Tag Archive for: Sufism

“Two Types of Inner-Qur’anic Interpretation”, in: Exegetical Crossroads: Understanding Scripture in Judaism, Christianity and Islam in the Pre-Modern Orient, edited by Georges Tamer et al., Berlin: De Gruyter 2018, pp. 253–288

The conference from which the present volume has emerged was entitled Exegetical Crossroads. Unlike other contributions to this book, mine will not examine intersections between post-Biblical and post-Qur’ānic scriptural interpretation in Judaism, Islam, and Christianity; rather, I shall focus on processes of interpretive engagement with Qur’ānic passages that are traceable within the Qur’ān it- self. Yet this, too, will afford us the opportunity to inspect a crossroads of sorts: for one of the respects in which the Qur’ān intersects with Biblical literature is precisely insofar as it contains intriguing cases of scrip-tural self-interpretation. Since that phenomenon is much better researched with regard to the Bible, my main objective here is to present some of the ways in which it manifests itself in the Islamic scripture.² In doing so, I shall draw attention to some salient similarities and differences between the Hebrew Bible and the Qur’ān. My interest is squarely in the Qur’ān, however; I do not pretend to even remotely offer anything resembling a full account of inner-Biblical interpretation

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Of love theory and love poetry in Arabic Sufi Literature : An exploration of al –Shushturi Sufi’s Ecstasy as a paradigm

Love, in Arabic term denotes hubb, iskiq, gariimah, wudd and hawaa. It semantically has more than thirty Arabic words denoting the same meaning.1 It has been a symbolic Interactive expression of feeling that has possessed quantum signi-ficance and values over the passage of time in both animate and inanimate beings. Extant research works on love poetry have been carried out by researchers on its quantum purposes and effects in the socio-cultural, anthropological physiolo-gical, psychological, religious and socio-linguistic and literary arena, in both Arabic and westem literary works. However, there has been sparse attention on the exploration of the love theory and love poetry in Arabic Sufi literature, which has created the gaps to befilled by this research. Therefore, this paper aims to explore the love theory in the love poetry of Ara- bic Sufi literature, using Al- Shushturi Sufi’s Ecstasy as a paradigm. Before delving into the main discussion, the contras-tive discourse between the concept oflove theory and love poetry would be examined. Likewise, the concept of Sufism and ecstasy shall be discussed. Al- Shushturi’s biographical account and scholarship including the review and literary analysis of his Sufi’s poetries would be treated.

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Pleasures—Sensual and Spiritual: A Chapter from Nāṣir-i Khusraw’s Pilgrims’ Provision By Shafique N . Virani

This article offers a translation and analysis of Nāṣir-i Khusraw’s seminal discourse on pleasure from his philosophical treatise The Pilgrims’ Provision (Zād al-musāfirīn), illuminating the intricate interplay between sensual and intellectual delights in Islamic thought. It situates Nāṣir-i Khusraw within the broader intellectual tradition, highlighting his critique of Muḥammad b. Zakariyyāʾ al-Rāzī’s Epicurean-influenced conception of pleasure as mere relief from pain. Through rigorous refutation, Nāṣir-i Khusraw advances a framework wherein pleasure is a metaphysical phenomenon rooted in the soul’s ascent toward perfection and its reunion with the Universal Intellect. The chapter explores the gradations of pleasure across the natural, vegetative, sentient, and rational realms, culminating in the infinite joy of intellectual realization. Drawing on symbolic interpretation of the Quran, Nāṣir-i Khusraw redefines paradise not as a realm of corporeal indulgence, but as consummate knowledge, and hell as consummate ignorance. The translation is enriched by historical context, philosophical commentary, and poetic excerpts, offering readers a profound meditation on the nature of human fulfillment and the enduring relevance of spiritual pleasure in an age of material excess.

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al-Haya: The Dignity of Shame By Oludamini Ogunnaike

By Oludamini Ogunnaike

It is perhaps not accidental that the Arabic word and central Islamic concept of ḥayāʾ (often translated as “shame,” “modesty,” or “shyness”) is very difficult to translate into modern English, given the profound differences in the world-senses animating the two discourses. Likewise, the modern English notion of “dignity,” although Islamic sources have played an indirect role in its development,7 does not have a single, exact equivalent in classical Islamic discourse, but ḥayāʾ covers much of the same ground. At first blush this appears to be a paradox, as dignity and shame are often described as oppo- sites: shame has been described as a violation of dignity, and a dignified person is not ashamed. However, even in English, this issue is more complicated, as illustrated by another seeming paradox: shameless people do the most shameful of deeds. Indeed, the early Sufi author al-Qushayrī (d. 465/1072) wrote that “One of the signs of those who possess shame is that one will never see them in a shameful condition.” Thus, in the face of the brazen shameless- ness of recent political and business leaders and practices, numerous social campaigns—from the non-violent, coercive protest movements of Gandhi, mlk Jr., and the Civil Rights movement to the more recent environmental, social justice, and anti-war shame campaigns and boycotts targeting companies to the #MeToo movement—have attempted not only to deploy shame to change behaviors and conditions, but (especially in the cases of Gandhi and the civil rights movement) to reinstitute the principles of moral shame in domains dominated by shamelessness in order to restore or safeguard the dignity of both oppressed and oppressors.

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Attar Some Philosophical and Theological Passages from Fakhr al Din al Razi’s al Sirr al maktum By Muhammad Fariduddin Attar

 have transcribed some interesting passages in Fakhr al-Dīn al-Rāzī’s work on astral magic, al-Sirr al-maktūm (The Hidden Secret) based on MS Majlis 6853, compared with some other MSS. These passages are taken from the philosophical and theological portions of the work. I also outline the Sirr’s content and method of inquiry. The transcribed passages are part of the core material of a forthcoming article on the place of al-Sirr al-maktūm in Fakhr al-Dīn’s early philosophical thought.

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“Sufism and the Anthropocosmic Self.” In I of the Heart: Texts and Studies in Honor of Seyyed Hossein Nasr. Islamic History and Civilization Series. Edited by M. Faruque, A. Khalil, and M. Rustom. Leiden: Brill, 2025, pp. 3–39.

It would not be an overstatement to say that the strand of thought now called Sufi metaphysics revolves around two interrelated doctrines, namely the oneness of being (waḥdat al-wujūd) and the perfect human (al-insān al-kāmil ). As is well-known, the expression waḥdat al-wujūd is controversial, which is composed of two words—waḥda and wujūd—both of which were important in the Islamic intellectual tradition since early days. The word “waḥda” means “unity or oneness,” and is of the same root as “tawḥīd,” which means “to affirm unity.” As for wujūd, which is from the root w-j-d, it is customary to translate it as Being, being or existence, but what is important to note is that in the Sufi context it is also understood as “to find” or “to experience.” For instance, Ibn ʿArabī (d. 638/1240) defines wujūd as “finding the Real in ecstasy” (wijdān al- ḥaqq fī l-wajd). Thus wujūd also has a mystical, first-person connotation, in addition to its regular ontological reference. In any event, waḥdat al-wujūd refers to the wujūd of the Real (al-ḥaqq), Who is self-evidently wāḥid (one), not to be denied by any Muslim. Hence there can only be one wujūd in reality. Understood thus, waḥdat al-wujūd implies that God or the Ultimate Reality is one, which is the essence of tawḥīd. But Sufi metaphysicians also discuss the complex nature of the muwaḥḥid (read “the perfect human”) or the affirmer of unity in the cosmic order. In doing so, they present a highly sophisticated analysis of the self, which is difficult to describe in simple terms. Building on the pioneering work of William Chittick, who uses the term “anthropocosmic vision” to describe the Islamic worldview, this study will explore the reality of the perfect human in terms of what it calls the “anthropocosmic self.” It will do so by principally drawing upon the School of Ibn ʿArabī and Sufi poets such as Rūmī (d. 672/1273) and Ḥāfiẓ (d. 791/1389).

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Devotion and Metaphysics in a Litany Ascribed to ʿAbd al-Qādir al-Jīlānī

This article examines the status of Sufi devotional literature, a corpus still rarely considered in its own right within the study of Islamic thought. Focusing on the Ḥizb al-naṣr (Litany of Support) attributed to ʿAbd al-Qādir al-Jīlānī (d. 1166) and still recited today within the Qādiriyya order, it argues that such devotional texts possess a distinctly doctrinal dimension, articulating metaphysical principles akin to those developed in the school of Ibn ʿArabī and his commentators. A close reading of the Ḥizb al-naṣr reveals a sophisticated theological and metaphysical background that contrasts sharply with the anti-intellectual image often associated with al-Jīlānī and his Ḥanbalī milieu. While the litany makes little explicit use of ontological terminology, its underlying vision resonates with Akbarian metaphysical themes and may reflect early intersections between Qādirī heritage and emerging doctrines of the Akbari tradition. By reconsidering the Ḥizb al-naṣr as an instance of “Sufi philosophy” in its own right, this study invites a broader reflection on the intellectual and doctrinal scope of Sufi devotional writing.

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Mysticism and Ethics in Islam (open access) (Sheikh Zayed Series for Arabic and Islamic Texts and Studies; American University of Beirut Press, 2022)

Free publication

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Cosmos as Revelation’: Reason, Imagination and the Foundations of Ibn ʿArabī’s Scriptural Hermeneutics

Ibn ʿArabī’s metaphysical framework demonstrates that his hermeneutical approach to the Qurʾan represents a vision of what constitutes objective reality. Such a vision, though rooted in traditional sources, is explicated in a highly theoretical language, and is ultimately predicated on the epistemic modes of unveiling (kashf) and witnessing (mushāhada) as the most certain forms of existential or divine knowledge. This study seeks to characterize Ibn ʿArabī’s hermeneutics in light of his teachings on the intellect (ʿaql) and the faculty of imagination (khayāl). The paper examines the implications of Ibn ʿArabī’s method by employing a comparative reading of verse 44 from Surah al-Isrāʾ in the Futūḥāt al-Makkīyya with the interpretation by the notable Ashʿarite theologian and contemporary of Ibn ʿArabī, Fakhr al-Dīn al-Rāzī (d.606/1210). By situating the discussion within themes of the mainstream exegetical tradition (tafsīr), the assessment further highlights Ibn ʿArabī’s unique and radical contribution to the field of Qurʾanic hermeneutic.

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The World, Man and Ritual Prayer according to Ibn al-ʿArabīn – Sophie Tyser

In his ‘introduction à la lecture des Futūḥāt Makkiyyaʾ, Michel Chodkiewicz discerned, among the different ways of approaching the mystery of the walāya, the ‘symbolic meaning of the ritual practices that lead to it’, including ritual prayer, considered by Ibn al-ʿArabī (d.638/1240) as an ini- tiatory journey. The ritual prayer prescribed to Muslims, whose form has been fixed during the celestial ascension (miʿrāj) of the Prophet according to Muslim tradition, is described in a famous hadith as the ascension or ladder of the believer (miʿrāj al-muʾmin). A vector of meditation for Muslim spiritual masters to this day, the ascending dimension of prayer and its movements has caused much ink to flow in mystical literature. It found a resounding doctrinal expression in the teaching of the Shaykh al- Akbar, in which the movements of the whole body of the person at prayer enter into correspondence with the stages of the manifestation of Being.

Conformity to the Muhammadan model in all its aspects, including the states (aḥwāl) of the Prophet, is a cornerstone of the Sufi tradi- tion. 2 As Michel Chodkiewicz pointed out in his article ‘Le modèle prophétique de la sainteté en Islam’, ‘the “adherence” to the Prophet’s states finds its most accomplished fruit in this recapitulation by the walî of the “Night Journey” that led Muḥammad to the threshold of the divine Presence’. 3 An unquenchable source of meditation for the spiritual masters of Islam from the earliest times, the Prophet’s Night Journey during which he completes his ascent (miʿrāj) to God was conceived as the prototype of every spiritual journey. 4 According to Islamic tradition, it was at the summit of his celestial ascent that the ritual prayer was revealed to him during his direct encounter with God. 5 The backbone of the Muslim’s devotional practice, prayer

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World Literature Decentered: Beyond the ‘West’ Through Turkey, Mexico and Bengal By Ian Almond

Cosmologists say that if space-time is infinite, then somehow, somewhere, all possible things exist. As someone who has taught that nebulous entity “world literature” for over ten years, I’d like to begin by sketching out one such alternate world. Think of this alternative world as a kind of World Literature Fantasy. In this parallel world, there is no dominant Western canon: only lots of good Western writers, struggling like everyone else to make their voices heard above the growing crescendo of the planet’s collective murmur. Moreover, the people who live in Western countries actually realize they only form 10% of the planet. They understand that the non-Western is not some misrepresented ethnic minority, but Africa, Latin America, Asia, the Middle East – the overwhelming majority of the world.

There are centers of influence, certainly, but they are multiple and constantly shifting. A decade of readers in Argentina might become obsessed with Middle Eastern fiction; a new generation in China might start to fixate on West African writers. The swirling network of influences – Swedes reading Turks reading Mexicans, Brazilians translating Urdu ghazals and Chinese tanka – forever shimmers, brightens and collapses, reconfiguring itself not in response to power and economy, but through a much more curious, seem- ingly chaotic algorithm. There are certainly books which are read more than others, but they do not subscribe to a common ideology – in the anthologies of this world, Buddhists, Islamists, Anarchists and the occasional Capitalist argue with one another endlessly on contentious editorial boards. Writers in this alternative world feel no compulsion to communicate some anthro- pological information about their community, although many choose to do so

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Representations of Islam in Western Thought By Ian Almond

By Ian Almond

What do we understand by the term ‘representation of Islam’? What does it mean to investigate the depiction of the Muslim world – be it the faith, the cultures, the believers, the literature – in non- Muslim discourse? How would studies of the representation of Muslims by non-Muslims differ from their logical inverse – Muslim representations of Christians and Christianity in texts from Turkish or Arabic literature?

The term has, by now, practically established a genre of its own. Academic books and articles abound in the study of the Muslim world’s portrayal in areas as different as sixteenth century French literature, contemporary cinema, British children’s education syllabi, German drama, medieval thought, many of them preceding Edward Said’s landmark investigation of French and British Orientalist portrayals of their subjects. As a consequence, I’d like to consider some of the things I understand such studies to entail.

First of all, to examine the depiction of the Muslim in Western discourse is to examine the West. To consider the scimitar-bearing Turks and veiled women of Western Oriental landscapes is to consider the anxieties and desires of the gazer, not the gazed upon. This is not to say the Muslim is merely a blank screen upon which the West simply projects whatever facet of itself it happens to be

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