Ruzbihan Baqli is a full-length study devoted to the life and mystical experiences of one of the outstanding figures in Persian Sufism. Although Ruzbihan Baqli (d.1209) was long recognized within the Sufi tradition, it is only within the past few decades that his works have been rediscovered and printed. This study introduces and analyzes the most important sources for the life of Ruzbihan, his own visionary diary (The Unveiling of Secrets) written in Arabic, and two Persian hagiographies written by his great-grandsons a century after his death; and extensive excerpts from these works are...
Ruzbihan Baqli is a full-length study devoted to the life and mystical experiences of one of the outstanding figures in Persian Sufism. Although Ruzbi...
Consisting of a bibliographical account of this early Sufi master's childhood, youth, and years as a teacher and spiritual leader, as well as of translations of a selection from his books and treatises, this work traces the life and teachings of Abdullah Ansari - from poverty and destitution as a boy, by way of furious arguments with scholars advocating a more rationalistic approach to their faith, to his final pronouncements on the path of Love and Union.
Consisting of a bibliographical account of this early Sufi master's childhood, youth, and years as a teacher and spiritual leader, as well as of trans...
The two theories of divine love that are examined in this book have their foundations in Greek, Jewish, Christian and Muslim ideas. Al-Ghazali (12th century) was influenced mainly by Plato and Ibn Sina's teachings, while al-Dabbagh (13th century), who accepted some Ghazalian notions, developed a theory of divine love that can be traced back to Neoplatonism. Both scholars created complete theories of divine love that include definitions of love, its causes and signs, the ways to love God, God's love for man, and kinds of love. The book will interest students of theology, philosophy and...
The two theories of divine love that are examined in this book have their foundations in Greek, Jewish, Christian and Muslim ideas. Al-Ghazali (12th c...
This book offers a new perspective and insight into the cultural horizon of pre-Sufi mystical Islam, which, especially in the Eastern regions of the Islamic Caliphate, still retained traces of pre-Islamic esoteric traditions.
This book offers a new perspective and insight into the cultural horizon of pre-Sufi mystical Islam, which, especially in the Eastern regions of the I...
Purification of the soul is a principle that is central to understanding Islamic spirituality but despite this, relatively little has been written explicitly in the Islamic tradition regarding this discrete method of spiritual purification. This book examines the work of a scholar of this discipline, al-Hārith al-Muhāsibī, who lived and worked during the classical Islamic period under the Abbāsids.
Although al-Muhāsibī was well known for his skills in many disciplines, including the Qur'ān, Prophetic narration and scholastic theology, it is his...
Purification of the soul is a principle that is central to understanding Islamic spirituality but despite this, relatively little has been written ...
Sufism is often understood to be the mystical dimension of Islam, and many works have focused on the nature of "mystical experiences" and the relationship between man and God. Yet Sufism was a human response to a wide range of contexts and circumstances; the fact that Sufis lived in society and interacted with the community necessitating guidance on how to behave.
This book examines the development of Persian Sufism, showing it to be a practical philosophy of the everyday rather than just a metaphysical phenomena. The author explores the ethic of futuwwat (or...
Sufism is often understood to be the mystical dimension of Islam, and many works have focused on the nature of "mystical experiences" and the relat...
In recent years, many historians of Islamic mysticism have been grappling in sophisticated ways with the difficulties of essentialism. Reconceptualising the study of Islamic mysticism during an under-researched period of its history, this book examines the relationship between Sufism and society in the Muslim world, from the fall of the Abbasid caliphate to the heyday of the great Ottoman, Mughal and Safavid empires.
Treating a heretofore under-researched period in the history of Sufism, this work establishes previously unimagined trajectories for the study of mystical...
In recent years, many historians of Islamic mysticism have been grappling in sophisticated ways with the difficulties of essentialism. Reconceptual...
Ibn al-'Arabī (d. 1240) was one of the towering figures of Islamic intellectual history, and among Sufis still bears the title of al-shaykh al-akbar, or "the greatest master."
Ibn al-'Arabī and Islamic Intellectual Culture traces the history of the concept of "oneness of being" (wahdat al-wujūd) in the school of Ibn al- 'Arabī, in order to explore the relationship between mysticism and philosophy in Islamic intellectual life. It examines how the conceptual language used by early mystical writers became increasingly engaged over time with the...
Ibn al-'Arabī (d. 1240) was one of the towering figures of Islamic intellectual history, and among Sufis still bears the title of al-shaykh...
The book explains Sadr 's theory of the nature of afterlife. It presents Sadr 's philosophical premises concerning the nature of human beings and their physical and psychological developments through which Sadr shows how the afterlife is intimately connected to the nature of the human being and how it is a natural stage of the evolution of each individual in which a corporeal body has no role.
Presenting Mull Sadr in a new light, the aim of this book is to investigate Sadr 's metaphysical principles of the Return (al-ma' d) that have been either partially presented or...
The book explains Sadr 's theory of the nature of afterlife. It presents Sadr 's philosophical premises concerning the nature of human beings and t...
Islam in Africa is deeply connected with Sufism, and the history of Islam is in a significant way a history of Sufism. Yet even within this continent, the practice and role of Sufism varies across the regions.
This interdisciplinary volume brings together histories and experiences of Sufism in various parts of Africa, offering case studies on several countries that include Morocco, Algeria, Senegal, Egypt, Sudan, Mali, and Nigeria. It uses a variety of methodologies ranging from the hermeneutical, through historiographic to ethnographic, in a comprehensive examination of the politics...
Islam in Africa is deeply connected with Sufism, and the history of Islam is in a significant way a history of Sufism. Yet even within this contine...
