Such terms are vague and often imply a negative value judgment, as well as encouraging people to consider as nonsflfi anything that does not fit into preconceived notions. Sufism is less an islamic sect than a mystical way of approaching the islamic faith. Just as a memory refresher, all ebooks and articles listed below are solely for educational purposes. Sufism, mystical islamic belief and practice in which muslims seek the truth of divine love and knowledge through direct personal experience of god. In one series, the original writings of the universally knowledge teachers of the catholic protestant, eastern orthodox, jewish and islamic traditions have been critically selected, translated and introduced by internationally recognized scholars and spiritual leaders. Islamic mysticism and spirituality department of religious studies, fiu. This groundbreaking monograph is critical not only for understanding the complex phenomenon that is sufism, but also for gaining insight into the significant methodological issues of modern historiography. The arabic term sufi has been used in islamic literature with a wide range of meanings, by both proponents and opponents of sufism.
A short history and islam in historical perspective. Nor was the practice of islamic mysticism limited to intellectuals and poets. The prophetic record of human destiny and evolution sacred wisdom oct 12, 2015. Sufi, quran, miraj, poetic and theological writings translated, edited and with an introduction by michael a. Prophetic guidance on the spiritual path imam zafar uthmani. The earliest persian treatise on sufism syed hujweri the kalimat al sadiqin. It is no wonder then, that the reader soon realizes the christian impositions that had inflicted sufism. The first systematic books explaining the tenets of sufism date from the 10th century.
The text includes historical and legendary narratives of these sufi masters, and detailed discussion of their philosophy and theology. Mainstream islam has tended to regard sufism with some suspicion because of a perceived extremism in beliefs which sufi mysticism is prone to. Sufism, or islamic mysticism, is often defined as the internalization and intensification of islamic faith and practice. The forty rules of love by elif shafak, the conference of the birds by attar of nishapur, the essential rumi by rumi, the sufis.
Download the bible, the holy quran, the mahabharata and thousands of free pdf ebooks on buddhism, meditation etc. Related reading materials on islamic mysticism, tasawwuf or sufism. The sufi constantly struggle to be aware of gods presence, emphasizing contemplation over action, spiritual development over legalism. If youre interested in sufism or sufi related studies, the following ebooks and articles are a must read to better grasp and study the mystical dimensions of islam or islamic mysticism tasawwuf.
He is considered a leading scholar in islamic literature and islamic mysticism who exercised a lasting influence on islamic studies. Practitioners of sufism often departed from islamic law and traditional orthodoxy and follow edwidely varying paths towards a mystical union with the divine. The texts are accompanied by commentary on their historical, literary and philosophical context. Studies in islamic mysticism masterpieces of sufism. Literary history of the arabs 1907 and the mystics of islam 1914. A new history of islamic mysticism knysh, alexander on. A sufi manual of invocation the kashful mahjub unveiling the veiled. While sufism developed out of the fusion of quranic ascetic tendencies and the vast fund of christian and other mystical sayings present throughout the classical world, by approximately the 10th century it had become a uniquely islamic feature. Sufism, the religious philosophy of islam, is described in the oldest extant definition as. One, then, wonders what an unbiased and authentic account of sufism, which ernst implies is possible,26 might look like. I got into sufism when i was going through a rough time, i started reading the quran with translation and then with an explanation. Their theoretical contributions led to the development within sufism of a complex.
The first lesson to learn is to resign oneself to the little difficulties in life, not to hit out at everything one comes up against. Sufism berkley center for religion, peace, and world affairs. But the islamic word which has its root is the islamic sources is the word erfan. A pathbreaking history of sufism, from the earliest centuries of islam to the present after centuries as the most important asceticmystical strand of islam. Though a hadith a recorded saying of the prophet muhammad claims that he who knows god becomes silent, the sufis have produced a literature of impressive extent and could defend their writing activities with another hadith. The first concise history of sufism to appear in any language, this work remains among the best. The sufi constantly struggle to be aware of gods presence, emphasizing contemplation over action, spiritual development over legalism, and soulcultivation over social interaction. Meditation, singing, dancing, and dhikr recitation of allahs divine attributes are common practices within sufism that are designed to help an. It consists of mystical paths that are designed to learn the nature of humanity and of god and to facilitate the experience of the presence of divine love and wisdom. Its focus tends to be on the mystical, firsthand, direct experience of god called dhawq or tasting, rather than on doctrine or authority. The common premise is that sufism is an islamic group practicing a form of mysticism that originated in persia. Others claim to present the teachings of traditional sufi orders, and many do, but sometimes a.
The mystics of islam introduction the title of this book sufficiently explains why it is included in a series exemplifying the adventures and labours of individual seekers or groups of seekers in quest of reality. Sufism is the path of islamic mysticism and celebrates the intimate relationship between the seeker and allah. It has been defined as mystical islamic belief and practice in which muslims seek to find the truth of divine love and knowledge through direct personal experience of god. Just as a memory refresher, all e books and articles listed below are solely for educational purposes. Studies in islamic mysticism the masterpiece of sufism.
A biography a thorough rethinking and reframing of one of islam s central traditions, this is an important and highly original book from a scholar who really knows what he is talking about. Rumis poetry, and by extension sufism, the mystical tradition with. Sufism is then presented as the islamic version of mysticism. The evolution of sufism in the postghazali period was influenced by ibn alarabi and ibn alfarid. In this article, we will explore the significance of quranic calligraphy and the art of letter mysticism from a variety of sufi perspectives. Feb 23, 2014 there are some terms in western languages that is equivalent for erfan such as gnosticism, mysticism, and spirituality. Sufism download books, sacred, spiritual texts and pdf ebooks. Sufism download books, sacred, spiritual texts and pdf e. Systems for dreamwork and dream awareness have been found for millennia within buddhism, taoism, hinduism, sufism, and traditional cultures throughout the world. Aug 17, 2017 western observers have not helped to clarify the matter by referring to sufism as islamic mysticism or sometimes islamic esotericism. The book emphasizes the wide variety of sufisms interactions with the society and its institutions from an ascetic withdrawal from the world to an active involvement in its affairs by individual sufi masters and organizations. At the heart of the religion of islam is its mystical tradition, sufism.
After centuries as the most important asceticmystical strand of islam, sufism saw a sharp decline in the twentieth century, only to experience a stunning revival in recent decades. Sufism is islamic mysticism, and focuses on cultivating an individuals intimate, loving, and emotional relationship to god. A noted scholar offers insights into every aspect of sufism, from interpretation of the word of god and the life of the prophet to the theorists of sufism, the structure of sufi theory and practice, and more. Introduction sufism muslims travelling to a sufi gathering sufism, or tasawwuf as it is known in the muslim world, is islamic mysticism lings, martin, what is.
This volume makes available and accessible the writings of the crucial early period of islamic mysticism during which sufism developed as one of the worlds major mystical traditions. Embracing all eras and highlighting the many faces of sufism, this colle. Islamic mysticism by knysh is a comprehensive survey of the interesting and fascinating world of islamic mysticism. List of books and articles about sufism online research. Meditation, singing, dancing, and dhikr recitation of allahs divine attributes are common practices within sufism that are designed to help an individual directly experience gods divine love.
Sufism islamic mysticism mysticism is concerned with the nature of reality, the individuals struggle to attain a clear vision of reality, and the transformation of consciousness that accompanies such vision. If one were able to manage this one would not need to cultivate great power. Sufism is the major expression of mysticism in islam. Sufism becomes spoken about through a christian tongue and via a christian soul. May 29, 2011 the most important muslim theologian, alghazali, identified the realm of sufism as the highest islamic quest for knowledge, one that dealt most directly with otherworldly matters. Mysticism in sufi islam oxford research encyclopedia of. Find the top 100 most popular items in amazon books best sellers. Sep 08, 2009 introduction sufism muslims travelling to a sufi gathering sufism, or tasawwuf as it is known in the muslim world, is islamic mysticism lings, martin, what is sufism. I shared what i had learnt from reading the explanation with a friend and he went to his dads study and brought bac.
Western observers have not helped to clarify the matter by referring to sufism as islamic mysticism or sometimes islamic esotericism. In these critical times nothing could be more valuable for the west than a rediscovery of its true spiritual heritage. Islamic orthodoxy and sufism were not irreconcilable, as attested by the attempt by alghazali d. Just as a memory refresher, all articles, ebooks, images, links and reading materials listed in this blog are solely for educational purposes. Sufism is not so much a sect within islam as a mode of religious experience that began as a yearning for the deeper spiritual springs of islam and personal fellowship with god.
Sabbatai zevi and sufism by professor avraham elqayam. Equally obvious and unavoidable are biases of sufisms muslim opponents whose views of sufism will be discussed in detail later on in this book. If youre interested in sufism or sufi related studies, the following e books and articles are a must read to better grasp and study the mystical dimensions of islam or islamic mysticism tasawwuf. A pathbreaking history of sufism, from the earliest centuries of islam to the present. Sufism what it is, about, origin, history, books, phrases. I prefer instead the word sufism, which has the advantage of deriving from arabic and pertaining specifically to islam. The headlines are filled with the politics of islam, but there is another side to the worlds fastestgrowing religion. The forty rules of love by elif shafak, the conference of. Jalaluddin rumi was the author of the masnavi, an immensely influential work, which is celebrated for its spiritual profundity by many across the islamic world. The definitive compendium of sufi wisdom, essential sufism draws together more than three hundred fables, poems and prayers that reveal the luminous spirit of islamic mysticism. This mystical movement from the early ninth century rejects worship motivated by the. The book emphasizes the wide variety of sufism s interactions with the society and its institutions from an ascetic withdrawal from the world to an active involvement in its affairs by individual sufi masters and organizations. Sufis believe that a person should gain religious knowledge from. It is a rich spiritual path that celebrates this relationship through music, sacred.
On one extreme, some enthusiasts provide no reason to differentiate sufism from kabbalah, christian mysticism, or a new age concoction. In this respect it was a reaction against sunni islamic formalism and legalism. There are some terms in western languages that is equivalent for erfan such as gnosticism, mysticism, and spirituality. Dec 12, 2012 sufism is the path of islamic mysticism and celebrates the intimate relationship between the seeker and allah. Iran world award for book of the year, islamic republic of iran. As the book progresses, we will find that sufism has nothing to do with islam or persia, and everything to do with the quiet peoples of ancient and baladi egypt.
Islamic mysticism sufism is the inner, mystical dimension of islam. These dreamwork systems were and are often still cloaked in secrecy and reserved for the initiate. Dream yoga and the practice of natural light by namkhai norbu. The most important muslim theologian, alghazali, identified the realm of sufism as the highest islamic quest for knowledge, one that dealt most directly with otherworldly matters. He was able to study and translate major sufi texts in arabic, persian, and ottoman turkish to english. Quranic calligraphy and sufism from the very beginning of islam, listening to and reciting the quran has been a core practice of islamic spirituality. Tasawwuf ihsan, islamic mysticism islamic books, islamic. The books written by practitioners fill a broad spectrum.
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