Table Of ContentThe Mystical Element in Mikhall lKu6aymah's
Litesary Works and Its Affinity to Islamic Mysticism
BY
Yeni Ratna Yuuingsib,
A thesis submitted to
the Facul* of Graduate Studies and Research
in partial ialflllment of the requirements
for the degree of Master of Arts
Institute of Islamic Studies
MCGLU University
Montreal
June 1999
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ABSTRACT
Author : Yeni Ratna Yuningsih
Title : The Mystical Element in MikhaU Nucaymah's Literary
Works and Its AfEmity to Islamic Mysticism
Department : Institute of Islamic Studies
Degree : Master of Arts
This thesis investigates the mystical elements in MikhS'ïl
Nu'ayrnah's literary works and their affiity to Islamic mysticisrn,
elaborating in particular on the notions of oneness of being and the
transmigration of soul. These two themes are the more prevalent ones in
Nucapah's mystical thought when compared to such other themes as
love and asceticism, which can also be found in his works.
However, the notion of oneness of being seems to be the basis of
his mystical concepts as well as the goal to which other themes are
directed. The notion of the transmigration of soul is therefore developed
by Nucayrnah in the context of the idea of oneness of being. The mystical
thoughts of Mla'ii Nucaymah conceming the two notions above, are to
be found in a number of his works, such as &-d al-MaCa-d,a l-Marai& The
Book of Mirdaid, Liqa', his autobiography Sab'ïiin and his collections of
poems Hams alJufun.
Auteur :Yeni Ratna Yuningsih.
Titre :L'élément mystique dans I'oeuvre littéraire de Mïkh3.1
N u c a ~ aeht ses affinités avec le mysticisme islamique.
Département :Institut d' Études Islamiques, Université McGill.
Diplôme : Maitrise es Arts.
Ce mémoire explore les éléments mystiques de l'oeuvre littéraire de
MikhSlil Nu'aymah ainsi que son avec le mysticisme islamique,
en élaborant particulièrement les notions de l'unicité de l'être et de la
transmigration de L'âme. Ces deux thèmes semblent plus prévaloir dans
la pensée mystique de Nu'aymah que d'autres thèmes tels que l'amour et
l'ascétisme et que l'on retrouve aussi dans ses oeuvres.
Toutefois, la notion d'unicité de l'être semble être le fondement des
concepts mystiques de l'auteur, de même que l'objectif visé par les autres
thèmes. Le concept de la transmigration de l'âme est donc développée
par Nu'aymah dans un contexte d'unicité de l'être. La pensée mystique
de MikhSQ NuCamahp ortant sur les deux notions ci-haut mentionnées,
se retrouvent dans plusieures de ses oeuvres telles que le Zad al-Ma'ad,
&-Marail, Le livre de Mirdiid, son autobiographie Sabtïn et son recueil
de poèmes Hams al-Jufün.
..-
Ill
Transliteration
The Arabic transliteration in this thesis follows the system used by the
Institute of Islamic Studies at McGill University. The table of
transliteration is as foliows:
b = + dh= i =L 1 = J
Short : a = ; ; i = Y ; U = L
- -
Long : a=[. ; 'r= - u = ~
'
'2
Diphthongs : ay= $ 1 ;aw=,I
Ta marbütah wili be transliterated as "h" for example, Nu'aymah = ;i;
and as "t" when in a construct phrase. such as m d a t a l-wujud =
+?JJ 1 gJ-3
Acknowledgments
There are a number of individuals and institutions deselving of my
deepest appreciation and sincerest gratitude for their support and help
during my studies and in research for this thesis. First, special thanks go
to my academic and thesis supervisor, Prof. Hermann Landolt, who not
only provided expert supernision and criticism of my thesis but also gave
me a deeper understanding of Islamic mysticism. I am also grateful to
Prof. Issa J. Bouflata who guided me through my frst year of study and
introduced me to the richness of mahjar literature, especiaiiy the works
of MiikhS'il Nu'aymah. 1 have been fortunate to benefit from the kindness
and expertise of two such respected scholars.
1 would like also to extend my appreciation to Wendy Allen, the
present Director of the McGiii-Indonesia IAIN Development Project, as
well as to all the oficials of this project both in Jakarta and Montreal for
their assistance during my course of study, especiaily Joanna Gacek,
Lori Novak, Susy Ricciardelii, Phi1 Williams and Anni Yoesoef. Special
thanks are also due to the Canadian International Development Agency
(CIDA) for providing me with a fellowship, without which my intention to
study at McGill might not have been realized. My deep gratitude is also
due to Prof. A. Üner Turgay, the Director of the Institute of Islamic
Studies and al1 the staff for their concem and support throughout my
courw of study. 1 also would like to thank Prof. Dr. H. Quraisy Shihab
and Dr. Azyumardi Azra, the former and present rectors, respectively, of
the State Institute of Islamic Studies (IAIN) Syanf Hidayatullah, Jakarta,
a
for granting me permission to leave my duties as junior lecturer during
the two years that it took me to complete my degree.
My special thanks are also due to the staff of the Islamic Studies
Library especially Salwa Ferahian, Wayne St. Thomas, and Steve Millier
who not only assisted me in obtaining sources but also extended to me a
very warm friendship during my time at the Institute.
1 dso owe a considerable debt to Steve Millier for patiently editing
my thesis and casting it in more fluent English. My special gratitude also
goes to Pak Thalib (Abdul Muthalib), for his help in translating some
references of my thesis.
Last but not least, 1 wish to express my deepest thanks and love
for my beloved husband, Mizan Sya'roni, who gave unstintingly of his
patience, tendemess, and understanding at aii times but especially
during the writing of this thesis. My deepest gratitude and love go also to
my parents, K.H Dadun Sanusi and H. Euis Nurlaela, my brothers and
sisters and my whole farnily for their inspiration, affection and support.
This thesis is dedicated to those people who have given me their
enduring love and support, including my beloved grandmother, Atikah
(may Allah forgive her) who passed away while 1 was enrolled in the Pre-
Departure Program in Jakarta, and my late uncle, Drs. Kingkin Berlian
Bachtiar, S.H (mayA llah forgive him) who was very supportive and asked
me to share one day my cultural and academic experiences in McGili
with him. 1 wish I could have fulfiiled his request.
Table of Contents
..
..........................................................................................
Abstract .LI
...
...........................................................................................
Résumé
.LU
..................................................................................
Transliteration iv
................................................................................
Acknowledgment v
.
.
.............................................................................
Table of Contents .vu
......................................................................................
Introduction 1
Chopter One: Mikha'il Nii6aymah: An Exceptional Lue. .................. -10
. ..........................................................
1 Early Life in Biskinta 10
2 . An Initial Passageway to the East ........................................ -15
3. In the Path of Christ ............................................................ 18
4 . Poltava, the Gate to the New World ....................................... 20
. .........................................................
5 The Dream is Reaked 26
6 . Back to the Cradle of Biskinta .............................................3 7
..........................................
Chaptet 'ho: A General View of Sirfkm 40
1 . Mysticism and Suf ism .........................................................4. 0
2 . Some of the Main *fiThemes ............................................ -49
2.1. WaMat al-Wu@ (Oneness of Being). .............................. 50
2. 2 . TaBasukh (The Transmigration of Soul) ...................... 70
Chapter Three: An halysQ of the Mysticai Elament in MIkha'il
Ndaymah's Literary Works. ........................................... -80
1 . Oneness of Being .................................................................8 2
2 . The Transmigration of Sou1. .................................................. 96
.....................................................................................
Conclusion 106
..................................................................................
Bibliography 112
vii
Introduction
The significance of MikhaQ Nu'aymah (1889-1988) to the
development of modem Arabic literature lies in his contribution to
mahjarl Literature, the emergence of which can be traced back to the tum
of the nineteenth century, when a number of writers from the Arab
world, especially Lebanon and Syria, emigrated to other countries, such
as Amenca, Australia, Africa, Japan, China, Egypt, and France. Among
these countries, America seemed to be the favorite destination?
Prominent Arab writers such as JubrEn Khalil Jubra, Amin al-Rihani,
Nasib 'Afidah, Rashid AyyÜb and Mlkha'il N~'aymah,w~e re among the
muhja7iyyz.i-n (immigrants)t o the United States.
' ~ h we o rd mahjar is derived from the root h-j-r, whose m-r is hijfah.,
rneariing emigration from one place to another; see 'Abd Allah al-'AiiiyiE, Lisün
al-'Arab al-Mu-. (Beirüt: DSr al-Ji, 1977), vol. 6, 17. The word al-rnahjar
indicates the Arab diaspora, Arabs living abroad, specificaiiy in the New World.
This meaning is taken from Hans Wehr, The Hans Wehr Dictionary of Modern
Wrilten Arabic, 4th ed., tr. (Ithaca, New York: Spoken Language S e ~ c e sI,n c,
1994), 11 94-1 1 95. See also Kamal Nash'at, Shi? al-MahJ'ar (Cairo: ai- DSr al-
Misriyyah li al-Ta'lif wa &-Teamah, 19661, 9-10. In this work, however,
mahjar literature refers to the literahue written by Arabs immigrants in the
countries of North and South America.
aNash'at, Shi? al-Mahjar, 9-1 0; Yeni Ratna Yuningsih, "ShuCarS' al-
Mahjar wa Khasa'is Ashcarihim" (Undergraduate thesis, M N Syarif
Hidayatullah, Jakarta, 1995), 5.
3For more elaboration on the mahjar writers, see JÜrj Saydah, Adabuna
wu Udabü'unü (Beiriit: DZr al-'ILm Ii al-Maliiyin, 1957),2 09-525. in this book the
writer presents short biographies of no less than 120 Arabic writers who
0
emigrated to both South and North America.
a The immigrants to America may be divïded into two groups in
tems of destination. Those who emigrated to North America were called -
ff'at al-mcrhjar al-shama7ï while those who went to South America were
called fi'at al-mhjar ai-jafzu-bL4 The main reasons for their emigration
were generally either political or economic.5 They left their beloved
homelands in the hope that the New World would give them a better life
and freedom to five as well as to express their ideas-
Mahjar literature itseif, which began to emerge in the early
twentieth centuq, is considered by some to have been a new departure,
indeed a Wual renaissance, for modem Arabic Iiterature.6 This new
Stream of Arabic literature, which became more influential with the
41sS Al-NSZFr=i, Aàub al- Mahjar (Cairo: DéZr al-Macarif,1 977),1 7. Afthough
the ones who made up the mahjar shama7ï were fewer in number, their
influence was greater than that of the people of the mahjar januir'. They were
also dserent in that they were more dynamic because they were more
enthusiastic to fkee themselves and Arabic fiterature from tradition, while the
latter tended to want to preserve their ancestors' iiterary heritage. Ibid., 18.
STbid., 17. in addition to these two reasons, education was another
motivation behind their emigration to those countiies. Nasib 'Afidah and
Mikhà5l Nucapah were said to have emigrated to the United State for this
reason specifically. Sayde however claims that the main reason for their
immigration was cornmonly economic problem facing in their native countries.
Saydah, 'Adabuna Wa'udabfina, 23.
6The fust renaissance of modem Arabic literature occurred at the
beginnùig of the 19th century. The Western impact on the Arab East at this time
stirred the region fkom the dull lethargy of the three prevlous centuries. This
historical background is discussed in Nadeem Naimy, MiWtail Na*: An
Introduction (Beinit: Amencan University of Beirut, l967),1 -67. See also Shafiq
al-BiqaE, Adab 'Asr al-Naheh (Beiriit: DSr a1-W fi al-Malayin, 1990), 16-25.
The importarice of rnahjar literature and its infiuence on the development of
modem Arabic literature is discussed in Anw* al-Jundl, al-Shi'r al-'Arabi al-
e
Mucci$ïr: Tatawwuruh wa ' A c l ~ u1h8 75-1940 (Beirüt: Maktabat al-Macarif,
1960),5 63-565.
Description:This thesis investigates the mystical elements in MikhS'ïl thoughts of Mla'ii Nucaymah conceming the two notions above, are to be found in a
