Руми, "СЛОН ВО ТЬМЕ"

[hojja_nusreddin]

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Fritz Meier "The Problem of Nature in the Esoteric Monism of Islam" - 1

[hojja_nusreddin]

The Blind Men and the Elephant in Islamic thought(note - the following is taken from Fritz Meier "The Problem of Nature in the Esoteric Monism of Islam

Re: Fritz Meier "The Problem of Nature in the Esoteric Monism of Islam" - 2

[hojja_nusreddin]

The Persian mystic and philosopher `Aziz ibn-Muhammad-I Nasafi (7th century a.h./13th century c.e.) was yet another profound thinker who made reference to this parable, this time in the context of criticism of exoteric theologians. According to Nasafi, these theologians have grasped only a part of the object of their study, but claim this part represents the whole. Since the whole consists of different parts, the result is bound to be false and one-sided; and hence each contradicts the others. The battle of theological opinions can only be arbitrated only by one who knows the relation between the parts, that is, the esoteric seer who has preserved or acquired an ability to see the whole. In this context, Nasafi tells the legend [4] of the blind men and the elephant. The blind men symbolize the theologians and exoteric thinkers, the elephant represents God or the truth

Re: Fritz Meier "The Problem of Nature in the Esoteric Monism of Islam" - 3

[hojja_nusreddin]

But know this: Suppose by the grace of God one of them is made seeing so that he perceives and knows the elephant as it really is, and says to them: "In what you have said of the elephant, you have indeed grasped some aspect of the elephant, but you do not know the rest. God has given me sight, I have seen and come to know the elephant as it really is." They will not even believe the seeing man, but will say: "You claim that God has given you sight, but that is only your imagination. Your brain is defective, and madness assails you. It is we who are the seeing." Only some few accept the word of the seer, for it is written in the Koran: "But few of my servants are the thankful" [Sura 34:13]. The others persist in their stupidity coupled with arrogance, refuse to be in-structed, and call those among them who hear and accept the word of the seer, and who agree with the seer, unbelievers and heretics. But this only shows that "to hear about a thing is not the same as to see it for yourself

[hojja_nusreddin]

Хаким Санаи, "Слепые и слон" (из книги "Сад Истин")

За горами был большой город, все жители которого были слепыми.
Однажды какой-то чужеземный царь со своим войском расположился лагерем в пустыне неподалеку от города. У него в войске был огромный боевой слон, прославившийся во многих битвах. Одним видом своим он уже повергал врагов в трепет. Всем жителям города не терпелось узнать, что же это такое - слон.

И вот несколько представителей общества слепцов, дабы разрешить эту задачу, поспешили к царскому лагерю. Не имея ни малейшего понятия о том, какие бывают слоны, они принялись ощупывать слона со всех сторон. При этом каждый, ощупав какую-нибудь часть, решил, что теперь он знает все об этом существе.
Когда они вернулись, их окружила толпа нетерпеливых горожан. Пребывающие в глубоком неведении, слепцы страстно желали узнать правду от тех, кто заблуждался. Слепых экспертов наперебой расспрашивали о том, какой формы слон, и выслушивали их объяснения

[hojja_nusreddin]

Meier, Fritz (1912 - 1998), Swiss Islamicist renowned for his influential and wide-ranging writings on Sufism.
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Bio: http://www.iranicaonline.org/articles/meier-fritz-1