Wardah books is at 58 bussorah street, singapore 199474. Equally obvious and unavoidable are biases of sufisms muslim opponents whose views of sufism will be discussed in detail later on in this book. Its focus tends to be on the mystical, firsthand, direct experience of god called dhawq or tasting, rather than on doctrine or authority. The earliest persian treatise on sufism syed hujweri the kalimat al sadiqin. The aim of sufis is to gain direct knowledge of the eternal, in this life, as opposed to the exoteric, or traditionalist, aspect of islam which focuses on achieving a state of. During the sixteenth century, when the kabbalist isaac luria was active, safed was also a flourishing centre of muslim mysticism. The mystical dimension of the islamic religious tradition has roots in the divinely revealed text of the koran. After centuries as the most important asceticmystical strand of islam, sufism saw a sharp decline in the twentieth century, only to experience a stunning revival in recent decades. The early mystics of islam, however, devoted themselves primarily to.
In time, people follow these books, thinking they are guided, and desert the book of god. In sufism, studying the exegesis of the quran or reflecting on the meanings of its verses is discouraged or even forbidden. That makes it easy to forget that, for centuries, the two religions contributed much to each others philosophy and spirituality. The decline sufism in later centuries can perhaps be attributed to the interest of the masses purely in the experimental side of islamic mysticism and the desire for emotional excesses. Studies in islamic mysticism the masterpiece of sufism. But the islamic word which has its root is the islamic sources is the word erfan. Mysticism in islam, islamic philosophy mysticism in islam is intertwined, and often held synonymous with sufism. The books written by practitioners fill a broad spectrum.
They are most prevalent in egypt, syria, iraq, turkey and arabia. Although the later sufi writings by mystics such as rumi are known and available in translation, access to the crucial early period of islamic mysticism has been far more limited. Fieldwork was conducted in 19961997 as a participantobserver of the order and at other sites in and around pakistan. It boasted a sufi convent, as reported by the turkish traveller evliya chelebi. The middle east conflict has dug deep trenches of enmity between jews and muslims. Pages in category islamic mysticism the following 16 pages are in this category, out of 16 total.
In these critical times nothing could be more valuable for the west than a rediscovery of its true spiritual heritage. While it succeeds in challenging popular simplifications and current academic orthodoxies, sufism. Jan 01, 1995 the first centuries of islam saw the development of sufism as one of the worlds major mystical traditions. There are some terms in western languages that is equivalent for erfan such as gnosticism, mysticism, and spirituality. Sufi, quran, miraj, poetic and theological writings translated, edited and with an introduction by michael a. A pathbreaking history of sufism, from the earliest centuries of islam to the present. Wardah books is at 58 bussorah street, singapore 199474 were open every day from 10am to 6pm.
While sufism is said to have incorporated elements of christian monasticism, gnosticism, and indian mysticism, its origins are traced to forms of devotion and groups of penitents zuhhad in the formative period of islam. Mysticism in arabic and islamic philosophy stanford. One of dionysiuss key texts is peri mystikes theologiasi. A noted scholar offers insights into every aspect of sufism, from interpretation of the word of god and the life of the prophet to the theorists of sufism, the structure of sufi theory and practice, and more. By the th century, largely because of all the mystical poetry that was produced, sufism had filtered through into the whole islamic world. Apr 10, 20 mystical poetry is also rich in sufism and it helps to translate many important mystical concepts in sufism the most famous poets include rumi, alghazali, omar khayyam, attar and ibn arabi.
Sufis claim that every verse of the quran has an external meaning and an internal meaning. The forty rules of love by elif shafak, the conference of the birds by attar of nishapur, the essential rumi by rumi, the sufis. The book provides a general survey of the history of islamic mysticism sufism since its inception up to the present. This article is an ethnographic study of an islamic mystical sufi order based in the tribal area of pakistan. We would like to highlight just a few distinctions between the mystical and the esoterical. Islamic mysticism was contested from the formative period of islam till the present. List of books and articles about sufism online research. Nimet seker looks at the influence of muslim sufism on jewish mysticism. The early pious figures, later appropriated by sufism, include ali, hasan al. Bismi allahirrahmanirrahim the word sufi is derived from the arabic word suf which means wool and which refers to the coarse woolen robes that were worn by the prophet muhammad pbuh and by his close companions. The famous kabbalistic school of safed in galilee also seems to have been influenced by sufism. According to sufism, only the sufi sheikhs have the understanding of the internal mystic meaning. Like all forms of mysticism, it is above all the search for god and this search may be expressed in many different ways, taking various forms. An ascetic person is characterised by their rigorous selfdiscipline and selfcontrol.
Bushs assurances that islam is a peaceful religion and that all good muslims hunger for democracy, confusion persists and far too many westerners remain convinced that muslims and terrorists are synonymous. Mysticism sufism is based on selfattained revelations by mystical means, which is contrary to islam. Sufism and islam in africa readings tbd november 16. Others claim to present the teachings of traditional sufi orders, and many do, but sometimes a. Tasawwuf ihsan, islamic mysticism islamic books, islamic. Sufism, being the marrow of the bone or the inner dimension of the islamic revelation, is the means par excellence whereby tawhid is achieved. Webb, sufism in america in americas alternative religions, ed. Mainstream islam has tended to regard sufism with some suspicion because of a perceived extremism in beliefs which sufi mysticism is prone to. Sufism, the religious philosophy of islam, is described in the oldest extant definition as the apprehension of divine realities, and mohammedan mystics are fond of calling themselves ahl alhaqq, the followers of the real. Islamic orthodoxy and sufism were not irreconcilable, as attested by the attempt by alghazali d. Some of the quranic verses have been viewed by the mystics and. In lieu of an abstract, below is the essays first paragraph. Sufism islamic mysticism mysticism is concerned with the nature of reality, the individuals struggle to attain a clear vision of reality, and the transformation of consciousness that accompanies such vision. The source of mysticism and the mystical elements in islam are to be traced to the quran and the islamic doctrine itself.
Mar 31, 2011 the decline sufism in later centuries can perhaps be attributed to the interest of the masses purely in the experimental side of islamic mysticism and the desire for emotional excesses. Mysticism in the islamic context has traditionally been intertwined with the notion of. The early mystics of islam, however, devoted themselves primarily to the first of the three stages, that is, purgation. Islamsu sm is masterpiece by titus burckhardt examines the. By using broader methods and theory more appropriate to the analysis of mysticism, the article aims. Required for the class, bring the readings with you to each class. Jalaluddin rumi was the author of the masnavi, an immensely influential work, which is celebrated for its spiritual profundity by many across the islamic world. Sufism in now to be found in many parts of the muslim world as, across the centuries, many people have felt drawn toward the more emotional and personal ways of knowing god promoted by sufi mysticism. It consists of a variety of mystical paths that are designed to ascertain the nature of humanity and of god and to facilitate the experience of the presence.
The first centuries of islam saw the development of sufism as one of the worlds major mystical traditions. This volume opens with an essay on the place of spirituality within the islamic tradition. Before assessing sufism and examining how it relates to the teachings of the quran, it is necessary to consider the main principles upon which sufism is based. Purchases made on this website are fulfilled by wb connect pte ltd uen. It is extremely difficult to attempt a description of sufism. Islamsu sm is masterpiece by titus burckhardt examines. This volume makes available and accessible the writings of the crucial early period of islamic mysticism during which sufism developed as one of the worlds major mystical traditions. Understanding the concept of islamic sufism shahida bilqies research scholar, shahihamadan institute of islamic studies university of kashmir, srinagar190006 jammu and kashmir, india. On one extreme, some enthusiasts provide no reason to differentiate sufism from kabbalah, christian mysticism, or a new age concoction. A new history of islamic mysticism also gives us some sense of why sufi muslims are under attack from isis and their ilk. A new history of islamic mysticism by alexander knysh. A sufi manual of invocation the kashful mahjub unveiling the veiled.
It consists of mystical paths that are designed to learn the nature of humanity and of god and to facilitate the experience of the presence of divine love and wisdom. Sufism is the path of islamic mysticism and celebrates the intimate relationship between the seeker and allah. One, then, wonders what an unbiased and authentic account of sufism, which ernst implies is possible,26 might look like. Sufis never tire of insisting that their teachings and practices are rooted in the quran, the prophets exemplary custom sunna, and the moralethical standards set by the first two generations of muslims. Indeed, the muslim scripture features many passages encouraging muslims to. Annemarie schimmel on sufism, mansur alhallaj, allama iqbal dr.
The nobility and broad tolerance of this creed, which accepts as godinspired all the real religions of the. The arabic term sufi has been used in islamic literature with a wide range of meanings, by both proponents and opponents of sufism. Mystcism is the path which is followed to achieve ultimate unity with god and it. Today there are literally hundreds of mystic orders with millions of adherents. By offering alternative forms of religious truth and authority that are based on personal experience, noncanonical ritual. One passage often pointed to in this regard is the light verse 24. The evolution of sufism in the postghazali period was influenced by ibn alarabi and ibn alfarid. Sufism, mystical islamic belief and practice in which muslims seek to find the truth of divine love and knowledge through direct personal experience of god. Their theoretical contributions led to the development within sufism of a complex. Dec 12, 2012 sufism is the path of islamic mysticism and celebrates the intimate relationship between the seeker and allah. Annemarie schimmel was an internationally acclaimed scholar, who dedicated more than. The first concise history of sufism to appear in any language, this work remains among the best.
Such revelations, as experienced by the mystical seekers sufis, are considered blasphemy and therefore are punishable by death, as established in the koran. This mystical movement from the early ninth century rejects worship motivated by the. It is a rich spiritual path that celebrates this relationship through music, sacred. The texts are accompanied by commentary on their historical, literary and philosophical context. As such, it has the special disitinction of being found in the sunnite as well as the shiite traditions of islam. Criticism of and opposition to mystical conceptions of islam and their adherents constitute an integral part of an ongoing debate inside the islamic tradition. William chittick, fakhurddin iraqi fadiman, essential sufism. Sufism, mystical islamic belief and practice in which muslims seek the truth of divine love and knowledge through direct personal experience of god.
620 1220 1221 600 452 1690 1622 1360 841 42 1232 1123 93 1518 811 1173 1137 576 847 988 1627 1164 112 1120 1347 1425 695 828 437 462 558 331 1400 362 821 130 502 852 1189 526 674 925 784 1193 1434 1285