The discourse of the divine in islamic mysticism abd alhakeem carney ph. We would like to show you a description here but the site wont allow us. Islamic mysticism had several stages of growth, including 1 the appearance of early asceticism, 2 the development of a classical mysticism of divine love, and 3 the rise and proliferation of fraternal orders of mystics. By theology, i mean discussion of the divine reality and its relationship with the universe. Written from the ninth to the twentieth century, these poems represent the peak of islamic mystical writing, from rabia basri to mian mohammad baksh. The haqqani islamic trust continues its ongoing mission of spreading the teachings of sufism tasawwuf, divine love and divine gnosis maarifah. According to islamic understanding and literature, man has been valued by. During the formative period of islamic thought, up until around the eleventh century, theologians could be classified into three broad schools of thought, which historians have typically called kalam dogmatic, scholastic, or dialectical theology, sufism or mysticism, and philosophy. Love as the highest reason for creation in early kalam islamic theology, a heated debate started on the purpose behind gods creations and acts. One of jala addin muhammad rumis important ways in relation to godman is love.
Man can reach god through love and achieve divine qualities. Despite these general stages, however, the history of islamic mysticism is largely a history of individual mystic experience. The intoxication of divine love and joy paramahansa yogananda. Divine love perspectives on the concept of love in islam. The seemingly necessary link between mysticism and erotic language is also evident in the use of kinds of lovelanguage not directly tied to. South asian sufism in america in south asian sufis. Sufism sufism is a mystical islamic belief and practice. It became known as sufism because the early muslim mystics wore garments made of suf wool, in. According to islamic understanding and literature, man has been valued by g ods spirit w hen created, and the soul of god has been given to him.
One of its goals is to reach the maximum number of readers through its publications such as this one and subsequent works to. So long as the story of love and lovers adorns this world my name shall be written boldly in the book of love. Islamic literature and the path to god, written by william c. The teachings of alghazali and aldabbagh routledge sufi routledge sufi series abrahamov, binyamin on. Sufism, mystical islamic belief and practice in which muslims seek the truth of divine love and knowledge through direct personal experience of god. William chitticks book beautifully introduces the earlier persian and arabic prose writers on love who provide the background for that lovepoetry, and whose theology of love shaped the popular understanding of islam through the centuries. Sufism has been defined as a type of knowledge by the great muslim sufi masters and schools of sufism exist each tracing their ancestry and beliefs to a distinct master. The fact that i am talking not about islam but about islamic mysticism does not make the task any easier. Islamic mysticism is a reorientation toward texts and textuallymediated practices as a result of these experiences of reading that have thereby opened up new horizons for us with regard to the nature of embodiment in relationship to text.
Similar to what we saw earlier in the case of divine love, human love for god, for his creation, for good deeds, and for each other plays a crucial role in the islamic world. Sufi philosophy and poetry in general and philosophy of shamas tabrizi, in particular, are out there what is understood and witnessed for it is not merely about tasawwuf or islamic mysticism or. Here i can only sketch in broad outline certain principles, methods, and characteristic features of the. According to islamic understanding and literature, man has been valued by gods. Sufism is not so much a sect within islam as a mode of religious experience that began as a yearning for the deeper spiritual springs of islam and personal fellowship with god. Divine love in islamic mysticism the teachings of alghazali and. Since a major part of sufi teaching was to enable an individual muslim to seek intimacy with god, it was felt that such seekers must embrace a commitment to an inner life of devotion and moral. The first problem arises because of the english word mysticism.
The term encompasses a diverse range of beliefs and practices dedicated to allah, divine love and the cultivation of the heart. William c chittick the very heart of the islamic tradition is love. Indeed, love for the truths embodied in the religion builds up the faith. The arabic term sufi has been used in islamic literature with a wide range of meanings, by both proponents and opponents of sufism.
Pdf shams tabrizi and his sufi philosophy is not merely. Sufism is a mystical islamic belief and practice in which muslims seek to find the truth of divine love and knowledge through direct personal experience of god. Some theologians thought that the attribution of reason or purpose to his deeds leads to the assumption that god is in need of his creatures and he creates them to meet some needs, just like a human being who, say, works to earn money, or studies to. Prince ghazi bin muhammad, author of love in the holy quran. Reflecting both private devotional love and the attempt to attain union. In other words, fully situate islamic mysticism tasawwuf as whether the question.
Divine love in islamic mysticism the teachings of al. The teachings of alghazali and aldabbagh routledge sufi series. Pdf divine love in rumi lore and mysticism researchgate. The two theories of divine love that are examined in this book have their foundations in greek, jewish, christian and muslim ideas. There is a strong tendency among many scholars of islam, and other observers and scholars, to treat the legacy of islamic thought through the trite lens of a golden age, followed by the inevitable decline. It consists of a variety of mystical paths that are designed to ascertain the nature of man and god and to facilitate the experience of the presence of divine love and wisdom in the world. Mysticism is the practice of religious ecstasies religious experiences during alternate states of consciousness, together with whatever ideologies, ethics, rites, myths, legends, and magic may be related to them. It consists of mystical paths that are designed to learn the nature of humanity and of god and to facilitate the experience of the presence of divine love and wisdom. The loving exchange that takes place between the soul and god is so sweet that i beg him in his goodness to give a taste of this love to anyone who thinks i. Islamic tradition, we should never forget that muslims have histories, cultural divergences, and differences in belief and practice every bit as complex as those of christians. Wine of the mystic the rubaiyat of omar khayyam a spiritual interpretation, srf.
The classic sufi poets of divine and human loverumi, hafez, attar and othersare by now familiar figures. Both scholars created complete theories of divine love that include definitions of love, its causes and signs, the ways to love god, gods love for man, and kinds of love. But this latest work is a masterwork studded with unique spiritual gems on love. The book will interest students of theology, philosophy and mysticism in general, and students of islam in particular. It may also refer to the attainment of insight in ultimate or hidden truths, and to human transformation supported by various practices and experiences. Human love perspectives on the concept of love in islam. If the inline pdf is not rendering correctly, you can download the pdf file here. Use features like bookmarks, note taking and highlighting while reading divine love in islamic mysticism. Chittick is arguably the best scholar and translator of classical islamic mysticism sufism the western world has ever produced.
Loves command so long as this world exists, i do not want the pain of love, but i love love and cannot break the vows of love. The teachings of alghazali and aldabbagh routledge sufi series kindle edition by abrahamov, binyamin. Classical sufi texts, which stressed certain teachings and practices of the quran and the sunnah. Islamsu sm is masterpiece by titus burckhardt examines. Download it once and read it on your kindle device, pc, phones or tablets. The teachings of alghazali and aldabbagh routledge sufi series kindle edition by binyamin abrahamov.
Love occupied the attention of numerous muslim scholars from early times. According to islamic understanding and literature, man has been valued by gods spirit when. Divine love in islamic mysticism, the teachings of al. Islamic mystical poetry download ebook pdf, epub, tuebl. One of islamic mysticism doctrines is to disclose divine secrets is idola try khomeini 1996.