Mystical Dimensions of Islam

535 Pages·2010·12.36 MB·English

by  Annemarie Schimmel

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MYSTICAL D I M E N S I O N S O F ISLA M
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by A N N E M A R I E S C H I M M EL
MYSTICAL
DIMENSIONS
OF
ISLAM
The Universit y of North Carolina Press
Chapel Hill
© /975 The University ofNorth Carolina Press
All rights reserved
Manufactured in the United States of America
09 08 07 06 05 2 0 jp 18 ij id
Library of Congress Cataloging in Publication Data
Schimmel, Annemarie.
Mystical dimensions of Islam.
Includes bibliographical referentes,
i. Sufism. I. Tule.
epi8g.2.sj4 2 97'-4 73-16112
!SBN 0-8078-1223-4 (doth)
ISBN-I): 978-0-8078-1271-6 (pbk.)
TO TH E SAINT S O F S H I R A Z
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CONTENTS
ILLUSTRATIONS / xi
ABBREVIATIONS / xiii
F O R E W O R D / X v i i
THE ARABI C ALPHABE T AN D
NOTE ON TRANSCRIPTION / xix
THE MUSLIM YEAR / XXi
1. WHAT IS SUFISM? / 3
2. HISTORICA L OUTLINE S O F
CLASSICAL SUFISM / 23
The Formative Period / 2 3
viii / CONTENT S
Some Mystical Leaders of
the Late Ninth Century / 4 2
Al-Hallaj, Martyr of Mystical Love / 6 2
The Period of Consolidation:
From Shibli to Ghazzali / 7 7
3. THE PAT H / 9 8
The Foundations of the Path I 9 8
* / 90
Stations and Stages / 10 9
Love and Annihilation / 13 0
Forms of Worship / 148
4. MA N AND HI S PERFECTIO N / 18 7
Some Notes on Sufi Psychology / 18 7
Good and Evil: The Role of Satan / 19 3
Saints and Miracles / 19 9
The Veneration of the Prophet / 213
5. SUF I ORDER S AN D FRATERNITIE S / 22 8
Community Life / 228
Abu Said ibn Abil-Khayr / 241
The First Orders / 24 4
6. THEOSOPHICAL SUFISM / 259
Suhrawardi Maqtul,
the Master of Illumination / 25 9
Ibn cArabi, the Great Master / 263
Ibn al-Farid, Mystical Poet / 274
The Development of
Ibn 'Arabi' s Mysticism o f Unity / 27 9
7. TH E ROS E AN D TH E NIGHTINGALE :
PERSIAN AN D TURKIS H
MYSTICAL POETR Y / 28 7
Immortal Rose / 28 7
The Pilgrimage of the Birds:
Sanai and Attar / 30 1
Maulana Jalaluddi n Rumi / 30 9
Turkish Popular Mysticism / 32 8
CONTENTS / ix
8. S U F I S M IN INDO-PAKISTAN / 344
The Classical Period / 34 4
The "Naqshbandl Reaction" / 36 3
Khwaja Mi r Dard, a "Sincere Muhammadan" / 37 3
Mystical Poetry in the Regional Languages—
Sindhi, Panjabi, Pashto / 38 3
9. E P I L O G UE / 403
APPENDIX 1
Letter Symbolism in Sufi Literature I 41 1
APPENDIX 2
The Feminine Element in Sufism I 42 6
BIBLIOGRAPHY / 437
ADDENDUM TO THE BIBLIOGRAPHY / 469
INDEX OF KORANIC QUOTATIONS / 475
INDEX OF PROPHETIC TRADITIONS / 477
INDEX OF NAMES AND PLACES / 479
INDEX OF SUBJECTS / 497