Based on Book Talk by Dr. Leyla H Tajer
Presented on May 27, 2023
Book Report by Sr. Fatima Mezdad (Master’s Student – Cohort 1)
Dr. Leyla Tajer is a scholar of world religions, philosophy, western civilization, Islamic thought, and Sufi literature. She conducts and coordinates workshops on love in religions, love lyrics, and Sufi literature. She specializes in the classification, stages, and ingredients of love, self-love, and the transforming power of love and emotion. She completed her PhD at the International Islamic University Malaysia with an award-winning dissertation titled “The Ingredients, Stages, and Experience of Love: A Parallel Exposition of Jalaluddin Rumi and Ananda Kentish Coomaraswamy.”
She completed her prior studies at the Islamic Azad University in Tehran, focusing on mysticism. She continued the same line of research, doing a post-doctoral program at the International Islamic University Malaysia. Dr Tajer is also a co-investigator in the project on the Study of Love and Religion at the Oxford Centre for Christianity and Culture at the University of Oxford.
The subject of her book, Ḥamzah Fanṣūrī, is a 16th-century Malay mystic and poet from Fanṣūr or Barus on the west bank of Sumatra. He is considered the father of Malay literature. His writings greatly influenced Muslim thinkers and Sufis in Southeast Asia. His works exhibit a command over Arabic and Persian in addition to his Malay mother tongue.
In her presentation to the BIS students, faculty, and guests, Dr. Tajer first spoke about Fanṣūrī’s character and then proceeded to present his work in skillful, scholarly depth. But before this, she began by acknowledging the contributions of the Malaysian Philosopher Syed Muhammad al Naquib al-Attas. She recognized his pioneering work in studying Ḥamzah Fanṣūrī. He published his Ph.D. thesis in 1970 on the mysticism of Fanṣūrī, thereby presenting the modern reader with access to his thoughts in English.
Dr. Tajer also recognised her co-author Amir Zekrgoo, with whom she worked on the translation of the three treatises from Malay into Persian. She mentioned and thanked him a few times throughout her talk.
She then transitioned to the subject of her book, Ḥamzah Fanṣūrī. She introduced him as the first scholar to write about Sufi teachings in the Malay language. His treatises represent a bridge between 13 Muslim scholars, thinkers, philosophers, and mystics “in a systematic manner,” simplifying the language and concepts of Sufi metaphysics, rendering it accessible to laymen, particularly in Southeast Asia that was not yet exposed to Sufi literature and philosophy, with a focus on the doctrine of Wahdat al Wujūd, (Unity of Existence). Dr. Tajer referred to his mastery of Persian and Arabic while also pointing out his transcendence of geographical boundaries. In writing, he refers to himself in the third person. She quoted from his Diwān: “He is not a Persian, nor an Arab, but he is constantly united with the Enduring One.”
The book introduces Ḥamzah Fanṣūrī as a leading spiritual character in the Malay world through a critical assessment of his three treatises. The first treatise, Sharāb al-‘Āshiqīn (The Drink of Lovers), has 61 parts and focuses on Sharī‘ah (The Law), Ṭarīqah (The Path), Ḥaqīqah (The Truth), and the states of thanksgiving and love. Fanṣūrī’s second treatise, Asrār al-‘Ārifīn (The Secrets of The Mystics), comprises 62 parts and revolves around the Divine Attributes, wise sayings addressed to seekers of the Divine Path, and the stations of spiritual love. The last treatise is titled Al-Muntahī (The Adept). It is written in 31 parts and stresses upon the relation of self-realization to the realization of the Almighty.
During the BIS Book Talk, Dr. Tajer listed the “thirteen characters” that impacted Fanṣūrī’s writings. She presented and discussed each one of them at varying depths, based on quotes from them that he mentions in his treatises. She began with Bayazid Bastami, who was known as Sultan al `Ārifīn, or the King of Mystics, due to his extensive Sufi knowledge. She also pointed to the controversies that surrounded him, namely his utterance of the words “Subhani ma a‘azama sha’ni!” (Glory to me! How great is my glory!) and his use of the concept of mystical drunkenness. This reflects “his bold use of expressions with respect to the meaning of complete absorption into mysticism.” The controversy stemmed from how to interpret these words.
She went on to elaborate on the other mystics that the treatises are founded on, including prominent figures such as Al Ghazali, Jami, `Attar, Tabrizi, and Rumi. From Saadi Shirazi, she quoted a poem that distinguishes the metaphorical moth from the nightingale in the way they manifest their love to the Beloved:
Learn to love like the moth,
O noisy bird of dawn!
It gave its life to the flame,
and never made a sound!
Those who brag about love,
it’s for the knowledge they lack!
As from those with the knowledge,
no news ever came back.
Dr. Tajer concluded her talk with a summary of her book and the essence of Ḥamzah Fanṣūrī’s treatises: “He aimed to present a non-biased view of the trend of the Islamic intellectual tradition.” He prioritized Sharī`ah (Law) while also valuing Ḥaqīqa (the True Sufi Path). “He explored strict followers of Sharī`ah and the more flexible approach of sufism […] creating a smoother, cleaner presentation of Unity of Existence”. This doctrine can be summarized in this Ḥadith Qudsi: “When I love him I become his hearing with which he hears, his seeing with which he sees, his hand with which he strikes, and his leg with which he walks; and if he asks Me, I give him, and if he seeks refuge in Me, I protect him”.
The Book Talk ended with a Q&A that she recognized as inspiration for further writing. BIS Lead Faculty, Dr. Suheil Laher, asked about the impact of disseminating these complex sufi concepts to laymen, sometimes resulting in misinterpretations viewed as “theologically problematic.” He also inquired about the contributions of Sheikh Shemsuddin Sumatrai, a disciple of Ḥamzah Fanṣūrī who was influential in elaborating on his doctrine of Wahdat al Wujūd.