Восточно-туркестанское "руководство для сапожников"

Introduction and Exhortation

Commentary

The manual begins with a title, the basmala , and a formulaic praise of God. It continues, as is typical, with a treatise attributed to Ṣādiq Ja‘farī (702-765), the Sixth Imam and an important Ṣūfī thinker and Islamic jurist. The available craft manuals universally ascribe their origins to this figure. Usually, the narrative of the craft’s origins comes before the discussion of lore and moral duties, but, in this case, their positions are reversed. The manual exhorts community members to abide by its prescriptions. It proceeds in a question-and-answer format to outline the lore of the craft community. This history relates every practice expected of a professional to sacred pre-Islamic, early Islamic, and Ṣūfī history. The manual also explicit draws a parallel between the transmission of the craft across time and in the present community: The recitation master is akin to God, who sends the revelation of the craft to one of his prophets, “in whose place” the new initiate “sits.”

Text

[1b] Risāla-ye mūzadozī. Bismi-llāhi r-raḥmāni r-raḥīm. Al ḥamd ‘l-lāh rabb al-‘ālamīn, wa-l-‘āqibatu ‘l-il-mutaqqīyūna, wa-l-ṣalwatu wa al-salām ‘alī rasūla Muḥammadin wa ala wa aṣḥāba [2a] ijma‘īn.

“The Manual of the Cobblers.” In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful. Praise be to God, the Lord of the Worlds. And “the sequel is for those who keep their duty unto him” (Q 7:128). And peace and blessings be upon the great messenger Muḥammad and on his family and companions.

Amma ba‘d imām ja‘far al-ṣādīq wa rahnamā-ye muwāfīq andağ riwāyat qilibdurlar kim:

And then Imām Ja‘far al-Ṣādīq the Propitious Guide related:

Šayḫlar wä naqīblar wä ahl-e taḥqīqlar wä darwīšlar wä ḫānqah našīnlar wä ṣāḥib takbīrlar wä kāsiblar ḥażrat Ādam payğambar Nūḥ payğambar Ibrāhīm payğambar ḥażrat [2b] Muḥammad rasūl ‘l-allāhniŋ orunlarida olturub takbīr ayturlar. Bu takbīrlarni bilmäsä ularğa takbīr aytmaq iṣlāḥ rawā(h) ermäs här luqma ke tafib yäydur ḥarām turur. Qiyāmat künidä pīr ustādlarniŋ aldida takbīrlarni bilmäy eytsalar šermsā(r) bolub pīr ustādlar benazār bolğusidur. Här takbīrlarni bilib eytsalar, jamī‘ pīr ustādlarniŋ rūḥi ḫošnod bolub [3a] šubu insānlarniŋ gunahlariniŋ ‘afū bolušini ḥażrat ḥaqq subḥānah wa ta‘alladin tilägäy.

The shaykhs and naqīb s¹ and philosophers and dervishes and lodgedwellers and recitation masters and craftsmen sit in the place of the great prophet Ādam, the prophet Nūḥ, the prophet Ibrāhīm, and the great Muḥammad the Messenger of God and recite the takbīr . If they do not know these takbīr s, then reciting the takbīr is neither correct nor proper for them. Every mouthful of food they earn and eat is forbidden. If, on the Day of Reckoning, they recite the takbīr s, without knowing them, before the old masters, they will be shamed, and the old masters will not look upon them. If they recite all of the takbīr s and know them, then the spirits of the collected old masters will be pleased, and they will ask the great Lord Most High for the forgiveness of these people’s sins.

Här insān takbīr eytsa šubu ṭarīqada takbīr eytqaylar: Čahār pīrī šarī‘at, čahār pīrī ḥaqīqat, čahār pīrī ma‘arifat, čahār pīrī mad̄ hab, čahār pīrī šafīq, bir pīrni, yerim pīrni, takbīr-i riżā, takbīr-i ṣifā, takbīr-i mulk, takbīr-i mawqūf, takbīr-i qibla’, takbīr-i miḥrāb: här qaysi [3b] takbīrlarni öz muratabalarida bilib takbīr eytsunlar.

Whatsoever person recites the takbīr, that person shall recite it in this order: The four masters of the Law, the four masters of Truth, the four masters of Gnosis, the four masters of the Sects, and the four masters of Compassion; one master, half a master; the takbīr of contentment, the takbīr of purity, the takbīr of possessing, the takbīr of bestowing, the takbīr of the qiblah, the takbīr of the miḥrāb: they should know each takbīr in its own number and recite the takbīr.

Ägär sorsalar kim takbīr eytmaq farżmu, yā wājibmu, yā sunnatmu, jawāb: Allāh ḥaqq subḥāna wa ta‘alla ḥażrat Jibrā’īl aliya al-salāmğa amr qildi; farż boldi. Ḥażrat Jibrā’īl payğambarlarğa ta‘līm bärdilär wājib boldi. Payğambarlar ‘ummatlariğa ta‘līm bärdilär; sunnat boldi.

If they ask if reciting the takbīr is obligatory, necessary, or tradition, the response is: God Most High ordered it to the great Gabriel PBUH. It became required. The great Gabriel bestowed it upon the prophets. It became recommended. The prophets bestowed it upon their communities. It became tradition.

Sū’āl: Čahār pīrī šarī‘at [4a] qaysidur? Jawāb: Awwal ḥażrat Ādamī ṣafīyu ‘l-lāh. Dowwam Nūḥ nubī ‘l-lāh. Sowwam Ibrāhīm ḫalīlu ‘l-lāh. Čahārum ḥażrat Muḥammad rasūlu ‘l-lāh turur.

Question: Which are the four masters of the Law? Answer: The first is the great Adam, the Purity of God. The second is Nūḥ, the Word of God. The third is Ibrāhīm, the Friend of God. The fourth is the great Muḥammad, the Messenger of God.

Tört kitāb qaysidur? Awwal turāt Mūsağa kälgän. Injīl ‘Īsāğa kälgän. Zabūr Dāwudğa kälgän. Farqān ḥażrat rasūlu ‘l-lāhğa kälgän tururlar.

Which are the four books? First, the Torah came to Moses. The Evangelion came to Jesus. The Psalms came to David. The Qur’ān came to the Prophet of God.

Čahār pīrī ṭarīqat: Awwal ḥażrat [4b] (Abū Bakr). Duwwam ḥażrat ‘Umr. Üčünči ḥażrat ‘Uthmān. Törtinči ḥażrat ‘Alī Karamu ‘l-lāh wajha tururlar.

The four masters of the Path ( tarīqah ): The first is the great [Abū Bakr]. The second is the great ‘Umr. The third is the great ‘Uthmān. The fourth is the great ‘Alī, may God favor him.

Čahār pīrī ḥaqīqat: Awwal ḥażrat Jibrā’īl. Duwwam ḥażrat Mīkā’īl. Suwwam ḥażrat Isrāfīl. Čahārum ḥażrat ‘A d rā’īl turur.

The four masters of the Truth: First, the great Jibrā’īl. Second, the great Mīkā’īl. Third, the great Isfāfīl. Fourth, the great ‘A d rā’īl.

Sū’āl: Tört takbīr qaysi? Jawāb: Allāhu akbar allāhu akbar la ila ala allāh[?] wa allāhu akbar allāhu akbar wa ala al-Muḥammad demäk keräk.

Question: Which are the four takbīr ? Answer: One must say: God is great, God is great. There is no God but God. And God is great, God is great, and the God of Muḥammad.

Sū’āl: Tört [5a] (pīrī) mad̄ āhib qaysi? Jawāb: Awwal ḥażrat Imām-i ‘Aẓam. Duwwam imām Šāf‘ī. Suwwam ḥażrat imām Ḥanbal. Čahārum ḥażrat imām Mālik tururlar.

Question: Which are [the masters of] the Four Sects? Answer: The first is the great Imām-i ‘Azam (Abū Ḥanīfa). The second is the Imām Šāf‘ī. The third is the Imām Ḥanbal. The fourth is the Imām Mālik.

(Sū’āl: Tört pīrī ṭarīqat qaysi turur?) Šams Tabrīzī, Mawlāna Rūmī, Ḫwāja Ḥāfiz Šīrāzī, ḥażrat Šayḫ ‘Aṭṭār wali tururlar.

(Question: Which are the four masters of the Path?) They are Shams Tabrīzī, Mawlāna Rūmī, Khwāja Ḥāfiz Shīrāzī, and the great saint Shaykh ‘Aṭṭār.

Tört pīrī šafaq qaysidur? Awwal ata. Ikkinči ana. Üčünči mu‘allim. Törtünči ustādi tururlar.

Which are the four masters of compassion? First, father. Second, mother. Third, teacher. Fourth, one’s master.

Ägär sorsalar kim takbīr-i mulk qaysidur, [5b] jawāb: Takbīr-i mulk ḥażrat Ādam payğambarğa käldi. Ḥażrat Ādam payğambar dunyādin naqil qildilar. Farzandilariğa qaldi. Ani takbīr-i mulk derlär.

If they ask which is the takbīr of possession, the answer is: The takbīr of possession came to the great prophet Ādam. The great prophet Ādam departed from the world. It fell to his children. They call this the takbīr of possession.

Ägär sorsalar kim takbīr-i mawqūf qaysi tururlar, jawāb: Sayyiddin böläk kiši takbīr eytsä, ani takbīr-i mawqūf derlär.

If they ask which is the takbīr of bestowing, the answer is: If someone who is not a sayyid recites the takbīr , then they call this the takbīr of bestowing.

Ḫuṭba-i takbīr qaysi? Fātiḥa wä ḥulāsni oqumaqdur.

What is the khutba of the takbīr ? It is reciting the fātiḥa and the ḥulās prayer.

Qibla-i takbīr [6a] qaysi dur? Jawāb: Du‘ā qilurda qiblağa baqib olturub du‘ā qilmaq keräk.

What is the direction of prayer for the takbīr ? Answer: When one prays, one must sit facing the qiblah and recite prayers.

Ägär sorsalar kim sakta takbīr qaysidur, al-jawāb: du‘āniŋ awwalida wä āḫirida ḥażrat Muḥammad amīn muṣṭāfa ṣali ‘l-lāh ‘aliya wa-sallamğa durūd ibärmäk keräk.

If they ask what the silent takbīr is, the answer: At the beginning and end of the prayer, one must sent a prayer asking for intercession to the great Muḥammad PBUH.

Här ṣāḥib takbīr bu tarīqat-nāmani bu tärtiblär birlän bilmäk keräkdur.

Every recitation master must know this account of the Path in this order.

[6b]

Ägär sorsalar kim ğusl-i šarī‘at nemä birlän pāk bolur, jawāb: Su birlän pāk bolur. Ğusl-i ṭarīqat takbīr birlän pāk bolur.

If they ask with what the lawful ablutions will become pure, the answer is: They will become pure with water. The ablutions specified by the Path will become pure with takbīr .

Ägär sorsalar kim ṣāḥib takbīrgä näččä nimärsä wājibdur, awwal ṭahārat birlän bolmaq. Ikkinči fātiḥa wä iḥlāṣ wä durūdlarni pīr ustādlarniŋ ḥaqqida oquğay. Šarī‘at, ḥaqīqat, wä ṭarīqat bayān [7a] qilib olturğay. Rizqni ḥalāl yegäy. Ḥarāmdin perhiz qilğay. Ḥażrat payğambar ‘aliya wa sallamniŋ šarī‘atlari birlän ‘aml qilğay.

If they ask what is required of a recitation master, first, he must have done ablutions. The second is that he should recite the fātiḥa , the iḫlās , and the durūd prayers for the old masters. He shall keep explaining [7a] the Law, the

Truth, and the Path. He shall eat for his daily bread what is permitted. He shall abstain from what is forbidden. He shall operate according to the law of the great Messenger PBUH.

Ägär sorsalar kim takbīr eytmaq kimdin qaldi, jawāb: Ḥażrat Ibrāhīm payğambardin qaldi.

If they ask from whom reciting the takbīr came, the response is: it came from the great prophet Ibrāhīm.

Här kāsib risāla saqlamisa risāla bilän ‘aml qilmasa qiyāmat küni pīrī [7b] ustādlar aldida ruswā[y] šarmanda bolğay. Wä risāla saqlasa risāla birlän ‘aml qilsa qiyāmat küni yüzi on tört künlük tolun aydek qopqay. Pīrī ustādlar aldida ‘azīz mukarram bolğay. Risālani kündä bir marataba oqutsun. Bolmisa haftada yāke bir ayda wä balke här yildä bir marātaba oqusa kupāya bolğusidur. Allāh [8a] ta‘alla raḥmat qilib gunahlarini mağfirat qilib dīdāriğa šarf qilğay. Risāla saqlağan kāsibğa y.ğ.d.r[?] här kiši ihānat [insult] qilsa darr(a) lazim bolur.

Should any craftsman not keep a manual, or not operate by a manual, then, on the Day of Reckoning, he will be disgraced and ashamed before the old masters. [7b] And if he keeps a manual and operates by a manual, on the Day of Reckoning, his face shall shine like the full moon on the fourteenth day of the month. He shall be beloved and respected before the old masters. One should make them read the manual once every day. Otherwise, reading it once every week, or every month, and maybe every year may be sufficient. God Most High [8a] will be merciful, forgive their sins, and look kindly upon their faces. If any y.ğ.d.r person should insult a craftsman who keeps the manual, he ought to be beaten.

Ḥadī s niŋ mażmūni birlän: qāl al-nabbī ‘aliya al-salām al-kasibu ḥasbi allāhu. Här kiši ušbu ḥadī s ğa munkir bolsa ‘āṣī bolğusidur.

In the words of the ḥadīth : “The craftsman is dear to Muḥammad PBUH.” If any person should deny this ḥadīth , then he shall be a sinner.

Na‘ū d u b-allāh min al- d ālīk tamut.

May God protect us from that.

The Origin of the Craft

Commentary

Every manual includes a legend describing the bestowal of the basic knowledge of the craft on an Islamic prophet or saint. God sends the angel Jibrā’īl on some pretext with the message that the prophet, in this case Ṣāliḥ, shall learn the craft and pass it on to his community. The angel then creates and demonstrates the necessary tools. These legends can be quite fanciful and anachronistic with reference to sacred history: In this example, the prophet Ṣāliḥ passes on his knowledge to his apprentice, the prophet Yūnus, who is meant to have lived much later. The two of them appeal to the prophet Dawūd, who comes from a period between the two of theirs. I note that a contemporary redaction of al-Rabghūzī’s Stories of the Prophets also held in the Jarring Collection is itself widely divergent from the oldest-known Khwārezmian version (Jarring 1980; al-Rabghūzī 1995), while its style and content are much closer that found in East Turkestani craft manuals. The manuals appear as part of a legendary tradition that builds on the symbolic and narrative world of the Stories of the Prophets. The text in this manual is also peculiar in that it starts with a second opening similar to that at the beginning of the manual.

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[8b]

Bismi-llāhi r-raḥmāni r-raḥīm. Al ḥamd ‘l-lāh rabb al-‘ālamīn, wa-l-‘āqibatu ‘l-il-mutaqqīyūna, wa-l-ṣalwatu wa al-salām ‘alī rasūla Muḥammadin wa ala wa aṣḥāba ijma‘īn.

In the Name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful. Praise be to God, the Lord of the Worlds. And “the sequel is for those who keep their duty unto him” (Q 7:128). And peace and blessings be upon the great messenger Muḥammad and on his family and companions.

Ḥażrat imām Ja‘far Sạ̣̄ dīq andağ riwāyat qilibdurlar kim: Mūzedūzluq aḥkāmni ḫudā-ye mutabārik wa ta‘alla ḥażrat Ṣāliḥ payğambarga [9a] yarliqadi. Risālada andağ kältürübdurlar kim: Bir kün ḥażrat Ṣāliḥ payğambar kāfirlarniŋ jibr sitamidin ğamnāk bolub yiğlab olturub idilär. Nāgāh ḥażrat Jibrā’īl al-salām kelib dedilär ke āy Ṣāliḥ nemä ğamnāk bolursiz allāh ta‘alla eytadur qawmini īmānğa da‘wat qilsun. Ḥażrat Ṣāliḥ payğambar edilär yā Jibrā’īl [9b] kāfirlar eytadur seniŋ mū‘jizeŋ qeni dedur. Šulzamān ḥażrat Jibrā’īl ‘aliya al-salām ğayib bolub kättilär. Ṭarfati ‘l-‘ayn ičindä ḥāżir bolub käldilär wä bir pāra raḥta bärdilär. Mad̄ kūr raḥtaniŋ nūri ‘ālamni tuttilar. Ḥażrat Jibrā’īl körsätib bärdilär. Ḥażrat Ṣāliḥ ayağlariğa mūze qilib kiydilär. Kāfirlar körüb ta‘ajjubga qaldilar. [10a] ḥażrat Ṣāliḥ payğambar rāst payğambar ikän! Ayağdin nūr fayda bolubdur däb kāfirlar musulmān bolur erdi. Ma d kūr raḫtadin bir parčä kiyib alur erdilär. Ertäsi futun [pütün] bolur erdilär. Lekin ötük kesärni bilmäs erdilär. Qollari birlän bir birigä yämläb ötük [10b] ötük qilur erdilär.

The great Imām Ja‘far Ṣādiq narrated: God the Beneficent and the Most High commanded the ordinances of cobbling to the great prophet Ṣāliḥ. In the manual, they have passed it down that: One day, the great prophet Ṣāliḥ grew sorrowful of the constraint and violent treatment of the infidels, and he was sitting and crying. Suddenly, the great Gabriel PBUH came and said, “Oh, Ṣāliḥ! How sorrowful you are! God Most High has said, ‘He shall bring his people to the faith.’” The great prophet Ṣāliḥ said, “Oh, Gabriel! The infidels ask, ‘Where are your miracles?’” At that moment, the great Gabriel PBUH suddenly disappeared. In the blink of an eye, he reappeared and gave Ṣāliḥ a piece of material. The light of that material lit up the world. The great Gabriel showed him how [to make boots]. The great Ṣāliḥ wore it as boots on his feet. The infidels saw them and were amazed. The great prophet Ṣāliḥ was a true prophet indeed! Because light appeared from his feet, the infidels became Muslims. They would take a piece from that cloth and wear it. The next day, it would be [a] complete [pair of boots]. But they did not know how to cut boots. They would use their hands to stick [pieces of material] together and make boots.

Bu ḥażrat Ṣāliḥ payğambarniŋ mū‘jizeläri erdilär. Här kāfir körsälär be-iḥtiyār musulmān bolur erdi. Aniŋ üčün Ṣāliḥ atandilar. Aṣli nāmlari Zūlyā erdilär. Qačanikim[?] ḥażrat Ṣāliḥ payğambar mūze qilib kiyär erdilär,

ṣaḥābalar alib kiyär erdilär. Ayağlarida mūze härgiz toḫtamas erdilär. Šubu jahattin mūzedūzniŋ [11a] ayağida ötük toḫtamas däbdur. Ḥażrat Ṣāliḥ payğambardin ḥażrat Yūnus payğambar örgändi. Andin mašhūr boldi.

These were the miracles of the great prophet Ṣāliḥ. When any infidel saw them, he or she would perforce become a believer. For this reason, he was named Ṣāliḥ. His original name was Zūlyā. Whenever the great prophet Ṣāliḥ made boots and wore them, his companions would take and wear them. They never lacked for boots on their feet. For this reason, it is said, cobblers [11a] are never without boots on their feet. The great prophet Yūnus learned it from the great prophet Ṣāliḥ. Thereafter it became well-known.

Bir kün bir ḥarāmzāda yalğandin imān kältürüb mad̄ kūr raḫtani oğurlab kätti. Ḥażrat Ṣāliḥ payğambar du‘ā qildi. Ul ḥarāmzādaniŋ qolidin nāfaydā boldi. Ḥażrat Ṣāliḥ payğambar [11b] ḥażrat Yūnus payğambar tola iltijā’ qildilar. Tapilmadi. Ḥażrat Jibrā’īl ‘aliya al-salām kelib dedi ke yā Ṣāliḥ atqan oq härgiz yanmas. Dar ḥāl ḥażrat Jibrā’īl ‘aliya al-salām bir dāna terä bärdilär. Ämdi öziŋ qilğil dedi. Ḥażrat Jibrā’īl körsätib bärdi. Ḥażrat Ṣāliḥ räŋ bärdilär. Kimsän boldi. Kimsän sāzliq [12a] rūzī qiyāmatğičä yoq bolmas.

One day, a scoundrel finagled his way in and stole this cloth. The great prophet Ṣāliḥ prayed. It did not appear from the hands of the scoundrel. The great prophet Ṣāliḥ [11b] and the great prophet Yūnus made great supplications. It was not found. The great Gabriel PBUH came and said, “Oh, Ṣāliḥ! The fired arrow never comes back.” Immediately, the great Gabriel PBUH gave him a piece of leather. “Now do it yourself,” he said. The great Gabriel showed him how. The great Ṣāliḥ dyed it. It became golden thread. This quality of this golden thread will never run out [12a] until Judgment Day.

Ḥażrat Ṣāliḥ payğambar ötük qilay deb idilär. Härgiz awwalqidäk bolmadilar. Ḥażrat Ṣāliḥ munājāt qildilar. Ḥażrat Jibrā’īl ‘aliya al-salām daraḫt tubidin yapraq alib kelib bärdilär. Ḥażrat Ṣāliḥ ‘aliya al-salām bu yapraqğa oḫša asbāb qildilar.

The great prophet Ṣāliḥ intended to make some boots. They never turned out as they had before. The great Ṣāliḥ prayed to God. The great Gabriel PBUH took leaves from the trunk of a tree and brought them. The great Ṣāliḥ PBUH made tools that resembled these leaves.

Ḥażrat Dāwud ‘aliya al-salāmğa mutawajjih boldilar [12b] Ğāyibdin bürändä faydā boladur. Ḥażrat Jibrā’īl ‘aliya al-salām behaštdin yiŋnä čiqarub bärdilär. Ḥażrat Ṣāliḥ payğambar[ğa] körsätib bärdilär. Ḥażrat Yūnus payğambar[ğa] tägdilär. Dūzandaliq ḥażrat Yūnus payğambardin qaldilar. Bir näččä muddatdin keyin zeräkni ḫār qildi.

They addressed the great Dāwud PBUH. [12b] A cobbler’s knife appeared out of nowhere. The great Gabriel PBUH brought a needle from Paradise and gave it to him. He showed the great prophet Sāliḥ how to use it. It came into the possession of the great prophet Yūnus. Needlework comes from the great prophet Yūnus. After a certain period of time, they began to push this clever one around.

Ḥażrat Ṣāliḥ payğambarniŋ ğażablaridin [13a] kelib kimsänni bärmädilär. Ḥażrat Yūnus payğambar tola iltijāh qildilar. Ḥażrat Ṣāliḥ payğambar dedilär ke, āy Yūnus bu meniŋ mu‘jizām erdilär. Ḫār qildiŋ. Ämdi āṭ eshäkniŋ teräsidin raḫt qilib ötük tik dedilär. Ḥażrat Yūnus payğambar bir āṭ alib soydilar. Dedilär ke, āy Ṣāliḥ qaysi ṭarafni qilsam bolur ikän? [13b] Ṣāliḥ dedilär ke, āy Yūnus sağra ṭarafini rastlağil dedilär. Ḥażrat Yūnus dar ḥāl bijā qildilar. Wä ḥażrat Ṣāliḥ payğambardin soramasalar hämmäsi sağra bolur erdilär. Ḥażrat Ṣāliḥ kimsändin namuna bärdilär. Zarničä tikmäk andin qaldi.

The great prophet Ṣāliḥ’s indignation went into a rage and [13a] stopped giving them the golden thread. The great prophet Yūnus pleaded with him a great deal. The great prophet Ṣāliḥ said, “Oh, Yūnus! These were my miracles. You coveted them. Now make material out of the skin of horses and donkeys and sew boots.” The great prophet Yūnus got a horse and slaughtered it. He said, “Oh, Ṣāliḥ! Which side should I do?” [13b] Ṣāliḥ said, “Oh, Yūnus! Prepare the hindquarters.” The great Yūnus did it immediately. And, when he asked the great prophet Ṣāliḥ, he said that everything should be from the hindquarters. The great Ṣāliḥ gave him an example from the golden thread. Inlaying with gold came from him.

Här kimersä mūzadūz deb ḥaqārat qilsalar, ‘āṣī gunah-kar bolur. Hämmä hunarlardin [14a] uluğ tururlar. Här kāsibniŋ öyidä risāla bolmasa yegäni ḥarāmdur. Takbīr eytmaqi aṣlān durust emäs.

Whosoever takes the name of cobbling in vain, he will be a guilty sinner. It is greater than [14a] all the crafts. If in any craftsman’s house there is not a manual, what he eats is forbidden. His recitation of takbīr is under no circumstances correct.

The History of the Craft Community

Commentary

Most manuals also contain a second and more explicitly genealogical origin legend. This genealogy, which is at least partly imagined, integrates a variety of local and widely-known Ṣūfī figures. For a complete discussion of the sacralization of the craft, see Dağyeli (2011: 71-93, 133-135, 157-182).

The legend then continues to the question-and-answer, or perhaps call-and-response, format seen above to outline the specific sacred origins of various skills and practices within the craft repertoire. Each action, such as stitching the seam of a boot, is attributed to a specific figures in sacred history. Most of the terms for these activities are part of a professional jargon internal to the craft community. Jarring (1991: 73-4, 81-85) has identified some of this terminology, and I draw on his work here as far as possible.

Text

Riwāyat qilibdurlar kim Sufyān Thūrī Raḥmat ‘l-lāh ‘aliya ḥaramgä barib ziyāratdin keyin yiğlab turub erdilär. Ḥażrat ḥaqq subḥāna wa ta‘alla dar gāhlaridin ikki dāna malā’ik kelib, bu yil [14b] Bağdād šaharidäki ūstā-ye ‘Alī Mūzadūzniŋ ḥajjīlariniŋ ḫāṣiyatdin hämmä ḥājjīlarniŋ ḥajjilari qabūl bolğusidur. Šāyḫ Thūrī bu sözni išitib Bağdād šaharigä barib ūstādi ‘alīni tafib [tapib] tola taḥaqquqlar sordilar ke, āy ‘Alī ḥaramgä barğanmusiz.

They tell the story that, one time, after Sufyān Thūrī Raḥmat ‘l-lāh PBUH had come back from making pilgrimage to Mecca, he was weeping. From the presence of the Great Lord on High, two angels came and said that, this year, [14b] because of the specialness of the pilgrimage made by the master ‘Alī the Cobbler in the city of Baghdad, all of the pilgrimages of all of the pilgrims would be accepted. When Shaykh Thūrī heard these words, he went to the city of Baghdad, found the great master, and asked him over and over if it was true. He asked, “Oh, ‘Alī, have you gone to Mecca?”

Ūstā-ye ‘Alī dedilär ke, bir kün [15a] bāzārğa barsam, bir mullā bir kohna kitābni tutub turadur. Satamsiz desäm, satarmän dedi. Qančägä bärursiz desäm, öziŋiz däŋ, dedi. Män meniŋ täŋgä bärdim. Šu küni öydä risāla-ye ma d kūrni oqutub pīrī ūstādlar ḥaqqidä du‘ā qildim. [15b] Tüš kördüm: Ḥażrat Ṣālih payğambar dedilär ke, āy ūstādi ‘Alī, sän bizgä köp ‘aqīda qildiŋ. Bizlär saŋa on miŋ täŋgä bärdük. Šulzaman bīdār bolub bi‘dāz [u] bāmudād tursam ikki yasāwul käldi. Fādišāh [pādišāh] čirläydur, dedi.

The Master ‘Alī said, “One day, when I went to the market, there was a mullah holding an old book.

‘Are you selling it?’ I asked him.

‘I’m selling it,’ he said.

‘How much do you want for it?’ I asked, and he told me, ‘Your choice.’

I gave him my money. That day, at home, I read this manual, and I prayed to the Old Masters. I had a dream: The great prophet Ṣāliḥ said to me, ‘Oh, Master ‘Alī! You have had great faith in us. We have given you 10,000 tänggä !’

At that moment, I awoke. When I got up, two guards came. They said, ‘The emperor calls upon you.’

Ḥażir šulsā‘at bardim. Fādišāh [pādišāh], dididi, [16a] tüši kör. Ḥażrat Ṣāliḥ ḫudāniŋ yolida nażira qilğan ḫi d ānalarni ūstā-ye ‘Alīgä beriŋ, dedi deb ḥażrat ūstā-ye ‘Alīgä berib yandurdilar. Wä bu ḥad̄ ānalarni alib kelib öyde qoydum niyatim ḥaramgä barišni tola ḫwāhlaydur [16b] deb sözni betamām bayān qildi.

I went that very hour. The emperor said, ‘Did you see? Give the treasures that the great Ṣāliḥ received on the Path of God to Master ‘Alī.’ And so they gave them over to the great Master ‘Alī. And I took these treasures and brought them home.” Thus he narrated it completely.

Ḥażrat Sufyān Thūrī yiğlab ḫublašib be-ṭaraf öz šähärigä rawān boldilar.

The great Sufyān Thūrī wept. They said goodbye, and he and set off straightaway for his own city.

Ägär sorsalar kim mūzadūzluqda näččä pīrī muršīd ötübdur, al-jawāb: Awwal ‘Abduraḥman Ādam ṣafīyu ‘l-lāh turur. Ikkinči ‘Abdalqahhār Nūḥ nubī ‘l-lāh turur. Üčünči ‘Abdaljabbār Ibrāhīm ḫalīlu ‘l-lāh tururlar. [17a] Törtinči ‘Abdal‘azīz ḥażrat rasūl ‘l-lāh tururlar.

If they ask how many Old Guides there have been in cobbling, the answer: The first was ‘Abduraḥman, Adam, the Purity of God. The second was ‘Abdalqahhār, Nūḥ, the Word of God. The third was ‘Abdaljabbār, Ibrāhīm, the Friend of God. The fourth was ‘Abdal‘azīz, the great Messenger of God.

Ḥażrat Ādamdin tartib ḥażrat Muḥammadğičä näččä pīrī muršīdlar ötübdur? Säkkiz yüz altmiš altä pīrī muršīd ötübdurlar. Hämmäsi kāmil mukammal tururlar. Šarī‘at, tarīqat, ḥaqīqatni ārasta qilibdurlar

How many Old Guides were there from the great Adam to the great Muḥammad? There were 866 Old Guides. All were perfect and perfected. They equipped themselves with the Law, the Path, and the Truth.

Bulardin soŋra on ikki pīrī ūstādlar [17b] ötübdurlar. Awwal ḥażrat Ṣāliḥ payğambar. Ikkinči ḥażrat Yūnus payğambar. Üčünči Jālūt. Törtinči ṗīrī Dihna. Bäšinči ūstā-ye Ṭūsī. Altinči ūstā-ye Šāmī. Yättinči Ḥiyāmdīn. Säkkizinči ḫoja Bāqī Šāhī. Toqquzinči ḫoja Ilyās Šīrāzī. [Oninči] ḫoja Quddus. On birinči ḫoja Abu Ṭalīb Ṭāsmānī/Ṣāmānī/Ṭāmānī. On ikkinči ḫoja Muḥammad Yāradoza durlar.

After them, there were twelve Old Masters. The first was the great prophet Ṣāliḥ. The second was the great prophet Yūnus. The third was Jālūt. The fourth was Pīr Dihna. The fifth was Master Ṭūsī. The sixth was Master Shāmī. The seventh was Ḥiyāmdīn. The eighth was Khwāja Bāqī Šāhī. The ninth was Khwāja Ilyās Šīrāzī. The tenth was Khwāja Quddus. The eleventh was Khwāja Abu Ṭalīb Ṭāmānī. The twelfth was Khwāja Muḥammad Yāradoza.

[18a] Ägär sorsalar kim dukkāndārliq kimdin qaldi, jawāb: Ḥażrat Ṣāliḥ payğambardin qaldi. Rāstkarlik kimdin qaldi? Ḥażrat Ṣāliḥdin qaldi. Dūzandalik kimdin qaldi? Ḥażrat Yūnusdin qaldi. (Dirham)dozluq kimdin qaldi? Ūstā-ye Jālūtdin qaldi. (Sağdaq)dozluq ūstā-ye (Perwīš)[din] qaldi. Sarrājdozluq [18b] kimdin qaldi? Ūstā-ye Ṭūsīdin qaldi. Sāqdozluq kimdin qaldi? Ūsta-ye Šāmīdin qaldi. Pāydozluq kimdin qaldi? Ūsta-ye Ḥisāmīdīndin qaldi. Ilmädozluq kimdin qaldi? Ḥażrat Isrāfīldin qaldi. Jūbadozluq kimdin qaldi? Ḥażrat ‘Azra’īldin qaldi. Yiŋnä Ḥurrdin turur. [19a] Fadra kūf ḥażrat Ḫiżr Ilyāsdin turur. Qayl-i boğuz ḥażrat payğambar ‘aliya al-salāmdin turur. Tiknä ḥażrat Idrīs payğambardin turur. Ismāl tāb ḥażrat Dāwud payğambardin turur. Yif Ḥawwadin turur. Mom Ādam payğambardin turur. Šaŋ Ismā‘īl payğambardin turur. Köpä Dāwud payğambardin turur. Mūza kardan Sulaymān[19b]din turur. Mūzadūzluqda yigirmä tört payğambar dāḫīl bolub ötübdur.

[18a] If they ask from whom shopkeeping came, the answer is, it came from the great prophet Ṣāliḥ. From whom did shoe-polishing come? It came from the great Ṣāliḥ. From whom did needlework come? It came from the great Yūnus. From whom did … come? It came from the Master Jālūt [Goliath]. Quiver-sewing came from the Master Parwesh. From whom did saddle-making [18b] come? It came from Master Ṭūsī. From whom did the sewing of the front seam come? It came from Master Shāmī. From whom did making little shoes come? It came from the Master Ḥisāmidīn. From whom did embroidery come? It came from the great Isrāfīl. From whom did lining with fur come? It came from the great ‘Azra’īl. Nails come from Ḥurr. [19a] Weaving reed mats comes from the great Khiżr Ilyās. The speech of the throat is from the great Prophet PBUH. Needles come from the great prophet Idrīs. The twining hook comes from the great prophet Dāwud. Thread comes from Ḥawwa [Eve]. Wax comes from the prophet Ādam. The wooden wedge of the bootleg comes from the prophet Ismā‘īl. Lambskin comes from the prophet Dāwud. Making boots is from Sulaymān. [19b] Twenty-four prophets have been included in cobbling.

Andāza ḫudā-ye ta‘alladin turur. Ūstādī kim be-takbīr šāgirdiğa indāza toḫub bärsä ṭarīqatdä murtadd turur. Peš taḫtani beheštdin alib čiqqan āmūrd yağačdin turur.

The pattern is from God. Whatever master makes and grants the pattern to his student without [reciting] the takbīr will be an apostate from the community. He will be among the first and most swiftly expelled from paradise.

Daily Recitations

Commentary

The manual concludes by specifying which passages of the Qur’ān are meant to be recited at different points in the working day. Recitations from the Qur’ān are presented either in full and with vocalization to aid in pronunciation, while other phrases are indicated by their common abbreviations. A craftsman would presumably be familiar enough with the Qur’ān to recognize and reproduce each passage. Contemporary prayer books, however, including one bound together with a rustic edition of the “Manual of the Camelleers” (Jarring Prov. 400), tend only to cite verses by name. Passages may be written out in the manuals because they are usually partial verses or blends of more than one verse on a common theme.

The verses found in manuals imbue the everyday with the experience and remembrance of the divine. A particularly fine example comes from the “Manual of the Druggists” (Jarring Prov. 7), in which a lengthy series of Qur’ānic verses, if one reads them through Islamic exegetical literature, clearly refigure the working day as spiritual journey of drawing nearer to and retreating from God. Most of those passages recall a figure from Islamic sacred history, particularly Nūḥ, Mūsa, and Alexander, and relate their journeys towards, with, and away from God to the physical movements of the craftsman.

The “Manual of the Cobblers” presented here is rather simpler. The cobbler’s working day is akin to a short text: It begins with the entry into the shop and an invocation of God through three common verses. This establishes the cobbler’s shop as a sacred as well as a productive space. Two further actions are accompanied by specific verses, both of which are commonly used in Uyghur divination (A-pa-er et al., 385). The first, sitting on one’s chair in the shop, corresponds to Q 2:255, one of the “throne” verses in the Qur’ān. Q 2:255 is also an important verse in traditional Uyghur bibliomancy (A-p-er et al., 177). The verse brings to mind the power and ordering presence of God.

Next, the cobbler lays down the pattern to cut and shape the material while he recites a passage from Q 36, “Yā sīn.” This verse is commonly evoked in Uyghur malefactory magic (A-pa er et al., 385), as it refers to the resurrection of the dead in the final days following the first blast of a trumpet. The connection with the craftsman’s action is analogous to the judgment of God: As the cobbler takes a dead thing, leather, and remakes it according to a final, absolute, and God-given pattern, so will God, after the second trumpet blast, punish and reward the dead. According to the craft manuals, not only, according to the oft-cited ḥadīth, does God love the craftsman who acts according to the correct path, God is himself a divine craftsman. “Yā sīn” reminds the professional that all crafts precede from divine knowledge and reflect divine intent.

Finally, when the cobbler wets the material to make it more pliable, he is to recite a tasbīḥ , a dhikr comprised of “Glory be to God,” “Praise be to God,” and “God is great.” To this is appended a ḥawqala . Normally, a tasbīḥ involves repetitions of these phrases. While other manuals often specify the exact number of times ( martaba ) that a phrase or prayer should be recited, this manual leaves out such specificities.

Text

Ägär sorsalar kim dukkānğa kirärdä [20a] qaysi āyatni oqumaq keräk? Bism-illāhi r-raḥmāni r-raḥīm. Tawakkul ‘ala (Allāh). Allāh. Wa ’ufawwiđu ’amrī ’ila Allāhi ’inna ‘l-lāha baṡīrun bi’l-’ibādi.

If one asks, when one enters the shop [20a], which verse must one recite? “In the name of God, the Compassionate, the Merciful.” “(And whosoever) putteth his trust in Allah, (He will suffice him).” (Q 65:3) “God.” “… I confide my cause unto Allah. Lo! Allah is Seer of (His) slaves.” (Q 40:44)

Kūrsīdä oltururda qaysi āyatni oqumaq keräk? Wasi‘a kursīyuhu ‘s-samāwāti w’al- ‘arđa wa lā ya’ūduhu ḥifżuhumā wa huwa ‘l-‘alīyu al-‘ażīmu.

When one is about to sit on one’s chair, which verse must one recite? “… His throne includeth the heavens and the earth, and He is never weary of preserving them. He is the Sublime, the Tremendous.” (Q 2:255)

[20b] Andāza salurda qaysi āyatni oqumaq keräk? Qālū yā waylanā man ba‘a s anā min marqadinā hā d ā mā wa‘ada ‘r-raḥmānu wa ṣadaqa al-mursalūna.

[20b] When one is about to set the pattern, which verse must one recite? “Crying: Woe upon us! Who hath raised us from our place of sleep? This is that which the Beneficent did promise, and the messengers spoke truth.” (Q 36:52)

Raḫtgä su pükärdä qaysi āyatni oqumaq keräk? Subḥān Allāh, w’al-ḥamdu ‘llāh, w’Allāhu akbar. Lā ḥawla.

When one is about to spray water on material, which verse must one recite? Glory be to God. Praise be to God. God is great. “There is no initiative or capacity except from God.”

Works Cited

• 1.    Al-Rabghūzī, The Stories of the Prophets: Qiṣaṣ al-Anbiyā’, an Eastern Turkish Version, H.E. Boeschoten, M. van Damme, and S. Tezcan, eds., (Leiden: E. J. Brill, 1995).

• 2.    A-pa-er A. D. Ao-mai-er and Liu Ming, Weiwuerzu Saman Wenhua Yicun Diaocha (Beijing: Minzu Chubanshe, 2010), in Chinese.

• 3.    Dağyeli J.E. “Gott liebt das Handwerk”: Moral, Identität und religiöse Legitimierung in der mittelasiatischen Handwerks-risāla (Wiesbaden: Reichert Verlag, 2011), in German.

• 4.    DeWeese D. “The Descendants of Sayyid Ata and the Rank of Naqīb” in JOAS 115:4 (October-December 1995), 612-634.

• 5.    Hodgson M. The Venture of Islam: Conscience and History in a World Civilization, vol. 1, (Chicago: University of Chicago Press, 1974).

• 6.    Jarring G. “The Qisas ul-Anbiya” in Acta Regiae Societatis Humaniorum Litterarum Lundensis 74 (1980), 15-68.

• 7.    Jarring G. “Garments from Top to Toe: Eastern Turki Texts Relating to Articles of Clothing, Edited with Translation, Notes, and Glossary,” Scripta Minora Acta Regiae Societatis Humaniorum Litterarum Lundensis (Stockholm: Almqvist & Wiksell International, 1991).

• 8.    Qaraqutluq O.M. “Qäshqärdä Ötkän Sahib Täkbirlär” in Shinjang Täzkirichiliki 2006:1, in Uyghur.

• 9.    Sukhareva O.A. “K Voprosu o Genezise Professional’nykh Kul’tov u Tadzhikov i Uzbekov” in Trudy Pamiati Mikhaila Stepanovicha Andreeva: Sbornik Statei po Istorii i Filologii Narodob Srednei Azii, Stalinabad: ANTS, 1960, pp. 195-207.

• 10.    Sukhareva O.A. “Risala kak Istorichesnii Istochnik” in Istochnikovedenie i Tekstologiia Srednevekovogo Blizhnego i Srednego Vostoka (1984), pp. 201-215.

А.А. Белькова . Возвращение религии в публичное пространство Республики Бурятия (1990-2000-е гг.)

Шлюссель Эрик – аспирант, Гарвард.

Schluessel Eric – Graduate Student, Harvard University.