Kernel of the Kernel

by Husayni Tihrani, Muhammad Husayn; Tabatabai, Muhammad Husayn; Faghfoory, Mohammad Hassan

• ISBN13: 9780791452370
• ISBN10: 0791452379
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2003-06-01
• Publisher: State Univ of New York Pr

Table of Contents

Foreword	xiii
Seyyed Hossein Nasr
Translator's Introduction	xxi
Editor's Introduction	1	(12)
Attraction to the invisible world is in man's primordial nature
The Straight Path means a combination of exoterism and esoterism
The Holy Qur'an calls for purification along with intellection
Mulla Sadra's recommendation for humility of the heart and acquiring intellectual sciences
The chain of gnostics during the last hundred years
Reasons and motivations for compilation of this treatise
Kernel of the Kernel	13	(32)
The human being in the darkness of materialism
Wayfaring and spiritual journey according to the gnostics
Difficulties in passing through the intermediate world and the realm of multiplicity of the soul
The spiritual traveler entering the realm of spirit
The goal of the traveler is companionship with God and His Image
Muraqabah, its stages, and effects
The meaning of wine (mey) according to gnostics
The traveler observes his own soul
The traveler observes Divine Names and Attributes
Immersion in the Divine Essence of the Lord and subsistence in the Worshiped
The station of being present in the world of multiplicity while simultaneously witnessing and experiencing the realms of Divine Lordship
Reasons why not everyone can reach the station of human perfection
The inability of words to describe the realities of the lights of catharsis and the Realms of Divine Lordship
The world of sincerity (khulus) and its hierarchy
Peculiarities and manifestations of sincerity of essence (khulus-i dhati)
Freedom from the world of multiplicity is one of the first and most essential necessities of spiritual journey
One's detachment from one's essence
The need for Divine Grace for total victory in the struggle against the carnal soul
The necessity of observing all religious duties throughout spiritual journey
Observing religious duties by the Perfect Man is by virtue of perfection, and not for finding proximity to God
Brief description of the realms preceding the realm of sincerity (khulus) according to Qur'an
Description of the Realms Preceding the Realm of Khulus	45	(26)
The Greater Islam (Islam-i Akbar)
The Greater Faith (Iman-i Akbar)
The Greater Migration (Hijrat-i Kubra)
The Greater Spiritual Struggle (Jihad-i Akbar)
The Greatest Submission (Islam-i a'azam)
The Greatest Faith (Iman-i a`azam)
The Greatest Migration (Hijrat-i `uzma) and the Greatest Spiritual Struggle (Jihad-i a'azam)
Choosing to Die
Explanation: Special privileges granted to Muslim spiritual travelers over travelers of of previous religions
The Station of Righteousness (Suluh)
Different kinds of righteousness (Salah)
Undifferentiated Description of the Path and Methods of Wayfaring Toward God	71	(12)
The necessity to seek reason to prove the truth of religion
The effects of lamentation and pleading to God with humility to find faith in the World of Meaning
Conversation between the prophet Hadrat-i Idris with `Allamah Tabataba'i in a dream
God will guide those who search guidance from Him with sincerity and purity of heart
Knowledge and action complement each other
The necessity of having bodily organs share the joy of faith
The absence of sadness and fear for the selfless traveler
Wayfaring in the Angelical Kingdom is not in contradiction with being in this world
Prayers and supplications of the Shi`ite Imams were not merely for guiding and teaching purposes
Differentiated Description of the Path and Methods of Wayfaring Toward God	83	(48)
The necessary conditions for spiritual journey
Abandoning conventionalism, habitual practices, and formalities
Steadfastness
Tolerance and forbearance
Loyalty
Stability and perseverance
Constant attention
One's accounting one's inward state
Self-condemnation
Expeditious action
Devotion
Observing proper manners
Intention
Silence
Abstaining from indulgence in food consumption
Spiritual retreat
Morning wakefulness
Perpetual ritual cleanliness
Constant expression of humility
Avoiding appetite and worldly pleasure
Guarding and protecting the secrets and mysteries of the path
Spiritual teacher and master
Litany and supplication
Control of mind, thoughts, and other mental preoccupations
Invocation
Meditation
Methods for control of mind and thoughts in the treatise attributed to Ayatullah Sayyid Mahdi (ibn Murtada ibn Muhammad) Bahr al-'Ulum
Methods used by the late Akhund Mulla Husayn-Quli Hamadani
Stages of muraqabah
On the chain of the author's spiritual teachers and masters in Divine sciences
The opening of the fourfold realms of tawhid before one's soul as a result of muraqabah and concentration on the soul
What do the gnostics mean by Griffin (`Anqa) and (Simurgh)
Poems by Hafiz alluding to the station of the Essence of the Invisible of all invisibles
Index of Qur'anic Verses	131	(2)
Index of Ahadith	133	(4)
Index of Quotations of the Sayings of the Shi'ite Imams	137	(4)
Notes on Saints, Scholars, and Authors Cited in the Text	141	(4)
General Index	145