Storytelling as Philosophical Pedagogy:The Case of Suhrawardī – Mohammed Rustom

Abstract:

“Amongt the writings of Shihābal-Dīn Suhrawardī(d.587/1191),the founder of the School of Illumination and a key figure in post-Avicennan Islamic philosophy, are a series of visionary tales. In the context of each of these narratives, Suhrawardī employs numerous symbolic images in order to convey several key ideas that punctuate his philosophy. Given their concrete language, these tales add a dimension of depth not easily discernible in Suhrawardī’s strictly speaking philosophical works, given the latter’s reliance upon abstract language.”