Mysticism in islam pdf persiangig

Islamic mysticism, therefore, stands on two pillars. Feb 23, 2014 there are some terms in western languages that is equivalent for erfan such as gnosticism, mysticism, and spirituality. This is the complete text of mysticism and traditional philosophy in persia, preislamic and islamic, an essay by seyyed hossein nasr, which appeared in the the journal studies in comparative religion, 1971 autumn edition vol. The sufi orders in islam is one of the earliest modern examinations of the historical development of sufism and is considered a classic work in numerous. Sufism is a mystical form of islam, a school of practice that emphasizes. Sufism is popular in such african countries as egypt, tunisia, algeria, morocco, and senegal, where it is seen as a mystical expression of islam.

Soltes has taken a vast area and laid out for the reader the essential material, both historical, cultural, and religious, in an easy to read format and with excellent organization of the materials. Sufism sufism aka the heart of islam is the name of an old and widespread devotional movement or group of movements sufism derives from the arabic. In india, mysticism took many forms and sufism was accepted as a natural phenomenon by many gurus and saints. Sufi mysticism the original sufi were basically mystics people who followed a pious form of islam and who believed that a direct, personal experience of god could be achieved through meditation. Sufism is a mystic tradition with individual schools within islam. Sufi mysticism endeavoured to produce a personal experience of the divine through mystic and ascetic discipline. Mystical experience and metaphysics paul marshall in chapter 2 of beyond physicalism, i suggest that mystical experience, if a source of genuine metaphysical insight, can shed light on a variety of extraordinary phenomena, including psi and neardeath experience, as well as the mystery that is ordinary consciousness. Mar 31, 2011 among the great mystics of islam was a woman, rabia aladawiyya, who lived in basra in iraq in the very early days of sufism. Their joint entity makes them a fundamental discipline at the centre for islamic theology inasmuch as systematic theology, its philosophical origins and spiritual.

Ive selected quotations from a number of islamic works which i feel illustrate these issues. Pdf islamic philosophy, theology, and mysticism taufiq. Library of congress cataloging in publication data. A free powerpoint ppt presentation displayed as a flash slide show on id. In islam it would be more of a consciousness of god not a union. Mysticism in arabic and islamic philosophy stanford encyclopedia. Presenting sufism on its own terms, namely, as it was professed by countless sufi teachers and their disciples, was simply not an. Mystical hinduism mystical paths of worlds religions.

Mysticism, by definition, has no place in islam because in islam there is no place for mysteries, myths and legends that often defy human intelligence, or for secretive aspects of the fundamental truth which can be attained only by a few and due to some special and supranormal means and ways. For some information on sufi exegesis of the quran, also see. Rumi the sufi path jalal aldin rumi was a sufi and founded one of islams major sufi orders, the mevlevi, known in popular parlance as. Besides kabir, there were other muslim saints who were venerated by hindus and muslims alike. 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.

We would like to highlight just a few distinctions between the mystical and the esoterical. Mysticism and traditional philosophy in persia, pre. On account of this, they have introduced concepts and words that are totally foreign to the teachings of islam. Traditional sufi orders during the first five centuries of islam were all based in sunni islam. Sells, early islamic mysticism, chapter 2 7597 also, browse. New video from the mystical paths of worlds religions series with elizabeth clare prophet the inner path of hinduism, the mystical path of the east, is the worlds oldest religion. The author of fasusul hikim and fatoohatemakkiya, eminent muslim thinker and saint sheikheakbar ibnearabi seems under the influence of platonic mysticism. Sufismus oder sufitum auch sufik, arabisch, dmg ta. Mysticism and its traces in islamic world neegar afroz amu, aligarh up i. In the islamic world, it is variously defined as islamic mysticism, the inward. The greek root myein, to close the eyes, is also the root.

It is a rich spiritual path that celebrates this relationship through music, sacred. Islam at the beginning was primarily a legalistic religion and placed before its adherents little more than a code of ethics combined with a set of rituals. The example of the prophet, and the heavenly ascension miraj thursday, september 8th. Parallels between sufism and christianity during his life, the prophet muhammad pbuh prophesized that islam will be divided into sects just as judaism and christianity did before it. Scholars think the upanishads were written between the 8th and 4th centuries bc they are the root mysticism in all the worlds religions. Sufism, the name given to islamic mysticism, has been the subject of many studies, but the orders through which the organizational aspect of the sufi spirit was expressed has been neglected. Soroush on nonorthodox interpretation of muslim revelation 86 %.

Mystical philosophy has an intimate connection with the mainstream of islamic philosophy. Most of islam s beauty comes from special oppositional groups within islam, such as the sufis, that are not tolerated in todays mainstream islam. Therefore some old writers referred to the trash or poison of mysticism and others spoke of its vagueness or crude. This work could easily become an essential introduction to mysticism in. Leseliste zu einem seminar am hartford seminary seyyed hossein. Sufism is traditional in morocco, but has seen a growing revival with the renewal of sufism under contemporary spiritual teachers such as hamza al qadiri al boutchichi. Sufism has been defined as a type of knowledge by the great muslim sufi masters and schools of sufism exist each tracing their ancestry and beliefs. As michel malherbes points out in the preceding article, sufism covers a multitude of very different realities in islam. Islamic mysticism sufism is the inner, mystical dimension of islam. Parallels between sufism and christianity the path of. Bismi allahirrahmanirrahim the word sufi is derived from the arabic word suf which means wool and which refers to the coarse woolen robes that were worn by the prophet muhammad pbuh and by his close companions.

Public islam and the common good social, economic and political studies of the middle east and asia. Mysticism and traditional philosophy in persia, preislamic. Describing the truth itself, muslim mystics say that experienced truth is unreasonable, especially if they degraded it by text. Sufi castigator sufi castigatorinvestigates the writings of ahmad kasravi who was one of the foremost intellectuals in iran. Evil and human suffering in islamic thoughttowards a mystical. Christian influence the general opinion of the identity of the hanifs to. The mystics believe that the way to achieve this union is by shedding off all worldly burdens and becoming completely absorbed in the love for god. Parallels between sufism and christianity the path of the. Sufi mysticism endeavoured to produce a personal experience.

Islamsu sm is masterpiece by titus burckhardt examines. Islamsu sm is masterpiece by titus burckhardt examines the. A short history themes in islamic studies knysh, alexander on. Christian influence the general opinion of the identity of the hanifs to which the quran refers is that they were. It consists of several main strands, ranging from ismaili thought to the metaphysics of alghazali and ibn alarabi, and with a continuing powerful presence in the. Sufism is a mystical form of islam, a school of practice that. Jan 04, 2011 parallels between sufism and christianity during his life, the prophet muhammad pbuh prophesized that islam will be divided into sects just as judaism and christianity did before it. For the full understanding of eckharts mysticism, i ask the reader to follow me in a detour which, inadequate as it is by ist sketchiness, should help in the understanding eckhart. Mysticism, ration, religion, islam introduction the issue of the relationship between mysticism and religion are among the issues that have a long history in the human culture and thoughts which have been considered in various forms in the religious people.

Etc strange thing is you would find what all the religion have taught as your. Spirituality encompasses the pursuit of good character, the struggle against evil and bad personal characteristics, and the development of a better society. Mysticism in the islamic context has traditionally been intertwined with the notion of. Philosophy of mysticism in the middle ages highbrow. This book is an expansion of the westcott lectures for 1973 under the teape foundation, which were delivered in delhi and. Just as the christian type cannot be understood without reference to christianity, so the mohammedan type must be viewed in connexion with the outward and inward development of islam.

The faithful observance of these was deemed sufficient to satisfy every mans religious quest and ensure him a place in heaven. As a result, it is claimed that a normal believer on his own is not able to attain the mystic meaning unless he is under the spiritual guidance of a. The term encompasses a diverse range of beliefs and practices dedicated to allah, divine love and the cultivation of the heart. Chittick whenever islam is mentioned, we need to keep in mind that the word designates the religion of over one billion people, a religion that has been flourishing in much of asia, europe, and africa for well over a thousand years and more recently in north america. Mystical experience and metaphysics esalen institute. In sufism, studying the exegesis of the quran or reflecting on the meanings of its verses is discouraged or even forbidden. Islamic mysticism 1 in asia 2 there are a number of mystical movements within islam 3, but by far the dominant tradition is that of sufism, one of the most dynamic and interesting dimensions of islamic religious and cultural expression. Sufism, mystical islamic belief and practice in which muslims seek the truth of divine love and knowledge through direct personal experience of god. Sufism, mystical islamic belief and practice in which muslims seek to find the truth of divine love and knowledge through direct personal experience of god.

Believe and follow it blindly without questioning or understand what we believe mysticism or spirituality. Mysticism, the practice of religious ecstasies religious experiences during alternate states of consciousness, together with whatever ideologies, ethics, rites, myths, legends, and magic may be related to them. Rumi the sufi path jalal aldin rumi was a sufi and founded one of islams major sufi orders, the mevlevi, known in. For the general public, professor nicholson wrote a valuable little book in the quest series, called the mystics of islam, as well as studies in islamic mysticism and the idea of personality in sufismin addition to numerous articles in encyclopaedias and journals, the ransom of his unique reputation. In the islamic world, it is variously defined as islamic mysticism, the inward dimension of islam or the phenomenon of mysticism within islam, is mysticism in islam, characterized. There is indeed true mysticism in islam, but it is quite often a forcible translation of hindu or yogic concepts into it, in the same way the socalled arabic digits are of indian origin. Islam and its various trends, including sufism, had to be defined, classified, and presented in the intellectual conventions that would make sense to the intended recipients.

This work could easily become an essential introduction to mysticism in judaism, islam and christianity. Sufism is the path of islamic mysticism and celebrates the intimate relationship between the seeker and allah. 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. Parts of this paper on mysticism and religion were included in e. Sufis claim that every verse of the quran has an external meaning and an internal meaning.

Mysticism revolves around the path to ultimate unity with god. Her chief contribution to the growing mysticism of islam was her insistence that god should be loved, not out of fear of wrath or for the prospect of reward, but purely for himself. Dec 12, 2012 sufism is the path of islamic mysticism and celebrates the intimate relationship between the seeker and allah. Its focus tends to be on the mystical, firsthand, direct experience of god called dhawq or tasting, rather than on doctrine or authority. But sufism, often known as islamic mysticism, has come under violent. Indeed this prophecy has come true with the prevalence of sects and deviant beliefs within the religion of islam. Mysticism in arabic and islamic philosophy stanford. What is the difference between religion and mysticism. But the islamic word which has its root is the islamic sources is the word erfan. The source of mysticism and the mystical elements in islam are to be traced to the quran and the islamic doctrine itself. It studies his work within the context of sufism in modern iran and mystical persian literature and includes translations of kasravis. Elements of spirituality and mysticism are found in all major world religions.

Who are sufi muslims and why do some extremists hate them. External influences on sufism to understand islamic mysticism one needs to go back to the mystic systems that existed prior to islam, for in all mysticism there has been a longing for a fundamental feeling. Mysticism and spirituality are the inner aspects of any kind of religion. Titus burckhardt looks at islam with the eyes of a scholar. The source of mysticism and the mystical elements in islam are to be traced to.

In islam, that teaching revolves around tawhid, which is the central doctrine of both the quran and the sunnah. It is a psychological not an ontological condition. Soroush on nonorthodox interpretation of muslim revelation 86%. In this study, it proves that there is a real relationship between islamic teachings and mysticism. The final section of this paper will explore the sufi mystical tradition of islam through the teachings of one of the most distinguished mystics of.

Kalam, islamic philosophy and mysticism wwu munster. It consists of a variety of mystical paths that are designed to ascertain the nature of humanity and of god and to facilitate the experience of the presence of divine love and wisdom in the world. Chittick professor of comparative studies 05282003. Fateme rahmati, frankfurterdal toprakyaran, tubingen. There are some terms in western languages that is equivalent for erfan such as gnosticism, mysticism, and spirituality. Bridal mysticism was a way of attaining their beloved the god to andal, akkamahadevi and mirabai. Of course alghazali was the major theoretician of both suni islam and islamic mysticism.