The passion of Hallaj

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Sadia Dehlvi [1]

The most controversial figure in the history of Islamic mysticism is Hussain ibn Mansur al-Hallaj of the 9th century. Hallaj was beheaded for proclaiming “Ana al Haqq” (“I am the Truth” or “I am God”). One of the 99 names of Allah is “Al Haqq”, The Truth. The words, amongst the most famous utterances in Sufi history, mark Hallaj’s spiritual vocation, the cause of his condemnation and the glory of his martyrdom.
Born in south Iran, the quest for philosophy led Hallaj to travel to Tostar, Baghdad, Mecca, Khuzestan, Khorasan, Transoxiana, Sistan, India and Turkestan.

He took a boat to India, reaching Sindh through Gujarat. Eventually, he returned to Baghdad where his bold preaching about union with God led to his arrest on charges of heresy. After years of imprisonment and a political trial, Hallaj was sentenced to death by the orthodox establishment.
In a state of mystic drunkenness, Hallaj revealed the divine mystery, and he lived and died for it. In prison, Hallaj was questioned, “What is love?” He answered: “You will see it today and tomorrow and the day after tomorrow”. That day Hallaj’s hands were cut off. The next day he was beheaded and on the third day his ashes were consigned to the wind.
Hallaj often urged people to kill him so he could unite with God. “Kill me, O trustworthy friends, for in my being killed is my life”. On the way to the gallows, 13 heavy chains were tied around Hallaj’s body. When asked why he strutted in such a proud manner, he replied, “Because I am going to the slaughterhouse”.
The martyrdom of Hallaj gave rise to many legends and he remains a powerful image in Arabic, Persian, Turkish, Punjabi, Sindhi and Urdu prose and poetry as one who danced to the gallows.
In a loincloth and with a mantle thrown around his shoulders, Hallaj kissed the wood, climbed the gibbet and turned towards Makkah to offer his final prayer, ending with the words: “...And these Thy servants gathered to slay me, in zeal for Thy religion and in desire to win Thy favour, forgive them, O Lord and have mercy on them; for verily if Thou has revealed to them that which Thou has revealed to me, they would not have done what they have done; and if Thou had hidden from me that which Thou had hidden from them, I should not have suffered this tribulation. Glory unto Thee in whatsoever Thou does, and glory unto Thee in whatsoever Thou wills”.
Following the execution, Hallaj’s body resounded with cries of “Ana al Haqq”. To calm the body, the authorities cut Hallaj’s limbs off, but the amputated parts continued to resound, “Ana al Haqq”. On the third day his body parts were burnt, but they continued to echo the same phrase. When his ashes were thrown into the Dajla river, they formed the words “Ana al Haqq” and the water began to swell to dangerous heights till a disciple threw the martyr’s garment in the river. He had been instructed by Hallaj to do so in order to appease the wrath of the river. The level of the waters subsided and some ashes collected from its banks were entombed.
Mystics believe that on Judgement Day, Hallaj will be brought in fetters lest his ecstasy turns the world upside down.
Hallaj left a considerable number of books of prose and poetry describing his mystic passions. He gave Persian and Urdu poetry the everlasting imagery of the candle and the self-destructing moth, conveying the fate of true lovers. Other recurring images to convey mystic love are the wine cup, crescent, goblet of intoxication and birds.
Hallaj’s heroic story stands for one madly in love with the Divine, an idea that dominated both his writing and life:
“I am He who I love, and He who I love is I
We are two spirits dwelling in one body
If thou see me, thou see us both
And if thou see Him, thou see us both
In that glory is no ‘I’ or ‘We’ or ‘Thou’
‘I’, ‘We’, ‘Thou’ and ‘He’ are all one thing.”

— Sadia Dehlvi is a Delhi-based writer and the author of Sufism: The Heart of Islam. She can be contacted at sadiafeedback@gmail.com