Topics in Islamic Religion: Sufi Texts

Contestation and Competition: Sufism and Opposition to Sufism

Religious Studies 545

The Seminar

The Sufi Texts seminar this term will treat the controversies surrounding Sufism. The course is open to graduates and undergraduates. With one exception, the texts we read are all available in English translation. Students with Arabic ability will read them in the original, but not for word by word translation.

Topics

In the first instance we will read and discuss texts concerning beliefs and practices that are particularly Sufi, the ones that distinguish a mystical approach to Islam from a non-mystical one. For example, though there is an abundant Qur’anic textual basis for the practice of invocation of God’s names and other sacred formulae (dhikr), Sufi Muslims specialized in the systematization of invocation performed individually and in groups under the guidance of spiritual masters.

Among other ritual and doctrinal aspects central to Sufi self definition are retreat and seclusion for prayer and meditation (khalwah); listening to religious poetry and music to induce ecstasy (sama’ and wajd); a profoundly mystical image of the Prophet Muhammad; the concept of the perfect human being (al-insan al-kamil); the goal expressed in the expression fana’ wa baqa’ (annihilation of the self and abiding in God); and an active concourse with the spirits (ruhaniyat) of the imaginal world and dreams. Not all Sufis hold all of these elements as essential to the spiritual path, but most writings about tasawwuf deal with them in some depth. Even without paying attention to controversy about Sufism, the texts we will read are representative of Sufism chronologically and geographically.
Although there are specific social contexts to consider when we speak of opposition to Sufism, in this seminar we will focus on the literary and polemic. How do Sufi writers make use of the Qur’an and the lives of the first generations of Muslims (salaf)? If there is a defensiveness in a Sufi work, who is the audience? We will read two of the supposed enemies of all things Sufi: Ibn al-Jawzi and Ibn Taymiyah. What are the apparent and the underlying issues of contention brought up by the opponents of Sufism? In other words, where does Sufism and its epistemology fit in Islam? We will not discuss heresy and antinomianism directly, but we will consider what role they played in the debate over "mainstream Sufism." Time permitting we will analyze the modern conflict over Sufism among "Wahhabis" in the new Islamist movements.

Books

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, 1975)
• J. Baldick, Mystical Islam: An Introduction to Sufism (London, 1989)
• M. Sells, Early Islamic Mysticism (NY, 1996)
• Al-Qushayri, Principles of Sufism (Berkeley, 1992) - optional
• J.S. Trimingham, The Sufi Orders in Islam (out of print) is on reserve in Rosengarten

Schedule

Weeks I and II Introduction and discussion of the doctrines and practices of mainstream Sufism. The relation of law (shari’ah) to inner reality (haqiqah). Invocation.

Readings:

Annemarie Schimmel, Mystical Dimensions of Islam, "The Path," pp. 98-178 and Michael Sells, Early Islamic Mysticism, "Introduction," pp. 11-26. Bulkpack: Al-Ghazali (d. 1111) on dhikr from the Ihya’ ‘ulum al-din; translation by Nakamura from On Invocation; translations of al-Qushayri (d. 1074) and Najm al-Din al-Razi (d. 1256) on dhikr.

Weeks III and IV Historical Development. Fana’ wa baqa’.

Readings:

A. Schimmel, "Historical Outlines of Classical Sufism," pp. 23-97 and J. Baldick, Mystical Islam, "Sufism’s Beginnings," pp. 13-49 and "From Construction to Systematization," p. 50 to p. 67. Bulkpack: Al-Kalabadhi (d. ca 990) on fana’ wa baqa’ from al-Ta’arruf li-madhhab ahl al-tasawwuf; translation by A.J. Arberry from Doctrine of the Sufis. Translation of al-Qushayri on fana’ wa baqa’ in M. Sells, pp. 119-121, other excerpts listed under "Annihilation" in index, p. 386

Weeks V and VI Music and Ecstasy. The Mystic’s Retreat

Readings:

Music: Schimmel, pp. 178-186 and M. Sells, pp. 110-116. Bulkpack: Al-Qushayri on sama’ and wajd from Alfaz - al-Risalah, article A. Gribetz, "The Sama’ Controversy: Sufi vs. Legist." Arabic readers may read from ‘Abd al-Ghani al-Nabulusi’s Idah al-dalalat fi sama’ al-alat.

Retreat: Bulkpack Abu al-Hasan al-Shadhili (d. 1258), through Ibn al-Sabbagh, Durrat al-asrar wa tuhfat al-abrar on khalwah, translation by E. Douglas, The Mystical Teachings of al-Shadhili, pp. 109-114

Weeks VII and VIII The Perfect Human Being (al-Insan al-Kamil)

Readings: A. Schimmel, pp. 259-286 and Baldick, pp. 81-85. Bulkpack: Ibn ‘Arabi (d. 1240) on the Perfect Human Being from the Futuhat, translation by Wm. Chittick in Les Illuminations de La Mecque/The Meccan Illuminations, article by Wm. Chittick "Man as Microcosm." Other Ibn ‘Arabi sources extracted from Chittick, The Sufi Path of Knowledge and T. Izutsu Sufism and Taoism

Weeks IX and X Image of the Prophet Muhammad. Dreams and the Imaginal Realm

Readings:

The Prophet: M. Sells on the Mi’raj, pp. 47-56 and 242-250. Bulkpack: Isma’il Haqqi Burusawi (d. 1724) tafsir of Surah 94 of the Qur’an (Inshirah) on the opening of the Prophet’s breast, article E. Waugh, "The Popular Muhammad," selection from A. Schimmel, And Muhammad is His Messenger

Dreams and the Imaginal Realm: Bulkpack: Al-Nabulusi (d. 1731) treatise on initiation in dreams Rawd al-anam fi bayan al-ijazah fi al-manam, article F. Rahman "Dream, Imagination and ‘alam al-mithal," selection from Von Grunebaum The Dream and Human Societies and J. Katz, Dreams, Sufism, and Sainthood.

Weeks XI and XII Opposition to Sufism

Readings from Bulkpack: Selection from Ibn al-Jawzi (d. 1201) Talbis Iblis, translation by D.S. Margoliouth "The Devil’s Delusion." Ibn Taymiyah (d.1328) Al-Sufiyah wa al-fuqara’ from his Majmu’ fatawa, translation by Th. E. Homerin "Ibn Taymiyya’s ‘Al-Sufiyah wa al-fuqara’. Articles by A. Knysh "‘Orthodoxy’ and ‘Heresy’ in Medieval Islam: An Essay in Reassessment," Homerin, "Thieves and Asses: Sufis and Their Detractors in the Mamluk Empire," G. Makdisi "The Hanbali School and Sufism," and B. Radtke, "Between Projection and Suppression: Some Considerations Concerning the Study of Sufism."

Weeks XIII and XIV Student Presentations

Students will present their findings on their seminar papers - on any topic concerning Sufism.

Home

Courses at Penn

Online Texts

Publications

Resources on Islam

For problems with, or suggestions for this site, please contact the webmaster.