Topics
in Islamic Religion: Sufi Texts
Religious
Studies 545
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Course
Description
Readings
in the pious and mystical works of Sufis from representative periods
and schools. Selections will include portions of esoteric Qur'anic
commentaries, manuals for the Sufi path, metaphysical treatises,
mystical poetry, writings on the various Sufi orders, and sacred
biographies. We are concerned as well with the social history of
Sufism, especially with the Sufi orders up to and including the
modern age.
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Course
Requirements and Evaluation
The
seminar is intended for students with a good working knowledge of
literary Arabic. Each week an Arabic text (photocopies in Bulkpack)
will be read during class for discussion and analysis. Secondary
literature in Arabic and European languages will supplement the
text reading. Individual levels of Arabic ability will be accommodated
with varying lengths of text assignments. Occasionally, when the
reading for the week deals with a common theme in Sufi literature,
each student will prepare additional selections from other authors
on that theme.
The
seminar paper and your presentation of it will comprise two-thirds
of your grade for the course. The remaining element is your active
and informed participation in the seminar. Please contact me in
advance if you must miss a session by e-mail or telephone.
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Textbooks
Unless
otherwise stated, all textbooks are available at the Penn Book Center,
3726 Walnut Street 
Telephone 222-7600
- A.
Schimmel Mystical Dimensions of Islam (Chapel Hill, NC:
1975)
- J.
Baldick Mystical Islam: An Introduction to Sufism (London,
1989)
- J.S.
Trimingham The Sufi Orders in Islam (Oxford, 1973)
- A.J.
Arberry An Introduction to the History of Sufism (London,
newest ed.)
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Course
Outline
Weeks
I-II:
Introduction
Lectures
on mysticism in Judaism, Christianity and Islam; Sufi beliefs and
practices; prominent early Sufi figures; and the historical development
of institutionalized Sufism.
Weeks
III-IV:
"Sufi
Self-Definition"
Readings:
- 'Abd
al-Karim al-Qushayri (d. 1074) Chapter "Al-Tasawwuf"
from Al-Risalah al-Qushayriyah.
Weeks
V-VI:
"Early
Sufis: Ascetics (zuhhad) and Lovers in the 8-10th c."
Readings:
- Selections
from Louis Massignon, Receuil des textes inedits concernant
l’histoire de la mystique en pays d’Islam: Hasan
al-Basri; Rabi'ah al-'Adawiyah; Abu Yazid al-Bistami; Al-Junayd;
Al-Hallaj
Weeks
VII-VIII:
"The
Classical Period of Sufism before the Turuq"
Readings:
- Al-Ghazali
(d. 1111) Mishkat al-anwar
- 'Abd
al-Qadir al-Jilani (d. 1165) Futuh al-ghayb
- Ibn
'Arabi (d. 1240) Fusus al-hikam: Fass Adam
Weeks
IX-XII:
"The
Sufi Orders and the Science of the Self"
Readings:
- Najm
al-Din al-Kubra (d. 1220) Fawa’ih al-jamal
- Ibn
'Ata' Allah al-Iskandari (d. 1309) Miftah al-falah
- ‘Abd
al-Wahhab al-Sha’rani (d. 1565) Al-Tabaqat
- Muhammad
al-’Arabi al-Darqawi (d. 1823) Rasa’il
- Muhammad
‘Isa al-Hamawi (d. ca. 1980)Haqa’iq ‘an al-Tasawwuf
Weeks
XIII-IX:
"Ta'wil
al-Qur'an: Mystical Qur’anic Exegesis"
Readings:
- Isma'il
Haqqi al-Burusawi (d. 1724) Ruh al-bayan
- Ruzbihan
Baqli (d. 1209) Ara’is al-bayan
Weeks
X-XIV:
Presentations
of Seminar Papers
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