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Books > Humanities > Religion & beliefs > Aspects of religions (non-Christian) > Religious experience > Mysticism
Offering new perspectives on the relationship between Shi'is and
Sufis in modern and pre-modern times, this book challenges the
supposed opposition between these two esoteric traditions in Islam
by exploring what could be called "Shi'i Sufism" and "Sufi-oriented
Shi'ism" at various points in history. The chapters are based on
new research in textual studies as well as fieldwork from a broad
geographical areas including the Indian subcontinent, Anatolia and
Iran. Covering a long period stretching from the early post-Mongol
centuries, throughout the entire Safawid era (906-1134/1501-1722)
and beyond, it is concerned not only with the sphere of the
religious scholars but also with different strata of society. The
first part of the volume looks at the diversity of the discourse on
Sufism among the Shi'i "ulama" in the run up to and during the
Safawid period. The second part focuses on the social and
intellectual history of the most popular Shi'i Sufi order in Iran,
the Ni'mat Allahiyya. The third part examines the relationship
between Shi'ism and Sufism in the little-explored literary
traditions of the Alevi-Bektashi and the Khaksariyya Sufi order.
With contributions from leading scholars in Shi'ism and Sufism
Studies, the book is the first to reveal the mutual influences and
connections between Shi'ism and Sufism, which until now have been
little explored.
Islam is more than a system of rigid doctrines and normative
principles. It is a diverse mosaic of subjective, often
contradictory interpretations and discrepant applications that
prohibit a narrow, one-dimensional approach. This book argues that
to uncover this complex reality and achieve a more accurate
understanding of Islam as a lived religion, it is imperative to
consider Islam from the point of view of human beings who practice
their faith. Consequently, this book provides an important
contribution through a detailed ethnographic study of two
contemporary Sufi communities. Although both groups shared much in
common, there was a fundamental, almost perplexing range of
theological convictions and ritual implementations. This book
explores the mechanism that accounts for such diversity, arguing
for a direct correlation between Sufi multiformity and the agency
of the spiritual leader, the Shaikh. Empirical research regarding
the authority by which Shaikhs subjectively generate legitimate
adaptations that shape the contours of religious belief are
lacking. This study is significant, because it focuses on how
leadership operates in Sufism, highlighting the primacy of the
Shaikh in the selection and appropriation of inherited norms.
An unabridged edition to include: Wherein I Bow to the Reader - A
Prelude to the Quest - A Magician Out of Egypt - I Meet A Messiah -
The Anchorite of the Adyar River - The Yoga Which Conquers Death -
The Sage Who Never Speaks - With The Spiritual Head of South India
- The Hill of the Holy Beacon - Among The Magicians And Holy Men -
The Wonder-Worker of Benares - Written in the Stars - The Garden of
the Lord - At the Parsee Messiah's Headquarters - A Strange
Encounter - In a Jungle Hermitage - Tablets of Forgotten Truth
Scholar, mystic and visionary, Ibn 'Alwan lived through the
transition from Ayyubid to Rasulid rule in thirteenth-century
Yemen. He was well known in his time for his critique of the ruling
elites and their governance, and left behind a substantial body of
writings on Islamic mysticism, theology, law and exegesis of the
Qur'an. Here Muhammad Aziz presents a comprehensive portrait of Ibn
'Alwan, delineating the religious and political background in
Yemen, the development of Sufi orders, the interplay between Sufi,
Shi'i and Sunni traditions, and the impact of Ibn 'Alwan on the
history of Sufism and Islam. The first study of Ibn 'Alwan in
English, "Religion and Mysticism in Early Islam" is essential
reading for all those interested in mysticism, early Islam, Sufism,
and religion and history more generally.
Beneath the battle cries of the jihad and an Islamic politics that
draws attention to a religion of rigid rules and obsessive
devotion, lies the mystical Islam, known as Sufism. What attracts
so many Westerners to the faith, says former convert Ibn
al-Rawandi, is its "heart made of poetry and art, vision and
devotion, that can only be known fully from within." Enchanted by
the metaphysics of Sufism, Rawandi studied and worshiped in Cyprus,
convinced he had found the answers to life's questions. When doubts
emerged for which the traditionalist authors had no answers and the
Salman Rushdie affair divided Islam, Rawandi sought to critically
evaluate Sufism by reviewing its origins and the best arguments for
its views.
In Islamic Mysticism, Rawandi contends that unreliable sources
seriously undermine the classical account of Islam and Sufism. His
detailed study of the philosophy of religion -especially the work
of traditionalists such as RenT Guenon and Frithjof Schuon - helps
to develop a critical analysis of Islam from the inside out.
Particular attention is given to great Islamic mystic Ibn Arabi,
who is taken as representative of Sufism in its highest
development. Rawandi offers a critical, secular perspective on
Sufism and concludes that mystical experience is not a trustworthy
validation of religion.
Especially since the Renaissance, some in Western Christendom have
suspected that the deeper dimension of their tradition has somehow
been lost, and have therefore sought to discover, or create, an
'esoteric' or 'initiatic' Christianity. In the middle of the
nineteenth century two scholars, Gabriele Rossetti and Eugne Aroux,
pointed to certain esoteric meanings in the work of Dante
Alighieri, notably The Divine Comedy. Partly based on their
scholarship, Gunon in 1925 published The Esoterism of Dante. From
the theses of Rosetti and Aroux, Gunon retains only those elements
that prove the existence of such hidden meanings; but he also makes
clear that esoterism is not 'heresy' and that a doctrine reserved
for an elite can be superimposed on the teaching given the faithful
without standing in opposition to it. One of Ren Gunon's lifelong
quests was to discover, or revive, the esoteric, initiatory
dimension of the Christian tradition. In the present volume, along
with its companion volume Insights into Christian Esoterism (which
includes the separate study Saint Bernard), Gunon undertakes to
establish that the three parts of The Divine Comedy represent the
stages of initiatic realization, exploring the parallels between
the symbolism of the Commedia and that of Freemasonry,
Rosicrucianism, and Christian Hermeticism, and illustrating Dante's
knowledge of traditional sciences unknown to the moderns: the
sciences of numbers, of cosmic cycles, and of sacred astrology. In
these works Gunon also touches on the all-important question of
medieval esoterism and discusses the role of sacred languages and
the principle of initiation in the Christian tradition, as well as
such esoteric Christian themes and organizations as the Holy Grail,
the Guardians of the Holy Land, the Sacred Heart, the Fedeli
d'Amore and the 'Courts of Love', and the Secret Language of Dante.
In addition to Dante, various other paths toward a possible
Christian esoterism have been explored by many investigators-the
legend of the Holy Grail, the Knights Templars, the tradition of
Courtly Love, Freemasonry, Rosicrucianism, and Christian
Hermeticism-and Gunon deals with all of these in the present volume
as well as his Insights into Christian Esoterism. In the latter,
one chapter in particular, 'Christianity and Initiation', will be
of special interest with regard to the history of the
Traditionalist School. When first published as an article, it gave
rise to some controversy because Gunon here reaffirmed his denial
of the efficacy of the Christian sacraments as rites of initiation,
a point of divergence between the teachings of Gunon and those of
other key perennialist thinkers. Both The Esoterism of Dante and
Insights into Christian Esoterism will be of inestimable value to
all who are struggling to come to terms with the fullness of the
Christian tradition.
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Sophia
(Hardcover)
John Pordage; Introduction by Arthur Versluis
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Tis title provides impressive dossier on the phenomenon of
Saturnism, offering a new interpretation of aspects of Judaism,
including the emergence of Sabbateanism. This book explores the
phenomenon of Saturnism, namely the belief that the planet Saturn,
as described by ancient astrology, influenced Jews, reverberating
into Jewish life. Taking into consideration the astrological
aspects of Judaism, Moshe Idel demonstrates that they were
instrumental in the conviction that Sabbatei Tzevei, the
mid-17th-century messianic figure in Rabbinic Judaism, was indeed
the Messiah. Offering a new approach to the study of this
mass-movement known as Sabbateanism, Idel also explores the
possible impact of astrology on the understanding of Sabbath as
related to sorcery and thus to the concept of the encounter of
witches in the late 14th and early 15th century. This book further
analyzes aspects of 20th-century scholarship and thought influenced
by Saturnism, particularly lingering themes in the works of Gershom
Scholem and seminal figure Walter Benjamin. "The Robert and Arlene
Kogod Library of Judaic Studies" publishes new research which
provides new directions for modern Jewish thought and life and
which serves to enhance the quality of dialogue between classical
sources and the modern world. This book series reflects the mission
of the Shalom Hartman Institute, a pluralistic research and
leadership institute, at the forefront of Jewish thought and
education. It empowers scholars, rabbis, educators and layleaders
to develop new and diverse voices within the tradition, laying
foundations for the future of Jewish life in Israel and around the
world.
Zvi Mark uncovers previously unknown and never-before-discussed
aspects of Rabbi Nachman's personal spiritual world. The first
section of the book, Revelation, explores Rabbi Nachman's spiritual
revelations, personal trials and spiritual experiments. Among the
topics discussed is the powerful "Story of the Bread," wherein
Rabbi Nachman receives the Torah as did Moses on Mount Sinai - a
story that was kept secret for 200 years. The second section of the
book, Rectification, is dedicated to the rituals of rectification
that Rabbi Nachman established. These are, principally, the
universal rectification, the rectification for a nocturnal emission
and the rectification to be performed during pilgrimage to his
grave. In this context, the secret story, "The Story of the Armor,"
is discussed. The book ends with a colorful description of Bratzlav
Hasidism in the 21st century.
In the sixteenth century, the famous kabbalist Isaac Luria
transmitted a secret trove of highly complex mystical practices to
a select groups of students. These meditations were designed to
capitalize on sleep and death states in order to effectively split
one's soul into multiple parts, and which, when properly performed,
permitted the adept to free oneself from the cycle of rebirth.
Through an in-depth analysis of these contemplative practices
within the broader context of Lurianic literature, Zvi Ish-Shalom
guides us on a penetrating scholarly journey into a realm of
mystical teachings and practices never before available in English,
illuminating a radically monistic vision of reality at the heart of
Kabbalistic metaphysics and practice.
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