The term () means 'axis', 'pivot', or 'pole'.
In Sufism, a is the perfect human being, al-Insān al-Kāmil ('The Universal Man'), who leads the saintly hierarchy. The is the Sufi spiritual leader who has a divine connection with God and passes knowledge on which makes him central to, or the axis of, Sufism, but he is unknown to the world.
According to the Institute of Ismaili Studies, "In mystical literature, such as the writings of al–Tirmidhi, Abd al–Razzaq and Ibn Arabi (d. 1240), refers to the most perfect human being who is thought to be the universal leader of all saints, to mediate between the divine and the human and whose presence is deemed necessary for the existence of the world."[ A glossary of terms, The Institute of Ismaili Studies ]
Scriptural evidence
In the teachings of Al-Hakim al-Tirmidhi, there is evidence to suggest that the is the head of the saintly hierarchy which provides scriptural evidence to support the belief in the . The hadīth attributed to Ibn Mas‘ūd has been used as proof that a exists.
Temporal and cosmic
Temporal
There are two different conceptions of the in Sufism: temporal and cosmic . The temporal and cosmic qutb are connected, which guarantees that God is present in the world at all times. The temporal is known as "the helper" or
al-ghawth and is located in a person on Earth. The cosmic is manifested in the temporal as a virtue which can be traced back to
al-Hallaj. The temporal is the spiritual leader for the earth-bound saints. It is said that all beings - secret, animate, and inanimate - must give the their pledge which gives him great authority. The Only beings exempt from this are
al-afrād, which belong to the angels; the
djinn, who are under the jurisdiction of
Khidr; and those who belong to the tenth stratum of
ridjālal-ghayb.
Due to the nature of the , the location where he resides, whether temporal or cosmic, is a matter of learned speculation. It is thought by most that the is corporeally or spiritually present in Mecca at the Ka'ba, which is referred to as his maqām.
Sufi language forms a notable style of writing in Persian, which is full of novel spiritual ideas and metaphors, demonstrating a need to refrain from taking its words literally, if such should seem contrary to the teachings of Islam.
Cosmic
The cosmic is the
Axis mundi in a higher dimension from which originates the power (ultimately from
Allah) of the temporal .
[ "Idris and Al Khidr"--see Axis of the Universe about one-fourth of the way down the web page:][ "The Tree Symbol in Islam" by Noble Ross:][ "How many worlds are there?" – Discussion of the Planes of existence as conceived in Shi’ism]
The cosmic hierarchy of the
The cosmic hierarchy forms the manifestation of the way in which spiritual power underpins the existence of the cosmos. Two descriptions of the hierarchy come from notable Sufis. The first is
Ali Hujwiri's divine court. There are three hundred
akhyār ("excellent ones"), forty
abdal ("substitutes"), seven
abrār ("piously devoted ones"), four
awtād ("pillars") three
nuqabā ("leaders") and one qutb.
[ The Saints of Islam, quoting The Mystics of Islam by Dr. Reynold A. Nicholson]
The second version is Ibn Arabi’s which has a different, more exclusive structure. There are eight nujabā ("nobles"), twelve nuqabā, seven abdāl, four awtād, two a’immah ("guides"), and the .
People named Qutb
For those named
Qutb ad-Din, with many variant transliterations, see
Qutb ad-Din.
Buildings
-
Qutb complex, a group of monuments and buildings at Mehrauli in Delhi, India
-
Qutb Minar, a tall brick minaret in Delhi, India
Notes
