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Books > Religion & Spirituality > Aspects of religions (non-Christian) > Religious experience > Mysticism
Exploring the diverse myriad of female religious identities that
exist within the various branches of the Moroccan Sufi Order,
Qadiriyya Budshishiyya, today, this book evidences a wide array of
religious identities, from those more typical of Berber culture, to
those characterised by a 'sober' approach to Sufism, as well as
those that denote New Age eclecticism. The book researches the ways
in which religious discourses are corporeally endorsed. After
providing an overview of the Order historically and today,
enunciating the processes by which this local tariqa from
North-eastern Morocco has become the international organization
that it is now, the book explores the religious body in movement,
in performance, and in relation to the social order. It analyses
pilgrimage by assessing the annual visit that followers of Hamza
Budshish make to the central lodge of the Order in Madagh; it
explores bodily religious enactments in ritual performance, by
discussing the central practices of Sufi ritual as manifested in
the Budshishiyya, and delves attention into diverse understandings
of faith healing and health issues. Women and Sufism provides a
detailed insight into religious healing, sufi rituals and sufi
pilgrimage, and is essential reading for those seeking to
understand Islam in Morocco, or those with an interest in
Anthropology and Middle East studies more generally.
First published in 1998. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor &
Francis, an informa company.
Sehrengiz is an Ottoman genre of poetry written in honor of various
cities and provincial towns of the Ottoman Empire from the early
sixteenth century to the early eighteenth century. This book
examines the urban culture of Ottoman Istanbul through Sehrengiz,
as the Ottoman space culture and traditions have been shaped by a
constant struggle between conflicting groups practicing political
and religious attitudes at odds. By examining real and imaginary
gardens, landscapes and urban spaces and associated ritualized
traditions, the book questions the formation of Ottoman space
culture in relation to practices of orthodox and heterodox Islamic
practices and imperial politics. The study proposes that Azehrengiz
was a subtext for secret rituals, performed in city spaces,
carrying dissident ideals of Melami mysticism; following after the
ideals of the thirteenth century Sufi philosopher Ibn al-'Arabi who
proposed a theory of 'creative imagination' and a three-tiered
definition of space, the ideal, the real and the intermediary
(barzakh). In these rituals, marginal groups of guilds emphasized
the autonomy of individual self, and suggested a novel proposition
that the city shall become an intermediary space for reconciling
the orthodox and heterodox worlds. In the early eighteenth century,
liminal expressions of these marginal groups gave rise to new urban
rituals, this time adopted by the Ottoman court society and by
affluent city dwellers and expressed in the poetry of NedA (R)m.
The author traces how a tradition that had its roots in the early
sixteenth century as a marginal protest movement evolved until the
early eighteenth century as a movement of urban space reform.
The Deoband movement-a revivalist movement within Sunni Islam that
quickly spread from colonial India to Pakistan, Afghanistan,
Bangladesh, and even the United Kingdom and South Africa-has been
poorly understood and sometimes feared. Despite being one of the
most influential Muslim revivalist movements of the last two
centuries, Deoband's connections to the Taliban have dominated the
attention it has received from scholars and policy-makers alike.
Revival from Below offers an important corrective, reorienting our
understanding of Deoband around its global reach, which has
profoundly shaped the movement's history. In particular, the author
tracks the origins of Deoband's controversial critique of Sufism,
how this critique travelled through Deobandi networks to South
Africa, as well as the movement's efforts to keep traditionally
educated Islamic scholars (`ulama) at the center of Muslim public
life. The result is a nuanced account of this global religious
network that argues we cannot fully understand Deoband without
understanding the complex modalities through which it spread beyond
South Asia.
An enduring educational concern that has plagued researchers and
policy makers in a number of affluent countries is the endemic
nature of educational inequalities. These inequalities highlight
distinct differences in the educational skills, knowledge,
capabilities and credentials between learners' demographic
characteristics. They also point to issues of educational
disadvantage that emanate from a combination of factors including
family life, communities, the geographies of space and place,
gender and ethnicity. This book examines some of the causes and
responses to educational inequalities, and focuses upon poor urban
contexts where educational disadvantage is at its most
concentrated, and where educational policy and practice has, over
time, proliferated. It questions how wider inequities experienced
by young people in urban contexts generate educational inequalities
and disadvantage, detailing explicitly what an equitable approach
to education might look like. Included in the book is an innovative
educational equity framework and toolkit with illustrative policy
and practice case studies, bringing together unique scholarship and
analysis to examine future educational policy in a holistic,
comprehensive and equitable way. It will be valuable reading for
postgraduate students, researchers and policy makers with an
interest in education and educational equity.
Winner of the Albert Hourani Book Award Sufis created the most
extensive Muslim revivalist network in Asia before the twentieth
century, generating a vibrant Persianate literary, intellectual,
and spiritual culture while tying together a politically fractured
world. In a pathbreaking work combining social history, religious
studies, and anthropology, Waleed Ziad examines the development
across Asia of Muslim revivalist networks from the eighteenth to
the twentieth centuries. At the center of the story are the
Naqshbandi-Mujaddidi Sufis, who inspired major reformist movements
and articulated effective social responses to the fracturing of
Muslim political power amid European colonialism. In a time of
political upheaval, the Mujaddidis fused Persian, Arabic, Turkic,
and Indic literary traditions, mystical virtuosity, popular
religious practices, and urban scholasticism in a unified yet
flexible expression of Islam. The Mujaddidi "Hidden Caliphate," as
it was known, brought cohesion to diverse Muslim communities from
Delhi through Peshawar to the steppes of Central Asia. And the
legacy of Mujaddidi Sufis continues to shape the Muslim world, as
their institutional structures, pedagogies, and critiques have
worked their way into leading social movements from Turkey to
Indonesia, and among the Muslims of China. By shifting attention
away from court politics, colonial actors, and the standard
narrative of the "Great Game," Ziad offers a new vision of Islamic
sovereignty. At the same time, he demonstrates the pivotal place of
the Afghan Empire in sustaining this vast inter-Asian web of
scholastic and economic exchange. Based on extensive fieldwork
across Afghanistan, Uzbekistan, and Pakistan at madrasas, Sufi
monasteries, private libraries, and archives, Hidden Caliphate
reveals the long-term influence of Mujaddidi reform and revival in
the eastern Muslim world, bringing together seemingly disparate
social, political, and intellectual currents from the Indian Ocean
to Siberia.
Both in everyday language and religious metaphor, the heart
often embodies the true self and is considered to be the seat of
emotion in many cultures. Many Muslim thinkers have attempted to
clarify the nature of Sufism using its metaphorical image,
particularly in the tenth and eleventh centuries.
This book examines the work of Ab T lib al-Makk and his wider
significance within the Sufi tradition, with a focus on the role of
the heart. Analysing his most significant work, "Q t al-qul b" (
The Nourishment of Hearts ), the author goes beyond an examination
of the themes of the book to explore its influence not only in the
writing of Sufis, but also of Hanbal and Jewish scholars.
Providing a comprehensive overview of the world of al-Makk and
presenting extracts from his book on religious characteristics of
the heart with selected passages in translation for the first time
in English, this book will give readers a better understanding not
only of the essential features of Sufism, but also the nature of
mysticism and its relation to monotheistic faiths.
Providing a unique anthropological perspective on Jewish mysticism
and magic, this book is a study of Jewish rites and rituals and how
the analysis of early literature provides the roots for
understanding religious practices. It includes analysis on the
importance of sacrifice, amulets, and names, and their underlying
cultural constructs and the persistence of their symbolic
significance.
Rabbi Aryeh Kaplan has translated Sefer Yetzirah, the oldest and
most mysterious of all kabbalistic texts, and now brings its
theoretical, meditative, and magical implications to light. He
expounds on the dynamics of the spiritual domain, the worlds of the
Sefirot, souls, and angels. When properly understood, Sefer
Yetzirah becomes the instruction manual for a very special type of
meditation meant to strengthen concentration and to aid the
development of telekinetic and telepathic powers. --This text
refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
The 38th chapter of the Revival of the Religious Sciences, this
treatise follows on from "Al-Ghazali on Intention, Sincerity &
Truthfulness." Here, Ghazali focuses on the different stations of
steadfastness in religion (murabaha), vigilance and
self-examination being its cornerstones. As in all his writings,
Ghazali bases his arguments on the Qur an, the example of the
Prophet, and the sayings of numerous scholars and Sufis. As
relevant today as it was in the 11th century, this discourse will
be of interest to anyone concerned with ethics and moral
philosophy."
Many biographers have written about Muhammad, the Prophet of Islam,
but none have employed this literary device to relate his story in
detail. The Beloved Prophet: An Illustrated Biography in Rhyme is a
story overflowing with emotion and sentiment, presented in the most
compressed literary style. This is not the only element that sets
this unique biography apart. Combined with these verses are
beautiful hand-drawn artwork that further animates the spirit of
this profound story. The book comprises of fifty-two chapters, each
with its corresponding artwork, 624 stanzas and 2,496 verses to
delight a variety of palates ranging from the young to the old.
"Elizabeth Clare Prophet's book is a masterpiece. The rich
tradition of the Kabbalah comes to life in a language that is
accessible even to those unfamiliar with this ancient and classic
tradition." Caroline Myss, Ph.D., NY Times bestselling author of
"Anatomy of the Spirit."
An interpretative translation by Shaykh Tosun Bayrak of "Sirr
al-Asrar" by Hadrat Abd al-Qadir al-Jilani (1077-1166AD),
considered by many to be one of the greatest saints of Islam and
the eponymous founder of the Qadiriyya order. This book, appearing
in English for the first time, contains the very essence of Sufism,
giving a Sufi explanation of how the outward practises of
Islam--prayer, fasting, almsgiving and pilgrimage--contain a wealth
of inner dimension which must be discovered and enjoyed if external
actions are to be performed in a manner pleasing to God. When this
is achieved the soul finds true peace and the spiritual life
becomes complete.
Judah Loew, better known as the Maharal of Prague, was a pivotal
personality in late medieval European Judaism. Best known from the
popular legend that credited him with the creation of a golem - an
artificial human with superhuman powers - his true importance lay
in his comprehensive exposition of a unique expression of Jewish
mystical theology, his call for a reformation of Jewish communal
life, and his influence on subsequent Jewish life and thought.
Byron Sherwin's lucid exposition of the life, legend, works, and
ideas developed in Loew's massive writings 'reveals the concealed'
by unravelling the often obscure nature of his mystical theology,
his polemical jousts against past and contemporary Jewish scholars,
and his innovative programme for social and educational reform.
Abu Hamid Muhammad al-Ghazzali (1058-1111) is one of the most
important religious figures in Islamic history. He is particularly
noted for his brilliant synthesis of mysticism and traditional
Sunni Islam. Ghazzali's "The Alchemy of Happiness", written toward
the end of his life, provides a succinct introduction to both the
theory and practice of Sufism (Islamic mysticism). It thus offers
many insights into traditional Muslim society. This translation is
fully annotated for readers unfamiliar with Ghazzali and includes
an introduction to his life and historical milieu.
Abu Hamid Muhammad al-Ghazzali (1058-1111) is one of the most
important religious figures in Islamic history. He is particularly
noted for his brilliant synthesis of mysticism and traditional
Sunni Islam. Ghazzali's "The Alchemy of Happiness", written toward
the end of his life, provides a succinct introduction to both the
theory and practice of Sufism (Islamic mysticism). It thus offers
many insights into traditional Muslim society. This translation is
fully annotated for readers unfamiliar with Ghazzali and includes
an introduction to his life and historical milieu.
'Ibn Arabi: The Voyage of No Return' is a concise introduction to
the life and thought of Ibn 'Arabi, who is considered as the
'Greatest of Sufi Masters'. Written by the author of a best-selling
biography of Ibn 'Arabi, 'Ibn Arabi: The Voyage of No Return'
traces the major events of Ibn 'Arabi's life: his conversion to
Sufism; his travels around Andalusia and the Maghreb; his meetings
with the saints of his time; his journey to Mecca; his travels in
Egypt, Palestine, Mesopotamia, Anatolia and Syria; his most
important books. The events of Ibn 'Arabi's 'inner voyage',
however, are far more spectacular than those of his outer life and
are here presented directly from the many auto-biographical
sections found in his writings. Through her detailed analysis of
Ibn Arabi's works and her profound understanding of his ideas,
Claude Addas gives us a comprehensive insight into the major
doctrines of this most influential of Sufi masters: the doctrine of
prophethood and sainthood, of inheritance from the prophets, of the
'imaginal world', of the 'unicity of Being', of the 'Seal of the
Saints', and many others.Addas also introduces the main disciples
of Ibn 'Arabi down to the nineteenth century and traces both his
unequalled influence on the course of Sufism and the controversies
that still surround him till today. 'Ibn 'Arabi: The Voyage of No
Return' is essential reading for anyone interested in Islamic
mysticism and is a genuine contribution to scholarship in this
field. This second edition includes a new preface and an updated
and expanded bibliography.
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