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A great Egyptian Sufi, one of the foremost figures of the early Sufis; remembered for his sayings on gnosis and the gnostic. His full name was Dhu al-Nun Abu al-Fayd Thawban b. Ibrahim al-Misri al-Ikhmimi.
He was born in 155 (772) in the Egyptian town of Ikhmim (Akhmim). He is said to have been of Nubian origin. His real name was Thawban; he is known by the epithet Dhu al-Nun (“he of the fish”, the fisherman) (for the account of how he got it see Miracles / Hagiographic Accounts).
He travelled to Syria, Mecca and Yemen, and transmitted hadith from scholars and Sufis he met there, such as Imam Malik, Sufyan b. 'Uyayna, al-Layth b. Sa'd and Fudayl b. 'Iyad. When he began holding talks on Sufism and wisdom in Egypt he met with criticism (see Multiple Perspectives), and because of it he was forced to leave Egypt in 228 (843). On his return he was this time denounced to the authorities of the day; in 244 (858) he was arrested and taken to Baghdad, and questioned in the palace of the Abbasid caliph al-Mutawakkil 'ala Allah at Samarra. Pleased with his explanations, the caliph rewarded him and allowed him to return to Egypt.
The best known of those from whom he benefited on the Sufi path were Shuqran b. 'Ali al-'Abid of Kairouan (d. 186/802) and Fatima al-Nishapuriyya, wife of Ahmad b. Khadrawayh al-Balkhi (d. 223/838).
He died at Giza in Egypt in 245 (859) or 248 (862).
His Poetry and Sufi Line — The source conveys his Sufi views through transmitted reports. In his view the common people repent because they sin, the elite because they fall into heedlessness. Asked who the gnostic is, he is reported to have answered “He was here, and he went”, meaning that those who know God advance spiritually at every moment and do not remain long in one state; according to another report his answer was “present and apart”, meaning one who is among people with his body while his heart is apart from them and with God. He is reported to have said: “I made three journeys and brought back three kinds of knowledge; the first was accepted by commoners and elite, the second by the elite but rejected by the commoners, and the third was accepted by no one.” He describes the lowest degree of intimacy as this: that even if the servant were thrown into the fire, this would not take him away from the one he loves; and he prefers little food, saying “Wisdom does not dwell in a stomach full of food.” He regards audition and music as an inspiration that turns hearts towards God: whoever listens with God attains the truth, whoever listens with his ego becomes a heretic and a sinner.
His Works — The source notes the claim that he could read hieroglyphs and was occupied with medicine, chemistry/alchemy and the science of occult properties, and that some works on these subjects have been attributed to him. Among them are, on alchemy, al-Qasida fi al-San'a al-Karima (commented on by 'Izz al-Din al-Jildaki), epistles such as Risala fi 'Anasir al-Thalatha and Risala fi Khawass al-Iksir, and the Sifat al-Mu'min wa al-Mu'mina, of which a manuscript copy exists in Damascus and which has been published. On his sayings and virtues Muhyi al-Din Ibn 'Arabi wrote al-Kawkab al-Durri fi Manaqib Dhi al-Nun al-Misri and Jalal al-Din al-Suyuti al-Sirr al-Maknun fi Manaqib Dhi al-Nun.
Miracles
The following are reports that appear in the source as TRANSMITTED accounts; the atlas records them not as 'this happened' but as 'this is what the sources relate'.
The origin of his epithet — Farid al-Din Attar relates this account: one day Thawban boarded a ship; a merchant's jewel went missing on board, everyone suspected him and he was tortured. When at last he could bear it no longer and said “O Lord, You know”, a great many fish appeared on the surface of the sea, each with a jewel in its mouth. Thawban stretched his hand into the sea, took one of the jewels and gave it to the merchant, and after this event he came to be called “Dhu al-Nun”. The source also records that al-Qushayri related this event, on Dhu al-Nun's authority, about another person. (Source: TDV Encyclopedia of Islam, “Zünnûn el-Mısrî”, vol. 44)
The boat on the Nile — According to al-Hujwiri's Kashf al-Mahjub, Dhu al-Nun and his companions, while boating on the Nile, saw in another boat a group behaving riotously and doing things contrary to religion. When his companions asked him to curse them, Dhu al-Nun raised his hands and prayed: “O God, as You have granted these people a pleasant life in this world, grant them a pleasant life in the hereafter too.” While his companions marvelled at this, the people in the boat came near, and on seeing Dhu al-Nun began to weep, repented and became good people. (Source: TDV Encyclopedia of Islam, “Zünnûn el-Mısrî”, vol. 44)
Differing Scholarly Views
Date of death — The source gives two dates: 245 (859) or 248 (862). The heading of the entry records 245/859 with a question mark. The atlas does not choose between them.
The criticism he faced — According to the source Dhu al-Nun was criticised from two different directions: the Maliki jurists of Egypt, headed by 'Abd Allah b. 'Abd al-Hakam, accused him of teaching Sufi matters never heard before; the Mu'tazili scholars criticised him for saying “the Qur'an is not created”. Later he was denounced to the authorities of the day; the source does not detail the content of the complaint, and states that after the questioning the caliph rewarded and released him. The atlas does not judge the parties; it records that the events took place and how they unfolded.
Works attributed to him — The source presents his authorship of the epistles on chemistry/alchemy and occult properties not as a firm judgement but with the qualifications “it has been claimed” and “attributed”; other works such as al-Mujarrabat and Kitab al-'Aja'ib are also attributed to him.
The site of the grave — The source entry says only that he died at Giza; it does not speak of where he was buried or of his grave. The information on the Qarafa cemetery and the tombstone in the atlas's earlier text does not rest on this entry; the location must be verified separately against the place record's own source.
Sources
- TDV İslâm Ansiklopedisi (DİA) · vol. 44, pp. 575-576, entry “Zünnûn el-Mısrî”
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