Sufism in the West
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Understanding the Concept of Islamic Sufism
Journal of Education & Social Policy Vol. 1 No. 1; June 2014 Understanding the Concept of Islamic Sufism Shahida Bilqies Research Scholar, Shah-i-Hamadan Institute of Islamic Studies University of Kashmir, Srinagar-190006 Jammu and Kashmir, India. Sufism, being the marrow of the bone or the inner dimension of the Islamic revelation, is the means par excellence whereby Tawhid is achieved. All Muslims believe in Unity as expressed in the most Universal sense possible by the Shahadah, la ilaha ill’Allah. The Sufi has realized the mysteries of Tawhid, who knows what this assertion means. It is only he who sees God everywhere.1 Sufism can also be explained from the perspective of the three basic religious attitudes mentioned in the Qur’an. These are the attitudes of Islam, Iman and Ihsan.There is a Hadith of the Prophet (saw) which describes the three attitudes separately as components of Din (religion), while several other traditions in the Kitab-ul-Iman of Sahih Bukhari discuss Islam and Iman as distinct attitudes varying in religious significance. These are also mentioned as having various degrees of intensity and varieties in themselves. The attitude of Islam, which has given its name to the Islamic religion, means Submission to the Will of Allah. This is the minimum qualification for being a Muslim. Technically, it implies an acceptance, even if only formal, of the teachings contained in the Qur’an and the Traditions of the Prophet (saw). Iman is a more advanced stage in the field of religion than Islam. It designates a further penetration into the heart of religion and a firm faith in its teachings. -
Access-Controlled High-Speed Corridor Project, 129 Adib-Moghaddam, Arshin, 19–20 Agwani, M. S., 64 Ahl-I-Hadith Movement
Cambridge University Press 978-1-107-08026-3 - Limits of Islamism: Jamaat-e-Islami in Contemporary India and Bangladesh Maidul Islam Index More information Index 335 Index Access-Controlled High-Speed Corridor ‘available’/‘availability,’ concept of, 10 Project, 129 Awami League, 175–179, 184, 187–188, Adib-Moghaddam, Arshin, 19–20 195, 199, 204, 212, 219, 226, 230–232 Agwani, M. S., 64 Azad, Maulana Abul Kalam, 105 Ahl-i-Hadith movement, 180 Azam, Ghulam, 176, 194, 208, 218, 221 , Ahmed, Akbar, 49 232, 247-248 Ahmed, Justice Shahabuddin, 218 Ahmed, Raisuddin, 146 Alhle-e-Hadees, 113 Baathist regime of Iraq, 18 Ali, Maulana Karamat, 181 Babri Masjid Action Committee, 108 Ali, Maulana Wilayet, 180 Babri mosque demolition, 106 Ali, Mawlana Inayat, 180 Bandung Conference, 31 Ali, Syed Ameer, 181 Bangladesh Ali, T. Arif, 135, 137, 144 altered status quo, politics of, 189 All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimin anti-Ershad movement, 176–177 (AIMIM), 108 anti-Indian sentiments in, 233–234 All India United Democratic Front Constitution of, 176 (AIUDF), 108 disinvestment of profit-making Al-Qaeda, 6–7, 51 ‘state-owned enterprises,’ 201 al-Rāwandī, Ibn, 17 failure of Left movement in, 178–179 al-Rāzī (Rhazes), Abu Bakr, 17 inclusion and exclusion, politics of, Al-Sadr, Moqtada, 30 188 American imperialism, 31, 120 Islam as a political symbol in, protests against, 106–107, 124–125 175–178 vs Jamaat-e-Islami Hind (JIH), 111 Islamic symbols in Bangladeshi Amin, Samir, 11–13, 29, 46, 55, 187–188 politics, 179 Ansari, M. A., 105 Islamist parties in, 204 -
Islamic Liberation Theology Reading List
ISLAMIC LIBERATION THEOLOGY READING LIST Note: In the spirit of robust inquiry and discussion, we chose to present authors from a wide range of intellectual and political commitments, some of whose writings conflict with others, and some we may not even agree with ourselves. This list is not an endorsement of all the texts, authors, and their views, but rather a starting point for critically exploring the place of Islam in liberation, justice, solidarity, and the long work ahead to transform our communities. GENDER, SEXUALITY, AND FEMINISM Sexual Ethics and Islam: Feminist Reflections on Qur'an, Hadith, and Jurisprudence by Kecia Ali Before Homosexuality in the Arab-Islamic World, 1500-1800 by Khaled El- Rouayheb American Muslim Women, Religious Authority, and Activism: More Than a Prayer by Juliane Hammer Women of the Nation: Between Black Protest and Sunni Islam by Dawn-Marie Gibson and Jamillah Karim Homosexuality in Islam: Critical Reflection on Gay, Lesbian and Transgender Muslims by Scott Kugle Politics of Piety: The Islamic Revival and the Feminist Subject by Saba Mahmood Being Muslim: A Cultural History of Women of Color in American Islam by Sylvia Chan-Malik The Veil And The Male Elite: A Feminist Interpretation Of Women's Rights In Islam by Fatima Mernissi The Imperial Harem: Women and Sovereignty in the Ottoman Empire by Leslie P. Peirce Sufi Narratives of Intimacy: Ibn Arabi, Gender and Sexuality by Sa'diyya Shaikh Inside the Gender Jihad: Women's Reform in Islam by Amina Wadud LAW AND THEOLOGY Islamic Family Law in a Changing World: A Global Resource Book by Abdullahi A. -
Iran's Sunnis Resist Extremism, but for How Long?
Atlantic Council SOUTH ASIA CENTER ISSUE BRIEF Iran’s Sunnis Resist Extremism, but for How Long? APRIL 2018 SCHEHEREZADE FARAMARZI ome fifteen million of Iran’s eighty million people are Sunni Muslims, the country’s largest religious minority. Politically and economically disadvantaged, these Sunnis receive relatively lit- tle attention compared with other minorities and are concen- Strated in border areas from Baluchistan in the southeast, to Kurdistan in the northwest, to the Persian Gulf in the south. The flare up of tensions between regional rivals Saudi Arabia and Iran over Lebanon, Syria, Iraq, and Yemen would seem to encourage interest in the state of Iranian Sunnis, if only because the Saudis present them- selves as defenders of the world’s Sunnis, and Iran the self-appointed champion of the Shia cause. So how do Iran’s Sunnis fare in a state where Shia theology governs al- most every aspect of life? How have they been affected by this regional rivalry? Are they stuck between jihadist and other extreme regional Sunni movements on the one hand, and the Shia regime’s aggres- sive policies on the other? Is there a danger that these policies could push some disgruntled Iranian Sunnis toward militancy and terrorism? A tour of Turkmen Sahra in the northeast of Iran near the Caspian Sea, and in Hormozgan on the Persian Gulf in 2015 and 2016 revealed some of the answers. More recent interviews were conducted by phone and in person in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and with European-based experts. “Being a Sunni in Iran means pain, fear, anxiety, restrictions,”1 said a young The Atlantic Council’s South woman in a southern Hormozgan village. -
Turkomans Between Two Empires
TURKOMANS BETWEEN TWO EMPIRES: THE ORIGINS OF THE QIZILBASH IDENTITY IN ANATOLIA (1447-1514) A Ph.D. Dissertation by RIZA YILDIRIM Department of History Bilkent University Ankara February 2008 To Sufis of Lāhijan TURKOMANS BETWEEN TWO EMPIRES: THE ORIGINS OF THE QIZILBASH IDENTITY IN ANATOLIA (1447-1514) The Institute of Economics and Social Sciences of Bilkent University by RIZA YILDIRIM In Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY in THE DEPARTMENT OF HISTORY BILKENT UNIVERSITY ANKARA February 2008 I certify that I have read this thesis and have found that it is fully adequate, in scope and in quality, as a thesis for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in History. …………………….. Assist. Prof. Oktay Özel Supervisor I certify that I have read this thesis and have found that it is fully adequate, in scope and in quality, as a thesis for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in History. …………………….. Prof. Dr. Halil Đnalcık Examining Committee Member I certify that I have read this thesis and have found that it is fully adequate, in scope and in quality, as a thesis for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in History. …………………….. Prof. Dr. Ahmet Yaşar Ocak Examining Committee Member I certify that I have read this thesis and have found that it is fully adequate, in scope and in quality, as a thesis for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in History. …………………….. Assist. Prof. Evgeni Radushev Examining Committee Member I certify that I have read this thesis and have found that it is fully adequate, in scope and in quality, as a thesis for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in History. -
My Favorite Rumi
My Favorite Rumi selected by Jason Espada 1 Preface In the early 1980’s, I had the incomparable good fortune of finding Rumi’s poetry. Since that time, it’s been a faithful companion; at times a stern teacher, and most often, just the right, delightful medicine. Like a letter from a dear friend, it has always been Rumi’s poetry that reminds me the most of my true home. These last couple of years I’ve had the thought of assembling my favorite Rumi to share with both fellow lovers of his poetry, and especially those who have never read or even heard of him. I’ve been able to make shorter collections of the poetry of Hafiz and Pablo Neruda, to share with others, but with Rumi it’s been more of a challenge. For one thing, I have more of his poetry to choose from. But more than this, Rumi is the poet who is closest to my own heart, and so naturally I really want to get this right. At some point though, not being able to do something perfectly is no excuse for not acting. This is the best I can do right now, and so I send this out into the world with the wish that others receive at least some of the same joy, nourishment and inspiration I have over the years. Who knows? Dear reader, perhaps meeting Rumi’s poetry, the door will open for you, and all the riches he encourages us to know will be yours. It’s with good reason that great works are always in season. -
Regional Implications of Shi'a Revival in Iraq
Vali Nasr Regional Implications of Shi‘a Revival in Iraq Since regime change disenfranchised the Sunni minority leader- ship that had ruled Iraq since the country’s independence in 1932 and em- powered the Shi‘a majority, the Shi‘a-Sunni competition for power has emerged as the single greatest determinant of peace and stability in post-Saddam Iraq. Iraq’s sectarian pains are all the more complex because reverberations of Shi‘a empowerment will inevitably extend beyond Iraq’s borders, involv- ing the broader region from Lebanon to Pakistan. The change in the sectar- ian balance of power is likely to have a far more immediate and powerful impact on politics in the greater Middle East than any potential example of a moderate and progressive government in Baghdad. The change in the sec- tarian balance of power will shape public perception of U.S. policies in Iraq as well as the long-standing balance of power between the Shi‘a and Sunnis that sets the foundation of politics from Lebanon to Pakistan. U.S. interests in the greater Middle East are now closely tied to the risks and opportunities that will emanate from the Shi‘a revival in Iraq. The competition for power between the Shi‘a and Sunnis is neither a new development nor one limited to Iraq. In fact, it has shaped alliances and de- termined how various actors have defined and pursued their interests in the region for the past three decades. Often overlooked in political analyses of greater Middle Eastern politics, this competition is key to grasping how cur- rent developments in Iraq will shape this region in years to come. -
Rumi Contents Volume 1
Contents In the Beginning 7 Gökalp Kâmil Editor’s Note 11 Leonard Lewisohn Love’s Freedom: A Ghazal from Rumi’s Divan-i Shams-i Tabrizi 16 Translated by Franklin Lewis From Balkh to the Mediterranean: Everyman, Rabbi Eisik, son of Yekel and Jalal al-Din Rumi’s Mathnawi 17 Jalil Nozari Mawlana Jalal al-Din Rumi of R. A. Nicholson 33 Marta Simidchieva Rumi’s Metaphysics of the Heart 69 Mohammed Rustom Don’t Sleep: A Ghazal from Rumi’s Divan-i Shams-i Tabrizi 80 Translated by Paul Losensky The Castle of God is the Centre of the Dervish’s Soul 82 Alberto Fabio Ambrosio The Human Beloved and the Divine Beloved in the Poetry of Mawlana Rumi 100 A. G. Rawan Farhadi The Religion of Love: One Ghazal and Two Quatrains by Rumi 108 Translated by Leonard Lewisohn The Popularity of Mawlana Rumi and the Mawlawi Tradition 109 Ibrahim Gamard The Final Generation: A Tahmîs-i Mutarraf by Ahmed Remzi Dede 122 Roderick Grierson 6 contents The Honey Bee: A Quatrain by Rumi 131 Translated by Michael Zand book reviews Mevlânâ Celâleddîn Rûmî, Mesnevi-i S,erîf S,erhi, trans. and commentary by Ahmed Avni Konuk, ed. Mustafa Tahralı, 13 vols. – Reviewed by Alberto Fabio Ambrosio 132 Seyed Ghahreman Safavi and Simon Weightman, Rumi’s Mystical Design: Reading The Mathnawi, Book One – Reviewed by Coleman Barks 136 Shams-i Tabrizi, Rumi’s Sun: The Teachings of Shams of Tabriz, trans. Refik Algan and Camille Adams Helminski – Reviewed by Mojdeh Bayat and Ali Jamnia 138 Rumi, The Quatrains of Rumi: Rubaciyat-é Jalaluddin Muhammad Balkhi-Rumi; Complete Translation with Persian Text, Islamic Mystical Commentary, Manual of Terms, and Concordance, trans. -
Varieties of South Asian Islam Francis Robinson Research Paper No.8
Varieties of South Asian Islam Francis Robinson Research Paper No.8 Centre for Research September 1988 in Ethnic Relations University of Warwick Coventry CV4 7Al Francis Robinson is a Reader in History at the Royal Holloway and Bedford New College, University of London. For the past twenty years he has worked on Muslim politics and Islamic institutions in South Asia and is the author of many articles relating to these fields. His main books are: Separatism Among Indian Muslims: The Politics of the United Provinces' Muslims 1860-1923 (Cambridge, 1974); Atlas of the Islamic World since 1500 (Oxford, 1982); Islam in Modern South Asia (Cambridge, forthcoming); Islamic leadership in South Asia: The 'Ulama of Farangi Mahall from the seventeenth to the twentieth century (Cambridge, forthcoming). Varieties of South Asian Islam1 Over the past forty years Islamic movements and groups of South Asian origin have come to be established in Britain. They offer different ways, although not always markedly different ways, of being Muslim. Their relationships with each other are often extremely abrasive. Moreover, they can have significantly different attitudes to the state, in particular the non-Muslim state. An understanding of the origins and Islamic orientations of these movements and groups would seem to be of value in trying to make sense of their behaviour in British society. This paper will examine the following movements: the Deobandi, the Barelvi, the Ahl-i Hadith, the Tablighi Jamaat, the Jamaat-i Islami, the Ahmadiyya, and one which is unlikely to be distinguished in Britain by any particular name, but which represents a very important Islamic orientation, which we shall term the Modernist.2 It will also examine the following groups: Shias and Ismailis. -
Elements of Sufism in the Philosophy of the Order: an Examination of The
1 Elements of Sufism in the Philosophy of the Order: An Examination of the Lectures and Writings of Hazrat Inayat-Khan and Zia Inayat-Khan Keenan Nathaniel Field Ashland, Virginia Bachelor of Arts, History, Virginia Commonwealth University, 2015 Bachelor of Arts, Religious Studies, Virginia Commonwealth University, 2015 Associates of Science, J. Sargeant Reynolds Community College, 2013 A Thesis presented to the Graduate Faculty of the University of Virginia in Candidacy for the Degree of Master of Arts Department of Religious Studies University of Virginia December, 2020 Dr. Shankar Nair Dr. Jessica Andruss 2 In 1910, when Hazrat Inayat Khan left India to visit New York and the United States for the first time, he began his journey as a traveling musician, having come from a family of highly respected musicians in Baroda, India. Before long, however, he began publicly teaching a form of primarily Chishti Sufism. The next seventeen years of his life would be spent crisscrossing the Western world giving lectures to thousands of Europeans and Americans in an attempt to spread this philosophical message. This message shifted over those first seventeen years and the subsequent century from one that heavily emphasized specifically Sufi elements of teaching and philosophy to a religious message that placed heavy emphasis on the universal elements that it considered to be the core of all religions. This philosophy is most readily observable and easily understood by studying its current iteration, the Inayattiya, who developed out of a number of schisms and splits in the mid twentieth century and trace their silsila, or spiritual lineage, back to HIK by way of his siblings and cousins, to his son Pir Vilayat Inayat-Khan, and his grandson, the current head, of the Order Pir Zia Inayat-Khan. -
Grade 4 Akhlaq
Madrasat Ahlul’Bait Islamic School Grade 4 Akhlaq Cover Design by: Noor Ali Shia-Muslim Association of Bay Area 1 First Edition (Revision 2.0) First Printing April, 2006 Compilers and Co-Authors: Urooj Kazmi, Chair, Syllabus Committee, Madrasat Ahlul’Bait, Shia-Muslim Association of Bay Area Editors: Urooj Kazmi, Chair Syllabus Committee, Madrasat Ahlul’Bait, Shia-Muslim Association of Bay Area Copyright Free & Non-Profit Notice: Madrasat Ahlul’Bait curriculum material can be freely copied, duplicated, reproduced, quoted, distributed, printed, used in derivative works and saved on any media and platform for non-profit and educational purposes only. A fee no higher than the cost of copying may be charged for the material. Note from Madrasat Ahlul’Bait: The Publishers and the Authors have made every effort to present the Quranic verses, prophetic and masomeen traditions, their explanations and the material from the sources referenced in an accurate, complete and clear manner. We ask for forgiveness from Allah (SWT) and the readers if any mistakes have been overlooked during the review process. Contact Information: Any correspondence related to this publication and all notations of errors or omissions should be addressed to Syllabus Committee, Madrasat Ahlul’Bait, Shia-Muslim Association of Bay Area at [email protected]. Published by: Madrasat Ahlul’Bait Shia-Muslim Association of Bay Area 4415 Fortran Court, San Jose, CA 95134, USA www.saba-igc.org [email protected] LIMIT OF LIABILITY/DISCLAIMER OF WARRANTY: THE PUBLISHER AND THE AUTHORS MAKE NO REPRESENTATIONS OR WARRANTIES WITH RESPECT TO THE ACCURACY OR COMPLETENESS OF THE CONTENTS OF THIS WORK AND SPECIFICALLY DISCLAIM ALL WARRANTIES, INCLUDING WITHOUT LIMITATION WARRANTIES OF FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE. -
The Insan Kamil of Bawa: the Metaphysics of a Tamil Sufi Sheikh
The Insan Kamil of Bawa: The Metaphysics of a Tamil Sufi Sheikh Abstract Al-insan al-kamal or insan kamil is commonly translated as the perfect being, the servant, the universal man, or the perfected being in Islamic mysticism (Buckhardt 1959, 1979; Izutsu 1983; Baldick 1989; Schimmel 1992; Chittick 2000, 2005; Dagli 2004). In this doctrine, the human being is positioned as the isthmus between Allah (God) and the cosmos. A mirror that reflects tawhid (unity) (Chittick 2000) and the barzakh (interface) between God and the world, an insan kamil is the perfected being who preserves the existence of the universe (Baldick 1989). The Tamil Sufi Sheikh Muhammad Raheem Bawa Muhaiyaddeen (d. 1986) reformulated the doctrine of insan kamil when he taught his followers in Sri Lanka, United States and Canada. Bawa, as his adherents referred to him, was a teacher of Sufi-Islam from Sri Lanka who migrated to Philadelphia in the 1970s. The paper explores the paradigm of insan kamil as taught by Bawa, while situating this figure of the insan kamil within classical Sufi thought. The primary goal of this paper is to explore Bawa‘s metaphysical understanding of the human being through themes of the insan kamil as al-qutb (spiritual mediator), the perfect being and the qalb (heart). Keywords: Bawa Muhaiyaddeen, Bawa Muhaiyaddeen Fellowship, Sufism in North America, Insan Kamil, Perfected being, Sufism, Metaphysics 51 The Insan Kamil Introduction1 There was once a powerful king who was childless. In the hope of gaining mercy from God, he promised to perform rituals for twelve years so that God would bless him with a child.