The Shambhala Guide to Sufism

by ERNST, CARL W. PHD

• ISBN13: 9781570621802
• ISBN10: 1570621802
• Format: Trade Paper
• Copyright: 1997-09-23
• Publisher: Shambhala

Summary

The soaring voice of Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, the ecstatic dance of the Whirling Dervishes, the rapturous verse of Jalaluddin Rumi-all are expressions of Sufism, often regarded as the mystical tradition of Islam. Who are the Sufis? They are more than mystics; they are empowered by the Qur'an and the Prophet Muhammad. They are guided by saints and masters. They belong to orders ranging from North Africa and Turkey to India and Central Asia. In addition to prayer and fasting, they practice techniques of meditation. They recite poetry, delight in music, and perform dance, all towards one goal-union with God, the Divine Beloved. This comprehensive introduction clarifies the concept of Sufism and discusses its origin and development. In addition, the author discusses the important issues of Sufism's relationship with the larger Islamic world and its encounters with fundamentalism and modern secularism, along with the appropriation of Sufism by non-Muslims and the development of Sufi traditions in the West.

Author Biography

Carl W. Ernst, Ph.D., is professor and chair of the Department of Religious Studies at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. A specialist in Islamic mysticism, he has spent research tours in Pakistan, India, and Turkey. He is also the author of Words and Ecstasy in Sufism and the translator of The Unveiling of Secrets: Diary of a Sufi Master by Ruzbihan Baqli.

Table of Contents

List of Figures	ix	(2)
Preface	xi
1. What Is Sufism?	1	(31)
"Dervish" and "Fakir": The Outsider's View of Sufism	1	(7)
The Orientalist "Discovery" of Sufism	8	(10)
The Term Sufi as a Prescriptive Ethical Concept	18	(8)
Actual Terminology Used for Sufis	26	(6)
2. The Sacred Sources of Sufism	32	(26)
The Qur'anic Event as the Matrix of Mystical Experience	32	(8)
Mystical Themes of the Qur'an	40	(5)
The Prophet Muhammad as Mystical Exemplar and Object of Devotion	45	(13)
3. Saints and Sainthood	58	(23)
4. The Names of God, Meditation, and Mystical Experience	81	(39)
Internalizing the Word of God	81	(17)
Advanced Spiritual Stations, Practices, and Experiences	98	(22)
5. The Sufi Orders: Mastery, Discipleship, and Initiation	120	(27)
6. Sufi Poetry	147	(32)
The Basics of Islamicate Poetry	149	(2)
Arabic Sufi Poetry	151	(6)
Persian Sufi Poetry	157	(12)
Translations, Versions, and the Scripturalization of Poetry	169	(4)
Sufi Poetry in Other Islamicate Languages	173	(6)
7. Sufi Music and Dance	179	(20)
Regional Traditions of Music and Dance	185	(14)
8. Sufism in the Contemporary World	199	(30)
Sufism and Modernism	200	(5)
Sufism and the State	205	(6)
Sufism and Fundamentalist Islam	211	(4)
The Publication of the Secret	215	(5)
New Styles of Sufi Leadership	220	(9)
Notes	229	(14)
Select Bibliography	243	(4)
Select Discography	247	(4)
Index	251