astronomy

Sufi cosmology

Sufi cosmology is a astronomy topic covered in the lgStudy science library. This page brings together a partial reference excerpt, illustrations, worked examples, real-world applications and a short study plan, so you can understand Sufi cosmology rather than just read about it. In short: Sufi cosmology (Arabic: الكوزمولوجية الصوفية) is a Sufi approach to cosmology which discusses the creation of man and the universe, which according to mystics are the fundamental grounds upon which Islamic religious universe is based. According to Sufi cosmology, God's reason for the creation of this cosmos and humankind is the "manifestation" and "recognition" of Himself as it is stated in Hadith Qudsi – "I was a h…

Key takeaways

Sufi cosmology belongs to astronomy; place it in that map before memorising details.
Learn the definition first, then one example that makes the definition concrete.
Connect Sufi cosmology to a quantity you can measure, compute or draw — that is where exam questions come from.
Reproduce the core statement of Sufi cosmology from memory before moving on to harder problems.

Reference excerpt

Sufi cosmology (Arabic: الكوزمولوجية الصوفية) is a Sufi approach to cosmology which discusses the creation of man and the universe, which according to mystics are the fundamental grounds upon which Islamic religious universe is based. According to Sufi cosmology, God's reason for the creation of this cosmos and humankind is the "manifestation" and "recognition" of Himself as it is stated in Hadith Qudsi – "I was a hidden Treasure; I desired to be recognized so I created the creature".

Emanation Islamic Sufis describe the Divine Descent and the creation of universe and humankind in the following stages, when Noor-e-Ahadi (Light of One), coming out of His self-isolated oneness, intended to manifest Himself in multiplicity. These stages are also termed as "Tanzalat-e-Satta". Many saints have explained these Tanzalat-e-Satta in their books. Abu Saeed Mubarak Makhzoomi has discussed them in his Arabic book called Tohfa Mursala. They are also discussed in the exegesis of Fusoos-ul-Hikam, a book by Ibn Arabi.

Alam-i-HaHoot (Realm of He-ness): The level of HaHoot refers to HaHooiyat (The Unknowable and Incomparable world). It is an Arabic term which pertains to the Divine's Essence prior to manifestation. The spiritual stage related to it is called Ahdiyat (Alonehood). This is the Realm of pre-existence and a level of non creation. According to sufis, this state of Ahdiyat is incapable of being conceived, incapable of interpretation and is beyond all logical bounds. At this stage Allah is all alone and hidden in his own veil and cannot be exemplified with anything. Nothing exists here, neither the universe nor the creation. Here the Zaat (Divine essence) and neither His attributes are revealed or manifested. Alam-i-Yahoot (Realm of First Manifestation): The spiritual stage pertaining to YaHoot is referred to as Wahdat (Oneness). YaHoot is the first level of manifestation of "Hoo". When the Divine Essence desired to manifest, He manifested Himself in the form of Noor-e-Mohammad (Light of Muhammad). Since YaHoot is a world of Oneness, so it clarifies that Noor of Mohammad is a manifestation of God's Essence and is not a separate entity. This is the first step towards Divine descent. The creation has not started yet. Here Hoo is called Allah which in Arabic means "He", because there is a being in the form of Noor of Mohammad who worships Allah. And the level is called yaHoot because there is an entity who would address Hoo as YaHoo (O’Hoo). Alam-i-LaHoot (Realm of Absolute Unity): The world of LaHoot is related to the level of Wahdiyat (Unity). Here the soul of Mohammad is manifested from the Noor of Mohammad. Since this is a world of Unity so at this level Noor of Allah and Noor of Mohammad are in the same form. Therefore, the soul of Mohammad is in fact the soul of Allah called Rooh-e-Qudsi (The Divine Soul). At this level the whole universe and its creation is hidden in Noor-e-Mohammad and is anxious to manifest itself. The above three levels are the levels of Unity and non-creation. The presence of Hoo in HaHoot, YaHoot and LaHoot indicates Absolute Unity. The creation takes place in the coming levels of Jabrut, Malakut and Nasut.

Alam-i-Jabrut (Realm of Intelligence): Jabrut refers to the world of eternal lights, the Cherubinic intelligences. It is formless yet innumerably populated by the highest rank of angels and contains the divine attributes of Allah which were present in unity in the Lahut. It is comparable to Plato's realm of Ideas. Alam-e-Malakut (Realm of Soul): This level refers to the world of archetype images (not necessarily in the visual sense). At this level the intelligences, now called souls, took a recognizable but immaterial form for the first time. Here the "kingly souls" (Rooh-e-sultani) got concealed in a body of celestial light. It is also at this level where psychic qualities like lust, greed, anger, etc. exist. In short, the realm of images, operating through the organ of imagination, gives form and body to the archetypes that exist at the level of intelligences. Alam-i-Nasut (Realm of Physical bodies): The level of Nasut refers to the physical world of material bodies. The stage where foundations of the tangible world of matter are laid. Here Rooh-e-Noorani got concealed in the cover of Rooh-e-Heywani (the soul directly related to the physical body) which was the breathed into the physical bodies of flesh and bones and non-living things. The process of human creation got completed here and Allah manifested Himself completely in Humans by concealing in the covers of Rooh-e-Qudsi, Rooh-e-Sultani, Rooh-e-Noorani and Rooh-e-Heywani.

See also Arcs of Descent and Ascent Cosmology in medieval Islam Meaning of life Suhrawardi Sufi metaphysics Sufi philosophy

References

Further reading Chittick, William (1998), The Self-Disclosure of God: Principles of Ibn al-'Arabi's Cosmology, SUNY series in Islam, SUNY Press, ISBN 0791434044 Lange, Christian; Knysh, Alexander, eds. (2023). Sufi Cosmology. Brill. ISBN 978-90-04-39261-8. Nasr, Seyyed H. (1993), An Introduction to Islamic Cosmological Doctrines (2nd ed.), 1st edition by Harvard University Press, 2nd edition by State University of New York Press, ISBN 0-7914-1515-5 1st edition 1964, 2nd edition 1993.

Worked examples

Example 1 — a first encounter with Sufi cosmology

Start with the simplest possible case. Write down what Sufi cosmology claims or describes in one sentence, then invent the smallest concrete situation in which that sentence is true. In astronomy, the smallest case is usually a single object, a single equation or a single measurement. Check that every symbol or term in your sentence has a meaning in that case.

Example 2 — changing one variable

Take the situation from Example 1 and change exactly one quantity: double it, halve it, or set it to zero. Predict what should happen to Sufi cosmology before you calculate. Comparing your prediction with the result is the fastest way to find out whether you understand the idea or only the words.

Example 3 — an exam-style question

Typical questions about Sufi cosmology ask you to (a) state it precisely, (b) apply it to given data, and (c) explain a limitation. Practise writing all three answers in under five minutes; the third part is what separates a full-mark answer from an average one.

Applications of Sufi cosmology

In research: Sufi cosmology appears in astronomy research whenever the underlying quantities have to be modelled precisely. Papers usually cite it as a starting assumption and then explore where it breaks down.
In technology and industry: Engineering practice reuses Sufi cosmology in design rules, simulations and safety margins. Knowing the idea lets you read a specification sheet and understand why the numbers look the way they do.
In the classroom: Sufi cosmology is common in secondary-school and first-year university syllabi. It links to neighbouring topics Esoteric cosmology, Islamic cosmology, Religious cosmologies, so understanding it makes those chapters shorter.
In everyday life: Look for Sufi cosmology outside the textbook — in sport, cooking, traffic, electronics or the sky above you. An example you found yourself is remembered far longer than one you were given.

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How to study Sufi cosmology in 20 minutes

Read the reference excerpt below once, without taking notes.
Close the page and write down what Sufi cosmology means in your own words.
Compare your version with the excerpt and mark what you missed.
Work through the three examples above with pen and paper.
Explain Sufi cosmology out loud to somebody else — or to Teacher Smith in the lgStudy chat.

Frequently asked questions

What is Sufi cosmology in simple terms?

Why does Sufi cosmology matter?

Because it connects several astronomy ideas at once: it gives you a definition you can apply, a quantity you can calculate, and a way to check whether a result is plausible.

How should I study Sufi cosmology?

Read the excerpt, restate it from memory, then work through the examples and applications listed on this page. The five-step study plan above takes about twenty minutes.

What does this page cover?

It gives you a compact reference excerpt plus original lgStudy explanations, examples, applications and study material on Sufi cosmology.