-Rayhn`s work
and vita.
Regarding the Iirst volume, Zakeri covers a wide range oI themes which are
related with the author`s milieu and the circumstances under which al- Rayhn
compiled his account. The volume begins with a preIace (xi) and a list oI abbrevia-
tions (xiii), whilst the main part oI the volume is divided into three parts: in the Iirst
part (3-90) Zakeri analyses the historical and literary Iramework oI al-Rayhn`s
work. He pays attention to the relation between the author and his associates (3).