Izz Al-Din Al-Sulami (His Life and Works)

Preface

I have chosen for my study a person who in spite of his rare personal and academic qualities has greatly been neglected by authors.

‘IZZ AI-DIN AL-SULAMI, my author, was among those very few who greatly influenced their age. It would not be an exaggeration to say that he was the man of the seventh century A.H. (l3th A.D.) as a religious reformer. His acute sense of righteousness and extra ordinary moral courage in criticising and rebuffing the absolute Sultans and powerful viziers of his time amazed and deeply impressed the early authors.

In modern times, two Arab essayists have introduced this particular aspect of ‘Izz al-Din’s life to the general reader in their two essays. Nevertheless, his high academic qualities remained unknown or known only to a very limited circle of specialised scholars.

By choosing this author for my study I have trodden virgin soil. Excluding my own previous work in Arabic, this study is the first of it! kind in either a European or an Oriental language.

I had planned to discuss my sources separately and in detail, but this plan I dropped later because of the growing bulkness of the dissertation. However, a few words seem necessary in this respect.

Those who are familiar with the nature of the biographical dictionaries in Arabic know how little information is supplied, generally in them; and how this insufficient information is arranged in bits and pieces, so that to get a vivid and complete portrait of a person is almost impossible. The later biographers tediously repeat their predecessors, very seldom adding any new information.

However, I have endeavoured to produce a complete and live image of the author, putting my information in chronological order. My frequent recourse to the historical sources - that is, the annals of the period - was of great help in this achievement.

I have viewed my sources in historical order and have referred, preferably, to the earliest and most original of them. References to later authorities have only been made to complete some gap or confirm controversial or important points.

Fortunately, one of my author’s sons wrote a monograph on his father’s life. It is by no means a full biography, nor was it meant to be so. However, it has preserved a good deal of information on his relationship with the monarchs of his time. Another original and perhaps detailed biography was written by Qadi ‘Abd al-’Aziz al-Hakkari (d. 727 A.H.). This is unfortunately not extant.

Al-Subki (d. 771 A.H.) has always been considered the earliest and most comprehensive source for my author. He is still the most comprehensive source, since he incorporated the above-mentioned monograph by ‘Izz al-Din’s son in his Tabaqat. By his own account, al-Subki is no longer the earliest authority. For I have discovered another earlier and original source. He is Qutb al-Din al-Yunini (d. 726 A.H.), in his supplement to Mir’at al-Zaman of Sibt Ibn al-Jauzi. This author provides us with some first-hand accounts of ‘Izz al-Din’s life which are not found in any other biographical work.

I have also kept a critical eye on my sources. Their statements have been accepted only after careful scrutiny and comparison with the more scrupulous and reliable authors.

I had agreed with my supervisor to translate my previous Arabic work on the author’s life into English, my main research work at Cambridge being the edition of the text and its annotation. But I did not feel content with a mere translation, and so re-examined the whole subject material and consulted scores of MSS. as well as printed works. I consequently reached some new conclusions and introduced a new chapter, along with several new topics, such as, for instance, the mystical life of the author, his relationship with The ‘Arabi, a critical list of his work with comments when necessary and a discussion of his two principal works.

I have referred to Flugel’s edition (1893) for the Qur’anic verses both in the English section and in the Arabic text. I have not always used diacritical marks on common words such as Ayyubid, Mamluk, Wazir (Vizier) qadi (Kadi) etc.

Finally, I hope that I have made, with this study of mine, a further contribution to the history of Islamic culture.

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