Introduction to Sufism The Inner Path of Islam

by Geoffroy, Eric; Gaetani, Roger; Gaetani, Roger

• ISBN13: 9781935493105
• ISBN10: 1935493108
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 2010-05-16
• Publisher: World Wisdom

Summary

Why is Sufism so compelling to both spiritual seekers and scholars? This, the first book in English from an authority on Sufism, ric Geoffroy, introduces Sufism from many angles and from its origins up to the present day. Geoffroy sees Sufism as a unique lens through which we can view the spirituality that lies behind the forms of Islam. This book covers the history of Sufism from its earliest days up until our own times, touching on the many significant people, practices, ideas, and controversies that have shaped it. It also highlights Sufism's universal aspects, which are a powerful antidote to various fundamentalisms. Geoffroy's special treatment of the subject balances the voices of long ago (e.g. Ibn 'Arabi, Rumi, Hallaj, and Ghazzali) with many contemporary voices to cover a remarkable scope of topics essential to a full understanding of authentic Sufism.

Author Biography

Eric Geoffroy is a specialist on Islam and Sufism who is currently Professor of Islamic Studies in the Department of Arabic and Islamic Studies at Marc Bloch-Strasbourg II University in France. He has already authored several books on Sufism in French.

Table of Contents

Translator's Foreword	p. xi
Transliteration System for Arabic Characters	p. xv
Preface	p. xvii
Fundamentals	p. 1
Definitions and Objectives	p. 1
A Mysticism?	p. 2
Knowledge and Love	p. 3
Who is the Sufi?	p. 4
A Reality without a Name	p. 5
The Science of Spiritual States	p. 6
The Initiatory Path	p. 8
Goals of the Sufi	p. 11
Purifying the Soul	p. 12
Knowing God	p. 12
Union with God, or "Extinguishing Oneself" in Him?	p. 14
Dying to Oneself, and Living Again Through Him	p. 15
Diversity in Sufism	p. 16
A Rich Pallet of Spiritual Types	p. 16
Sufi Literature	p. 19
Inward Alchemy	p. 21
Sufism and Shi'ism	p. 22
Doctrinal Affinities	p. 22
Two Rival Esoterisms	p. 24
The Role of the Feminine in Sufism	p. 27
The Eternal Feminine in Islamic Mysticism	p. 27
The Effects of the Male Ambience	p. 29
Some Prejudices Regarding Sufism	p. 29
Sufism is a Kind of Quietism, and is the Egotistical Search for Individual Salvation	p. 29
Sufism is a Popular Religion, Conceived as a Reaction to the Legalism of "Orthodox" Islam	p. 31
Sufism and Islam	p. 33
Two Names for a Single Reality	p. 33
The Fundamentally Koranic Character of Sufism	p. 33
The Koranic Model	p. 35
"To Combine One's Flesh and Blood with the Koran"	p. 35
The Sufi Travels His Path Through the Book	p. 37
A Multitude of Meanings: Sufi Exegesis	p. 38
The Hadith Qudsi, or "Divine Utterance"	p. 42
The Model of Muhammad	p. 43
"Sufis are Those Who Follow the Path of the Messenger of God and Strive to Acquire His Noble Virtues"	p. 43
The Prophet as Primordial Light	p. 44
The Reality of Muhammad, Mediator between the Divine and Human Realms	p. 45
The Inner Sunna	p. 47
Sufism and Prophetic Tradition (Hadith)	p. 48
The Master of Masters	p. 50
Devotion to the Prophet	p. 53
The Islam of "Excellence"	p. 54
Islam, Iman, Ihsan	p. 54
Sufism Illuminates the Five Pillars	p. 56
Sufism, or Plenary Islam	p. 58
The Law (Shari'a), The Way (Tariqa), and The Reality (Haqiqa)	p. 59
A Law for Sufis Only?	p. 60
The Science of "Unveiling", the Science of Shari'a	p. 62
A Living Law	p. 64
Sufism in Islamic Culture: Historical Perspective	p. 65
The Path of The Pioneers	p. 65
A Foundational Attitude: The Ascetic Renunciation of the World	p. 65
The "Path of Blame" (Malama): From Concealment to Provocation	p. 67
From Asceticism to Mysticism	p. 68
Bistami, the Archetype of "Intoxication"	p. 69
The Baghdad "School" of Sufism (Ninth-Tenth Centuries)	p. 70
Hallaj	p. 70
Junayd	p. 71
Hakim Tirmidhi: Between Prophecy and Sainthood	p. 73
Persecutions	p. 73
Successors of Junayd and Hallaj	p. 74
The Four Founders of the Legal Schools and Sufism	p. 75
The Centuries of Maturation (Tenth-Twelfth Centuries)	p. 78
Legal Scholars, Traditionnists, Sufis: Assertion of Identities	p. 78
Radiance from Khurasan (Tenth-Eleventh Centuries)	p. 79
Sufism and Shafi'ism	p. 79
Manuals of Sufism	p. 80
Ghazzali: The Supremacy of Spiritual Intuition over Reason	p. 83
The Persistence of the Mysticism of "Intoxication"	p. 85
Poetry and Metaphysics	p. 87
Iranian Mystical Poetry (Twelfth-Fifteenth Centuries): 'Attar, Rumi, and Others	p. 87
Rumi: Music and Dance	p. 89
Turkish Mystical Poetry: Yunus Emre	p. 91
Arabic Mystical Poetry: Ibn 'Arabi and Ibn al-Farid	p. 92
The Necessity of Interpreting Mystical Poetry	p. 93
Sufi Terminology	p. 94
Ibn 'Arabi and the Metaphysics of Being	p. 95
Ibn Sab'in, or Oneness Without Compromise	p. 98
Creating A Structure for Sufism (Twelfth-Fifteenth Centuries)	p. 99
The Formation of the "Initiatory Paths" (Tariqa)	p. 101
Iraq	p. 102
Central Asia and Iran	p. 104
India	p. 108
Muslim Spain and the Maghreb	p. 109
Egypt and Syria	p. 111
Anatolia	p. 114
The Caucasus	p. 115
Integration and Expansion: "Sufism, The Heart of Islam"	p. 117
Recognition of Sufism by the Ulama	p. 117
Sufism is Prominent as the Spirituality of Sunni Islam	p. 120
Hanbalism and Sufism	p. 121
Places of Sufi Social Interactions	p. 122
The "Cult of Saints"	p. 124
The Esoteric Governance of the World	p. 125
Sufism and Reformism (Eighteenth-Twentieth Centuries)	p. 126
A Decline of Sufism?	p. 126
The Search for Original Purity (Eighteenth-Nineteenth Centuries): Sufism and Wahhabism	p. 127
The Muhammadian Path	p. 128
Renewed Paths and New Paths	p. 129
Lesser Jihad and Greater Jihad	p. 132
The Sudanese Mahdi	p. 133
Emir 'Abd al-Qadir	p. 133
Sufi Reformism at the Beginning of the Twentieth Century: Amadou Bamba and the Shaykh al-'Alawi	p. 134
Sufism: A Fertile Ground for "Salafi" Reformism	p. 136
Sufism and Islamicism in the Twentieth Century: Politicization	p. 139
"Sufi Scholars" in Contemporary Times	p. 141
Sufism As It Is Lived	p. 142
Master and Disciple	p. 142
A Necessary Relationship	p. 142
An Excessive Veneration?	p. 143
A Reciprocal Code of Conduct	p. 145
A Single Master	p. 146
A Second Birth	p. 146
Sufi Psychology, or the "Science of the Soul"	p. 149
Succession and Delegation of Authority	p. 151
Methods and Rites of Affiliation	p. 153
Initiatory Rites	p. 153
The "Investiture of the Cloak" (Khirqa)	p. 153
"Making the Pact" ('Ahd, Bay'a)	p. 154
"The Secret Teaching of Formulas of Invocation" (Talqin)	p. 155
From True Aspirant to Simple Associate	p. 155
A Fluid World: Multiple Affiliations	p. 156
Uwaysi Initiation	p. 157
Codes of Conduct	p. 158
Correct Inner Attitudes	p. 158
Food	p. 159
Clothing	p. 159
Sleep	p. 159
Travel	p. 159
Between Brothers	p. 160
A Rule for Community Life	p. 161
Initiatory Methods	p. 162
The Invocation (Dhikr)	p. 162
The Highest Form of Worship	p. 162
Formulas of the Invocation	p. 164
From the Dhikr of the Tongue to that of "Inner Consciousness"	p. 166
The Invocation of the Tongue (Dhikr al-Lisan)	p. 166
The Invocation of the Heart (Dhikr al-Qalb)	p. 167
The Invocation of the Inner Consciousness (Dhikr al-Sirr)	p. 167
Aloud, or in Silence?	p. 167
Group Sessions of Dhikr	p. 168
Spiritual Poetry and Music: Sama'	p. 170
The Echo of the Divine Word	p. 170
Subtlety and Ambiguity of Sama'	p. 171
A Joyful and Widespread Practice	p. 172
Litanies and Prayers	p. 174
The Retreat (Khalwa)	p. 176
Rules of the Retreat	p. 177
Not to Stop at Supernatural Phenomena	p. 179
The "Retreat in the Midst of the Crowd"	p. 180
Sufism and Interreligious Openness	p. 182
Religious Pluralism in Islam	p. 182
The Transcendent Unity of Religions	p. 183
The Legacy of Prophetic Pluralism	p. 188
The "Hidden Idolatry" of Common Believers	p. 189
The Temptation of Syncretism	p. 190
The Pressures of Exoterism and History	p. 191
Conclusion: Sufism Yesterday, Sufism Today	p. 194
The "Degeneration of Time"	p. 194
The Illness of "Brotherhoodism"	p. 195
Adapting to Cyclical Conditions	p. 196
Towards a Restructuring of the Roles of Sufism	p. 198
The Messianic Adventure	p. 199
Sufism in the West	p. 200
Maps	p. 204
Glossary and Index of Technical Terms	p. 207
Index of Proper Names	p. 213
Biographical Notes	p. 219
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