The Passion of al-Hallāj Mystic and Martyr of Islam, Volume 1: The Life of al-Hallāj

Volume 1 of 4. Encompassing the whole milieu of early Islamic civilization, this major work of Western orientalism explores the meaning of the life and teaching of the tenth-century mystic and martyr, al-Hallaj. With profound spiritual insight and transcultural sympathy, Massignon, an Islamicist and scholar of religion, penetrates Islamic mysticism in a way that was previously unknown. Massignon traveled throughout the Middle East and western India to gather and authenticate al-Hallaj's surviving writings and the recorded facts. After assembling the extant verses and prose works of al-Hallaj and the accounts of his life and death, Massignon published La Passion d'al-Hallaj in 1922. At his death in 1962, he left behind a greatly expanded version, published as the second French edition (1975). It is edited and translated here from the French and the Arabic sources by Massignon's friend and pupil, Herbert Mason. Volume 1 gives an account of al-Hallaj's life and describes the wo rld in which he lives; volume 2 traces his influence in Islam over the centuries; volume 3 studies Hallajian thought; volume 4 contains a full biography and index. Each volume contains Massignon's copious notes and new translations of original Islamic documents. Herbert Mason is University Professor of Religion and Islamic History at Boston University. He is also apoet and novelist; his version of the __Gigamesh__ epic was a nominee for the National Book Award in 1971. Bollingen Sreis XCVIII. Originally published in 1986. The **Princeton Legacy Library** uses the latest print-on-demand technology to again make available previously out-of-print books from the distinguished backlist of Princeton University Press. These editions preserve the original texts of these important books while presenting them in durable paperback and hardcover editions. The goal of the Princeton Legacy Library is to vastly increase access to the rich scholarly heritage found in the thousands of books published by Princeton University Press since its founding in 1905. Frontmatter List of Illustrations to Volume 1 (page xvii) Foreword to the English Edition, by Herbert Mason (page xix) Note on Transliteration (page xliv) Foreword to the New Edition (page xlv) 1921 Foreword (page l) 1914 Foreword (page li) Preface to the New Edition (page liv) CHAPTER 1 BIOGRAPHICAL OUTLINE (page 3) Prologue Chronological Tableau of Hallāj's Life and Posthumous Survival (page 18) The Contemporary Hallājian Sources (page 51) CHAPTER II THE YEARS OF APPRENTICESHIP: HIS TEACHERS AND FRIENDS (page 53) Native Milieu The Cultural Milieu of Basra (page 66) Anecdotes From His Years of Apprenticeship: His Hajj (Ghutha) (page 98) CHAPTER III TRAVELS AND APOSTOLATE (page 135) His Modes of Travel: His Dress, His Itineraries, His Stopping Places The Two Periods of Public Preaching in Ahwaz (272-273 and 279-281) (page 140) The Other Regions Traveled Through (page 162) The Social Expression of Hallāj's Vocation, and His Contacts With the Cultural Renaissance of His Time (page 189) The Last Hajj of Hallāj and the Waafa of 'Arafat (page 219) CHAPTER IV IN BAGHDAD: ZEALOUS PREACHING AND POLITICAL INDICTMENT (page 224) Baghdad Public Preaching in Baghdad (page 271) Political Indictment: The Da'wat Iā'l-Rūbubīya, Usurpation of the Supreme Power of God (page 295) The Political Repercussion of the Hallājian Preaching and the Years 288-296 (page 330) CHAPTER V THE INDICTMENT, THE COURT OF JUSTICE, AND THE ACTORS IN THE DRAMA (page 338) The Indictment and Ibn Dāwūd's Initiative The Definition of Zandaqa, a Heresy Threatening the Security of the State (page 378) The Sovereign Authority and its Delegation to a Court pf Justice; The Court of Justice, its Powers and Jurisdiction (page 386) CHAPTER VI THE TRIALS (page 454) A Critical Note About the Historical Sources for the Trials The First Trial (298/910 to 301/913) (page 465) The Eight Years of Waiting (page 476) The Second Trial (308/921 to 309/922) (page 490) The Denouement and the Judgment of Condemnation (page 532) CHAPTER VII THE MARTYRDOM (page 560) The Peripeteias of the Execution The Early Synthetic Accounts and Isolated Events (page 580) The Sequence of Events and Isolated Sayings that Fostered the Legend (page 589) The Repercussions of the Execution on Morale (page 626)