Abdullah Ansari

Abdullah Ansari was a famous Persian poet, mystic, scholar, and commentator of the Quran. He was born in Herat, Afghanistan in 1006 CE, and belonged to the lineage of Abu Ayyub al-Ansari, a companion of Prophet Muhammad. He showed remarkable intelligence and talent from an early age, and mastered various branches of Islamic sciences such as jurisprudence, hadith, theology, and ethics. He followed the Hanbali school of law in jurisprudence, but was critical of the scholastic theology and rational arguments. He considered the Quran as the only reliable source of guidance for the believers, and wrote a commentary on it based on mystical insights. He was also a prolific poet in both Persian and Arabic languages, and composed many verses in praise and glorification of God. Ansari was deeply influenced by Sufism, the mystical dimension of Islam, and learned from many eminent Sufi masters of his time. He visited Abu al-Hasan al-Kharaqani twice, and was greatly impressed by his spiritual state and teachings. He also met Abu Sa'id Abu al-Khayr, another renowned Sufi saint, and exchanged views with him. Ansari devoted his life to teaching and preaching Sufism in Herat, and attracted many disciples and followers. He wrote several books and treatises on Sufism, such as Manazil al-Sa'irin (Stations of the Seekers), Munajat (Supplications), Risala fi'l-Waridat (Treatise on Spiritual States), Zad al-Arifin (Provisions of the Gnostics), Qalandarnameh (Book of the Qalandars), Mahabbatnameh (Book of Love), Haft Hasar (Seven Enclosures), Risala fi'l-Dil wa'l-Jan (Treatise on the Heart and Soul), Risala fi'l-Ilahiyyat (Treatise on Divinity), Sad Maydan (Hundred Fields), Musibatnameh (Book of Afflictions), and others. His books are considered as classics of Persian literature and Sufi thought, and have been translated into many languages. Ansari was revered as a saint and a spiritual master by his contemporaries and later generations. He was given the titles of Pir-e Herat (the Elder of Herat), Pir-e Ansar (the Elder of the Ansar), and Ansari Heravi (the Ansari of Herat). He died in 1088 CE at the age of 81, and was buried in Gazargah, a suburb of Herat. His tomb is still a place of pilgrimage for many Muslims.