This following work is the translation of a symbolic treatise on the spiritual stations of Fatima al-Zahra’ (‘a), daughter of Prophet Muhammad (S). This exquisite masterpiece is written by a contemporary mystic and master of many traditional sciences, Ayatullah Hasan Hasanzade Amuli whose life itself is a window worth peering into.

He was born in the year 1929 (1307 solar year), coming from a religious and scholarly family in Amul -a city of the northern province of Iran. He started his schooling at the age of six and continued to study in day school until the age of fourteen, when after being permitted by his father he commenced studies at the Islamic Seminary (Hawzah). The following is an extract from his autobiography regarding this stage of his life:

“When I was fourteen, I was struck with a Divine illuminative thunder and a shining fire that was following me. This secret enfolded as the Qur’anic verse says:

“I perceive a fire; happily, I may bring unto you a brand from it, or I find at the fire some guidance” (20:11).

And this fire was like a light that shone in front of me and guided me towards seeking Divine knowledge and was aspiring me to go after Lordly morals and correct human behavior.

At the same time this inner ‘light’ was warning of the dangers and corruptions of society and especially the darkness Iran was in at that time. The scholars who knew of God were prisoners in chains of cruelty and oppression, and nothing of Islam was left other than its name, nor of the Qur’an other than its form.

In all, this beam extracted me from darkness to the light igniting in my heart the passion of acquiring Qur’anic teachings. I asked permission from my father (may Allah be pleased with him) to enter the religious seminary and he lovingly permitted, making him cry with happiness and joy. After a while, my father, may Allah bless him, started to advise and guide me in my affairs and was telling me to be patient and strong, to rely on Allah Almighty and to be serious in my search for perfection.

When night came, I got up, making sure no one in the house heard or saw me, I performed wudhu’, picked up the divan of Hafiz al-Shirazi, and sincerely called to him, saying: “To ask for good omen from your divan has become popular and known everywhere, so I send you the gift of the recitation of al-Fatiha, hoping that you show me what I want in my life in having a good ending.”

After reciting al- Fatiha, I opened the divan, and the verses started with this:

Now that in the palm of the rose is the cup of pure wine;

In it praises the bird with a hundred thousand tongues.

Seek the book of verse and make way to the desert.

What time is this for the College, and the argument of the Kashf-i-Kashshaf?

Pluck up thy attachments to the people: take note of the work from the Phoenix;

For, the clamour of those sitting in solitude is from Qaf to Qaf 1.

These verses increased my passion and desire to study and made me hasten to going after what I sought.

He remained in the seminary of Amul for six years and then migrated to Tehran where he studied under such scholars as Ayatullah Sheikh Muhammad Taqi Amuli, Hakim Ilahi Qumshe’i and the great ‘Allamah Mirza Abu al-Hasan al- Sha’rani -who took his hand in guidance and was the mentor who, like a loving father played a large role in shaping his personality, and stayed with him for many years.

He studied all the commonly taught texts in the transmitted sciences and attended the advanced fiqh level of bahth kharij until he reached ijtihad. He excelled in his study of intellectual sciences, mastering all the commonly studied texts in physics, mathematics, geometry, astronomy, anatomy, medicine, theology, philosophy and mysticism.

He also studied Arabic grammar, literature, calligraphy, tajwid, tafsir and many other sciences and specialized in them all. Following the common trend of the hawzah he also taught throughout these thirteen years or more of his studying in Tehran.

At such a young age he became a unique scholar who reached the level of ijtihad in all intellectual and transmitted science (‘ulum ‘aqliya/naqliya).

In 1963, he moved to Qom and continued with his studying, teaching and writing. He became a close disciple of ‘Allamah Tabataba’i and whom he studied with for seventeen years.

Ayatullah Hasanzade Amuli still resides in Qom and continues to be a source of benefit and beacon of knowledge for all, having written one hundred and thirteen published books, treatises, articles and commentaries in different sciences.

This present book was written in the year 1997 after many years of the studying and teaching of both theoretical and practical mysticism (‘Irfan) and the researching and teaching of the famous Fusus al-Hikam by Ibn ‘Arabi. 2

Its title is similar to the rest of the chapter titles of the original Fusus (sing. Fas, meaning bezel/ring stone). The term bezels or Fusus literally signifies the settings of the Wisdom (hikmah\ which is a metaphoric expression symbolising what holds the precious stones of eternal Wisdom, manifested in the spiritual forms of the Prophets (‘a). 3

As he explains in his introduction, Ayatullah Hasanzade Amuli presents a supplementary chapter to Ibn Arabi’s Fusus, and its uniqueness is that it is a chapter on a female example of the Perfect Man. The treatise is very concise and quite complicated, and the author himself was compelled to write a commentary on this short piece of work which itself exceeds three hundred pages.

I hope the translation of this text will open new dimensions and bring more knowledge and a deeper understanding of the great personality of Seyyedah Fatimah al- Zahra’ (‘a).

Quotations of the holy Qur’an are from the translated version of ‘Ali Quli Qara’i4, with occasional alterations. The abbreviations (S) and (‘a) are short for salla Allah ‘alaihi wa alihi wa sallam (praise and peace of Allah by upon him and his progeny, referring to the Prophet of Islam and ‘alaihi/ ‘alaiha al-salam (peace be upon him/her), for any of the Infallibles (ma’sumin). Any errors or misgivings are those of my own.

I would like to express my gratitude to Br. Ahmad Haneef and Sr. Feruzan Behbahany for their efforts and input in making this a presentable and readable text, and their reward awaits them with Fatimah al-Zahra’ (‘a) in a time most needed, in sha’ Allah.

Zaid Alsalami

The holy city of Qom

• 1. Ghazal 44
• 2. Abu Bakr Muhammad Ibn ‘Arabi or al- ‘Arabi was born in Mursia Spain in the year 1165 and died in Damascus on 1240 (560-638 AH). He was titled Mubyi-d-din, the animator or religion’ and al-Sheikh al-Akbar, ‘the greatest master’.
• 3. For a descriptive explanation of the word Fusus, vide to Chittick, William C., The Chapter headings Of The Fusus. Journal of the Muuhyiddin Ibn ‘Arabi Society, Vol. II, 1984. And Titus Burckhart’s translation of the Fusus, called The Wisdom Of The Prophets, Beshara Publications, 1975.
• 4. Published by Islamic College for Advanced Studies Press (ICAS), 2004.