DOCSLIB.ORG

Frequently Asked Questions

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Frequently Asked Questions Frequently Asked Questions (All these below questions have been answered by His Holiness Riaz Ahmed Gohar Shahi) 1. Who is superior among Muslims, Jews and Christians in your perception? 2. Is spiritualism only confined to Islam? 3. Why it is necessary to have permission of heart meditation before starting this practice? 4. What is Muraqaba ( vigilance or transcendental meditation)? 5. How many spiritual entities/ souls are there in a human body and what are their names? 6. What are the functions of spiritual entities inside the human body? 7. Sarkar, Imam Mahdi will have miracles (karamat) by which people from every religion will recognize him. On the other hand, Dajjal will also have satanic powers e.g. resurrecting the dead. How a believer of miracles (karamat) can distinguish between miracles (karamat) of Mahdiat and tricks of Dajjal? 8. What is the quantity of inner/spiritual and apparent zikr (chanting)? 9. Is it possible to have vision of Prophet Muhammad (SAW) without purifying the Self? Is it also necessary to purify Nafs/self for vision of other prophets and walis (saints)? 10. There has not been any credible announcement established regarding Imam Mahdi [AS]; are the circumstances leading towards this direction that Imam Mahdi [AS] will come in front of the world and make a clear announcement? 11. Please explain about the ‘images’ on Moon, Sun & the Holy Black Stone (Hijr-e-Aswad)? 12. What your teachings are, and what people are actively against you? ?(سید) How the Wali/Saint can become Sayed .13 1. Who is superior among Muslims, Jews and Christians in your perception? There is a belief in every religion that its Prophet has supreme dignity, and the very same belief became the reason of wars among men of book. It is better you should go into the meetings of these Prophets through spirituality then you shall come to know that what dignity is possessed by whom and who is bearing what status. As for as me is concerned, one is admirable and is highly ranked who has love for Allah in ones’ heart, no matter what religion one belongs to. (without love of the beloved, O' Sachal, what is infidelity, what is Islam) Just as your eye hangs about the shining star likewise Allah too notices the shining hearts, it does not matter that those are religious or non religious. Go to Top 2. Is spiritualism only confined to Islam? Infact spirituality is not associated with Religion. It is to awaken the souls/spiritual entities inside human body. Some people use to absorb the light of Moon, Sun even Candle within them and acquire many types of abilities like telepathy, Hypnotism, mesmerism etc but this is connected with creations only. It is not possible to approach the vision of God through these mean/ways. Some people use to absorb the light of the name of God (Allah) within their bodies. They match the name Allah Allah with their heartbeats, then (Noor) the Divine Light ( due to the name Allah Allah) penetrate from blood and approach into the souls, then souls get enlightened by (Noor) the light of God, then through dream or vigilance (transcendental meditation) they starts cognize by God and able to approach different places for stroll, then these souls emerge from state of hear and goes to the state of sight/vision. Go to Top 3. Why it is necessary to have permission of heart meditation before starting this practice? Religions are like Boats and the Scholars are like navigators. If either one is defective it is impossible to reach the destination. However the Saints do take the damaged Boats (people) safely to the shore. It is in fact the remembrance by heart that cannot be performed without permission. You can perform meditation of all attributed names without taking permission, but the personal Name of God "Allah" cannot be performed until allowed. You are saying your supererogatory late night prayers while the devil standing at a corner is laughing since, according to him, your heart is in his hands and he can twist it at his will. And then there comes a time when you think why you cannot say even the essential prayers while earlier you used to say prayers regularly and also perform late night prayers. This all happens because the Satan has diverted your heart. However, you will like that when you perform worship, this personal Name of God of ‘Allah’ should penetrate in your hearts. The Satan is worried because if the personal Name of God of ‘Allah’ enters your heart, then what is left for him, since the light burns the Satan. The Satan has a Hindu force which is ordered by him to go and destroy by any means the person engaged in remembrance of Allah. He orders them to stop that man from incantation of Allah lest it should enter his heart. For this purpose, the Satan first of all enters your homes. Your family members come to know that you repeat Allah and they will oppose you, scare you. When the Satan is not successful in this effort, he will enter house of some prayer leader/priest (moulvi) who will warn you that the remembrance will ruin you. When you still do not obey him, the army of Satan will damage your business. On your continued resistance, they will turn you mad. People will think what happened to this man who used to recite Allah and has now become insane. And mind that if you do the remembrance of heart with the permission of a perfect guide, then the source where you get this remembrance, will be provided with a divine army from Allah. Whenever the satanic forces attack at you, the divine forces will retaliate and they will set in fight and meanwhile you will have the opportunity to perform Allah. If someone is not strong enough to obtain permission, he cannot succeed in the mention of Allah. This is the only meditation of heart through which one can approach God face to face without any veil. Go to Top 4. What is Muraqaba (vigilance or transcendental meditation )? Muraqaba is literally journey/meditation in which the soul leaves the Human body. Many people try to engage in Muraqaba without awakening the spiritual entities (Lataif/Shaktain) and without learning spiritual strength. They either fail to reach the meditative state or become the object of the satanic modalities. The meditation is for illuminated people, whose the self has been modified and the Qalb has been purified. This type of meditation is foolish for common folk, no matter what type of physical worship is used (to achieve this). To collect and gather the strength of the spiritual entities by light and then to travel a place is what is known as Muraqaba. Go to Top 5. How many spiritual entities / souls are there in a human body and what are their names? There are seven types of spiritual entities (Lataif / Shaktain) within a human body. 1) The spiritual entity Qalb (The Heart) 2) The spiritual entity Rooh (The Human Soul) 3) The spiritual entity Sirri (The Secret) 4) The spiritual entity Khaffi (The Hidden) 5) The spiritual entity Akhfa (The Deeply Hidden) 6) The spiritual entity Anna 7) The spiritual entity Nafs (The Ego) Go to Top 6. What are the functions of spiritual entites inside the human body? The entity Akhafa (The deeply hidden) A person speaks due to spiritual entity Akhfa, otherwise a person is dumb even with a normal tongue. The difference between human being and animals is due to this entity. At the time of birth, if Akhfa was unable to enter the body for any reason, the respective Prophet had the duty (to treat the condition), and then the dumb would start to speak. The entity Sirri (The Secret) A person sees due to the spiritual entity Sirri. If it's failing to enter the body, the person is blind from birth. The respective Prophet had the duty to return the spiritual Entity (at the time of birth), then the blind would start to see again. The entity Qalb (The Heart) A person is like an animal, unacquainted, far from God, miserable and purposeless in life without entity Qalb. Returning this entity into the body was the task of the prophets also. The miracles of these prophets were also granted to the saints in the form of marvels, as a result of this the impious and the transgressor reached the Lord. When the respective spiritual entity is returned through any Saint or Prophet, the deaf, dumb and the blind are healed. The entity Anna When the spiritual entity Anna fails to enter the body a person is regarded insane, even though all the nerves of the brain function normally. The entity Khaffi (The Hidden) A person is deaf without the spiritual entity Khaffi entering the body, even if the ear canals are wide open. The physical condition also can cause these defects in the body and are curable. But there is no cure for inborn defects till a Prophet or a Saint patronizes. The entity Nafs (The camal or the Ego) A person turn towards the material world due to Nafs and towards God with Qalb. Go to Top 7. Imam Mahdi will have miracles (karamat) by which people from every religion will recognize him. On the other hand, Dajjal will also have satanic powers e.g. resurrecting the dead. How a believer of miracles (karamat) can distinguish between miracles (karamat) of Mahdiat and tricks of Dajjal? Differentiation is utterly not possible. Thief recognizes a thief, noor(divine light) recognizes noor.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • Mindfulness in the Life of a Muslim ​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​ ​ ​​ ​​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​
    2 | Mindfulness in the Life of a Muslim ​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​ ​ ​​ ​​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Author Biography ​ ​ Justin Parrott has BAs in Physics, English from Otterbein University, MLIS from Kent State University, MRes in Islamic Studies in progress from University of Wales, and is currently Research Librarian for Middle East Studies at NYU in Abu Dhabi. Disclaimer: The views, opinions, findings, and conclusions expressed in these papers and articles are strictly those of the authors. Furthermore, Yaqeen does not endorse any of the personal views of the authors on any platform. Our team is diverse on all fronts, allowing for constant, enriching dialogue that helps us produce high-quality research. ​ ​ ​ ​ Copyright © 2017. Yaqeen Institute for Islamic Research ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ 3 | Mindfulness in the Life of a Muslim ​ ​​ ​​ ​​ ​ ​ ​​ ​​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Introduction In the name of Allah, the Gracious, the Merciful ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ Modern life involves a daily bustle of noise, distraction, and information overload. Our senses are constantly stimulated from every direction to the point that a simple moment of quiet stillness seems impossible for some of us. This continuous agitation hinders us from getting the most out of each moment, subtracting from the quality of our prayers and our ability to remember Allah. ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ We all know that we need more presence in prayer, more control over our wandering minds and desires. But what exactly can we do achieve this? How can we become more mindful in all aspects of our lives, spiritual and temporal? That is where the practice of exercising mindfulness, in the Islamic context of muraqabah, ​ ​ ​ ​ ​ can help train our minds to become more disciplined and can thereby enhance our regular worship and daily activities.
    [Show full text]
  • Sufism in the Western History : a Primary Outline
    Sufism in the Western History : A Primary Outline Andrew Rawlinson University of Lancaster Abstract The phenomenon of Western Sufi teachers is unique, not just because of the individuals themselves, though they are certainly fascinating, but because of what they represent: the flowering of the Western genius, which has discovered Eastern traditions, absorbed them and in the process changed them and been changed by them. This paper is a primary outline of the main contours of this phenomenon, trying to brief its history and attempt an explanation of what it means. Keywords: Sufism, Western Sufism, Mysticism, History of Sufism Introduction About a century ago there were no Western gurus - no Westerners who were Hindu swamis, Zen roshis or Sufi sheikhs. Now there are hundreds. From a standing start, the West has produced its own spiritual teachers in traditions that were originally quite foreign. And in the last 25 years, a number of independent teachers have appeared, who belong to no tradition but teach from themselves. These people are changing Western culture by making available a view of the human condition which is new in the West. This view is based on four principles: - human beings are best understood in terms of consciousness and its modifications, - consciousness can be transformed by spiritual practice, - there are gurus/masters/teachers who have done this, - and they can help others to do the same by some form of transmission. Hundreds of thousands of Westerners now accept this teaching. To begin with, it was propounded by Easterners: Buddhists, Hindus and Sufis. But gradually Westerners began to teach the Buddhist, Hindu and Sufi versions of it.
    [Show full text]
  • Sunnahmuakada.Wordpress.Com Sayyid Rami Al Rifai Issue #4
    Issue #4 The Islamic Journal SunnahMuakada.wordpress.com Sayyid Rami al Rifai Table Of Contents Foward 1) Man Is Always In A State Of Loss In The Universe 2) Ablution (Wudu) Is Worth Half Of Our Iman (Faith) and It's Af- fects On The Unseen (Subatomic) World 3) The Role Of Wudu (Ablution) In Being Happy 4)The Spiritual Imapct Of Perfecting The Self And The Impor- tance of Spiritual Training 5) Allah Himself Is The One Who Categorised The Nafs (Self) 6)The Accupunture Of Asia The Lataif Of Islam and Their Origin Related Material 1) 1001 Years Of Missing Islamic Martial Arts 2) Tariqah's Existed Among The First Generations Of Muslims (Sa- laf) 3) Imam Ibn Kathir and Sufism 4)The Debate Between Ibn Ata Allah and Ibn Taymiyah On Tasaw- wuf i Foward Bismillahi rahmani raheem Assalamu Alaikum, The Islamic Journal is a unique Journal in that it doesn’t follow the usual methods of other academic journals. It came about as a re- sult of a book I was writing called “The Knowledge Behind The Terminology and Concepts in Tassawwuf and It’s Origin”, the title is as descriptive as possible because the book was written in the same style as classical islamic texts, a single document without any chapter’s since they were a later invention which hindered the flow of the book. That book looked into the Islamic science of Ihsan, Human perfec- tion, were it’s terminology and concepts came from, what they mean and the knowledge and science they were based on.
    [Show full text]
  • Lalai Dalam Perspektif Al-Qur'an
    1 LALAI DALAM PERSPEKTIF AL-QUR’AN (Kajian Tafsir Tematik) SKRIPSI Diajukan untuk Memenuhi Persyaratan Memperoleh Gelar Sarjana Agama (S.Ag.) Oleh: Armenia Septiarini NIM: 1113034000025 PROGRAM STUDI ILMU AL-QUR’AN DAN TAFSIR FAKULTAS USHULUDDIN DAN FILSAFAT UNIVERSITAS ISLAM NEGERI SYARIF HIDAYATULLAH JAKARTA 1439 H/ 2018 M PEDOMAN TRANSLITERASI Transliterasi Arab-Latin yang digunakan dalam skripsi ini berpedoman pada buku pedoman penulisan skripsi yang terdapat dalam buku Pedoman Akademik Program Strata 1 tahun 2015-2016 UIN Syarif Hidayatullah Jakarta. a. Padanan Aksara Huruf Arab Huruf Latin Keterangan tidak dilambangkan ا b be ب t te ت ts te dan es ث j je ج h ha dengan garis di bawah ح kh ka dan ha خ d de د dz de dan zet ذ r er ر z zet ز s es س sy es dan ye ش s es dengan garis di bawah ص d de dengan garis di bawah ض t te dengan garis di bawah ط z zet dengan garis di bawah ظ koma terbalik di atas hadap kanan ´ ع gh ge dan ha غ f ef ف q ki ق i ii k ka ك l el ل m em م n en ن w We و h Ha ه Apostrof ̕ ء y Ye ي b. Vokal Vokal dalam bahasa Arab, seperti vokal dalam bahasa Indonesia, terdiri dari vocal tunggal atau monoftong dan vokal rangkap atau diftong. Untuk vocal tunggal, ketentuan alihaksaranya adalah sebagai berikut: Tanda Vokal Arab Tanda Vokal Latin Keterangan A Fathah َ I Kasrah َ U Dammah َ Ada pun untuk vokal rangkap, ketentuan alihaksaranya adalah sebagai berikut: Tanda Vokal Arab Tanda Vokal Latin Keterangan Ai a dan i َ ي Au a dan u َ و Vokal Panjang Ketentuan alihaksara vokal panjang (madd), yang dalam bahasa Arab dilambangkan dengan harakat dan huruf, yaitu: iii TandaVokal Arab TandaVokal Latin Keterangan Ā a dengan garis di atas ى Ī i dengan daris di atas ى ي Ū u dengan garis di atas ىُو Kata Sandang Kata sandang, yang dalam system aksara Arab dilambangkan dengan dialihaksarakan menjadi hurup /l/, baik diikuti huruf ,ال huruf, yaitu syamsiyyah maupun huruf qamariyyah.
    [Show full text]
  • Path(S) of Remembrance: Memory, Pilgrimage, and Transmission in a Transatlantic Sufi Community”
    “Path(s) of Remembrance: Memory, Pilgrimage, and Transmission in a Transatlantic Sufi Community” By Jaison Carter A dissertation submitted in partial satisfaction of the requirements for the degree of Doctor of Philosophy in Anthropology in the Graduate Division of the University of California, Berkeley Committee in charge: Professor Mariane Ferme, Chair Professor Charles Hirschkind Professor Stefania Pandolfo Professor Ula Y. Taylor Spring 2018 Abstract “Path(s) of Remembrance: Memory, Pilgrimage, and Transmission in a Transatlantic Sufi Community” by Jaison Carter Doctor of Philosophy in Anthropology University of California, Berkeley Professor Mariane Ferme, Chair The Mustafawiyya Tariqa is a regional spiritual network that exists for the purpose of assisting Muslim practitioners in heightening their level of devotion and knowledges through Sufism. Though it was founded in 1966 in Senegal, it has since expanded to other locations in West and North Africa, Europe, and North America. In 1994, protegé of the Tariqa’s founder and its most charismatic figure, Shaykh Arona Rashid Faye al-Faqir, relocated from West Africa to the United States to found a satellite community in Moncks Corner, South Carolina. This location, named Masjidul Muhajjirun wal Ansar, serves as a refuge for traveling learners and place of worship in which a community of mostly African-descended Muslims engage in a tradition of remembrance through which techniques of spiritual care and healing are activated. This dissertation analyzes the physical and spiritual trajectories of African-descended Muslims through an ethnographic study of their healing practices, migrations, and exchanges in South Carolina and in Senegal. By attending to manner in which the Mustafawiyya engage in various kinds of embodied religious devotions, forms of indebtedness, and networks within which diasporic solidarities emerge, this project explores the dispensations and transmissions of knowledge to Sufi practitioners across the Atlantic that play a part in shared notions of Black Muslimness.
    [Show full text]
  • The Significance of Traditional Islamic Art for the Life of Muslim Societies in the Modern World
    The Significance of Traditional Islamic Art for the Life of Muslim Societies in the Modern World ٭Hamid Reza Farzanyar Abstract Art has always been regarded as a branch of philosophy where theory and action meet with a view to create new objects. Sacred and traditional art is itself one of the meeting points between philosophy and religion in their symbolic language. Every religion in order to continue to exist should necessarily be possessed of an outward framework in conformity with its inward dimensions. The relevant art of each religion will be responsible for the creation of this framework, including the built spaces with all the objects they embrace. Islam as one of the most widespread religion in the world has been no exception to this rule. The sacred and traditional art of Islam is concerned with the formation of a peaceful and contemplative environment in which the Muslim would never forget the Divine Reality and where the very body of built space, together with all the material objects it contains, conforms to the needs of his spiritual realization. Modern civilization, on the contrary, reduces man to a mere biological phenomenon and cares only for his bodily welfare, in the name of progress. Modernistic art contradicts the mental and spiritual expectations of the Muslim, to the point of suffocating him. For the ordinary Muslim, who needs to be constantly reminded of his inner celestial reality to remain faithful towards Heaven, the disappearance of traditional Islamic art and architecture would amount to forgetfulness, pure and simple, that is to say ghaflah. The purpose of the present Faculty Member of Soore University ٭ E-mail: [email protected] 6 Sophia Perennis, Vol.
    [Show full text]
  • The-Darqawi-Way.Pdf
    The Darqawi Way Moulay al-‘Arabi ad-Darqawi Letters from the Shaykh to the Fuqara' 1 First edition copyright Diwan Press 1979 Reprinted 1981 2 The Darqawi Way Letters from the Shaykh to the Fuqara' Moulay al-‘Arabi ad-Darqawi translated by Aisha Bewley 3 Contents Song of Welcome Introduction Foreword The Darqawi Way Isnad of the Tariq Glossary 4 A Song of Welcome Oh! Mawlay al-‘Arabi, I greet you! The West greets the West — Although the four corners are gone And the seasons are joined. In the tongue of the People I welcome you — the man of the time. Wild, in rags, with three hats And wisdom underneath them. You flung dust in the enemy’s face Scattering them by the secret Of a rare sunna the ‘ulama forgot. Oh! Mawlay al-‘Arabi, I love you! The Pole greets the Pole — The centre is everywhere And the circle is complete. We have danced with Darqawa, Supped at their table, yes, And much, much more, I And you have sung the same song, The song of the sultan of love. Oh! Mawlay al-‘Arabi, you said it! Out in the open you gave the gift. Men drank freely from your jug. The cup passed swiftly, dizzily — Until it came into my hand. I have drunk, I have drunk, I am drinking still, the game Is over and the work is done. What is left if it is not this? 5 This wine that is not air, Nor fire, nor earth, nor water. This diamond — I drink it! Oh! Mawlay al-‘Arabi, you greet me! There is no house in which I sit That you do not sit beside me.
    [Show full text]
  • Der Gottesstaat Des Esad Bey Eine Muḥammad-Biographie Aus Der
    Der Gottesstaat des Esad Bey Eine Muḥammad-Biographie aus der Sicht eines jüdischen Konvertiten zum Islam unter besonderer Berücksichtigung der Dimension des Politischen FARID HAFEZ (Vienna) Abstract Esad Bey’s theocratic state. A Muḥammad biography from the perspective of a Jewish convert to Islam with special consideration for the political dimension. This paper analyses the political dimension of the Muḥammad biography written by Esad Bey (1905– 1942), a.k.a. Leo Noussimbaum, a Jewish convert to Islam, who lived and worked as a writer in Ber- lin/Germany. Esad Bey, a Baku-born (Azerbaijan) Jew, who became a Muslim in an early stage of his life, had written 16 books at the age of 30, one of which became a world-bestseller. Esad Bey was a mostly unkown public figure until Tom REISS finished the first well researched biography in 2008; yet he still continues to relatively unkown to Muslim audience. The biography of Muḥammad was the second biogra- phy of Esad Bey, following his initial biography on Stalin. The biography, that was published in 1932 in German language, is highly influenced by it’s time, the concurring ideologies of fascism and communism as well as the pan-Islamist thinking of Esad Bey. In a time of social assimilation of Jews, Esad Bey chose to emphasize his Muslim identity inwardly as well as outwardly through wearing the traditional Ottoman Fez. The biography Mohammed is the product of a sīrah influenced by the traditional writing of Muslims and that of Orientalists. On one side, Esad Bey tries to make his Western readership of the 1930s more sympathetic to Islam, while on the other side it reads very much as a cry to Muslim political renewal.
    [Show full text]
  • The Archetype of the Tzaddiq in Hasidic Tradition
    THE ARCHETYPE OF THE TZADDIQ IN HASIDIC TRADITION A THESIS SUBMITTED TO THE DEPARTMENT OF RELIGION AT THE UNIVERSITY OF MANITOBA IN CONJUNCTION wlTH THE DEPARTMENT OF RELIGIOUS STUDIES AT THE UNIVERSITY OF WINNIPEG IN CANDIDACY FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF ARTS BY YA'QUB IBN YUSUF August4, 1992 National Library B¡bliothèque nat¡onale E*E du Canada Acquisitions and D¡rection des acquisilions et B¡bliographic Services Branch des services bibliograPhiques 395 Wellinolon Slreêl 395, rue Wellington Oflawa. Oñlario Ottawa (Ontario) KlA ON4 K1A ON4 foùt t¡te vat¡e ¡élëte^ce Ou l¡te Nate élëtenæ The author has granted an L'auteur a accordé une licence irrevocable non-exclusive licence irrévocable et non exclusive allowing the National Library of permettant à la Bibliothèque Canada to reproduce, loan, nationale du Canada de distribute or sell cop¡es of reproduire, prêter, distribuer ou his/her thesis by any means and vendre des copies de sa thèse in any form or format, making de quelque manière et sous this thesis available to interested quelque forme que ce soit pour persons. mettre des exemplaires de cette thèse à la disposition des personnes intéressées. The author retains ownership of L'auteur conserve la propriété du the copyright in his/her thesis. droit d'auteur qui protège sa Neither the thesis nor substantial thèse. Ni la thèse ni des extraits extracts from it may be printed or substantiels de celle-ci ne otherwise reproduced without doivent être imprimés ou his/her permission. autrement reproduits sans son autorisation, ïsBN ø-315-7796Ø-S
    [Show full text]
  • Sufi Interpretation
    Course Syllabus EMT2641HF – Sufi Interpretaons of the Qur'an Emmanuel College Toronto School of Theology Fall 2018 Instructor Informaon Instructor: Sara Abdel-Laf, PhD Candidate Office Locaon: TBD Telephone: Office – TBD E-mail: [email protected] Office Hours: TBD Course Idenficaon Course Number: EMT2641HF Course Format: In-class Course Name: Sufi Interpretaons of the Qur'an Course Locaon: TBD Class Times: Wednesdays 9:00am – 11:00am Prerequisites: N/A Course Descripon This is a themac survey of Sufi exegesis of the Qu’ran. The course explores Sufi metaphysics, hermeneucs, epistemology and pracce as mediated through Sufi interacons with qur’anic meaning. Excerpts from the wrings of a wide range of Sufis and Muslim myscs are analyzed in the context of relevant qur’anic verses. Academic contribuons in the field of Sufism and Qur’anic Studies are used to invesgate the genre of Sufi qur’anic exegesis, pernent themes that inform Sufi theory and praxis, and the relaonship of Sufi scriptural interpretaons to qur’anic exegesis in the broader Islamic tradion. The course consists of lectures, readings and essay assignments. Method of Evaluaon: 40% Final Research Paper, 25% Midterm Paper, 15% Research Paper Proposal, 10% Class Parcipaon, 10% Reading Quizzes. Course Resources Required Course Texts/Bibliography 1. Krisn Zahra Sands, Sufi Commentaries on the Qur’an in Classical Islam (New York: Routledge, 2006). (Available online through the library website) 2. Sahl al-Tustari, Tafsir al-Tustari (Louisville KY: Fons Vitae, 2011). (Available for 1 download online through hp://altafsir.com/index.asp) 3. Abū al-Qāsim al-Qushayrī.
    [Show full text]
  • Institutionalized Sufism and Non-Institutionalized Sufism: a Reconsideration of the Groups of Sufi Saints of the Non-Ṭarīqa T
    イスラーム世界研究 第２巻１号（2008 年）35-46 頁 Institutionalized Sufism and Non-Institutionalized Sufism Kyoto Bulletin of Islamic Area Studies, 2-1 (2008), pp. 35-46 Institutionalized Sufism and Non-Institutionalized Sufism: A Reconsideration of the Groups of Sufi Saints of the Non-Ṭarīqa Type as Viewed through the Historical Documents of Medieval Maghreb KISAICHI Masatoshi* Perhaps the most important innovation in the 12th and 13th century Islamic world was the institutionalization of Sufism. During the years 1150 and 1250, especially with the crisis in Islam caused by the invasion of the Mongols and the fall of the Abbasid Empire, communities of mystics that were heretofore loosely organized groups of disciples following individual spiritual masters were transformed into corporate and increasingly hierarchical entities. The Qādirīya, Rifāʻīya and Suhrawardīya that were born as a result of this later developed into international orders, that would influence the whole Muslim world.1) At around the same period Maghreb society was also facing a crisis of Islam. This was caused by several key factors such as the recapturing of Muslim Spain by the Castilian and Aragonese armies, the progress of Reconquista in the Cordova, Seville, and Valencia regions, and the invasion of the city of Salé in Morocco by the Castilians.2) According to the travel journals of Muḥammad al-ʻAbdarī al-Tilimsānī who set out on a pilgrimage to Mecca in the year 688/1289, pilgrims and caravans had to pay protection money to Arab nomads who were running amok in the outskirts of Tlemcen, in order to be assured a safe passage. Furthermore, the Mediterranean was swarming with Christian pirates, causing the port of Bijaya to fall into disuse [al-ʻAbdarī 1968: 9, 11, 26-27, 64].
    [Show full text]
  • AN APPROACH to GHAZALI's CONVERSION* KOJIRO NAKAMURA** I Notwithstanding That Many Studies Have Been Done on Abu Hamid Al- Ghaza
    AN APPROACH TO GHAZALI'S CONVERSION* KOJIRO NAKAMURA** I Notwithstanding that many studies have been done on Abu Hamid al- Ghazali (1058-1111),(1) his overall picture still remains unclear. This is mainly due to the complicate course of his life and thought, and also to the pro- blem of his alleged esoteric writings whose authenticity has been questioned. He was even believed to be a peripatetic philosopher in the medieval Latin Christendom, rather than a criticizer of Islamic philosophy. (2) The myth of "philosopher Algazel" was completely smashed by Salomo Munk as late as the middle of the last century,(3) but the ghost still lingers about Ghazali's extant "esoteric" works. At the end of the last century, D. B. Macdonald published a monumental work, "The Life of al-Ghazzali, with Expecial Reference to His Religious Experiences and Opinions" (1899).(4) He took Ghazali's "autobiography," al-Munqidh min al-Dalal, as a genuine and reliable source in its essence, and reconstructed thereupon his biography with minor interpretations and supple- mentations according to the other available materials. One of these source materials is al-Murtada al-Zabidi's commentary on Ghazali's Ihya' 'Ulum al- Din, namely, Ithaf al-Sadah al-Muttaqin bi-Sharh Asrar Ihya' 'Ulum al-Din, which was completed in 1787 and just printed in 1894.(5) Al-Zabidi's introduction to this commentary(6) is devoted to Ghazali's life and work, and full of valuable information. Macdonald, in his afore-mentioned article, divides Ghazali's life into two parts before and after the conversion, and regards the former as this-worldly, irreligious, immoral, sceptic, cynical, impious, and the latter as other-worldly, religious, moral, pious, relying on Ghazali's own words written and spoken after the conversion.
    [Show full text]