Najm al-Din Kubra

Najm al-Din Kubra, Shaykh Najm al-Din, Abu ‘Abd Allah Abu ‘l-Janab Ahmad ibn ‘Umar Khaywaqi Khwarazmi (killed 1220-1222), mystic, Sufi, traditionist, and poet bearing the titles Kubra and Shaykh-i Vali-tarush, and the appellations Abu al-Janab, Abu al-Jannab, or Abu al-Khubbab. He was the founder of the Kubrawiyya Order. There exist different reports as to his appellations. Some maintain that his appellation Tammat al-Kubra (Great Trial) refers to his shrewdness and some others have reported that he was accorded the appellation for his dexterity in debating. Some of his followers accorded him the honorary title of Ayat al-Kubra which was later changed to Kubra. His appellation Shaykh-i Vali-tarush (lit. ‘Sculptor of Saints’) referred to his training of numerous Sufi masters. He was born in Khaywaq (Khaywa, Khaywak, Khiwa, Khiva) in 1145. He was raised as a child by his father, a scholar, in Khwarazm. He traveled in his youth visiting and furthering his studies under erudite and spiritual masters. In the course of his journeys, he traveled to Nishabur, a center of scholarship, particularly jurisprudence, Qur’anic exegesis, hadith, and mysticism. Notwithstanding his rather brief stay in that city, he seized the opportunity to learn from distinguished scholars, particularly Abu al-Ma’ali ‘Abd al-‘Azim ibn ‘Ad Allah ibn Muhammad ibn Muzaffar ibn Muzaffar Farawi Nishaburi, a distinguished traditionists. He also traveled to Isfahan to study hadith and jurisprudence where he stayed for a while studying under masters, like Abu al-Makarim Laban and Abu Ja’far Saydalani. In his journey to Mecca, he also learned hadith from Abu Muhammad al-Tabbakh. Further, he traveled to Hamadan where he learned jurisprudence and principles of jurisprudence from Abu al-‘Ala’ Hasan ibn Ahmad ibn Ahmad ‘Attar Hamadani. There he distinguished himself as an expert in jurisprudence and its principles and was accorded the title Hafiz Abu al-Janab. It was in Hamadan that he was introduced to Risala-yi Qushayriyya, a well-known mystical work, which he studied under Abu al-Fazl Muhammad ibn Sulayman Yusuf Hamadani, a pious scholar, and developed a keen interest in its contents. In 1172 at the age of 28 years he departed for Egypt where he made the acquaintance of Shaykh Ruzbihan Vazan Misri, better known as Shaykh Kabir, from whom he learned spiritual teachings. He expressed his keen interest in Shaykh Kabir, his spiritual master, and a talented disciple, he learned the Sufi and mystical lore in a relatively short time. His stay in Egypt was rather long and fruitful. Having learned teachings in further areas, he traveled at the suggestion of Shaykh Ruzbihan, aspiring to learn further by his experiences on his journeys. This time he departed for Alexandria where he studied under the distinguished master, Abu Tahir Ahmad ibn Mhammad ibn Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn Ibrahim Isfahani, though he departed after a while for Tabriz aspiring to learn further spiritual knowledge. There have been numerous reports about his inclination towards Sufism and resignation from engagement in hadith, though visiting Sufi masters never turned him away from continuing his studies. He learned the principles of Sufi teachings from Baba Faraj Tabrizi in Tabriz and Shaykh Isma’il Qasri in Dizful. En route to Iraq and Egypt, he learned Sufi teachings from ‘Ammar Yasir Bidlisi and reportedly received the Sufi mantel from Shaykh Isma’il Qasri and ‘Ammar Yasir. He departed for Khwarazm in 1184 where he visited Imam Fakhr Razi. His disciples in Khwarazm were not only Sufis and ascetics, but he had followers among government dignitaries. Sunni scholars like Yafi’i, Dhahabi, and Subki have regarded him as a Shafi’i Shaykh. His distinguished students include Shaykh Majd al-Din Baghdadi, Shaykh Sa’d al-Din Hamawi, Shaykh Razi al-Din Lala, and Shaykh Sayf al-Din Bakharzi. Baha’ al-Din Wala, Jalal al-Din Mawlawi’s father, and Shaykh Najm al-Din Daya Razi have also been reportedly his disciples. Nasir ibn Mansur ‘Urzi and Sayf al-Din Bakharzi have transmitted hadith on his authority. There have been different reports about his death, but what is usually accepted is that he accompanied the people in defending Khwarazm against the Mongol invasion and he lost his life in this cause. His works include: ‘Ayn al-Hayat, a Qur’anic exegesis in 12 volumes; Fawa’ih al-Jamal wa Fawatih al-Jalal, also entitled Fawatih al-Jamal; Risala fi ‘l-Khalwa; Risala ila al-Ha’im al-Kha’if min Lawmat al-La’im; Risalat al-Sa’ir al-Ha’ir ila al-Satir al-Wahid al-Majid, in Persian; Risalat al-Usul al-‘Ashara; Sakinat al-Salihin, in Persian. Some verses have also been attributed to him.

Tarikh-i Tasawwuf dar Islam (495-496); Tara’iq al-Haqa’iq (2/ 334-336); Nafahat al-Uns (422-427).