The Sufi Robe (Khirqa) as a Vehicle of Spiritual Authority

Abstract

The famous and highly influential Andalusian mystic, Ibn ‘Arabī (d. 638/1240) provides insight into the nature and significance of the Sufi robe ( khirqa ) in his magisterial work, al-Futūḥāt al-makkiyya : One of my teachers, ’Alī ibn ’Abd Allāh ibn Jāmiʼ, who was a companion of ’Alī al-Mutawakkil and Qaḍīb al-Bāet Khaḍir; he used to live in his garden outside Mosul. Khaḍir had invested him with the khirqa in the presence of Qaḍīb al-Bān. He in turn transmitted it to me, on the very same spot in his garden where he had received it from Khaḍir and in the same way that it had been performed in his case. … From this time onwards I maintained [the validity and effectiveness of] investiture with the khirqa and I invested people with it because I understood that Khaḍir ascribed importance to it. Up until then I was no supporter of investiture with the khirqa when understood in this sense: as far as I was concerned it was simply an expression of companionship. … So it is that when the masters of spiritual states perceive some imperfection in one of their companions and wish to perfect that person’s state, they resort to the custom of meeting with the person alone. The master then takes the piece of clothing he is wearing in the spiritual state he is in at that particular moment, removes it and puts it on the man whom he wishes to guide to perfection. He then holds the man closely to him—and the master’s state spreads to his disciple, who thereby attains to the desired perfection. This is the “clothing” as I understand it and as it has been transmitted by our masters. 2 These keywords were added by machine and not by the authors. This process is experimental and the keywords may be updated as the learning algorithm improves.

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