Shath

A shath ( šaṭḥ, plural: šaṭaḥāt or šaṭḥiyyāt), in the Islamic mystical tradition of Sufism, is an ecstatic utterance which often seems outrageous; however, it also holds immense significance within Sufism by acting as a conduit of mysticism that communicates implicit religious beliefs and ideals through different modes of consciousness. The word is derived from the root š-ṭ-ḥ, which carries the sense of overflowing or outpouring caused by agitation. Sufi authors tend to vary in their interpretations of shath, sometimes claiming that such utterances were misquotations, being attributed to immaturity, madness, individual rhetoric, or intoxication. At other times Sufi authors regarded shath as authentic expressions of profound states of consciousness, spirituality, and even the profoundest experience of divine realities, which should not be manifested to the unworthy. In order to cultivate a society with those worthy of communion through Shath, the establishment of institutions of "Words of Ecstasy" began in the classical and post-classical periods. The socioreligious importance and foundations of these institutions were figure-headed by prominent mystics of the period like Bayezid Bistami, Nuri, Hallaj, Ayn al-Qudat, and Ruzbihan Baqli. Many Sufi authors, including al-Ghazali, showed ambivalence about the apparent blasphemy ingrained in the nature of some shathiyat, while admiring the spiritual status of their authors.

The height in popularity of shath occurred during the classical period of Sufism from the ninth to twelfth century AD (the third to sixth century AH). The principal Sufi interpretation of the shathiyat which took the form of "I am" sayings contrasted the permanence of God (baqā’) with the mystical annihilation of the individual ego (fanā’), which made it possible for God to speak through the individual. These "I am" sayings allowed for a sense of self-reflection through the lens of Islamic religious ideology that was often overwhelming to those who hadn't experienced shath. While these terms, phrases, and utterances are somewhat incoherent to the outside listener, they are instead interpreted through shared-experience (in consciousness/communion), code, symbol, kenning, metaphor, simile, etc.; by fellow Sufi Mystics, therefore communicating their revelations through allegory and Islamic rhetoric following their direct experiences of godliness. These phrases later figured as topoi of Persian Sufi poetry (especially that of Farid al-Din Attar) before being reduced by later Sufis to mere allegories for Ibn Arabi's philosophy.