Name Ayn Hamadani Died 1131, Hamadan, Iran | Role Philosopher | |
Ayn-al-Quzat Hamadani, also spelled Ain-al Quzat Hamedani or ʿAyn-al Qudat Hamadhani (1098–1131) (Persian: عین القضات همدانی), full name: Abu’l-maʿali ʿabdallah Bin Abibakr Mohammad Mayaneji (Persian: ابوالمعالی عبدالله بن ابیبکر محمد میانجی), was a Persian jurisconsult, mystic, philosopher, poet and mathematician who was executed at the age of 33.
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Origin of the title
Ayn-al-Quzat in Arabic means "the pearl of the judges". As Ayn means the eye or something very valid and Qozat is the plural of Qadi which means Judge.
Life
He was born in Hamedan and his ancestors were of Hamedan judges. He was a disciple of Ahmad Ghazali and devoted of Hallaj. He became a famous scholar at early ages, and by the time he was thirty he was chosen judge. Along with Abu Hamed Al-Ghazali, he is one of the founders of doctrinal Sufism. Unlike most of the Sufis who have lived as respected and revered members of their communities, he fell afoul of Caliph in Baghdad and was put to death at the age of thirty three. Ayn al-Quzat along with Mansur al-Hallaj and Shahab al-Din Suhrawardi are known as the three martyrs of Sufism.
Work
His most significant works are Ayn-al-qozat are Tamhidat (Preludes) and Zubdat al-haqaʾiq fi kasf al-kalaʾeq (The Essence of Truth). Both books are masterpieces of Sufi literature and have mystical and philosophical significance. Ayn al-Qozat Hamadani quoted a few verses apparently in his own Iranian dialect (where it is called fahlavi; bayt-e pahlavi in a manuscript variant).
Poetry
A famous quatrain is said to be his:
ما مرگ وشهادت از خدا خواسته ايم
وآن هم به سه چيزکم بهاخواسته ايم
گردوست چنين کندکه ماخواسته ايم
مـا آتـش و نفـت و بـوريا خــواسـته ايم
which is translated as:
I want death and martyrdom from God
I want it in three low-priced things
If the friend (i.e. God) grant my wishes
I want fire and oil and straw
This quatrain refers to his execution by Caliph's order.