Beshara and Ibn 'Arabi A Movement of Sufi Spirituality in the Modern World

by Taji-Farouki, Suha

• ISBN13: 9781905937264
• ISBN10: 1905937261
• Edition: Reprint
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2010-11-18
• Publisher: Anqa Publishing

Summary

Investigating sufi-inspired spirituality in the modern world, this interdisciplinary volume focuses on Beshara, a spiritual movement that originated in Britain in the 1970s.

Author Biography

Suha Taji-Farouki is a senior lecturer in modern Islam at the Institute of Arab and Islamic studies at the University of Exeter and research associate at the Institute of Ismaili Studies–London. She is the editor of Islamic Thought in the Twentieth Century and Modern Muslim Intellectuals and the Qur’an.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgements	p. ix
Setting the scene	p. 1
Sixties Britain as historical context	p. 2
Sufism and sufi spirituality in the modern West	p. 8
Beshara as a movement of sufi spirituality	p. 10
Introducing Ibn 'Arabi and the Oneness of Being	p. 14
Concerning methodology, data collection and sources	p. 18
Emergence and history	p. 23
Rauf in London: a chance meeting?	p. 23
Coalescence: the establishment of a spiritual centre	p. 28
Reorientations	p. 32
Emergence, consolidation and expansion of the Beshara movement	p. 35
Spiritual education: texts and contexts	p. 45
Study texts in English	p. 45
Inside the School of Intensive Esoteric Education	p. 54
Bulent Rauf as guiding figure	p. 69
Origins	p. 69
Approach as adviser and guide	p. 81
Legacy	p. 91
The Beshara perspective and the teaching of Ibn 'Arabi	p. 97
Why Ibn Arabi?	p. 98
Ibn 'Arabi's metaphysics as exposition of Absolute Truth	p. 99
Ibn 'Arabi's teaching as universal	p. 102
A direct personal message	p. 104
The spiritual evolution of man	p. 107
Preparing for the Second Coming of Christ	p. 116
The Second Coming as new age: 'universality' and global unity	p. 122
The spiritual life: culture and practice	p. 135
The end of religions and spiritual orders: a direct realisation of Truth	p. 135
Spiritual practices: origins and adaptations	p. 141
Islamic-sufi forms and interior realities	p. 151
The cult of saints	p. 156
An Uwaysi culture?	p. 164
Projecting Ibn 'Arabi for today's world	p. 171
Beshara and Ibn 'Arabi	p. 171
Avenues of engagement: bringing Ibn 'Arabi into the wider culture	p. 173
Scholarly dissemination: the Muhyiddin Ibn 'Arabi Society, Beshara and 'sufi academia'	p. 177
Ibn'Arabi and his readers: spirituality for the elite?	p. 184
Ibn 'Arabi(re-)constructed?	p. 188
Beshara and Sufism in the modern world	p. l95
Situating Beshara	p. 195
Sufism and the shifting of the West	p. 207
Modern Muslims, spiritual seekers and sufism	p. 214
Epilogue	p. 233
Notes	p. 241
Appendices
Sufism and sufi spirituality in the West: a working typology	p. 405
The life and thought of Ibn 'Arabi: recommended reading	p. 406
A Beshara study session: Bosnevi's Commentary on the Fusus al-Hikam	p. 408
A Beshara dhikr	p. 415
Life stories	p. 417
Select bibliography	p. 451
Index	p. 470
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