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1 Islamic Spirituality Hartford Seminary Spring 2019 Instructor: Dr Islamic Spirituality Hartford Seminary Spring 2019 Instructor: Dr. Rose Aslan Office Hours: Course Description: Spirituality/mysticism is an integral aspect of every religious tradition. In recent years, Sufism, or Islamic spirituality has often been described as somehow separate from Islam itself. In this course we will investigate the historical origins of Sufism and look at a sampling of the major concepts and figures from pre-modern tradition. We will chart the evolution of Sufism from personal spiritual practice and experience to the establishment of mystical orders in which, depending on time and place, a large portion of Muslim society participated. Finally, we will turn to the continued importance that Sufism has played in the contemporary Muslim-majority world, with a special focus on Sufism in North America. Required Textbooks: Shambhala Guide to Sufism, Carl Ernst 1 Course Objectives: This course is designed to prepare students for critical reading and writing obligations, both in upper-level courses and in future arenas. It also is designed to familiarize students with and expose students to Sufi thought, literature, and practice. By the end of this class you will: Be able to have an informed discussion about Sufism and its variances throughout history and in the global context Understand the historical context and formation of Sufism Have a sound grasp of the diverse ways in which Muslims engage and practice Sufism Identify the major issues related to the terms in Sufi thought and movements Respond critically to theoretical texts pertaining to Sufism Use religious studies interpretative tools to effectively analyze Sufi texts and practices. In short, this means maintaining a careful balance between analytical curiosity and cultural sensitivity to a variety of viewpoints. It requires you to bracket your own opinions and beliefs about religious movements in order gain an understanding a wide variety of worldviews, histories, and contexts. It also means performing critical analysis on sacred texts, ideas, and practices within the space of cultural and religious sensitivity. Use comparative tools to interpret religious practices and beliefs Lead effective discussions about controversial and sensitive issues Answer the "so what" for everything we cover in class. It is all good and dandy to study the history and movements in Sufism, but we need to understand the relevance of the material we study and why it matters. Consider what you can take away from everything we study and discuss, and how it helps you understand Islam and Muslims in general and religion and religious studies from a comprehensive and wide perspective. Email Policy: I will try and respond to your emails within 24 hours, but please do not expect instantaneous replies. I expect you to write emails in full sentences, I will not respond to emails that start with “hey...” or that are written in SMS English. Written work for the course will never be accepted over e-mail, except in extenuating circumstances with prior approval. Take Note: This syllabus is a blueprint, not a contract. As we get to know each other, I may shift assignments, requirements, and assigned readings. Come, come, whoever you are. Wanderer, worshipper, lover of leaving — it doesn't matter, Ours is not a caravan of despair. Come, even if you have broken your vow a hundred times, Come, come again, come. -Jalal al-Din Rumi 2 Course Schedule: Week 1 Jan. 22 Introduction to course Consider the various meanings and understanding of mysticism in Western/American society. Do you think that our impression of mysticism can be used to describe movements in diverse societies around the globe? Have you ever had a mystical experience? If so, how would you describe it in your own words? Watch this film “Inner Journey: The Path of Mysticism”: http://digital.films.com.libproxy.lib.unc.edu/PortalViewVideo.aspx?xtid=33367 Jordan Paper, The Mystic Experience, 1-10. Week 2 What is Sufism? Compare and contrast the two short introductions to Islam, one by a non-Muslim American scholar of Islamic Studies (here at UNC), Carl Ernst and the other by an Iranian-American Sufi Muslim scholar, Sayyed Hossein Nasr. Consider different ways in which the topic is presented by both scholars, as well as the numerous definitions and explanations they offer for the term that both scholars present in the texts. Is the term Sufism ambiguous? How do both scholars use the term? Does it do justice to what we will be studying over the semester? What are some of the problems of studying Sufism according to Ernst and what are some of his proposals for rectifying them? Carl Ernst, Shambhala Guide to Sufism, Ch. 1 Seyyed Hossein Nasr, “The Interior Life in Islam”: http://www.al-islam.org/al-serat/interior-nasr.htm PDF Readings: Carl Ernst, "Between Orientalism and Fundamentalism: Problematizing the Teaching of Sufism," in Teaching Islam, ed. Brannon Wheeler (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2002), pp. 108-123. Week 3 The Prophet Muhammad: The Greatest Sufi Master Analyze how Sufis look to the Prophet Muhammad as the originator of the mystical tradition. How do al-Hallaj and al-Sarraj portray Muhammad in their texts? What does this portrayal illustrate about Sufis conception of the world and approach to spirituality? How does this viewpoint conflict with the Orientalists’ assumptions that Sufism came out of Buddhism and Hinduism? Carl Ernst, Shambhala Guide to Sufism, 45-57 PDF Readings: 3 Carl Ernst, Teachings of Sufism, 17-39 Annemarie Schimmel, “The Light of Muhammad and the Mystical Tradition,” 123-143. Sufism and the Qur’an Teachings of Sufism: Draw out some of the methods al-Sarraj uses to interpret and find meaning in the Qur’an from a Sufi perspective. Imagine how early Sufis would have interacted with the Qur’an and how they used their interpretation of the Qur’an to create a hierarchy of knowledge and relationship to God. Early Islamic Mysticism: Consider the verses (in the first section) presented by Michael Sells and hypothesize how they could be interpreted to have mystical connotations. What is al-Tustari’s conception of propethood in his exegesis and how does he interpret the Qur’an to assert his theology? Carl Ernst, Shambhala Guide to Sufism, pp. 32-45 PDF Readings: Michael Sells, Early Islamic Mysticism, 29-46; 89-96 Carl Ernst, Teachings of Sufism, 1-16 Week 3 Tracing the Early History of Sufism Ahmet Karamustafa, Sufism: The Formative Period, Chs. 1-2 Week 4 Institutionalizing Sufism Guide to Sufism, 120-146 Sufism: The Formative Period, Ch. 5 The Construction of Sainthood Guide to Sufism, Chapter 3 Sufism: The Formative Period, Ch. 6 & Conclusion PDF Readings: Teachings of Sufism, 161-169 4 Week 5 Women of Sufism PDF Readings: Camille Helminski, Women of Sufism: A Hidden Treasure, “Sharing the Treasure,” and “A Rose Garden of Love.” Valerie Hoffman, Sufism, Mystics, and Saints in Modern Egypt, 226-254; 291-299 PDF Readings: Camille Helminski, pp. 1-71 Watch section on Iranian Sufi women from “Mystic Iran: The Unseen World”: From 2:14 - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oEVC2Bjz8Vk&feature=relmfu and: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vq8wQBl_yWQ&feature=relmfu “In a Spin”: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=areRdNhrBFI Week 6 Sufi Practices: The Spiritual Retreat PDF Readings: Michaela Ozelsel, “A Window into Forty Days,” in Women of Sufism, 169-176 Ibn Arabi, Journey to the Lord of Power, selections Schimmel, Mystical Dimensions of Islam, 259-286 Watch al-Mahya: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4_yUVOpgwOg&feature=relmfu Rituals of Remembrance Guide to Sufism, Chapter 4 Watch at home online (http://search.lib.unc.edu/search?R=UNCb7063189): “I Named Her Angel” Watch in class: “The Circles of Remembrance” Assignment #1 Due! Week 7 Master and Disciple 5 PDF Readings: The Way of Abu Madyan, 1-38; 54-114 Carl Ernst, Sufi Teachings, 148-159 Week 8 Arabic Sufi Poetry: The Intoxicated Sufism of Al-Hallaj Selections from Carl Ernst’s Translations Arabic Sufi Poetry: Praise Poems of the Prophet Muhammad PDF Readings: Annemarie Schimmel, And Muhammad is His Messenger, pp. 176-215 Selections from “The Burdah: Mantle of the Prophet” Watch at home: “Introducing the Burdah of al-Busiri”: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o_dOTPWN2-s&feature=related TJ Winter on the background of the Burdah: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UiIwo4JqGYw&list=PL830300023BB69EAE&index=1 02&feature=plpp_video Week 9 Sufi “Wine” Poetry Nasrollah Pourjavady, “Love and the Metaphors of Wine and Drunkenness in Persian Sufi Poetry” Selections from Hafez’s Diwan Week 10 Persian Sufi Poetry: Rumi’s Ecstatic Love of God Guest speaker: Matthew Hotham, Department of Religious Studies, specialist in Persian Sufi poetry PDF Readings: Annemarie Schimmel, “Mystical Poetry in Islam: The Case of Maulana Jalaladdin Rumi” Jawid Mojaddedi, “Rumi” Watch at home, Omid Safi, “How to Read Rumi, the GPS of Divine Secrets”: 6 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CN6O1p2x6TE Rumi and His Commentators Selections from Listen: Commentary on the Spiritual Couplets of Mevlana Rumi, Victoria Holbrook, Assignment #2 Due! Week 11 Sufism and Modernity Shambhala Guide to Sufism, Ch. 8 PDF Readings: Julia Howell, “Sufism in the Modern World”: http://www.oxfordislamicstudies.com/Public/focus/essay1010_sufism_modern_world.ht ml Watch this Wahhabi diatribe against Sufism - Abu Mussab Wajdi Akkari: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jZY8xJaVRxM&feature=related The Case of Modern Egypt Hoffman, Sufism, Mystics, and Saints in Modern Egypt, Ch. 1-4 Week 12 The
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