A Critical Edition of ‘Alā’ al-Dawla al-Simnānī’s al-Wārid al-shārid al-？ārid shubhat al-mārid

This study consists of a critical edition and introduction to an Arabic epistle entitled al-Wārid al-shārid al-？ārid shubhat al-mārid, written by a leading figure of the Kubrawiyya order in Mongol-governed Iran, ‘Alā’ al-Dawla al-Simnānī (d. 736/1336). Born in the village Bayābānak of the town Sūfīābād, in Simnān of modern Iran, his birth name was A？mad b. Mu？ammad b. A？mad and he became known as ‘Alā’ al-Dawla al-Simnānī. His father and maternal and paternal uncles served prominent posts in the Ilkhanate court and he also served under the ruler of the Ilkhanate, Arghun Khan, when he was only about fifteen years old. He served within the court for approximately ten years and then, after some spiritual experiences, he left his lofty life and felt inclined toward sufism. First, he studied independently the works of the great masters of sufism and was then initiated by a Kubrawī shaykh in Baghdad, Nūr al-Dīn ‘Abd al-Ra？mān Isfarāyīnī (d. 717/1317), from whom he would take ijāza (permission) for spiritual guidance. Simnānī contributed widely to sūfī literature with his written works, which numbered around ninety, and also with his spiritual lineage (silsila) through which the mainstream Kubrawiyya order traces back to today. He offered important insights, especially into phenomena such as latā’if (spiritiual organs of the soul), rijāl al-ghayb (men of the unseen) and narrations of spiritual experiences, influencing eminent figures after him such as Mu？ammad Pārsā (d. 822/1420) and Imām Rabbānī (d. 1034/1624). He was also known for his critique of Ibn al-‘Arabī, which constituted the first critique of Ibn al-‘Arabī’s doctrine of wa？dat al-wujūd in the history of sufism. One of his salient characteristics was his meticulousness regarding following the sunnah of the Prophet Muhammad. Another noteworthy quality of his was his aversion to takfīr (declaring someone unbeliever) and his efforts to help resolve conflict among different firqas (factions). Among Simnānī's greatest contribution to sūfī thought was his interpretation of the Qur’ān according to seven la？ā’if, which included identifying each la？ā’if and matching it to a prophet. The ultimate influence of his view of being was upon Imām Rabbānī, who developed the idea of wa？dat al-shuhūd against wa？dat al-wujūd. In his Maktūbāt (The Letters), Rabbānī says that his thought on existence is the same as Simnānī’s and quotes from Simnānī his crucial sentence: “There is a realm (‘ālam) of Malik al-Wadūd (Zāt) above the realm of beings”. Simnānī authored approximately ninety books in both Arabic and Persian. He