The Path of Blame (Malamat)

In this section of Kashf al-Mahjub, Hujwiri attributes the systematic articulation of the Path of Blame (malamat) to Hamdun al-Qassar, the master of his age, condensing it in the maxim al-malamah tark al-salamah — blame is the abandonment of safety and well-being.

The Malamati deliberately renounces social esteem, comfort, and familiar pleasures, courting the reproach of others so that the heart severs its attachment to the approval of created beings. The reasoning is that the more one is cut off from the creatures, the more one is joined to the Real. What the whole of humankind turns its face toward — worldly safety — the people of blame turn their backs upon, so that their cares run counter to common cares and their aspiration counter to ordinary ambition. Sincerity of love is thereby purified of the desire for reputation.