Nathan Hofer
- Published in print:
- 2015
- Published Online:
- May 2020
- ISBN:
- 9780748694211
- eISBN:
- 9781474416115
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Edinburgh University Press
- DOI:
- 10.3366/edinburgh/9780748694211.003.0003
- Subject:
- Religion, Islam
In the previous chapter I argued that the Ayyubid and early Mamluk sultans’ interests in sponsoring Sufism at the Saʿīd al-Su ʿadāʾ were primarily two-fold: to support juridical Sufis in order to ...
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In the previous chapter I argued that the Ayyubid and early Mamluk sultans’ interests in sponsoring Sufism at the Saʿīd al-Su ʿadāʾ were primarily two-fold: to support juridical Sufis in order to legitimise their own authority, and to accrue blessing and merit for themselves and their families. While the interests of the Sufis who lived at the khānqāh were certainly not synonymous with those of the military elites who sponsored them, they were nevertheless complementary. Indeed, it would be hard to imagine the sultans supporting and subsidising Sufis who did not in some way promote the interests of the state. Conversely, it would be highly unlikely that Sufis would agree to participate in the ideological programme of the khānqāh if doing so did not further their own goals or align with their conception of Sufi authority and duty.Less
In the previous chapter I argued that the Ayyubid and early Mamluk sultans’ interests in sponsoring Sufism at the Saʿīd al-Su ʿadāʾ were primarily two-fold: to support juridical Sufis in order to legitimise their own authority, and to accrue blessing and merit for themselves and their families. While the interests of the Sufis who lived at the khānqāh were certainly not synonymous with those of the military elites who sponsored them, they were nevertheless complementary. Indeed, it would be hard to imagine the sultans supporting and subsidising Sufis who did not in some way promote the interests of the state. Conversely, it would be highly unlikely that Sufis would agree to participate in the ideological programme of the khānqāh if doing so did not further their own goals or align with their conception of Sufi authority and duty.
Earle H. Waugh
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- September 2011
- ISBN:
- 9789774160899
- eISBN:
- 9781617970467
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- American University in Cairo Press
- DOI:
- 10.5743/cairo/9789774160899.001.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, Islam
Founded in the sixteenth century, the Demirdashiya Sufi order in Cairo has played an influential role in Egypt's public life, and through a line of family sheikhs has channeled the impulses of its ...
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Founded in the sixteenth century, the Demirdashiya Sufi order in Cairo has played an influential role in Egypt's public life, and through a line of family sheikhs has channeled the impulses of its Sufi origins into different types of reform. Practicing a visionary form of piety, the Demirdashiya—once legendary for its wealth and secrecy—continues to influence a small but important segment of contemporary Cairo's inhabitants. This study highlights the Demirdashiya's sophisticated and complex relationship with both politics and Islamic culture. As part of his research, the author of this book attended the order's liturgies—the dhikrs (remembrance) and khalwa (retreat) —normally closed to outsiders. During an annual khalwa, the adept silently meditates for three days in his own cell. More than giving up human discourse, the mandated silence is a reordering of sensitivities to the divine, and a path to insight into the many ways that God conveys Himself to humans. Examining the role of the Demirdashiya in Egypt's history as well as its visionary piety, the book explores the dialectic between reform and vision in a stable Sufi order. It also probes how these competing ideals were incorporated into the physical world of the zawiya, mosque, and living quarters, and the extension of its influence in Europe through its most famous daughter, Qut al-Qulub, noted visionary author and mother of the order's current sheikh.Less
Founded in the sixteenth century, the Demirdashiya Sufi order in Cairo has played an influential role in Egypt's public life, and through a line of family sheikhs has channeled the impulses of its Sufi origins into different types of reform. Practicing a visionary form of piety, the Demirdashiya—once legendary for its wealth and secrecy—continues to influence a small but important segment of contemporary Cairo's inhabitants. This study highlights the Demirdashiya's sophisticated and complex relationship with both politics and Islamic culture. As part of his research, the author of this book attended the order's liturgies—the dhikrs (remembrance) and khalwa (retreat) —normally closed to outsiders. During an annual khalwa, the adept silently meditates for three days in his own cell. More than giving up human discourse, the mandated silence is a reordering of sensitivities to the divine, and a path to insight into the many ways that God conveys Himself to humans. Examining the role of the Demirdashiya in Egypt's history as well as its visionary piety, the book explores the dialectic between reform and vision in a stable Sufi order. It also probes how these competing ideals were incorporated into the physical world of the zawiya, mosque, and living quarters, and the extension of its influence in Europe through its most famous daughter, Qut al-Qulub, noted visionary author and mother of the order's current sheikh.
Shahzad Bashir
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- January 2008
- ISBN:
- 9780195306316
- eISBN:
- 9780199867721
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195306316.003.0007
- Subject:
- Religion, Religion and Society
The prophet Muhammad served as a model for those entering into marriage and celibacy is rejected as a human invention, although the Islamic tradition embodies exceptions with Sufism and its more ...
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The prophet Muhammad served as a model for those entering into marriage and celibacy is rejected as a human invention, although the Islamic tradition embodies exceptions with Sufism and its more negative attitudes toward the human body. Sufi groups used celibacy as a form of social protest. There is also a relation between forced celibacy and political power during the medieval period. In addition to certain Sufi groups, eunuchs represented another exception to the general negative Islamic attitude toward celibacy.Less
The prophet Muhammad served as a model for those entering into marriage and celibacy is rejected as a human invention, although the Islamic tradition embodies exceptions with Sufism and its more negative attitudes toward the human body. Sufi groups used celibacy as a form of social protest. There is also a relation between forced celibacy and political power during the medieval period. In addition to certain Sufi groups, eunuchs represented another exception to the general negative Islamic attitude toward celibacy.
Michael Rubin
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- January 2009
- ISBN:
- 9780195374360
- eISBN:
- 9780199871902
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195374360.003.0004
- Subject:
- Religion, Religion and Society
This chapter examines coverage of Iran and Iraq and shows how it has veered from underestimating the political force in Iran of the Ayatollah Khomeini’s heterodox innovations to overestimating the ...
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This chapter examines coverage of Iran and Iraq and shows how it has veered from underestimating the political force in Iran of the Ayatollah Khomeini’s heterodox innovations to overestimating the political ambitions of Iraq’s Shi’ite leaders. It shows how ignorance about Shi’ite and Sunni beliefs and practices, including the role of Shi’ite shrines and Sufi brotherhoods, has led to misreporting major political divisions in Iraq, and even its day-to-day politics. In the process, the chapter gives an overview of current religious dynamics in both countries. It has become a commonplace that the American administration was insufficiently aware of the religious complexities of Iran and Iraq when it led the invasion of Iraq in 2003; it is less commonly noted that press coverage has suffered from the same problem.Less
This chapter examines coverage of Iran and Iraq and shows how it has veered from underestimating the political force in Iran of the Ayatollah Khomeini’s heterodox innovations to overestimating the political ambitions of Iraq’s Shi’ite leaders. It shows how ignorance about Shi’ite and Sunni beliefs and practices, including the role of Shi’ite shrines and Sufi brotherhoods, has led to misreporting major political divisions in Iraq, and even its day-to-day politics. In the process, the chapter gives an overview of current religious dynamics in both countries. It has become a commonplace that the American administration was insufficiently aware of the religious complexities of Iran and Iraq when it led the invasion of Iraq in 2003; it is less commonly noted that press coverage has suffered from the same problem.
Michael Laffan
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- October 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780691145303
- eISBN:
- 9781400839995
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Princeton University Press
- DOI:
- 10.23943/princeton/9780691145303.003.0013
- Subject:
- History, Asian History
This concluding chapter recounts the overall arc of this book to show how colonial scholarship interpreted the precolonial, and then inflected particular strands of reformist Sufi self-critique into ...
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This concluding chapter recounts the overall arc of this book to show how colonial scholarship interpreted the precolonial, and then inflected particular strands of reformist Sufi self-critique into modernist discourse. The introduction of formalized techniques of Sufi learning was often tied to scholarly intolerance of popular variance that perhaps began as emulation of regal prerogatives. By the eighteenth century, increasingly intense connections between Asian courts and Middle Eastern centers of learning engendered appeals to the principle that normative legal practices should define the standard of Islam for most believers. Such appeals were accompanied by the embrace or rejection of foreigners and attempts to restrict Sufi knowledge to a learned elite who could sit in judgement over them.Less
This concluding chapter recounts the overall arc of this book to show how colonial scholarship interpreted the precolonial, and then inflected particular strands of reformist Sufi self-critique into modernist discourse. The introduction of formalized techniques of Sufi learning was often tied to scholarly intolerance of popular variance that perhaps began as emulation of regal prerogatives. By the eighteenth century, increasingly intense connections between Asian courts and Middle Eastern centers of learning engendered appeals to the principle that normative legal practices should define the standard of Islam for most believers. Such appeals were accompanied by the embrace or rejection of foreigners and attempts to restrict Sufi knowledge to a learned elite who could sit in judgement over them.
Nathan Hofer
- Published in print:
- 2015
- Published Online:
- May 2020
- ISBN:
- 9780748694211
- eISBN:
- 9781474416115
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Edinburgh University Press
- DOI:
- 10.3366/edinburgh/9780748694211.003.0009
- Subject:
- Religion, Islam
The Sufis of Upper Egypt had a troubled relationship with the state and its representatives. As we have seen, Ayyubid and Mamluk military elites typically sought the support of the ʿulamāʾ–
Including ...
More
The Sufis of Upper Egypt had a troubled relationship with the state and its representatives. As we have seen, Ayyubid and Mamluk military elites typically sought the support of the ʿulamāʾ–
Including Sufis–as part of a broader strategy of legitimation and rule. This was true as much as of the Sufis at the Saʿīd al-Suʿadāʾ as of the nascent Shādhilīya, although the latter were
less amenable to outright sponsorship. However, these state-funded efforts seem to have been restricted primarily to the urban centres of Cairo and Alexandria. Upper Egypt lacked state-sponsored
organisations such as madrasas and khānqāhs during this period, and the Sufis and their allies in the region filled the ideological vacuum. Both Jean-Claude Garcin and Linda Northrup have pointed to the relative independence from the state of pious movements in Upper Egypt.1 It was this independence that allowed them to take on ‘the role of critics of [the state’s] moral behavior’.2 Indeed, part of what seems to have drawn the Sufis of Upper Egypt together and precipitated their particular articulation of Sufi authority was their dissatisfaction with and critique of the state’s inability to regulate the moral economy of the Íaʿīd. The resultant collectivity of Upper-Egyptian Sufis shared five interrelated qualities that clearly set them apart from other contemporary Sufi groups.Less
The Sufis of Upper Egypt had a troubled relationship with the state and its representatives. As we have seen, Ayyubid and Mamluk military elites typically sought the support of the ʿulamāʾ–
Including Sufis–as part of a broader strategy of legitimation and rule. This was true as much as of the Sufis at the Saʿīd al-Suʿadāʾ as of the nascent Shādhilīya, although the latter were
less amenable to outright sponsorship. However, these state-funded efforts seem to have been restricted primarily to the urban centres of Cairo and Alexandria. Upper Egypt lacked state-sponsored
organisations such as madrasas and khānqāhs during this period, and the Sufis and their allies in the region filled the ideological vacuum. Both Jean-Claude Garcin and Linda Northrup have pointed to the relative independence from the state of pious movements in Upper Egypt.1 It was this independence that allowed them to take on ‘the role of critics of [the state’s] moral behavior’.2 Indeed, part of what seems to have drawn the Sufis of Upper Egypt together and precipitated their particular articulation of Sufi authority was their dissatisfaction with and critique of the state’s inability to regulate the moral economy of the Íaʿīd. The resultant collectivity of Upper-Egyptian Sufis shared five interrelated qualities that clearly set them apart from other contemporary Sufi groups.
Hüseyin Yilmaz
- Published in print:
- 2019
- Published Online:
- May 2020
- ISBN:
- 9780691197135
- eISBN:
- 9781400888047
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Princeton University Press
- DOI:
- 10.23943/princeton/9780691197135.001.0001
- Subject:
- History, Asian History
The medieval theory of the caliphate, epitomized by the Abbasids (750–1258), was the construct of jurists who conceived it as a contractual leadership of the Muslim community in succession to the ...
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The medieval theory of the caliphate, epitomized by the Abbasids (750–1258), was the construct of jurists who conceived it as a contractual leadership of the Muslim community in succession to the Prophet Muhammed's political authority. This book traces how a new conception of the caliphate emerged under the Ottomans, who redefined the caliph as at once a ruler, a spiritual guide, and a lawmaker corresponding to the prophet's three natures. Challenging conventional narratives that portray the Ottoman caliphate as a fading relic of medieval Islamic law, the book offers a novel interpretation of authority, sovereignty, and imperial ideology by examining how Ottoman political discourse led to the mystification of Muslim political ideals and redefined the caliphate. It illuminates how Ottoman Sufis reimagined the caliphate as a manifestation and extension of cosmic divine governance. The Ottoman Empire arose in Western Anatolia and the Balkans, where charismatic Sufi leaders were perceived to be God's deputies on earth. The book traces how Ottoman rulers, in alliance with an increasingly powerful Sufi establishment, continuously refashioned and legitimated their rule through mystical imageries of authority, and how the caliphate itself reemerged as a moral paradigm that shaped early modern Muslim empires.Less
The medieval theory of the caliphate, epitomized by the Abbasids (750–1258), was the construct of jurists who conceived it as a contractual leadership of the Muslim community in succession to the Prophet Muhammed's political authority. This book traces how a new conception of the caliphate emerged under the Ottomans, who redefined the caliph as at once a ruler, a spiritual guide, and a lawmaker corresponding to the prophet's three natures. Challenging conventional narratives that portray the Ottoman caliphate as a fading relic of medieval Islamic law, the book offers a novel interpretation of authority, sovereignty, and imperial ideology by examining how Ottoman political discourse led to the mystification of Muslim political ideals and redefined the caliphate. It illuminates how Ottoman Sufis reimagined the caliphate as a manifestation and extension of cosmic divine governance. The Ottoman Empire arose in Western Anatolia and the Balkans, where charismatic Sufi leaders were perceived to be God's deputies on earth. The book traces how Ottoman rulers, in alliance with an increasingly powerful Sufi establishment, continuously refashioned and legitimated their rule through mystical imageries of authority, and how the caliphate itself reemerged as a moral paradigm that shaped early modern Muslim empires.
Anna Bigelow
- Published in print:
- 2009
- Published Online:
- February 2010
- ISBN:
- 9780195368239
- eISBN:
- 9780199867622
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195368239.003.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, Religion and Society
There are numerous histories of Haider Shaikh, the fifteenth-century Sufi saint who founded the town. Comparing the various written and oral versions (published, unpublished, and interview accounts) ...
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There are numerous histories of Haider Shaikh, the fifteenth-century Sufi saint who founded the town. Comparing the various written and oral versions (published, unpublished, and interview accounts) of his life illustrates the rhetorical techniques through which various interlocutors memorialize the saint. Drawing on insights about the use of memory in the construction of history, this chapter explores how the saint’s life in its many versions generates a shared idiom of piety through which Malerkotla residents as well as pilgrims from outside the town are able to imagine and articulate Haider Shaikh’s legacy.Less
There are numerous histories of Haider Shaikh, the fifteenth-century Sufi saint who founded the town. Comparing the various written and oral versions (published, unpublished, and interview accounts) of his life illustrates the rhetorical techniques through which various interlocutors memorialize the saint. Drawing on insights about the use of memory in the construction of history, this chapter explores how the saint’s life in its many versions generates a shared idiom of piety through which Malerkotla residents as well as pilgrims from outside the town are able to imagine and articulate Haider Shaikh’s legacy.
Charlotte A. Quinn and Frederick Quinn
- Published in print:
- 2003
- Published Online:
- November 2003
- ISBN:
- 9780195063868
- eISBN:
- 9780199834587
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/0195063864.003.0004
- Subject:
- Religion, Islam
Islam in Senegal is at the threshold of political change, as a shift in power takes place among the Sufi brotherhoods (tariqa). Within the next decade, the growing Mouridiya brotherhood, founded by ...
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Islam in Senegal is at the threshold of political change, as a shift in power takes place among the Sufi brotherhoods (tariqa). Within the next decade, the growing Mouridiya brotherhood, founded by Amadou Bamba (1850–1927), is likely to overwhelm its rivals, such as the Tijaniya, an outgrowth of a Sufi mystical movement led by El Hajj Umar Tall, and later led by the Wolof cleric, Malik Sy (c.1855–1922). In the near term, the traditional symbiotic relationship between mosque and secular state is likely to continue as leaders on both sides act together and contain extremist Islamist tendencies and urban unrest. President Abdulaye Wade has adopted this balancing act policy in a country that is 94 % Muslim. Support of the Muslim community with its multiple interests is critical to Senegal's continued presence as a moderate, stable West African state. Issues facing the brotherhoods include unresolved succession questions affecting aging leaders, urbanization and growing population pressures, destructive agricultural practices, and social tensions, such as caste and class tensions.Less
Islam in Senegal is at the threshold of political change, as a shift in power takes place among the Sufi brotherhoods (tariqa). Within the next decade, the growing Mouridiya brotherhood, founded by Amadou Bamba (1850–1927), is likely to overwhelm its rivals, such as the Tijaniya, an outgrowth of a Sufi mystical movement led by El Hajj Umar Tall, and later led by the Wolof cleric, Malik Sy (c.1855–1922). In the near term, the traditional symbiotic relationship between mosque and secular state is likely to continue as leaders on both sides act together and contain extremist Islamist tendencies and urban unrest. President Abdulaye Wade has adopted this balancing act policy in a country that is 94 % Muslim. Support of the Muslim community with its multiple interests is critical to Senegal's continued presence as a moderate, stable West African state. Issues facing the brotherhoods include unresolved succession questions affecting aging leaders, urbanization and growing population pressures, destructive agricultural practices, and social tensions, such as caste and class tensions.
Julian Johansen
- Published in print:
- 1996
- Published Online:
- October 2011
- ISBN:
- 9780198267577
- eISBN:
- 9780191683305
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198267577.003.0009
- Subject:
- Religion, Islam
This chapter focuses once more on the works of Sheikh Muṭammad Zakī Ibrāhīm. The work under consideration is presented to the reader as the ‘last word’ on the subject of Sufism, as is clear from its ...
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This chapter focuses once more on the works of Sheikh Muṭammad Zakī Ibrāhīm. The work under consideration is presented to the reader as the ‘last word’ on the subject of Sufism, as is clear from its title, ‘The Alphabet of Islamic Sufism’. The presentation of the more controversial aspects of the religious discourse highlights the role of Sheikh Muṭammad as the defender of Ṣūfī tradition, and suggests the vindication of sanctity and learning in debate. The preface, introduction, questions and answers of Abjadiyya are shown. A discussion on Khiṭāb Ṣūfī jāmi' is provided. Sheikh Muṭammad's definitive statement on the enemies of Sufism is also considered.Less
This chapter focuses once more on the works of Sheikh Muṭammad Zakī Ibrāhīm. The work under consideration is presented to the reader as the ‘last word’ on the subject of Sufism, as is clear from its title, ‘The Alphabet of Islamic Sufism’. The presentation of the more controversial aspects of the religious discourse highlights the role of Sheikh Muṭammad as the defender of Ṣūfī tradition, and suggests the vindication of sanctity and learning in debate. The preface, introduction, questions and answers of Abjadiyya are shown. A discussion on Khiṭāb Ṣūfī jāmi' is provided. Sheikh Muṭammad's definitive statement on the enemies of Sufism is also considered.
Ayman Shihadeh
- Published in print:
- 2007
- Published Online:
- March 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780748626052
- eISBN:
- 9780748653126
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Edinburgh University Press
- DOI:
- 10.3366/edinburgh/9780748626052.001.0001
- Subject:
- Society and Culture, Middle Eastern Studies
Sufism and theology are two major currents in Islamic thought and religious culture, and over the centuries they have displayed immense diversity and intellectual richness. This book takes a flexible ...
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Sufism and theology are two major currents in Islamic thought and religious culture, and over the centuries they have displayed immense diversity and intellectual richness. This book takes a flexible and inclusive approach to these trends, revealing both how Sufis approached theological traditions and themes and practised theology themselves, and how theologians approached different aspects of Sufism. Comprising chapters by leading specialists in the field, this volume is the first to explore the historically complex interface between these two major currents, highlighting key points of tension and interaction. Taking us through an array of subjects, including hermeneutics, psychology and metaphysics, light is shed on major intellectual trends and figures from the 12th century up to the modern period. These range from al-Hallaj, Ibn 'Arabi and Ibn Sab'in, to Fakhr al-Din al-Razi, Ibn Taymiyyah, Haydar Amuli and Ibn Kemal Pasha, from the Ottoman context to the Safavid, and from Sunnism to Shi'ism. The book offers readers a balanced perspective of the overall history of the relationship between Sufism and theology.Less
Sufism and theology are two major currents in Islamic thought and religious culture, and over the centuries they have displayed immense diversity and intellectual richness. This book takes a flexible and inclusive approach to these trends, revealing both how Sufis approached theological traditions and themes and practised theology themselves, and how theologians approached different aspects of Sufism. Comprising chapters by leading specialists in the field, this volume is the first to explore the historically complex interface between these two major currents, highlighting key points of tension and interaction. Taking us through an array of subjects, including hermeneutics, psychology and metaphysics, light is shed on major intellectual trends and figures from the 12th century up to the modern period. These range from al-Hallaj, Ibn 'Arabi and Ibn Sab'in, to Fakhr al-Din al-Razi, Ibn Taymiyyah, Haydar Amuli and Ibn Kemal Pasha, from the Ottoman context to the Safavid, and from Sunnism to Shi'ism. The book offers readers a balanced perspective of the overall history of the relationship between Sufism and theology.
Jawid Mojaddedi
- Published in print:
- 2012
- Published Online:
- September 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780195369236
- eISBN:
- 9780199933471
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195369236.001.0001
- Subject:
- Religion, Islam
Despite Rumi’s (d. 1273) recent emergence as a best-selling poet in the English-speaking world, fundamental questions about his teachings, such as the relationship of his Sufi mysticism to the wider ...
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Despite Rumi’s (d. 1273) recent emergence as a best-selling poet in the English-speaking world, fundamental questions about his teachings, such as the relationship of his Sufi mysticism to the wider Islamic religion, remain contested. This book reaches to the heart of the matter by examining Rumi’s teachings on walāya (Friendship with God) in light of earlier discourse in the wider Sufi tradition and juridico-theological Islam. Walāya is not only central to Rumi’s teachings, but also forms the basis for the celebration of intimacy, communication with the Divine, and transcendence of conventional religiosity in his poetry. And yet walāya is the aspect of Sufism which has proven the most difficult to reconcile with juridico-theological Islam. The book presents, in addition, an analysis of the historical development of the discourse on walāya in the formative centuries of Sufism. This period coincides with the time when juridico-theological Islam rose to dominance, as reflected in the harmonizing efforts of theoretical Sufi writings, especially the manuals of the tenth and eleventh century. In this way, Mojaddedi’s analysis facilitates a contextualized evaluation of Rumi’s teachings on walāya, which had already attracted a range of views before his time. In the process, the book enables a fresh evaluation of the influential early Sufi manuals in their historical context, while also highlighting the significance for juridico-theological scholars of fundamental dogma, such as “the Seal of Prophethood” (khatm al-nubuwwa) in the process of consolidating their own dominance.Less
Despite Rumi’s (d. 1273) recent emergence as a best-selling poet in the English-speaking world, fundamental questions about his teachings, such as the relationship of his Sufi mysticism to the wider Islamic religion, remain contested. This book reaches to the heart of the matter by examining Rumi’s teachings on walāya (Friendship with God) in light of earlier discourse in the wider Sufi tradition and juridico-theological Islam. Walāya is not only central to Rumi’s teachings, but also forms the basis for the celebration of intimacy, communication with the Divine, and transcendence of conventional religiosity in his poetry. And yet walāya is the aspect of Sufism which has proven the most difficult to reconcile with juridico-theological Islam. The book presents, in addition, an analysis of the historical development of the discourse on walāya in the formative centuries of Sufism. This period coincides with the time when juridico-theological Islam rose to dominance, as reflected in the harmonizing efforts of theoretical Sufi writings, especially the manuals of the tenth and eleventh century. In this way, Mojaddedi’s analysis facilitates a contextualized evaluation of Rumi’s teachings on walāya, which had already attracted a range of views before his time. In the process, the book enables a fresh evaluation of the influential early Sufi manuals in their historical context, while also highlighting the significance for juridico-theological scholars of fundamental dogma, such as “the Seal of Prophethood” (khatm al-nubuwwa) in the process of consolidating their own dominance.
Lloyd Ridgeon
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- March 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780748641826
- eISBN:
- 9780748653249
- Item type:
- book
- Publisher:
- Edinburgh University Press
- DOI:
- 10.3366/edinburgh/9780748641826.001.0001
- Subject:
- Society and Culture, Middle Eastern Studies
How did medieval Sufis express their system of everyday morality? Sufism attracts much attention in the West, yet its ethical dimension is often overlooked. Jawanmardi – a key element of Persian ...
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How did medieval Sufis express their system of everyday morality? Sufism attracts much attention in the West, yet its ethical dimension is often overlooked. Jawanmardi – a key element of Persian Sufism – was the ethic that encouraged the Sufi to put others before himself and to overlook the sins committed by others, representing a humane and liberal understanding of Islam. Many writers in the Persian tradition wrote about jawanmardi, and this book presents three of the key medieval texts in translation: Kitab al-futuwwa by Shihab al-Din Umar Suhrawardi, Futuwwat nama of Mirza 'Abd al-'Azim Khan Qarib, and Risala-yi Hatim al-Tayy by Husayn Wa'iz-i Kashifi. The texts are drawn from across the medieval period, reflecting different timeframes and audiences. This allows the reader to identify shifts in the ethic of jawanmardi and Sufism more generally. An introduction highlights the main contours and developments of jawanmardi, and each text is prefaced by a contextualising introduction including information about the author. The texts reflect the political, social, and gender issues of the time.Less
How did medieval Sufis express their system of everyday morality? Sufism attracts much attention in the West, yet its ethical dimension is often overlooked. Jawanmardi – a key element of Persian Sufism – was the ethic that encouraged the Sufi to put others before himself and to overlook the sins committed by others, representing a humane and liberal understanding of Islam. Many writers in the Persian tradition wrote about jawanmardi, and this book presents three of the key medieval texts in translation: Kitab al-futuwwa by Shihab al-Din Umar Suhrawardi, Futuwwat nama of Mirza 'Abd al-'Azim Khan Qarib, and Risala-yi Hatim al-Tayy by Husayn Wa'iz-i Kashifi. The texts are drawn from across the medieval period, reflecting different timeframes and audiences. This allows the reader to identify shifts in the ethic of jawanmardi and Sufism more generally. An introduction highlights the main contours and developments of jawanmardi, and each text is prefaced by a contextualising introduction including information about the author. The texts reflect the political, social, and gender issues of the time.
Michael Laffan
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- October 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780691145303
- eISBN:
- 9781400839995
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Princeton University Press
- DOI:
- 10.23943/princeton/9780691145303.003.0001
- Subject:
- History, Asian History
This introductory chapter documents what is known of the process of Islamization across Indonesia and argues that the present knowledge is informed in large part by the acceptance of the ...
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This introductory chapter documents what is known of the process of Islamization across Indonesia and argues that the present knowledge is informed in large part by the acceptance of the retrospective framings and validations of seventeenth-century Sufi teachings that emphasized a mystical connection between the Prophet and a learned elite patronized by regal authorities. Numerous difficulties beset any attempt at plotting a straightforward history of the conversion and Islamization of Indonesia's many diverse peoples up to the middle of the eighteenth century. What does emerge is a sense that certain key courts took on the mantle of defenders of Islam and regularly sought validation from beyond their shores, most preferably from the person of the Prophet's lineal descendants in Mecca and the scholars associated with them. Regardless of how it was achieved or subsequently justified, Islamization brought the power of international connections that linked the Indian Ocean and China Sea ever more closely together.Less
This introductory chapter documents what is known of the process of Islamization across Indonesia and argues that the present knowledge is informed in large part by the acceptance of the retrospective framings and validations of seventeenth-century Sufi teachings that emphasized a mystical connection between the Prophet and a learned elite patronized by regal authorities. Numerous difficulties beset any attempt at plotting a straightforward history of the conversion and Islamization of Indonesia's many diverse peoples up to the middle of the eighteenth century. What does emerge is a sense that certain key courts took on the mantle of defenders of Islam and regularly sought validation from beyond their shores, most preferably from the person of the Prophet's lineal descendants in Mecca and the scholars associated with them. Regardless of how it was achieved or subsequently justified, Islamization brought the power of international connections that linked the Indian Ocean and China Sea ever more closely together.
Michael Laffan
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- October 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780691145303
- eISBN:
- 9781400839995
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Princeton University Press
- DOI:
- 10.23943/princeton/9780691145303.003.0002
- Subject:
- History, Asian History
This chapter examines how, in the eighteenth century, more formalized structures of learning were established in the archipelago as Southeast Asian scholars began to participate increasingly in ...
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This chapter examines how, in the eighteenth century, more formalized structures of learning were established in the archipelago as Southeast Asian scholars began to participate increasingly in Middle Eastern networks. It describes a subsequent eighteenth-century trend; namely a reaction to the popularity of the Medina-oriented muhaqqiqin that would lay the groundwork for what would become the standard Islamic curriculum of Southeast Asia. This was particularly clear in the wealthy port of Palembang, where the Sammaniyya order would play its part in developing Sufi scholarship and correctives. Yet again emphasis would be placed on restricting access to abstruse philosophical treatises to an elect and discouraging the dissemination of popular earlier texts and allied romances, which the Malays would nonetheless continue to support.Less
This chapter examines how, in the eighteenth century, more formalized structures of learning were established in the archipelago as Southeast Asian scholars began to participate increasingly in Middle Eastern networks. It describes a subsequent eighteenth-century trend; namely a reaction to the popularity of the Medina-oriented muhaqqiqin that would lay the groundwork for what would become the standard Islamic curriculum of Southeast Asia. This was particularly clear in the wealthy port of Palembang, where the Sammaniyya order would play its part in developing Sufi scholarship and correctives. Yet again emphasis would be placed on restricting access to abstruse philosophical treatises to an elect and discouraging the dissemination of popular earlier texts and allied romances, which the Malays would nonetheless continue to support.
Michael Laffan
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- October 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780691145303
- eISBN:
- 9781400839995
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Princeton University Press
- DOI:
- 10.23943/princeton/9780691145303.003.0003
- Subject:
- History, Asian History
This chapter discusses the rise, largely in the nineteenth century, of a new form of populist authority that expanded the scope of Islamic activity beyond the reach of ever more marginalized courts. ...
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This chapter discusses the rise, largely in the nineteenth century, of a new form of populist authority that expanded the scope of Islamic activity beyond the reach of ever more marginalized courts. Indonesian Islam, supported in some instances by a growing native economy, moves away from court-mandated orthodoxy towards a closer connection with Mecca and the Middle East mediated by independent teachers. In some instances, these independent religious masters were able to prosper and to adapt to new modes of Sufi organization that saw the adoption of the tariqas in favor in the Ottoman Empire. By the century's end, the Naqshbandis in particular were exploring new ways of broadening their constituencies. These included somewhat controversial short-courses of instruction and the dissemination of printed materials that were increasingly available to a pesantren-schooled section of the public.Less
This chapter discusses the rise, largely in the nineteenth century, of a new form of populist authority that expanded the scope of Islamic activity beyond the reach of ever more marginalized courts. Indonesian Islam, supported in some instances by a growing native economy, moves away from court-mandated orthodoxy towards a closer connection with Mecca and the Middle East mediated by independent teachers. In some instances, these independent religious masters were able to prosper and to adapt to new modes of Sufi organization that saw the adoption of the tariqas in favor in the Ottoman Empire. By the century's end, the Naqshbandis in particular were exploring new ways of broadening their constituencies. These included somewhat controversial short-courses of instruction and the dissemination of printed materials that were increasingly available to a pesantren-schooled section of the public.
Michael Laffan
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- October 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780691145303
- eISBN:
- 9781400839995
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Princeton University Press
- DOI:
- 10.23943/princeton/9780691145303.003.0006
- Subject:
- History, Asian History
This chapter shows that a parallel framing of the Indies as a missionary field was crucial in informing, and sometimes challenging the colonial enterprises. In many instances, Dutch missionaries saw ...
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This chapter shows that a parallel framing of the Indies as a missionary field was crucial in informing, and sometimes challenging the colonial enterprises. In many instances, Dutch missionaries saw a chance for Christianizing the natives given what appeared to them as the natives' weak understanding and practice of Islam, arguing that the Javanese could not be considered Muslims for their “Islam” fell far short of the Islam they knew from the texts edited by their teachers in Delft. More crucially, however, one can see in their writings tangential and certainly unintended evidence of an active engagement with new modes of thinking, with printing, and with Sufi practices imported from the Middle East—practices that were leading some Javanese to label their neighbors ruddy abangan (red ones) while they themselves identified as spotless putihan (white ones). If anything was clear by 1888, it was that Dutch knowledge of Islam was outdated and far too oriented towards texts above contexts.Less
This chapter shows that a parallel framing of the Indies as a missionary field was crucial in informing, and sometimes challenging the colonial enterprises. In many instances, Dutch missionaries saw a chance for Christianizing the natives given what appeared to them as the natives' weak understanding and practice of Islam, arguing that the Javanese could not be considered Muslims for their “Islam” fell far short of the Islam they knew from the texts edited by their teachers in Delft. More crucially, however, one can see in their writings tangential and certainly unintended evidence of an active engagement with new modes of thinking, with printing, and with Sufi practices imported from the Middle East—practices that were leading some Javanese to label their neighbors ruddy abangan (red ones) while they themselves identified as spotless putihan (white ones). If anything was clear by 1888, it was that Dutch knowledge of Islam was outdated and far too oriented towards texts above contexts.
Michael Laffan
- Published in print:
- 2011
- Published Online:
- October 2017
- ISBN:
- 9780691145303
- eISBN:
- 9781400839995
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Princeton University Press
- DOI:
- 10.23943/princeton/9780691145303.003.0009
- Subject:
- History, Asian History
This chapter discusses the position of those who opposed Snouck's authority, seeing his “ethical” policies for the modernization of the Muslim Indies as a part of a longer-term project of ...
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This chapter discusses the position of those who opposed Snouck's authority, seeing his “ethical” policies for the modernization of the Muslim Indies as a part of a longer-term project of Christianization. In his role as unofficial mufti of the undeniably Muslim Netherlands Indies, Snouck was perceived as servant to state and Islam alike. Such services would irritate the missionaries who had originally provided the scholar with his ethnographic data and a warm welcome. They also angered those Muslims who were not the direct beneficiaries of his policies, most especially those with an interest in connecting with the Ottoman Empire and its periodicals. To that end, it is ironic that their globally oriented attacks on the Dutchman were framed in terms of policing the boundaries of Sufi practice supposedly transgressed by Hasan Mustafa. Moreover, while the missionaries thought Snouck was Islamizing Java, some Arabs feared that his projects were geared to easing a path for Christianity.Less
This chapter discusses the position of those who opposed Snouck's authority, seeing his “ethical” policies for the modernization of the Muslim Indies as a part of a longer-term project of Christianization. In his role as unofficial mufti of the undeniably Muslim Netherlands Indies, Snouck was perceived as servant to state and Islam alike. Such services would irritate the missionaries who had originally provided the scholar with his ethnographic data and a warm welcome. They also angered those Muslims who were not the direct beneficiaries of his policies, most especially those with an interest in connecting with the Ottoman Empire and its periodicals. To that end, it is ironic that their globally oriented attacks on the Dutchman were framed in terms of policing the boundaries of Sufi practice supposedly transgressed by Hasan Mustafa. Moreover, while the missionaries thought Snouck was Islamizing Java, some Arabs feared that his projects were geared to easing a path for Christianity.
Naghmeh Sohrabi
- Published in print:
- 2012
- Published Online:
- May 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780199829705
- eISBN:
- 9780199933341
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199829705.003.0005
- Subject:
- Literature, World Literature, Prose (inc. letters, diaries)
This chapter expands on the book’s interpretive framework by examining two travel accounts written by nondiplomats—a dervish and a merchant—near the end of the nineteenth century. The chapter argues ...
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This chapter expands on the book’s interpretive framework by examining two travel accounts written by nondiplomats—a dervish and a merchant—near the end of the nineteenth century. The chapter argues that the diversification of travelers’ accounts and their distance from the official discourse of the Qajar state allowed for the appearance in the European travelogues of both criticisms of Iran and Iranians, and also of Europe. Travel accounts began to reflect an emerging oppositional discourse of self-deficiency and/or fear over the loss of authenticity, which eventually intersected with the constitutionalists’ call for the reform of the dynasty and the eventual creation of a constitutional monarchy.Less
This chapter expands on the book’s interpretive framework by examining two travel accounts written by nondiplomats—a dervish and a merchant—near the end of the nineteenth century. The chapter argues that the diversification of travelers’ accounts and their distance from the official discourse of the Qajar state allowed for the appearance in the European travelogues of both criticisms of Iran and Iranians, and also of Europe. Travel accounts began to reflect an emerging oppositional discourse of self-deficiency and/or fear over the loss of authenticity, which eventually intersected with the constitutionalists’ call for the reform of the dynasty and the eventual creation of a constitutional monarchy.
Christopher Shackle
- Published in print:
- 2012
- Published Online:
- September 2012
- ISBN:
- 9780198078012
- eISBN:
- 9780199080984
- Item type:
- chapter
- Publisher:
- Oxford University Press
- DOI:
- 10.1093/acprof:oso/9780198078012.003.0016
- Subject:
- History, Indian History
The chapter offers a critique of the continuing influence of Lajwanti Rama Krishna’s pioneering English-language monograph Panjabi Sufi Poets (1938). It is argued that consequent misunderstandings of ...
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The chapter offers a critique of the continuing influence of Lajwanti Rama Krishna’s pioneering English-language monograph Panjabi Sufi Poets (1938). It is argued that consequent misunderstandings of both pre-modern Punjabi literary history and of the Islamic character of early Punjabi Sufi poetry may be corrected by taking account of comparative evidence, including the better preserved later textual and hagiographic materials which are available for the major Sufi poets of the nineteenth century. The comparison with early Sindhi literature is used to illuminate the character of the first Punjabi Sufi poetry by Farid. It is then argued that the major poets of the Mughal period (Shah Husain, Sultan Bahu, and Bullhe Shah) are each to be understood in their own terms, as Sufis rather than as exponents of some universalized Indian spiritual understanding.Less
The chapter offers a critique of the continuing influence of Lajwanti Rama Krishna’s pioneering English-language monograph Panjabi Sufi Poets (1938). It is argued that consequent misunderstandings of both pre-modern Punjabi literary history and of the Islamic character of early Punjabi Sufi poetry may be corrected by taking account of comparative evidence, including the better preserved later textual and hagiographic materials which are available for the major Sufi poets of the nineteenth century. The comparison with early Sindhi literature is used to illuminate the character of the first Punjabi Sufi poetry by Farid. It is then argued that the major poets of the Mughal period (Shah Husain, Sultan Bahu, and Bullhe Shah) are each to be understood in their own terms, as Sufis rather than as exponents of some universalized Indian spiritual understanding.
