Course Description
In this seminar we will read Islamic mystical texts dealing with central concepts of the Sufi Path, the mystical role of the Prophet Muhammad, the nature of God and the spiritual reality of gender and sexual union. We will also consider the differing social roles Sufism has played for over a millennium.
Sufism (Islamic mysticism) is notoriously difficult to define. Husayn al-Hallaj, executed in a state of ecstasy in Baghdad (922 CE), the Spanish mystic Ibn 'Arabi (1240 CE), the sober legist Ibn Taymiyah (1328 CE), and the recent President of the Turkish Republic, all had Sufi affiliations. Scholars of both Islam and Judaism have assumed that mystics and religious legal authorities are in constant battle. Is there an "orthodox" esotericism? What distinguishes a Sufi Muslim from a non-Sufi Muslim? Why is Sufism perceived as a dangerous threat in certain countries today?
Recommended Introductory Books
- Michael Sells Early Islamic Mysticism: Sufi, Qur'an, Mi'raj, Poetic and Theological Writings
- Annemarie Schimmel Mystical Dimensions of Islam and And Muhammad is His Messenger
- J Baldick Mystical Islam: An Introduction to Sufism
- JS Trimingham The Sufi Orders in Islam
- Martin Lings A Sufi Saint of the Twentieth Century
- WC Chittick Sufism: A Short Introduction; The Sufi Path of Knowledge; Self disclosure of God
- S. Murata The Tao of Islam: A Sourcebook on Gender Relationships in Islamic Thought
- Alexander Knysh Islamic Mysticism: A Short History
- C. Ernst The Shambhala Guide to Sufism
- C. Addas Ibn 'Arabi: The Voyage of No Return
Course Requirements
- Seminar attendance and preparation of the texts 40%
- Oral biographical introduction to one of the authors 20%
The biography is to be no longer than 15 minutes. Use the recommended books, The Encyclopaedia of Islam, and articles from the Index Islamicus. The EI and the II are on CD-ROM's in the Reference Room of Van Pelt.
The term paper is to focus on an edited but untranslated Arabic Sufi text. It can be by one of the authors we read together or by another individual, from any time period, whose work bears on your interests in Islamic history and culture. You are to translate a portion that will render a total of five English pages (double spaced), either by choosing a continuous section or by making selections from one work. The paper must be between 15 - 25 pages with standard scholarly apparatus (Chicago Manual of Style, humanities format). Transliteration and diacritical markings must follow the guidelines provided on the final page of every International Journal of Middle East Studies.
- Approach the piece with questions or problems you intend to address in your paper.
- Introduce the author and his place in Sufi thought and history.
- Provide a thorough background to the secondary literature on him.
- Explain the significance of the whole work and analyze the translated portion in detail in order to answer the question(s) you set out at the beginning of your paper.
A paragraph stating your topic accompanied by a five item bibliography is due Tuesday, March 19. If you want to turn in a rough draft for editing and comments, it is due Tuesday April 9. Otherwise the paper is due no later than Friday April 23.
Schedule of Reading Selections
1. Al-Qushayri (d. 1074 CE), Al-Risalah al-Qushayriyah, "al-Tasawwuf"
2. Al-Ghazali (d. 1111), Al-Maqsad al-asna fi sharh asma' Allah al-husna
3. Al-Kalabadhi (d. ca. 990), Al-Ta arruf li-madhhab ahl al-tasawwuf, "Qawluhum fi al-fana' wa al-baqa'"
4. Al-Hallaj (d. 922), Kitab al-tawasin (Muhammad)
5. Ibn Arabi (d. 1240), Fusus al-hikam (Muhammad), Al-Futuhat al-Makkiyah
6. Al-Nabulusi (d. 1731), Miftah al-ma iyah fi sharh Tariqat al-Naqshbandiyah
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