ISLAMIC SPIRITUALITY (WS-639) Yahya M. Michot This course explores the nature and diversity of Sufism by looking at the origins and development of Islamic spiritual thought and practices in history. The course will remain anchored by focusing on important personalities in the mystical trad- itions of Islam through their literature and poetry, devotional path and/or music. Class will meet twice a week for 12 weeks: Tuesdays and Thursdays, 6:30-8:15 p.m., beginning Tuesday January 20, 2015. Each of these twelve classes will be divided in two sessions: A) Lecture; B) Discussion of the required readings. Course Objectives 1) Students should be able to find their way around in the major reference works on Sufism. 2) They are expected to gain an acquaintance with the ways classical Islamic spirituality developed, the historical and ideological contexts in which it evolved, its key figures and the main doctrines, schools or movements it crystallized into. 3) In reference to the classical period, they should also be able to have an informed opinion on modern Sufi developments and debates. 4) They should be able to benefit from the methodological approach adopted in these classes and apply them for their own studies and/or research projects. Course Requirements 1) It is strongly recommended that the student arrive at the first class already having a general knowledge about the religion of Islam, as well as about the history and geography of Muslim peoples. They should also be able to find their way around in the major reference tools for Islamic Studies (Encyclopaedia of Islam, Index Islamicus…). 2) Attendance in class is required. If you know that you will be unable to attend a session please inform the professor in advance. Missing two classes will result in an automatic lowering of your final grade by 20%. Missing three or more classes will result in automatic failure of the course. 3) For each class of weeks 2-12, students shall submit a summary of the reading assignments and be ready to speak about them in class. Each student can skip any two weeks during that time for a total of 10 submissions. Here are the guidelines for these summaries: - Approximately 2 pages (3 pages maximum) - One modern study must be used in each summary - Students must make copies of their summaries for all students in the class 4) A final research paper and a viva voce, as described below. The final grade will be based upon the following: 1) Weekly summaries (25%) and class participation (25%). 2) A final research paper of approximately 10 pages* on a topic relating to the history, or to a doctrinal debate, or to a societal aspect, of classical Sufism. The topic should be chosen by the end of class VI in consultation with the Professor. This paper will be due by the end of class XII (30%). 3) A final viva voce exam discussing the course and its reading assignments, with an emphasis on the final research paper submitted (20%). * All written work is to conform to the seminary writing guidelines, which can be found online at: http://www.hartsem.edu/student/forms/researchpaperguide.pdf. It must use the transliteration system given in class I. It must be run through a grammar and spell-check program or read by the writing tutor if necessary before submission. The Hartford Seminary Grading Guidelines will be the standard of evaluation for work in the course. IMPORTANT: Plagiarism, the failure to give proper credit for the words and ideas of another person, whether published or unpublished, is strictly prohibited. All written material submitted by students must be their own original work; where the words and ideas of others are used they must be acknowledged. Credit will not be given for work containing plagiarism, and plagiarism can lead to failure of a course. Please see the Hartford Seminary Catalogue for the full plagiarism policy. General references ENCYCLOPAEDIA OF ISLAM, INDEX ISLAMICUS… ENDRESS, Gerhard, Islam: An Historical Introduction. Translated by Carole HILLENBRAND (Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, 2002 – 2d ed.), viii & 301 p., ISBN 0-7486-1620-9. RUTHVEN, Malise, with Azim NANJI, Historical Atlas of the Islamic World (Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2004), 208 p., 0-19-860997-3. HEWER, Christopher, Understanding Islam: The first ten steps (London: SCM Press, 2006), xi & 244 p. 0334-04032-9. KNYSH, Alexander, Islamic Mysticism. A Short History (Leiden: Brill, 2000), xii, 358 p., 90-04-10717-7. SCHIMMEL, Annemarie, Mystical Dimensions of Islam (Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, [1975]), xxi, 506 p. RENARD, John, Friends of God. Islamic Images of Piety, Commitment, and Servanthood (Berkeley: University of California Press, 2008), xx, 346 p., 978-0-52025198-4. SHIHADEH, A. (ed.), Sufism and Theology (Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, 2007), vi, 201 p., 978-0-7486-2605-2. ARBERRY, Arthur John, Sufism: an Account of the Mystics of Islam (London: Unwin, 1990), [1], 11 - 141p. NICHOLSON, Reynold A., The mystics of Islam (London: Routledge and Kegan Paul, 1975), vii - 178 p., 0-7100-1892-4. CLASS SCHEDULE Class I. A: Tuesday Jan. 20. B: Thursday Jan. 22. INTRODUCTION. CONTROVERSIAL ORIGINS General references: KNYSH, Alexander, Historiography of Sufi Studies in the West, in A Companion to the History of the Middle East, ed. Youssef M. CHOUEIRI (Malden: Blackwell Publishing, 2005), p. 106-131. ERNST, Carl W., The Shambhala Guide to Sufism (Boston & London: Shambhala, 1997), xxi, 264 p., 1-57062-180-2. Chapter 2: The Sacred Sources of Sufism, p. 32-57. ‘AṬṬÂR, Farîd al-Dîn, The Conference of the Birds - Manṭiq al-Ṭayr. Translated with an introduction by Afkham DARBANDI and Dick DAVIS (Harmondsworth - New York: Penguin Books, 1984). Reading assignments: a. SCHIMMEL, Annemarie, Mystical dimensions of Islam — Chapter I: What is Sufism?, p. 3-22 b. MACDONALD, Duncan Black, Aspects of Islam (New York: The Macmillan Company, 1911) — Lecture VI: The mystical life and the darwish fraternities continued, p. 176-209. c. Copy from the press, magazines, or internet, some article or video exploring the nature of Islamic spirituality, for presentation and discussion in class. Class II. A: Tuesday Jan. 27. B: Thursday Jan. 29. FIRST DEVELOPMENTS General references: KARAMUSTAFA, Ahmet T., Sufism. The Formative Period (Berkeley - Los Angeles: University of California Press, 2007), xiii, 202 p., 978-0-520-25269-1. SELLS, Michael A., Early Islamic Mysticism. Sufi, Qur’ān, Mi’rāj, Poetic and Theological Writings. Translated, edited and with an Introduction. Preface by Carl W. ERNST (New York - Mahwah: Paulist Press, “The Classics of Western Spirituality”, 1996), xi, 398 p., 0-8091-3619-8. BALDICK, Julian, Mystical Islam. An Introduction to Sufism (London - New York: Tauris Parke Paperbacks, 2000 - 2d éd.), 208 p., 1-86064-631-x. — Chapter I: Sufism’s beginnings, p. 13-33. MELCHERT, Christopher, The Ḥanābila and the Early Sufis, in Arabica, 58, 2001, p. 352-367. Reading assignments: a. HOMERIN, Th. E., Ibn Taimîya’s Al-Ṣûfîyah wa-al-Fuqarâ’, in Arabica, XXXII (Leiden: 1985), p. 219-244. b. MELCHERT, Christopher, Baṣran Origins of Classical Sufism, in Der Islam, 82, 2005, p. 221-240. Class III. A: Tuesday Feb. 3. B: Thursday Feb. 5. AL-ḤALLÂJ General references: LOSENSKY, Paul, Farîd ad-Dîn ʻAṭṭâr’s Memorial of God’s friends : lives and sayings of Sufis. Translated and introduced. Preface by Th. Emil HOMERIN (NewYork: Paulist Press, 2009). CORNELL, Rkia Elaroui, Early Sufi Women. Dhikr an-Niswa al-Muta‘abbidât aṣ-Ṣûfiyyât by Abû ‘Abd al-Raḥmân as- Sulamî. Edited and translated from the Riyadh manuscript with Introduction and notes (Louisville: Fons Vitae, 1999), 334 p., 1-887752-06-4. SMITH, Margaret, Râbi‘a the Mystic and her Fellow-Saints in Islam. Being the Life and Teachings of Râbi‘a al- ‘Adawiyya al-Qaysiyya of Baṣra together with some Account of the Place of the Women Saints in Islam (Cambridge: Cambridge U.P., 1984), xxxv - 219 p. ‘ABD AL-QÂDIR, ‘Alî Hasan, The Life, Personality and Writings of al-Junayd. A Study of a Third/Ninth Century Mystic with an Edition and Translation of his Writings (London: Luzac, 1976). MASSIGNON, Louis, The Passion of al-Hallâj, Mystic and Martyr of Islâm. Translated and edited by Herbert MASON. Abridged edition (Princeton: Princeton University Press, 1994), xxxi, 292 p., 0-691-01919-3. MICHOT, Yahya, Ibn Taymiyya’s Commentary on the Creed of al-Îallâj, in A. SHIHADEH (ed.), Sufism and Theology (Edinburgh: Edinburgh University Press, 2007). — P. 123-136. Reading assignments: a. QUSHAYRÎ (AL-, d. 1072), The Risalah. Principles of Sufism. Translated by Rabia HARRIS. Edited by Laleh BAKHTIAR (Chicago: Kazi Publications, 2002), lx, 513 p., 1-930637-22-5. — Part I: On the Shaykhs of This Way…, p. 17-35 (nos 1-13). b. MASON, Herbert, Ḥallâj and the Baghdad School of Sufism, in Leonard LEWISOHN (ed.), The Heritage of Sufism (Classical persian Sufism from its Origins to Rumi (700-1300), Vol. I (Oxford: Oneworld, 1999), p. 65-81. Class IV. A: Tuesday Feb. 10. B: Thursday Feb. 12. NORMALISATION General references: KALÂBÂDHÎ, Muḥammad ibn Isḥâq (AL-, d. 380/990?), The Doctrine of the Sufis (Kitâb al-Ta‘arruf li-madhhab ahl al- taṣawwuf). Translated from the Arabic by A. J. ARBERRY (Cambridge: CUP, 1977), xviii, 173 p. QUSHAYRÎ (AL-, d. 1072), Principles of Sufism (al-Risâlat al-Qushayriyya fî ‘ilm al-taṣawwuf). Transl. from the Arabic by B.R. VON SCHLEGELL, with an introd. by Ḥâmid ALGAR (Berkeley, Calif.: Mizan Press, [1992]), xix, 366 p., 0- 933782-20-9. HUJWIRÎ, ‘Alî b. ‘Uthmân (AL-, d. 1077), The Kashf al-Maḥjûb. The oldest Persian Treatise on Sufism. Transl. from the text of the Lahore edition, compared with mss. in the India Office and British Museum by Reynold A.