Ashath (Arabic:شطحšaṭḥ, plural:šaṭaḥāt oršaṭḥiyyāt),[1] in theIslamic mystical tradition ofSufism, is anecstatic utterance which often seems outrageous; however, it also holds immense significance within Sufism by acting as a conduit ofmysticism that communicates implicit religious beliefs and ideals through different modes ofconsciousness.[2] The word is derived from the root š-ṭ-ḥ, which carries the sense of overflowing or outpouring caused by agitation.[1] Sufi authors tend to vary in their interpretations ofshath, sometimes claiming that such utterances were misquotations, being attributed to immaturity, madness, individual rhetoric,[3] or intoxication. At other times Sufi authors regardedshath as authentic expressions of profound states of consciousness, spirituality, and even the profoundest experience of divine realities, which should not be manifested to the unworthy.[1] In order to cultivate a society with those worthy of communion throughShath, the establishment of institutions of"Words of Ecstasy" began in the classical and post-classical periods.[2] The socioreligious importance and foundations of these institutions were figure-headed by prominent mystics of the period likeBayezid Bistami,Nuri,Hallaj,Ayn al-Qudat, andRuzbihan Baqli.[2][4] Many Sufi authors, includingal-Ghazali, showed ambivalence about the apparent blasphemy ingrained in the nature of someshathiyat, while admiring the spiritual status of their authors.[1][5]
The height in popularity ofshath occurred during theclassical period of Sufism from the ninth to twelfth century AD (the third to sixth centuryAH). The principal Sufi interpretation of theshathiyat which took the form of "I am" sayings contrasted the permanence of God (baqā’) with the mystical annihilation of the individual ego (fanā’), which made it possible for God to speak through the individual.[1] These "I am" sayings allowed for a sense of self-reflection through the lens of Islamic religious ideology that was often overwhelming to those who hadn't experiencedshath.[2] While these terms, phrases, and utterances are somewhat incoherent to the outside listener, they are instead interpreted through shared-experience (in consciousness/communion), code, symbol, kenning, metaphor, simile, etc.; by fellowSufi Mystics,[3] therefore communicating their revelations through allegory and Islamic rhetoric following their direct experiences ofgodliness. These phrases later figured astopoi of PersianSufi poetry (especially that ofFarid al-Din Attar) before being reduced by later Sufis to mere allegories forIbn Arabi's philosophy.[6]
Because the legal notion of blasphemy was not clearly defined in Islamic law,shathiyat were treated inconsistently by legal authorities.[1] This inconsistency was heightened by legal and political issues between jurists and mystics, as well as through the difference in their interpretations of Islamic law.[2] Which, in practice, subsumedapostasy in the category ofzandaqa, viewing heresy as a political crime,shathiyat were prosecuted only when it was desired by political authorities.[1] At times, in cases where ecstatic utterances hadn't been made in public spaces, they were still being interpreted as religious blasphemy, whereSufi Mystics were being treated as martyrs of religious utterance.[2] Thus, such prosecutions mostly resulted from “personal vendetta, subversion of the state and party factionalism”.[7] Because of their opposition to religious norms, these ecstatic utterances play an important role in the conception ofIslamic Antinomianism.[citation needed]
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