Traces of Mysticism in Ibn al-Jawzī’s Thought; an Examination of His Baḥr al-Dumūʿ

Abstract

Abstract This study attempts to show that the well-known Ḥanbalī scholar Ibn al-Jawzī (d. 1201) was not, as commonly assumed, intrinsically opposed to mystical endeavours, but in fact himself had mystical inclinations. The basis for this argument is the previously unstudied Baḥr al-dumūʿ. A detailed examination of selected sections of this work reveals a relatively comprehensive, developed idea of the mystical path. This path sees man, upon being inspired by divine love, as desiring and later encountering God, leading to intoxication and intimacy with Him and, by extension, to mutual love between man and God. Baḥr al-dumūʿ often relies on the metaphors of monasteries and wine to illustrate this journey through which man takes on a new perspective focused on God’s unveiled countenance. This perspective enables him to decipher God’s subtle speech, which gives him a keen understanding of His actions and a spiritual cognizance of Him. Hence, man recognizes God alone as True Being, surrendering all to Him and passing from his own created existence to become a witness on His behalf. While Baḥr al-dumūʿ reveals mystical elements in Ibn al-Jawzī thought, this article nevertheless argues against identifying him on this basis as a Sufi.