Who was Mansoor ?

Society Religion & Philosophy
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I heard about this mansoor guy. He said " Anal Haq" or something like that and he was executed. Can someone please shed some light on it and detail about this guy ?

Thanx in advance. :slight_smile:

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The great sufi saint Mansoor Al-Hallaj lived around 900 AD. He was cut into many pieces just because in the state of ecstacy he exclaimed Ana al Haq "I am the truth". People concluded that he was suggesting that he was Allah, they cut him into pieces and then they burnt his remains.

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Praise be to Allaah.

Al-Hallaaj was al-Husayn ibn Mansoor al-Hallaaj, who was known as Abu Mugheeth, or Abu ‘Abd-Allaah. He grew up in Waasit, or it was said in Tastar, and he was connected with a group of Sufis including Sahl al-Tastari, al-Junayd, Abu’l-Hasan al-Noori and others.

He traveled to many places, including Makkah and Khurasaan, and India where he learned sihr (magic, witchcraft). He finally settled in Baghdaad, where he was killed.

He learned magic in India, and he was a trickster and cheat. He deceived many ignorant people thereby, and they were attracted by him, until they thought that he was one of the greatest awliya’ (close friends or “saints”) of Allaah.

He is liked by most of the Orientalists, and they think that he was killed wrongfully because, as we shall see below, his beliefs were close to Christian beliefs and he preached a similar message.

He was executed in Baghdad in 309 AH, because it was proven by his own confession and otherwise that he was a kaafir and a heretic.

The scholars of his time were agreed that he was to be executed because of the words of kufr and heresy that were narrated from him.

The following are some of the things that he said:

1- He claimed to be a prophet, then he went further and said that he was God. He used to say, “I am Allaah,” and he commanded his daughter-in-law to prostrate to him. She said, “Should I prostrate to someone other than Allaah?” He said, “There is a god in the heavens and a god on earth.”

2- He believed in incarnation and union with the Divine, i.e., that Allaah was incarnated in him, and that he and Allaah had become one and the same – exalted be Allaah far above that.

This is what made him acceptable to the Christian Orientalists, because he shared their belief in incarnation, for they believe that God was incarnated in Jesus (‘Eesa, peace be upon him). Hence al-Hallaaj spoke of divine nature and human nature as the Christians do.

Some of the lines of verse that he composed said:

“Glory be to the one Whose human form manifested the secret of His divinity

Then He emerged among His creation in the form of one who eats and drinks.”

When Ibn Haneef heard these lines, he said, “May the curse of Allaah be upon the one who said this.” It was said to him, “This is the poetry of al-Hallaaj.” He said, “If this is what he believes, then he is a kaafir.”

3- He heard someone reciting a verse from the Qur’aan, and he said, “I am able to compose something like that.”

4- Another of his lines of poetry says:

“People formed different beliefs about God, and I believe in everything that they believed.”

These words imply that he approved of and believed in all forms of kufr that the misguided sects of humanity believe in, but it is a contradictory notion that no sound mind can accept. How can anyone believe in Tawheed and shirk at the same time?

5- He said things which denied the pillars and basic principles of Islam, namely prayer, zakaah, fasting and Hajj.

6- He used to say that the souls of the Prophets had been reincarnated in the bodies of his companions and students. So he would say to one of them, “You are Nooh”; and to another, “You are Moosa”; and to another, “You are Muhammad.”

7- When he was taken out to be executed, he said to his companions, “Do not worry about this, for I will return to you after thirty days,” He was executed and he never came back.

Because of these sayings and others, the scholars were agreed that he was a kaafir and a heretic, and for this reason he was executed in Baghdad in 309 AH. Similarly, most of the Sufis denounced him and denied that he was one of them. Among those who denounced him was al-Junayd, and he was not mentioned by Abu’l-Qaasim al-Qushayri in his book in which he mentioned many of the Sufi shaykhs.

The one who strove to have him executed and who held a council in which he ruled that he deserved to be executed was al-Qaadi Abu ‘Umar Muhammad ibn Yoosuf al-Maaliki (may Allaah have mercy on him). Ibn Katheer praised him for that and said, “One of his greatest and most correct judgements was his ruling that al-Husayn ibn Mansoor al-Hallaaj was to be executed.” (al-Bidaayah wa’l-Nihaayah, 11/172)

Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyah (may Allaah have mercy on him) said: “Whoever believes what al-Hallaaj believed in and agrees with the ideas for which al-Hallaaj was executed, is a kaafir and an apostate, according to the consensus of the Muslims. For the Muslims executed him because of his belief in incarnation, union with the Divine and other heretical beliefs, such as his saying, ‘I am Allaah,’ and, ‘There is a god in the heavens and a god on earth.’ … Al-Hallaaj performed extraordinary feats and various kinds of magic, and there are books of magic which are attributed to him. In conclusion, there is no dispute among the ummah that whoever believes that Allaah can be incarnated in a human being and be as one with him, or that a human being can be a god, is a kaafir whose blood it is permissible to shed. On this basis al-Hallaaj was executed.”

(Majmoo’ al-Fataawa, 2/480)

He also said: “We do not know of anyone among the imams of the Muslims who spoke well of al-Hallaaj, neither among the scholars nor among the shaykhs. But some of the people did not comment on him because they did not know about him.”

(Majmoo’ al-Fataawa, 2/483)

For more information, see Taareekh Baghdaad by al-Khateeb al-Baghdaadi, 8/112-141; al-Muntazam by Ibn al-Jawzi, 13/201-206; Siyar A’laam al-Nubalaa’ by al-Shihaabi, 14/313-354; al-Bidaayah wa’l-Nihaayah by Ibn Katheer, 11/132-144

And Allaah is the Guide to the Straight Path.

Islam Q&A
Sheikh Muhammed Salih Al-Munajjid (www.islam-qa.com)

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^ Thanks for the information. :)

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Mansur Al-Hallaj

“I have seen my Lord with the eye of my heart, and I said: ‘Who are You?’ He said: ‘You.’"

Mansur al-Hallaj was born in the southern Iranian community of Tur in the province of Fars around 858. His full name was Abu Al-mughith Al-husayn Ibn Mansur Al-hallaj. He was a Sufi and one of Islam's most controversial writers and teachers. Because he was the embodiment of the Muslim experience, Mansur's life and death represent to many, a reference point in Islamic history.

His grandfather was a Zoroastrian, and was rumored to have been a decadent of Abu Ayyud, a companion of Muhammad. After relocating to a region famous for textiles, his father became a Muslim and may have made a living selling wool.

Al-Hallaj was fascinated with the ascetic way of life at a very young age. He memorized the Qur'an during his teens, and began to retreat from the world to gather with other like minded individuals to study Islamic mysticism.

He later married, and made a pilgrimage to Mecca, and stayed there for a year. He began to travel the world abroad, preaching, teaching and writing along the way about the way to an intimate relationship with God. By the time he went on his second pilgrimage to Mecca, several apprentices accompanied him, and after returning to his family for a short period of time, traveled to India and Turkistan to spread the Islamic teachings. After this, he made a third pilgrimage to Mecca, and returned to Baghdad.

The situation in which al-Hallaj taught and wrote was shaped by social, economic, political, and religious stress, which eventually led to his arrest. Sufism was new at the time, and it had provoked extensive opposition from the Muslim orthodoxy. Sufi masters considered his sharing the beauty of mystical experience with the masses undisciplined at best, disobedient at worst. A combination of things probably led to his execution: he was an outspoken moral-political reformist, and there were great similarities between the missionary style of the terrorist Qarmat and his own. It wasn't long before the political leaders could make a case against him.

Al-Hallaj was considered an "intoxicated Sufi," who became so enraptured in ecstasy by the presence of the Divine that he was prone to a loss of personal identity, which blurs the lines between the Divine and the Man. During his arrest he experienced one of these breaks and uttered: "Ana al-haqq," or "I am the Truth" (or God). The statement was not only highly inappropriate in Islam, but echoed the philosophy of the Qarmatians. Those three little words would mark the beginning of the end for al-Hallaj. Still, his trial was lengthy and marked with uncertainty.

He spent 11 years in confinement in Baghdad, and was finally brutally tortured and crucified. There were many witnesses that stated that al-Hallaj was strangely serene while being tortured, and sincerely forgave his persecutors. He is referred to as "Love's Prophet."

Today al-Hallaj is one of the most influential Sufi writers and an important character in Islamic history.

“I have seen my Lord with the eye of my heart, and I said: ‘Who are You?’ He said: ‘You.’"

He died March 26, 922.

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i strongly oppose sufism and dont consider it a 'form' of Islam....
but i think hallaj's case was pushed to an extreme....
poetry is poetry and usually does not really mean what one thinks....

wallahu aalam bissawab....

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Well even if he did say "Anal Haq", around that time Muslim heretics were normally given the chance to repent and denounce their views so as to avoid execution.

Given that he was executed, it is most likely that he refused to ever publicly admit that he stated a falsehood when he said "Anal Haq".

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Re: Who was Mansoor ?

Those whose spiritutality is confined to external manifesttaition have always misunderstood the real people of God.. Mansoor was victimized by these igorant fools working as Maulabi under Abbasid rulers..

The really enligtened one do not live withitn boundaries

Na ban mullah na ban Qazi
Na mar bhukha na rakh Roza
Na ban bamman na ja kashi
Agar hai shauq milane ka
To hardam lau lagata ja

Mansoor just epitomized this sentiment..

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I wonder if calling fools or calling name of Aiyma like Ibn-e-Tamima, Ibn-e-katheer is acceptable by the Moderators of this forum...

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He didn't name anyone.

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Ya he called all of them, so he didn't have to name, any way, if it is official policy of GS to call all the scholars fools, then there is nothing much i can do, for ur ref. if you read post # 3, it have almost all the names who considered Hallaj as kafir and ordered/supported his execution.. but i guess you only go for few aalims of today and of old times and as long as they are not called fools, it is alright..

My job was to point it out, now the burden is in on the shoulders of one who carries power in this forum.. ofcourse you may stand with afishcurry, justifying his statements like you did now

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Re: Who was Mansoor ?

i think you're making a hoo haa over nothing.

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Re: Who was Mansoor ?

I cannot comment on ur thinking.... it have no credibility

maybe this is the result of following some "fool scholars"

PS: i have not named anyone

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Re: Who was Mansoor ?

I didn't call all the scholars fool I called those who campaigned for the execution of exlated souls like Mansoor.. Hey if you have problem with the word I can change it to some euphemism but that doesn't change their deeds, does it..

It has been practice of these socalled scholars to victimize anyone who doesn't fall in line with their interpretataion.. all the bigwigs of that era had to be constantly under fear of being declared heretic again and again ..From Khaiyam to Ibn-Khaldun and the court scholars were to blame who used to advice rulers on matters of religion.. Ironically same stalwarts are now thrown around as badge of honour apropos achievement of that era..

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Re: Who was Mansoor ?

i read about mansoor back in pakistan..for those who don't know about mansoor-al-halaj, he reached a level of spiritualism when he said ''annal haq" meaning i'm haq.. he was told to repent but he didn't.. he was killed but the drops of his blood said "anal haq". he was thrown into a river but the bubbles coming up said "annal haq". this is wrong as shariah doesn't allow it.. so we can't blame the people who killed him because they were just doing their duty and plus they hadn't reached his level of spiritualism.

mansoor halaj had advanced spiritually and after shariat he found tariqat, haqeeqat and then maghrifat.. whatever he said weren't his words.. As Allah S.W.T says about people who reach that level of spiritualism **"jo mere zikr ke zariye mere qareeb aa jate hain, tou main unn ka ZABAN ban jata hoon jis ke zariye woh bolte hain, main unn ka aankh ban jata hoon jis ke zariye woh dekhte hain aur unn ka kaan ban jata hoon jis ke zariye woh sunte hai." **I DON"T REMEMBER THE SURAH AND AYAH BUT I LEAVE THIS WORK UPON THOSE WHO R INTERESTED..

Timepass - November 2013
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Re: Who was Mansoor ?

Laka Sar Me Da Mansor Ghunde pa Daar Shi,
Dagha Daar nade RAHMAN Wata Me'raj de...........Rahman Baba.

Two Pakistani girls. Two very different stories
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Re: Who was Mansoor ?

can u translate that into english??

Origin of word 'Genius'?
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Re: Who was Mansoor ?

This one verse from famous Pashto poet....Rahman Baba
The translations is:

If my head is guillotined like Mansoor,
This is not beheading for Rahman but Me'raj (the highest place)

I hope my translation is correct.

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I say if he sinned God wud punish him who were these blood-thristy people to kill him.. anyway I can see people here get uncofrotable when you point out the wrongs done to people of god historically so I wud not dwell on it further

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Re: Who was Mansoor ?

i remember my teacher in pakistan reading us a shair that explained why mansoor didn't deviate from his claim of an-al haq... it went like this

an-al haq say ghaafil hoon to kyonkar hoon
har ik sar-e-moo say aati hai sada tairi

in english...
why should i forget/refrain from saying an-al haq
the tip of every hair calls You out (You referring to God)